klisemfg Chapter 306
Chapter 306
Xia Chu didn't know that her biological mother and adoptive mother were discussing her affairs. She went to Yin Ge Garden early in the morning. She happened to run into Li Tao who came to give her a bookmark. When she saw Xia Chu, she greeted her with a sinister look of gratitude in her eyes, "Miss Wang!"
"Here I am." Xia Chu glanced at the basket in her hand, "Go in first."
Fifteen had just finished breakfast and opened the door. Xia Chu walked in and saw the girls busy in the garden. Carrying brooms, rags, and buckets, they were cleaning and chatting. When they saw Xia Chu, they greeted her with smiles.
Li Tao had been here a few times, but she still felt a little awkward. The girls here were all lively and pretty. Although they were servants, they were prettier and more polite than the girls in her village.
Lady Hua was watering the flowers and checking for diseases. When she saw Xia Chu, she seemed to want to come over, but then stopped and decided to finish her work first.
"Aunt Qin!" Xia Chu called out, and Qin Ning responded, coming out with a feather duster. She had just been dusting in Xia Chu's study when she saw Li Tao and waved, "Li Tao, you're here, come this way."
Li Tao bowed to Xia Chu and went to the accounting office.
Xia Chu followed in and took a look at the bookmarks. There were some repeated leaves, but not too many. Each leaf was complete and neatly attached to the flower note paper.
The paper was provided by Yin Ge Garden, and the amount was always limited. When the bookmarks arrived, Qin Ning would count them one by one, and any missing sheets would be considered normal loss.
After calculating the amount and checking the bookmarks, Qin Ning would pay according to the amount if there was no problem.
Xia Chu looked around for a while and then left. Qiu Niang and Hong Niang were each responsible for a place, supervising the girls to clean. Of course, they themselves were not idle either, and they would not be lazy just because they were in charge.
"Miss, now that you're here, I have something to ask you." Qiu Niang came over when she saw Xia Chu. "Yesterday, a lady said she wanted to rent Yin Ge Garden for a banquet in half a month. There's never been such an example before, so I'm undecided."
"Book the whole place?" Xia Chu raised an eyebrow. "That's not cheap."
"Like I said, that lady has been here once or twice and is very generous. Just ask us for a quote." Qiu Niang smiled. "We'll be responsible for the refreshments and lunch. There will be around fifty guests, and we'll be finished by 3 p.m."
Spending lavishly? As long as you have money!
Xia Chu felt like she had opened up a new idea. Wasn't this kind of banquet a great opportunity to make money? "We can book the whole place. Let's confirm the menu. Do you have any requests for tea and snacks? Do you want wine? Do you want to listen to books and sing songs? After everything is settled, I'll talk to Aunt Qin to settle the bill."
"Okay, I'll ask someone to go over there and reply." Qiu Niang nodded and asked, "Will you accept banquets like this in the future?"
Xia Chu smiled and said, "Let's see how things go this time. If the money is high and the work is easy, then I'll take it. If it's tiring and troublesome, then I won't take it in the future."
Qiu Niang was amused by her words, "Okay, I understand."
There were visitors, so Xia Chu went to the Listening Book House to listen to some stories. Then she went to the Wenyin Pavilion to discuss music with the musicians and practiced the pipa.
The whole morning passed like this. When Xia Chu saw Shiliu coming, his heart moved. Could it be that Zhao Huazhang came?
"Miss, the blue carriage has arrived." Sixteen said.
Xia Chu's eyes curved up immediately, and she walked towards the door. Cuihua saw that she didn't say no, so she quickly followed.
When I arrived at the gate, I saw the familiar carriage and the familiar green pine trees.
"Good afternoon, Miss Wang." Qingsong bowed with a smile.
A hand reached out from the carriage and lifted the curtain, revealing Zhao Huazhang's handsome face with a smile. His deep gaze, filled with doting, made Xia Chu's heart tremble slightly, as if a spoonful of honey had been poured on it.
She curled her lips and climbed into the carriage. Zhao Huazhang's hands protected her, attentive and considerate. "What are we having for dinner today?"
"A hunter sent a bear to Bafang Pavilion a few days ago. I ordered a bear paw. Would you like to try this wild game?" Zhao Huazhang watched her sit down safely before retracting his hand and taking out a box of candied fruit from the secret compartment and handing it to her.
Xia Chu took out one and put it in his mouth. "Bear paw, I've never eaten it before. Is it delicious?"
"It's okay, worth a try." Zhao Huazhang saw that she was interested and explained to her, "Bear paw has a rich and juicy texture, is quite rare, and the cooking method is quite complicated."
"How complicated is it?" Xia Chu raised his eyebrows, becoming interested.
Fortunately, Qingsong was a talkative man. He had heard a recipe for cooking bear paws from somewhere, and after a few words, he still remembered, "Bear paws have thick, tough skin and flesh, making them difficult to cook. First, soak them in honey water for a few days, then add wine, vinegar, and water and boil them together to soften them. Only then can they be cooked."
Cuihua lowered her head, pretending she didn't exist, and listened secretly.
"Are the bear paws sweet?" Xia Chu asked.
"It's slightly sweet." So Zhao Huazhang doesn't like it very much.
"Then let's try it." Xia Chu thought to himself that this was ancient times, and hunting wild animals was not illegal. If it were modern times, eating bear paws would probably mean working a sewing machine. And Zhao Huazhang had already ordered it, so why not try it?
Bafangguan is also a famous restaurant in Lin'an, with a unique appearance. The three-story building with octagonal eaves has a very high threshold, which makes it clear that the dishes are expensive. Anyway, before Xia Chu passed by, I had never thought of going in for a meal.
The waiter recognized Zhao Huazhang as soon as he saw him. Without asking any questions, he respectfully took him up to the third floor.
There were only four private rooms on the third floor, and it was obvious that only the rich and noble could enter. The interior was elegantly decorated, with one inner and one outer room, separated by a twelve-fold embroidered screen.
Zhao Huazhang led Xia Chu to the inner room. Cuihua served them tea and then retreated to the other side of the screen with Qingsong.
A three-story building can be considered a high-rise building. Xia Chu opened the window and looked down. The winding city river disappeared among the scattered houses.
"Last time you said you liked to see the bustling city, so I brought you here specially. You can see it more clearly here." Zhao Huazhang explained.
Huh? A straight guy with low EQ can actually say sweet nothings? Xia Chu's eyes betrayed her emotions, and Zhao Huazhang saw it and felt a little embarrassed. He wasn't used to saying that.
For many years, he was used to doing more and saying less, but his elder brother asked him to please the other party and it would be better to say it out loud so that the other party would know his intentions.
He took a sip of tea, changed the subject, and listed the dishes he had ordered. "Anything you want to add or subtract?"
They were all my favorite foods, and it felt good to be thought of. Xia Chu smiled and shook her head, "There's nothing to change, they're all good."
Zhao Huazhang loved seeing her smile; it always gave him the feeling of spring blossoms blooming before his eyes. He hadn't really paid much attention to flowers before, seemingly paying no attention to them beyond their vibrant colors.
But lately, whenever he sees flowers, he can't help but compare them to the person in front of him. Which is more beautiful, the blooming flowers, or the smile of early summer is more eye-catching.
The answer is the latter.