Chapter 79

When the穿越者s returned to "Qing Yuan," it was already the afternoon of the third day of the third lunar month. After getting off the carriage and entering the mansion, they saw the steward Deng An leading several servants running over, smiling broadly and greeting them.

As they walked inside, Wang Xiaojun asked, "Steward Deng, has anything happened in the mansion these past few days?"

Deng An, bowing and leading the way, replied, "Master, everything has been fine these past few days. Masters Yang and Wu have handled all matters well."

Hearing that everything was fine, Wang Xiaojun and the others felt relieved. After passing through the first courtyard, they dispersed to their respective rooms to rest. After all, although they hadn't done much physical labor, the journey had been tiring, and everyone wanted to get a good rest on their beds. However, Wang Xiaojun and Xu Shaoran couldn't rest immediately. They washed up briefly and then went to the small meeting room of the committee to meet Zhang Weixin and Li Junwu, who were already waiting there, to understand the recent events in "Qing Yuan."

The meeting was brief because the team had only been away for a few days, and no major events had occurred—any significant issues would have been reported via radio. The only interesting matter was the message brought back by the accountant stationed at "Tianfu Building" on behalf of its owner, Mr. Chen. He mentioned two things: first, the weather was gradually getting warmer, and in a few weeks, hot pot would no longer be suitable, so he hoped that Sun Yangyang from "Qing Yuan" could provide some new dishes. Second, the "fresh flavor powder" (i.e., "sea cucumber powder") sent from "Qing Yuan" was very effective in enhancing the taste of dishes and soups, but the quantity was too small, and he hoped for more "fresh flavor powder."

Mr. Chen's words were true. It was now the third lunar month, which corresponds to April in the Gregorian calendar. In about a month, summer would arrive, and eating hot pot would be less appropriate here, which is not in the south. His praise for the "sea cucumber powder" was also expected; if it weren't good, Fan Wucheng and the others wouldn't have gone to the seaside to get it. The committee took Mr. Chen's request seriously. Since there wouldn't be new "sea cucumber powder" for a while, they called Sun Yangyang and explained "Tianfu Building's" request, asking him to discuss with the trade group and quickly come up with some suitable dishes or practical business strategies to ensure good business performance for the restaurant as the weather got warmer.

Sun Yangyang said there would be no problem. He would discuss with the trade group the next day and apply some modern restaurant management techniques to "Tianfu Building" to ensure its performance. The committee had confidence in Sun Yangyang and the trade group, encouraged him a few more times, and then let him rest.

Over the next few days, after discussions with the trade group, Sun Yangyang provided several new dishes for "Tianfu Building" and launched a customer loyalty program, which significantly increased the number of repeat customers. Seeing the rising revenue, Mr. Chen was overjoyed, his mouth almost reaching his ears.

On the eighth day of the third lunar month, Wang Xiaojun was discussing the increasingly cold relationship between Xu Shaoran and Lin Xiaoyu with Zhang Weixin in his room. Since the wedding of Liu Wendong and Hong Yan, Xu and Lin's reactions to Liang Ziyue's marriage suggestion had been unusual, and their relationship had become increasingly confusing. Liang Ziyue, who hadn't paid much attention to it initially, had also started to take it seriously.

As the head of the review group, Liang Ziyue didn't have an obligation to pay attention to the relationships within the team. However, he had a good relationship with Xu Shaoran and was observant. The subtle changes in Xu and Lin's relationship didn't escape his notice. Since this matter could affect the team's unity, he reported the situation to Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin a few days ago, hoping they could mediate the relationship between Xu and Lin to prevent any major issues.

In fact, before receiving Liang Ziyue's report, Wang and Zhang had already noticed the problem between Xu and Lin, but they thought it was just a minor disagreement. After dealing with recent matters, the two began to carefully discuss how to handle the issue in Wang Xiaojun's room.

As the saying goes, "Even a fair judge finds it hard to resolve family matters." Issues between men and women are not easy to handle, and mishandling could offend both parties. The two men spent a long time in the room, but couldn't come up with a practical solution, which left them frustrated.

Just as they were headache-ridden over the issue, there was a knock on the door, and Wang Feng's voice came from outside: "Brother, are you there? I have something to talk to you about."

Wang Xiaojun, hearing it was his younger brother, invited him in. Wang Feng entered, sat down on a chair next to Wang Xiaojun, and asked mysteriously, "Brother, guess who has come to our mansion?"

Seeing his mischievous expression, Wang Xiaojun knew it wasn't good news. He deliberately put on a stern face and scolded, "Don't play games with me. If you have something to say, just say it. If you keep making faces, I'll beat you."

Seeing that his brother wasn't fooled, Wang Feng quickly straightened up and said, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you. It's like this. Just now, the guard at the gate reported that some relatives had come to visit, and he asked me and my wife to go and confirm."

"Your relatives, the Zhong family, wouldn't be unfamiliar to the guards, right?" Wang Xiaojun asked, puzzled.

"That's true. My wife and I also found it strange. We thought the guards couldn't possibly not recognize our in-laws. So, we went to the gate with questions, and we found that the visitors were indeed our relatives, but the guards might not recognize them." Wang Feng paused, seemingly trying to make his brother and Zhang Weixin guess.

Seeing Wang Feng trying to create suspense, Wang Xiaojun immediately glared and said, "Don't play games. Just tell us."

Seeing his brother's glare, Wang Feng didn't dare to keep them waiting and continued, "It's not just anyone. It's my wife's aunt and cousin, the wife and daughter of the Han official from the Nanjing留守府. They only came to our mansion once on my wedding day, so it's normal that some guards don't recognize them."

"Han's mother and daughter!" Wang Xiaojun and Zhang Weixin exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right, it's them," Wang Feng said seriously.

"Why did they come here? Did the Han official come with them? You're wasting time. If the Han official waits at the gate, it would be impolite," Zhang Weixin asked first.

"Only Han's mother and daughter came. The Han official didn't come," Wang Feng immediately reported.

"What did they come for? We are related, but we're not that close, right?" Wang Xiaojun asked, puzzled.

"According to my cousin, Han's mother is worried about her daughter and fears she might be mistreated here. The Han official was returning to Youzhou after attending my brother-in-law's wedding and passed by here. So, my mother-in-law asked her brother's family to stop by and check on my wife. Coincidentally, the Han official received a message from the留守府 and had to return to Youzhou immediately, so only Han's mother and daughter came. My wife also said that they are tired from the journey and plan to stay for a few days to rest," Wang Feng explained.

"Ah? What kind of reason is that? To check on a daughter's well-being, the aunt has to come in person and stay for a few days? Is this a custom in this era?" Wang Xiaojun found it hard to understand and turned to Zhang Weixin.

Zhang Weixin shook his head and said, "It's unlikely. In this era, once a daughter is married, she's like water that has been poured out, and the family usually doesn't care so much. Perhaps they have another purpose?"

"Another purpose? What other purpose could they have?" Wang Xiaojun thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He also felt that the Han and Zhong families were close relatives and wouldn't have any ill intentions toward them. Since they had already come, as the host, he should treat them politely. Besides, the Han family's young lady, who had caught his interest, was also here. He couldn't just let her call him "young master" without reciprocating.

So, he put aside his doubts, asked Wang Feng to lead him to meet Han's mother and daughter, and asked Zhang Weixin to gather the other two committee members to meet them, showing respect. Then, he followed Wang Feng out of the room and headed to the courtyard where the couple lived. Zhang Weixin, seeing the two Wang brothers leave, leisurely walked to find Xu Shaoran and Li Junwu, his puzzled expression replaced by a sly one. However, the hurried Wang Xiaojun couldn't see it.

Wang Xiaojun and Wang Feng arrived at the east wing of the second courtyard. As soon as they entered the main hall, they saw Han's wife sitting in the main seat, leisurely drinking tea, while Zhong Ziqi and Han Qingwen were sitting side by side, whispering to each other. When Wang Xiaojun entered, Zhong Ziqi stood up and greeted him, while Han Qingwen, though she also bowed, seemed a bit shy, her face turning red.

Wang Xiaojun was focused on figuring out why Han's wife had come and didn't notice Han Qingwen's expression. He approached and greeted Han's wife, then returned the greetings to the two young ladies and sat down opposite them, with Wang Feng sitting next to him.

After a few casual exchanges, Wang Xiaojun tactfully asked about Han's wife's purpose. Her response was exactly the same as what Wang Feng had said. Of course, she didn't express it so directly, only saying that they were passing by on their way home and wanted to visit her niece. The Han official had to return to Youzhou for official business.

Hearing this, Wang Xiaojun couldn't say much and warmly welcomed them, saying that if there were any shortcomings in their hospitality, he hoped Han's wife would forgive them. Han's wife was very approachable and said they had come uninvited and were causing trouble. While speaking, she kept looking at Wang Xiaojun, making him feel uneasy, wondering why she was staring at him.

To shift her attention, Wang Xiaojun asked, "I heard from my brother that you and Miss Han have been traveling and are not feeling well. Is there anything serious? I have a sister who is skilled in medicine and can examine you."

Han's wife waved her hand and said, "No need, no need. I'm just tired from the journey, nothing serious. But staying here will be a bit of a bother for you, Leader Wang."

Wang Xiaojun quickly said, "Madam, you're too polite. Your visit is an honor. I'm just a commoner and don't deserve the title of leader. Please just call me by my name."

Han's wife, hearing this, said without hesitation, "If so, I'll call you my nephew. We are relatives, so you don't need to be so formal."

Wang Xiaojun had to agree, though he complained in his heart why Zhang Weixin, who was good with words, hadn't come yet. It shouldn't take so long to find Xu Shaoran and Li Junwu. Perhaps he didn't want to deal with the ladies and was deliberately delaying? If so, that would be very unfair. Of course, Wang Xiaojun wasn't a poor speaker or introverted; he just didn't like this formal way of speaking.

While he was thinking about Zhang Weixin, Han's wife asked, "I heard from my brother-in-law that you returned from overseas and faced many hardships on your journey back to China. Out of tens of thousands of people, only a few made it safely, and now most of your companions live here?"

Since Han's wife had asked, Wang Xiaojun put aside his thoughts about Zhang Weixin and replied, "Yes, as you said." Then, he recounted the team's story for external promotion, so she could understand their background and better interact with them in the coming days.

As Wang Xiaojun spoke, Han's wife appeared to listen attentively, but in her mind, she was comparing his story with the version she had heard from Zhong Ziqi—Wang Feng's fairy tale version. Although Wang Xiaojun's story was more realistic and closer to everyday life, Han's wife preferred the more fantastical and captivating version, which elevated the status of these so-called "returnees."

When she heard Wang Xiaojun speak of his separation from his wife due to a shipwreck, the pain in his expression made her feel sorry for him. At the same time, she felt a sense of relief. Looking at Wang Xiaojun's steady and reliable appearance, listening to his clear and vivid storytelling, she nodded in satisfaction and occasionally glanced at her daughter, making Han Qingwen's face turn red and her head lower even more.

Wang Xiaojun, focused on telling the story, didn't notice this, or perhaps he didn't dare to. After all, as a man, he couldn't stare at a lady in front of her mother. When he finally finished the story, he took a sip