Cabbage was the seasonal vegetable of this season. It was pulled from the fields of the farm and delivered here. It was naturally fresh. When you put it into your mouth and took a light bite, you could chew the unique sweetness of fresh cabbage; the pickled pork shreds were extremely tender; the mushrooms were delicious and had a smooth taste; but the most special thing was the rice cake that seemed to be broken by the chopsticks. The soft and glutinous texture was matched with the rich milky white soup, and it was sent into the mouth along with the lingering hot steam. It was really a mouthful, and the warmth could extend from the stomach to all parts of the body.

After finishing a bowl of tāngnián gāo and warming himself up, Liu Yuan stood up and urged Wu Bucai, who had just finished the last mouthful of soup in his bowl, “Let’s go, Old Wu! It’s time to get to work!”

Wu Bucai put down the bowl of soup in his hand, burped in response, then stood up and walked out with Liu Yuan.

The truth that has been buried for many years would eventually be revealed. Lin Fei handed over the affairs of the Wen family merchants to Liu Yuan and Wu Bucai and was flipping through the files at the desk. On the corner of the desk was the bowl of tāngnián gāo for breakfast that he had brought from the public kitchen.

The soft and glutinous texture was irresistible no matter whether it was combined with a sweet or salty taste. After picking up the last piece of rice cake in the bowl and putting it into the mouth, Bai Zhu walked in with the file.

“Lin Shaoqing!”

Lin Fei raised his head and said “hmm” to him, then asked, “How is the investigation of the Yuan family going?”

The Third Miss Yuan who “fell at the slightest sign of wind” had woken up, but Lin Fei and others had not gone to see her immediately in the past two days. This has made the Third Miss Yuan who fainted after eating crabs feel uneasy. She has sent her maid to come several times in the past few days just to find out what happened.

Bai Zhu handed the file in his hand to Lin Fei and began to talk about what he had found out about the Yuan family in the past few days.

“The failures in the water freight business are partly due to the incompetence of Second Master Yuan in prison, but the bigger problem lies with the Yuan family itself!” Bai Zhu said, “The Yuan family initially relied on their connections and forces in the local area to seize the water freight business. But once they got into the water, their local forces had little help. The Yuan family itself is much less capable than other merchants in the water freight business, so naturally, their business got worse and worse.”

At this point, Bai Zhu couldn’t help but shake his head: “Not only is my vision and ability insufficient, but my luck is also bad. The money I earned by luck in the past few years, I lost it all by my own ability in the past few years!”

“The Yuan family naturally thinks highly of themselves for being able to raise a descendant like Second Master Yuan. They are unwilling to admit their own shortcomings and just think that it is bad luck.” Bai Zhu’s expression became more subtle when he said this. “Speaking of bad luck, his family’s profitable tombstone business was pulled out. I heard that in recent years, many people in the family have been talking about stopping this ‘unlucky’ business, and Second Master Yuan is one of them!”

They knew nothing about Feng Shui, but it was hard to understand why the Yuan family stopped their profitable business to start a freight business that had been losing money for years.

“Of course, not everyone agrees. Those members of the Yuan family who run the tombstone business are unwilling to do so,” Bai Zhu paused and said to Lin Fei, “The head of the Yuan family involved in the sword shop incident is one of those who are unwilling to do so!”

Therefore, the Yuan family was currently in the midst of an internal struggle, and the head of the Yuan family, who was at odds with Second Master Yuan, was involved in the sword shop incident.

At first glance, these things seemed really messy!

Bai Zhu shook his head, sighed, and continued, “Third Miss Yuan has never taken on these things because she has been sick since she was young. She has been recuperating at home and taking care of flowers and plants. I heard that Second Master Yuan has always been good to this girl!”

Of course, this could also be seen in how Yuan Jilang’s protected her.

“By the way, in the past, when the Yuan family and the Jiang family of Qiandengpu had not yet torn their faces apart, it was true that they arranged the marriages of their children, and…” Bai Zhu looked at Lin Fei who suddenly stopped what he was doing in front of him, and said, “And what was arranged was…”

“Third Miss Yuan San and Jiang Gongzi.” Without waiting for Bai Zhu to say their names, Lin Fei spoke out.

As the investigation into the affairs of the Yuan and Jiang families deepened, more and more people were involved. No matter whether it was the Third Miss Yuan or the Eldest Master Jiang, they were involved in more than one matter.

“Later, the two families fell out, and the marriage was canceled!” Bai Zhu paused and continued, “The old servant of the Jiang family I found said that the marriage was canceled. First, the relationship between the two families became bad due to business competition, and second, it was also related to the poor health of Third Miss Yuan!”

Lin Fei, who was looking down at the files, heard this, looked up at Bai Zhu, and said, “Looking at the name of Jiang Gongzi, most of the people in the Jiang family will not agree!”

After all, he was named “Chengzu”The name suggests someone who is expected to uphold and continue the legacy of their ancestors. It’s a name that carries a sense of duty and honor towards one’s family history., so how could he want a sickly Third Miss Yuan? Bai Zhushen agreed with this point, paused, and continued.

“When the two families fell out, they pointed at each other’s noses and cursed at each other. The Yuan family accused the Jiang family of being disloyal and stealing the business of their in-laws. They were really vicious!”

“The Jiang family said that everyone in the business world relies on their own abilities, and the Yuan family is just not as skilled as others!” Bai Zhu said, “I heard that the Jiang family also mocked the Yuan family for doing that kind of business and harming their descendants’ health. Who would dare to marry such a sickly woman!”

Since they had become enemies, they would naturally criticize each other’s pain points! However, even though they were criticizing each other’s pain points, it was also true that it was the true feelings of the Jiang family.

Lin Fei nodded, and after a brief pause, he asked Bai Zhu, “What does Jiang Gongzi look like?”

“Lin Shaoqing told me not to alert the enemy, so I haven’t gone to look for Jiang Gongzi yet,” Bai Zhu said, “but an old servant pointed out Jiang Gongzi from afar and I saw him. He looks pretty good. I heard that many young ladies admire him very much!”

Lin Fei said “Hmm” and glanced at Bai Zhu: “What is the relationship between Jiang Gongzi and Third Miss Yuan?”

Huh? Bai Zhu was stunned by this question. After a long pause, he said, “When the two families became enemies, they were still young. What could they understand?”

Unexpectedly, as soon as these words came out, Lin Fei glanced at Bai Zhu and said, “Have you forgotten Master Wen’s ex-fiancé?”

Bai Zhu: “…”

“It’s hard to say.” Without waiting for Bai Zhu to speak, Lin Fei said, “The relationship between these two people is the easiest to be overlooked.”

That was true! Bai Zhu fell silent, thought for a moment, and said, “If that’s what Lin Shaoqing said, then Young Master Jiang is a very handsome man. Third Miss Yuan may fall in love with this ex-fiancé at first sight.”

Lin Fei glanced at Bai Zhu and said, “Which one admires who is another matter. Jiang Gongzi may prefer Third Miss Yuan’s attitude. We should not meddle in these children’s love affairs. What we should care about is the relationship between these two people, whether they have private contact, and even whether they have done anything in this matter!”

At this point, Lin Fei put down the file in his hand, tapped his fingers on the table, and said, “We are here to question Third Miss Yuan, and she can’t escape it no matter how many crabs she eats. Why did she do such a stupid thing at that time?”

If it was said that Third Miss Yuan was stupid, it would make sense, but judging from her interaction with the siblings on the day of the Lantern Festival, this Third Miss Yuan was not as stupid as her brother Second Master Yuan!

(End of this chapter)

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