Full House Spring

Chapter 102 Heartbeat
Du Ruo stepped forward, bowed and said, "Sir, using this alcohol to initially clean the external injuries can provide protection. If the injured person has a high fever, the alcohol can be diluted with water and then used to wipe the body to cool it down. This can indeed promote the repair and healing of external injuries."

Kuang Chengrui's heart was boiling like boiling water, unable to calm down. He stared at Xia Li for a moment, then reached out to open the wine jar, leaned over to smell it, and said with a gleam in his eyes: "This is the first time I've smelled such a strong smell of wine. It really is a good thing."

Xia Li curled his lips and responded, "High concentration alcohol is pungent and volatile. Smelling it for a long time will cause certain harm to the body. Let's seal it up quickly."

Kuang Chengrui sealed the wine jar quickly, looked at Xia Li with burning eyes, and said with emotion: "I knew you were smart, but I didn't expect you to be so amazing. I am lucky to marry you in this life. I know you feel wronged to marry me, I will definitely treat you well and never let you regret it in this life."

His solemn promise startled Xia Li. The corners of her mouth slightly raised, with a touch of indifference and detachment, she said calmly:

"It's not that I feel wronged. You are better than most men. You are trustworthy in both ability and character. It's not a loss to marry you. It's just that I don't like to be restrained. Please bear with me after marriage."

Xia Li showed a faint smile on her face. At that moment, the sunlight shone on her porcelain-like skin, and she was like a flower blooming in spring, making people's heart beat fast.

Kuang Chengrui's Adam's apple rolled twice, then he lowered his eyelids to hide the heat in his eyes. His jaw was tightly clenched, as if he was suppressing something. After a moment, he said in a hoarse voice: "You will arrange your life after marriage. I will hold you in my palm and love you as if it were my life!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xia Li's face instantly turned red like the morning glow, like a peach bud about to bloom. She had never heard such straightforward words before, so it was inevitable that she felt a little uncomfortable.

But her elegance and composure seemed to be innate, and she quickly returned to normal. She raised her eyes slightly and said in a voice that seemed to beguile:

"I noticed that Lord Kuang was particularly heroic today. In the future, even if I want the stars in the sky, will you pick them for me?"

Kuang Chengrui's eyes darkened slightly, and something in his heart seemed to be touched. He said in a low and pleasant voice: "I have a strong body and can do so many things. You just need to order me around..."

Xia Li heard a different flavor and was afraid that if she continued, it would not end well. She coughed lightly and said slowly: "Now that we have finished talking about it, I will not waste Master Kuang's time. Let's talk about it next time."

Kuang Chengrui stood up with Xia Li. His eyes never left Xia Li. Wherever his eyes looked, he longed to possess her, as if she was already his property. He said "OK" in a very soft and vague voice.

Xia Li turned and left, still feeling the burning gaze behind her, her cheeks slightly flushed...

The marriage between them has been decided, and the other party is in her aesthetic point, so why not go with the flow? Xia Li is not a love-brained person, nor is she a person who is indifferent to emotions. It is understandable that she enjoys the physical and mental pleasure brought by intimacy.

Until Xia Li's back disappeared, Kuang Chengrui was still very excited. Before this, he and Xia Li had a distant relationship and there was no love between them. The ambiguous interaction just now gave him great confidence.

He calmed himself down and went to the front yard carrying the jar of wine. The negotiations with Old Master Kuang were almost done and the wedding date was finally set for early June. It was less than two months later, so time was a bit tight for both families. When leaving Fang's house, Kuang Chengrui did not ride a horse, but got on the carriage with the old man.

Seeing his face glowing, Jiang Duhu couldn't help but joked, "Our Lord Kuang is really in high spirits. Look at how different he is. What did he say to your little wife just now?"

Kuang Chengrui looked at me with an ambiguous expression, and said slowly, "Protector General, why don't you smell the good stuff in my wine jar first?"

Jiang Duhu naturally noticed the jar of wine in his hand, and frowned and said, "Could it be that this is not the wine brewed by your little wife herself for you?"

Kuang Chengrui lowered his eyes and said casually: "What the governor said is correct, but this wine is not for drinking. You will know it by smelling it."

The carriage was small and the wine jar was not completely sealed. A smell had already come out after a while, but it was not that strong. Old Master Kuang was impatient and directly reached out to open the wine jar. The pungent smell made him sneeze. He said with a gleam in his eyes:

"What a strong wine! Even stronger than the Shaodaozi I drank. Was this brewed by my granddaughter-in-law herself?"

Kuang Chengrui smiled slightly and said in a low voice: "She extracted it when she was making perfume. This alcohol is not for drinking. It can clean external injuries, make wounds heal quickly, and can also reduce fever."

Jiang Duhu said in disbelief: "Is it really that useful? Are you exaggerating?"

Kuang Chengrui stared at his face and said slowly: "If the Protector General doubts me, then don't use it. I think this thing is too little."

Jiang Duhu was not stupid. He smiled and said, "How could that be? I am really surprised. I will try it on the injured brothers when I go back. Your little wife is good. She also knows how to benefit the brothers in the guard station."

Kuang Chengrui covered the alcohol again and said lightly, "She did more than just this. She held a perfume tasting event a few days ago and made 10,000 taels of silver from the perfume auction. She plans to use all the money to buy rice and donate it to our Jiaozhou Guard Station for free."

After hearing this, not only Jiang Duhu was stunned, but even the old man was amazed. Jiang Duhu couldn't help but sighed: "Although your wife is young, her vision and enlightenment are definitely not comparable to those of ordinary women. You really picked up a treasure.

This is also a blessing for our Jiaozhou Garrison. She has the ability to make money and cares about the soldiers of the garrison. She will surely be a great help to us in the future.

I will support your wife in whatever she wants to do in Jiaozhou in the future. If she has any difficulties, she can come to the guard post for help."

Kuang Chengrui's eyes flashed with enlightenment, and he said slowly: "Thank you for your care, she is indeed as good as any man, and she will not let you down in the future."

Although Jiaozhou Garrison had money and food allocated by the court, it could only guarantee food and clothing. It was impossible to expect the soldiers to live a good life. In the past, the winter was hard to endure, and he had sought help from powerful merchants, but he did not get much. If they had the financial support of Miss Fang in the future, they could do a lot more. How could Protector Jiang not be excited.

Old Master Kuang and Kuang Chengrui looked at each other, and they both understood each other tacitly. At first, Old Master Kuang was only interested in the background and power of the Fang family, but he didn't expect that his grandson's wife herself was so extraordinary.

He was once again thankful that he had contrived to arrange this marriage, otherwise what happened later would not have happened. It was truly God's blessing on their Kuang family.

Compared to the high emotions of the three people, Xia Li's mentality was much calmer. Feelings were indeed a spice of boring life. She had a different feeling in her heart just now when she interacted with Kuang Chengrui. Unfortunately, this short-lived emotional excitement came and went quickly. When Xia Li returned to Cuihua Court, she was completely calm. She first asked Shi Mi to call Hu Wanyou to come and question him.

Hu Wanyou also just found out about Xia Li's engagement. He has many information channels in the Duke's Mansion, and he knows a thing or two about some things that Chan Yi doesn't know. He originally thought that there would be a follow-up between Cheng Enbo and Xia Li, but he didn't expect that she would be snatched away by someone when she came back. He could only blame Cheng Enbo for not being so lucky.

Arriving at Cuihua Court, Hu Wanyou congratulated Xia Li respectfully. Xia Li's lips curled up slightly, and she seemed to be in a good mood. She didn't like to talk nonsense, and said directly: "I asked you to investigate the business caravans of Zhong Huiting. How is the situation?"

Hu Wanyou said seriously, "To answer the young lady, the three caravans Miss Zhong has are indeed as she told you, not fabricated. Some of the people in the caravans are retired soldiers, some were bodyguards, and some have opened martial arts schools. The number of people is not large, but they are all very skilled. Miss Zhong is really capable to be able to support them."

Xia Li nodded slightly and said, "Although it costs money to support this group of people, the profits earned are not small. You should speed up the production of perfume on your end. If you cooperate with Zhong Huiting, you may need to go out a few times. Once the sales channels are opened, you won't have to go through so much trouble."

Hu Wanyou was mentally prepared. He said gently, "I have nothing to worry about. It's OK for me to go out. This business is easy to do no matter where I go."

Xia Li wanted a subordinate with strong execution ability. She explained in detail the next few things to be done. After discussing, she waited for him to leave. Then she wrote an invitation herself and asked someone to deliver it to Zhang Zhizhou's mansion to give it to Zhong Huiting, inviting her to meet at her mansion tomorrow.

As soon as she sent out the invitation, Rong found out about it. She did not stop her and let her daughter do what she wanted.

On the morning of the next day, Xia Li slept a little longer. When she had her breakfast leisurely, Zhong Huiting had already arrived at the house. Perhaps because she knew that Xia Li was not the type to pretend, Zhong Huiting did not pretend to be a lady from a wealthy family.

As soon as the two met, she couldn't wait to ask, "My aunt said that you are engaged to the fourth-rank military officer named Kuang from Jiaozhou Garrison. Is this true or false?"

Xia Li picked up the drink and took a sip, then said calmly, "The news spread quickly. The wedding date is set for early June. You should come early to attend the banquet."

Zhong Huiting was a little surprised and said, "Why would you be willing to marry a military officer? They look rough and can't write poetry or paint. You can't even enjoy the pleasure of having a beautiful lady by your side. Wouldn't it be boring to marry them?"

Xia Li smiled and said in a brisk voice, "They can protect their entire family with their martial arts skills alone. If something really happens, you will know how much of a burden that weak scholar will be."

Zhong Huiting curled her lips and muttered, "That scholar has a handsome appearance and is pleasing to the eyes."

Xia Li chuckled and nodded, "Everyone has their own preferences. Just go pick a scholar to marry. I don't think your aunt will object."

Zhong Huiting held her chin with one hand and said dryly, "My aunt has set her sights on your family. She said that the Fang family has a rule not to take concubines. If you marry into the family, you will definitely live a good life. I can't make the decision on this matter."

Xia Li lowered his eyes and said, "That's a pity."

She only provides emotions and not values. It is better not to interfere in other people's family affairs, so as to avoid saying too much and making mistakes, and bearing unnecessary consequences.

Xia Li calmly changed the subject and said, "I called you here today to discuss joining us. I sent someone to check your caravan and it is indeed very powerful, but I am not short of money. If you join us as a caravan partner, I can only give you 20% of the profits."

Talking about business, Zhong Huiting straightened her back unconsciously. She frowned and said, "Two cents is too little. I have a shop in Kyoto. We can open the largest rouge and perfume shop. It will surely be popular throughout Dajin."

Xia Li leaned back in his chair, tapped the table lightly, and said thoughtfully:
"It's easy for me to get the shops in Kyoto, but it's hard for you to find a business with such lucrative profits to invest in. Besides, my family is more powerful than your Zhong family. Many things can be settled for me by my clansmen who are officials outside. You are not very useful."

Zhong Huiting's face darkened. Xia Li was speaking the truth. It was a business that could obviously make money, but she couldn't get involved. This was more painful than cutting her flesh. She looked at Xia Li intently and said sincerely, "Then I will join with my shops in Kyoto, Jiaozhou, and the caravan. You only need to give me 30% of the profit. How about that, just think of it as helping me make some money for fun?"

Xia Li will soon marry in Jiaozhou, and her business will surely flourish everywhere. Even if she suffers a little loss, she will still be able to hold on to the thigh. Xia Li raised her eyebrows slightly, not expecting Zhong Huiting to be so bold. She smiled and said, "Do you think so highly of me?"

Zhong Huiting hooked her lip and said without hesitation: "I can definitely get a share of the pie if I follow you. I'm not stupid, so don't keep me in suspense and tell me about this right away, okay?"

Xia Li looked her up and down, nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I'll give you three-tenths of the profit, but you can't interfere in any business matters. All decisions will be made by me. If you can't accept it, then there's no way I can agree to it."

Zhong Huiting had not expected Xia Li to be so strong. She sighed and said resignedly, "Okay, you have the final say. I will only divide the money and not touch your business. In fact, you don't have to be so wary of me. I have always been open and aboveboard in my actions."

Xia Li chuckled and said, "I'll talk business. I have things I want to do and I don't like others to interfere. It's hard to say what will happen in the future. People will change and money will move people's hearts."

Zhong Huiting didn't make any excuses. Before coming here, she might have still been hoping for a lucky break, wondering who would eat whom. But now she had completely given up the idea.

Xia Li wrote out the cooperation contract between the two of them with a big stroke of his pen. He checked it over and over again before signing it, and then sent someone to send it to the government for filing. After finishing the business, Zhong Huiting was not in a hurry to leave. She lowered her voice and asked, "Did you give my third cousin perfume?"

Xia Li smiled and said, "I did give him a bottle. What's wrong?"

Zhong Huiting said with a strange look on her face, "I ran into him yesterday. He dressed himself up nicely and went to see the county lieutenant Hu Yongyun. I don't know how to tell my aunt."

Xia Li chuckled and said, "You are so brave that you dare to follow him and spy on him. Aren't you afraid that he will find out and teach you a lesson?"

Zhong Huiting sighed and said, "Although my third cousin sometimes speaks in a sarcastic way, he is not bad to me, so I can't bear to see him go astray."

Xia Li glanced at her and said casually:
"You think too much. The happiness that people can truly feel is real. He is not misguided. He is just following his heart. When you have free time, pay more attention to your own affairs and don't interfere in other people's affairs."

(End of this chapter)