At the end of each year, it’s the time for shops everywhere to change ownership.

After some inquiries, Jiang Yanyi finally decided on a teahouse that originally belonged to the Hu family.

The Hu family, once a local power, colluded with the Turks and were later confiscated.

The amount of silver they lost was considerable; they owned nearly all the best locations in Xizhou, with shops and residences under their name.

Some of the land deeds had already been resold by the government, while a few significant ones were still held up.

After Xu Zhanggui became a key figure in the Chamber of Commerce, he had been trying to swallow up the Hu family’s assets.

It’s said that Chu Changping, who bought the Hu family’s residence, had a falling out with Xu Zhanggui.

The main residence of the Hu family included a flower shop, and Xu Zhanggui wanted to take over the flower business, but since the residence had been purchased by Chu Changping, who was an official, he had to swallow his pride and let it go.

As fate would have it, the teahouse that Jiang Yanyi had her eye on was also coveted by Xu Zhanggui.

Jiang Yanyi had been sending people to keep an eye on things, but Xu Zhanggui was also wary of her.

Knowing she was a young lady from the Chu family, he was cautious because Chu Changping was an official, and he feared the influence of the Liaonan Wangfu behind her.

Xu Zhanggui planned to play nice first, extending an invitation to Jiang Yanyi to join the Chamber of Commerce.

Many trade secrets were only exchanged within the Chamber to avoid having their “cake” divided.

Whenever there was a natural disaster or calamity, merchants would collect donations, and the Chamber would negotiate with the government to handle the funds.

Moreover, whenever the government issued new policies, they would inform the Chamber in advance.

The more influence someone had in the Chamber, the more benefits they could derive from it, since they would be given the profitable tasks.

Other members of the Chamber could also benefit from this windfall.

Merchants who weren’t part of the Chamber had no way of knowing these things and could only guess blindly.

“As long as Manager Xu doesn’t compete with me for this teahouse, I guarantee that once you join, you’ll also be able to share in the profits of the Chamber,” Xu Zhanggui was a businessman through and through, shrewd and calculating.

Jiang Yanyi, who now publicly claimed to be a member of the Chu family, kept the name “Jiang Ji” for her shop.

She initially didn’t change it because, first, it was hard-earned fame, and changing the name suddenly could lose customers.

Second, “Jiang” was her surname in her previous life, and she wanted to use this name to promote her old hot pot business here, preserving the only connection she had to her past life.

But when Chu Shubao asked her why the plaque of the antique soup shop was called “Jiang Ji,” Jiang Yanyi could only use the first reason as a cover.

Since she didn’t change the shop name, the Chu family would inevitably be suspicious.

After thinking all night, she finally decided that when she changed the teahouse, she would come up with a new name.

At that moment, hearing Xu Zhanggui’s words, she smiled and said, “I’m afraid Manager Xu will be disappointed.”

Xu Zhanggui’s refined face lost its smile, replaced by the coldness of a businessman seeking profit. “Why should Manager Chu throw herself against a stone? A small antique soup shop like yours can’t possibly compete with the entire Chamber of Commerce in Xizhou, can it?”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “Indeed, I cannot compete.”

Xu Zhanggui’s expression softened slightly, but then he heard her say, “However, since Manager Xu learned to run an antique soup shop from me, and now he’s trying to copy my flour shop, it proves my methods are profitable, doesn’t it?”

Being so ruthlessly exposed made Xu Zhanggui’s face turn unpleasant.

He simply said “I’ll take my leave” and got up to leave.

Once he was gone, Aunt Guo said, “Boss, aren’t you afraid he’ll hold a grudge and retaliate after you embarrassed him like that?”

Jiang Yanyi took a sip of tea and said, “As long as I don’t give up the teahouse, it’s inevitable he’ll resent me. But if you back down once, there will be a second time. The business world is like a battlefield; if you’re too accommodating at the start, people will only see you as a soft persimmon to squeeze.”

Xu Zhanggui personally coming here meant he likely knew he wouldn’t be able to take the teahouse, so he wanted her to back off.

Aunt Guo, who had been following Jiang Yanyi for a long time, previously thought Jiang Yanyi had many business ideas, but this was the first time she saw her show her sharp edge.

She said, “The boss is indeed more forward-thinking.”

Jiang Yanyi replied, “It’s just that we have different paths and cannot work together. How are things going at the flour shop?”

“Before, Ling Shao was in charge of flour purchasing and pancake sales, leaving no time to supervise the kitchen staff. Occasionally, one or two workers would try to pull a fast one by overreporting the pancake count, which was hard to verify. Now, Luo the blacksmith has gone to supervise the kitchen, and the staff has been much more honest,” Aunt Guo said.

Jiang Yanyi rubbed her forehead and said, “The accounts for the flour shop are too messy; we still need to hire an accountant.”

Moreover, due to the technical limitations of the flour shop, the size of each pancake made was inconsistent, leading to considerable waste during the cutting process.

In later generations, instant noodle factories would use specialized machinery to press dough into thin sheets, which could then be cut into fine strips with roller blades.

This would ensure uniform noodle size while achieving that iconic wavy shape.

Jiang Yanyi drew a rough sketch, hoping the blacksmith could make a hand-operated press and roller cutter.

However, the sketch didn’t translate well to real life, and without having seen modern noodle factories, the blacksmith was understandably baffled by her design.

After some explanations, he had a rough idea of what she wanted but said it would be a challenging project, promising to try it when he had some time.

If they could get this machine made, it would save them the effort of hand-rolling and cutting the noodles, dramatically boosting efficiency.

---

When bidding for the teahouse started, it wasn’t just Jiang Yanyi and Shopkeeper Xu eyeing the prime location; plenty of other merchants were eager to make offers, some even pulling strings and offering lavish gifts to win favor.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Yanyi, with Chu Shubao as the intermediary, sold two pots of her chili plants at the sky-high price of 800 taels each.

Chilis, being rare plants from beyond the pass, were considered exotic, especially those still bearing fruit in winter, which made them popular among affluent families.

Unexpectedly, the two pots made their rounds and eventually ended up as a gift to Feng Shuo, who promptly returned them to Jiang Yanyi’s garden.

Making a tidy profit of 1,600 taels, she ultimately won the teahouse bid.

Feeling a bit guilty, she prepared a dish of peppercorn chicken to bring to Feng Shuo, circling around the subject before finally addressing it. “Um… others gave you expensive gifts, and you handed me the teahouse. Wouldn’t that look bad for you?”

Feng Shuo didn’t lift his head from the documents he was reviewing and replied, “Such trivial matters aren’t worth my attention. As for the peppers, those were handed over to me by my subordinates. You don’t need to feel sorry for these merchants; most of their wealth comes from extracting it from the common folk. It’s rare they spend money willingly, and these funds will ultimately benefit the people.”

With this, Jiang Yanyi understood that as the gifts trickled up to Feng Shuo, each level of officials involved likely received some benefit.

Since taking over Xizhou, Feng Shuo hadn’t immediately stamped out this practice; he wanted to first make the merchants spend from their own pockets.

But the money they doled out didn’t end up in the hands of the officials but instead went into a fund managed by the government.

This was his way of showing the merchants who was in charge.

Looking up with a teasing smile, he asked, “What’s this—worried I’ll be biased for your sake?”

Before he spoke, she had indeed harbored some doubts.

She nodded.

To which he replied, “Then let’s just say I made an exception for you.”

Leaning back in his chair, he half-smiled. “What do you plan to give me in return?”

Jiang Yanyi: “…”

Did he just turn the tables on her?

Thinking for a moment, she pulled out the peppercorn chicken she’d prepared from the food box and placed it before him. “Here. A gift.”

Feng Shuo: “…”

The chicken was shredded into fine strips, topped with a bright-orange Sichuan pepper sauce and garnished with fresh green scallions.

The spicy aroma was mouthwatering.

Well… he supposed it counted as a “gift” after all.

After looking at official documents for quite some time and feeling a bit hungry, he took a pair of gold-inlaid ebony chopsticks and picked up a piece of chicken, savoring it.

The nutty aroma burst forth on his taste buds first; the chicken was very tender and had no bones or residue, with the meat’s natural fragrance enhanced by the sesame oil.

Jiang Yanyi smiled and said, “Delicious, right? The chicken is boiled in a broth made from big bones before being mixed cold, so the original freshness hasn’t been lost at all.”

It was indeed delicious, but it wasn’t what he wanted most.

Feng Shuo set down his chopsticks and poured himself a cup of tea, saying, “Your uncle is coming back soon.”

Jiang Yanyi was momentarily stunned before realizing he was talking about the marriage proposal they had previously discussed.

Feng Shuo raised his hand and pinched her earlobe, applying a little pressure as he gently stroked it.

His voice was a bit hoarse: “It’ll all be settled by next year.”

Jiang Yanyi felt a slight itch in her earlobe from his pinch and dodged away, but Feng Shuo held her hands down on the writing desk.

Jiang Yanyi was a bit flustered and lowered her voice to scold him, “Don’t mess around.”

“I said before, we’ll keep it on hold. Jiang Yanyi, now it’s time to settle up.”

He seemed to be joking, but his breath was anything but steady.

His rough fingertips slid from her earlobe down to her long, pale neck, causing her to shiver.

His gaze fell upon her porcelain-like skin at her neck, and his eyes darkened completely as he pushed aside her thick, flowing black hair and kissed her forcefully.

That night, before going to bed, Jiang Yanyi lit three candles and, while combing her long hair in front of a bronze mirror, discovered that the area close to her neck was covered in red spots and bore a faint bite mark.

It didn’t hurt, but thinking back to Feng Shuo’s wild yet restrained gaze at that moment made her heart race inexplicably.

This guy… she thought, not knowing how to deal with him in the future.

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As Jiang Yanyi began to renovate the teahouse, Chu Changping returned to Xizhou with Chu Chengmao and Chu Chengbai.

Along with them came the Marquis of Xing’an, who had just formed an alliance with Feng Shuo.

After receiving word from a servant of the Chu family, Jiang Yanyi took Chu Yanguo with her.

The Chu family had kept everything from Old Madam Chu very well.

After Chu Chengmao and Chu Chengbai returned home, they had been instructed not to mention their capture in front of her.

When Jiang Yanyi and Chu Yanguo entered the house, Old Madam Chu, seeing her grandson and the recently born great-grandson, was overwhelmed with joy.

Upon seeing them, she said to her grandchildren, “Your aunt has come. Now, your cousin Yanyi and cousin Yanguo are both under Changping’s care; you are all siblings.”

The tall young man exuding a military aura was Chu Chengmao, son of Chu Changping.

The frail-looking youth was Chu Chengbai, the son of Uncle Chu, and the young woman standing beside him was his wife, Xue.

Jiang Yanyi greeted them one by one. This time, Old Madam Chu mentioned it, and she remembered to address them correctly, “Elder brother, sister-in-law.”

Chu Yanguo followed suit.

His leg hadn’t healed completely yet, so Jiang Yanyi had asked a carpenter to make a wheelchair for him; now he didn’t have to be carried everywhere by Chu Zhong.

Chu Chengmao glanced at the siblings and nodded slightly, his gaze indifferent.

In the memories of the original character, this cousin hadn’t liked them much because they had done many foolish things, so Jiang Yanyi was not surprised by his reaction.

Chu Chengbai looked pale and didn’t even glance in their direction, while his wife, Xue, returned Jiang Yanyi’s greeting.

Seeing this scene, Chu Yanguo’s lips curled slightly, but his long eyelashes cast a shadow over his eyes, concealing all his emotions.

Old Madam Chu held her great-grandson and asked Chu Chengbai, “Bai Ge’er, have you named the child yet?”

“The formal name hasn’t been decided yet; we’re waiting for my father and grandfather to make a decision. The nickname… we call him Ping An…” Chu Chengbai said, his voice tinged with a slight choking sound.

His biological mother, Liu, who was nearby, noticed and scolded, “Bai Ge’er, why are you crying in front of your grandmother!”

Old Madam Chu asked, “What’s the matter?”

Liu rushed to explain, “The woman in his room gave birth on the road and didn’t make it.”

Concubine of Chu Chengbai, after a difficult labor on the road, was later detained by the court, unable to recover properly and eventually succumbed on the journey.

Madam Chu sighed, saying, “Such an unfortunate child.”

She then asked, “Have you arranged for a wet nurse for the child?”

Chu Chengbai’s wife, Madame Xue, replied, “We found one along the way.”

Madam Chu nodded. “The poor thing lost his mother the moment he was born. You should raise him as your own from now on.”

Madame Xue agreed.

Noticing her grandson Chu Chengbai’s exhaustion, Madam Chu, moved by pity, handed the child to Madame Xue and instructed Liu Shi to take them back to their quarters for rest.

Meanwhile, Chu Chengmao, raised under the guidance of Chu Changping, bore a rugged scar on his face from protecting Chu Chengbai during an escape.

The scar, yet to heal fully, added a wild edge to his otherwise handsome features.

When Madam Chu asked about his injury, he smiled nonchalantly. “The south is in chaos, and the roads are dangerous.”

“You must be more careful, child,” Madam Chu said earnestly. “A marred face may frighten prospective brides. Look at your brother—he already has a child, while you’re still alone. Come New Year, your grandmother must find a good match for you.”

Chu Chengmao replied, “It’s just a minor wound, the scar will fade in time. Grandmother, please don’t worry about marriage. The world is unstable, and I wish to follow Father to earn some merits for our family.”

“Ah, you…” Madam Chu sighed, resigned.

After conversing with Madam Chu for a while longer, she finally allowed him to go bathe and change.

The younger generation left the room.

Jiang Yanyi pushed Chu Yungui’s wheelchair as they exited, with Chu Shubao clinging to Jiang Yanyi’s side, leaving her brother and her favorite second cousin behind to follow her.

Chu Huibao, who always followed her sister, tagged along as well.

She even chatted with Jiang Yanyi, “Second Sister, are we having pickled fish tonight?”

Chu Chengmao, hoping to reconnect with his sisters, finally noticed something amiss, glancing around the room.

Luckily, Chu Jiabao stayed behind, holding a newly embroidered sachet.

Though the green shade was a bit feminine, at least one sister seemed to remember him, and the gesture warmed his heart.

He deliberately slowed his pace to wait for Chu Jiabao, who indeed stopped by the door.

He looked back at her.

Chu Jiabao held the sachet without expression and said flatly, “Second Brother, step aside—you’re in my way.”

Stepping aside, Chu Chengmao watched her rush off in the direction Jiang Yanyi and her siblings had taken.