Chapter 183 - Chapter 183: Chapter 179: Becoming a Shopkeeper_1 (1/2)

Chapter 183: Chapter 179: Becoming a Shopkeeper_1

Translator: 549690339

Yingbao was at a loss.

Marriage was for a woman’s parents to decide, how could an outsider interfere?

Moreover, Chuchu was not young. It was indeed time for her to be married.

“Why not try talking to my master?” Yingbao suggested to her.

In her view, Mrs. Wen was a highly respected elder woman here and was best suited to discuss this matter with Chuchu’s father.

“However, Chuchu, I think my master may at most help you postpone for half a year. After the autumn harvest, you will still have to return home with your father.” That was the truth.

Chuchu was already sixteen this year, and once the new year passed, she would be seventeen. Indeed, in the countryside, there were very few girls aged sixteen or seventeen who were not married yet.

Chuchu pulled a face, nodded, and immediately dragged Yingbao off in search of Mrs. Wen.

Mrs. Wen was quite open-minded. Seeing Chuchu’s determination, she agreed to help her this time.

When Chuchu happily ran off to help the nanny, Mrs. Wen pointed at Yingbao and scolded her, “You little minx, giving me trouble as soon as you get back. Come here and review the lessons you missed.”

“Yes.” Yingbao giggled and sat down to study with Wen Shu.

During the break, Wen Shu told Yingbao, “We’ll be heading back to Yuzhou in a few days.”

Yingbao frowned, “Why?”

Wen Shu lowered her voice, “My grandparents have asked me to come back.” She did not have the face to tell Yingbao that it was because she was already eleven years old, and she had to return home for the family introductions.

In fact, it wasn’t just Chuchu who had the trouble of marriage, she did too, so her mother agreed to help Chuchu this time.

But women were meant to be married. As much as she resisted, she had to compromise.

Yingbao had always known that a day would come when they would have to part. And that this parting might well be lifelong.

She went up and hugged Wen Shu, rested her cheek on her chest, speaking softly, “Remember me when you go back, and write to me often. Don’t be like last time when you disappeared without a trace.”

Wen Shu didn’t expect Yingbao to say this, and burst into laughter: “I thought you would be reluctant to let me leave.”

“Even if I don’t want you to go, you’ll still leave.” Yingbao sighed, “There’s no such thing as a perpetual feast in the world. Remembering you in my heart is enough.”

Wen Shu gently tugged at her hair, nodded, and said softly, “I’ll always be thinking of you, and I’ll write to you often. Yingbao, you must take care of yourself. If you ever have any difficulties, write to me. My family has a pharmacy in Prefecture City called Kang’an Pharmacy, and my father is currently practicing there.”

Yingbao nodded, “Okay, I understand.”

Wen Shu added, “Someone will be arranged from Yuzhou to come here. If you want to send a letter, you can give it to that person.”

“Hmm.”

A few days later, Chuchu’s father came to fetch Chuchu, as expected was sent away by Mrs. Wen, and he never came back thereafter.

After about ten days, Yanru had used up all the candy and managed to make more than a hundred pounds of apricot and peach preserves, as well as some pear preserves.

All these preserved fruits have been dried and packed into jars. Some were taken by Jiang Quan to the county town for sale.

However, the preserved fruit was not selling well, and the fresh fruit was more popular.

Jiang Quan and his elder brother, Jiang Cheng, picked the mature apricots and peaches during these days and transported them to the county town in a cart, setting up a fruit stall in front of Yingbao’s shop, and the business was booming.

In between, their uncle, Jiang San, also visited once, spending some money to get the house and the shop front repaired and let his nephew, Dacheng, look after it.

The money to repair the house was given by his little niece, over a hundred taels in total. It was an advance payment from Mrs. Wen for the gold earrings, which was finally depleted.

Seeing that the grapes and peppers were ripe, Yingbao decided to pick some and send them to Wu Daozi for tasting, taking her younger brother to visit the old gentleman at the same time.