Pastoral Splendor

The area in front of Baixiangyuan's shop was packed with people. Those outside were trying to squeeze in, while those inside were holding their ground and refusing to come out: "Hurry up and give me a few more roast ducks, hurry up!"

As the year draws to a close, the most sought-after items are roast duck and canned red oil. Many people buy them to stock up for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day gatherings, and some even plan to give them as gifts when visiting relatives and friends.

These days, the barbecue and spicy hot pot businesses are basically shut down during the day. The main business is processing roast duck, canned goods, and various meatballs. They focus on whatever makes money first. Yan Ying hired about fifty people to help with these things. Fang Sao is in charge of the roast duck business, Er Hua is in charge of canned goods and meatball processing, and Si Hua brought Wu Hua to the shop to work as temporary helpers—there are just too many customers.

After seeing off the first group of customers, they barely had time to wipe their sweat before seeing more people striding into the shop. They barely had a moment to rest. Sihua and Wuhua helped hand over the items, feeling quite pleased with themselves. Sihua had just seen a manager's wife out when she saw a horse approaching. She happily looked up and said, "Esteemed guest… Oh, Brother Jian, what brings you here!"

Isn't today Lunar New Year's Eve? Shouldn't Brother Jian be spending the New Year with his family? How did he end up in Yuzhou City? Si Hua rubbed her eyes. She wasn't mistaken; it really was Jian Yifei. She jumped up in surprise, pushed through the crowded shop, and shouted to Yan Ying, "Third Sister, Brother Jian is here!"

Yan Ying was standing behind the counter collecting money when she heard Si Hua say, "Brother Jian is here," and she was taken aback: "Who did you say is here?"

"Brother Jian!" Si Hua was overjoyed. "We've got another helper at Bai Xiang Yuan!"

Wait, shouldn't Jian Yifei be with his mother at this time? It's New Year's Eve, everyone should be rushing home. Why is he at Baixiang Garden?

"Sanhua!" Jian Yifei squeezed in: "Why are you still open?" Looking around the shop, it was packed with people. Jian Yifei was quite surprised. Today is New Year's Eve, which shop isn't closed? He originally wanted to go directly to Xiaojia Village, but he wanted to come to Baixiangyuan to see if there were any changes in appearance after two months. He didn't expect that when he came here, he would still be open!

“Brother Jian, my shop won’t close until late afternoon today. There’s a notice posted outside. Everyone else is closing, but I can’t. Can’t you see how many people are still buying things?” Yan Ying shook her head with a smile: “I haven’t even had a chance to catch my breath yet!”

"It's all because Miss Xiao's shop has such good stuff!" someone chuckled from the side. "I was planning to buy a few more roast ducks, but I didn't expect there to be a purchase limit!"

There were so many people wanting roast duck that Yan Ying had to resort to pre-orders and purchase limits, otherwise she wouldn't even have time to sleep. Seeing how popular the roast duck was, Aunt Xiao also helped to plan: "San Hua, let's hatch more duck eggs next spring and raise more ducks."

Unexpectedly, ducks were more popular than chickens. Aunt Xiao sighed inwardly, having raised chickens and ducks for so many years, this was the first time she had ever seen such a strange thing! Yan Ying just chuckled: "Mother, this chicken is not good for roasting. I'll try making preserved chicken while we rest at home during the New Year."

Chickens aren't as plump as ducks, so they come out dry after roasting and don't taste as good. That's why Yan Ying started by developing roast duck. She had to think carefully about how to make chickens, hoping that any new product she developed would become a hit. She instructed Aunt Xiao, "Keep all the fine feathers of the duck for me; I have a big use for them."

Recently, we've been slaughtering hundreds of ducks every day at home. We've built three new roasting ovens, and someone is on duty to process them from morning till night, 24 hours a day. The most important thing about roasting duck is the raw materials: duck feed, fruitwood charcoal, seasonings, condiments, and so on. In addition to these raw materials, there's also the issue of the heat. It has to be just right, and you can't be careless at all.

Despite producing several hundred ducks a day, it seems that the supply still cannot meet the demand. Normally, only forty or fifty ducks are sold each day, but in the past few days, the demand for roast duck has been soaring, from one hundred to two hundred to three hundred. Yan Ying was a little puzzled and wondered why there were so many wealthy families in Yuzhou City. She originally thought that selling two hundred ducks a day was the limit.

But no matter what, the more the merrier. Counting money until her hands are sore is what she dreams of. Hearing customers praise her roast duck, Yan Ying smiled and said, "Next year, in addition to roast duck, we'll have new products too. Come and take a look then!"

"Alright, alright!" The man happily walked out carrying several oil paper packages. Yan Ying looked up and saw that Jian Yifei had already consciously followed Si Hua and Wu Hua to work as a shop assistant. She chuckled and said, "He's quite a good helper."

Manager Ning looked at Jian Yifei standing out from the crowd like a crane among chickens, and said to Yan Ying with a smile, "Miss Xiao, this young master Jian is really a good one. You've struck gold."

Yan Ying proudly raised her chin: "He's really lucky to have met me."

By noon, the crowd had thinned out. Yan Ying called Si Hua to the inner courtyard to cook, and Jian Yi Fei rushed in as well: "Si Hua, I'll help your third sister. You go outside and watch the shop."

Sihua smiled at Jian Yifei and said, "Third brother-in-law, you want to be alone with my third sister, right? Just say so, I'll know what's good for me!"

Jian Yifei's face suddenly turned red, and she stood there somewhat awkwardly. Yan Ying spat out, "You brat, since you know, why don't you get out of here?"

"Oh, Third Sister, you're not even married yet, and you're already thinking about your future brother-in-law." Sihua made a face: "You'd better give me extra lucky money tonight!" With that, she turned and walked out.

Jian Yifei finally breathed a long sigh of relief: "Sanhua, your fourth sister is getting more and more amazing."

"It's better if you're strong, so I won't be bullied by you later. My family can support me." Yan Ying bent down to pick out the vegetables from the basket, while stealing a glance at Jian Yifei. Seeing the embarrassed blush on his face, she couldn't help but laugh. She wondered if Jian Yifei was like this when he was working in the Qingyi Guard. So inexperienced, wouldn't he be bullied by those old hands?

“I won’t bully you, Sanhua.” Jian Yifei bent down and squatted down to peel vegetable leaves. “I’m too busy taking care of you to bully you.”

"Jian Yifei, what brings you to Yuzhou City on New Year's Eve?" Yan Ying stopped joking with him and looked him up and down. "Don't tell me you've fallen out with your mother because of our marriage?"

"How did you know?" Jian Yifei asked, somewhat surprised. "I haven't told you yet."

Yan Ying laughed: "Do you need to tell me that? Who isn't at home celebrating the New Year's Eve? He must have had a fight with his mother and run away from home to come to Yuzhou City. Your mother won't let you marry me, right?"

Jian Yifei nodded, looking somewhat aggrieved: "I've told her that you're a very good girl, but she just won't listen. She always thinks our family has a higher social status... Actually, it's just a few acres of land and a big house, how much higher can it be?" Thinking about his suspicion that his mother might have become someone else's mistress, Jian Yifei was still a little worried. He was afraid that Yan Ying would look down on his mother's actions.

"Maybe in her eyes, someone like me from the countryside isn't good enough to be her wife." Yan Ying shook her head with a smile: "I never thought I'd have to curry favor with an official like you."

Jian Yifei immediately became anxious, threw down the vegetables in her hand, and grabbed Yan Ying's hand tightly: "Sanhua, you promised me that we would be together for the rest of our lives. You won't go back on your word, will you?"

"Go back on your word?" Yan Ying's bright eyes stared at Jian Yifei, like two stars that suddenly appeared in the sky, making Jian Yifei feel that the small kitchen was full of light: "If you don't go back on your word, I won't either. But if you want to give up, I guarantee I'll run faster than you."

Jian Yifei finally felt relieved and let out a long sigh of relief: "That's good. If things get better, I will keep it in my heart. You..." He looked at the pair of unblinking eyes in front of him, his heart pounding. He tried his best to suppress the urge to lean in and said in a trembling voice: "Sanhua, I will treat you well for the rest of my life and I will never make you sad or upset."

Yan Ying nodded: "Don't worry, even if you break your vow and marry someone else, I won't cry into my pillow." What's the use of crying if a man is unfaithful? It's better to forget him quickly, work hard to become rich, and find someone who truly loves you—that's what she thinks now, but if that time really comes, she doesn't know if she'll shed tears.

“Sanhua, I asked my mother for the betrothal gifts, but she refused to give me any money, no matter what. I even had a big fight with her, so I ran away to Yuzhou to find you.” Jian Yifei looked pitiful, her eyes full of hope: “Please take me in.”

“Alright.” Yan Ying stood up and began tying her apron. “Give me the lodging fee, ten taels of silver a night.” Seeing Jian Yifei staring at her with his mouth open, she chuckled, “I was just kidding!”

Jian Yifei then regained his composure, stood up, and wrapped his arms around Yan Ying: "Sanhua, I knew you were joking with me. You wouldn't be so heartless as to kick me out." He originally had one hundred taels of silver on him, which he used to buy New Year's gifts for Xiao Lao's family. He had spent most of it on food and drink on the way from the capital, leaving him with only a few hundred taels of silver. He was really in a bit of a bind.

Her soft body nestled in his arms, a delicate fragrance wafting from beneath his nose. Jian Yifei couldn't resist, lowering his head to plant a gentle kiss on Yan Ying's ear: "Sanhua, I really missed you."

"What are you doing? I'm going to cook." Yan Ying was a little embarrassed. It had been a long time since Jian Yifei had held her in his arms like this. An indescribable feeling welled up in her heart. Her cheeks were slightly red, and she was completely weak. Her hands were limp, and she seemed unable to even hold the kitchen knife properly. "Jian Yifei, if you want me to do things, kiss and hug, let's talk about it when we get home tonight."

"Okay, okay." Jian Yifei secretly glanced at Yan Ying and saw the faint red marks on her fair skin. She was also happy. "I'll help you cook."

Chapter 203 New Year's Eve

Night slowly fell, and a hazy blackness enveloped the sky above Xiaojia Village. White smoke rose from the kitchens of each household, and a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere permeated the small village.

Yan Ying and her team closed before Shen Shi (3-5 PM), and there weren't many customers left in the afternoon. However, there were quite a few stalls selling fireworks and firecrackers at the intersection of East and West Streets, and many children were gathered around them, waving coins and saying, "Grandma, buy me a groundhog!"

Sihua looked at the stalls, her eyes filled with childlike envy: "Third Sister, let's go buy some fireworks and firecrackers to set off at home."

Yan Ying nodded: "Of course, Mother also told us to bring some firecrackers back with us. We're going to set them off at midnight tonight, and we also need to go to the ancestral graves to pay our respects early tomorrow morning."

Gong Liang volunteered to get off the carriage and buy the money: "Third sister, fourth sister, I'll go." He had received a New Year's bonus today, plus his wages for this month and overtime pay for the past few days, which amounted to almost fourteen taels. He was eager to please the Xiao sisters and hurriedly slid his body to the ground.

With a flash of white, Jian Yifei dismounted and walked towards a less crowded stall, holding the reins: "Grandma, I want to buy firecrackers and fireworks."

The old woman beamed with joy when she saw the guest: "What would you like to buy, young master?"

"How much silver do you want if I buy all the fireworks and firecrackers on this stall?" Jian Yifei pointed to the stall with an air of generosity. He was more astute than Gong Liang and naturally seized the opportunity to curry favor.

The old woman was stunned for a moment, then opened her mouth wide and smiled, revealing a set of sparse teeth: "Young master, it's not much, ten taels of silver is about right!"

Jian Yifei reached for his purse, then stopped—it seemed he only had a few taels of silver left on him.