Hearing this, Qiuying let out another long sigh and said dejectedly, "The eldest young lady said that the capital is different from Fujian. We need to be extra careful everywhere, or we might easily bring trouble to our family."
After hearing this, Chuntao was even more confused. She stared at Qiuying with her round eyes and asked, "Why has our third young lady never worried about this? I see that she has been making quite a ruckus every day. She seems to be having a great time..."
"The third young lady has always been very assertive since she was a child. How can our eldest young lady compare with her?"
Qiuying glanced at her and said with a bitter smile, "When we were in Fujian, even the hooligans on the street were afraid of the third young lady. They never got the better of her. If our eldest young lady had this ability, would I still have to worry so much?"
"Don't worry too much." Xiahe was a petite girl with a soft and gentle voice. "The eldest young lady just stayed in the Chen Mansion for too long and learned those old and tedious rules. Now in the academy, with our second young lady watching over her every day, she will surely get better."
Hearing this, Qiuying suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Speaking of which, your second young lady has been forcing the eldest young lady to learn boxing these days. The eldest young lady was so scared that she took the students up the mountain to gather herbs before dawn yesterday!"
Chuntao was a bit slow to catch on. "Ah, that's why the third young lady has been saying that the shop has been busy these days and has no time to come back for classes. It turns out that she was also scared away by the second young lady..."
As they talked, they burst into a fit of giggles.
As winter came, the weather gradually turned cold. After the first snowfall, the herbs in the mountains were buried under the thin layer of snow, making them unsuitable for gathering.
Wanxin simply rented half of a room in the Li Family's old liquor store and opened a small clinic. She officially started seeing patients.
Poor Li Wanming! Every time she was caught by Wanmo, she would be given a good scolding. She even thought about moving back to Pingkangfang.
However, there was also some good news.
Old Man Liu finally saw the light.
He saw that Liu Yiyi was doing a great job in business, far better than his dull and pedantic eldest son and his second son who had been wandering around the world. He finally decided to officially hand over the Liu family's business to Liu Yiyi and began to train her to take over.
"Dad took me to the business firm to meet the seniors yesterday and introduced me as the young mistress of the Liu family!"
When Liu Yiyi told Li Wanming about this, she was beaming with excitement. Her face was filled with uncontrollable joy.
"He also said that in the future, the warehouses, silk stores in the capital, and the raw silk shops in Fujian, as well as the Liu family's caravan, would all be handed over to me. He even asked my elder brother to assist me!"
"Uncle Liu has finally come to his senses!" Li Wanming was genuinely happy for her friend. However, after thinking for a while, she asked, "What about your elder brother? Does he agree?"
"My elder brother has no objections." Liu Yiyi waved her hand and said, "He is completely focused on his studies. He only wants to pass the imperial examinations and bring glory to the family. He doesn't care about business at all.
"Back then, Dad handed over the raw silk shop to him because he thought he was not suitable for studying and wanted to find him a way to make a living. Now, with me taking over the Liu family's business, my elder brother doesn't have to do it anymore!"
The more Liu Yiyi talked, the happier she became. Her years of hard work had finally been recognized by her father. She felt as if all the pent-up frustration had disappeared, and she couldn't help but feel elated.
"Wanming, I have another piece of good news for you. My dad has finally faced the reality. He just doesn't have the son to inherit the family business!" Liu Yiyi said with a smile. "He regrets arguing with my mom. He has dismissed the two concubines in the family and wants to bring my mom back!"
"Really?" Li Wanming said in surprise. "That's great! However, is Aunt Liu going to go back to the Liu family with you? Will she still be able to come to class in the future?"
"That's exactly what I want to tell you!" Liu Yiyi covered her mouth and laughed non-stop. "My mom refused him!"
Looking at her laughing so hard, Li Wanming was a bit confused for a moment. "Do you mean... Aunt Liu doesn't want to make up with him?"
Liu Yiyi said, "My mom said that my dad's behavior of flirting with other women before was unfaithful to the marriage, and his obsession with having a son to inherit the family business was unwise. She doesn't want such an unfaithful and unwise man! She wants to be the first woman in the Great Sheng Empire to divorce her husband! Hahaha!"
"Uh..."
Seeing Li Wanming's hesitant expression, Liu Yiyi patted her on the shoulder and said indifferently, "What are you afraid of! My dad was so stubborn two years ago. He deserves to learn a lesson! Besides, my mom is doing a great job as a teacher in the academy. Why should she go back just because he asks her to?"
"But didn't you say that Uncle Liu has agreed to let you be the young mistress of the family business..."
"In business, we should separate different matters. They are not the same thing." Liu Yiyi shook her head and said, "My dad has finally woken up and started to be nice to me. But his past neglect and disdain for me, as well as his hurt to my mom, cannot be ignored.
"If he wants to get my mom's forgiveness, he has to show some sincerity. How can he just say a few words and expect my mom to go back with him obediently? Hmph, there's no such easy thing in the world!"
Li Wanming rubbed her head. "Okay..."
The women in the Liu family were all very strong-willed. It was better to let them handle their own affairs.
The winter month passed quickly, and the snow fell in flakes.
In the blink of an eye, the Spring Festival was approaching again.
This time, the imperial family's Spring Festival banquet in the palace had ordered the wine from the Li Family's liquor store again.
Zhao Yanke didn't order as much this time. He just sent Feng Xiao to pass on a message, saying that he wanted to order a thousand jars of wine.
Since it was a family banquet, only the royal family and noblemen would attend. No court officials were invited, so they didn't need that much wine.
However, Zhao Yanke's taste had become even more picky.
He said that he had been drinking the Jinyutang wine recently and was a bit tired of it. He wondered if the Li Family's liquor store had any new products.
He also said that he had heard that there was a kind of Dragon Cream Wine in the Western Regions. It was as black as pure lacquer, and drinking it could make people feel refreshed. He really wanted to try it...
After hearing this, Li Wanming almost punched Feng Xiao, who had come to pass on the message.
"There's less than a month left until the Spring Festival banquet. Where can I get the wine from the Western Regions for him!"
"He's an emperor. If he wants to drink wine, can't he just ask the Western Regions for it himself? Why does he have to make things difficult for a brewer like me?"
"Tell him that I only have Jinyutang wine. He can take it or leave it!"
Feng Xiao tiptoed to the side and said with a smile, "Your Majesty means that Miss Cheng is so smart and resourceful. Maybe you can brew this wine if you give it a try. Just give it a shot. You might succeed..."
He carefully observed Li Wanming's expression and saw that she wasn't really angry. Then he gathered his courage and said, "It is said that the Dragon Cream Wine is a famous wine in the Western Regions! After drinking it, it can not only replenish qi and blood, strengthen muscles and bones, nourish the heart and lungs, but also make people live a longer and healthier life."
Feng Xiao said with a smile, "Such a famous and miraculous wine. Don't you want to give it a try, Miss Cheng?"
After hearing what he said, Li Wanming was indeed a bit tempted.
She had been brewing wine for a long time. Although she had launched seven or eight varieties, they were all basically fruit wines brewed from lychees.
It was really time for a breakthrough...