The Fierce Farm Girl Has A Secret Space

If, at the beginning, her support for Dong Wenxiu and the others was merely out of a sense of responsibility, now these people had become an indispensable part of her life. They were the driving force behind her struggles in this era. If anything were to happen to them, she would be devastated.

She immediately instructed Shadow Eight and Shadow Nine to keep a close watch on the two of them at all times.

Currently, she couldn't assign someone to protect every family member, so she had to focus on prevention.

Honestly speaking, she still needed more manpower—people highly skilled in martial arts.

"Big Sister-in-law, you can actually ask Eldest Brother for guards to watch the house," Shadow Ten, Zhang Tiankuo, suggested. "There are many retired soldiers in the military. Some of them don't have families; many are homeless. They'd be perfectly capable of working as protectors, and retired soldiers are loyal…"

Yang Ruxin's eyes lit up. "Why didn't I think of that? I'll write him a letter right away…"

In mid-September, the provincial-level exam (Autumn Examination) finally ended. Those scholars were utterly exhausted, with most returning home supported by their families. Some couldn't even hold on and dropped out entirely. Of course, there were a handful of healthy candidates, but even they looked quite disheveled.

This round of the provincial-level exam felt particularly rushed to some people. After all, the county-level exam (Academy Examination) occurs twice every three years, while the provincial-level exam happens only once every three years.

Both Yang Rusong and Guan Qingshu had attained the title of Scholar in last year's qualifying exam, so this year they were eligible to participate in the Autumn Examination, albeit on short notice. Despite this, both went forward to take the test.

Yang Ruxin, however, didn't care in the slightest whether the two passed or not. She wasn't closely connected to them. She was currently fully focused on matters concerning the Xinxin Hotpot Restaurant.

The hotpot restaurant was named "Xinxin Hotpot Restaurant," and its name was personally inscribed by Fang Dehua.

Yuan Mengzhu had consulted an expert to choose a date, which was determined to be October 8th—a day predicted to be blessed with clear skies and smooth outcomes.

Although there were more than twenty days to go before the grand opening, Yang Ruxin wanted to organize a trial tasting event. Naturally, the trial tasting was free.

Of course, not everyone would have the opportunity to enter the hotpot restaurant and enjoy free food. Only those who received invitations would qualify for the trial tasting.

The ones to receive invitations were individuals with some connection to Yang Ruxin or her friends—such as the Fang Family's relatives and acquaintances, or friends and family of someone like Hao Fatty.

The free trial tasting was scheduled to last three days, with the restaurant accommodating only twenty people per day.

On the first day of trial tastings, Fang Dehua's entire family high-profiledly brought along several close friends to sample the food.

Even the county magistrate, who had personally inscribed the restaurant's name, attended and tasted the dishes himself. This immediately solidified the restaurant's strong background in the eyes of the locals. As for the taste? People decided they'd hold off judgment until the official opening when everyone could try it.

Nearly all of the ingredients used in the hotpot restaurant came from Yang Ruxin's space—a secret source she wouldn't reveal. This included items like radishes, cabbages, wheat flour, and rice grains. Even the water used to simmer the soup was drawn from the well in her space. Additionally, every table of guests was served a complimentary fruit platter—made up of space-grown pears and grapes. The flavors were naturally beyond comparison.

Many of the people attending the trial tastings were acquaintances invited by familiar faces, unable to decline out of politeness. For example, among the guests was a man named Li Jing, who was actually an elderly eunuch. He had once served the late emperor but was granted permission to retire from the palace in spring due to his advanced age, allowing him to return home to live out his days.

When the elderly eunuch returned home, Fang Dehua had made a point to visit him out of respect. After all, even though he had left the palace, he still had plenty of influential adopted sons and grandsons within its walls. As a result, local officials had to show deference to him wherever he went.

This time, Fang Dehua specifically asked Yang Ruxin to send him an invitation.