Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 95 Opposition
The Yang family of Yong'anfang.

Yang Qin ate the noodles in his bowl, which had a thick layer of topping. The topping wasn't all dried vegetables; about half of it was actually minced meat.

The way the minced meat was prepared was also different from usual; it was stir-fried in a newly cast iron pot.

The method of stir-frying was taught to my mother by my sister-in-law.

Don't let her lack of cooking skills fool you; she's incredibly skilled at teaching. She knows exactly when to add oil, when to add meat, how to stir-fry it, and then to add vegetables, salt, sugar, and finally some sauce.

While he was cooking, Yang Qin kept swallowing his saliva, which even attracted two children from the clan.

Zhang decided to keep them all and cooked extra noodles.

Each person received a large bowl, piled high with toppings, but the woman was still not satisfied. She asked the cook to chop some scallions and put them on top, and also poured some hot oil over them.

With a "sizzle," the aroma wafted straight into Yang Qin's nose.

Then no one spoke, only the sounds of people eating noodles.

The three children each ate two bowls of noodles, but still felt it wasn't enough and wanted a third bowl, but their sister-in-law stopped them.

"Eating too much will make you sick."

Yang Qin looked into the pot, and finally begged for some noodle soup. He rinsed the toppings hanging on the bowl clean and drank it all.

The Yang family lived a good life, but only the second branch and a few direct relatives were included. Zhang and her son struggled to survive in the clan and were constantly harassed. They were truly hungry and cold.

Moreover, this was the first time they had tasted the method taught by Xie Yuyan, and they felt that all the meals they had eaten before were a waste.

Zhang also repeatedly praised, "It's really delicious."

The newly built stove and the newly cast pot were quite small, only about a foot wide, with an extra long handle, just right for holding while stir-frying. In short, they were very handy.

The stove fire is good, and the iron pot is good too; in short, when stir-frying, the heat surges and the aroma fills the air.

Mother Yu also tasted the noodles, and her eyes immediately lit up: "The topping is really good."

"This pot can be used to cook many dishes, right?" Mrs. Yu asked. "I mean... this stir-frying method."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "But the fire needs to be strong for it to taste good."

After finishing a bowl of noodles, Madam Yu spoke again: "Does Madam want to start a restaurant business?" She never forgot that she wanted to help Madam with her business, and even while eating, she had to think things through.

"With this stove, opening a restaurant won't be difficult."

Yang Qin added, "If you open a restaurant, your business will surely be booming."

“I haven’t thought about those things yet,” Xie Yuyan said. “If I open a restaurant, at least I’ll have a place to stay when I go out in the future.”

Doing business is inseparable from food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. For her, these are things she can do, but they won't take up too much of her energy.

Xie Yuyan pointed to the stove: "These are the right ways."

Mother Yu understood something: "No wonder my wife wants to sell lotus root charcoal."

This is not just about lotus root charcoal; lotus root charcoal brings about many changes, and seizing any one of them can be a lucrative business opportunity.

After clearing away the dishes, Yang Qin showed no sign of leaving.

Xie Yuyan looked over: "What's wrong?"

Yang Qin said, "Didn't my sister-in-law say that someone sneaked into Sanhe Village? Was that person sent by the Xie family?"

Xie Yuyan nodded.

Yang Qin said worriedly, "Aren't you worried, sister-in-law? What if the imperial court investigates now, and those copper mines..."

Xie Yuyan said, "The court will definitely not investigate today. If they do investigate, it may have to wait until tomorrow afternoon."

Yang Qin didn't understand.

“Master Xie has just been released from prison. If the magistrate listens to the Xie family now and goes to explore the mine, he will inevitably be suspected of having a secret relationship with the Xie family.” “The county magistrate has just been to Sanhe Village. It is also unreasonable for the magistrate to send someone immediately.”

"The safest thing to do is to wait until tomorrow and then check the situation. Anyway, the mine won't be lost, so we can go whenever we want."

Xie Yuyan understood those officials; they knew how to maximize their benefits and minimize their risks.

“Unless,” Xie Yuyan said, “the Xie family goes to someone else.”

Yang Qin straightened his back again after just relaxing: "Then... what should we do?"

Xie Yuyan smiled and said, "The government office is not owned by the Xie family, so it won't be quick to call for reinforcements. The earliest it will be is tomorrow morning."

It should be about time by then.

Moreover, the people Wang Yan left behind could easily follow the clues and find out who to deal with next.

The fire in the stove was blazing, the sky was gradually darkening, and snowflakes were falling softly from the sky.

Xie Yuyan carried the cat into the inner room. After reading the newspaper that Tong Chen had brought her, she could rest. At least until noon tomorrow, no one would disturb her.

……

Although the Xie family was not in complete chaos, there was a great deal of anxiety among its members.

Xie Chongjun failed to see Xie Zizhang, and Zhao cried several times. Not only were her eyes swollen from crying, but she also had to bow her head and apologize in front of the old lady.

That's how big families are. When something goes wrong, they don't think about how to solve it. Instead, they try to pin the blame on one person so that they can become the target of everyone's criticism.

Before Zhao could even wipe away her tears, she heard Xie Chongjun's voice: "What did you say? How much silver do they sell a mu of land for?"

The steward was referring to the land outside the north gate.

"One mu for fifty guan, and they're selling the land in the back mountain and forest together, totaling over a hundred mu. Those lands aren't even adjacent, and there's no coal mine underground. That family is clearly trying to rip us off."

Fifty strings of cash per mu—that's a price Daming Prefecture has never seen before.

Xie Yuyan paid a high price for that mountain land, but it only cost ten strings of cash.

“Even so, that family still doesn’t want to sell,” the steward said. “They say they’ve already reached an agreement with Madam Xie.”

Xie Chongjun didn't believe it.

He received news that the Yang clan had raised about a thousand strings of cash for Xie Yuyan, but Xie Yuyan had already spent a lot of it. How much would he have left?
How could someone possibly come up with 5,000 strings of cash to buy land?
“I also thought it was unlikely,” the steward said, “so I waited outside that house for a while and found that they were hiring workers and even went into the city to inquire about shops.”

"When I saw that things were not going well, I stopped the servants of that family and gave them money. Only then did I learn that Madam Xie only gave them eight hundred strings of cash, but allowed them to open a water shop and would teach them how to make lotus root charcoal. Not only that, the coal produced from their land would be split equally between the two families, and she also gave them fifteen acres of land in the south of the city."

“His family not only got the land, but also a livelihood. Although they couldn’t get a lot of money immediately, the better the lotus root charcoal sold in the future, the more they would earn.”

"Unless someone offers a high price to take all 100 acres of land, his master is prepared to sign the documents with Madam Xie in the next two days."

Xie Chongjun frowned, his face dark and unpleasant.

If he had a choice, he would also choose to make lotus root charcoal with Xie. Xie is truly shrewd; her method of making lotus root charcoal is something no one else can offer. Who can compete with her when she presents this method?
Even if a copper mine is discovered in Sanhe Village, Xie Yuyan's business will still be able to continue as long as he manages to buy this land.

Xie Chongjun was extremely anxious when he thought of Sanhe Village.

He sent someone to the county government office three times, only to be told that the magistrate was too busy to see him.

The county magistrate had just returned from Sanhe Village, so there was no way he could make another trip.

"Master," the steward hurriedly entered and reported, "Prefect Liu has replied. The Prefect will not be able to return to the city until tomorrow morning. I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the Prefect has inspected the copper mine before the county government can send people to Sanhe Village."

Enraged, Xie Chongjun grabbed the teacup and threw it on the ground.

The exquisite porcelain was immediately smashed to pieces.

Everyone and everything is against him.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! May our country be prosperous and peaceful, may the weather be favorable, and may everyone be happy and healthy!
(End of this chapter)