Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 136 - 135: Partnership of Three Families

Chapter 136: Chapter 135: Partnership of Three Families

As night was falling, the hot pot ingredients were ready. Afu had prepared two types of dipping sauces, one with sesame oil and the other with a dipping sauce. If you were eating a spicy hot pot, you’d use the sesame oil sauce. If it was a plain hot pot, you could use the dipping sauce, as you would when eating thinly sliced mutton.

The smell was irresistible, especially in the cold weather. The kitchen was filled with steam and a delicious aroma that made the men crave it. They sat in the kitchen eating hot pot with bowls in their hands. Some preferred the spicy variety, others preferred the plain one. They were eating and drinking wine at the same time, extremely content. Mrs. Song and Mrs. Huang, on the other hand, were helping the children scoop up vegetables and meat from the plain hot pot, making it a lively meal.

After eating for a while, Yang Mingyuan couldn’t wait to call Afu aside for some tips. Afu talked about the best stove and pot for hot pot, discussed how their ingredients and dishes were not yet complete, what would make it even more delicious if added, as well as some tips for enjoying hot pot and decoration of the restaurant...

Listening to this, Yang Mingyuan was so excited that he was rubbing his hands together, ready to get down to business. He suggested that this should be opened in the Capital City. He thought again and decided to pass on that, as he didn’t have powerful backing, and having something too good might draw unhealthy attention from the powerful, which could provoke trouble. It’s better to start in Dingzhou. Considering the relationship between Afu and the young master of Tang Garden, he believed that the young master would support his restaurant...

When everyone was done eating and Mrs. Wei and Mrs. Huang helped Mrs. Wang tidy up the kitchen, Manager Luo and others were about to leave, but Yang Mingyuan was still excited about their conversation.

Manager Luo didn’t want him to stay too late at someone else’s house to "talk about business", since Afu was the teacher of the young master, which might harm her reputation. So, he suggested, "It’s so late, why don’t you stay at my place instead of looking for an inn."

Only then did Yang Mingyuan realize it was already dark outside. He also felt it wouldn’t be polite to keep talking with the young lady in her house, so he agreed to go to Luo’s house, thinking that he would talk with Afu the next afternoon when she was resting.

He suggested bringing Yang Chao and Yang Qian to Luo’s house to sleep, but the two children were reluctant to leave and insisted on staying here to sleep.

At night, the weather became even colder. The wind was howling. Mrs. Song wrapped Ms. Chu, who was already tired, in a quilt and carried her to the carriage. The people from Tang Garden and Yang Mingyuan, along with Master Kang, left and finally, the house was quiet again.

After the guests left, Mrs. Wang and Afu handled the remaining large pot of meat. Besides the duck to be stewed the next day, they smeared salt, sugar, peppercorns, and soybean paste on the pork and ribs and then marinated them for three days to be hung under the eaves. After they dried, it would be cured pork and ribs.

Afterward, they bathed the children and sent Alu to sleep with Dabao and Yang Chao.

Originally, they intended for Yang Qian to sleep with Mrs. Huang in the West Room of the New Courtyard. But the little girl made a fuss about sleeping with Aunt Chen. Afu wasn’t used to sharing a bed with unfamiliar adults, so she had to take Yang Qian to sleep in the East Room, leaving Mrs. Huang to sleep in the West Room by herself. Zhui Feng, Qi Qi, and Hui Hui were unwilling to sleep there, and all went to Alu’s room instead.

In the quilt, Yang Qian was extremely excited. Her soft little body squirmed in Afu’s arms while she giggled. There was a difference between girls and boys that made Afu’s heart incredibly soft.

Afu feared that her excitement would prevent her from sleeping well, so she began to tell her a story, which calmed her.

Before falling asleep, the little girl mumbled, "Auntie, Qian really likes you."

Afu smiled and kissed her forehead.

After breakfast the next day, the family excitedly saw off Alu, who was dressed in a small long robe, to the entrance of the village. When they saw him joining several other children at the border of the village, they walked together towards Shangshui Village.

A few days ago, Chen Ming and Alu had brought two pieces of meat and two packages of pastries to visit Mr. Jiang in Shangshui Village. Mr. Jiang after examining Alu’s abilities, felt that he had a solid foundation and was intelligent. Coupled with the fact that Manager Luo had already spoken a good word for him, he not only accepted Alu as a student but also charged him the same tuition fee as the kids from Shangshui Village.

Seeing the envy in Dabao’s eyes, Afu smiled and said, "Wait till next spring, Dabao, and you will go to study with uncle together."

Once Alu had left, Chen Afu tidied up the room, and Dabao fed the chickens and birds before letting them out to forage. Only then, did they wake up Yang Chao and Yang Qian, who were still asleep.

After they had eaten, the group, along with two dogs and two birds, went to Tang Garden. Usually, when Alu is at home, Wang Cai doesn’t fuss about outings. But since Alu was gone today, and Dabao and Zhui Feng were also leaving, Wang Cai was aggrieved and even cried about it.

In the end, Mrs. Wang said, "Alright, alright, let it come along."

Chen Afu kept the children entertained all morning, and the novelty of their play left Yang Chao and Yang Qian extremely delighted.

Because of the addition of the two kids and their active participation, the nursery was even livelier than usual.

After lunch, Chen Afu and Mrs. Huang were to take Yang Chao and Yang Qian home. The siblings, too clever for their own good, saw that Dabao wasn’t leaving, and knowing they would be taken back to their house in the county town, refused to go. They cried and cried until Chen Afu picked up Yang Chao and Mrs. Huang picked up Yang Qian, and they managed to get them out of Tang Garden.

The moment they stepped out of the gate, they saw Yang Mingyuan waiting outside with the carriage. Surprisingly, Luo Yuan was also there.

Chen Afu and Mrs. Huang, with the two children, got into the carriage and Yang Mingyuan and Luo Yuan sat outside as they left for the Chen’s residence in Xiangluo Village.

Yang Mingyuan had more negotiations to engage in and so asked Mrs. Huang to get the kids to sleep.

Last night, Yang Mingyuan had talked to Manager Luo till late, convincing him to consider the business proposal. Manager Luo also instinctively felt that this novel food and its unique way of consumption would generate good business. Indeed, his good impression of Yang Mingyuan made him accept the shares offered. Manager Luo insisted he couldn’t take the shares for free and Tang Garden would put in some money. Yang Mingyuan was not naive enough to take their money, so he just accepted a bit less as a matter of form.

Although Chu Lingxuan came to set up an office in Dingzhou, he did not separate from his main family in the Capital City. Tang Garden was the dowry of Chu Lingxuan’s mother, hence, Chu Lingxuan’s private property, which, in other words, meant that Chu Lingxuan now held shares.

With the Chus joining in, Yang Mingyuan was no longer worried about being targeted by the powerful. It was decided between them, that they would open a wine-shop in the Capital City, because the city was bustling and affluent, and the market was larger.

The wine-shop was named Hongyun Hot Pot Restaurant, which would specialize in hot pot dishes. Yang Mingyuan held sixty percent of the shares, while Chen Afu and Tang Garden each held twenty percent.

Chen Afu looked at Yang Mingyuan, impressed by his prowess. He had managed to bring in Chu Lingxuan, thereby securing the support of Marquis Chu, coupled with the unique hot pot dish, which would surely bring great success.

She, granted shares based on her skills, offered her full effort in giving suggestions. Their conversation didn’t end as they still had to report at Tang Garden for work.

Yang Mingyuan was not done talking and instead of going home, took both kids to Tang Garden with him. The kids made a ruckus in their delight. In the evening, they had a meal at Manager Luo’s place and continued their discussion afterward.

They talked about how to incorporate Chen Afu’s suggestions with the unique aspects of managing a wine-shop, how to procure the best ingredients, how to promote the business, and so on.

Since Manager Luo and his wife were there, the talking went on till late, around 9 p.m., before Chen Afu, guiding Dabao and the Yang siblings, went home in their carriage. They had originally planned for the young siblings to rest at Tang Garden, but they insisted on going to the Chens’ instead.