My humble days in ancient times

Xu Qinghe now only visits Ruyi Fast Food Restaurant once every two weeks to carefully check the account books and income. He is very confident that Lei Da and Zhuzi are conscientious and responsible.

Just as he left the shop that day, he saw a group of beggars on the roadside. A slightly older boy suddenly stopped in front of the carriage and said anxiously, "Master, please have mercy on us! Give us some change! We haven't eaten for several days..."

Xu Qinghe looked closely and saw that all of them had tattered clothes, their hair was messy like straw, they were holding broken bowls in their hands, and they were wearing worn-out straw sandals on their feet.

Xu Qinghe immediately felt sympathy and took out some change from his pocket and handed it to them. They left happily.

Xu Qinghe watched their backs as they left, only to see them turn around and go back into the pharmacy, but they were soon rudely driven out by the owner of the pharmacy.

The shop owner said impatiently, "Go away! You come to the shop without money, you're just a bunch of beggars."

Xu Qinghe couldn't bear to watch this, so he strode forward and said, "Who said they don't have money? They are just looking down on others."

After saying this, he took out ten taels of silver without hesitation and said, "Can I go in now?"

The shopkeeper immediately put on a flattering face and said with a smile: "That's enough, sir, please come in."

Xu Qinghe took them into the pharmacy and bought medicine to treat the fever.

After leaving the pharmacy, the older beggar said, "Thank you so much. My name is Jiang Jingchen, and their names are Zhou Yifan, Meng Xiaotian, Wang Xiaoqing, and Yang Mingxuan."

Xu Qinghe nodded: "My name is Xu Qinghe, why did you buy this medicine?"

Jiang Jingchen replied: "A companion is sick, Meng Xiaotian's younger brother Meng Xiaole."

At this time, Meng Xiaotian hurriedly saluted Xu Qinghe: "Thank you for your help today, I will definitely repay you when I have the chance in the future."

Xu Qinghe waved his hand and said, "Just take me to see him!"

They turned left and right, passed through narrow alleys, and finally saw Meng Xiaole in a thatched house in a remote corner.

At this moment, Meng Xiaole was lying weakly on the ground, which was covered with only a thin layer of straw. Not to mention a quilt, he didn't even have a piece of clothing to keep warm.

Xu Qinghe couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Why are you here? Where are your parents?"

The smile on Jiang Jingchen's face instantly disappeared, and he said gloomily, "We are all orphans. Originally, I was alone. Later, I met Zhou Yifan, Meng Xiaotian, and Meng Xiaole, and finally met Wang Xiaoqing and Yang Mingxuan. After that, we depended on each other for survival."

Meng Xiaotian has already started to boil the medicine, and the small medicine pot seems particularly heavy in his hands.

Xu Qinghe was moved after hearing this: "How are you going to survive this cold winter without even a blanket?"

Jiang Jingchen lowered his head, then said helplessly: "Get more grass."

Xu Qinghe shook his head and took out twenty taels of silver and handed it to them: "Use these to buy some things. Maybe it can help you get through this winter."

They all widened their eyes in shock, thinking to themselves: We met such a good person today, God is really merciful.

Xu Qinghe was about to leave, but after a few steps he turned around and said, "I live in Xujia Village, more than ten miles east of the county town. There's a large courtyard there, and I live there. If you're willing to be my slave, you can find me there. Think about it carefully!"

Jiang Jingchen was a little excited: "If we wanted to be slaves, we would have sold ourselves long ago. Why wait until now?"

Xu Qinghe smiled and said, "Because you haven't waited for a good master. Come to me and I will pay you wages every month, ranging from one to five taels a month, depending on your ability. You will also have no worries about food and drink, a place to live, and freedom to live."

Meng Xiaotian asked: "What kind of work?"

Xu Qinghe said, "For example, my personal servant, my groom, I have a peach orchard, a chicken farm, a small restaurant, and a chili shop."

They were all stunned, as if they were listening to a distant dream.

Meng Xiaotian was a little moved: "You are not lying to us!"

Xu Qinghe smiled and said, "Why don't you go and take a look now?"

Jiang Jingchen was more cautious and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Xu. Let us brothers think about it carefully, okay?"

Xu Qinghe nodded, then turned and left, leaving them alone looking at the silver in their hands, lost in thought.

Jiang Jingchen and they thought about it for a whole night and finally decided to go to Xujia Village to find out what was going on.

Along the way, they were exhausted, passed by the Chili Shop, and finally arrived at Xu's house. Looking at the scene before them, they believed Xu Qinghe's words to the extent that they believed him.

The wall of Chili Shop is closely connected to Xu's house, and the tall wall of Xu's house extends all the way to the mountain, stretching to a place beyond the reach of the eye.

When they arrived at the door, they raised their hands and knocked. Guo Huai came to open the door. When he saw their ragged clothes, he thought they were beggars and was really scared.

Guo Huai was about to ask when Jiang Jingchen spoke first: "We are looking for Xu Qinghe. He asked us to come to him."

Guo Huai looked them up and down, and seeing their shabby clothes, he said, "Please wait a moment. I'll go and inform them."

Soon, Xu Qinghe came out happily. When he saw them, his face was full of joy: "Have you had breakfast? Come in first! Have breakfast first."

A few people followed and walked in. They were surprised to see a sea of ​​colorful flowers, the fragrance was intoxicating. Then they saw the grand reception room, with carved beams and painted buildings, which was extraordinary.

After breakfast, Xu Qinghe took them to visit the maids' and servants' quarters, then to the Wutong Courtyard, where they visited the vegetable garden, peach orchard, horse farm, and chicken coop. The sights left them stunned, as if they were in a dream.

Xu Qinghe excitedly told them, "All this is thanks to my sister. Last year, we severed ties with our stepmother and separated from our father. Then my sister made egg pancakes and rice balls, chili oil and chili sauce, and then built a house, opened a shop, planted peach trees, built a chicken coop, and reclaimed wasteland."

Jiang Jingchen and the others were stunned, their eyes wide open, their faces full of disbelief.

Xu Qinghe continued, "You are all smart, but in my opinion, my sister is the smartest person in the world."

Jiang Jingchen and the others were silent, secretly amazed in their hearts.

Xu Qinghe continued, "Because of these, my sister only spent a little over a year, from April last year until now. Did you see the wasteland in front? That was also my sister's idea. A total of 268 acres, which will be used to grow crops in the future."

Xu Qinghe said this cheerfully. Jiang Jingchen and the others were silent, just silently digesting all this shocking news.

After a few people gathered together to discuss, they said, "Okay, let's go see the smart sister you mentioned before making a decision."

Xu Qinghe waved his hand and said, "Please come in!"

After saying that, he strode forward to lead the way, and Xu Qinghe brought them back to Wutong Courtyard.

Along the way, Xu Qinghe excitedly told them, "Just now at Wutong Courtyard, my two younger sisters live on the second floor. But my eldest and smartest sister likes to sleep early, so I didn't disturb her. She usually has a lot of things to worry about, so it's rare for her to get a good night's sleep. I can't disturb her sweet dreams."

Xu Qinghe's words were full of doting on his sister. Every word seemed to be wrapped in a layer of sweet sugar coating, allowing people to truly feel his deep and sincere love for his sister.