Chapter 93: Another Year's End

"Sir, this is a sum of money that can drive anyone mad." These words, coming from a woman who moved with a seductive allure, seemed somewhat unreal. Yingniang, who was determined to prove her worth beyond the bedroom, lacked confidence when facing Chen Xie. The reason was simple: at 28, she was considered past her prime in the Ming Dynasty. Compared to the young courtesans in the brothel, who were all under 20, her age was a significant disadvantage. If she hadn't become involved with Chen Xie, Yingniang wouldn't have given it much thought. Now that she had won over those younger women, she wanted to secure her position.

For someone in Yingniang's position, the most likely outcome was to spend her entire life in the brothel, and the possibility was quite high. Women naturally want someone to rely on; before, she couldn't find anyone, but now that she had, she naturally wanted to hold on tight. Youthful beauty couldn't last forever, and only those who were useful to Chen Xie could ensure a secure future. Yingniang was very clear about this.

Chen Xie was a man Yingniang didn't fully understand yet. But he was definitely a very special man. In the city of Dengzhou, who else would build roads, establish schools, and organize militias? Who else would, upon securing a monopolistic profit opportunity, willingly share it and gather a group of people to earn money together?

Yingniang was certain that Chen Xie had long-term plans. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of such immediate and significant benefits.

Just as Yingniang was eagerly awaiting a positive affirmation and a deeper discussion to showcase her wisdom, the divine doctor gave her a calm look and said with a crooked mouth, "Go wash your face! It looks like a ghost."

Yingniang froze. The lines were wrong. I said such profound and enlightening words, and you... Forget it, I'll go wash my face first. There's nothing wrong with this makeup, it's just a bit heavy. Looking at herself in the mirror, Yingniang was puzzled.

Actually, Chen Xie simply disliked heavy makeup because it felt too unreal. He often mixed with the brothel crowd but was well aware of the powerful deception of makeup. A woman with an A-cup could look like a C-cup with the right makeup. Not to mention the face.

Feeling depressed, Yingniang had no choice but to wash her face. Chen Xie, sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, watched her back and chuckled to himself. This woman was very smart, but she was too eager to show off. This made Chen Xie a bit wary. Well, this was a small difference in aesthetic preferences between modern and ancient people. In Chen Xie's eyes, a woman of Yingniang's age was at the most vibrant moment of her life. Young men in their twenties naturally preferred experienced and energetic women, which was not surprising. After Chen Xie turned 30, he might think differently.

Yingniang returned with a clean face, her hair let down and loosely tied with a rope. She looked clean and elegant, and seemed several years younger. Chen Xie's eyes were a bit dazed, and he said subconsciously, "This is good. From now on, when I come, you should be like this." Yingniang was a bit dazed too. How could there be a man who didn't like women to wear makeup?

Carefully placing the soup bowl, Yingniang stood aside. This man was not as she had understood him, and she needed to be more cautious and learn more about him.

Chen Xie didn't hesitate, picked up the spoon, and drank. The soup tasted good, made from genuine farm-raised chickens. The soup had a slight bitterness, probably from ginseng slices, and there were a few goji berries floating on the surface.

"How long did you stew this soup?" This question from Chen Xie was quite direct.

"Stingy! Do we not stew ginseng chicken soup every day here?" Yingniang's words insulted all the patrons of the brothel. Undoubtedly, it was the truth. Chen Xie smiled; he liked to hear the truth. This had nothing to do with being the main character or not; it was simply a choice made from a lack of security.

"I was an orphan from a young age, picked up by a kind aunt... " Chen Xie started, but after just one sentence, Yingniang's expression changed. She slowly sat next to Chen Xie, one hand supporting her chin, listening carefully to every word. Of course, the background of Chen Xie's life story was set in America.

"Perhaps my life experiences have shaped my character, but I won't change my cautious and careful nature. Do you understand what I mean?" After five minutes, the simple narrative ended with a question, and Chen Xie looked at her expectantly.

"I understand, and I will prove to you that I am useful to you," Yingniang, a smart woman, gave Chen Xie the answer he most wanted to hear and received a direct reward: "Very good, I have enough patience to wait for you to prove yourself. Before that, I want you to understand one thing: Zhangjiazhuang is just the beginning. My ultimate goal is to create a safe haven. So, any unreasonable things you see come from this."

"Thank you, Sir, for your honesty!" Yingniang stood up and gave a respectful bow. Chen Xie's serious expression softened, revealing his white teeth, which hadn't yet been yellowed by smoking: "I'll stay here tonight. We need to be more honest with each other." Yingniang couldn't help but laugh, her natural beauty shining through.

"The ginseng chicken soup is very effective. I can't hold back, I need to do it now."

Half an hour later, Chen Xie walked down the stairs and saw a group of people with red eyes, many with their sleeves rolled up. In front of a door panel stood Liu Qing, a table and a cardboard box in front of him. A waiter was holding a pen, writing the names of provinces and numbers on the red paper on the door panel.

Chen Xie took a look from a distance. His eyesight was really good; he could read the words on the door panel from five meters away. The first place, naturally, was Nan Zhili, with a bid of 1.5 million taels. The second place was Bei Zhili, with a bid of 950,000 taels. The third place, which Chen Xie hadn't expected, was Fujian, with a bid of 1.35 million taels. The fourth place was Zhejiang...

Seeing the third place, Chen Xie thought of someone: Zheng Zhilong. He quickly turned around and returned to his room, where Yingniang was still lying in bed, trying to regain her strength. She struggled to sit up, revealing her white shoulders. Her rosy face, still flushed, showed both satisfaction and helplessness.

"Good sir, why are you back? Should I call Lvyu and Ziyu over?" Yingniang was scared. After two intense sessions, her lower body was swollen. If it continued, she might not be able to get up the next day. They say there's no such thing as a field that can't be tilled, only a bull that can be worked to death. This didn't apply to him. Well, it didn't apply to the main character with a cheat.

"You're thinking too much!" Chen Xie teased, feeling a bit proud. He sat on the bed and, out of habit, touched her smooth and plump skin: "Ask your brother to find out how Zheng Zhilong in Fujian is doing." In fact, Chen Xie could seek help from information technology, but it would be more detailed to get information from the Jinyiwei.

...

At lunchtime, Zhang Yao looked at the dishes on the table, her chopsticks hesitating to put down.

"Is this cucumber salad? Are these fresh mung beans? Is this braised eggplant? What's the occasion today?" Four consecutive questions, and Zhou Shi gave a smiling answer: "Si Hua grew these in Zhangjiazhuang. He said this year they planted a little less as an experiment, and next year they will plant more. He sent over more than 300 pounds of various vegetables, and said he would send more on New Year's Eve."

These vegetables weren't anything special, but the problem was that in this season, being able to eat fresh vegetables was something unimaginable in the Ming Dynasty. Zhang Yao had heard that in the capital, people dug pits underground to grow fresh vegetables in winter, but she had never seen it done.

"Do you know what Si Hua is busy with?" Zhang Yao quickly calmed down.

"He's busy delivering fresh vegetables to every household." Zhou Shi's face was full of pride. She had been sending people to track his activities. In the morning, after Chen Xie left, he personally delivered to four places: the governor's office, where he was received by Mo Tai and escorted out by Sun Guozhen; Wang Ting's house; the Denglai general's office, where he met Yang Guodong; and Zhang Keda's house. The process was the same at each place: he was welcomed by officials or advisors and escorted out by the owners.

At this moment, Shuigen, who was sweating, came in, and Zhou Shi said, "Shuigen, is Si Hua still busy?"

Shuigen, who was clearly the one tracking, came forward and smiled, "He's resting at Huichuntang. He said he wouldn't personally deliver in the afternoon. Liu Zang will arrange for someone to deliver a little to each household, not much, just a token."

Hearing this, Zhang Yao slowly picked up her chopsticks and picked up a dish of cold tomato salad, tasting it and marveling, "What is this? It tastes great."

"Si Hua said these are tomatoes from the West, and he taught the cooks how to prepare them," Zhou Shi explained with a smile. Zhang Yao looked very pleased. This adopted nephew was really making her proud.

"There are so many vegetables, send half to Father-in-law." Zhou Shi had been waiting for this. The vegetables weren't anything special, but they were rare in this season. Without Zhang Yao's approval, she would have to ask first before sending them to her family.

Huichuntang was closed for the year, as the doctors also needed to celebrate the New Year. In this era, there was no concept of hospital staff working on New Year's Day. If you got sick during this time, finding a doctor was a difficult task.

Today was a bit different. It was the end of the year, and they needed to distribute salaries and New Year's bonuses to the staff. When Chen Xie came in, everyone was gathered, and he smiled, "I came at the right time. Continue, and I'll talk about something else when you're done."