The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Shen Cao followed her mother to the front hall, where she saw a man dressed in black linen with an unknown color headband tied around his head.

The man also had a scar on his face that ran from his brow bone to below his eye, making him look quite frightening.

No wonder her mother looked flustered just now; she was probably frightened by the man's appearance.

"Cao'er, it's that man who's looking for you." Shen's mother pulled Shen Cao, her face full of worry.

Shen Cao gently patted her mother's hand to reassure her.

In broad daylight, no one would dare to cause trouble.

Shen Cao walked up to the man and asked, "Excuse me, are you looking for me?"

"You are Shen Cao, Miss Shen?" The man looked Shen Cao up and down, seemingly trying to confirm her identity.

"Ah."

The man immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice strong and clear, "Miss Shen, I am Wei Qi." Before Shen Cao could react, he finished speaking.

Wei Qi ran to the door, waved, and led a group of people carrying loads in.

"Miss Shen, this was sent to me by my young master."

"They said it was a New Year's gift for you. Please see where it is."

"Wei Siyu?"

He nodded.

So all that mysterious thing he was doing a while ago was this pile of New Year's goods.

Shen Cao walked over and opened each box to take a look.

Wow! This guy really knows her well; he gave her something that perfectly suited her taste.

It seems he remembered everything she had said before.

When Shen's mother heard that the gift was sent by Wei Siyu, she finally felt relieved.

She quickly went to pour tea for the person; she was so frightened that she didn't dare to move forward.

Shen Cao instructed people to put the things in the kitchen.

Shen Cao looked at the things Wei Siyu had prepared in front of her.

High-quality ham, freshly slaughtered chicken, duck, fish, pork, and lamb.

It even contains the beef from a whole cow.

He even kept his internal organs.

There were also various beautiful pots and pans. Shen Cao couldn't stop smiling as he touched the smooth and thick porcelain.

Wei Siyu is so kind. Next time he comes, I'll cook him something delicious.

When Shen Cao finished packing her things and came out, she saw her mother warmly inviting Wei Qi and the others to eat wontons.

"Cao'er, hurry up and cook a few more bowls of wontons."

After saying that, Shen's mother came over, took Shen Cao's hand, and went to the kitchen.

"Cao'er, Wei Qi looks scary, but he's actually a pretty nice person."

"You have no idea, when he first walked in, I was so scared. I thought he was here to cause trouble."

"I heard from Wei Qi that the scar on his face was from a cut he got while saving someone. It's kind of scary to see such a big guy with a scar on his face."

"I never expected him to be such a kind-hearted child. I should have treated him like that just now."

"Well, I feel really bad that they brought us so much stuff, so I'll let them stay for a meal."

Shen Cao smiled when she saw her mother's guilty expression.

Her mother is so adorable. She was frightened by someone, but after realizing the person was a good person, she took the initiative to make amends.

“I asked quietly, and they said they work on the docks.”

“I told them they can come to our house for meals in the future, and they'll get a discount.”

"I'll cook a few more wontons; the young man does physical labor, he needs to eat his fill."

"Hey, there are still some pancakes left from today. I'll give them some meat sauce to try."

Shen Cao pulled on her mother's arm and buried her head in her mother's chest. "My mother is so kind. It is because of you that we brothers and sisters can set an example for each other."

Mother Shen smiled and gently stroked Shen Cao's head, "You're the best at praising people."

The two were chatting and laughing as they cooked wontons and heated up pancakes in the kitchen when Mr. Shen hurriedly walked in.

"Grass, someone is looking for you outside."

Shen Cao raised an eyebrow. Wow, what day is it today? Why is everyone here looking for her?

Following Shen's father to the front hall, Shen Cao met the clerk of the government office.

"Miss Shen, my master invites you to come."

Shen Cao was a little puzzled. Why would the county magistrate be looking for her when everything was fine?

After greeting Shen's father, she followed the clerk to the government office.

In the county magistrate's study, after Shen Cao paid his respects to the county magistrate, he sat down to the left of him.

“Miss Shen, I didn’t come to you for anything else, I just wanted to ask about the progress of the dock.”

Shen Cao briefly explained the progress at the dock to the county magistrate.

She then told the county magistrate about the Tiger Head Gang.

The county magistrate stroked his beard, lost in thought.

“Your Excellency, actually, it would be much better to entrust this matter to the Tiger Head Gang than to let the yamen runners handle it.”

"Think about it, the people at this dock are a mixed bunch, it's hard not to get into arguments, and if something happens, wouldn't that damage your reputation?"

“It’s a small matter if it affects your reputation, but it would be bad if some people used this to make a fuss and said that you can’t manage your subordinates.”

"Besides, this was something Young Master Shen specifically instructed me to do before he left. He wanted to carefully consider the magistrate's position, in case it puts you in a difficult position."

After listening to Shen Cao's words, the county magistrate thought about it carefully and nodded.

“Young Master Shen is always very thoughtful, I trust you to do things.”

After saying that, he seemed to casually remember something and asked, "By the way, it's almost Chinese New Year, will your older brother come back for the holiday?"

Shen Cao nodded. "My elder brother wrote to me a while ago, saying that Grand Tutor Zhou has given him leave and he will come back for the New Year this year."

The county magistrate's face lit up with joy, "Your elder brother is going to be quite something in the future."

"You flatter me, sir. My elder brother is only where he is today because of your protection."

“If it weren’t for your governance of Xin’an County, where the people live and work in peace and contentment, my elder brother wouldn’t have had such a good opportunity.”

……

After Shen Cao walked out of the government office gate, he let out a heavy sigh.

She disliked socializing with officials the most.

You have to think three sentences before you speak, and you can't speak directly; you have to say something indirectly.

It's incredibly mentally and physically exhausting to have to ponder a single sentence repeatedly.

This Li Quan is indeed a cunning old fox. Seeing that things at the docks are about to be settled, he wants to arrange for his own people to be placed there.

Luckily, Brother Shen gave her a heads-up, otherwise she would have really fallen into his trap today.

He just mentioned his older brother. Judging by the dates, his older brother should be arriving in the next couple of days.

Thinking of this, she quickened her pace and walked home.

The streets have become less crowded these days. As the cold wind blows, she wraps her coat tighter and pulls her scarf up to her face.

Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure on the street corner.

The figure moved furtively, looking around suspiciously, as it walked into the alley.

Why is she here?

All the way there, she kept wondering if she had mistaken someone for someone else.

Before she knew it, she had arrived at the entrance of Shen Family Restaurant, where she saw a horse-drawn carriage.

Her face lit up with joy; her older brother was back!

She immediately forgot what had just happened and ran home.

He ran and shouted, "Father, Mother, is my eldest brother back?"