Chapter 54: Fortunate Man, Fortunate Woman

Tian Mi had made arrangements for everyone. In the future, if they needed fish, meat, or various other things, there would be plenty. However, Aunt Feng could no longer raise pigs now that she had become a chef. Someone else had to take on that task.

During dinner that evening, Grandfather told everyone that Second Cousin and Zhou Er’s marriage was settled, as was the engagement between Tian Dabiao and Huang Minghui.

Grandfather said they would hold a big celebration together once Huang Minghui and Huang Yuanying finished discussing the details. Everyone in the valley would join in, eat well for a day, and celebrate with joy and cheer.

A few days later, Huang Yuanying and Zuo Zhengfeng came to the valley. Huang Yuanying looked particularly spirited, her horse carrying many bundles. She appeared refreshed and full of energy.

On the way, Zuo Zhengfeng teased her, saying, “Huang, you look so energetic, what’s the good news?”

He thought she was just accompanying her sister, but it was obvious now that something more was going on.

Huang Yuanying, slightly shy, smiled and said, “I came today to have Uncle Tian propose. Uncle Zuo, please help me speak on my behalf. Thank you!”

Zuo Zhengfeng laughed heartily. He liked Huang Yuanying and thought Tian Mi’s marriage to him was a good match. He immediately agreed to help her.

Zuo Zhengfeng had come to the valley on business and also to deliver silver notes.

When they arrived, Tian Mi warmly welcomed them, offering loquat syrup and freshly picked tomatoes.

Before Huang Yuanying could even mention anything to Tian Dabiao, Tian Dabiao and Huang Minghui had already told her about their marriage. Huang Yuanying’s smile and excitement froze, and Zuo Zhengfeng, sipping the sweet loquat syrup, immediately spat it out.

It was a fine match, but it was still a bit hard to digest.

Zuo Zhengfeng had matters to discuss with Tian Mi. He handed her the silver notes and said, “After Bai Dongyuan ran into the mountains, there has been no trace of him. Could you have Yanzu help look for him? Now that the city is cleared, the gates will open tomorrow, but Bai Dongyuan is still a hidden danger.”

It wasn’t so much that they feared he would attack Qinghe County; he no longer had the strength for that, as a defeated army is like a collapsed mountain. What they worried about was if Bai Mucheng would suddenly strike when they least expected it.

Moreover, that grandson had hidden a lot of silver—no one knew where it was stashed.

This matter was internal, so Zuo Zhengfeng didn’t tell Tian Mi all the details.

Tian Mi nodded and said it wouldn’t be a problem.

A person like Bai Dongyuan, having lost the city, would likely either flee to another country, hide his identity, or become a mountain bandit. Tian Mi guessed that he must have left a backup plan, whether or not he had sold out his father. He most likely left some money hidden somewhere, but where was it?

Considering the geography, it seemed impossible for him to escape abroad, as the border was far away. But hiding in the mountains was a very likely possibility!

In the afternoon, Zuo Zhengfeng and Huang Yuanying left. Huang Yuanying had come in high spirits but left feeling dejected, while Zuo Zhengfeng did his best to hold in his laughter.

He comforted her, saying, “Tian Dabiao is a good man. He will take good care of your sister.”

As for Bai Mucheng, finding that “fatty” was proving to be extremely difficult. There was not a single lead! He might have already escaped from South County.

Zuo Zhengfeng thought of a way to make sure that no matter where that “fatty” went, he would eventually walk into a trap.

He decided to post a public notice claiming that for the past two years, the people in the Duke of Yu’s territory had suffered, and now they would pray for their blessing. They were holding an event to select a “Fortunate Man” and “Fortunate Woman” to pray for good fortune.

The criteria? The “Fortunate Man” must weigh over 300 pounds, and the “Fortunate Woman” over 200 pounds, with ages limited to those under 22. The chosen ones would be awarded 2,000 taels of silver.

Zuo Zhengfeng figured that the “fatty” would definitely be tempted to come and claim the reward. That would be the perfect opportunity to catch him.

Zuo Zhengfeng thought to himself, No matter where you are, you’ll fall into my hands.

He also couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness when he thought of Tian Mi. He had not been able to forget how she had rejected him. When she came to the county office, she didn’t even come to see him, and that made him unhappy. If it was true that they were never meant to be, just thinking about it left him feeling incredibly disappointed.

In the afternoon, Zuo Zhengfeng returned to report that everything had been handled. Tian Mi said it was no problem.

Seeing the strange expression on his face, she asked, “What happened?”

Zuo Zhengfeng, having struggled to suppress his laughter, finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.

He laughed and said, “That Huang Yuanying is in for a hard time! He was so excited to propose to the Tian family, but now Tian Mi’s father and his sister are getting married. It’s all set for an upcoming wedding. Now he’s going to be Tian Mi’s little uncle!”

The two of them couldn’t help but burst into laughter! Life really was full of surprises.

Bai Mucheng let out a sigh of relief. Although he was slightly better than him in many ways, they had known each other for a long time. What if the other party had already been interested from the beginning?

As for Huang Yuanying, she no longer had any chance. Bai Mucheng felt a bit envious of Tian Mi’s late husband, wondering what kind of man could win her favor.

That evening, Tian Mi called Tian Dabiao and Aunt Feng over and said, “Dad, Aunt Feng, the man from the bandit’s lair is in Qinghe County, and he’s a high-ranking official. You two should stay out of the city for the next few days. Wait until he leaves before you go in.”

Tian Mi didn’t dare mention that he was a prince, fearing it would scare them.

Aunt Feng was shocked. “So he’s not just an ordinary person!”

“Thank goodness we ran away that day. Who would have thought that after just one night’s sleep, things would get so serious?” she exclaimed.

Tian Mi nodded in agreement, and Tian Dabiao, equally startled, said, “Alright, we’ll go later then.”

High-ranking officials were not to be trifled with by small people like them.

The next day, the city gates were opened, and the people in the valley were ecstatic. Tian Mi led everyone to pack the things from the mountains onto horses, preparing to enter the city.

Tian Dabiao and Aunt Feng stayed behind in the valley to look after the two little ones.

They had quite a few horses—more than thirty in total. Currently, aside from the military, no civilians had so many horses. But Tian Mi didn’t mind. She now had powerful connections. She had spoken with Zuo Zhengfeng the day before, and he had assured her that everything would be arranged, and no one would trouble her.

Having connections was truly enjoyable!

At the city gate, there were many people gathered, crowding around the wall to read the public notice. It was a lively scene.

People were discussing the announcement:

“His Highness, the Prince of the Duke, is truly kind-hearted! He wants to find a Fortunate Man and Fortunate Woman from the common people to pray for everyone’s well-being.”

“Wow! Two thousand taels of silver?”

“Why don’t we have anyone in our family who weighs two or three hundred pounds? This could be our chance to get rich!”

“Where can we find someone who weighs that much and is under 22 years old? It’s too difficult!”

Tian Mi heard these conversations and sneered inwardly. You’ll never find me!

Her skills were not something they could easily detect.

In her three residences, the largest was where Tian Mi’s family lived, while the other two were occupied by her maternal grandmother’s family and Xu Ershu’s family.

As for the horses, Xu Ershu kept some at his place, and her grandmother kept two. The rest were left for Tian Mi. Several of the female horses were even pregnant with foals.

Everyone’s belongings were first settled in Tian Mi’s house.

Afterward, she would take them to their own houses to settle in.

The main task for the day was moving things and getting acquainted with the place. Tomorrow, they would start looking for people to help with the shop renovations.

The pharmacy was easy to renovate. Her two uncles were in charge, so it would be finished quickly. The renovation workers were recommended by Huang Yuanying, who knew more about these things.

The restaurant was a three-story building. It had been a restaurant before but had been ruined. It needed a major renovation, and Xu Ershu was in charge of that.

Tian Mi planned to give them some silver for their work, but Xu Ershu said, “In the future, each family will manage their own affairs. Everyone has some savings, but if we don’t have enough, we’ll borrow from you.”

The renovation costs were all covered by Tian Mi.

In the pharmacy, Tian Mi took 70% of the shares, while her uncles held 30%.

Overall, Tian Mi didn’t need to worry much.

She just needed to buy supplies for seasoning, medicine, and beauty products, and manage the back-end operations.

Being a rich lady was really enjoyable!