Chapter 55: Human affairs are unpredictable, how can one exchange for a jade-like heart and silk-like feelings?

  "What happened next?"

  "Where's the need to say more? When daylight came, everyone went to unload their goods. Who would care about this anymore? It was late at night, and we were by the water. It's only natural that there might be some lonely spirits or wild ghosts around. Anyway, they didn't harm anyone, just shouted a few times. What could they do to us?"

  Li Qiting nodded thoughtfully: "I didn't think that such a thing would happen in Huajiang River, it sounds like some kind of ghostly mischief."

  Yan Zhi River... I suddenly remembered the back of a man who seemed to be Hu San'er's husband from yesterday, didn't he also go to Yan Zhi River? But was that really Hu San'er's husband?

  After Li Kaidao bid farewell, I sent him off and took a sideways glance at the pickle shop across the street, only to find that its door was tightly closed, with no sign of Hu Sanye.

  It wasn't until afternoon that Hu Sanye returned, and he was accompanied by a woman.

  The woman was only in her early twenties, with a delicate face and wearing a clean silver silk skirt, with a silver hairpin on her head, exuding elegance and refinement.

  The young ladies who had been waiting to buy pickled vegetables saw this and hurried over, asking: "Hu San'er, where did you get such good luck? Why didn't you say so earlier? Who is this young lady?"

  "Haha, what peach blossom luck is this? This is Music Qian's wife, she came to help me with work. I was too busy by myself, so I asked someone to introduce us and invited her to help with making sauces."

  "Tsk, tsk, such a good person, actually comes to help with the sauce-making?" An old lady said: "Showing off in public, I don't know if it's acceptable on your husband's side or not."

  "Ah, madam," said Leqin's sister-in-law with a smile, "I won't hide it from you, but my brother-in-law passed away early, and there's no one else in the family. She's determined to preserve her chastity, so she was overjoyed to get this job and came here with great enthusiasm." The pampered wife of the wealthy Taigong had a dark heart

  "Oh, I see, so you're from somewhere else? You look unfamiliar." a young wife asked.

  "I'm from the western suburbs of Beijing, a small place. The population is not large, but it's still lively in Beijing, and people are open-minded. As a woman, I can also find a job to do."

  Then an aunt asked: "You came to Beijing alone, do you have a place to stay?"

  Laoqin's wife didn't seem to mind the trouble and replied, "Thanks to relatives' care, we rented a room in Caomao Hutong, it's quite all right."

  Although everyone was talking and gossiping, once they found out it was a virtuous woman, they didn't dare to make fun of her. They whispered among themselves, saying that Lao Qiu's wife had good breeding and didn't put those idle words in her heart, she just smiled slightly.

  When Daiyu and Baochai went in, they all said: "If you guard your chastity, why are you doing business with a young man like Hua San'er?"

  "Aren't you afraid of others gossiping about you?"

  "Outsiders, it seems that even if they observe the festival, they don't pay much attention to many things, perhaps one place has its own customs."

  "It's hard to say, the man is unmarried and the woman is a widow, after a long time, they may fall in love and even open a husband-and-wife store."

  "But anyway, a young widow and a young man opening a shop together is indeed quite unusual."

  The slow people also dispersed, and I returned to the store. Looking over at an angle, I saw that the piano sister was indeed very diligent, sweeping the floor, wiping the table, helping to wash vegetables, peeling radish skin, and doing everything well. The fake bride of the evil young master

  With the help of Leqin's sister-in-law, the business of the sauce shop became more and more prosperous. The whole street of Ziyu Chai didn't know this small sauce shop, and some people even called Leqin's sister-in-law as Hu San'er's wife, calling her "boss lady" made Leqin's face turn bright red with embarrassment.

  On Zi Yu Chai Street, although people had some prejudices against Leqin's wife at first, as time passed, Leqin's wife was gentle and diligent, with a sweet mouth, and her relationships improved.

  The sauce dish shop's flavor seems to be getting better and better, people all say that the sauce dishes made in this shop are so delicious that they are addictive! After eating once, you want to eat again, it's really a good taste that can't be made elsewhere. Every day, there are people coming to grab purchases, for fear of coming late and not being able to buy that good sauce dish.

  These days, every time I return home from the Smoke and Rain Pavilion at night, I can always see Li Qiantang standing alone on the Zi Yu Chai Street, don't know what he is waiting for. When he sees me, he always says it's on his way and sends me back to the shop. Because we often meet, we gradually become more familiar with each other.

  I asked Li Kui Tang: "Li Gongzi, was it really a ghostly affair that the infant by the river?"

  Li Kaitang shook his head: "I went there once last night, but I didn't hear any sound. Maybe those guys misheard it, or maybe the ghost has already left. Anyway, the Huazhi River is very quiet at night now, and there's no sign of anything strange."

  Even Li Qitang said so, it must be accurate. As for Hu Sanye's trip to the Rouge River at midnight, I had long forgotten about it.

  Today, my father and brother are busy with their work in the back kitchen. My mother has gone out, I am alone in the front hall keeping watch over the shop. The sunlight is shining gently behind the house, after a while, I fell asleep leaning on the counter.

  In my dream, I saw a large pool of water filled with lotus flowers. I wanted to pick some, but the lotus flowers were too far from the shore and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach them. Just as I was about to touch one, my foot slipped and I fell into the water. I felt a chill all over my body and suddenly woke up.

  Rubbing my eyes, Sanzi was walking out of the school gate and saw me, then smiled and said "Meicai, look at you, you're sleeping on the counter again? Don't catch a cold."

  "Third Brother has finished school, and I didn't mean to sleep, it's just that I unknowingly fell asleep. It's all because of this time of year, not cold or hot, making people feel drowsy."

  "You're blaming the weather when you're clearly tired yourself." Little Sanzi came in and sat down, so I busied myself pouring tea and bringing out some snacks to entertain him.

  Xiao Sanzi saw that I was still rubbing my eyes, and mysteriously said: "I heard something strange outside, are you willing to listen and lift your spirits?"

  As soon as I heard there was a story to be told, I perked up my ears: "Third Brother, hurry and tell it, Mei Cai loves listening to stories."

  Xiao Sanzi smiled and said: "Although it's all been passed down with a nose and eyes, saying it's true, but I listen to it, can't be sure, just take it as a story to amuse you, okay?"

  I nodded hastily and urged him to continue speaking.

  Xiao Sanzi said: "This is about the soy sauce shop across from your house."

  I scratched my head: "A soy sauce shop? What stories could a soy sauce shop possibly have?"

  "So, it's just a story, don't take it seriously."

  I just nodded. Xiaosan continued: "Do you know, the sauce dish at Huguo's house is so delicious that it can get people addicted after eating?"