"How can there be such an annoying man in this world? Why don't you get along with him either?"
Feng Qingyi tidied her messy hair, "I'm not sure, perhaps because he likes Qin Yuchuan!"
"Or maybe he just plain dislikes me. After all, sometimes you don't need a reason to dislike someone."
Xu Linghe said, "I heard he does have a good relationship with General Qin, but that 'like' shouldn't go that far. He frequents brothels and taverns daily, and doesn't seem like he's interested in men."
"But I heard he has a cousin who fancies General Qin. Perhaps that's the reason."
Feng Qingyi raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, "Whatever the reason, he's ultimately an unimportant person, not worth dwelling on. How did you know about my affairs with Qin Yuchuan?"
"I had someone inquire about your situation. You don't mind, do you?" Xu Linghe asked.
Feng Qingyi: "In the future, if you want to know something, just ask me directly. What else did you find out?"
Xu Linghe: "I just heard that Princess Xuan He has a good relationship with you and intends you to be her daughter-in-law. That's all. But I do think you and General Qin are indeed a good match."
"General Qin has achieved great military feats. I admire him very much. Sometimes I think, if I weren't a woman, I would probably go to the battlefield too!"
Feng Qingyi comforted her, "Although you can't go to the battlefield now, you can still do things you like."
Xu Linghe: "Compared to other young ladies from noble families, I am indeed freer, but my parents still have their hearts set on marrying me off!"
"Maybe in their view, the most important thing in a woman's life is to find a suitable husband, get married, and then spend the rest of her life in the back courtyard, supporting her husband and educating the children."
"But that's not the life I want. I feel like I want to escape from here."
Feng Qingyi didn't speak. She knew that Xu Linghe didn't really need her comfort, she just wanted someone to confide in.
"Why am I telling you all this? Let's go back to the manor for dinner! Hong Ying should have prepared it by now. Her cooking skills are excellent."
Feng Qingyi stood up from the grass and straightened her clothes, "Let's go!"
As Xu Linghe said, Hong Ying's culinary skills were indeed impressive. Although she made simple home-cooked dishes, each one was a perfect blend of color, aroma, and taste.
"Qingyi, can we come out to play together again in the future?"
Feng Qingyi nodded, "Of course, though I might be quite busy."
"No worries, we can arrange it when you're free." Xu Linghe showed understanding. "This afternoon, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
Feng Qingyi took out the property deed Qian Jue had given her from her small bag, "Do you know where this place is?"
Xu Linghe took the deed and looked at it, "It's in the east of the city. I'll take you to see it later. I think it's a teahouse."
"Great, thank you."
After lunch, they strolled around the manor for a while before taking a carriage to the teahouse Xu Linghe mentioned.
"Linghe, are you sure it's here? Why isn't it open?" Feng Qingyi doubted if they had found the right place.
Xu Linghe looked at Feng Qingyi's property deed again.
"No problem, it's here. This teahouse seems to have closed due to poor business. Did you buy this to start a business?"
Feng Qingyi sighed. She finally understood why Qian Jue was so quick to give her this shop. It was because it couldn't stay in business. She had thought she could just sit back and collect money, but it turned out she would have to run it herself. She had miscalculated.
"Let's go in and take a look!"
Pushing open the heavy door, Feng Qingyi saw the layout of the teahouse.
The teahouse had three floors. The first floor was a hall with tables and chairs arranged somewhat messily. Due to the lack of cleaning for a long time, there was a lot of dust.
The second floor was a bit more upscale compared to the first, with screens dividing the various areas.
The third floor consisted of private rooms, though they were very simple, containing nothing but a table and a few chairs.
Xu Linghe: "Qingyi, you're not thinking of reopening this teahouse, are you?"
"I'm considering it. Do you want to join me?"
Feng Qingyi decided to recruit a partner, after all, running a teahouse also required understanding the local market.
Xu Linghe: "But I've never done business before. What if we lose money?"
"If we lose money, it's on me. You just need to help out. When we make a profit, we'll split it 70-30," Feng Qingyi said.
Xu Linghe: "No need for the 70-30 split. I don't lack money. I'll just consider it as helping you out."
"This place is in shambles. I think we need to renovate it first, and the tables and chairs need to be replaced as well."
"That's going to cost quite a bit, isn't it?" Feng Qingyi wondered if her gold bars would be enough.
Xu Linghe: "If you need money, you can tell me. I'll lend it to you, and you can pay me back when you earn it."
"We shouldn't be short for now, but shouldn't we go find craftsmen to renovate the teahouse?" Feng Qingyi said.
Xu Linghe wasn't sure either, "I suppose so. Let's go out and ask around."
After inquiring with passersby, they found craftsmen in the south of the city and discussed the renovation of the teahouse.
Afterwards, the two of them toured all the teahouses in Shengjing, learning about the unique features of each one.
Feng Qingyi even did some extra research, thinking it might come in handy later.
Xu Linghe: "After the teahouse is renovated, we'll need to hire an accountant, waiters, tea masters, and even storytellers and performers. It's quite troublesome."
"But once we've sorted all that out, we won't have to be so busy. All beginnings are difficult, we'll take it slow," Feng Qingyi said.
Xu Linghe thought for a moment, "That's true. Let's hope business will be booming and prosperity will follow."
The two chatted about running the teahouse for a while longer. By the time they parted, the sun was setting.
Back at the villa, Feng Qingyi changed into some comfortable clothes and went downstairs.
Since it was the weekend, she thought Feng Qingci might have gone to Lou Xi's house, so she was planning to order takeout for herself.
However, as soon as she got downstairs, she smelled the aroma of food coming from the kitchen.
Feng Qingyi walked into the kitchen, and the scene before her eyes shocked her a bit.
Feng Qingci and Qin Yuchuan were actually cooking together, one chopping vegetables and the other stir-frying, in perfect harmony.
"What are you two...?"
Qin Yuchuan heard her voice and put down the knife, "Qingyi, you're back!"
Feng Qingyi asked, "Why are you here?"
Qin Yuchuan: "I had nothing to do today, so I thought I'd come see you."
Feng Qingyi looked at Qin Yuchuan, then at Feng Qingci. How did they suddenly become so harmonious today? She wasn't used to it.
"Brother, why don't I do the cooking, and you go rest!"
