She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 28 proposes reconciliation.

For the next two weeks, Su Yuning was busy preparing pig offal every day, while the eldest son of the Su family carried the food around the streets, hawking it to customers. Their funds gradually increased, and their lives slowly improved.

Su Yuning thought that Young Master Zhao had been back in the city for many days, and it would be time for him to return and reunite with her. As she was thinking this, she suddenly noticed Ye Beichen riding up on horseback, looking travel-worn. Ye Beichen jumped off his horse and went straight to Su Yuning.

"Su Yuning, I miss you so much!"

"Ye Beichen? What brings you here?" Su Yuning asked in an unhappy tone when she saw him frown.

Ye Beichen came to her side, grabbed her hand, and replied with a smile, "Yu Ning, I have good news for you. I fired Nangong Xue'er and I will never have anything to do with her again. I promise to be with you wholeheartedly."

Su Yuning acted nonchalantly, "What does this have to do with me? It's not like I interfered and made you fire her."

At this moment, Ye Beichen was speechless. Remembering that he had brought a gift for Su Yuning, he quickly took it out from his pocket. "This is a lotus hairpin, symbolizing a harmonious and happy life. Here, wear it!"

Su Yuning waved her hands repeatedly in refusal, "No, no, no, this gift is too valuable, I can't accept it."

At this moment, Ye Beichen was a little discouraged. "It seems that you really don't like me at all."

Su Yuning replied somewhat coldly, "We're over. I already have a boyfriend, Zhao Shouyi. Don't bother me anymore."

"Hehe, people change. Do you really think Young Master Zhao is determined to marry no one but you?" Ye Beichen's lips curled into a smug smile, which then vanished into his cold indifference.

"What do you mean by that?" Su Yuning looked at him, feeling that he was trying to sow discord between her and Young Master Zhao.

"After he returned to the city, he got together with Nangong Xue'er." Ye Beichen told her the truth directly.

Su Yuning felt dizzy and fainted instantly.

When she woke up, she was already in the Ni Chang Pavilion, where Ye Beichen quietly guarded her.

"You're awake. Would you like some water?" Ye Beichen asked with concern.

"No need. I'm going to find Young Master Zhao. I need to see him and Nangong Xue'er together with my own eyes so I can let go of everything." Su Yuning replied dejectedly, then turned and walked towards the restaurant without looking back. Ye Beichen was worried about her, afraid that she would faint again from the shock, so he quickly chased after her.

As expected, when Su Yuning entered the restaurant, she saw Nangong Xue'er, dressed as a waitress, flirting with Young Master Zhao.

"Young Master Zhao, why did you ask me to stay?"

"Because you're beautiful and gentle," Young Master Zhao replied, glancing at Su Yuning out of the corner of his eye, feigning deep affection.

"Then, between me and Miss Su, who is prettier?" Nangong Xue'er asked sweetly, holding Zhao Gongzi's hand.

"Of course it's you! Hahaha!" Young Master Zhao answered without hesitation.

Su Yuning was so angry that she almost stumbled and fell.

"Zhao Shouyi, how could you do this? You didn't even say a word before getting together with another woman?"

Upon seeing that it was Su Yuning, Zhao Shouyi did not feel nervous. Instead, he spoke frankly to Su Yuning.

"I'm sorry, we're not a good match. Forcing things won't work; let's just let each other go."

Su Yuning found it utterly absurd. "Why? In what way is she better than me?"

“She’s understanding, gentle and charming. You’re too self-important. Being with you always makes me have to consider your feelings and agree with whatever you say. That kind of relationship is too stifling. I think Nangong Xue’er is more suitable for me,” Young Master Zhao replied.

At this moment, Nangong Xue'er took the initiative to link arms with Young Master Zhao, and said in a sweet and coquettish voice, "We promised to be together for life, so you can't go back on your word~"

Young Master Zhao chuckled softly, "Of course!"

Seeing that her current boyfriend had been snatched away by Nangong Xue'er, Su Yuning ran out crying. At this moment, Ye Beichen also rushed out to comfort her.

The shop's young master Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, this is all I can do to help them. The rest of the journey is up to the two of them. I hope Su Yuning and Ye Beichen can stay together for the rest of their lives."

At this moment, Nangong Xue'er smiled and said, "Yes, that's what I think too. If you can't hold onto the sand, you might as well let it go. Ye Beichen doesn't have me in his heart. If I beg to stay by his side, it will only make him despise me more. Since he likes Su Yuning, I might as well give her up."

Young Master Zhao gently stroked Nangong Xue'er's hair and responded tenderly, "You're right to think that way. Don't waste your time on the wrong relationship. Take advantage of your youth to work hard, and it's not too late to talk about marriage when the right person comes along!"

Nangong Xue'er asked him, "Will you be the right one?"

Young Master Zhao was stunned. He and Nangong Xue'er were only friends, and moreover, he was a prince who would likely have multiple wives and concubines in the future. Therefore, he dared not promise Nangong Xue'er anything about the future and could only give a perfunctory response.

"Let's take it one step at a time. Who knows, maybe we'll develop feelings for each other and spend our lives together."

"That's so perfunctory. Never mind, I'm not going to ask anymore. I'm going to work!" Nangong Xue'er knew that Young Master Zhao wasn't interested in her, so she didn't bother arguing with him.

In the village, the eldest son of the Su family discovered that Su Yuning was missing, and there was a basin full of unwashed pig offal in the kitchen. He had no choice but to search the entire village for her. In the end, he couldn't find Su Yuning, but he ran into the village chief's nephew and had to ask him to teach him how to clean pig offal.

And so, the two young men carried a basin of pig offal to the riverbank. One of them used salt to scrub the pig's small intestines, while the other used flour to scrub the large intestines. The smell was so unpleasant that they had to cover their noses with one hand and work with the other.

The pig offal was washed in the water for almost two hours. The eldest son of the Su family hurriedly inquired...

"Brother, how do you braise pig offal? Can you be my instructor?"

The village chief's nephew spread his hands helplessly and replied, "I'm very sorry, I only know how to clean pig offal, I haven't learned anything else."

"Alright then, you help me carry it back."

"Yeah, sure."

Afterwards, the two young men carried the clean pig offal back to the kitchen, and the village chief's nephew hurried home to gather his tools and go to work in the vegetable garden.

At this point, the eldest son of the Su family placed his hopes on his father, and he took the initiative to ask...

"Dad, you used to be there for my sister when she made braised pork offal, so you must know the steps, right? My little sister has probably gone to the city and won't be back for a while. Why don't you teach me how to make braised pork offal?"

Old Su hesitated, "It's not that I'm unwilling to help you, but I promised Yu Ning that I would never share the recipe. If I help you, wouldn't I be letting my daughter down?"

The eldest son of the Su family was both amused and exasperated. "Father, my younger sister and I are both members of the Su family. My younger sister told me that we shouldn't speak like outsiders when we're family. Why do you have to make such a distinction between insiders and outsiders here?"

After some consideration, Old Su figured that if the pig offal wasn't cooked, it would probably spoil in two days in this hot weather. Rather than wasting the ingredients, he figured he might as well help his son by making the braised offal and selling it. In the end, he nodded and agreed to help.

"Okay, I'll tell you what to do, so don't try to slack off!"

"Yes, yes. I understand, Dad!" The eldest son of the Su family immediately nodded in agreement.

After that, the father and son began to research how to make braised pork offal.

In the city, Su Yuning cried at the Ni Chang Pavilion, and Ye Beichen offered her heartwarming comfort.

"Alright, alright, stop crying. You still have me, right? Out with the old, in with the new. Just think of it as getting to know each other again, and let's make up."

Su Yuning still harbored a thorn in her side, and she couldn't help but give Ye Beichen a thorough dressing-down.

"You're no better. Back then, you were so protective of Nangong Xue'er. What if we reconcile and Nangong Xue'er comes back to you? Will you choose your first love or your current girlfriend then?"

Ye Beichen was both amused and exasperated. "Didn't I already tell you? She and I are just colleagues. We've been separated for many years."

"Then why does she call herself your girlfriend? And why does she tell me that I can just talk to her if I need anything?" Su Yuning kept questioning her.

Ye Beichen quickly explained to her, "It's her one-sided inability to let go of me. I never got back together with her. I asked her to resign this time because I was afraid you would misunderstand. I promise that I will keep my distance from other women and only be good to you and gentle to you."

Su Yuning felt much better now. "Okay then, I promise you we can make up."

"That's a good girl." Ye Beichen was overjoyed and immediately pulled her into his arms.

"Don't look at what you shouldn't see! I don't know anything, I didn't see anything!" Su Muyang, who had unexpectedly barged into the room, quickly covered his eyes with his hands.

The other two quickly dispersed.

Su Yuning asked curiously, "Second Brother, what brings you here?"

Su Muyang chuckled and told them some good news, "Princess Wan'er and I have completed our new home, and we've specially invited you to come and visit it today!"

Su Yuning was overjoyed and asked curiously with wide eyes, "Really? Second Brother, you have a new house? Is the yard big? Does it have a garden? Does it have a rockery and a fish pond?"

Su Muyang blinked and replied mysteriously, "If you want to know what the new house is like, why don't you go and see for yourself?"

When her second brother refused to tell her the answer, Su Yuning got so angry that she punched him twice with her little fists.

At this moment, Ye Beichen politely replied, "Congratulations on moving to your new home, Young Master Su. Yu Ning and I will definitely pay a visit. However, we are not prepared today, so we need to buy some gifts first. It won't be too late to visit tomorrow."

Su Muyang nodded in agreement, "Alright, it's a deal! You two will both go tomorrow, and I'll have Princess Wan'er prepare some good wine and food in advance!"

"It's a deal!" Ye Beichen and Su Yuning agreed in unison.

Afterwards, Su Muyang shared the good news with Young Master Zhao, Boss Lu, Boss Gao, and others. He had originally planned to go back to his hometown to pick up his parents, elder brother, and sister-in-law, but Princess Wan'er kindly reminded him...

“Isn’t my sister-in-law still in her postpartum period? Her family has to take care of her daily needs, and the baby isn’t even a month old yet, so they can’t withstand the bumpy journey. Let’s wait a while before bringing them to the city for a family reunion.”

“My wife is right. Then we won’t go back to inform them.” The second son of the Su family nodded in response.

The village of Xinghua was exceptionally quiet in the afternoon. Some villagers had gone to work in the vegetable gardens of neighboring villages, while others were taking a nap at home.

By this time, the braised pork offal was ready. The eldest son of the Su family left a plate of pig liver and pig lungs for his father's lunch, and also sent two bowls of steaming hot pig stomach soup to his mother and wife. Then, without even having time to eat, he picked up his load and went to the market to set up his stall.

To the surprise of the eldest son of the Su family, two more braised pork offal stalls appeared in the town market. They offered a wider variety of flavors, including spicy, mildly spicy, and original, so their sales were quite good, with people lining up to buy their braised pork offal.

In comparison, the eldest son of the Su family's braised pork was of mediocre quality, offering only one flavor and lacking tables and chairs for customers to dine at.

"Selling braised pork offal! Three coins a bowl! Everyone come and try it!" The eldest son of the Su family shouted as usual, but someone came over and mocked him.

"Is your braised pork offal made of gold? Other places sell it for two coins a bowl, but yours costs three coins. It's too expensive, I can't afford it!"

The eldest son of the Su family retorted defiantly, "My family's braised pork is the most authentic. Not only do people in town love to eat it, but people from all around also love to eat it. You get what you pay for, and there's a reason why it's expensive!"

Then the person came over to try it and found that the taste was indeed better than other braised pork dishes, so he was willing to spend more money to eat his braised pork dishes.

Since the business opened, people have been steadily buying braised pork offal, many of them repeat customers. This made the other two vendors a little anxious; they came to confront the eldest son of the Su family.

"Hey! Why do you have to do business here of all places? Are you trying to steal our business?"

The eldest son of the Su family was an honest man. He answered truthfully, "This street doesn't belong to you. If you can set up stalls and do business, why can't I? I'm going to set up my stall here today until I sell out all the braised pork!"

This angered two of their competitors, who were ready to take action against the eldest son of the Su family. Fortunately, Zhou Xi and his younger brother were at the market selling their game, and Zhou Dong came to protect the eldest son. Zhou Xi even boasted...

"If you dare to bully honest business people, we'll report you to the authorities and see what you do then!" This scared the two stall owners away.

"Thanks to you guys for running into me today, otherwise I would have gotten a beating. I'm so grateful, I'll treat you to dinner later!" the eldest son of the Su family replied gratefully.

"Great idea! We'll help you sell the braised pork offal, and you'll treat us to steamed buns after you've sold it all!" Zhou Dong suggested with a grin.

"No problem!" The eldest son of the Su family readily nodded in agreement.

With the help of the Zhou siblings, all the braised pork was sold out in less than an hour, so the three of them went to the steamed bun stall next door to buy steamed buns to eat.

Zhou Xi asked curiously, "Didn't Su Yuning used to come to set up a stall? Why isn't she here today?"

The eldest son of the Su family replied, "She's not home, she's most likely out shopping in the city. If she were here, I wouldn't have to be busy making braised pork offal all by myself and having to set up a stall."

"Wow, Brother Su is so amazing! He can even make braised pork offal, that's incredible!" Zhou Dong exclaimed in surprise, giving him a thumbs up.

"Keep it low-key, I'm just learning how to do it," the eldest son of the Su family replied with a smile.

"I've already given Young Master Zhao to Su Yuning, she won't be angry this time, will she?" Zhou Xi asked curiously.

The eldest son of the Su family replied, "Don't worry, my little sister isn't the kind of person who holds grudges. She still considers you all her friends. Go visit her whenever you have time."

"That's good! That's fine," Zhou Xi replied with a smile.

"You are Su Yuning's good friends, which means you are my friends too. Next month, my child will have his one-month celebration. Please come to my house for the celebratory banquet!" Su's eldest son warmly invited.

The Zhou siblings exchanged a glance, and Zhou Xi replied embarrassedly, "My family is just an ordinary family, and we don't have any decent gifts to offer. I hope my older brother won't look down on us?"

"No, your presence is the best congratulations we can offer," the eldest son of the Su family replied with a hearty laugh.

Since the Zhou siblings had sold all their game, they returned to the village together.

On the way, the eldest son of the Su family instructed them, "Please, you two must not tell anyone about what happened today."

"Why?" Zhou Dong asked.

The eldest son of the Su family responded with embarrassment, "If my family finds out, they will definitely worry. But this is a time when the family needs money, and as the pillar of the family, I have no choice but to bite the bullet and do it."

"Alright then, we'll keep it a secret. Brother Su, you must take good care of yourself," Zhou Xi kindly reminded him.

"Okay, don't worry, I will." The eldest son of the Su family nodded in agreement, then waved goodbye to them at the village entrance and quickly carried his load home.