"Where's Qing Sui?" Jin Xi came back from Liu Tangyuan to greet her and found the fainting girl she picked up from Qianmen Street on the 5th. After waking up, the girl insisted on staying with her as a maid to repay her for saving her life that day.
.
Although it can't be said to have saved a life, it can be regarded as saving an innocent girl who was almost dragged into a pit of fire. Thinking that she had nowhere to go to find her relatives, Jin Xi had to temporarily agree to the other party's request.
Qingsui's surname is Di, which happens to be related to the wisteria flower. The wisteria family in Xiaolou has another beautiful member.
"Qing Sui... Hey, I saw it just now. Where did he go in the blink of an eye?" Raochan walked out of the kitchen with breakfast and looked around suspiciously.
"Forget it, there's nothing urgent."
Jin Xi waved her hands, took a copper basin of warm water brought by Mo'er, washed her hands, and prepared to eat.
"Chan'er's craftsmanship has improved a lot." Jinxi praised with a smile after drinking several large mouthfuls of tube bone parsley porridge.
"It's true that I don't mind it." Raochan blessed herself with a smile and returned to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients for lunch.
Ever since Aunt Liu was borrowed from time to time to help out in the big kitchen on Laba Day, the food in the small building has basically been handed over to Rao Chan. Not to mention, Rao Chan's craftsmanship has improved after several days of improvement.
A lot.
If Aunt Liu doesn't want to go out to cook in a restaurant from now on, she can go to Baochan. Jinxi was having breakfast while thinking about the future.
No matter what, she wanted to establish a firm foothold in the Qing Dynasty where it was difficult for women to get along.
Opening a food shop should be one of the lower-cost and less risky attempts. For the rest, she has not yet thought of a suitable direction for her to invest boldly at the moment.
Although, the management major she studied involved various aspects of clothing, food, housing and transportation to varying degrees, especially cooking and handicrafts.
But at present, she cannot attract talents and train talents in a big way. Who would believe that a five-year-old child knows so much knowledge? Unless they think of her as the reincarnation of a goddess.
Three years. Give yourself another three years. Before she is forced by her cheap dad to learn the rules, she must invest in at least two properties. It doesn’t need to be big, but it must be safe and stable. So that after she learns the rules, she can join the internal affairs.
Before the government draft, confirm the source of her small treasury.
That way, she wouldn't have to worry about being unemployed or having nowhere to live after she leaves the palace at the age of twenty-five.
There is a twenty-five-year-old daughter who has not yet married, or even refuses to marry. This is probably not something that a rough Wuhan like her cheap father can understand. He might even kick her out of the Uranala mansion.
, so as not to smear his face.
Of course, she wouldn't put her hope in the cheap girl's acceptance.
Although that outcome seems really unworthy, it is better than being given to a Qing Dynasty man as a wife or concubine.
In the modern era where divorce is the only way to make ends meet, she is not willing to just make do with it, let alone in the Qing Dynasty where there is no feminism at all.
In short, she would rather die alone than sacrifice her marriage and marry a man she doesn't like.
"Gege, are you looking for me?" Qingsui carried the maid's uniform thick cotton skirt and came in from the side hall with a flushed face. As soon as she exited, Mo'er glared at her with a sharp look, "You call me a slave. There are no rules.
!”
Jin Xi suddenly found it funny. Mo'er herself was only nine years old, but with her first-come, first-served seniority, she was very disciplined in how she disciplined Qing Sui, who was four years older than her.
"Mo'er, Qingshui is only staying with us temporarily. Don't really treat her like a maid." Jinxi spoke up to help Qingshui. It can be seen that although Qingshui was not necessarily a wealthy daughter with a maid to serve her before,
She is definitely not a maid who serves people.
"I'm sorry...slave..." Qingsui murmured, trying to explain.
"Qingsui, I told you, it doesn't matter if you live here until you find your relatives. Don't really think of yourself as a maid. Just think of yourself as living in... your sister's house. The number of maids in our small building is already full. No more.
If there is one more, Amma might delete the person. None of you want to be sent to other courtyards by Amma, right?" Jinxi assumed with a smile. She has not had a sister in her two lives, so it would be nice to get a cheap sister.
The six girls from the Wisteria family looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.
"That's good. Do your own thing well. As for Qingsui, by the way, what were you doing just now? Your face is so red?" Jinxi was a little curious. That rosiness was not caused by the biting cold wind, but by the biting cold wind.
, seems to have made some gratifying discovery...
"Gege, come with me." Upon hearing this, Qingsui's beautiful oval face returned to the rosy color of joy when she entered the door, and she pulled Jinxi who stood up and walked towards the side hall.
"This is..." Jin Xi stared dumbly at the somewhat familiar ornaments on the tables.
"Smell it, does it smell good?" Qingsui smiled and waved her hands, making the fragrance spread into the air more intense.
"Scent." Jinxi nodded subconsciously, still looking at the aromatherapy oil lamp.
It's really an aromatherapy oil lamp. The simple oil lamp burns a small piece of something similar to spices, and is surrounded by a layer of dry wintersweet petals.
"I picked some wintersweet flowers the day before yesterday and wanted to try drying them. I didn't expect the effect to be so good..." Qing Sui raised the corners of her lips and murmured. Following Jin Xi's line of sight, she glanced at the brightly polished lamp.
Oil lamp.
"These are what daddy left for me..." Wei Yi thought about it... Qingsui caressed the oil lamp and a group of strange bottles and jars beside the oil lamp, and murmured.
Jinxi guessed that those should be equipment for refining aromatherapy.
Qing Sui lowered his head and fell into memories: "To be honest with you, my father is a spice master. The spices he makes are not only famous in the Jiangnan area, but also merchants from the capital often come to my house to buy them."
"Four years ago, when the spice purchase was at its busiest, my father received a large order from an out-of-town merchant, asking us to prepare ten boxes of purified fragrant biscuits. In the past... when business was at its best, there were only two or three boxes at a time. These ten boxes
To purify the fragrant cake, just preparing the raw materials will cost hundreds of taels of silver... My mother advised my father not to take it, but my father really wanted to develop Di's Spice Shop. This is a good opportunity. If it succeeds, the income will be worth it.
In the past year..."
"What happened next?" Although he could guess the rough ending, he couldn't bear to see Qing Sui continue to be trapped in pain and couldn't extricate himself. With a childlike voice, Jin Xi asked softly in a curious tone.
"Later, the merchant said that the ten boxes of purified fragrant cakes I sold him were moldy and spoiled, causing him to lose a lot of money. Not only did he refuse to pay the remaining 50% of the payment, he also filed a lawsuit with the government, saying that Di's Spice Factory was inferior
It was fake, defrauding good people... As a result... the spice shop was sealed by the government, and my family was required to pay three times the deposit. Not only did I lose hundreds of taels of silver, but the shop was also closed, and my father was very angry.
He died on the spot...My mother couldn't bear the pain, so she hung herself from the beam..."
"The bastard who caused the Di family to be ruined still pretended not to embarrass me, an orphan, and withdrew the notice for the compensation deposit..."
"In the past few years, I have been trying to vindicate my father and mother. My father has always been upright and would never disdain to do such dirty things. However, that person seems to be in collusion with the government. The notices I submitted were either returned or rejected.
There was no news... What's even more outrageous is... he actually took the ten boxes of purified fragrant cakes that my family sold him and opened a spice shop in Hangzhou. The business was very good. Ha... and he said that it was moldy and spoiled.
, it’s just that I don’t want to pay so much. It’s no different from a robber. I would rather be robbed at home and take away the money, but at least I won’t be so angry that my parents die..."
"Qing Sui..." Jin Xi sighed softly. When she heard the beginning, she did guess that the ending would not be very good, but she did not expect that it would turn out to be a big tragedy.
"Don't worry, Gege. The most painful four years have passed. Now, I just want to avenge my parents one day. That bastard, I will never forget his appearance. I only hate that I am a girl and cannot learn those tricks.
The hero killed him with three punches and two kicks..."
"I heard you say you have relatives in Beijing before. Is it true?"
"Yes... I wanted to come to my aunt, but before I had the ability to take revenge, I didn't want to see that bastard... But... except for these worthless burdens on my body, how can I be worthy of their acceptance..."
"My biological aunt?"
"Well, my only sister, my father is the only son in the family. After his grandparents died of illness, he started running the spice business all over the country. Fifteen years ago, I met my mother in Suzhou City and settled down in Suzhou.
... In the early years, I still exchanged letters with my aunt's family. Four years ago... I repaired a letter to my aunt, but I never heard from them again. This time I went to Beijing just to try my luck, but I didn't expect that.
... Bad luck... I almost got Gege involved..." Qing Sui said this and glanced at Jin Xi apologetically. If this little Gege hadn't saved her, she would have been locked up in a brothel waiting to pick up clients.
"Qing Sui..." Jin Xi looked at her steadily, not knowing how to comfort her. Such a change in the family would have caused an ordinary child to be frightened into confusion and be at a loss. But the Qing Sui in front of her, perhaps
After four years of accumulation, not only did I not feel dejected, but I also had great enterprising spirit. Although it was based on revenge, it was not a spur to myself to work hard to live.
"Do you want to inherit your father's legacy and develop Di's Spice Shop?" Jinxi's eyes turned and she had a vague idea.
"Of course I want to...but..."
"Do you know how to make aromatherapy ingredients?" Jin Xi held her chin, sat beside the table, flicked the spices in the oil lamp, and turned to ask.
"I know a little bit. But at that time, my father didn't allow me to get involved in the refining. I just helped my mother arrange the materials and pack them into boxes... I don't know if I can do that..."
"Well, all you need to know is a few of Di's unique spice recipes. For the rest, take your time." She also hopes to develop aromatherapy essential oils one day. However, at present, she can make cake-style spices popular in the Qing Dynasty.
It will be good if it comes out.
"Gege!" Qingsui was relieved at this moment, "What do you mean..."
"Let's open a spice shop together." Jinxi clapped her hands and squinted her eyes with a smile. Let's leave the food shop alone for now. It would be good to open a unique aromatherapy workshop.
"Until I save enough money to open a shop, you can try out various spices with peace of mind." Jinxi grinned with sly eyes, "I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation!"