As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Sheng stuck her head out and said, "Who's fat, who's fat?"
Xu Mo quickly changed his words, "The lovely young lady outside is the youngest sister in the family."
The youngest sister, meaning the youngest sister.
Only then did Jiang Sheng angrily shrink her head back in and continue standing in punishment.
Qi Huai jokingly patted him on the shoulder and said, "I didn't expect Brother Xu to also have younger brothers and sisters, and such lovely younger brothers and sisters at that. You're truly fortunate."
Xu Mo thought of his flashy second brother, martial arts obsessed third brother, fourth brother who cries at the drop of a hat, and cunningly deep fifth brother.
It really was impressive.
"I'd be so happy if I could have a younger brother like that," Qi Huai was still observing the banquet, and when he discovered this young boy's extraordinary temperament, his eyes revealed a hint of envy.
Xu Mo looked at Qi Yue in astonishment, who was still in a daze.
Only then did Qi Huai realize he had let something slip, and awkwardly covered for himself, "My younger brother...he's not that capable."
Fortunately Xu Mo didn't ask further, and turned to look at An Jun. In a low voice he said, "Brother An, I'm afraid we can't stay here any longer. You should find another place."
Two men in black weren't able to come and extinguish them, so it was very likely they would send four, followed by eight.
By then it would truly be difficult to deal with.
An Jun also knew he had provoked a formidable force. Not only was he not afraid, but he even developed a sense of passion, "I'm an ordinary student. Although I don't have a background, I'm still an upright person with my own pride and arrogance. These aristocratic families bully others too much, stealing my talents and trying to take my life. I vow to fight them to the death!"
There was no retreating, so he would not retreat.
There are always solutions before reaching the mountain, and light after passing through the willows and into the next village.
Xu Mo pondered, seemingly thinking about where would be safest for An Jun to go.
Qi Huai beside him steeled his resolve, "I have a separate residence unknown to others. Brother An will have to tolerate staying there for a few days first."
Then he looked to Xu Mo, "Tomorrow I'll go pick up Brother Xu, then we'll act according to the agreement."
With this, the matter was basically settled.
Jiang San and Jiang Si tied up the men in black and sent them to the Qi residence, where Qi Huai would find someone to interrogate them about who was behind it.
Xu Mo brought his younger siblings home to prepare statements for the events of the next day.
The few of them then parted ways.
After cupping their fists in farewell, only then did Qi Yue come to his senses, staring as the three siblings walked away hand in hand with envy written all over his face. "Brother Xu really is a good older brother."
"What, I'm not a good older brother?" Qi Huai glared.
Qi Yue curled his lip. "Don't you know in your heart?"
Qi Huai was rendered speechless, his expression indignant.
He was just not as gentle and patient as Brother Xu, how did that make him not a good older brother?
But he forgot that a truly thoughtful older brother would not be willing to let his younger siblings take risks.
Just like Xu Mo leading his younger brother and sister to Auntie Zhang's place.
On the road, Chang Luan softly asked, "Big brother, why did you find the Qi brothers? Why not find me and fourth brother?"
"You're still young," Xu Mo gently replied. "This matter involves too much, after all I have fame and title to protect me, yet you have nothing. It's not good to drag you into it."
If possible, he wished he could grow five pairs of wings to firmly protect his younger siblings, to not let them get caught up in the storms, to not let others bully them.
It was just a pity that it was extremely difficult in Fengjing.
Xu Mo knew he couldn't protect everyone. The only thing he could do was strengthen himself, the stronger the better, until one day, he could become his siblings' sturdy pillar of support.
"Little three, when are you coming home?"
The boy's voice was too soft, blinked away by the wind in an instant.
Thoughts of longing blew north, carrying to the side of family.
Soon after, the three siblings stopped in front of the small three section courtyard that belonged to the master chef.
Xu Mo was the first to knock on the copper door.
The door opened to reveal the master chef's round face, and Auntie Zhang's slightly bashful expression.
"I said it was the children." Zhang Xianglian heaved a long sigh. "I still need to discuss the matter of the pastries with the children before giving you a reply the day after tomorrow."
The master chef kept acknowledging as he saw the few of them to the carriage.
Only after watching them get on did he seem to remember something and thank her, "Just now, thank you Xianglian for helping clean up. The house really is quite messy."
Zhang Xianglian didn't want to say more, and had Xu Mo steer the carriage away.
On the road, the three children's six eyes looked over.
Zhang Xianglian picked out the important parts to say, "The master chef said You Ran Ju sincerely wants to collaborate, and also said it wasn't simply about selling pastries to You Ran Ju."
Jiuzhen Store sold half a pound of pastries for 100 wen, they wouldn't be able to raise the price when bringing them to You Ran Ju, nor could they sell them at the original price.
This is when the tactic Zheng Ruqian used earlier to raise the date pastries' price would need to be applied - use more exquisite shapes to exchange for higher prices.
But more beautiful shapes meant more intricate production, wasting more production time.
Zhang Xianglian didn't immediately agree, also because she was afraid of delaying Jiuzhen Store's original business.
Luckily the master chef also gave a suggestion: Continuously shaping by hand was certainly exquisite, but it wasted too much manpower, and also made large scale production impossible. It would be best to use molds, which could ensure consistency as well as save time.
Think about how their ancestors made mooncakes, it was also relying on molds to ensure the clear, stable patterns.
Zhang Xianglian could completely sell molded pastries at Jiuzhen Store, and specially supply You Ran Ju with intricate hand-shaped pastries.
At the time, the master chef also sighed feelingly, "Your skillful hands deserve only You Ran Ju's exorbitant prices."
Zhang Xianglian was again embarrassed and bashful, not knowing how to respond.
Luckily the children's knock at the door saved her.
In the carriage, Zhang Xianglian softly said, "The master chef was utterly sincere. I feel we can collaborate, but the specifics still need to be finalized when Ruqian comes back."
As the big boss of the pastry shop, that scoundrel Zheng Ruqian had been missing for a long time.
Jiang Sheng puckered her little face, her eyes uncontrollably ringed red.
She sniffed, "This rotten Second Brother better come back during New Year's to decide, if he doesn't come back, we'll decide ourselves. Auntie, you research some designs during this time."
Zhang Xianglian gently nodded.
In the days that followed, the small three section courtyard once again returned to its former liveliness.
Auntie Zhang was extremely busy, Xu Mo came and went like a ghost, and Jiang Sheng anxiously awaited.
But time waited for no one, and with only two to three days until New Year's, Zheng Ruqian still hadn't returned.
What did spread in Fengjing was a piece of news: Zhu Zhi's scholar status that spanned three generations of Zhu men was improperly obtained by having someone else take the exam on his behalf.
Initially only two or three people heard it in secret, but as time fermented it, it gradually permeated the entirety of Fengjing. It made those who had cheated anxious and afraid, while also finally shocking the imperial family.
Cheating on the examinations!
How dare you!
