Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 89

Pei Che figures that Jiang Miao should be at the Jiang family shop at this time, so he orders the coachman to head directly there.

Han Qin and Su Jin rarely visit the outer city; they usually only pass through when they need to leave the city gates. Every time they pass by, they are always in a hurry, and in their impression, the outer city seems a bit older than the upper city, with narrower streets.

“That must be the Jiang family shop up ahead, right? This storefront looks quite different from the others—quite novel. Which skilled craftsman helped you make it?” Han Qin asks with interest, looking at the Jiang family shop.

“It’s Ah Miao who draws the design and has the craftsmen build it,” Pei Che replies, unable to hide his pride, as if he is the one who draws it himself.

As soon as the carriage reaches the front of the Jiang family shop, they catch the fresh scent of bamboo leaves. Remembering the taste of the meat zongzi they eat a few days ago, Su Jin’s eyes flicker, and his head unconsciously looks towards the window.

“Hey, hey, why aren’t we stopping?” Han Qin calls out. They’ve reached the storefront; why are they still moving forward?

“Getting off here would inconvenience Ah Miao,” Pei Che explains. He always sneaks in through the back door whenever he visits.

Han Qin suddenly realizes, “That’s true. It’s better if you keep a low profile.”

The carriage turns a corner and heads down a small path to the back entrance of the Jiang family shop. Pei Che gets off first and knocks on the door. A voice from inside says, “Coming,” and the sound of footsteps grows closer.

“I just see the carriage pass by the front door. Come in quickly; the zongzi just comes out of the pot, fresh and hot. They should smell even better than the ones I sent over last time,” Jiang Miao says, opening the door and revealing a big smile when he sees that it is indeed Pei Che.

Pei Che also smiles, “Then I must have a good taste.”

“Don’t worry, we make a lot today. After fulfilling the orders, we still have a lot left for ourselves.” The zongzi business is doing much better than Jiang Miao expects. Perhaps it’s because meat zongzi are rare in Liangjing, but many customers come over to place orders. Although it’s not like that one day when they sell two thousand in one go, the scattered orders from these customers add up to over a thousand in a day.

The two of them stand at the door chatting when suddenly a soft cough comes from the carriage behind them.

“Ahem, Brother Jiang! The two of us come uninvited and disturb you,” Han Qin says with a cheerful smile as he and Su Jin step off the carriage one after the other. If they rely on Pei Che to mention them, they might have to stay in the carriage for a long time.

“Welcome, welcome! I didn’t know you were coming too, my apologies. Please come in and have a seat,” Jiang Miao quickly ushers the two of them inside.

Because of the earlier commotion, Jiang Miao puts some effort into tidying up the backyard. The sun is shining brightly, and the stone table and benches by the wall are very clean, so Jiang Miao doesn’t lead them into the cramped little room but instead invites them to sit outside.

The other workers in the shop are sitting at the front, wrapping zongzi, so only a few of them are in the courtyard. Since guests have arrived, they naturally need to be properly entertained. Jiang Miao brings out a plate of freshly made zongzi, along with a pot of tea and some snacks and fruits, filling the small stone table.

“Please, help yourselves.”

As soon as Jiang Miao finishes speaking, Su Jin’s hand immediately reaches directly for the zongzi, deftly peeling off the bamboo leaves and starting to eat. Han Qin does the same; although he has eaten plenty over the years, he still can’t resist the temptation when they are placed in front of him.

“Aren’t you eating? Let me peel one for you,” Jiang Miao says. Pei Che has a bit of a cleanliness habit, probably worried about getting his hands sticky from peeling the zongzi. Before Pei Che can respond, Jiang Miao has already peeled one for him, threading it onto chopsticks and handing it over.

“Ah Miao,” Pei Che says as he takes a small bite, then casually asks, “Where did you go yesterday?”

“Yesterday?” Jiang Miao is puzzled for a moment. He blinks and says, “I don’t go anywhere. I stayed up all night the night before, and after selling everything yesterday morning, I went straight home. I even have someone pick up Xiao Shitou for me. Why do you ask?”

Pei Che smiles. “It’s nothing. Someone just mentions they saw you at a small stall.”

As soon as Jiang Miao hears the keyword “small stall,” he says, “Oh, right. I did pass by a small stall, and I bought something there for Sister Xiaoyu.”

“Sister Xiaoyu? Your cousin?”

“Yeah, she’s been here for quite a while, and I haven’t given her anything. When I see her show interest in that stall, I take her over to have a look. You wouldn’t believe it, the stall seems small, but the stuff there is quite expensive…”

Pei Che is amused by Jiang Miao’s pained expression, and his smile becomes much more genuine than before.

As the two chat, they quickly forget about the two on the other side of the stone table who are busy eating zongzi. Han Qin, while chewing his zongzi, wants to share his thoughts with someone. He turns his head to see Su Jin, who looks so focused, as if the world only contains him and the zongzi. In the end, Han Qin sighs helplessly.

Finally, Han Qin and Su Jin leave, each carrying a basket of zongzi that Jiang Miao generously gifts them. Pei Che instructs the coachman to take them back, while he naturally stays behind.

Jiang Miao still has some work left to do. Pei Che initially offers to help, but Jiang Miao, remembering how clumsy he can be, politely refuses. Jiang Miao finds a task for him and asks him to go check if Pei Mu has woken up in the room.

When Pei Che enters the room, he sees that Pei Mu is already awake and has sensibly started practicing his calligraphy. Pei Che stands by the table for a while and notices that Pei Mu’s handwriting has improved a lot recently. It now has a hint of style and character, which is a significant transformation compared to before.

Pei Che feels very pleased. It is fortunate that he has brought some calligraphy copies for Xiao Shi to practice with, which not only improves Xiao Shitou’s handwriting but also helps Pei Mu’s. Come to think of it, Pei Mu seems to learn things quite quickly.

Thinking of this, Pei Che suddenly speaks up, “Mu’er, what characters have you learned these past few days? Can you write them down for your big brother to see?”

Pei Mu looks up at him briefly, then finishes writing the characters on the current page before spreading out another sheet of paper. He writes down the characters that Xiao Shi has recently come back to teach him for Pei Che to see.

“Very well written! Mu’er, do you remember the last time we chat using written characters? Could you continue writing to chat with your big brother?”

The word “okay” slowly appears on the paper. Pei Che is very pleased and begins to ask questions about the characters Pei Mu has recently learned. Pei Mu can answer almost all of them correctly, which shows that he is not just copying others’ writing but also understanding the meanings of the characters.

“Mu’er, how about if your big brother gets you a tutor?” Pei Che asks tentatively after finishing his questions. The day Jiang Miao returns to his hometown, Mu’er goes to the private school with Xiao Shi, and he seems quite happy when he comes back. He should like studying, right?

Of course, Pei Mu has no idea what his big brother is thinking. When he hears the word “tutor,” he immediately thinks of Xiao Shitou’s tutor and the experience of sitting still in his seat all day, waiting for school to be over. He quickly shakes his head.

He doesn’t want a tutor! And he certainly doesn’t want to go to school!

Pei Mu’s reaction is unexpected for Pei Che. Seeing that Pei Mu seems a bit agitated, he doesn’t dare push him further and decides to drop the subject for now. However, he thinks to himself that he will have to bring this up with Jiang Miao later. Mu’er usually listens to him, so maybe Jiang Miao can persuade him.