Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2695 Still Vigorous in Old Age 79.0
The news that Shen Cha had woken up from her coma spread throughout the entire Jiaping Pass city in an instant.

Whether it was the Duke's mansion, the Marquis's mansion, the Shen family army's camp, or the border people, everyone knew the news, and their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, were finally at ease.

You see, when the news of Shen Cha's illness spread from the Duke's mansion, everyone was very concerned. They were all praying that Heaven would allow the General to wake up and recover soon.

Some people who had been taken care of by Shen Haolin and Shen Cha even lit eternal lamps for Shen Cha, praying that she would be free from illness and disaster and have a smooth life.

Hearing this from Yingwu, Shen Cha felt extremely embarrassed. She felt that she hadn't done anything for the people, yet they were so concerned about her, and she felt truly unworthy of it.

"Since you feel embarrassed, get well soon and go thank them in person." Song Yaojia leaned closer to Shen Cha, looked at her complexion, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "Your complexion is much better than when you first woke up. Miao Miao is quite capable!"

Jin Miaomiao, sitting to the side, shrugged and waved to Song Yaojia, indicating that it had nothing to do with her and that she dared not take credit for this achievement.

After Shen Cha woke up, her close relatives and friends came to visit her. Several elders in the family came almost every day. Fourth Master Jiang and Chu Han even moved to the Duke's Mansion for a short stay so that they could check on Shen Cha's condition every day. After all, this time the illness was not scary, but the moment she collapsed was truly terrifying.

Not only the elders, but also Xiao Fengqi and Qi Zhifeng overcame all difficulties to come and see Shencha several times with Xue Ruitian. However, Xiao Fengqi and Xue Ruitian knew that their identities should not be here, so they not only disguised themselves, but also blindfolded themselves with a black cloth before each visit, and only took off the black cloth after entering the house.

They just couldn't come often, only once every few days, and most of the time they accompanied Sister Ning to set up her stall.

Strangely enough, Xiao Fengqi, Qi Zhifeng, and Ning Cheng all came from prominent families. While they might not have been pampered since childhood, they had never done anything like openly hawking their wares on the street before. Everyone thought they would be too embarrassed to open their mouths and shout out their wares, but to everyone's surprise, they did it exceptionally well.

Qi Zhifeng and Ning Cheng were in charge of attracting customers. They had sweet tongues and would throw out nice words as if they didn't care about money. No one who was targeted by them could leave the snack stall empty-handed.

While Xiao Fengqi didn't solicit customers like they did, he could help with accounting and collecting money. His hospitality, which made people feel like they were bathed in a warm breeze, attracted many young girls.

Most of these girls didn't come to buy snacks for the snacks themselves, but to see Xiao Fengqi.

"Not just young girls."

When Old Tang heard that his eldest brother had woken up, he specially pushed a cart full of braised food into the Duke's mansion. He met Shen Cha, who was still recuperating, in the flower hall. Seeing that his eldest brother was in good condition, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not just young girls?" Shen Cha glanced at Lao Tang, then at Song Yaojia, Xue Ruitian, and Xia Chen. Seeing the mischievous smiles on their faces, she frowned slightly. "What else?"

“Old ladies and grandmothers.” Old Tang spread his hands helplessly. “You didn’t see the spectacular scene. As soon as Sister Ning’s stall opened, the line stretched for miles. I heard Young Master Qi and Ning Cheng say behind his back that Young Master Xiao’s charm has captivated female customers ranging from eighty years old to eight months old. Even when all the pastries were sold out, they refused to leave, just to catch a glimpse of Young Master Xiao.”

Hearing Lao Tang's words, Shen Cha wasn't happy; instead, she felt worried. She exchanged a glance with Shen Haolin sitting next to her, seeing the same expression on his face. "You two," Xue Ruitian looked at the two of them, then at Song Yaojia and Xia Chen, "Is something wrong?"

"This is very wrong; it shouldn't be like this."

"What's the meaning?"

“I can roughly understand Haolin and Xiaocha’s concerns. Actually, this is a case of buying the box and returning the pearl. Sister Ning opened this pastry stall for her own livelihood. And these people’s adoration isn’t because they think the pastries are delicious, but because they want to see Young Master Xiao. Right now, business is indeed good, but Young Master Xiao will return to Liao sooner or later. He can’t stay here for long, right?” Seeing everyone nod, Xia Chen continued, “After he leaves, can this pastry stall continue to operate? Can it last? This completely contradicts Sister Ning’s original intention in opening this stall, which is why Haolin and Xiaocha are worried.”

"Seventh Brother is right, that's exactly what we think." Shen Cha yawned, leaned against Shen Haolin, and said, "Old Tang, you're in business too, what do you think?"

“What you three say is right. Actually, this isn’t just your concern; Sister Ning and Young Master Xiao have noticed it too.” Old Tang sighed softly. “Young Master Xiao has started to reduce the time he spends at the stall. Although the number of customers is gradually decreasing, it has brought in quite a few customers who really love Sister Ning’s pastries.” He took a sip of tea and continued, “Actually, it’s slowly getting back on track, isn’t it?”

“Hmm!” Shen Cha nodded. “It would be great if we could keep it up. Although it won’t be as crazy as before, a stable customer base is the most important thing for a business.”

After speaking, she felt a little tired and closed her eyes slightly, intending to rest for a while. However, she suddenly thought of Lai Mazi and the two Taoist priests and opened her eyes again.

"Has there been any conclusion regarding the thief incident at the inn?"

"No." Shen Haolin pulled her closer to him and patted her gently. "I haven't had time yet."

"You haven't had time yet?"

"That's right. The heavy snow has damaged a lot of houses. Although no one was injured, repairing houses is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Plus, you've been sick and have been sleeping for several days, so we're in no mood for it."

"So, they're still in the field, right?"

“That’s right!” Xue Ruitian looked at her. “Don’t get any ideas. Just rest properly and get your body fully recovered. That’s the most important thing. Besides, my great-uncle has already said that he will personally interrogate these people when he has time. No one is allowed to interfere, or he will turn against them.”

"I didn't have any ulterior motives. I originally intended for my great-uncle to conduct the interrogation himself, after all..."

“Yes!” Xia Chen nodded. “We’ve discussed it with our great-uncle. We’ll all watch him interrogate the victims. If he can’t continue, we can even help him out, right?”

"Help?" Shen Cha raised an eyebrow slightly and closed her eyes again. "Don't you know? The young master of the Jing Prince's Mansion is a master of interrogation. Many of our current methods were invented by our great-uncle."