The Beloved in the Palm

Chapter 169 Qinghe's Suffering

The servants of the Xue family came to Lingxiu Pavilion. They found Xue Qinghe and said, "The eldest master returned to the mansion. Seeing that you were not there, I hurried to look for you."

Xue Qinghe was stunned when she heard this.

She hadn't seen her eldest brother for a long time.

The eldest brother was very busy.

She had also heard about the recent imperial examination cases, so she knew what to do and didn't bother him.

Seeing that Xue Qinghe was silent for a long time, the servant asked hurriedly, "Is there something holding the second lady back? Can't you return home now?"

Xue Qinghe came back to her senses and said hurriedly, "No!"

After saying that, she felt that she had lost her composure, pursed her lips, and then whispered, "I'll go back home now."

The servant accompanied her out, and while walking, he asked curiously, "Why don't you see so many guests today?"

Xue Qinghe's face changed slightly.

The servant realized that he had spoken out of turn and quickly stopped talking. But he couldn't help but mutter in his heart, is there no guests every day?

How could this happen?

Xue Qinghe exhaled tiredly.

If she knew what the servants were thinking... she would say I want to know too, why is it still like this when I run the business with all my heart?

Even the business is getting worse day by day.

But there is no one around her to complain to.

Ever since her stepmother and father divorced, her father seems to have lived in the Ministry of Households for a long time, even worse than before.

The housekeeper in the mansion has to take care of the affairs of the upper and lower levels, and can't spare time to guide her.

Qiu Xin was also expelled from the mansion a long time ago...

What do the maids and servants who stay with her now look like?

They kept saying "Good days for the second lady are coming."

They said that the eldest lady has married, and the mistress who dislikes her is gone. In the future, won't they be the ones who walk sideways in the mansion?

Xue Qinghe couldn't understand their joy.

Just as they couldn't understand her predicament.

With all kinds of sorrows, Xue Qinghe returned to the Xue family.

She stepped into the courtyard and saw the familiar figure that she had not seen for many days.

"Big brother..."

He Songning turned around when he heard the voice, and when his eyes fell on her face, he immediately frowned: "You should have lived a good life recently, why do you look haggard? Is it because the servants in your courtyard are too negligent?"

The servants knelt down and cried out for injustice when they heard it.

Xue Qinghe pulled the corners of her mouth awkwardly and said, "It's just that it's too tiring to manage the property in the mansion."

He Songning thought for a while and said, "If it's too tiring, let the housekeeper handle it. You are not good at these mundane things. What's wrong with not learning? In the future... you won't suffer."

He Songning saw clearly that Xue Qinghe was driven to manage the property, but it was just Xue Chengdong's deliberate act before, so that she and Xue Qingyin could compete.

But Xue Qingyin had long been out of the mansion, so why bother doing these things? It would only make herself suffer.

But after hearing this, Xue Qinghe's face changed, and she became stubborn, saying: "No! It's because I'm not good at it that I have to learn it!"

The changes in the capital are really too fast...

So fast that in a blink of an eye, she heard people say that Xue Qingyin was poisoned and dying, and then she heard people say that she became the Princess of Xuan.

It was so fast that Xue Qinghe felt that if she didn't do something, she would really not be able to keep up with the changes.

He Songning frowned.

Isn't it good to do nothing and just live a comfortable life?

If it were Xue Qingyin, she would probably like it very much.

As soon as this thought came up, He Songning felt something was wrong, and then he pressed it down.

He Songning said patiently: "Is there any difficulty in managing these industries for you? Let me hear it."

Xue Qinghe's face softened a lot.

After not seeing each other for a long time, she didn't want to make the atmosphere too awkward, so she said slowly: "Some people in Lingxiu Pavilion always fooled around, so I spent some money to replace two better cooks and waiters... I have tasted the dishes made by the new cooks. They are far better than the nearby Baolan Building. But why..."

Xue Qinghe was a little embarrassed to speak.

Why is Baolan Building crowded with people, while Lingxiu Pavilion has very few customers...

Xue Qinghe still felt embarrassed to reveal her shortcomings in front of He Songning.

Especially when she thought of the time when Xue Qingyin went to Lingxiu Pavilion for dinner, she looked so relaxed...Xue Qinghe found it even more difficult to speak of her difficulties.

"Just for this?" He Songning said.

Xue Qinghe's face changed slightly again.

He Songning knew that he had spoken out of turn.

But such a thing is really too small for him...

"Sometimes, if you want to do a business well, it is not about how you are better than your competitors. It is about what is missing in the market." He Songning said.

"What is missing?"

"Well, there are more than 300 restaurants in the East and West Markets, including wine shops and post houses."

Xue Qinghe was shocked. She really didn't know this.

"Then what does big brother mean... There is no shortage of restaurants in the capital, and Lingxiu Pavilion should be closed as soon as possible?"

"When did I say this?" He Songning blurted out, and after he finished speaking, he couldn't help but frowned again, saying: "If you want to save Lingxiu Pavilion, you should first figure out how these more than 300 restaurants make money. For example, Baolanlou is good at brewing Shaochun wine... Just this cup of wine can attract customers in an endless stream."

People in the Liang Dynasty love wine very much nowadays.

If you don't drink two cups a day, you will feel uncomfortable all over.

Especially literati and poets, they are even more respected.

But because wine is made from grain, it is very expensive.

Wine that tastes good is even more precious.

Xue Qinghe actually seemed a bit ridiculous when he said that Baolanlou's food was far less delicious than Linghuge's and why the business was better.

"I...I understand." Xue Qinghe responded awkwardly, regretting talking to He Songning even more.

He Songning also wanted to say that she was not brave enough to suppress the people of Linghu Pavilion.

But when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.

I wonder how Xue Qingyin suppressed so many people in such a big palace?

It seems that she has never mentioned this pain.

When she met Hui Hui, she only wanted to tell him how much she and Prince Xuan were in love...

He Songning realized that his thoughts had wandered away again, so he quickly held it down again, and asked again: "What else? I remember that you still have a tea house in your hands."

Xue Qinghe didn't want to say it, but He Songning pointed it out directly.

She had no choice but to say: "The business of the tea house is also very bleak. The steward told me that not many of the old customers were there..."

He Songning's eyes were slightly stern: "It's very difficult for regular customers to change their habits. I'm afraid there's someone behind the scenes..."

He knew that Xue Qinghe might not be able to find it.

But most of the people in charge are human beings...

"What did the steward tell you?" He Songning asked.

"That's all..." Xue Qinghe paused and remembered something, "The steward said that previously Zhao Guogong's mansion also said that it would provide some convenience to the tea house, but later on, he didn't mention this anymore..."

Xue Qinghe felt awkward as he spoke.

She knew that it must be because Xue Qingyin was no longer in charge, and the Zhao Guogong Palace would naturally stop being such a good person.

He Songning said: "That's the signal from Duke Zhao's mansion."

When Xue Qinghe heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief for no reason.

Then she's not that bad? Doesn't everything go wrong in her hands?

He Songning was already thinking about meeting Xue Qingyin.

"I will handle this matter." He Songning said and walked out the door.

Xue Qinghe suddenly remembered: "Is the suburban village still in the hands of my sister? I heard that she also wants to turn it into a restaurant?"

"Yeah." He Songning responded, with a slightly subtle expression.

He witnessed with his own eyes what Zhuangzi became in Xue Qingyin's hands...

Another thought flashed through He Songning's mind.

If Lingyu Pavilion was in Xue Qingyin's hands, how would she save it?

Xue Qinghe whispered: "Would anyone drive out of the city and go that far to eat?"

"Yes." He Songning said without thinking, "She is different from you."

Xue Qinghe froze there.

"I mean..." He Songning didn't know what to say, but Xue Qingyin was indeed very different.

"She has the emperor as her backstage." He Songning could only briefly conclude, "That's why it's different."

Xue Qinghe didn't understand. He lowered his head and didn't even want to say anything for a while.

He Songning asked someone to give the gift he brought back to Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe was too tired. This conversation seemed to have drained her energy, so He Songning said no more.

After walking out, He Songning suddenly remembered and turned to the boy next to him: "Go and ask Mr. Pei to make a dagger."

The boy nodded without knowing why.

He Songning was no longer in a hurry to see Xue Qingyin.

He thought he would scare her in two days.