Wealth and glory seek stability

"This is mutton and pickled cabbage, and it doesn't have the fishy smell of mutton at all. Yun Huai, come and try Xier's cooking. The flavors here in the capital are strong, and the seasoning in this stuffing is just right."

Mrs. Gao ate one with a sauce and was even more amazed.

"This is my first time eating mutton and sauerkraut stuffing. This is a good combination. Next time, I'll ask Mama Liu to make it for me like this."

Gao Yunhuai couldn't resist, so he picked up the chopsticks and took a bite.

It's really good.

I don’t know how she did it, but the mutton didn’t have any fishy smell at all, and instead it tasted very fresh.

"delicious."

"I'm telling you, Xier's cooking skills must be the best. Even someone as picky as you say it's delicious."

Jian Xi courtyard.

Shen Nanxing pulled Lei Zi's arm and sat down forcefully, "A guest is a guest. Eat with confidence. We can talk about things after you finish eating."

Lei Zi wanted to refuse, but Shen Nanxing pressed him down forcefully.

"Yes, Brother Leizi helped me a lot before and saved me a lot of trouble. We don't have anything delicious to offer at home, so we'll just have these home-cooked dishes. Don't refuse."

Jian Xi brought out two more plates of dumplings. She could only eat twelve at a time, so she piled the dumplings high on Shen Nanxing and Lei Zi's plates.

"Eat more, all of you."

Jian Xi likes sour soup, so she made a soup herself, "This is sour soup, if you want to eat it, go to the kitchen and get a bowl, and try it."

Lei Zi felt a little embarrassed. He came here today thinking that Jian Xi had something to talk to him about, but he didn't expect that he didn't do anything and just got a meal for free.

Shen Nanxing didn't care about that and ran to the kitchen excitedly, "Leizi, don't be polite, Xier's cooking skills are amazing, you'll know when you eat it later, I'll get you a bowl."

Jian Xi put five dumplings in her bowl and scooped a spoonful of sour soup. The sour and spicy soup paired with the mutton-filled dumplings was refreshing and appetizing.

The original owner might be from the south, so she would sweat all over when eating spicy food. She could only put a little less chili to taste it.

Shen Nanxing has a strong appetite. He had never tried this before, but he couldn't stop eating after one bowl. "Shh! This is so spicy. I'm sweating. I think I need to take a bath tonight. Leizi, you eat it too."

Leizi is a native of Beijing. He likes spicy food the most. He made a bowl of sour soup dumplings and fell in love with the taste. "Miss Xier's cooking skills are really unique. The sour and spicy taste is just right. It's just that I like spicy food. It would be better if it could be spicier."

Jian Xi stood up and took out a can of chili powder. "This is the chili powder I prepared. If you like it, add more."

Lei Zi was not a shy person, and since Shen Nanxing and Jian Xi were not arrogant, he just let go and said, "Thank you, Miss Xi'er."

When the two boys were growing up, the dumplings with meat filling were very filling. They ate a whole plate of dumplings with sour soup.

Both the host and the guests enjoyed the meal very much. Shen Nanxing was younger, and probably because of genetics, he was almost as tall as the fourteen-year-old Lei Zi at the age of twelve.

Lei Zi took the initiative to take over the dishwashing job, "I ate too much today, so let me clean up the dishes." If he knew that there was a meal left for him when he came, he would have bought some food. He came with nothing in his hands, and after eating a meal, he would feel bad if he didn't do any work.

Jian Xi had only one day left of vacation, so she gave Shen Nanxing a wink, and Shen Nanxing immediately understood.

"Leizi, guests are here to serve you. It is not right to ask guests to clean up the dishes. Besides, Xier has something to discuss with you. Let me do this little thing."

Shen Nanxing forced Lei Zi to sit on the seat and went to fetch water and wash the dishes as if he was familiar with the process.

"Brother Leizi, I'm here to see you today mainly because I want to buy some land and shops. Do you have any suitable ones here? If you have a smaller farm, that's fine too. It doesn't matter if it's far away."

"It's easy to find a shop, but it depends on luck to find farmland. The land in the capital is very valuable and there are dignitaries everywhere. If someone wants to sell a farm in our shop, I will be the first to tell you."

"Then let's buy the land first. I can't manage the shop by myself, and there's no rush to collect the rent every month."

"Okay, then I'll go ask around. Generally, officials' farms have acquaintances who trade with each other. Some families are in financial difficulty and want to sell a farm to make up for the shortfall. If an official commits a crime, the land and servants will be confiscated and sold. These are all ways to buy and sell."

"Well, I know. I'm not sure if I hand this over to anyone else. If there's a suitable one, please keep an eye out for me."

Lei Zi hesitated, "But... the farm is not like ordinary fields. At least it is several hundred acres. The transaction will cost at least ten thousand taels of silver."

Jian Xi liquidated her assets the night before. Buying a small farm might be a bit of a stretch, but the owner of Moxiang Pavilion still had her dividends, so she wanted to ask him in the evening.

"Don't worry about the money. Please keep an eye out for good shops. To be honest, I bought all these in my brother's name. He risked his life on the battlefield and earned this money with great difficulty. I want to buy more property so that I won't be left alone in my old age."

One must be on guard against others. If she took out so much money at one time, it would arouse suspicion. Putting everything on Shen Nanxing would at least have a deterrent effect.

Lei Zi said tactfully, "Miss Xi'er, what are you talking about? We are just buying and selling, it's just a transaction. If you can afford it, I will run errands for you. As for who owns the land and how much it is, I won't say a word that shouldn't be said."

Jian Xi likes dealing with such smart people.

It would be great if this man could work for her. He is knowledgeable, capable, and experienced in doing things.

As I was thinking, I asked, "You may not be very old, but you are so thorough and thoughtful in handling things. I guess you must have been well educated at home."

Leizi laughed at himself and said, "It's not that I have a good upbringing. My father is in poor health, and my mother works outside to support the three of us brothers by mending and washing clothes. I am the eldest brother in the family. When I was a child, I secretly learned a few words in the village book school. Now I come out to find a job, but I can barely support the family expenses."

It turns out he is a filial son!

Jian Xi asked again: "Then have you ever thought about changing your employer? With your ability, you shouldn't be confined to a small shop and fight with those shallow-minded people."

"It's not that easy. I'm young now, and my family doesn't have any background to rely on. Most of the guys in that shop are the boss's relatives and friends. I can stay there thanks to Miss Xier. Before I came there, the regular customers in the shop were all in the hands of other guys. The boss said that if there is no transaction amount within three days, I will pack up and leave."

There is actually such a story in the middle. Lei Zi tells his past, and he does not feel resentment towards fate, but instead generates an even more powerful vitality.

"I must prove to them that I, Qi Shilei, am not the useless person they say I am!"

Shen Nanxing had just finished washing the dishes, and when he heard Lei Zi's words, he burst out laughing. "Puchi! Hahahaha, Lei Zi, so your name is Qi Shilei!"

"Brother, you really scared me! Brother Leizi, don't be angry, he is just that kind of person, he doesn't have any bad intentions."

The emotions that Jian Xi had just built up were shattered in an instant. She didn't know whether her cheap brother was stupid or stupid enough to interrupt her motivational declaration just like that.

Lei Zi was very open-minded. On the contrary, he was very happy: "It's okay. I just like Brother Shen's personality. Just say whatever you want to say. My name was given to me by my grandfather. My family has called me Lei Zi since I was a child. I'm so used to it that sometimes I feel it's unreal when I hear my name. You should still call me Lei Zi in the future. It sounds better to me."