The wind in the autumn night has already brought with it a hint of coolness, and a cage of white smoke curls up from under the fruit-bearing grape trellis.
The naughty autumn wind blew away the smoke, revealing the huge bronze hot pot.
The Xiao family was cooking hot pot around a small table in the courtyard. Everyone's face was flushed and a thin layer of sweat appeared on their foreheads.
"Zhaozhao, I want to eat fried dough sticks... haha... hot some fried dough sticks for me!" Xiaoxiao slurred as she ate, completely forgetting that she had once determined to be gentle and reserved.
There is no hot pot in this world. This bronze pot was custom-made by a blacksmith based on the design drawn by Xiaoruo himself.
From the first time I ate hot pot, this wonderful and delicious way of eating has been very popular among the Xiao family.
However, the spices necessary for frying the hot pot base are very expensive, so the Xiao family does not eat hot pot very frequently. Every time there is a hot pot dinner, except for New Year's Day, it is when something big is going to happen in the family.
"Niao Niao, eat some pork belly, it's delicious!" Old man Cen dotingly wanted to scoop the freshly blanched meat into Xiao Niao's bowl.
Suddenly, Xiao Xun, who was on his right, stretched out his chopsticks and quickly scooped up most of the meat slices in the pot, placing them all in Xiao Ruo's bowl.
"You!" Old Man Cen was so angry that his white beard raised to the sky, and he glared angrily at this bastard who didn't know how to respect the elderly and care for the young.
Xiaoruo ignored the eager to please dog eyes, cleared her throat and said: "I have something to announce."
The five people sitting around the small table stopped using their chopsticks to listen to the head of the family's speech.
Xiaoruo did not delay and directly stated today's decision: "Our family is moving to Yingzhou."
Moving is a big deal, let alone moving to a capital thousands of miles away.
Old man Cen was puzzled and asked: "Why do we have to move suddenly? Aren't we living well?"
Being accustomed to Xiaoruo being the head of the family, no one would refute her decisions on weekdays. This was also true for major events like moving, so he only asked questions and did not express any objection.
Trying to ignore Xiao Xun's increasingly bright dog eyes, Xiao Ruo forced herself not to look at the obviously agitated person next to her.
"After the Luming Banquet today, the two adults came to Zhaozhao alone and expressed their willingness to recommend him to study in the Imperial College."
She slowly told what happened to Xiaozhao today, and finally emphasized: "Although Zhaozhao is already a civil servant, he is only ten years old. I don't trust him to go to Yingdu alone."
The main reason for moving is for my precious brother, not for that silly dog!
This reason was very good. The two elders agreed. Xiao Niao had no voting rights at all, so the Xiao family's proposal to move the whole family was passed by all members.
The hot pot was so delicious that it was hard to clean up. After the meal, I sent the two children to eat, while Xiaoruo and Xiaoxun started cleaning up the mess together.
Xiao Ruo just picked up a bowl and was immediately taken over by a pair of strong hands. Then she picked up a plate and was taken over again...
Xiaoruo:……
"Okay, it's not like I don't know how to wash dishes." She glared at Gouzi, who was still excited.
Xiao Xun was even happier after being stared at. A big smile spread across his normally serious face, revealing eight white, burning eyes that were glued to Xiao Ruo's body.
"Ruo Ruo, you are finally willing to talk to me." The invisible dog's tail swung rapidly. "You said you moved to Yingzhou...is it because of me?"
Xiaoruo felt that the sound of a dog's tail wagging rapidly and cutting through the air was heard in her ears, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing at her own imagination.
She gently pushed Xiao Xun away who was close to her and said: "Okay, go wash the dishes quickly. There are so many things to do in moving, and I will be busy starting tomorrow!"
The coquettish tone was like a small comb, combing the dog's hair smoothly, making the dog's body feel comfortable, and the work efficiency was greatly improved, and the mess of the hot pot was cleaned up in a short time.
While the old and the young hadn't come back yet, the two exchanged small talk and thought about life in Yingzhou. It was as if the awkward cold war had never happened before.
A good night's sleep.
The next day Xiao Xun told Jiang Ping that he was willing to go to Yingdu, while Xiao Ruo went to the Chamber of Commerce to tell the shopkeepers that they were moving.
All the shopkeepers were like a bolt from the blue when they heard the news, especially shopkeeper Qian, who was a fan, and felt like tears were about to burst out of his eyes.
"Miss Xiao... why is it so sudden... our business is doing well..." Shopkeeper Qian said a little incoherently. "What would we do without you!"
Other shopkeepers also agreed.
"Yes, without you and brothers Xiaoxun, who would take the Cordyceps line?"
"Once you leave, it will be difficult for us to find a good gunsmith..."
"What will we do after our chamber of commerce..."
The shopkeepers looked sad and sighed, and instantly the entire chamber of commerce was enveloped in a cloud of sadness.
Xiaoruo has already thought about these issues they mentioned, and the sense of responsibility of the captain before her rebirth still remains in her body.
Raising her hand to signal the shopkeepers not to worry, she raised her head with a confident smile on her face and said, "Although I went to Yingzhou, our Chamber of Commerce will not change just because I am not here."
"Xi He, the counter at Tongji Pharmacy. As the leader of the caravan every year, he goes with me and Xiaoxun to check Duo. He is very skilled in receiving, inspecting, transporting and preserving goods. Everyone in Chaduo also knows him.
Presumably, he can continue to take this business route on our behalf, and there will be no problem at all."
"I am not the only one who is a gunpowder master. I believe that all the clerks in the store have made great progress in their gunpowder skills in recent years. As long as you practice more, it will not be difficult to concoct the medicinal materials for your own stores."
"After the Chamber of Commerce has been running for several years, all the rules and regulations have been perfected. The abilities of the three principals are obvious to all. I believe that with the joint efforts of the three principals and the three supervisors, the development of the Qinzhou Pharmaceutical Chamber of Commerce will get better and better.
!”
After some encouragement, the faces of the fifteen shopkeepers improved significantly, and they even felt a little excited in their hearts during Xiao Ruo's speech.
When the conversation changed, a sly look appeared on Xiaoruo's face, and she continued: "Besides, who said that if I go to Yingzhou, I will no longer be compatible with our chamber of commerce? I am still an external director of the Qinzhou Pharmaceutical Chamber of Commerce."
Shopkeeper Qian, who had the heaviest look on his face, perked up after hearing this and his eyes shone brightly. He knew that their idol would not abandon them!
Shopkeeper Qian couldn't hide his excitement and said: "Miss Xiao, do you have any great ideas?"
"There's no such thing as a brilliant idea." Xiao Ruo waved her hand and pushed off her hat, and listed her plans one by one.
"Our cordyceps are famous far and wide, and people who want to buy Xinli Cordyceps are all over Kyushu. However, the journey is long and it is inconvenient to buy a few cordyceps after all."
"But it's almost impossible to buy a large amount at one time. First, you need to spend a lot of cash at once. Second, customers buy a large amount of cordyceps and don't know how to store them so that they don't lose their efficacy."
The questions she asked were to the point, and the people present couldn't help but nod their heads. For this reason, Cordyceps Cordyceps can only be popular in a small area.
"When I get to Yingzhou, I want to open a specialty store there to sell our Xinli Cordyceps."