The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan-Chapter 79 - 0 Yelu Yan Sister-in-law (Second update)
Chapter 79: 079 Yelu Yan? Sister-in-law? (Second update)
Chapter 79: 079 Yelu Yan? Sister-in-law? (Second update)
Nata looked at Li Xianyun with a smile and said, “Young Master, the signboard for the Ice Porridge Shop has already been commissioned. Because the gatehouse is quite tall, the signboard is also made a bit larger.”
Li Xianyun looked at the imposing storefront and said, “That’s how it should be. When can the signboard be ready?”
“It can be taken tomorrow, and we’ll hang it up as soon as it arrives,” Nata said.
Li Xianyun nodded and then led by the couple, entered the shop.
The inside of the shop was spacious, divided into two sections by a long and narrow table.
One end of the table was embedded in the wall, three meters in length, half a person’s height, and about one foot wide.
The two areas divided by the table were unequal in size; in the larger section, a dozen or so tables were neatly arranged, each paired with four stools, accommodating a good number of customers.
The smaller section was for making ice porridge, with long tables against the walls and tall cabinets.
When Bater came to deliver the message, he also had Nata and his wife purchase utensils such as iron basins, knives, bowls, and spoons.
Nata and his wife had already bought them, and they were neatly arranged on the tables.
Besides that, the couple had cleaned the shop thoroughly, leaving not a speck of dust on the floors or tables.
Seeing the clean tables, Li Xianyun said to Youlan and Zhuo Ma, “Youlan, Zhuo Ma, go and buy some flowers. Place a pot on each table. It will look more beautiful.”
Youlan hesitated, “Young Master, what about you if we go?”
Li Xianyun replied with a smile, “Isn’t Bater still here?”
Upon hearing this, the two had no choice but to go out and buy the flowers.
“How is the search for helpers going?” Li Xianyun asked Nata and his wife.
Nata’s wife said, “The helpers have been found; all from Shitoutun, well-known to us and all honest and hardworking women.”
The couple always remembered Li Xianyun’s words that the most important thing in hiring people was their character.
Li Xianyun nodded and said, “Very good.”
As she spoke, she sized up Nata and his wife.
Seeing both of them dressed in brand-new clothes and in good spirits, she smiled and said, “Have you two encountered some happy event?”
Upon hearing this, Nata immediately knelt on the ground, and Nata’s wife also knelt down.
Li Xianyun hastily supported their arms and said, “What are you doing?”
Nata and his wife were reluctant to get up, and Nata said, “Young Master, you are our family’s benefactor; it is only right that we pay our respects to you.”
While saying this, the couple prepared to kowtow.
Li Xianyun said, “You two have something to say, there’s no need to kneel. Get up quickly.”
Despite her words, the couple insisted on bowing three times before they were willing to stand up.
Nata, looking at Li Xianyun with tears in his eyes, said, “Young Master, you have no idea; ever since my mother began using your prescription, she’s gradually been getting better. This morning she was even able to get out of bed.”
Nata’s wife took over the conversation and said, “Not only that, the very next day after you left, the lord from the County Government Office personally came to our house. He gave us fifty taels of silver, a cow, a sheep, and ten dan of grain.”
Nata couldn’t help adding, “The lord from the County Government Office also said that in addition to the fifty taels of silver, we could collect the rest every year at the end of the year from the County Government Office. It was a subsidy for soldiers who were wounded and had to retire.”
Li Xianyun still remembered that bright moonlit night when she spoke with Yelu Yan about officials embezzling the soldiers’ compensation. Yelu Yan said he would send someone to investigate.
At the time, she didn’t hold much hope; after all, Yelu Yan was very busy, and the matter she brought up casually, how could he possibly remember.
To her surprise, he had indeed sent someone to investigate, and the issue was resolved swiftly.
Li Xianyun couldn’t help feeling moved; Yelu Yan truly empathized with the common people’s urgency. No wonder he was so beloved by them.
Nata, looking at Li Xianyun sincerely, said, “You are our entire family’s benefactor. Since you came, you’ve changed my family’s dire fate.”
As they spoke, the couple attempted to bow down again.
This time, Li Xianyun stopped them and said, “You don’t need to kneel all the time, just as I said before, if you really want to thank me, run the Ice Porridge Shop well.”
“Of course, of course.” The two of them said with a smile.
Li Xianyun looked at Nata’s wife and said, “Today I will tell you how to make ice porridge.”
Nata’s wife gestured with her hands and said, “I’m really clumsy, I’m afraid I won’t be able to learn.”
Li Xianyun smiled and said, “It’s very simple, you’ll learn it as soon as I teach you.”
“Really?” Nata’s wife said incredulously.
“Really.”
Li Xianyun sent Nata to buy shaved ice, while she herself took Nata’s wife and Bater to the fruit stall.
She accepted the suggestion of Nata’s wife and struck a deal with an honest and simple fruit vendor, to start providing fresh fruit to the Ice Porridge Shop from the next evening.
The vendor was overjoyed upon hearing this, as he’d been worrying about his fruit not selling and going bad at his stall.
Now, as if by a stroke of fortune, he had a regular customer and no more worries.
Li Xianyun bought some fresh fruit at a very low price and then peeled them together with Nata’s wife.
Before they had finished peeling the fruit, Nata returned hugging a large basin full of shaved ice.
In order to keep the ice from melting too quickly, two thick layers of cotton blankets were placed over the large metal basin.
Li Xianyun taught Nata’s wife how to make ice porridge, hands-on.
Nata’s wife was quick and skillful, and it wasn’t long before she had learned.
Nata tasted the ice porridge made by his wife and his eyes widened like copper bells.
“You made this?”
Nata’s wife smiled and said, “What, isn’t it tasty?”
“It’s really delicious.” Nata laughed, “I can guarantee that once our Ice Porridge Shop opens, it will definitely attract many customers.”
Hearing this, everyone laughed.
Just then, a carriage stopped in front of the Ice Porridge Shop.
Youlan and Zhuo Ma jumped down from the carriage, while the Young Servant helped them unload the potted flowers from the vehicle.
Youlan and Zhuo Ma were evidently connoisseurs of flowers, choosing not only beautiful ones but also those that were easy to care for, needing watering only once every two or three days.
The group arranged the flower pots on the table.
The shop suddenly had much more charm.
Looking around the shop, Li Xianyun said, “Tomorrow we will put up the signboard, and the day after tomorrow in the morning we can open for business. You have a lot to prepare tomorrow, with the fruit and shaved ice needing to be ready in advance.”
“Alright,” Nata said, looking at Li Xianyun, “Young Master, will you come the day after tomorrow?”
Li Xianyun said, “I’m not sure yet, I’ll have to see what the situation is like at that time.”
Nata’s wife smiled and said, “Are you afraid your younger sister will get angry? You can bring her along.”
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Being young, Nata’s wife referred to Li Xianyun’s partner as “younger sister.”
The image of Yelu Yan— that tall, formidable man—appeared in Li Xianyun’s mind.
What would Yelu Yan think if he knew someone had called him a ‘younger sister’?
The scene must be quite amusing indeed.
Seeing Li Xianyun smiling and lost in thought, Youlan gently touched her hand and said, “Young Master.”
Li Xianyun snapped out of her reverie, cleared her throat, and smiled, “We’ll see when the time comes.”
