Saving the child had only been a small interruption.
Li Xiyue quietly slipped away after the deed, hiding both her achievement and her name…
Well, things would have been even better if Zhu Qinghe had not gotten angry with her afterward.
Only after promising her one hot pot meal and one barbecue feast did Li Xiyue finally manage to coax her upset little sister-in-law into calming down.
Wiping away nonexistent sweat from her forehead, she sighed dramatically.
“Comforting people is even more exhausting than saving them.”
“Big Sister, it’s not that I didn’t want you to save him,” Zhu Qinghe said pitifully. “But didn’t you see how wealthy and powerful that family looked? If that child hadn’t survived today, could we really have endured their anger?”
She had truly been terrified.
Li Xiyue immediately hugged her and apologized repeatedly.
“Sorry, sorry. I won’t act so recklessly next time, alright? It was my fault. Once we get home, I’ll make you something delicious.”
The moment food was mentioned, Zhu Qinghe instantly forgot all her grievances.
Li Xiyue could only laugh helplessly.
This little sister-in-law of hers was honestly far too adorable.
When it was finally time to meet Shopkeeper Deng again, the two women headed toward Baoping Street.
However, after some thought, they suddenly changed direction and went first to the county yamen.
After hearing the situation explained, Shen Zhengming immediately called several constables and accompanied them to Baoping Street.
Meanwhile, Deng Li had grown increasingly panicked the more he thought about his situation.
Unable to sit still and wait for disaster, he ordered his nephew to hire a group of local thugs to hide inside the shop.
If those two little women dared return, they would ruin them completely.
And afterward, if they still dared act arrogantly, he would spread the scandal throughout the entire county and destroy their reputations.
Li Xiyue had no idea that her sudden burst of caution had unknowingly saved both her and Zhu Qinghe from catastrophe.
Along the way, Shen Zhengming heard Li Xiyue had promised Zhu Qinghe hot pot and immediately demanded to be included too.
Left with no choice, Li Xiyue could only promise to invite him over for dinner once Zhu Qingshan returned home.
The group chatted casually as they walked until they finally arrived at Li Family Cosmetics Shop.
The moment Deng Li saw the women arrive with five or six yamen officers, his face changed drastically.
Before he could stop them, the group of thugs suddenly rushed out from the back entrance.
Shen Zhengming immediately pulled Zhu Qinghe behind him protectively.
“Shopkeeper Deng,” he said calmly, “what exactly is the meaning of this?”
“Misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!” Deng Li broke into a cold sweat instantly.
The thugs themselves were dumbfounded.
Weren’t they supposed to deal with two young women?
Why were there government officers here instead?
Had that old bastard set them up?
The group exchanged glances.
What else was there to do except run?
Unfortunately for them, Shen Zhengming and the others moved much faster.
Within moments, all the thugs had been pinned to the ground.
“Speak,” Shen Zhengming ordered coldly while interrogating the apparent leader. “What did Deng Li hire you for?”
Deng Li desperately signaled with his eyes, trying to stop the man from talking.
But the thugs already believed they had been betrayed.
Immediately, they spilled everything like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.
Zhu Qinghe grabbed Li Xiyue’s arm tightly, her heart still pounding in fear.
If the two of them had come alone earlier…
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
The angrier Shen Zhengming became, the calmer his expression appeared.
“Deng Li,” he said flatly, “the owner of Li Family Cosmetics Shop is formally accusing you of embezzlement and attempted assault. You’ll be coming with us now.”
With a loud thud, Deng Li dropped to his knees before Li Xiyue.
“Young Mistress! Young Mistress, I was blinded by greed!” he cried desperately. “I’m willing to return the money! Please spare me this once! I have an eighty-year-old mother above me and a three-year-old grandson below me. I beg you!”
Even after his forehead slammed repeatedly against the ground hard enough to bleed, Li Xiyue remained unmoved.
She had already given him a chance once before.
Who could have imagined he would instead develop even more vicious intentions?
By now, the front of the shop was packed with spectators.
One man who clearly recognized Deng Li spat on the ground in disgust.
“Bah! This bastard finally got what he deserved.”
“He embezzled his master’s money to support a mistress outside. He even drove his first wife to death. After she died, he refused to let her be buried with the family. Her own relatives had to collect the body. This is karma catching up with him!”
Deng Li ignored all the pointing fingers and insults around him.
At that moment, only one thought remained in his mind.
He was finished.
Endless regret filled his heart.
If only he had handed over those five hundred taels earlier…
Soon, Deng Li and his nephew were dragged away.
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving the area much quieter than before.
“Does your earlier promise still count?”
The two young women from that morning looked at Li Xiyue expectantly.
The older married woman had not returned.
“Of course it does,” Li Xiyue replied with a nod.
The girls happily selected seven or eight items, all at thirty percent off. Li Xiyue even gifted them an extra decorative forehead flower ornament.
The two left overjoyed.
Now that the troublesome uncle and nephew had finally been removed, Li Xiyue found herself facing a new headache.
Who would manage the shop now?
Would she really have to shut it down if she could not find someone suitable?
“Shopkeeper, are you hiring?”
A woman who had been watching from outside finally stepped forward.
“My name is Xie Changying. I studied for a few years, and I know basic accounting. I’d like to try for the shopkeeper position.”
She lived on Fangcao Street near Baoping Street and had only happened to pass by earlier. After witnessing everything that happened, she gathered her courage and came forward.
Her son had always been frail and sickly, while her husband repeatedly failed the imperial examinations and survived only by copying books for meager income.
If she could secure this position, her family’s situation would improve tremendously.
Li Xiyue had not expected that the moment she grew sleepy, someone would immediately hand her a pillow.
Xie Changying appeared capable and straightforward, not at all like someone with crooked intentions. Li Xiyue already liked her quite a bit.
After asking several questions and testing her abilities, Li Xiyue made the decision on the spot.
Both parties were satisfied with the terms, and they immediately signed the contract.
“You can officially start tomorrow,” Li Xiyue said. “The work here isn’t too difficult. If things get too busy later, feel free to hire an additional assistant yourself, male or female.”
“Thank you, Young Mistress!”
Xie Changying happily took the keys and hurried home.
She planned to buy some meat on the way back to celebrate with her family.
Li Xiyue and Zhu Qinghe had not expected the staffing issue to be resolved so quickly.
After learning from Shen Zhengming that the trial and sentencing process would take at least a week, the two women decided to return home first.
Meanwhile, at the magistrate’s residence, County Magistrate Zhang Yufeng had been handling official business when servants suddenly rushed in to report that something had happened to his youngest son.
Terrified, he immediately hurried home.
The moment he entered the room, he saw his wife sitting motionlessly while holding their unmoving son.
Her face was filled with devastation.
Zhang Yufeng’s legs nearly gave out beneath him.
“Hansu…” he said with difficulty. “Xu aner, he…”
Gu Hansu immediately hushed him.
“Lower your voice. Wenxuan finally fell asleep.”
Zhang Yufeng instantly thought his wife had been driven delirious by grief.
Heartbroken, he forced himself to comfort her.
“Hansu… although Xu aner is gone, you still have me and Wenlian. You must stay strong…”
Gu Hansu exploded immediately.
“Zhang Yufeng, did a door crush your brain? Our son is perfectly fine! What nonsense are you spouting?”
The little boy in her arms stirred slightly.
Only then did Zhang Yufeng finally breathe in relief.
“The servants told me something happened to Wenxuan,” he explained awkwardly. “When I came back and saw you holding him without moving, I thought…”
After calming down, he quickly asked, “So what exactly happened?”
Gu Hansu still felt lingering fear as she recounted the incident.
“Wenxuan was eating peanut snacks made from fish skin when the carriage suddenly jolted over a pothole. The peanut lodged directly in his throat…”
Even now, remembering it terrified her.
“When the doctor finally arrived, Wenxuan had already woken up. The doctor himself said that if not for that young woman acting quickly, Wenxuan never would have survived long enough for him to arrive.”
Zhang Yufeng wiped away his wife’s tears and gently embraced her.
“Our Wenxuan survived a great disaster, which means he’ll surely enjoy great blessings afterward. Don’t worry anymore. From now on, he’ll stay healthy and safe.”
Then he paused.
“Did you properly thank the young woman who saved him?”
Gu Hansu shook her head regretfully.
“At that time, all I could focus on was Wenxuan. By the time I reacted, she had already left.”
“But I remember what she looks like. If I ever see her again, I’ll definitely repay her kindness.”
“What a kind young woman,” Zhang Yufeng sighed. “Good people will always receive good fortune.”
Not long afterward, Gu Hansu finally fell asleep peacefully in her husband’s arms.
Meanwhile, Li Xiyue had no idea she had just unknowingly gained an incredibly powerful future supporter.
At that very moment, she and Zhu Qinghe were busy scattering flower seeds across the empty patches of their yard.
They planted climbing roses along the fence and tucked the fruit saplings into every available corner to complete the disguise.
Since they were making hot pot that evening, Li Xiyue sliced the three-pound grass carp into thin fillets. After removing the fishy smell with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, she lightly salted the pieces to marinate them.
She also soaked dried mushrooms, black fungus, and sweet potato noodles before heading into the garden to harvest fresh greens for blanching later.
Unfortunately, the ingredients still looked rather sparse.
Without Zhu Qingshan around, she had no excuse to casually bring food out from her space.
Oil sizzled in the pot as ginger, garlic, dried chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns released their fragrance.
While Zhu Qinghe was distracted, Li Xiyue quickly tossed in a packet of hot pot base seasoning and stirred it into the oil.
Zhu Qinghe circled around the bubbling charcoal hot pot endlessly.
“Can we eat now?” she asked every few minutes.
“Wait a little longer,” Li Xiyue laughed. “Almost ready.”
The dipping sauce contained scallions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and sesame oil.
Li Xiyue even added extra bird’s eye chilies to hers.
One bite of fish coated in spicy sauce was fragrant, fiery, and utterly addictive.
The two women ate until the moon had risen high above the treetops before finally stopping.
The next morning, unsurprisingly, both of them ended up with stomachaches.
“Sister! Are you done yet? I can’t hold it much longer!”
Zhu Qinghe clutched her stomach miserably outside.
“Almost! Stop rushing me, my stomach still hurts too!”
As expected, eating hot pot was usually an experience filled equally with pain and happiness.