The Story of a Spoiled Daughter Raising a Husband

The sky was cloudless, clear and sparkling, with a gentle breeze and shimmering sunlight—it was the perfect time of day.

Ji Xiuping sat on the carriage shaft driving the cart, while Tong Qian sat behind him. The road was a bit bumpy, and she was afraid. She wanted to hug the man's strong waist, but she was afraid of scaring him. After all, this wasn't the 21st century. What woman would dare to be so proactive? Besides, hadn't she scared him quite a bit yesterday?

So after thinking it over, Tong Qian simply stretched out her delicate white hand and quietly grabbed a wisp of the man's sleeve.

Ji Xiuping noticed the movement behind him and turned around. He saw Tong Qian sitting obediently next to him, with a white cloth wrapped around her forehead. Her big eyes blinked as she looked at him, making her look very endearing.

Ji Xiuping's heart softened as if it were melting into water. He said softly, "It will be better after this period. Shangguan Road will be more stable. If you are scared, then you can sit a little closer."

"Mmm." Tong Qian nodded in response. Looking at the tenderness that the man couldn't hide in his eyes, her heart felt as sweet as if it had been filled with honey.

She pursed her lips and moved a little closer, her grip tightening even more in her hands.

Ji Xiuping stiffened, his breathing became slightly erratic, and he couldn't drive as fast as before.

Tong Qian saw through his little scheme, but she didn't say anything. The two of them walked together in this tacit understanding.

Upon arriving in town, Tong Qian wandered around, hoping to find a convenient way to make money. Although she didn't find anything particularly interesting, she did have some ideas in mind.

Ji Xiuping followed Tong Qian around and found it strange that she didn't buy anything.

Moreover, today, she only glanced at Tao Fu Ji's osmanthus cake, her favorite food, and hurried past it, making her even more unsure of what her intentions were in coming out today.

As it approached noon and the weather grew hotter, Ji Xiuping worried that she might not be able to handle it, so he carefully wiped her sweat and said, "Let's go to the teahouse to rest."

"Okay." Feeling sweet inside, Tong Qian smiled with her eyes crinkling. Making money can't be done overnight.

As soon as the two turned the corner, they saw a crowd gathered in front of the teahouse, whispering among themselves, and they could vaguely hear words like "poor girl" and "girl".

Tong Qian stopped in his tracks, stood on the outside and listened carefully, and then he got the gist of it.

It turned out that a little girl named Yun Yatou wanted to sell herself to the teahouse to buy a coffin for her father so that he could be properly buried. However, the teahouse owner seemed unwilling to do business with her because she looked thin and weak and not very agile. He kicked the little girl out.

"Get out! Don't delay my business here." The teahouse owner, a middle-aged man with a large belly, spit out greasy saliva.

Yun, chased outside by the teahouse waiter, knelt pitifully on the ground, clasped her hands in prayer: "Boss, please, have mercy on me!"

"Please take me in, I can do anything, serve tea and water, sing songs, I can do everything."

The boss still refused. Everyone around said it was pitiful, but no one actually stepped forward to help. After all, anyone could do the math, and having an extra mouth to feed is no small matter for any family.

However, Tong Qian was different from others, or rather, her eyes lit up as soon as she heard Yun Yatou say that she could sing.

This is a business opportunity! Heaven has really been kind to her; she made a fortune as soon as she stepped out the door.

Seeing Tong Qian's thoughtful and eager expression, Ji Xiuping figured she probably wanted to buy this Yun girl. He weighed the money in his pocket; it was a bit difficult, but if Qian'er wanted it...

A fair and delicate hand suddenly covered the money pouch. Ji Xiuping looked up and saw Tong Qian smile brightly and shake her head.

Before Ji Xiuping could understand the meaning behind her smile, Tong Qian had already walked up to the crowd and spoke clearly to the teahouse owner.

"The young girl selling herself to bury her father is an act of benevolence and filial piety. Boss, you are rich and powerful, why don't you do this good deed and accumulate this virtue?"

Seeing that Tong Qian was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, the teahouse owner didn't take her seriously. He waved his hand dismissively and said impatiently, "Girl, if you have money, buy her. If you don't, don't meddle in my business. I have to do business here!"

“Hey!” Tong Qian chimed in, “I just want to do business with the boss.”

After saying this, Tong Qian pulled the boss aside and said confidently, "Businessmen naturally prioritize money. Boss, to be honest, I have a way to make this girl Yun famous throughout the county. Then your teahouse will be number one in the county. If you don't take her in now, you might not be able to later."

"Hmph!" The teahouse owner glanced at Tong Qian sideways, scoffed, flicked his sleeve forcefully, and turned to leave.

Just then, Tong Qian parted her lips slightly, and a smooth, clear melody was hummed out by her.

Like the warbling of orioles and the splashing of kingfishers, it was simply heavenly music.

This time, not only the teahouse owner, but almost everyone was captivated by the beautiful singing. For a moment, there was no sound at all on the long street.

Ji Xiuping was even more stunned; he was completely dumbfounded, as if someone had acupunctured him.

When the music ended, everyone seemed to wake up from a dream, and for a moment, they were somewhat dazed.

"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" The teahouse owner's eyes lit up, and he turned around, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "Wonderful, wonderful!"

Tong Qian smiled slightly, her eyes shining even brighter: "Boss, are you leaving?"

"No, no, I'm not leaving." The teahouse owner quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, "Um, I just didn't know the price for this young lady..."

“Boss,” Tong Qianyi said with a smile, “I remember there’s the biggest teahouse in the county just around the corner. If you don’t want this Yun girl, I think someone else will recognize her talent.” Then she said to Yun girl on the ground, “Little girl, come with me. I will make sure your father has a grand funeral.”

Yun Yatou hesitated, but seeing Tong Qian's confident tone and her expression, she immediately stood up and pretended to follow Tong Qian.

Tong Qian's eyes held appreciation. Helping her was one thing, but the girl had to be worthy of her help. However, she was always good at judging people.

"Hey, wait a minute." The teahouse owner quickly stopped the group and said to Tong Qian with a fawning smile, "Miss, what are you saying? That teahouse may be big, but it's not as lucky as us. Someone, someone, prepare a room and get ready to welcome our distinguished guests."

He then ushered Tong Qian and the others into the private room.

"Please have a seat, everyone." After saying this, the teahouse owner gave a signal to the waiter behind him. A moment later, the waiter took out a rather large money bag, which the teahouse owner took and personally handed to Yun Yatou.

The two exchanged many polite words, but Tong Qian's brows furrowed.

The teahouse owner is truly a cunning old fox. Even now, he only offers words of comfort to Yun, making no mention of the subsequent arrangements. Clearly...

The teahouse owner seemed to have finished his formalities. He calmly sat down next to Tong Qian, picked up a cup of tea, and said leisurely, "Miss Tong Qian, speaking of which, you only sang one verse just now. You think you can get me to take this girl in with just that? That's a bit too little."