Chapter 126: Heng Yi’s History of Progress
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Heng Yi was new today. Constable Qin gathered his men and asked them to raise money to treat him to a meal.
If this happened to Heng Yi of the past, Heng Yi would have eaten it.
He wouldn’t even think about paying or treating them.
But before he came to the office today, Han Qiao had told him that he had to treat them today.
If everyone insisted on paying, he wouldn’t fight for it. He just needed to invite everyone over for dinner tomorrow.
Constable Qin and the others knew that Heng Yi owned Yihe Restaurant, so they suggested eating at Yihe Restaurant.
Heng Yi naturally wouldn’t object to it, too.
He was also the only one among the constables who had his own horse.
He had walked there in the morning, and after leaving the government office, he would walk to Yihe Restaurant.
Everyone was not just flattering him and joking with him.
Although he didn’t talk much, they found him to be very easygoing. He smiled and didn’t get angry so easily, so it made the whole atmosphere better.
As soon as they arrived at Yihe Restaurant, the shopkeeper immediately came forward to welcome them. “Boss, you came.”
“Please come in. I’ll arrange a private room for you.”
Constable Qin and the others had been to Yihe Restaurant before, but they had never received such treatment.
After entering the private room, some of them kept clicking their tongues.
“It’s different from the main hall. Heng Yi, have you been to the private room before?” Wen Yu asked.
Heng Yi shook his head.
“You haven’t been here before?” Wen Yu was surprised.
“I’ve been in the backyard or the lobby downstairs. I’ve only been here a few times.”
The number of times he had eaten at Yihe Restaurant could be counted on one hand.
The few people over there had already ordered the dishes and even asked for two catties of wine.
Soon, cold dishes and hot tea were served. The wine had also been boiled. The shopkeeper even took the initiative to give a few free dishes that were not expensive.
Heng Yi had earned enough face and money to receive such treatment.
“Heng Yi, from now on, we are colleagues. Cheers.”
Heng Yi stood up. “Here’s to everyone. I’m a little boring and 1 don’t know how to talk. In the future, if 1 do anything wrong, you must point it out so 1 can fix my errors.”
“Not that bad! Not that bad.” Constable Qin smiled.
He clinked glasses with Heng Yi first.
The others also laughed.
The atmosphere became better after the clinking of glasses.
Eating, drinking, and bragging.
They even asked about Heng Yi’s hunting.
“When we’re not on duty in the future, will you have the time to bring us into the mountains for a stroll?” Lin Dabao asked with a smile.
“Sure.”
Heng Yi nodded in agreement.
After hearing this, the atmosphere became even better.
Two catties of wine were not enough, so he added another catty.
Those who could hold their alcohol were fine, but Deng Guoqing, who could not, was a little drunk.
He found a corner and slept without caring about his surroundings.
“He…”
“Don’t worry about him. When we go out on business, we can sleep in the broken temple for a night.”
Heng Yi nodded.
This meal took a long time. By the time they finished eating, it was already evening.
Constable Qin insisted on paying the bill and told Heng Yi that the money was collected by everyone and that he was welcome to join.
From then on, they were one family.
Heng Yi didn’t insist, but the shopkeeper gave him a discount.
This made Constable Qin and the others feel that they had gained a lot of face.
When they parted ways at the door, Heng Yi said, “Come to my house for a drink after work tomorrow.”
They quickly agreed.
They heard that Heng Yi’s mansion was very nice, so they wanted to go there to see it for themselves.
“Then you’ll have to ask the county magistrate, the clerk, and the advisor too.” Constable Qin said to Heng Yi.
“In the future, you can invite the others when you’re closer to them”
“Yes,” Heng Yi nodded.
He understood this.
They went home.
Heng Yi now had a big burden.
Han Qiao was worried when Heng Yi left the house.
However, she did not idle around. She got someone to grind the soy milk and lifted a lot of tofu skin.
It was all under the eaves of the kitchen.
Han Qiao had a bowl of soy milk and let everyone in the family drink some too. It was sweet and warm.
She used the rest of the milk into tofu. With so many people in the family, it was great to be able to eat a wider variety of dishes.
Han Qiao also wanted to make some moldy tofu.
It was not an easy dish to make. First, she needed to cut the old tofu into pieces and place them in the steamer. Under the steamer, she would have to place some banana leaves. And since it was cold, Han Qiao had asked the servants to put a brazier in the room to keep the room warm and let the tofu mold faster.
She didn’t do much, just giving instructions to the servants.
Meanwhile, she would chat with her grandparents.
They brought He Cheng along to play that day.
She stood by the window and watched the three children read and write.
Han Qiao went into the house and sat at the side to learn.
She learned faster than her three daughters. After all, she was an adult and had a knowledgeable soul.
She already knew a lot of things, but she could master a little bit of this.
She was good at writing with a brush, but in order to hide her ability, she deliberately wrote in a crooked manner.
It was very easy for her to memorize things, but she copied the characters well, and gradually she was able to express her feelings through writing.
In her opinion, studying was a very interesting pastime.
The books that He Hong sent were all exquisite.
Lady Lin’s knowledge of words was actually very limited. She could only teach the three children with no problem, but it was still not enough to teach them profound words.
The teacher couldn’t understand many of He Hong’s books either and it made her feel guilty.
“There’s no need to blame yourself. You’ve taught all my three children very well. I’ve also benefited a lot from sitting in your classes.” Han Qiao consoled her.
Lady Lin’s heart burned with passion at her words. “Madam, don’t worry. I will teach all your children well.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Han Qiao sat there for a while before yawning sleepily. She then got up and went back to the main court to sleep.
Shulan, one of the new servants, immediately supported her.
On the way back, she asked Shulan, “Do you still remember what happened in your early days?”
“My family was poor and my parents sold me to a rich family to be a maid. To earn more money, 1 signed a life-and-death contract. In this life, unless the master shows mercy, I won’t be able to redeem myself.”
“Have you thought about going home?”
Shulan shook her head. “I’ve never thought about it. What can 1 do if 1 go back? I’m turning twenty this year. When I go back, 1 can only marry. Moreover, my family won’t fork out money to redeem me.”
“Have you ever thought about getting married? Marry a manservant or somebody.” Han Qiao asked again.
Shulan thought for a moment. “1 think Gatekeeper Dong is a good man. It’s a pity that he doesn’t like me.”
The person she was talking about was Dong Lai.
“Then I’ll ask him after the New Year. If both of you like each other, I’ll be the matchmaker.”
Shulan was stunned for a moment before she quickly bowed. “Thank you, Madam.”
“This world is especially difficult for women. It’s good to have a family and a person who knows how to be warm.”
She also wanted to nurture people who she could use.
Dong Lai was very clever but had some grievances about being a gatekeeper.
She would need a servant to drive the carriage when she went out, and Dong Lai would make a good manservant. He was good at talking and was smart and steady.
Her initial impression of Shulan was not bad either.
She was steady, courteous, serious, and careful in her work, and did not try to get close to her for the position of the head maid. She was quite likable when she did things properly.
Moreover, Shulan knew a few complicated words.
“The previous family you served was a scholar, is that right?”
“Yes, I served a young miss back then, but…” Shulan sighed softly.
“I was the dowry for the young miss, but the young miss had a difficult birth. After we were sent back, the madam believed that we did not take good care of the young miss, so she sold us.”
She didn’t know where the other maids had gone either.
It was already a blessing that Madam had bought her back and not sold her off to those filthy lands..