161 Qiao Xuan's Use
The Xie Family was going to use the Chinese fleeceflower root to put in the medicine for Madame Xie. Money was never going to be enough to pay back this favor.
That was why Xie Jingrong offered something else. He could tell that the couple did not lack money, or at least, they were not worried about wealth.
Shao Yunduan was the Cultivated Talent and he was going to participate in the examination next year, maybe he could go further than that.
At that time, he probably would need the Xie Family's help.
The Xie Family would be willing to give him a hand, as long as it was legal.
That was why he gave them the jade, which was precisely what Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan needed more than anything else.
If it had been a hunter who delivered the Chinese fleeceflower root, he would have offered him the money.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan were glad. The Xie Family was a noble family and Young Master Xie knew exactly what they needed.
"Thanks!" Shao Yunduan accepted the gift generously.
He did not need it, but Qiao Xuan definitely wanted it.
If Officer Qiao and the whole family were to treat her badly in the future, Shao Yunduan would definitely make use of this jade.
Officer Qiao was a clever man, and he would never expect that a concubine's daughter could ever make the Xie Family help her.
Xie Jingrong exchanged a few polite words and developed some good feelings towards Shao Yunduan.
He really liked people such as him, who were sharp and direct.
Yuezheng Xiao smiled. "Now that the goal is achieved, we are relieved! I will treat you both for lunch today!"
Xie Jingrong nodded alongside.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan did not turn them down. Qiao Xuan had the intention of befriending them, whilst Shao Yunduan had no intention of cutting off the relationship, so the couple accepted the invite graciously.
The four of them ate lunch at Restaurant Yanhe before Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan left.
During lunchtime, Qiao Xuan reached an agreement with Yuezheng Xiao, telling him to wait for a little longer, since she had a commodity to show him. She wondered if he was interested.
Yuezheng Xiao was very interested and accepted the proposal directly.
When they went home, Shao Yunduan gave the brocade box to Qiao Xuan. "You can keep it."
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Really, for me? I think that you need it more than I do. I trust that you can become a Recommended Man, what if you get bullied? You can keep the jade. This can ensure that everything goes fairly in the future."
Shao Yunduan felt his heart become warm. He smiled gently. "No one would dare to do anything about the village examination, and I barely go out or have any conflict with anyone. You keep it, so you don't have to be at the mercy of Madame Qiao and her daughter."
Qiao Xuan accepted the brocade box after hearing that.
"Okay, I will keep it, and we will use it when needed!"
Shao Yunduan felt really comfortable when he heard her saying 'we'. He nodded with a smile. "Okay!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "I will stop here. I need to do some work. You should get back to your studies! I am going to make the commodity and show it to Young Master Yuezheng. If he likes it, we will have another way of making money!"
The more money they had, the wider the road would be, and the stronger they would become as well. In this way, she would be able to get rid of the Qiao Family permanently.
Also, she was going to live more happily as well!
162 Lipsticks
Shao Yunduan smiled. "Okay, go ahead!"
He had no idea what other strange thing she was going to work upon.
Shao Yunduan was confused. Exactly how many strange books had she read?
Qiao Xuan was about to say something when she ended up smiling. "Then, I will be off now!"
Saying so, she ran away.
She had no time to waste. There was only half a day left.
Qiao Xuan asked Shao Taotao to give her a hand. Shao Xiaoqi joined them too, when he saw them in a frenzy.
The three of them came to the floral field, and plucked pink roses.
There were three colors of roses, pink, rosy and orange.
Qiao Xuan had used her superpower secretly, so the flowers bloomed and the fragrance became stronger.
It was the flourishing time for the roses in May.
Qiao Xuan had tried to keep control of the growth, yet she could not control nature's vitality too much. Moreover, she needed to get down to making lipsticks as soon as possible.
If she used her superpower, the roses would keep blooming until the end of June.
Apart from these, there were China roses which bloomed throughout the year.
Soon, they would also witness pomegranate flowers.
Those were enough for her to make lipsticks.
It was very easy to pick flowers, and the brother and sister soon had a basket filled with flowers.
They poured the flowers into the basket next to Qiao Xuan before going back to pick some more.
Qiao Xuan grabbed all the petals and put them into another basket.
Then she put the petals into jars one handful after another, grinding them.
The juice was extracted, filtered and mixed with the beeswax in a jar, whilst some almond powder bought from the pharmacy as well as some seed-oil which had been laced with her superpower was put inside. She stirred it smoothly!
Then she poured the liquid into a mode, and smoothed away the top. After that, she carefully put the whole thing into the lipstick tube, and zipped up the opening. With that, one lipstick was done.
Qiao Xuan had the itch of using that lipstick immediately. It looked smooth and bright, fresh and tender, giving out the fragrance of roses.
Perfect!
It took almost two hours before the whole thing was done. It was evening when the first batch was finished.
In the end, they had 12 tubes of lipsticks.
They all had the same color, a beautiful, deep pink shade!
She was going to fetch red roses, and deep red-colored China roses as well as orange-color roses for another batch respectively. With that, all the samples would be done.
She was going to mix the color so different shades of lipsticks could be made.
And she could even make use of different kinds of mountain flowers, wild flowers growing in different seasons for all kinds of lipsticks.
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao were confused when they saw the strange thing that their adorable Fifth Sister-in-law had made.
"Fifth Sister-in-law, what is it? Is it for fun?"
Shao Xiaoqi asked after some time.
It was not food, apparently, but was it a toy? How could it be a toy?
Shao Xiaoqi really could not fathom what it was…
Shao Taotao blinked in confusion as well.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "That is called lipstick! Same as a blusher but for lips!"
Shao Xiaoqi was still confused, but Shao Taotao's eyes brightened. Ah ha! She finally realized what it was.
"Fifth Sister-in-law, is it for lips? It looks so good, beautiful and convenient!"
Shao Taotao cheered excitedly!
163 Achievements
No girl could resist such a novel thing!
Shao Taotao's eyes sparkled, as she looked at the lipsticks in Qiao Xuan's hands. She could not help but feel excited.
Her eyes were conveying only one thing – she really wanted to try it!
"Taotao is right!" Qiao Xuan said, "We can make some more these days. Taotao, I will give you one of each color, as well as 40 wen a day for all your hard work!"
"Thank you, Fifth Sister-in-law!" Shao Taotao cheered. "I don't need a salary, these lipsticks will be enough for me!"
She had hoped to get only one, because she knew that lipstick would be expensive and it would be sold for money.
But she did not dare to say a thing.
She would like one in each color, because the lipsticks looked really beautiful!
"You are working for me, so you should be given a salary. My sister-in-law should be dressed pretty and wear beautiful makeup!"
Qiao Xuan laughed.
Shao Taotao flushed out of shame. "You are laughing at me!"
"No, no I am not, you are very beautiful and the lipstick will make you look even more so!"
The two girls were talking happily among themselves, but Shao Xiaoqi was still confused.
After a long while, he found himself remarking. "So… this lipstick is to dab the lips, but that would make people look like monsters!"
Shao Xiaoqi could not understand the concept of lipstick!
"What do you mean? You know nothing!" Shao Taotao glared at him. "Lipsticks work better than lip flushers! It is a very good thing!"
Shao Taotao looked obsessed. "Fifth Sister-in-law, you are so clever, and so capable!"
Shao Xiaoqi. "…"
He scratched his head, not daring to say anything that might make his sister displeased.
But could these lipsticks really make money? He was very confused.
However, he was even less sure when he saw how excited his sister and Fifth Sister-in-law were looking.
In one word, women were so strange…
The following day, Qiao Xuan, Shao Taotao, Shao Xiaoqi and Ms. Xu started to work in the floral field early in the morning.
They were loaded with a lot of work. They had to make rosy, dark red and orange colored lipsticks within the day.
The three of them were responsible for picking petals, cleaning, and grinding. Shao Taotao was a fast learner, so Qiao Xuan even let her filter the juice, whilst Qiao Xuan was engaged in other processes.
Qiao Xuan was thinking about buying some more things when she had more money, since grinding petals was a very difficult task. She wanted to get three jade-like small grinders to grind the petals, which should be easier than grinding by hand.
They needed to improvise other tools as well…
At the end of the day, everything was coming together nicely!
They not only had lipsticks, but Qiao Xuan even made two lip balms with mint and gardenia flavor. It was a cream with light green and yellow color, very good for moisturizing the lips.
Shao Taotao loved all of them. Her eyes were sparkling when she saw the lipsticks. Ms. Xu's eyes were sparkling too, but she was trying to press down the eagerness.
She could not afford to use such a thing, and would feel embarrassed, if she applied it.
She could ask the Fifth Sister-in-law for one lipstick and put it on in her room. The lip balm was also enticing, which should be good to put on since it was transparent.
Qiao Xuan was quite generous. She gave each of them one lipstick of every kind. Shao Taotao cheerfully accepted them with gratitude.
164 Ms. Fang's Intention
Ms. Xu, who did not have the courage to accept it, heard Qiao Xuan's smiling voice. "Just take it, Elder Sister-in-law. Lip balm can be used every day, it is colorless. You can also put on lipsticks to make yourself look much more attractive. You can even give it to someone else as a present. I will go into town and visit the flusher's store so I can buy some skin cream for you, which together with a lipstick, will make you look much healthier!"
Motivated, Ms. Xu thought about giving one to her own sister and sister-in-law. It would be a very practical thing to add to her face. So, she thanked her and accepted the gifts with a smile.
When they came home from the floral field, they ran into Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma who were still pestering the family about the spring plowing.
The two women were so angry but could not say a thing. They tried to reason with Ms. Fang.
Ms. Fang looked calm and replied the same thing over and over again. "We have drawn contracts, you don't need to worry about anything. I will take the responsibility if your fields are ruined…"
That made Ms. Niu and Ms. Ma even more annoyed.
It was the spring plowing! What if the plow is postponed and they had nothing to harvest before autumn? They would have to starve! Of course, they were really anxious.
What was Ms. Fang planning!
Seeing their anxious look, Ms. Fang felt really glad within her heart.
She was going to make them become even more anxious, so they would have no heart to eat or sleep!
Seeing Qiao Xuan return, Ms. Ma could not help but throw her temper at her. "What are you doing outside every day? No daughter-in-law should behave like this! You are so ill-mannered."
Qiao Xuan chuckled and blinked. "Third Aunt-in-law, my mother-in-law approves of my idling outside. She loves me!"
Ms. Fang sneered and snorted. "Yes, I love to see my daughters-in-law having fun and they can do whatever they want! I am quite satisfied with them. They are so kind and well-behaved!"
Ms. Ma was so irritated that she was speechless.
Ms. Fang was being so arrogant because she had a good daughter-in-law!
Well, it seemed that a rich, good daughter-in-law could make people arrogant.
That made her feel even worse.
Without the intention of speaking with them any more, Ms. Fang said impatiently, "You can go home now. I have already promised you. What are you afraid of, do you not trust me?"
Ms. Niu forced a smile. "That is not true…"
"Well, okay then!"
Ms. Niu. "…"
"We will wait until you fulfill your promise. You won't starve us, right? Otherwise, we will have to come to your home to eat."
Ms. Fang laughed. "Are you still asking again when you know about this already?"
Ms. Niu. "…"
Ms. Fang added. "But you are wrong. I have only taken responsibility for your rakes, not anything else. Don't come to me no matter whether you have food to eat. You can't keep taking advantage of us all the time!"
Ms. Niu was stuck in words!
When the two women left, Qiao Xuan told Ms. Fang about lipsticks. Ms. Fang did not have much knowledge of it except that it did look exquisite and made her speak highly of it.
"It is going to sell well, right!"
Qiao Xuan nodded. "Definitely!"
Cheerfully, Ms. Fang said, "Okay, okay, only you are able to come up with an idea like this. Keep the money well, and don't tell anyone…"
"Of course, Mom!"
Ms. Fang smiled and stressed that to Ms. Xu, who promised her as well. She was not going to counter her mother-in-law!
165 Bad For Money
Although she was very jealous of her fifth sister-in-law who kept making a lot of money, she knew pretty well that she was not capable enough to do the same all by herself.
Therefore, she was envious, yet happy in the present situation.
After all, when Fifth Sister-in-law made a fortune, she was benefiting from it too.
Moreover, Fifth Sister-in-law had told her that there would be numerous tasks for them to do in future, and she would be paid for all the work, like the 40 wen she received today. She gave 20 wen to the shared savings, and the remaining 20 wen was left for her.
Qiao Xuan was cooking dinner tonight as a celebration of what they had achieved in the daytime.
They still had one duck remaining at home.
They bought two ducks a couple of days ago, one for the Dragon Boat Festival, and the other one was kept for this day.
The duck meat was minced, and the garlic sprouts and green peppers were chopped. The peanuts in the rice pot were fried until they became crispy. Then the peanuts were smashed and stir-fried together with the rest. Some steamed buns were also made which could be eaten with the fried duck meat.
The others were cut into slices and stewed with the sun dried bamboo shoots for soup.
They scooped out two carps from the tank in the backyard, and fried them on two sides. They added clear water, chopped pickles and cooked it with dried chilis.
Another fat catfish was taken and stewed with fresh eggplants. The catfish was fat but not greasy, and the eggplants had a strong fragrance. The two dishes complemented each other.
Then, a plate of dry beans and a plate of cold garlic lettuce were made alongside, which was good with the meat.
Whenever Qiao Xuan was cooking, everyone in the family was so glad, especially Shao Junyan and Shao Qing, who had no idea what was being cooked yet they knew that their fifth sister-in-law was making good things.
Seeing the fish and meat served on the table, Eldest Uncle was really concerned about the spending. The fish was alright, but what about the duck? How could they kill ducks when it was not festival time?
They were villagers! They should not live like this!
The money could not be used to live such a spoilt life!
But he said nothing when he looked at Qiao Xuan. She had always said that she bought these with her dowry, and there was no way for him to counter it.
Therefore, he could only eat the food and feel guilty for his brothers.
The following day, Qiao Xuan asked Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao to accompany her to the town. She did not want Shao Yunduan to come along.
Shao Yunduan's main mission was to study, and he could not possibly travel with her all the time.
Also, he did not have to go along this time. She had told Yuezheng Xiao that she would bring the lipsticks to him, that was all.
She was determined that Shao Yunduan had to agree to her proposal.
He kept reminding her to conceal her face so the Qiao Family would not notice her.
The three of them entered the town and went to the hotel.
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao had never met such handsome and noble-looking young masters so they felt a bit restrained. They were both dumbfounded.
Qiao Xuan stabilized them.
She needed their help in the future, and needed to bring them along to experience the world so that they could gradually get better.
It was normal for village people to meet city noble young masters and react like this for the first time.
If she needed to broaden their horizons, she would need them to move around more often.
"What have you brought for me, Mrs. Shao, let me have a look!" Yuezheng Xiao said happily.
He was very curious!
Second Miss of the Qiao Family was a lot of fun!
Xie Jingrong was present there as well. He was curious too, but he was not as unrestrained as Yuezheng Xiao.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "I only bring good things to you, Young Master Yuezheng!"
166 Yuezheng Xiao's Appearance
She opened a long, rectangular box…
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong turned to look at it subconsciously.
"What is it?"
It was a white porcelain tube depicting various flower patterns in the size and length of a finger.
What was this? Yuezheng Xiao was a well-informed person but he was very confused at the moment.
Xie Jingrong blinked and was confused too.
Qiao Xuan smiled and took out one lipstick. She removed the lid, and twisted the tube. A rose colored, creamy-looking stick came out of the tube gradually.
The top of the cream was smooth and gentle, looking very beautiful.
"What is this?"
"Something I made, I call it lipstick!" Qiao Xuan smiled and explained. "Something like a lip flusher, but much more handy. Qi, come here."
Qiao Xuan summoned Shao Xiaoqi, who came to her with a nod.
She had a husband and Taotao was also a maiden, so she could not possibly show her hand generously to other men. It would make her look less virtuous.
So, Qi had to do that work.
Qiao Xuan pulled Shao Xiaoqi's hand. She told him to make a fist and pasted it over the back of his hand. A touch of shining rose color could be seen.
"Look at this, Young Master Yuezheng, isn't it convenient? I have other various colors apart from this. Also, don't worry, all the materials used in this are safe. They can be put on without any concern."
"This is so wonderful! It is great!" Yuezheng Xiao was born in a business family which did not deal with cosmetics, but he could tell that the goods in front of him were going to be really popular! His eyes sparkled, and he got excited.
He could imagine that once this thing called lipstick was put out in the market in the city, it would draw the attention of many noble ladies, madames and girls!
This looked much better than lip flushers! No one would want to use lip flushers when they had a tube of this.
Yuezheng Xiao was a straightforward person, so he said to Qiao Xuan, "Mrs. Shao, I will take all of your lipsticks. Give me as many as you have currently. We can also sign a contract where I want you to supply your lipsticks just to me! Don't worry, I will give you the best price. You will not be tricked, I promise!"
Qiao Xuan had been thinking that he would be interested in lipsticks, but she had not expected that the deal would be signed so smoothly!
But this was exactly what she was looking for!
Qiao Xuan had been thinking about the buyer after she decided to make lipsticks.
She was not going to expose herself, for sure.
It wasn't easy to find a buyer, because that person had to exceed her father's position. The person also needed to be straightforward, honest, and open-minded about using all kinds of channels.
Yuezheng Xiao's appearance solved her problem!
First of all, this man did not think highly of her father, which was what pleased her a lot.
Moreover, Qiao Xuan more or less understood his personality, for example, he never looked down at her or Shao Yunduan, and treated them equally and politely. Also, on the day when they were seeking shelter from the farmer's family, he even accepted the ginger soup from that farmer's wife politely and expressed his gratitude to her.
Not every rich man would be as well-mannered as him.
Since he did not need to pretend to be this polite, it showed that his behavior was real
Then, it came to Chinese fleeceflower root.
A Chinese fleeceflower root over 500 years old was so rare that he only spoke highly of it, rather than showing any greed.
167 Straightforward People
Qiao Xuan believed that no one was better suited than him as her collaborative partner.
Since he was being straightforward, Qiao Xuan was going to be the same too.
She said with a smile, "Okay! I don't have sales channels, and I want to work with Young Master Yuezheng as well. I just have one condition that you should never tell anyone that I am your supplier, especially not my father and my lineal mother!"
Yuezheng Xiao nodded in agreement. He had already noticed that she did not have a good relationship with her lineal mother and sister.
He checked lipsticks of other colors as well as the lip balm which could be used by everyone. He was very surprised.
Qiao Xuan smiled and took out two smaller brocade boxes, each of which held two lip balms and gave them to Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong. "These are just small things, don't dislike them!"
Yuezheng Xiao laughed and accepted the box, as Xie Jingrong lowered his head and expressed his gratitude.
Both sides included straightforward people, and that made the deal go smoothly.
Soon they came to an agreement. Yuezheng Xiao would supply them with the lipsticks tubes, and would also provide porcelain, jade, crystal for the tubes so that they could look better.
He was also going to hire some designers to make the patterns on the lipstick tubes.
Qiao Xuan could not ask for anything more.
She told him to build some tools, which Yuezheng Xiao accepted directly. He did not intend to charge her for any of this.
Yuezheng Xiao paid 2 liang for one lipstick to Qiao Xuan, but the price was going to be kept fluid in the future. It would change according to the market, and could be adjusted every half a year.
Qiao Xuan had no objection, because all these conditions were very good for her.
Qiao Xuan expressed her gratitude for the pricing of 2 liang per lipstick.
Lipsticks were handy compared to the lip blushers, but they were not very precious. They were just novel items!
Therefore, the pricing had to be reasonable.
Also, Qiao Xuan did not spend much on making these lipsticks. She used her own flowers and beeswax. The labor fee was the biggest expense but 2 liang for one lipstick was already well enough in her budget.
Yuezheng Xiao would sell each lipstick for 4 or 5 liang. Moreover, he would raise the price of the lipsticks when they were sold in the capital or flourishing cities in the south.
But he also needed to make an account of the cost he was going to spend on the process.
At the moment, this was the most suitable way for Qiao Xuan to earn money.
Since the deal had been made, they signed the contract directly and came to an agreement regarding the delivery time of the first batch of goods.
Qiao Xuan had 50 lipsticks and lip balms in four colors this time. She gave them all to Yuezheng Xiao as gifts.
She was giving them full-heartedly for the purpose of marketing. These things were expensive for others, but for her, she had not really spent any money on them.
It was a good way for her to obtain the favor of Yuezheng Xiao and the Yuezheng Family.
She intended to have a long-lasting business with the Yuezheng Family, since he had a huge supply channel!
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong were startled by her generosity.
These boxes were worth 100 liang! Even in the noble family, 100 liang was not a small figure, and noble young masters with a relatively ordinary position in the family would only have 10 or 20 liang every month.
For farmers, 100 liang was not a small figure.
Qiao Xuan gave it out just like that?
They could see that she was not being polite on the surface.
Yuezheng Xiao could not help but admire the generosity of this lady. He felt lucky inside his heart, and whispered to himself that Mrs. Shao was a good business partner that one would not find so easily.
168 Nice To Fifth Sister-in-law
Yuezheng Xiao did not want to take advantage of Qiao Xuan.
In the end, Qiao Xuan accepted 50 liang, half for each box, showing sincerity to both sides.
Yuezheng Xiao could not help but smile. "Oh right, Mrs. Shao, if you have other proposals, please consider me as your business partner first. I promise that you will never be tricked or treated unfairly."
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Great, Young Master Yuezheng, I don't have any other business partner, apart from you. I can't just establish business relationships with anyone easily!"
Yuezheng Xiao laughed. "That is true!"
He said that he would visit her home someday, and Qiao Xuan agreed readily.
There was nothing interesting around Shading Village, and he would naturally not come over. Qiao Xuan thought that it was just polite words, so she just said yes.
Without Shao Yunduan around, Yuezheng Xiao did not ask Qiao Xuan to stay for lunch. So Qiao Xuan left with Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao soon afterwards.
The brother and sister were still in shock.
Shao Taotao was especially in a daze. After a while, she mustered her courage and said to Qiao Xuan, "Fifth Sister-in-law, when I reach home, I will return the lipsticks and lip balms to you. I will keep the used ones, because I never knew it would be so valuable, otherwise…"
Otherwise, she would not have taken in so many of them!
Two liang for one! Not 2 qian or 20 wen, it was for 2 liang!
"Just keep them!" Qiao Xuan interrupted her before she finished her words. She smiled as she took her hands. "It is not expensive for us. Also, we have plenty of money right now, already, don't we?"
"But…"
"We can make them easily. If you like them, just keep them, no worries!"
Shao Taotao thought for a while and believed that she was right. She really loved those lipsticks, and did not want to give them back. She smiled bashfully. "Then, I will keep them. Thank you, Fifth Sister-in-law!"
Shao Taotao was so moved. Fifth Sister-in-law was wealthy and capable of making money, and was even paying her own family for all the work, which was already quite rare.
Moreover, she gave out such valuable things without hesitation.
She did not think that their elder sister-in-law would do the same.
So, she was going to be very kind to her fifth sister-in-law…
Qiao Xuan smiled. "You can tell Mom about this matter, but not others, alright? We have many opportunities to make money, and you may be in charge of making the lipsticks. I will teach you, and you should focus and learn properly…"
Hearing Qiao Xuan's words, Shao Taotao was shocked.
Shao Xiaoqi was shocked too.
"But, Fifth Sister-in-law, that is your money making idea. How can you teach me the method?"
Shao Taotao panicked.
Shao Xiaoqi nodded too. Honestly, craftsmen only passed on skills through generations, and even if they needed disciples, the disciples would need to work for years as slaves before being able to get the real knowledge.
More so, the master would never give out the knowledge unless he was satisfied with the disciples.
But Fifth Sister-in-law was ready to pass on the knowledge so casually!
Qiao Xuan was not dominated by the values and ideas in this era, and she laughed. "Of course I am passing it on to you. I would be very grateful if you could help me in doing this business!"
169 County Magistrate Qiao Shocked
The brother and sister were shocked…
Shao Taotao became excited. "Fifth Sister-in-law, I will definitely try my best, and I will never pass the secret out to anyone else, I promise!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Okay! I believe you!"
Overjoyed, Shao Taotao was immediately filled with strength and confidence.
It was like a dream! She had never expected that she would experience such an opportunity one day like this.
No wonder their mother called Fifth Sister-in-law the lucky star of the family. She deserved the title!
When such a big deal was done, and money was earned, they decided to hold a good celebration for dinner.
Qiao Xuan bought some pork. When she saw the liver and kidneys, she started to drool for them and took some home as well.
Then she bought a lot of ingredients for making braised vegetables, such as large and small fennel, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, licorice, dried tangerine peel, etc. This was to be boiled in the brine to make a pot of braised vegetables.
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao were both excited again. "The Fifth Sister-in-law is going to make delicious food to eat!"
While Qiao Xuan and others arrived home, Xie Jingrong told his servant to inform County Magistrate Qiao that he was leaving the following day.
He was here to seek a Chinese fleeceflower root. Now that he had managed to get it, it was time for them to go home.
His grandma was waiting for the plant to add to the medicine.
County Magistrate Qiao had received him well before. Out of politeness, he should inform the official about his departure.
Yuezheng Xiao decided to hurry home too. He needed to start the business of lipsticks.
He intended to make it a part of his private business. He did not intend to share it with his family.
His family was not at peace…
When County Magistrate Qiao heard the message, he was shocked.
He was leaving already?
He and Strategist Lu had a discussion about who came to the hostel for a visit.
Strategist Lu asked implicitly why Xie Jingrong was leaving so suddenly.
Wasn't he here to find a 500 years old Chinese fleeceflower root?
Xie Jingrong decided not to conceal the truth. He smiled. "I am lucky to have found the requisite plant, so it is time for me to go home."
Strategist Lu was shocked…
"You are… indeed lucky! But where did you get the Chinese fleeceflower root? I mean… there are many tricky farmers here in the mountains, and I am worried that you may have been tricked! Our Old Master is the officer here, and if he can help you check it out… maybe its authenticity could be checked. What do you think, Young Master Xie?"
Strategist Lu was indeed a loyal servant of Officer Qiao. He was very devoted and always tried his best to help his master.
He could even find an opportunity to help his officer on such an occasion.
But he didn't stop to consider that Xie Jingrong, the lineal, eldest grandchild of the Xie Family, was well-educated despite the fact that he had never taken the imperial examination. A strategist like him could never trick a talent like him!
If he was so stupid, how could the Xie Family have allowed him to go out alone? The Xie Family would be worried about the trouble that might be brought about.
Xie Jingrong had seen through Strategist Lu's plan. Officer Qiao was trying to make the Xie Family owe him a favor.
How shameless that man was!
How could Second Miss have a father like him?
"No thanks." Xie Jingrong replied briefly.
He did not even want to speak another word with Strategist Lu and asked his servant to see him off.
170 Shameless
Strategist Lu found him absent-minded and realized that he was trying to turn him down. He did not dare to make a scene in front of him. He pretended to put on a smile and left.
He hurried back to the governmental office and passed on the message to Officer Qiao.
Officer Qiao was disappointed and also a little anxious.
The Xie Family was a first-class family, and when he saw such a great opportunity slipping away in front of him, he felt heart-broken.
Officer Qiao went to Madame Qiao and asked her for an idea.
His wife was a good helper. She has come up with many good ideas during these years.
He was so anxious that he went to ask her what opinion she had.
Madame Qiao found it a waste too!
"Young Master Xie is so lucky! How can he get a Chinese fleeceflower root over 500 years old so fast? Which unruly man got it for him? He should have passed the message to you first when he found a great thing like this."
"We must find out who that person is and punish him!"
"Also, Young Master Xie got that precious thing here in the county, and you are the officer, he should thank you too!"
Madame Qiao sounded so shameless when she said this.
Officer Qiao was the officer of the county, but he was not a man with endowment. Why must he examine everything that was discovered out of the land? But an ambitious man like him did not find anything wrong about it. He agreed with his wife totally.
"What can we do?"
Madame Qiao thought for a while and said, "Old Master, don't we have a Chinese fleeceflower root under 100 years old? We can give it to Young Master Xie tomorrow when they leave. It could be given as a farewell gift we are presenting, correct?"
They did obtain a Chinese fleeceflower root, which was huge. So he asked someone to confirm the age which was between 50 to 100 years old.
Officer Qiao kept the plant and decided to have this delivered, if he truly could not find the right one.
Madame Qiao's words motivated him. Yes, they could just give a present, no matter what. Young Master Xie would be forced to treat it as a favor.
If that young man asked for confirmation from others, he could just get someone to tell him that it was over 200 years old, which was precious enough!
Young Master Xie would owe him big, when he had such a precious thing delivered to him.
He would definitely accept the present when he presented it the next day. Young Master Xie would have no time to turn it down.
Officer Qiao found this idea to have merit. He greeted his wife and said, "This is good. My darling, you have come up with such a great idea!"
Madame Qiao was proud too. "Women should treat their husbands well. I am doing this for you, Old Master, you are the supporter of the family!"
She took this opportunity and begged for mercy on behalf of Qiao Wei.
"Wei is simply spoiled. She was annoyed with Xuan, otherwise she would not have done that. Now she has admitted her mistake. Please, don't ground her for any longer."
171 Dirty Shoes
"Old Master, don't worry, I will definitely discipline her and she won't mess around any more."
Officer Qiao could not help but frown when he heard about Qiao Xuan.
He said disdainfully, "The Second Miss is so useless. She won't achieve anything in her life! I can just give her up but Wei is different. She is going to marry someone good in the capital, and she has to learn to behave well. Otherwise she will cause a lot of trouble in the capital. You have to learn how to rectify her temper properly…"
Hearing what he said, Madame Qiao was feeling both glad and proud. She had been making plans for years and Qiao Xuan was now nothing in her husband's eyes.
Well, that bitch was really nothing. She was not even good enough to hold Wei's shoes!
"Old Master is right! I have not been cautious enough. I thought that a maid could do whatever she wants when she is at her own home and that she will behave well when she is married. That is why I decided to spoil her a little. You are the one who treats Wei the best!"
"Don't worry, Old Master, I will pass on your message to Wei. She will definitely understand your intention and a kind girl like her would surely correct her mistakes."
As for Qiao Xuan? Madame Qiao said nothing more.
There was no need to mention her at all.
In her eyes, she was just a weed that would stain her shoes, after stepping on her.
Officer Qiao was gratified. He sorted his beard and nodded. "That is right!"
In the first section of the Shao Family at the village.
The Chinese Mesona picked from the day before was already planted in the floral corner of the field. Qiao Xuan decided to make a meal to bring in the taste.
That thing was very easy to make. The leaves were mashed, a double layer of cotton gauze was used to wrap it, and then it was rubbed in the basin with cold water.
After rubbing and filtering twice, it would sit there for a couple of days.
She also got a huge amount of mint leaves from Shao Taotao, who minced it so as to extract some juice from it. She made a huge bowl of brown sugar and added some honey into the bowl.
When the jelly was made, she carefully added one spoonful to the bowl, mixed it and added some brown-sugar water, some mint juice and served it to everyone.
Shao Taotao was instantly attracted to the jelly-like texture, smooth and sweet.
"This is called jelly! So tasty, better than the pastry bought in the town!"
"Fifth Sister-in-law, can we sell this too? There are still many Chinese Mesona in the mountains. We can use them!"
"Yes, we can try that!"
"Yeah, it is so tasty!"
"…"
Ms. Fang was astonished as well. She ate one bowl and praised Qiao Xuan.
"You are really clever to find such a wonderful trick. It is a good snack during summer!"
Ms. Fang did not care if they had to use some sugar in it.
Qiao Xuan served a bowl to Shao Yunduan who was busy studying at home. She blinked and asked for praise. "What do you think?"
Shao Yunduan took one bite and the sweetness went straight into his heart. He nodded. "It is so tasty, no one else would be able to think of how to make something like this!"
"That is right!" Qiao Xuan was satisfied and proud too. "Let me think more about this. Maybe, we can add more ingredients for better taste."
Mint and sugar were the fundamental things for jelly. Some other spices, like raisins, chopped walnuts, almonds, shredded hawthorn, sweet red bean paste, milk, juice, chopped fresh fruits could also be added alongside.
Shao Yunduan smiled. "You will definitely figure it out!"
172 The Most Steady Protection
Qiao Xuan was even more pleased. She said with a smile, "Eat it slowly, I have other work to do. We are going to have good food to eat tonight!"
"Okay!"
Seeing Qiao Xuan leaving and closing the door, Shao Yunduan could not help but feel warm. She made him so happy, when he saw her making different food every day with Taotao. Their home was lively, bustling. It was such a comfortable feeling.
Therefore, he was going to study harder and make it to the Recommended Man, so they could all be under the most steady protection.
Shao Yunduan finished the bowl of jelly which was sweet and fresh, and continued with his studies.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Taotao, when they finished the jelly, started to make braised meat. The room was filled with cheers and laughter.
The whole family loved Qiao Xuan dearly. She only needed to give instructions, and everyone offered their help immediately.
The dinner was a feast!
Sour radish was diced, sour beans were cut, whilst chili and the marinated intestine were fried together. The smell of sour and spicy as well as fragrance started to spread all across.
When thinking about salted duck eggs before, Qiao Xuan had bought several jars. She made some salted duck eggs and Century Eggs, and also pickled a jar of kimchi. White radish, beans, cabbage, lettuce, and ginger were all put in it as well. Everything was ready by this point to be eaten.
Braised pork liver and ears were sliced, and pig trotters were placed directly on the plate whilst pork heart was stir-fried with garlic sprouts.
Pork belly was stewed with soy beans and almonds for soup.
It was a table full of braised food, as well as two fried vegetables. The fragrance spread across everyone's nostrils.
People in the village rarely ate inner organs, since the taste was too heavy and difficult to handle. It took a lot of oil and seasoning to make it delicious. It was better to buy meat. After all, meat was fragrant no matter how deeply-fried it was. Meat dregs when stir-frying were also delicious.
It was a table full of pig inner organs, which changed their minds' of how the inner organs could taste like. Again, Qiao Xuan was highly praised.
They kept saying that the inner organs could also taste so good, better than meat. The hot and sour large intestines, crispy pig ears, fragrant and brightly colored braised pig trotters, and delicious pork belly soup were all delicacies for them.
The following day, Qiao Xuan guided Shao Taotao to make more lipsticks.
Qiao Xuan used the excuse of visiting floral fields to inject her super-power there. Soon, the roses and other flowers were blooming across the whole yard, giving off a fragrant smell.
In the meantime, there were some fresh flowers that were budding…
The garden was full of a beautiful sea of purple and red, making people feel really fresh. The bees were buzzing about and working hard. It would not be long before she could harvest honey again.
The flowers in the yard were especially attractive to the bees, and the honey was produced in a large amount. Qiao Xuan could see three or four bees picking nectar from the flowers.
When they were sorting the floral fields, she had made the plan and built a two-story shabby room.
The second storey was for storage. There was one middle-size room on the first floor, whilst the other place had one wall, and three sides open like a workshop.
Whilst the others were picking flowers, cleaning materials and grinding them, Qiao Xuan was making lipsticks in the room filled with light.
She asked Taotao to help her with everything. Since she intended to cultivate Taotao, she asked Taotao to come and learn how to do that right away.
Qiao Xuan did not hire anyone from the village, except for the task of flower-picking and mincing. Moreover, she could just hire someone else to do other labor work.
173 Yuezheng Xiao's Sneering
But that was something for later, when they had built new houses.
The yard at home was not big enough.
While Qiao Xuan was busy making money, Xie Jingrong and Yuezheng Xiao were getting ready to leave the county.
When they were just about to get on the wagon, Strategist Lu hurriedly walked up to them.
It was really very accurate timing!
Strategist Lu had planned it meticulously. He had been waiting next to their place for a long while, before appearing at the right time.
"Young Master Xie, please, stay put!"
Xie Jingrong paused and turned around, looking surprised. "Strategist Lu, it is very kind of you to see us off here."
Strategist Lu smiled and said with a friendly tone, "You are the honored guest, it is my duty to do so!"
He did not dare to say anything more but handed out an appropriate brocade box. "Young Master Xie, this is the Chinese fleeceflower root which our Officer has found. It is confirmed that this plant is over 200 years old, which is very rare! Our Officer says that he should not keep the treasure, and instead you should have it. Maybe it can be put into practical use by you. This way the good things would not be wasted."
"It is a gift from our Officer, please accept it! Okay, I won't delay your departure. Have a nice trip, bye for now Young Master Xie!"
Strategist Lu said all of this with a smooth smile. When he was done, the brocade box was already in the servant's arm. He took a step backwards and turned around, leaving.
He did everything really fast.
Xie Jingrong was speechless. "…"
Everyone present. "…"
The servant, who was holding the box, turned to Xie Jingrong helplessly. "What…?"
Yuezheng Xiao laughed. Helooked at Xie Jingrong and grinned. "Officer Qiao is fun, Brother Xie, now you owe him big!"
Honestly speaking, a Chinese fleeceflower root over 200 years was indeed very rare, and Xie Jingrong was taking that for his grandma. County Magistrate Qiao gave it to him so that the family could owe him a favor.
Yuezheng Xiao sneered. What a tricky Officer Qiao, so shameless and snooty, how did he manage to cultivate a daughter like Mrs. Shao?
Was he blind to have treated the Elder Miss Qiao as treasure rather than look at Mrs. Shao instead?
No wonder Mrs. Shao insisted that they should not reveal her identity. It would not be good!
If Officer Qiao learned that it was Mrs. Shao, who had found the 500 years old Chinese fleeceflower root for the Xie Family, he would have forced her to ask for the favor for him.
What if he learned about the lipsticks business? He would definitely do something worse.
Mrs. Shao was such a pitiful girl! She must have led a very difficult life.
Xie Jingrong frowned, thought for a while and said to the servant, "Return the brocade box in the intact state to Officer Qiao personally. Just tell him that I have found the Chinese fleeceflower root I needed, and I do not want to take advantage of Officer Qiao. Officer Qiao should keep it for himself!"
Having given the instructions, Xie Jingrong turned around, went on the wagon and ordered the staff to leave.
Yuezheng Xiao was not surprised by what Xie Jingrong did.
This young man looked gentle and handsome, almost as if he were weak, but he was the lineal elder grandson of the Xie Family, who could never be simple-minded or fragile.
He would never allow the Xie Family to owe anyone a favor forcibly!
No one could suck up to him easily either!
Yuezheng Xiao teased him. "But a 200 years old root isn't that bad either. Why not keep it for Officer Qiao's sake?"
174 Badly-Mannered
Xie Jingrong looked at him and replied calmly. "I don't think that this plant is over 200 years old. If that was the case, he wouldn't have waited until today to have it delivered to me. Moreover, I don't need it any more."
A plant over 200 years old was precious for sure. County Magistrate Qiao would have definitely not waited, instead, he would have come to the hotel the moment he found it.
He should stay away from this man as far away as possible. He already had one 500 years old plant with him. What was the point of having another one that was less impactful?
Startled, Yuezheng Xiao responded. "Really? But… can he really lie to us? The Xie Family would definitely hire someone to test the plant!"
Xie Jingrong immediately countered. "So what? He is not an expert, and maybe when he gets to know that he has got a wrong confirmation, he would prepare an expensive present and come to the Xie Family, telling us that he was cheated as well…"
Yuezheng Xiao. "…"
"How horrible are people in the official field!"
Xie Jingrong smiled, as he tapped the table. That was why he never intended to take any more imperial examination, after he made it to the Recommended Man level.
There was more than one person in the Xie Family who could become active in the industry.
On the other side, Officer Qiao, who had been waiting, was dumbfounded.
Young Master Xie's servant did not smile but showed a very distant look. He rode away the moment he returned the stuff.
Officer Qiao felt really humiliated. He lectured Strategist Lu with a blackened face, and then turned to Madame Qiao.
Madame Qiao was taken aback as well.
"This… can't be possible! How can one turn down a friendly gesture? You offered the present so generously. How could Young Master have done that? It is so badly-mannered!"
Officer Qiao was annoyed too. "Young Master Xie is really ill-mannered… I should have delivered the present personally!"
If he had gone there personally, Young Master Xie would not have returned the present, right?
But there was nothing else he could do apart from complaining at this moment.
He was blaming Young Master Xie for not being able to understand the situation.
"What a pity!"
Officer Qiao sighed and was annoyed too. He asked with a slight feeling of jealousy. "Who on earth found the 500 years old Chinese fleeceflower root and stole the favor from me?"
Madame Qiao felt annoyed too. "If you want to know about this, carry out a thorough investigation! Young Master Xie must have offered them a great deal of money. Those narrow-sighted people might not have seen so much money before and would definitely show it off! No one would be able to conceal the secret of finding such an aged Chinese fleeceflower root for long! It is easy to find the culprit this way."
Officer Qiao thought for a while and nodded. "Yes, I should definitely look into it!"
He should find out the culprit first, and maybe he could make use of that person to establish a relationship with the Xie Family.
Officer Qiao passed on the order to Strategist Lu.
Strategist Lu took it as a way to compensate for his faults. He bragged that he was definitely going to find out the person within three days' time.
He also believed that it would be so easy to figure it out. Anyone granted with such an amount of money would surely show off across the whole village!
He could just ask the policemen from the governmental offices to ask around.
However…
Three days passed, but there was no news about any such gains.
There was not a single trace of that mysterious person.
Strategist Lu, who had no way to go, had to report that back to Officer Qiao!
Officer Qiao was so irritated. How could he have failed at such a minor mission? He asked his own men to ask around but the result was the same…
175 Mouth
Officer Qiao. "…"
Who was the person in the county that had such a wide knowledge and consideration? How did that person know that he should keep the matter a secret and make a fortune without making a scene? How horrible that person was!
Officer Qiao had a desperate itch to know who that was!
At the Shao Family
The first section of the family made the second and third section of the family feel really anxious. They did not dare to come to them to ask for wild animals and other benefits, even after they learned that Shao Xiaoqi went into the mountains for hunting and Qiao Xuan returned from the town.
For one thing, Ms. Fang was so unfriendly at the moment, and they would not be able to get anything easily at the moment. For another, what if they irritated Ms. Fang so much that she would not want to help them with some rakes. Then what would they do?
So they had to remain calm.
Finally, Ms. Fang showed mercy and told them that she was going to help them with the rakes the following day.
That made the other sections of the family feel assured. They let out a sigh of relief.
When they calmed themselves down, they started to talk vividly.
"Oh Eldest Sister-in-law, finally you remembered this!"
"Eldest Sister-in-law, you are so slow, you have been postponing the spring plow!"
"Ask Dalang, Sanlang and everyone to be there early tomorrow, we need to hurry up!"
"Infact, you should ask more people to help us. Wulang, Qi, Ms. Xu and Ms. Qiao should also be there."
"…"
Ms. Fang's face sank and she sneered. "Just leave from here. Are you telling me what I should do?"
"Can't I suggest something?" Ms. Ma's eyes rolled as she smiled. "Oh Eldest Sister-in-law, all of you are helping us with rakes. What other things does Ms. Qiao need to be done? We can do her work and get paid!"
"Keep dreaming!" Ms. Fang snapped. "You always think about the benefits!"
Ms. Fang finally drove them away.
"Useless people, how dare they say something like this!"
Qiao Xuan heard her grumble and said with a smile, "Mom, I just noticed that Second Aunt-in-law and Third Aunt-in-law got so angry about what you just said. You should feel happy about it."
Ms. Fang laughed. "True, you are right!"
The next day, the first section of the family were still busy with their work. Before Second Uncle and Third Uncle could ask them what was going on, they were startled to see that Ms. Fang had spent money hiring some family with bulls to do the work for them.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, you just…"
"That is such a waste of money!"
People might have thought that they were concerned about the first section of the family spending their money…
But Ms. Fang understood exactly what they were thinking.
They thought that the money of the first section of the family was theirs, and they were always trying to get money out of them.
They were so concerned about spending the money that should have been theirs…
"I am wasting my money, so what? The job is getting done, what more do you have to say?"
Second Uncle opened his mouth. "But your sons are free…"
"I don't want my sons to work for you, so what? Look at the rakes, I have fulfilled my promise, and that is it!"
Third Uncle countered. "If you already had this plan, why not tell us earlier?"
"Yeah, we have all been so worried!"
176 Jealousy
Ms. Fang smiled briefly. "Well, I didn't tell you earlier because I was worried about any unforeseen changes!"
Second Uncle and Third Uncle suddenly ran out of words.
They exchanged a look between themselves and left. They went into the field and started to watch the people doing the rakes.
They had taken advantage of the first section of the family, but it felt as if they had turned hollow inside their hearts.
They did not seem to feel that good…
Infact, they started to feel even more jealous.
They could not help but feel emotional. It was so good to be rich and have a rich daughter-in-law!
But their eldest sister-in-law had coaxed Ms. Qiao for her dowry. She must be spending Ms. Qiao's money which she had brought to her own pockets.
But that was her daughter-in-law!
Ms. Qiao was so stupid as to have been cheated.
Maybe they could even let their own daughters-in-law and daughters trick Ms. Qiao.
When Shao Yunduan returned from the school, he brought an invitation for Qiao Xuan.
It was from the Qiao Family.
Shao Yunduan did not turn it down directly and instead, brought it home.
Qiao Wei was setting up a feast for viewing flowers, and had invited Qiao Xuan for it.
Qiao Xuan pursed her lips. She was indeed very uneasy about the invite!
"If you don't want to go there, you can turn it down with an excuse!"
Shao Yunduan was annoyed too.
He felt so horrible to see his wife being bullied yet he could do nothing about it.
He had been a calm person all through his life. He used to study hard for his parents so they could live a better life, that was all.
But at this moment, he had developed a profound eagerness – to accumulate power.
If he could become stronger, just a little bit more powerful, he could do something about the situation.
Qiao Xuan chuckled. "Of course I will go there. She can't kill me, can she? I know what she is like. If I don't go over, she will make a big scene."
Shao Yunduan had predicted that she would react like this, so he added. "I will go there with you. I will be waiting for you outside the mansion. Don't stay for too long, just find an excuse to leave early. Maybe Young Master Xie's jade can be of some help…"
It could definitely be of some help…
For someone like him who was going to participate in the imperial examination, he knew clearly what Xie Jingrong's jade could do. But he, without hesitation, let his wife have it.
Qiao Xuan chuckled and suddenly found that this little person was lovely. She was so lucky to have found him!
"No, no, we should not use this jade for such small things. Don't worry, Qiao Wei is arrogant, and incapable. I am capable of handling her!"
"If she just wants to take advantage of me verbally, I won't react to it and laugh with her. If she dares to do something physically, I am not afraid of that, either! I am the Second Miss, which I can use to frighten people every now and then!"
This girl looked beautiful, confident and generous. Her eyes were sparkling, and she was so clever!
177 Invitation
Shao Yunduan suddenly felt as if his heart had been attacked by something. It was a feeling of warmth, soft and heartful, which flowed all through his veins.
"…then you should be careful, and be sure to leave early."
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Okay!"
Two days later, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan went into the town together.
Qiao Xuan was well aware that Qiao Wei would like to see what a terrible life she was having, so she picked an ordinary-looking cotton dress and did a hairstyle only for married women, inserting a small silver hairpin in it. Then she added two commonly-seen flowers that were no more than the size of a coin.
She liked the beautiful roses or China roses that were fresh and blooming in her hair in daily life. But now that she was wearing the silk flowers and checked herself in the mirror, she wasn't that bad-looking either.
From Qiao Wei's perspective, she was really poor.
Qiao Xuan was very satisfied by how she was dressed.
At the Dragon Boat Festival, Qiao Wei was lectured by her father and had been grounded.
She kept crying and felt really sad.
A couple of days ago, her mother told her that the reason why her father disciplined her like that was because he had high expectations from her, and that made Qiao Wei very happy again.
But when she thought of how Qiao Xuan caused all this displeasure, she thought of inviting her for the flower show.
The place where the flower show took place was in an abbey in the southern outskirts of the county.
The abbey did not belong to the Qiao Family, but a very wealthy businessman called Old Master Zhao.
Old Master Zhao had a good field of over 800 mu as well as two large villages and two stores in the county. The family lived a very luxurious life. The Zhao Family had been flattering Officer Qiao all this time, and the Miss of the Zhao Family, Zhao Ming was Qiao Wei's follower.
Hearing that Qiao Wei was coming to the abbey for the flower show, Zhao Ming was excitedly looking forward to the visit.
Apart from these two ladies, she had invited some other ladies from noble families.
Qiao Wei could not be too straightforward, and had Qiao Kou who would act as her foil.
Qiao Kou had been feeling really annoyed by how Qiao Wei and Madame Qiao stopped her from meeting Xie Jingrong. She had even cursed them secretly.
But that was all she could do since she had no power. Hence, in front of Madame Qiao, she still behaved like an obedient daughter of a concubine and a flattering follower of Qiao Wei.
Qiao Wei and her mother were aware of how Concubine Du and her daughter held a grudge towards them, but what could they do about it?
A concubine as well as a lowly daughter could not do anything big anyway, right?
They were nothing more than slaves.
Qiao Kou would always have to obey Qiao Wei's rules and follow her orders no matter what.
As for how Qiao Wei wanted to set Qiao Xuan up, Qiao Kou became even more active and eager than Qiao Wei herself.
She could not do anything about Qiao Wei, but she could definitely do something about Qiao Xuan.
Whenever she remembered that Qiao Xuan was not living a good life, she felt slightly better.
Therefore, it could be said that the dog was even worse than its master.
Zhao Ming clearly understood what Qiao Kou said and had no opinions against that.
She found it fun too. She was even waiting to see how Qiao Xuan could be humiliated…
Qiao Xuan walked up to the abbey of the Zhao Family under Shao Yunduan's worried look.
Instead of saying anything, she stuffed the invitation into the gatekeeper's hands. "I am County Magistrate Qiao's daughter, is my sister here? Can I go in?"
Gatekeeper. "…"
178 Tricks
The gatekeeper's words that were meant to pick on her were all swallowed back.
Qiao Xuan showed the identity and despite her ordinary-looking dress, she was still Officer Qiao's daughter, whom the gatekeeper should not mock without reason.
Also, Second Miss seemed like someone who could not be irritated easily.
What if she caught her fault and vented anger on her? Even her own miss would not defend her at that time.
Therefore, the gatekeeper made up her mind and let Qiao Xuan in.
She pointed in a direction and showed a passionate smile. "You are Second Miss, right? Elder Miss Qiao and Third Miss as well as my Miss are all at the pavilion by the lake. Wisteria flowers are blooming. Please, have a look and enjoy, Second Miss."
What a trick…
Qiao Xuan immediately understood that there was something tricky in her words.
She would not go there now that she had realized that something was wrong.
Only stupid people would follow the direction.
Qiao Xuan said to the gatekeeper, "I don't know the road, can you please take me there?"
"But, Second Miss…"
Qiao Xuan showed a strange smile. "No? I am the guest here. Is it so difficult for you to take me there? Or do you think that I don't deserve your help?"
"Of course not!"
The gatekeeper, who was an aunt, had no choice but to lead Qiao Xuan to the venue.
She was mumbling to herself while walking. Who said that Second Miss was honest, timid and easily-tricked? That person must be lying!
The aunt did not lead Qiao Xuan there directly, fearing that her mistress would blame her for not following the order. She took her on a tour, so she could at least complete her Miss's order.
Qiao Xuan soon realized what this aunt was doing.
But she said nothing.
She did not care if she had to walk a little more. Moreover, she was not worried that the aunt would take her somewhere dangerous.
She could see the whole abbey when she opened her magical senses. Nothing could escape her sight.
She could sense where Qiao Wei and the other ladies were, and what they were doing.
Suddenly, Qiao Xuan paused. She was both surprised and overjoyed.
She saw two small tomatoes that were growing randomly in a corner.
The two tomatoes were not growing in a healthy way and had collapsed. There were flowers and red fruits, but they were not very big in size.
It was something the Zhao Family had gotten from somewhere, but they could not recognize what these plants were, so they put them randomly in this place. No one would spend much effort planting fruits. That was why they were left alone here.
It was a very good thing for her.
She glanced around and saw that she and the aunt were alone.
Qiao Xuan suddenly let out a scream and paused in her steps. "I seem to have dropped my handkerchief. Aunt, please find it for me!"
The aunt had no intention of helping her, but she suddenly thought of something and nodded immediately.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "You have to return and lead the way for me, otherwise I will go home."
Startled, the aunt said with her breath held, "Second Miss, don't worry, I… definitely will return soon."
She had intended to leave directly, but if Qiao Xuan left because of her absence, her Miss would definitely blame her.
Second Miss was an honest and easily-bullied person? That was incorrect!
The moment that aunt left, Qiao Xuan went to pick up two large tomatoes and put them in arms.
She was cheering happily inside her heart at this moment.
She was going to make tomato scrambled eggs, tomato stewed tofu, tomato stewed fish, tomato brisket pot, tomato mixed with sugar, tomato sauce, tomato soup, tomato noodles and a lot more.
179 Not An Empty Trip
Tomatoes were sweet and sour, and went well with any vegetables. They were good for soup. Any dishes added with tomatoes would be really sweet.
Qiao Xuan had the habit of putting the tomato in while making ribs in the past.
It was not an empty trip!
She was going to make the seeds grow faster.
And she would be eating the fruits in no time.
Aunt returned soon and said, "I didn't find the handkerchief. Have you remembered it wrongly?"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "It looks like that. Maybe I didn't drop the handkerchief. I could have come to you but you are here already."
The aunt said nothing more.
She had no choice but to continue taking her forward.
Infact she almost suspected that Qiao Xuan had already noticed her trick and came up with a way to make her uncomfortable.
Aunt could not help but feel scared, as she thought about this.
She wondered what more Second Miss would do, if she continued to play tricks on her.
She was not at all honest!
By the lakeside, Qiao Kou, Qiao Wei and Zhao Ming were talking vividly in the square pavilion.
They all turned to look into Qiao Xuan's direction when she arrived.
Qiao Kou was the first one to react. She chuckled. "Sister, is that you? Why are you dressed like this? I thought that you were a servant of this abbey!"
Qiao Wei burst into laughter, and Zhao Ming grinned as well.
The other four or five ladies were either laughing or chose to remain silent.
Qiao Xuan was Officer Qiao's daughter after all, and no one was interested in getting involved in their family competition.
They might even bring trouble for their own families, if they did something unpleasant.
Qiao Xuan was speechless. What an ass-licker Qiao Kou was! She was as annoying as Qiao Wei.
Qiao Xuan smiled embarrassedly. "This is what women from the village are like…"
That was what Qiao Wei wanted to hear, wasn't it? She could easily satisfy her.
Sure enough, Qiao Wei looked prouder and was less sharp at Qiao Wei.
Qiao Kou felt even happier by Qiao Xuan's humble behavior. She instantly fell into a good mood.
Weak people only became strong when they were bullying the weaker ones.
Qiao Wei snorted. "You know yourself well."
Qiao Kou laughed. "Sister, even if that is the truth, you should dress better at the banquet, otherwise you are humiliating our parents, right? People might think that we are stingy towards you."
Qiao Xuan replied instantly. " You are not stingy, you are nice to me. It is my fault not to have seen that through. Thanks, sister!"
Qiao Kou expected to see her humiliated and embarrassed, but she even admitted the truth generously and thanked her for the reminder.
That made Qiao Kou feel stuck in words.
Qiao Wei found her boring to play with.
She told herself that her mother was right. Qiao Xuan was a bitch and a weed by the roadside. There was no need to take her seriously.
She must have seen it wrong to find her different before.
Instead of speaking with Qiao Xuan, Qiao Wei turned to Zhao Ming and the other ladies, ignoring Qiao Xuan directly.
Qiao Xuan let out a sigh of relief.
But Qiao Kou felt unbalanced.
180 Fight
Qiao Kou, who had been thinking about humiliating Qiao Xuan, got so annoyed. Why did Qiao Wei give up tormenting Qiao Xuan only after a few minutes?
What was she thinking?
Qiao Kou tried to come up with some ways to set her up.
But Qiao Xuan did not get into trouble with her.
No matter how horrible her words sounded, Qiao Xuan listened without countering, and occasionally, she even behaved as if she were guilty.
On the other hand, though Qiao Wei lost interest in speaking with Qiao Xuan, when she saw Qiao Kou bullying Qiao Xuan, she became interested again.
She wished that the two concubine daughters could fight each other.
However, Qiao Xuan was too timid to cause any trouble, which made her lose interest.
Of course, she would not want to get involved.
But the sisters of the Fang Family did not like it. They helped Qiao Xuan out by engaging in a conversation with Qiao Xuan and eased her embarrassment.
Jealous and angry, Qiao Kou did not like it when someone helped Qiao Xuan out. What was the point of helping her? She was just a countryside woman!
She rolled her eyes and screamed. "Oh no! Sister, I just lost my jade in the water, can you help scoop it out? Thanks very much!"
They were all taken aback.
The Fang Family sisters exchanged a look between themselves, and felt helpless.
The Third Miss of the Qiao Family was being so unreasonable!
She could have asked a servant to fish it out rather than let Second Miss get it.
Qiao Wei smiled and said nothing.
Qiao Kou became more arrogant as she snapped. "Sister, you won't turn me down for such a small thing, right?"
"Of course not." Qiao Xuan smiled and said to the maid, "Please give me a thin bamboo pole or a wooden stick."
Qiao Kou asked immediately. "Why a bamboo pole? Why don't you just go down into the water?"
Qiao Xuan answered shyly. "Just let me try, okay, sister?"
Qiao Kou was stuck speechless. She glared at Qiao Xuan and snorted.
What could she say? She could not come up with a counter to that immediately.
She was not stupid. If she disapproved of her suggestion, it would be visible to everyone that she was just setting her sister up. It was not a glorious action and she needed to save her face.
She had already noticed people looking at her weirdly!
Qiao Kou was pretending to be calm, yet she was feeling humiliated and angry inside her heart.
Qiao Xuan looked as if she were very honest, but she was a tricky one!
The bamboo pole was finally handed over.
Qiao Kou's jade was in the water grass close to the bank.
With her superpower, Qiao Xuan could see the spot clearly.
She could control the grass with her superpower, so that the grass moved and the jade simply floated out.
Overjoyed, Qiao Xuan had discovered one more function of her superpower.
She had not thought about this, and decided to make use of it properly in the future.
Excited, Qiao Xuan decided to explore the function further. She was going to develop it well.
If she could use the superpower to control some plants, she could even protect herself!
Won't she be totally invulnerable then?
In front of everyone, Qiao Xuan used the bamboo pole to take hold of one grass blade so the grass was tangled with Qiao Kou's jade.