She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

"Ms. Zhou is straightforward!"

The shopkeeper of the clothing store was holding the counted cash and was grinning from ear to ear.

It cost almost nothing to buy this shop. After bargaining, it was already a huge bargain.

Mrs. Zhou nodded with satisfaction, with A'ao standing behind her wearing a bamboo hat.

"Ladies, I know some good construction and carpentry skills. If you need anything, you can go to this address." The shopkeeper handed over a note. "The transaction is over. I won't bother you anymore. I wish you a prosperous business from now on!"

After they had politely exchanged greetings, the shopkeeper left.

Ah-yi took off her bamboo hat, walked into the front hall and looked around carefully.

There are almost no benefits to owning a shop in the capital, except that it has more customers and, if business is good, a wider reputation.

It would cost more to buy a shop in Panxia, ​​and it would be half the size of the one in Shuichangdong in Kezhou.

"You think it's a pity?" Mrs. Zhou said cheerfully, but she had a different idea from Ah's. "My dear sister, you are good at accounting, why are you so confused here?"

Ah'ao looked at her in confusion.

I wanted to find a place to sit down, but there was charcoal ash all around, so I had to give up.

"Think about it, our Shuichangdong was originally the medicine shop of Manager Wu. In addition to dispensing medicine, he also usually sees patients. This shop used to be a clothing store. Compared with the two, it is natural that it is a little smaller." Mrs. Zhou said, her eyes suddenly became ambiguous, "Besides, that shop was rented to us at a low price because of the help of Zhao Hou. Otherwise, how could you and I have such a big face?"

Ah'ao crossed her arms, thinking that this was true.

"He just left and you forgot about him?" Mrs. Zhou asked jokingly, putting her hand on Ah's shoulder. "That's a bit heartless."

Ah'ao couldn't bear it anymore and slipped out of her shackles easily.

"Why do you make me sound like a heartless person? What kind of relationship do we have? Shouldn't you be on my side?"

Hengzhi needs to reorganize the army first and bring it back to Kezhou District. Even if they are going to Shuzhong, they cannot let so many soldiers camp outside the capital all the time. This is against the rules and is not conducive to pacifying the court.

Gu Shouchun was unwilling to lead the Jinwu Guards any longer, so he resigned and left the capital early. Currently, the leader of the Sixteen Guards has not been decided. It is heard that because of this, the Jinluan Palace has been brightly lit for discussions in recent days.

Ah's not in charge of these things.

But she had to separate from Hengzhi temporarily again - she had already promised Sister Zhou that they would expand the capital together.

It took so long for Hengzhi's wound to heal. The scabs on the scars fell off and turned slightly red.

The night before, Ah'ao was laid horizontally on the bed where she slept when she was young. With the help of the moonlight, she could carefully examine the condition of the wound.

I was tossing and turning all the time and couldn't get any sleep.

They have sacrificed their lives for the greater good, so how can you say they have no conscience?
Ah-yi shook her head tiredly, "Never mind him. I can borrow someone to help us save some time in renovating the shop. Although we still have some savings, there's no guarantee that they will be useful in the future, so let's save as much as possible."

Mrs. Zhou rolled up her sleeves and began to carry the charred wood off the ground. "Okay! By the way, I want to discuss the management of our shop with you."

Behind the front hall is a backyard without a door.

A plum tree with slanting branches is planted in the middle. Looking at it from the front hall, it is reflected by the white-painted wall behind it, which has a unique elegance.

The ground was covered with green grass and paved with stones. The path was divided into three paths, the left and right paths led to the wing rooms and the warehouse, and the one in front led to the stone table under the plum tree.

When Ah's wife looked at the scenery, her interest in renovating the shop immediately doubled.

"Business? Any problem?" Ah'ao walked slowly along the gravel road and came under the plum tree.

Mrs. Zhou followed behind, "If we run the business like we did in Kezhou, at least one of us will have to stay in the capital to plan weddings and funerals, otherwise we won't be able to achieve the same results as in Shuichangdong. But obviously this is impossible. So, let's just simplify it and only sell finished products. This will make it easier to count and more reassuring. What do you think?"

"Let me think about it." Ah'ao sat on the stone bench, supporting her chin and thinking carefully.

Although the capital is called Chongdu, it should be the most prosperous place in the whole Chongdu. But after all, it is also at the foot of the imperial city. In terms of the attitude towards commercial weddings and funerals, it must be much more difficult to accept than a trading place like Kezhou.

What Mrs. Zhou said makes sense.

"What you mean is," Ah-yi looked at her and had some ideas in her mind, "We should make a finished product that combines funeral supplies such as paper-made incense and candles with red silk ribbons, wedding candies and wedding gifts for sale?"

Mrs. Zhou looked at Ah-yi expectantly, "How is it? Will it work?"

"Of course!" Ah-yi affirmed, "You are right to worry. Even if we want to achieve the same scale as the original shop, we need to proceed step by step."

That's how it's settled.

Mrs. Zhou never expected that the acquaintance that Ah'an was looking for would be Xu Tingzhou who worked in the Ministry of Industry.

When Xu Tingzhou arrived, he had just finished reporting on his work at the Ministry of Works. He had not even had time to take off his official uniform. He looked like a scholar and did not look like a hard-working person at all.

Mrs. Zhou was covered in dust, and was shocked when she saw the official uniform and hat he was wearing.

"Sir, what bring you here?" Even though she was at the feet of the emperor and her partner was the only princess of the dynasty, her heart couldn't help but beat fast when she saw the official.

A'ao wrapped a cloth towel around her head and mixed mortar with Yuncheng in the courtyard behind.

"Eh? You came at the right time!" Ah's voice echoed throughout the front hall, "Come and take a look, the mortar we mixed doesn't seem to be right."

Xu Tingzhou followed the voice and was shocked by what he saw. In fact, he had seen Ah-yi many times. She was brave and wise in Dangshan, and she was haggard and thin in the palace. The last time he saw her was at the full moon banquet of the crown prince Shen Ji. At that time, she was wearing court clothes, and her appearance was radiant and stunningly beautiful.

But just one month has passed, and now she is covered in mud again, without any makeup, working hard in a pile of mud.

Really, there are so many sides to it, Xu Tingzhou walked over with a smile.

"The proportions are wrong." He simply took off his court robes and placed them on the stone table. He put on a thin inner garment, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a shovel and started working. "We need to put more glutinous rice soup so that it will be thick and firm."

Ying'en was holding a large pot of glutinous rice soup, and nodded in understanding, "So this is how glutinous rice soup is boiled."

She thought it was used to quench thirst, and she was also doubtful, since it had no taste, why not boil some lotus seeds and mung beans to make it more refreshing.

He made the shy confession, and the people present laughed heartily.

"So Miss Ying'en is hungry." Yun Cheng said with a smile while mixing the mud. "Today, Yunli volunteered to prepare the meal. Her cooking skills are amazing. Just eat more for lunch."

"Yunli is cooking?" Ah's eyes widened when she heard this. "I should have ordered some good dishes when I went out this morning. What a pity."

After adding the glutinous rice soup, the mortar took shape faster.

Xu Tingzhou wiped his hands and signaled Yun Cheng that he could stop.

Although Ah'ao no longer had to do the tiring work of stirring the tea, she was not idle either. She went to the side room to brew the prepared tea and brought it out on a tray.

Yun Cheng saw her come out, and then he continued, "Madam, don't worry. Yun Li has remembered all the dishes you like. Before the master left, he specifically told us to take good care of Madam's diet and daily life."

In public, Ah'ao felt her face getting hot and she scratched her neck in embarrassment.

Xu Tingzhou took the tea and thanked him politely.

Mrs. Zhou teased him with a smile, "Since Lord Xu looks like a scholar, I thought he couldn't carry anything on his shoulders or hands. It seems that I was too shortsighted."

As he said this, he raised the tea bowl as if to apologize.

"You are wrong." Ah-yi took the blueprint that Xu Tingzhou had placed on the table and said, "Although Lord Xu used to be a talker, he is a very studious person. Since he took office in the Ministry of Industry, in just half a year, he has changed a lot."

The blueprint was also drawn by Xu Tingzhou after Ah-yi briefly explained her idea.

Now the floor also needs to be lifted up and re-laid. The mortar was mixed very successfully today, so it should be twice as effective with half the effort.

"If we can finish all the work on the ground today, we should let it air out for a few days before we can proceed to the next step?" Ah-yi wanted to do it as quickly as possible, but she was also afraid that she would not be able to eat the hot tofu in a hurry, and it would have the opposite effect and not be worth the effort.

Xu Tingzhou looked at the sky and estimated, "This place is well ventilated. If it doesn't rain, judging by the capital's climate, it will take at most four days. While the mortar is drying and solidifying, Your Highness can go find carpenters and supervise them to make shelves and cabinets. This will save time."

Ah-yi nodded, "That's right. I also want to learn a few tricks from carpentry, and this is exactly what I want."

Xu Tingzhou looked at her and wondered what kind of work was worth her doing personally.

"Could it be that... Your Highness does these rough work and Marquis Zhao has nothing to say?" Perhaps out of curiosity, Xu Tingzhou asked inadvertently.

At first, A'an didn't quite understand what he meant.

After thinking about it for a while, I felt that he might be overthinking.

"What do I need him to say? This is my own business. I am with him, but I don't need his approval for everything, right?" Ah-yi said, and she laughed out loud, "Then what's the fun of being a princess?"

She is not a proud flower and there is no need for her to be hidden in a tall building.

After experiencing many life and death situations, I finally realized that I should be in the present moment and enjoy the present moment. So why would I care about whether the work I am doing is rough or not?

Xu Tingzhou looked at her hands. There were many tiny wounds between her fingertips that were holding the drawings. Some had turned dark red, while in some, the broken flesh was still faintly visible.

When she heard that Mr. Yan had passed away, she personally carved a tombstone for him.

Therefore, thinking about comparing her with ordinary women, Xu Tingzhou slowly laughed at his own shallowness in his heart.

As he was speaking, Yunli ran in, holding up her skirt.

"Why are you here? It's not even time for dinner yet." Yun Cheng stretched out his hand and touched the mud on Yun Li's nose.

She rarely lost her temper and immediately discussed the issue of life and death with him.

"Your Highness, there are two letters for you."

Ah-yi wiped her hands and took it from her. "Is it serious?"

Yunli thought for a moment and answered truthfully, "They should be important. One is a letter from the master, and the other is..."

Halfway through her words, Ah'ao lowered her head to take a look at the letter she had not finished.

I really can’t tell.

The letter was signed by Wang Xuan.

(End of this chapter)