The wonton shop diagonally across from the Yuye Pavilion was in a decent location, but the space was quite small, the decor rather shabby, and the rent was a few taels cheaper than that of the Yuye Pavilion.

When Yan Xiaoyu heard the shop had changed hands, he had a hunch. He sent an employee out to investigate, and sure enough, it was Qian Hong, that persistent pest. Last time, after getting beaten up by Yan Xiaoyu and his crew, Qian Hong lay in that alley all night before someone rescued him.

After being rescued, his misfortune continued for several more days.

His injuries were quite severe, and after being exposed to the cold night wind in that chilly alley, he was unconscious by the time he was taken to the clinic. It took him several days to recover.

Once he came to, Qian Hong sent someone to the county school to fetch Yan Yonghe, then urged Yan Yonghe to ask Secretary Fu to intervene on his behalf. He was seething with rage, insisting that it was Meng Laoliu from the Meng family’s tofu shop who had sent someone to harm him—all to steal his business.

Yan Yonghe, now busy climbing the social ladder and building connections—and relying on the Qian family for support—could not very well make excuses when Qian Hong was so seriously injured. He had to grit his teeth and summon Secretary Fu over there.

Secretary Fu had harbored a grudge against Yan Yonghe and Qian Hong over the matter of the shop at Yuye Pavilion. Upon hearing that it had taken them so long to secure the lease—and that he’d even had his leg broken in the process—he felt a deep sense of disappointment in them.

Suppressing his anger, Secretary Fu asked Qian Hong if he had any evidence that Meng Laoliu had tried to harm him.

Of course, he had. Qian Hong laid out his theory, then, thinking he was being clever, added, “Master Fu, when you arrest someone, do you really need evidence? Just lock that Meng Laoliu up and make him cough up every penny he’s made over the years—it’ll be the perfect tribute for you and the County Magistrate!”

Secretary Fu realized Qian Hong was using him as a pawn. In the end, not only did he step in to defend him, but he also gave Qian Hong a stern scolding. He then ordered Qian and Yan Yonghe to quickly secure a shop and get the business up and running, warning that if the Magistrate were to hold them accountable, they would certainly face severe consequences.

Qian Hong had shot himself in the foot, and Yan Yonghe had been dragged into the mess as well.

They dared not delay any further and wanted to secure the shop as soon as possible. But since they had originally been looking at shops in the Yuye Pavilion area just to spite Yan Xiaoyu, switching to a different location meant starting the search all over again, and time was running out.

On top of that, Qian Hong had lost the five taels and two liang of silver he’d brought to rent the shop, and he’d spent another sum on medical treatment at the clinic. He had no idea how he was going to explain this to his father when he got home. To minimize their losses, they asked Yan Yonghe to help them find a cheaper shop near the county school, and so they ended up renting the wonton shop diagonally across from the Yuye Pavilion.

To save money, they made almost no renovations.

Qian Hong’s leg was still injured, making it difficult for him to walk, so he brought Yan Yongfang from town to take charge of the business.

Yan Yongfang was nine months pregnant and had come to rest at home, but with Qian Hong’s misfortune, she was able to step in.

Compared to the good-for-nothing Qian Hong, both Yan Yonghe and Qian Hong’s father placed far more trust in Yan Yongfang, who had developed several tofu recipes and helped expand the Qian family’s business.

The informant Yan Shaoxuan had hired was a servant at the inn where Qian Hong was staying.

This clerk was a slave the innkeeper had bought from a slave market. He’d once offended one of the inn’s VIP guests and nearly got beaten by the innkeeper, but Yan Shaoxuan couldn’t stand by and watch, so he saved his life.

He had always been grateful for that, so when Yan Shaoxuan asked him to keep an eye on Qian Hong, he took the task very seriously.

He told Yan Shaoxuan everything he knew about what happened after Qian Hong was injured. However, he wasn’t clear on some of the finer details, nor did he know what happened to Qian Hong after he left the inn.

Based on this information, Yan Shaoxuan and Yan Xiaoyu were able to piece together most of the story.

So when Yan Xiaoyu saw the Qian family sign hanging on the shop diagonally across the street that day, he was quite surprised.

On the day the Qian Family Tofu Shop opened, Secretary Fu, the legal advisor, did not come in person but sent a messenger with a congratulatory gift. The local merchants had initially kept a close eye on this newcomer, but when they saw government officials coming to show their support, they realized this shop was no ordinary one.

Yan Yonghe did show up, accompanied by a young woman whom Yan Shaoxuan identified as Secretary Fu’s daughter. Yan Xiaoyu had braced himself for Qian Hong to come looking for trouble, but he’d been surprised that he’d stayed out of the way for several days in a row.

What he didn’t know was that Qian Hong and his wife had already had a heated argument over Qian Hong and Yan Xiaoyu’s competition for the shop. Yan Yongfang wasn’t very pleased with the shop Qian Hong had chosen, and after he explained his reasoning, her expression grew even more sour.

Qian Hong stubbornly retorted, “Weren’t you the one who told me to rent a shop in this neighborhood?”

Yan Yongfang sighed. “Apart from tofu pudding, everything else we sell are tofu ingredients—they’re considered vegetables. The shop should be near a vegetable market, with a larger backyard to facilitate tofu production. I let you choose this neighborhood so we could be close to your older brother and look out for each other. I didn’t tell you to pick a spot next to Yan Xiaoyu so you could steal his shop.”

Qian Hong argued forcefully, “There are plenty of families living in this neighborhood. Don’t they buy vegetables? Why shouldn’t I set up shop here? Yan Xiaoyu’s is the only shop in the back alley with a well. If I don’t take his business, whose should I take?”

The couple argued for a while, but it ended with Yan Yongfang clutching her stomach and saying she wasn’t feeling well, and Qian Hong admitting he was wrong. For several days, things remained peaceful until Yan Xiaobao came over.

The Qian family had gone to great lengths to secure Yan Xiaobao’s release. So when he heard that Qian Hong had been injured, Yan Xingsheng sent his son over to visit his brother-in-law and, while he was at it, with some chores. @Endless great stories, all on Jinjiang Literature City

Yan Xiaobao had been locked up in prison for over half a year and had likely suffered greatly. After his release, he had lost his former plumpness, and his whole demeanor had grown much more sullen.

He used to be quite friendly with Yan Yongfang, but upon meeting again, he was reluctant to speak to him and was actually a bit more cordial toward Qian Hong.

Yan Yongfang was wary of him as well; he avoided involving him in tasks like making tofu or tofu jerky, instead asking him to help with physical labor—grinding beans, carrying water, and the like.

Early one morning, Yan Xiaobao went as usual to the nearby public well to fetch water. As soon as he stepped out the door, he ran into Yan Xiaoyue, Yan Shaocheng, and Yan Xiaoyu.

Yan Xiaoyu had a craving this morning for the mutton flatbread sold outside, so he invited Yan Xiaoyue to go buy some with her. Yan Shaocheng hurriedly tagged along, and on their way back, they happened to pass by the Qian Family Tofu Shop.

“Enemies meet with particular animosity.” Yan Xiaobao felt both hatred and fear upon seeing Yan Xiaoyu, while Yan Xiaoyu unceremoniously rolled his eyes at him right in front of him.

Yan Xiaobao was so furious that he was trembling all over. Yan Yongfang saw this and whispered a warning: “Mind your own business and don’t cause trouble, or I’ll have someone send you home.”

Realizing Yan Xiaobao couldn’t afford to provoke Yan Xiaoyu, he took his anger out on Yan Yingfang instead: “It’s all your fault, my brother-in-law wouldn’t pay the ransom for me! Your in-laws are so rich, yet you’re so stingy you won’t even pay to redeem me?”

Even as she was shoved to the ground, Yan Yongfang still wore an expression of disbelief.

She was well into her pregnancy and couldn’t withstand the shove. When she came to her senses, she felt a wave of heat surge through her body, and the pain made her cry out in shock: “Ah!!” 

Qian Hong, who had been watching the spectacle, was now furious. He immediately stood up and grappled with Yan Xiaobao: “You little beast, how dare you harm my son!”

Yan Xiaoyue, her brother, and Yan Shaocheng never could have imagined this turn of events; all three were stunned.

“My child, my child!” Yan Yongfang, overcome with both pain and fear, clutched her stomach, her face a picture of despair, her pleading gaze unconsciously turning toward Yan Shaocheng.

Qian Hong was still fighting with Yan Xiaobao, while Yan Xiaoyu, furious, shouted, “You idiot! You should be taking your wife to the clinic first!”

Hearing this, Qian Hong regained a shred of his senses. But just as he stood up, Yan Xiaobao landed another punch on him, and instantly, with bloodshot eyes, he was back in a brawl with Yan Xiaobao.

Yan Xiaoyu was both furious and frantic; he wished he could really become the God of Thunder and strike these two bastards with a bolt of lightning.

Qian Hong had set him up time and again; he’d love to see Qian Hong come to a bad end, but not like this—not in this way…

He cursed under his breath, preparing to pick up Yan Yongfang, but someone beat him to it.

Yan Xiaoyue tossed the flatbread she was holding aside and dashed over to Yan Yongfang like a gust of wind. She knelt on one knee, carefully lifted Yan Yongfang into her arms, and took off running toward the clinic.

Yan Yongfang’s blood had stained the hem of her robe red.

Her heart was pounding, yet her face still wore that pitiful expression as she muttered, “It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine. We’ll definitely make it in time. The doctor can save you…”

She didn’t know if she was comforting Yan Yongfang or herself. Yan Yongfang clutched the hem of her robe, tears streaming down her face.

Just moments ago, Yan Yongfang had thought of Yan Shaocheng, of Qian Hong, but she never could have imagined that the one to save her in the end would be Yan Xiaoyue—the girl she had never once looked at properly, her own cousin.

Yan Xiaoyue’s hands were so tense her teeth were chattering, yet her arms held her steady. Yan Yongfang stared blankly at her face for a moment, then pressed her lips together and silently whispered, “Thank you.”

Fortunately, the clinic wasn’t far away, and Yan Xiaoyue walked quickly, arriving in less than fifteen minutes.

The doctor was startled by Yan Yongfang’s condition. “What happened? Did you fall? How could you be so careless with a belly this big?”

Yan Yongfang, her face ashen, explained her situation, then clung to the doctor, pleading through her tears, “Please, help me save my child!” The doctor’s expression grew grave. “Your injuries are quite severe. Fortunately, the baby is nearly full-term, so we can still try to save it.”

Yan Yongfang covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaocheng, having regained their composure, followed closely behind and arrived shortly after them.

Only after the four of them had left did the Qian family’s servants drag Qian Hong and Yan Xiaobao away. Qian Hong, supported by attendants, arrived late; by the time he got there, Yan Yongfang had already…well into her birth.

Hearing that the child still had a chance, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked the clinic’s apprentice to bandage his wound. Yan Xiaoyu had a mouthful of curses on the tip of his tongue, but in the end, he swallowed them.

He couldn’t care less about these people’s business!

Since Yan Xiaoyue refused to leave, Yan Xiaoyu and Yan Shaocheng stayed with her to wait. After waiting for over an hour, Yan Yongfang finally gave birth.

The midwife held the baby out and smiled, offering her congratulations: “Mother and child are both safe and sound. Congratulations on the birth of your daughter, Your Excellency.”

Qian Hong’s expression immediately darkened: “A girl?”

The midwife’s expression froze; she didn’t know whether she should hand the child over or not.

The tiny infant, held by the midwife with no one to take her, looked rather pitiful.

Yan Xiaoyu had been worried that his elder sister might go to receive the baby, but when he saw Yan Xiaoyue looking at him and Yan Shaocheng, he whispered, “Let’s go home.”