He praised without hesitation, "Good craftsmanship. You're really a capable young lady."
Qi Jiao smiled modestly, "You're overpraising me. The sardines in black bean sauce are my new creation. I haven't taken them out to sell yet. I've come today to let you taste them."
Zhang Yi said, "No problem. But if I want to buy them in the future..."
Qi Jiao responded smoothly, "I've taken a fancy to a small courtyard in Pomegranate Alley. I'll open a shop there soon. Then you can send someone there to buy them."
Zhang Yi nodded. He didn't get angry because Qi Jiao didn't choose his shop. Instead, he praised Qi Jiao for being young, hardworking, and down-to-earth. He also asked the maidservant to send Qi Jiao out properly.
After deciding on the house in Pomegranate Alley, the next step was to go through the procedures.
Shi Er took Qi Jiao and Pei Xia to the county yamen to go through the formalities.
Having someone in the court makes things easier. They only had to go twice and everything was done.
Not only was the process smooth, but the clerk also gave them a discount on the price. In the end, they bought the house for a hundred taels of silver.
Qi Jiao took out the gold coins to pay and took the opportunity to register her household in the Pei family in Baiyun Village, Yinwan.
When she got the deed of the house, Qi Jiao was extremely happy - she, Qi Jiao, finally had a house!
Qi Jiao hugged Pei Xia and kissed him on the street.
Pei Xia's handsome face immediately turned red.
Qi Jiao remembered Shi Er's contribution and gave him and Ye Yun a big red envelope respectively.
The two of them declined repeatedly, but Qi Jiao asked Pei Xia to forcefully stuff the red envelopes into their pockets.
Favors are used up bit by bit.
If something can be solved with money, then solve it with money. Qi Jiao didn't want to owe favors.
Then came the intensive renovation.
The yamen gave Qi Jiao the key and the deed of the house together.
The first thing Qi Jiao did was to find a craftsman to change the door lock.
She repainted the walls, paved the courtyard with blue stone bricks, and went to the pawnshop to buy a batch of old tables, chairs, and screens.
She applied a coat of varnish on the furniture, dried it, and then arranged it. Who wouldn't say it was bright?
The front yard had two floors. Qi Jiao planned to use the first floor as a snack and non-staple food shop.
The second floor would be used as a private room for tea and food.
The back yard had a row of houses. She left two rooms for herself and used the rest as a large kitchen and a workshop for production.
The cost of renovation and the purchase of raw materials cost nearly forty taels of silver.
Together with the money for buying the house, the money Qi Jiao got from selling the design to the An family workshop that day was basically gone.
Pei Xia didn't say a word. He took out the silver he had saved up these days and gave it to Qi Jiao.
There was even a trace of shame on his face, "This money was originally for your betrothal gift. I always felt it was too little, so I wanted to save more, save more... Your money was used to buy the house and things, so I'll make it up for you first. I'll give you more in the future..."
Qi Jiao saw him take out a full jar of silver from the movable wall in the east wing.
In addition, there were ten gold coins wrapped in a simple piece of cloth.
The total amount exceeded a hundred taels.
Qi Jiao was shocked by Pei Xia's ability to save money secretly and was touched by his sincere heart.
He always remembered to give her a generous betrothal gift.
Qi Jiao smiled softly and sweetly, "Ah Xia is so good."
She said she only wanted half.
Pei Xia frowned slightly and asked her why.
Qi Jiao looked at him, "If you give all your silver to me, what will you use to marry me?"
When Pei Xia heard this, the great and deep joy hit his heart. He didn't come back to his senses for a long time.
His eyebrows and eyes were dyed red. He couldn't help but pick up Qi Jiao and kiss her on the forehead, piously and respectfully.
"I originally wanted to wait until after the first lunar month, when the weather warms up, and then put our marriage on the agenda. These days have been delayed. You've been so busy with the shop that you haven't even slept well. I feel so bad for you. I had to delay it again."
"Jiao Niang, I'm really happy."
Qi Jiao held his face and smiled, "Ah Xia, do you know why I bought the courtyard in Pomegranate Alley?"
Pei Xia was in tune with her, "You want to use that place as our wedding room?"
Qi Jiao nodded, "If I open a shop in the county, I need a place to stay. During the day, I'll open the shop to welcome customers. At night, I don't have to rush back. I can just rest in my own house."
Pei Xia smiled, "My Jiao Niang is so smart and unparalleled. She thinks everything through. It really corresponds to the saying 'a clever woman marries a clumsy husband'."
Qi Jiao stroked his red lips with her onion-like fingers, "Are you a clumsy husband?"
The two of them got intimate.
Pei Xia got up the spirit the next day and asked someone to choose a date.
The six etiquettes of marriage, Pei Xia treated them seriously and didn't miss a single one.
When the Ye family knew that Pei Xia was going to hold a wedding with Qi Jiao again, except for Ye Ba, everyone sighed and said that Pei Xia was a caring person.
Because Qi Jiao was busy with the opening of the shop and the supply of goods.
The preparation of the wedding was almost all done by the Pei family and the Ye family.
Pei Li came back from the private school and pulled Pei Xia aside and asked him secretly, "Big brother, do you have enough silver to hold the wedding with Sister Jiao Niang?"
Pei Xia laughed, "Yes. You're just a child. You don't have to worry."
Pei Li looked up, "If not, I still have three taels of silver saved up. Plus the money you and Sister Jiao Niang gave me before, it's enough for six taels. I'm willing to contribute it all."
Pei Xia accepted his brother's kindness. After thinking about it, he took five taels of silver from him in case of emergency.
Pei Xia was busy with the wedding. He didn't go fishing anymore. He had to arrange everything properly.
On the other hand, Tang Guiniang also pulled Pei Jin aside and discussed it carefully. She also invited Aunt Ye and Aunt Cai to her house to give advice, "I have to go to the silver shop in the county to make a pair of silver bracelets for Jiao Niang. I'll choose the ones with a beautiful and new style. Also, the weight can't be light!"
Aunt Cai laughed, "It seems that you're not a harsh mother-in-law."
Tang Guiniang glared at her, "I can't be worse than you, an old thing."
Aunt Cai pretended to beat her, "You'll be suffocated if you don't scold me."
In fact, Aunt Cai was only a few years older than Tang Guiniang and Aunt Ye. Women in the countryside got married early and gave birth early. Therefore, at the age of less than fifty, her grandson Ah Hu was already quite big.
Aunt Cai was a kind person. In addition, the Pei family and Jiao Niang had always been very good to their family. She immediately said, "I don't have much, but I have something for Jiao Niang's dowry."
Tang Guiniang asked, "What good things do you have for my Jiao Niang?"
Aunt Cai smiled, "Young ladies like flowers and powder. There's an old gold ring in my dressing box. The thing is good, but the style is old. Take it and melt it down and make it into something new. You can make it into delicate earrings or flower-shaped hairpins."
Tang Guiniang just laughed and wasn't polite to Aunt Cai, "It's rare for you to be so generous. I'm waiting for you to add something to Jiao Niang's dowry."
Aunt Ye was Qi Jiao's godmother. The mother and daughter had a good relationship. She must have given more than Aunt Cai.
She said, "I'll give Jiao Niang two sets of headdresses, one set of pearls and one set of jade. There's also a red gold necklace and two pairs of silver hairpins. Two sets of clothes for each season, and another twenty taels of silver for the dowry."
The Ye family didn't have a lot of money. However, because the three sons of the Ye family knew how to contribute to the family, and Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye were thrifty, this dowry was already the best in Yinwan.
Tang Guiniang knew that Aunt Ye was a sentimental person, but she didn't expect her to be so generous.
She said, "We all know that you love Jiao Niang, but you still have the second and third sons who haven't gotten married. You can't take care of one end and miss the other."
Aunt Ye said, "Don't worry. The second and third sons will save the money for their weddings by themselves. The dowry I give to Jiao Niang can't be less."
Pei Jin also counted her private money on the side, "I'm going to give Sister Jiao Niang a string of seven-treasure necklaces."
Aunt Ye laughed, "Ah Jin doesn't make money. We adults will prepare the jewelry. If you have time after school, it's good to sew a new quilt for your Sister Jiao Niang."
Pei Jin nodded and then shook her head, "I'll give the jewelry and the quilt."
Tang Guiniang was very happy.
"My Ah Jin and Jiao Niang are the best. Jiao Niang is her sister-in-law and also her cooking teacher. Let her do it."