The husband who forced her to marry her couldn't keep her warm, and she didn't want him to

After the village head and the stewards left the main hall, Bai Zhi came over and said to them, "Madam said that lunch time is almost here, so she asked the kitchen to prepare food for everyone."

Jiang An and the others looked at each other, and Sun Haiyang bowed and smiled, "Miss, please thank Madam on our behalf, we would be disrespectful to refuse."

The little girl then took them to the sitting room, where tables, chairs, a brazier, and a copper basin of water for washing hands on a shelf on the wall were all prepared. When they sat down, they could drink warm water and hot tea.

After a while, the kitchen brought over some liquor. There were eight people in total, and eight dishes were served on the table, including both meat and vegetables.

Zhao Ziqiang was the first one who couldn't help himself. Seeing that the maids and old women had all gone out, he reached out to unbutton his silk shirt.

After taking a deep breath and feeling much more comfortable, he sat down in a chair with great determination, picked up the wine jug and filled the glasses in front of the eight men at the table.

"Three shopkeepers Tao and brother Gao, we will have many opportunities to work together in the future. I'll drink it, you can do as you please!" After saying this, he raised his head and drank the wine in the glass.

Everyone picked up their glasses and drank them all, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Tao Yuanzheng saw the four men opposite him finish their drinks neatly, so he stood up and walked around, filling all the empty glasses in front of them.

He said in a serious tone, "Thanks to the master's kindness, I have the honor to meet you all today. The Fifth Master's wife earns a lot, so we live a good life!"

He raised his glass and said to everyone: "Come on, let's drink to the good life in the future!"

After he finished speaking, he brought the wine glass to his lips, closed his eyes, stretched his neck, and swallowed it in one gulp.

After drinking, his face turned red, his eyes turned red too, and he staggered a few steps.

He drew one hand in the air and pressed it on the table, and with the hand holding the wine glass, he made a gesture of pouring the wine out, saying, "Not a drop left!" It was obvious that he was drunk.

Tao Xuelin pushed his eldest son to sit in a chair and said with some embarrassment: "Yuanzheng has never been good at drinking since he was a child. You have made a fool of yourself."

Tao Yuanwu poured a cup of tea for his brother, pushed his shoulder, and said in a teasing tone: "If your wife finds out that you got drunk during work hours, she will deduct your year-end bonus."

When Tao Yuanzheng heard that he would be fined, he raised his heavy and limp head, his eyes hazy and his tongue sticking out as he spoke:

"The wine my wife gave me means that we can drink at work today. Don't scare me. I wasn't brought up to be scared!"

Several subordinates of Master Jiang Wu on the opposite side knew that the three Tao shopkeepers were father and sons, but they did not expect that the two brothers would quarrel in such an occasion.

They are all descendants of Chiang Kai-shek's army. The soldiers drink alcohol like water. Two cups are like gargling with water.

Sun Haiyang put down his wine glass and asked, trying to smooth things over, "What is the year-end dividend that Shopkeeper Tao is talking about?"

He naturally knows what "dividend" literally means?

But what does the dividends among the masters have to do with the head of the village?

After hearing Manager Sun's question, the Tao brothers stopped arguing.

One of them was trying to make his words clear with a big tongue, while the other answered their questions with a sincere face. He told them about the treatment his wife gave to the employees and the welfare dividends at the end of the year.

When everyone was leaving after lunch, Tao Xuelin called Zhao Ziqiang.

Tao Xuelin is not only the oldest among the few people, but also the top steward under Gu Jinchu.

Different from the gentlemanly manner of Shopkeeper Sun, he looked like a well-read gentleman. He smiled and said:

"Manager Zhao, Madam means to keep a low profile. We want both coarse grains and fine grains, no matter how much they cost. We'll take as much as we can."

Zhao Ziqiang had his silk shirt hanging on his elbows, and he was wearing a dark-colored short coat. He spoke in a bold and forthright tone:

"Please rest assured, Madam Tao. I will go out to collect the grain myself and help you complete the task you have given me!"

Baizhi and Mother Cheng sent the village managers away and gave each of them a bag of silver coins as a reward from the lady.

When Gu Jinchu woke up from his nap, Bai Zhi reported what Manager Tao and the others had said during lunch.

After hearing this, she smiled and said, "To be able to become the village head and the manager, they must have their own characteristics. Especially that Sun Haiyang, he may not be able to guess the purpose of the Tao family's rhetoric."

The brothers Tao Yuanzheng and Tao Yuanwu could be said to have catered to their needs. The three village managers looked sincere and generous. When men drink together, it is easier for them to get closer and integrate into each other's circles.

Baizhi didn't understand all these twists and turns, she just knew that when she left, everyone seemed to be on good terms with each other.

Seeing that the lady was absorbed in looking at the post, he took out the embroidery frame she would use in the afternoon and quietly stepped aside.

In Gu Jinchu's hand was the invitation sent by the Zheng family.

This made her think of the eldest princess and her third cousin Zheng Kaicheng.

Ever since the last incident, the news delivered to the Princess's Mansion seemed to have fallen into oblivion.

......

After winter, the weather becomes increasingly cold, and the number of cruise ships on the Yongding River gradually decreases, especially those exquisite pleasure boats, which are rarely seen.

Ripples appeared on the river surface that had not yet frozen, and a magnificent pleasure boat that looked like a moving palace slowly approached the shore.

At the ferry stood a white-faced, beardless man wearing a dark blue shirt and a cloak with a fur collar.

His voice was low and slightly sharp, as if he had deliberately lowered his voice: "Master, the person you want is here."

The cabin of the pleasure boat was covered tightly, and the furnishings inside could not be seen.

After a while, a response came from the cabin.

After hearing this response, the man turned around and raised his hand behind him.

Several young men wearing veils and with unclear faces were pushed forward by guards carrying short blades.

Although I couldn't see the expressions of these men, I could still feel their reluctance and the anxiety of not daring to resist.

Seeing this, the cloaked man reminded again: "Don't look at what you shouldn't look at when you are inside, and think carefully before you speak when you want to."

"This is the greatest opportunity to change your destiny in your life. Grab it and you may change your life forever..."

"How verbose!"

Impatient scolding came from the pleasure boat, making the air quiet in an instant.

There were a total of six men wearing veiled hats standing on the shore. They needed to be searched one last time, and only after they passed the search were they allowed to board the pleasure boat.

When they searched the second person, the man in the cloak questioned him with the thing in his hand: "How dare you hide things on you!" The voice that came out of his mouth was sharp and angry.

A thin man in a red Taoist robe was carried out of the team by the guards. He was pushed so hard that he fell off the ferry and fell into the dry grass beside him.

The veil slipped off his head, revealing his androgynous face, which looked broken and gloomy against the backdrop of his bright red clothes.

Sweat dripped from his temples. He gritted his teeth and said, "Kill me if you want. I will never be humiliated by you, even if I am rich and powerful!"

A light laugh came from somewhere, and then a female voice was heard from the pleasure boat, with a careless and lazy tone, "Let him go, don't embarrass him."