Chapter 301: Tea Leaves Site
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Also, the agent knew them well, and he knew that they always wanted to stay low-profile.
The whole thing was settled very fast.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan bought two connected mountains, totaling 500 mu. They spent 2033 liang, including all the fees.
In this transaction, they had spent half of the earnings gained from Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong.
Now, they had only 2300 liang left.
Qiao Xuan was very satisfied with the land contracts in her hand.
She was a young land owner with so many fields in hands. When she built the gardens, and filled in some staff, she would have a firm foundation.
Honestly speaking, since golden sprouts and lavender were such precious tea leaves, Qiao Xuan would not dare to plant them but for Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong's existence.
Otherwise, the plants would be stolen and attract trouble.
Money was always very attractive, and profits in this deal would be far and beyond. People might get really greedy for what they could possibly gain.
However right now, they felt well protected.
The agent handled the whole thing well. He claimed that a relative was here checking out the locations and decided to buy some land to plant tea leaves and herbs. The Land Officer of the Zhang Village did not suspect a thing.
Even if they realized that Qiao Xuan owned the land, it was fine. They could just say that they were hired. By the time they were capable enough, the land officer would very much want them to stay and get their villagers hired as the labor.
They barely had time to visit Ding Erzhu and Ms. Zhou, after they finished with the business. Hence, they stayed over for just a short while.
They understood that the couple was doing very well.
Qiao Xuan liked the Zhou Family. She was going to ask the Zhou Family for help when the tea garden was set up.
If she established a friendship with the Zhou Family, she would automatically become friends with Ding Xiang after she made it big in the future.
Qiao Xuan wondered how Ding Xiang felt when she left. Was she holding a grudge against her parents? Maybe yes… but when she returned, she might still take care of them.
They were weak, but they had already been punished.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan returned to the town and joined the others, before going back home together.
As they went back home, the sun was already going down, and it would soon be dinnertime.
The summer was coming and the day was longer. It was still bright when they started to eat dinner.
The second section of the family heard about Ms. Zhang's narration regarding the honey. Second Uncle and Ms. Niu were very annoyed, and complained about the first section of the family for doing business alone.
It must have been Shao Xiaoqi who took the whole family to find honey. They should have asked the second section of the family to tag along, since they knew that they were running out of money.
The second section of the family could earn some money as well.
The honey could be sold at dozens of Wen for half a kilo.
Second section of the family came to Eldest Uncle about the matter, though they had intended to ignore him earlier.
Eldest Uncle knew that Shao Xiaoqi and Qiao Xuan would visit the mountains to get some mushrooms, bamboo and wild animals. But he did not know about the honey.
So when Second Uncle talked about this, he was startled as well.
He also agreed that Qi should have taken the other sections of the family along with him..
Chapter 302: Waiting
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
He intended to ask Ms. Fang about this, but as he thought of how Ms. Fang might react, he hesitated. Actually, he did not dare to!
He could almost predict that no matter whether Ms. Fang knew about it or not, she would behave the same.
He decided to wait until his son and the others returned from the town.
However, Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan did their own business at the Zhang Village, so they did not return until the evening.
They were all talking about what to eat for dinner and decided to make dinner as they came home.
Ms. Niu and the others were all waiting for them. The moment they put down their things, Second Uncle and Ms. Niu came over.
"Did you all go sell the honey? Where is the money?"
Ms. Niu asked in such a hurry as if they should share the money with her.
She had spotted a wife for her son. She was from a good family who sold tofu. Ms. Niu was very satisfied with her but they required a lot of wedding gifts. Before Qiao Xuan answered, Ms. Fang snapped. "That has nothing to do with you."
"Elder Sister-in-law, it is your fault. You know that we are running short of money. Why did your family not take us along to make some money too?"
Qiao Xuan blinked and said innocently, "It is because we want to make money ourselves. We are of course not going to take anyone else with us."
Ms. Niu and Second Uncle. '
Eldest Uncle frowned. "You… Ms. Qiao…"
Ms. Fang immediately said, "Okay, Ms. Qiao, Duan, you are both tired, just go back to your room and don't worry about anything that is unrelated to you." They nodded when they heard her speak.
Ms. Fang looked at the second section of the family and said coldly, "Do you not understand what I have been saying all this while? Nevermind, I can repeat it a few times. You are not getting any money from us, nor can you get a loan from us! You can come and steal the money, but if you are caught, I will report you all to the governmental office. Don't you ever forget who my daughter-in-law's father is."
Second Uncle shivered in anger. "Eldest Brother, why don't you say something? Eldest Sister-in-law, are you cutting us off?"
Ms. Fang said calmly, "If you want to do that, I am willing as well."
Ms. Niu responded angrily. "Eldest Sister-in-law, you are cutting us off!"
Ms. Fang answered. "Oh, I am done with what I need to say, you can continue to talk. I am off.'
Ms. Fang turned around and left.
Eldest Uncle called her but she pretended not to hear.
Second Uncle got so furious as he snapped at Eldest Uncle. "Eldest Brother, you are the master of the family! What did our parents say when they passed away? You are living a good life now, but you are throwing us away? We can leave the rest alone, but Silang needs to get married. The Yan Family said that we need to give 20 liang as wedding gifts, or the marriage will not work! Are you so cruel as not to care about this?"
"You offered 20 liang to the Yang Family. The Yan Family is definitely better than them, right? We need to hold our reputation high and not let Silang get humiliated…"
Eldest Uncle felt so annoyed. "Don't worry, Second Brother, I will talk with your
Elder Sister-in-law about this. We must help Silang!"
Only then did Second Uncle and Ms. Niu drop the topic. But they continued to spill out their bitterness and misery, forcing Eldest Uncle to offer them the money.
If the first section of the family gave out the money, that would be great.
The moment they left, Eldest Uncle turned to find Ms. Fang..
Chapter 303: Business
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
But Ms. Fang did not care about Eldest Uncle's request, now that she had decided to leave the other sections of the family alone.
No matter what he said, Ms. Fang did not agree to any of it.
Eldest Uncle got so irritated that he did not even come out of the room to have dinner.
Everyone was quite surprised.
Ms. Fang did not care and said coldly, "Don't worry about him. He can starve for all he wants.
He would not die after not eating a few meals.
The whole family was speechless, but they said nothing when Ms. Fang put it forward so bluntly and firmly.
Eldest Uncle was really sad. He spent the whole night in misery but did not dare to meet his brother and his wife.
He felt sorry about not living up to his parents' expectations.
Second Uncle and Ms. Niu were very disappointed.
"They didn't earn much by the sale of honey. You think about the wedding gifts, and tell me if you need anything."
Second Uncle sneered. "What is the point of telling you?"
Ms. Zhang added as she was listening. "Eldest Uncle, I saw that they had a lot of honey. They would have easily sold it for 20 liang!" Eldest Uncle gasped and mumbled.
He could not get the money even if there was.
He could not force Ms. Fang to give him any.
IVIS. Lnang rurcner said, "E1aesc Aunt was not 11Ke rms Derore, until
Sister-in-law came to your family. Everything has changed. She was born in a noble family and she is very calculative."
Ms. Zhang pushed all the grudges to the first section of the family, especially Qiao Xuan who had 26 sets of dowry.
Ms. Niu threw a very satisfied look at Ms. Zhang, and nodded in agreement.
Eldest Uncle felt uncomfortable as well. He was not very satisfied with Qiao Xuan either. But there was nothing he could do about it.
It was out of his reach…
When Eldest Uncle left, Ms. Niu and Second Uncle complained more amongst themselves.
"They are getting so stingy! No wonder they say that money makes people stingy!"
"It is all Ms. Qiao's fault!"
"Yes! They keep saying that we are a family and then behave like this. We should cut them off as well!"
"But what should be done about the wedding gifts?"
Second Uncle drove Ms. Zhang away when they started to talk about money.
He asked Ms. Niu. "Honestly speaking, will we be able to afford the 20 liang wedding gifts?"
Ms. Zhang did not go away immediately. Instead, she stood eavesdropping outside the door. Hearing that, she covered her mouth tightly to stop herself from screaming.
20 liang?
She got irritated.
She had only received 6 liang as a wedding gift. Why should they offer the Yan Family 20 liang? That was totally unfair!
She was not worse than the girl from the Yan Family! She had given birth to the grandchildren of the family!
She had been working so hard for the second section of the family! But they treated her like this! She only stole five liang from her own family and her mother-in-law wanted to get it back in such a humiliating manner. Now they were planning to give the Yan Family 20 liang as a wedding gift!
Also, Yang Xiaoni's family received 20 liang as the wedding gift as well.
She had been treated the worst.
Ms. Zhang could not hear what more Ms. Niu and Second Uncle talked about. She felt so irritated.
Annoyed, she went out and ran into Ms. Xu. She decided to hold onto her..
Chapter 304: Ms. Zhang's Estrangement
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
"We are both daughters-in-law, and we are suffering from misery. Also, our inlaws prefer someone else. Just think about this, when you got married, you received only 6 liang as a wedding gift, and Yang Xiaoni was paid 20! That is so unfair!"
"You are the eldest daughter-in-law of the family, how can you be treated like this…"
Ms. Xu was startled and her face changed.
Although she had been focusing on her own family, she was never on the top. She never thought about this, but for Ms. Zhang's mention of the matter.
Seeing her expression, Ms. Zhang felt quite proud and said some more things before she left.
But soon Ms. Xu brought herself back.
She was not quite happy about where she was now, but that was nothing.
Yang Xiaoni was not in the same position as she had been at her natal house. Her mother-in-law was forced to spend so much money on the wedding gift, not because she volunteered to do so.
Most importantly, she had enough of her own savings now!
She had counted it recently. Much to her delight, she had saved more than 100 liang, which belonged to herself alone. Also, she was going to get some more soon. In hindsight, the wedding gifts worth 20 liang were nothing.
Also, Yang Xiaoni was a nice person. She seemed quite honest and innocent.
She liked her!
Ms. Zhang told her this matter deliberately because she must be planning something bad…
On the other side, Ms. Zhang was still feeling quite annoyed about the Yan Family receiving 20 liang as the wedding gift, even though she had managed to provoke Ms. Xu.
The more she thought about this, the more distressed she became. She even spent the whole night crying.
She wished that the wedding could be canceled.
But Ms. Niu already found a matchmaker who could help with the wedding!
In the end, the amount for the wedding gifts was still high.
Ms. Zhang was really annoyed.
They took the money from the shared savings!
Ms. Niu was not happy about the money, but she was satisfied about the marriage with the Yan Family, and the Yan Family said that the dowry would be eight liang, so she agreed.
But Ms. Niu kept complaining about the first section of the family.
Thev had caused all of this.
The first section of the family spent 20 liang on the wedding gift for Young Xiaoni, and that became known to the Yan Family, who kept saying that they needed 20 liang as well, since their daughter was not worse than Yang Xiaoni.
Ms. Niu kept negotiating and the Yan Family cut the wedding gift to 15 liang finally.
Ms. Niu had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Seeing that the whole thing was settled, Ms. Zhang got so annoyed that she wished that Ms. Xu would make some fuss.
But nothing happened. She kept saying that Ms. Xu was useless.
Shao Silang's marriage was finally settled. The wedding was expected to be held at the New Year.
Ms. Niu felt very relieved. She went to the first section of the family and showed off.
She told Ms. Fang implicitly that they could still get Silang a good suitor without their help. Same went for Meiling.
Ms. Fang responded to her calmly. "That is good, you have abundant money and the Yan Family have a lot of wealth too, good marriage!"
Ms. Niu snorted. "Of course, it is good!"
Ms. Fang was not as narrow-minded as they were. She would not want the other sections of the family to live miserably, as long as they did not come to her for trouble.
Soon, Yuezheng Xiao's men came to fetch the watermelons.
Due to the constant rain, the watermelons went bad and the taste was not as good as before. Qiao Xuan reduced the price and charged only 40 liang for both wagons..
Chapter 305: To Province
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Yuezheng Xiao even sent a letter, telling them how well the lipsticks were selling, asking her how much longer it would be before the next lot of lipsticks was available. He wanted to get as many as he could.
Qiao Xuan wasn't surprised about the popularly-sold lipsticks. She asked Shao Yunduan to write a letter back to Yuezheng Xiao, telling him that after twenty days or so, they could come to fetch the lipsticks again, which should be around 500 or 600 in total.
She further asked him to mention that the tea mountains had been found and the leaves should be transplanted by the end of this year, around New Year. In autumn next year or so, they would get some amount of tea leaves to be given to him but he still needed to find a proper processor.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "We will definitely have some amount of tea next year, and the tea trees in the mountains should not be touched, but we can pick some when we go to the mountains next."
She had her superpower and could make sure the tea trees lived on after being moved. But the trees had been in the mountains for so many years a_nd they didn't need to transplant them. They were born and grew in the mountains, and they might produce better quality leaves there itself.
Shao Yunduan agreed and smiled. "Ok, that is good. Should I tell him about the mushrooms?
The shiitakes and wooden ears had started to grow very fast. There were not many snow fungus but were still growing vividly.
There were not many wild- growing snow fungus and Qiao Xuan decided not to find any more. She decided to breed some on her own for the moment.
She smiled. "You can remind him that the purchase should be done by the end of this year."
She further added. "We would need some more laborers to work on our tea mountains. Uncle Erzhu and the Zhou Family might not be enough. What about getting some more staff?"
Shao Yunduan thought. "I don't think we can find any suitable ones in the town."
The town was so small and very few laborers were available. The rich families only hired contractors.
In big towns, there were endless business people and rich families who required such staff.
There was almost no department to recruit such staff. Some people were working part time, who worked on occasions. She decided to get someone from the province, and pay the middle men.
More importantly, Shao Yunduan also hoped that their purchase of staff would not be revealed to the Qiao Family, so that was another trouble.
Not everyone had a tight mouth.
Qiao Xuan agreed. The town was too small to meet every need. Oh man, she had become so arrogant as to not like the town any more.
Suddenly, Qiao Xuan smiled. "Darling, what about we travel to the province? You can tell Young Master Yuezheng that when he sends someone to fetch the lipsticks, we would like to tag along. It must be bustling in the province and many more things are available there. Let's see if we can get some appropriate laborers ourselves. You can buy some books as well and visit the famous colleges in the province and exchange opinions with them, sounds good?" Shao Yunduan was startled. But after a moment, he was quite motivated. He also sensed that those people at Minghua College were not on the same level as he was. But the province was different. There were always better people outside.
Maybe the trip would help him become better?
"Darling, let's just go there!" Qiao Xuan tugged his arms and coaxed him happily. 'You are going there in the future to attend the examination, and we can visit the place first to check it out.."
Chapter 306: Lipsticks Again
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Shao Yunduan flushed as he felt her tugging. He got a bit absent-minded but did not dare to show his reaction, fearing that he would cause embarrassment. He tried to suppress his facial expression. After a moment, he could not help but smile.
Shao Yunduan simply could not turn down any of her requests, especially when she was smiling at him like this.
He intended to say that he would think about it, but soon he changed his mind and answered. "Okay, we can go there!"
"Okay!" Qiao Xuan was delighted. "Young Master Yuezheng and Young Master Xie must know a lot about the province, and we don't need to worry about troubling them. We can ask them what colleges they know and we can visit the scholars too. That is the most urgent task."
Shao Yunduan felt so moved as he saw that she was considering him above everything else. He smiled gently. "We won't be able to go to the province often, so you can also think about what you need to buy and make a comprehensive list."
Qiao Xuan smiled and nodded. She also told Shao Yunduan that maybe they could bring Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao along as well.
They should go and visit the outside world too.
Most importantly, Qiao Xuan had made up her mind to train Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao to become her helpers. She was teaching them how to read and wanted them to go out and have a look at the outside world.
Shao Yunduan did not object.
In this way, he could visit the local scholars and colleges at ease, while Qiao Xuan would have someone with her when he was gone.
"Don't tell the others in the family about it yet. We will inform them when we leave." Shao Yunduan added.
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Of course."
They did not want the news to be spread across the village and cause gossip.
Also, Shao Sanlang and Yang Xiaoni would want to join them as well, and that would trouble them a great deal.
Qiao Xuan believed that they would have a chance to visit the province again, with everyone in the family, including her mother-in-law. But not right now!
When the decision was made, Qiao Xuan decided to visit the mountains during the next two days to see if there were any expensive herbs to take along as
She would pick some Ganodermas from her space, if nothing valuable was found.
She decided not to touch what was in the space, in case the magic would disappear. She needed to support the space so that it could upgrade and help her gain some more abilities.
The roses were blooming vividly.
Red and rosy were the biggest colors with the biggest size. Some pink ones were not so large but they were many in number. There were some other colors, including apricorn-red, orange, purple and light yellow.
Qiao Xuan asked for the red and rosy ones to be picked, so each one could be put into different bags in case they got mixed.
Actually, if they blended the colors, new colors could be produced. But they needed repeated experiments to find the best colors.
That would require a lot of time and energy, which was not something Qiao Xuan had currently.
When she found the time, she would get Shao Taotao to do that together with her. She planned to get even more abundant colors.
After four busy days, their work was paused as they waited for another patch of flowers to bloom.
Ms. Xu and the others were resting at home, whilst Qiao Xuan and Qi as well as
Taotao went into the mountains..
Chapter 307: Tagging Along
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
As expected, Shao Sanlang and Yang Xiaoni also wanted to tag along.
The group had become much bigger than estimated.
However, the second section of the family, for some reason, got to know about their trip to the mountain. They came to them and said to Shao Xiaoqi, "Qi, you can take your cousins to the mountains as well? They can be of some help. Ms.
Qiao, Ms. Yang and Taotao don't have to be with you guys. Women are always creating trouble in the mountains."
Qiao Xuan.
Shao Xiaoqi's face sank and he turned to look at Qiao Xuan subconsciously.
Ms. Fang also frowned involuntarily. "They are just having fun in the mountains, not doing anything. What are your sons tagging along for?"
"Eldest Sister-in-law, you are so stingy. Why not take my sons to earn some money too? We can find some honey and get some pocket money as well,
Eldest Uncle added. "Qi, just take your Second Brother and Fourth Brother with you. They can help!"
Shao Xiaoqi wasn't pleased after hearing this.
He did not want to take them at all.
But it looked as if they were going to come along. They would follow them in secret even if they were not taken along.
Qiao Xuan said, "If you want to tag along, we can go together. But the deal is that we don't promise to get anything. Also, you are older than us, and you need to do some more hard work."
"Okay then, if anything good comes up…
'Qi will take the biggest portion, and the rest will be shared among us." Second Uncle wasn't pleased after listening to that.
Ms. Fang snorted. "You don't have to go if you aren't happy about it."
Second Uncle did not dare to say anything more. "Alright, alright."
Qiao Xuan smiled. "Let's go. It is getting late."
Second Uncle added. "Ms. Qiao, Ms. Yang, what are you doing by tagging along? You can just stay at home. It is not easy to walk in the mountains. Won't you slow them down!
The fewer people there were, the bigger the share would be. He even told his sons to concentrate on how to get the honey and grab it, as well as learn how Shao Xiaoqi got the other things, so that they could go there alone in the future.
Before Ms. Fang and Ms. Qiao said anything, Shao Xiaoqi said unhappily, "If the Fifth Sister-in-law is coming, I will go. If she stays, I stay too!"
Second Uncle.
Qiao Xuan became cheerful. "Qi, you are a good boy!"
Shao Xiaoqi smiled bashfully after hearing the compliments.
Second Uncle got annoyed. "What are you saying? Shao Xiaoqi turned his head. "You heard what I said." Eldest Uncle frowned. "Qi, don't be so unruly!"
Ms. Fang chimed in. "Forget about the trip today!"
Qi said, "Okay!'
But Shao Silang got anxious. "Ah, Eldest Aunt, Qi, don't be angry, let's all go together, alright? Dad, just save your breath!"
Second Uncle.
They should not get impulsive and irritate the eldest aunt!
In the end, they all headed out.
Shao Yunduan had not planned upon joining them, but seeing what happened, he went along.
He needed to protect Qiao Xuan.
Qiao Xuan wanted to try her luck in finding precious medicinal herbs such as
Ganoderma lucidum, or China root, or Solomon's seals. She also wanted to see if she could come across some snow fungus, so she decided to visit a new area that she had never been to before.
The first section of the family were already used to the path, but Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were not..
Chapter 308: Walking Around
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The first section of the family were already used to the path, but Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were not.
Especially when there was no proper road, they would need to open the path by themselves.
"Where are we going?" They were rural people who grew up in the mountains, but they barely came to this kind of wild place. So, they were not very used to
Shao Xiaoqi said, "We are just walking around."
"What?" Shao Erlangs eyes opened wide. "Aren't we seeking honey?" Shao Silang nodded as well.
"Of course not." Shao Xiaoqi added. "We are just taking a walk."
"What…" Shao Erlang and Shao Silang looked at each other and became anxious, especially when they saw how calm the others were.
"Qi, let's just find some honey! There are so many weeds and vines here and the road isn't very smooth. Think about your sisters-in-law and sisters. They will trip over or stumble."
Yang Xiaoni immediately refuted him. "Second Cousin, don't be silly. We have been here many times and we have never fallen or gotten hurt!
Shao Yunduan. "Honey isn't so easy to find, it depends mainly on luck!"
Qiao Xuan said, "Yeah, this is what our trip is always like. Ah, darling, look at the mushrooms!
Qiao Xuan cheered as she pointed at the left side.
There were many penny buns there.
Those were delicious things, and everyone from the first section of the family looked excited.
They got to know quite a lot of varieties of mushrooms, thanks to Qiao Xuan. They understood that these penny buns were not only beautiful but also quite tasty. These were rare things.
They were getting precious things early on this day!
"I will go and pick them!"
"Me too!"
Qi and Taotao went to fetch the mushrooms cheerfully.
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang could not help but roll their eyes, thinking that those people were so shallow-sighted. Those were just mushrooms. What were they getting so excited for?
Shao Silang even added. "Brother Third and Brother Fifth, what are you standing here for?We are deep inside a forest and many snakes have climbed over them before. We can't pick these mushrooms. What if they kill us!" "Stop it, you!" Shao Sanlang said unhappily, "We like eating mushrooms!"
Yang Xiaoni added. "True, you know nothing."
Seeing that none of them supported him, Shao Silang snorted and said nothing. It would serve them right, if any accident happened.
In this way, they walked and stopped, got some mushrooms whilst Shao Xiaoqi caught two wild roosters. Qiao Xuan got some nice China roots in the pine forests but after that they got nothing else.
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang got quite anxious.
They did not recognize China roots and did not know that it was a good thing. They thought that these were just wild plants like yams, nothing interesting.
They were only greedy for honey.
"Qi, where can we find honey? Take us there."
Shao Xiaoqi felt speechless. How could they find honey so easily? Most of the time, it was the Fifth Sister-in-law who helped them find it, but he would not say it out loud.
He believed that the Fifth Sister-in-law was thinking the same as he was. She did not want to take them there.
"It depends on luck. We are looking for it." Shao Xiaoqi said.
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang suspected that Shao Xiaoqi was lying, but they had no proof for that, thus could not counter him.
Qiao Xuan said, "It will be lunchtime soon, let's take a break and eat something. There is spring water here and we can continue after eating something first.."
Chapter 309: Found It
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Everyone agreed with what Qiao Xuan said.
As it is, Shao Erlang and his brother's opinions did not matter. They could go about themselves, if they were not convinced.
"Qi, you can divide the work among everyone. There are many yams over there, we can get some and roast one rooster for lunch."
"Okay, Fifth Sister-in-law!"
Hearing that they had one wild rooster to eat for lunch, Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were delighted. They had not eaten a wild rooster for ages.
They had not gotten much from the first section of the family recently, so they could not counter Qiao Xuan when she proposed this.
Shao Erlang said, "I am so tired. What about me roasting the wild rooster, and you can go and find some wood. Brother Third, you can do some other work as well.
Qiao Xuan said straightforwardly, "Second Cousin, Qi is familiar with the mountains and it depends on him as to what we should do. We agreed on this, right? Qi should do the roasting and he is really good at it."
Everyone from the first section of the family chuckled and nodded in agreement.
You are the best chef here', everyone said so inwardly.
But they did not say that out loud! After all, they did not want her to cook for people outside the family.
Shao Xiaoqi said, "Second Cousin, I can roast the rooster, and Fourth Cousin goes to find the wood, whilst you and Third Brother can find yams over there. I and Taotao will wash and peel the rooster."
Shao Erlang could not counter him but Shao Silang asked. "What about Fifth
Sister-in-law and Fifth Brother?"
Shao Xiaoqi replied with confidence. "Fifth Brother is Cultivated Talent, and
Fifth Sister-in-law is a noble lady. They don't need to do anything. Third
Sister-in-law can help with starting the fire."
Yang Xiaoni nodded with a smile. "I can do that, no problem!"
The others agreed. Shao Sanlang and Shao Erlang went to get the yams whilst
Shao Silang had no choice but to grab the wood
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan were both on the verge of laughing. Qi was so kind and he made them feel so warm in their hearts.
Qiao Xuan smiled at Shao Yunduan. "Let's go and take a look, see what wild fruits there are."
Shao Yunduan followed her into the mountains.
"Did you find anything?" Shao Yunduan asked with a small voice.
Startled, Qiao Xuan smiled and blinked. "You are smart! I just ran into two Ganodermas, so let's go and pick them!"
"Let's do that!"
Soon they found the two Ganodermas, which were bigger than the palm of a man. The special scent brought their spirit up!
The surface was complete, the color was black blended with purple, straight in the stem, looking quite mystic.
"How beautiful!
Qiao Xuan could not help but praise the two pieces. She felt like not giving them away.
However, these could not be put into space since Shao Yunduan already saw it.
Then, they could be given to Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong respectively! The two of them picked up the plants and wrapped them up with gauze as well as a large patch of leaves, putting them carefully into the basket.
As for the wild fruits, they saw a few persimmon trees and wild grapes that climbed up the canopy of the tall trees, but they were not yet ripe.
They ate something for lunch, took a nap and then got up.
They became quite lazy after lunch, and soon, they headed back home..
Chapter 310: Superpower
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In the afternoon, Shao Xiaoqi got two roosters and three pigeon-size grouses, nothing more.
Seeing the shadow in the forest became larger, they realized that it was time to go back home. Shao Erlang and Shao Silang got quite anxious.
They had their eyes widely-opened, seeking honey.
But honey wasn't so easy to find, even if they made efforts.
On their way home, Qiao Xuan found a very special-looking orchid in the forest.
Orchids grew nicely in the woods. There were patches of such plants everywhere, which were good to decorate the garden, yet worth not that much money.
Qiao Xuan could tell directly if any special kind was sprouting within.
She pretended as if she were picking the mushrooms. She walked over and picked them up.
She found a few more of them, and took them all. She placed them in the space without anyone noticing it.
Thanks to the superpower, Qiao Xuan was not that careful when it came to the dangerous forests. She walked ahead absent-mindedly.
Suddenly, she sensed a strong pain on her finger and saw that she had been bitten by a black, large centipede.
Her snowy and skinny fingers became swollen and she was in a lot of pain.
Qiao Xuan's face changed. She had not yet done anything when she sensed that some electrical life stream was going into her fingers as if washing away the dirt. Suddenly, the black blood rushed out and the poison inside her finger went away.
A short while later, the swollen part faded away and the pain was suppressed.
Only a tiny, narrow red spot of wound was seen, and the stream-like power went all over the body.
Qiao Xuan looked at her finger in astonishment. She smiled. Good, her superpower knew exactly what it needed to do. How thoughtful! But she wondered if this function of healing could work on others too.
Qiao Xuan's heart throbbed. She was so excited!
She planned to use it on the chicken, ducks and geese at home first. If it worked, it would be so wonderful.
Soon after, she went back, smiling at her husband. "Darling, it is getting late, what about going back home?
Shao Yunduan looked at Qiao Xuan, wondering if he could figure something different about his wife. Her eyes were sparkling as if she had run into something cheerful.
Was it because they had teased their cousins?
Shao Yunduan smiled and found that reasonable. It was the second section of the family who asked for this treatment.
"Yes, it is getting late, let's go home!"
"Okay, good, let's go home!"
"For dinner! ' I
All nodded in agreement.
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were not very convinced, but they understood that it would be very dangerous to wander about, when the sunlight went away.
So they had to agree in distress.
The mushrooms and wild bamboo shoots in the mountains could be seen everywhere. They had enough in their basket on their way home.
They had many mushrooms, yams, wild bamboo shoots as well as roots of kudzu vines. Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were forced to carry them home too..
Chapter 311: Not Promised
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
They were not very happy to do the hard work, but if they did not offer help, the first section of the family might leave them halfway.
So, they had no choice but to carry the load and walk on.
Back at home, they were given one rooster and some yams, nothing more.
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were very disappointed.
What they wanted was honey!
But as they thought about this, they believed that it was because they were not so lucky today. After all, if honey was so easily seen, the first section of the family might have made a fortune already.
But thinking that they had a wild rooster for dinner, the two of them still felt quite cheerful when they went home.
"Qi, are we going tomorrow to find honey?"
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were still quite interested.
Shao Xiaoqi turned to look at Qiao Xuan subconsciously.
Qiao Xuan blinked at him and nodded slightly. Shao Xiaoqi smiled. "Sure!"
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were excited again.
Shao Taotao asked. "Fifth Sister-in-law, are we still taking them to the mountains tomorrow?"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "We are not going tomorrow. Qi can take them. They love having fun in the mountains, right?"
They were so shameless after being taken care of by Eldest Uncle all these years.
They knew no rules!
Those who had the way of getting rich depended on their own abilities. No one would just come and demand a share!
Why would those who knew how to make money take someone else along for a free ride?
Everyone smiled after hearing that.
Shao Xiaoqi nodded with a smile. "Okay! I will give my two cousins a big tour!" Qiao Xuan smiled and praised him.
Shao Yunduan was going to take the imperial examination, and he needed to keep his reputation intact. Hence, Qiao Xuan tried to keep her methods low-profiled when using them upon the other sections of the family. Most of the time, she would make them give up the matter by themselves.
Otherwise, they would keep pestering the first section incessantly.
The following day, Shao Xiaoqi took the two cousins into the mountains again.
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were both quite cheerful. They believed that when they found the honey, they could get a big portion. Shao Xiaoqi was just a young boy who was very easy to deal with.
Shao Xiaoqi went into the mountains, and traveled around easily. He intended to make them suffer by taking them up into the high mountains, weed-filled forests so that the two cousins got really tired.
They failed to find the honey after one whole day of roaming around. In fact, they ran into some wild bees. Shao Xiaoqi dashed off, and the two cousins did the same too.
By evening, they got very distressed as they came home.
But Shao Xiaoqi was quite motivated and asked. "Are you coming tomorrow?"
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Still?
"Can we find honey tomorrow?"
Shao Xiaoqi burst out in laughter. "I can't promise that!"
Then… they were not going!
Shao Silang asked him in return. "It is so strange! Why can we not find it?"
Shao Xiaoqi pursed his lips.. "If it were so easy to find, we would have made a fortune by now!"
Chapter 312: Purposeful
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
They had actually already made a fortune because of their Fifth Sister-in-law's guidance. Moreover, they were going to build a large house by the end of this year.
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were mute suddenly.
"Just drop it." Shao Erlang felt a bit scared as he thought of what they had experienced today. "We are not going tomorrow!"
He was not going there any more!
It was too exhausting.
Also, there was no guarantee that they could find the honey anyway. Who had the time to travel about in the mountains?
Shao Xiaoqi smiled inwardly but showed a very disappointed look on his face. "Alright then…"
Ms. Zhang and Ms. Niu were both very disappointed, as the two of them reached home.
"Still nothing?"
Shao Erlang and Shao Silang were simply too tired to talk. "How can it be so easy?"
The two of them fell asleep as soon as they reached their place.
Ms. Zhang pursed her lips. "I think the first section did it on purpose? How could they find so much honey whilst Erlang and Fourth Brother found nothing! I saw they had so many jars of honey!"
Annoyed, Ms. Niu intended to ask Ms. Fang about this, but then she thought of how Ms. Fang would react. Reluctantly, she gave up the idea of confrontation.
She might get mocked by Ms. Fang if she went up to argue with her. "That is honey, my sons can go and look for it themselves. They are sure to find
Ms. Zhang looked down at her mother-in-law, who was too timid to interrogate the first section of the family.
She could not stand it any longer. She went to the first section of the family and finally ran into Qiao Xuan and Taotao, who had been picking vegetables in the field after she waited for a long while.
Ms. Zhang went up and said sarcastically, "Fifth Sister-in-law, you must have done that on purpose, right? How can you be so stingy? You know that we don't have much money. Still, you don't want to help us make money. Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt were not like this earlier. But since the moment you came here, everything changed! You are trying to estrange us! Aren't you afraid of being blamed by our ancestors?!"
Shao Taotao got really annoyed. "Stop it! You can talk with my parents about this, not my Fifth Sister-in-law!"
Ms. Zhang became angrier as she sneered. "Taotao, you have become bolder too!"
"You…"
Qiao Xuan patted her arm and smiled. "Taotao is confident, beautiful and bold, now no one can bully her!"
"Also, whether you have money or not has nothing to do with me, Second Sister-in-law. Your thinking is wrong!"
"As for the honey, you can go and seek it yourself. That is the same mountain we go to. No one is stopping you. It all depends on luck. We also can't find it every time we are there."
"As for your accusation that I am creating a rift in the family… why didn't I know that? What about telling me in detail? Is it because we refused to work for you for free and did not offer you free money, hence you are saying this? You know that it doesn't make any sense, right!"
Ms. Zhang shivered and stammered. "You don't lack money! You just don't know how hard it is to be poor. You can help us, why not do it?!"
"You talk big, but the truth is that you are so selfish!"
Qiao Xuan felt shocked. Was this what Ms.. Zhang was thinking! So were the other sections of the family, right?
Chapter 313: Into Province
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Qiao Xuan said, "It is never easy to make money, and you can't simply have others do everything for you. Let me tell you, we are getting richer but you are never going to get a penny out of our wealth!"
"Only if you work hard and earn every penny one by one, will you have a chance.
But if you don't work hard and hope to get everything for free, you will get nothing!'
Ms. Zhang looked at Qjao Xuan with hatred. She did not take in anything Qjao Xuan said.
It seemed that Ms. Zhang was the most extreme one from the second section of the family.
That was so unexpected.
Qjao Xuan found her annoying but also pitiful. That was because her parents had taught her something against morality.
But this matter had nothing to do with her. It was all her family's business. Before Ms. Zhang could say anything, Qjao Xuan left with Shao Taotao.
Shao Taotao whispered. "Fifth Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law look so scary. How did she become like this? She was not like this before!'
Qiao Xuan shook her head. "I don't know. She only focuses on her brother and is probably stimulated by what happened last time."
Shao Taotao could not understand it and said, "But she is married now, and even if she wants to help her own family, she can't just steal her mother-in-law's money, right?"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "She knows nothing. We can't become like her. We should stay away from her."
Shao Taotao understood this point very well.
After a few days, Yuezheng Xiao's men came to fetch the last batch of watermelons.
The good weather had saved the watermelons.
They were large and refined on the surface, with a layer of smoothness. The shell sounded crisp upon knocking. They seemed to be wonderful watermelons.
The men from the Yuezheng Family were surprised and glad to receive such good watermelons in the last batch.
Qjao Xuan gave them a dozen more, and the rest were kept at home. She planned to plant some more with the seeds she kept back.
Ms. Xu intended to take some seeds to her own family, and she approved of it. She could give some spare ones to the others who needed it.
Qjao Xuan and Shao Yunduan proposed that they wanted to visit the province.
The coachman and pageboy of the Yuezheng Family nodded without hesitation. They were in a good relationship and they were welcome anytime.
Qiao Xuan decided to bring the 600 lipsticks along, and Yuezheng Xiao did not need to send anyone else over to fetch them.
She even had hundreds of mint-smelling lip balms ready with her.
Shao Yunduan and Qiao Xuan talked with the family about this, seeing that the Yuezheng Family had sent their men over to fetch the watermelons.
Ms. Fang did not stop them. Her son needed to check the place ahead of time to learn about the imperial examination, so that he could be more prepared.
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao were very happy that they could tag along.
Ms. Fang felt even more assured when they had company. So she approved of that proposal too.
"That is the province! There are so many things over there! I want to visit the place too!'
Shao Sanlang felt so jealous and looked at Shao Yunduan with a look of begging.
Yang Xiaoni nodded excitedly. She wanted to tag along as well.
Before Shao Yunduan said anything, Ms. Fang hit Shao Sanlang on his head "Drop this idea! You should stay at home and get the wood! We will be so busy during the harvest season that we won't have time to get enough firewood! You can help us chop more wood. Taotao and Ms. Qjao can keep each other company, and Qi can run errands for your Fifth Brother.. You will be superfluous there!'
Chapter 314: Examination
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Shao Sanlang scratched his head and sadly gave up.
They all laughed.
Shao Xiaoqi said, "Don't worry, Brother, I will bring a lot of good food to you to Only then did Shao Sanlang feel better and said happily, "Don't forget about it! Just buy me as much good food as possible, I will try them all! I will give you money!'
Shao Sanlang and Yang Xiaoni were so generous now that they had some money. They had already eaten almost everything available in the town.
Ms. Fang glared at them upon hearing that. "Hey, you should know how to save money. I know that it's your personal money but you need to keep some saved for tough times. We have a long way to go. Don't get greedy! You are married now, think about the long-term!'
Shao Sanlang did not care but mumbled. "We make money because we need to spend it. We can make some more when we dont have any." Ms. Fang snapped. "Didn't you hear what I just told you?'
"Yes, yes, Mom!'
Shao Sanlang got startled and answered almost instinctively. Ms. Fang asked him sternly. "You haven't spent much, right?"
Shao Sanlang felt a bit guilty as he stammered. "No, no!'
Shao Xiaoqi, Qjao Xuan and Taotao exchanged a smiling look amongst themselves.
How much Shao Sanlang and his wife spent was unknown to Ms. Fang and Eldest Uncle, but the others knew it well.
They had easily bought two or three liang of snacks from the town!
Ms. Xu was so concerned about their expenditure, and always complained about them spending too much to her husband.
Shao Dalang also found her words reasonable and talked to Shao Sanlang about saving some money.
Shao Sanlang nodded yet still continued with his behavior.
Ms. Fang suspected his breezy words. 'Really?"
"Come here." Ms. Fang pinched Shao Sanlang's ears. "Show me your savings! I won't take your money, I have more than you have. I just want to check it."
Shao Sanlang and Yang Xiaoni turned pale. "You don't have to bother, Mom!'
"Yes, Mom, you don't bother!'
The more they behaved like this, the more skeptical Ms. Fang was. "No! Take me there!'
Qjao Xuan and the others left the place quietly.
Something was going to happen soon, and they needed to escape!
Sure enough, the couple had to let Ms. Fang check their money and was scolded badly. Ms. Fang ordered them to give her half of what they earned so she could save it for them.
Shao Sanlang and Yang Xiaoni did not dare to counter her words.
On the day when the men from the Yuezheng Family came over, they packed the watermelons and went onto the wagon together.
Qjao Xuan and the others rented another wagon when they reached the town, since the wagon had many watermelons on it already. The two wagons went forward together.
They could reach the province by the evening, since they started early.
They were all excited, including Qjao Xuan, who came out for a long distance trip for the first time.
She lifted the drapery and checked around. Everything was so new for her.
Most importantly, they had the Yuezheng Family with them and they were completely safe.
They stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the town, and soon moved on..
Chapter 315: Province
Translator: I-lenyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The road was quite smooth but still the wagons shook and were not so comfortable. Yet the gang of young people laughed and talked on the way, feeling both satisfied and excited.
By the evening, the sun had set and they eventually approached the province.
The road became wider and flatter, and more and more pedestrians and wagons appeared on it. Many wagons looked quite magnificent.
These were not something seen in the town.
Before they reached the center, they had already sensed how bustling the environment would be.
As the wagon finally reached the center, it became even more crowded. Wagons were noisy, and the wide and straight streets were lined with various shops. Everything looked tall and luxurious, dazzling and overwhelming. "This is the province! The real, bustling province!'
"Yes! This is what a province is like, much better than the county!'
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao could not help but feel amazed.
Qjao Xuan smiled. "Let's find a hotel to stay in. We will have enough time to have
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao nodded. They were looking forward to it.
Shao Yunduan waved goodbye to the two servants from the Yuezheng Family, and told them that they would visit them the next day.
The two servants nodded and told them where they should find accommodation and did not leave until they told the coachmen how to reach there.
The four of them asked for the best rooms next to each other. Qjao Xuan and Shao Taotao shared one whilst Shao Yunduan and his brother shared the other.
They were keeping each other company when they were traveling outside.
They were all quite tired from the day's trip. They did not go out for dinner but remained in the hall of the hotel and ate some simple food.
The province was more than bustling. There were various dishes with high prices.
The four of them ordered four local special dishes as well as one soup, which tasted great.
Especially the dish, which consisted of sweet and sour fish. The sweet and sour sauce was very well adjusted, and the taste was moderate, as it was poured on the fish. The white and tender fish was soaked in the juice, the sweet and sour taste was tangy, and it made people feel like devouring it.
After dinner, the day fell yet it was still quite lively on the street.
The stores on both sides of the streets had lanterns lit up, and the light shone through.
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao had never seen such a busy city under the moon, so they really wanted to have a look around.
Shao Yunduan did not dare to release them. So he said, "We can go back to the room for a break. When we ask more about where we can go, we will explore the place!'
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao agreed.
However, they had just returned to the room when Yuezheng Xiao came with his two servants, namely Qu Shan and Qu Xi.
Shao Yunduan and Qjao Xuan were surprised. They felt that they had been given a lot of respect.
Yuezheng Xiao really treated them as good friends, otherwise he would not have come over.
The three of them were seated in the elegant room in the hotel and chatted happily.
When Yuezheng Xiao asked Shao Yunduan their purpose of being here, Shao Yunduan confessed to him honestly. "Brother Shao, your idea sounds wonderful. You should definitely come over to have a look around. I will ask and see who can be your best communicator, and will tell you about it soon, sounds okay?"
The Yuezheng Family knew a lot about the province, thus could go around very easily. Shao Yunduan did not turn him down but smiled with a greeting. "That sounds great. Thank you, Brother Yuezheng!'
Yuezheng Xiao waved his hands. "Don't mention it, Brother Shao."
Later, Yuezheng Xiao spoke with the couple about how popular lipsticks were. He was so excited while telling them about it..
Chapter 316: Meeting
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Lipsticks had become the absolute favorite of young ladies and madams in the province. They were so proud of being able to get each color.
Yuezheng Xiao did not put the lipsticks into the market in bulk, so the ladies and madams were even more eager to buy them.
The news had spread to the neighboring cities as well. Some young ladies and madams even asked their housekeepers to stand in queue just to buy them first, or asked their locally-residing relatives to purchase some for them.
His cosmetics stores were selling many things due to which they had earned a great deal.
Yuezheng Xiao had decided to set the price at 5 liang for each. After deducting the cost, he could earn 2 liang for one, which was already enough for him.
After all, the lipsticks could be sold out no matter how many there were on the shelf. Due to this single item, the store had earned tens of thousands of liang a month. In addition, the powder, blushers and all helped him earn even more.
That was just one small store.
But the lipsticks became far more popular than he had expected, so he raised the cost by two liang for each, so one lipstick costed seven liang then onwards.
He had intended to raise 5 qian for the ones Qjao Xuan brought with her this time.
Qjao Xuan had brought some new colors on this trip, which interested Yuezheng Xiao even more. Qjao Xuan took them out and showed them to him, whilst making an explanation about it.
Yuezheng Xiao bought all the lipsticks and lip balms she had with her this time.
He could not help but say emotionally, "The lipsticks are sold out so easily. Brother Shao, and Sister-in-law, give me as many as you can. My Elder Brother was here a few days ago and he was interested in the lipsticks as well. If they can be sold outside the province, we will definitely expand our business! I look forward to seeing a big business growing out of this!'
Qiao Xuan was quite glad as well. She exchanged a look with Shao Yunduan and said gently, "Of course we will, but not right now. Young Master Yuezheng, thanks for your understanding!'
"Of course I understand." Yuezheng Xiao smiled. "We can always wait for big business!'
Although they did have some stock, he said to the public that the lipsticks were not so easily made, so the production could not be raised. That was why everyone was waiting expectantly.
In the province, the Yuezheng Family was the top in the business area, so no one dared to set them up, nor was there anyone who dared to suppress them.
Also, he was prepared to get Xie Jingrong involved in it, by giving him 20% of the shares.
Due to the existence of the young master of the Xie Family, no one would dare to touch this business.
Soon Yuezheng Xiao waved them goodbye.
He told them that he was going to open a huge banquet for them, and they would come with a wagon. Xie Jingrong would be asked to join them so they could save time instead of going to visit them at the door.
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan were both smart people, so they nodded and saw them off politely.
When the waiter was cleaning up, Shao Yunduan gave him 2 qian and asked him more about the Yuezheng Family.
Those who worked at the restaurant were always up to date with the gossip.
The waiter, who received money and liked talking, started to say it all out.
The couple were not surprised to hear that there was chaos in the Yuezheng Family, which was noble and big.
The waiter might not be telling the entire truth, but the big picture was definitely right..
Chapter 317: Unexpected Guest
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
No wonder Yuezheng Xiao told them not to pay a visit to his house.
It seemed that the second section of the family was quite tricky too. It would be annoying if they were discovered.
The following morning, the four of them did not eat breakfast at the hotel, but learned from the waiter that they could find some local snacks on the street.
The waiter, who had shared the information and got the bonus from them, felt much closer to them. He answered their questions and acted really passionately.
There were all kinds of snacks on the street, and you could see different varieties of food there.
There were various kinds of soup noodles, porridge, sugar cakes, rice cakes, plum cakes, steamed buns with various fillings, biscuits, burritos, etc. The four people bought a lot of them. Even though the quantity was not much, they were already very full after roaming around one street.
It was a bustling place, filled with liveliness and stuff.
Qjao Xuan paid enough attention and found that there were no sugar-water stores. If she could open some sugar-water stores, maybe a chain of them, she could earn a great deal.
She could make some simple ones, such as kelp and mung bean paste, sour plum soup, jelly pudding, taro ball sago, red bean sago, bean curd, various new fruits and jelly, sago, lily, peanuts, lotus seeds, milk and other combinations. These all had unique tastes.
But the sugar-water snacks could be copied very easily. If they wanted to do well, they would need to make sure that it tastes well. Also, multiple stores would need to be opened at one go, so that the money could roll in. Otherwise people would soon copy and take a chunk of their profits.
One store would guarantee their livelihood.
But Qjao Xuan was not satisfied by just opening one store.
She bore this idea in her mind and decided to do it in the future.
She could do some preparations now, like she could ask the Yuezheng Family to look for the sources of sago.
At lunchtime, the wagon from the Yuezheng Family came to pick them up.
Qjao Xuan took along the Ganoderma and China root which she had brought along as greeting gifts for Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong as well.
They did not carry the lipsticks with them because Yuezheng Xiao would come to fetch them later and they could talk about tea leaves at that time.
The Yuezheng Family had a restaurant in the city, and it was very lively there. But Yuezheng Xiao did not take them there.
Instead, they found a private room at The Restaurant, which was quite a famous eatery. He ordered the most popular dishes such as cherry meat, three sets of duck, and Wensi tofu.
When Qu Shan brought the guests over, Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong were already there. They greeted each other politely.
Shao Yunduan gave them the presents, and Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong thanked them and accepted them.
Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao had met them before, so they felt much more open despite being a little shy.
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong were very friendly young masters. Xie Jingrong looked distant, but Yuezheng Xiao was open-minded. It was a lively lunch hour.
They exchanged some thoughts about the local cultures, and Yuezheng Xiao asked the pageboy to inform the waiters.
But before the dishes could be served, an unexpected guest arrived there.
It was Yuezheng Ting and her maid Jiang who walked in. She spotted Xie Jingrong and smiled even more brightly. She went up and greeted them politely.
Then she turned to Yuezheng Xiao. "I was just standing in line for the pastry when I saw your wagon.. You are here, Third Brother!'
Chapter 318: Thoughts
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Yuezheng Ting was Yuezheng Xiao's cousin, the youngest daughter of the second section of the family.
The two sections of the family were not on good terms with each other. Although Yuezheng Ting was just a girl, Yuezheng Xiao did not think that she knew much.
The first section of the family did not have any daughters, and the daughters of the second section of the family were born by his second aunt, Ms. Mi. The two girls loved to behave well in front of grandmother, especially Yuezheng Ting, who knew how to make her grandmother happy. Hence, their grandmother liked the second section of the family more and more.
Therefore, Yuezheng Xiao tried not to get too close to this cousin of his.
He disliked her even more when he discovered that this cousin loved to follow him just to get close to Xie Jingrong.
It seemed that his grandmother, second aunt and second uncle understood that the girl was not a match for the lineal grandson of the Xie Family, so they did not say a thing on the surface.
But he did not think that Yuezheng Ting's parents were not aware of what their daughter was planning. They were just pretending not to know or see.
They were hoping for a miracle.
If Xie Jingrong fell for Yuezheng Ting, the whole thing would fall in place naturally. Even if Xie Jingrong did not fall for her, Yuezheng Ting's name would not be ruined because she had her cousin as a shield.
It was not easy to see if Yuezheng Ting was here on purpose.
She sounded harmlessly nice when she claimed that she was here buying things for her grandmother.
Yuezheng Xiao could not drive her away, so he smiled. "What a coincidence!
Have you eaten lunch? You can join us if you haven't."
Yuezheng Ting chuckled and smiled with her eyes blinking. "Ah… well, I was going to go back home for lunch, sorry to trouble you."
Yuezheng Xiao smiled and introduced Shao Yunduan and his family to Yuezheng Ting.
Yuezheng Ting could see that Qiao Xuan was plainly dressed, but she had never seen them before. She was curious and greeted them politely.
Then she saw Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao who seemed too timid to raise their heads. Yuezheng Ting sneered inwardly but showed no look on her face. She just ignored them and smiled at Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong.
They talked about the good things they knew, their orchids, banquets and all. She tried to cater to Xie Jingrong.
Xie Jingrong was not very talkative, but he did not pretend to be distant. Before Yuezheng Ting came, he and Shao Yunduan were having a good conversation, but he fell into silence when Yuezheng Ting came over.
Unless Yuezheng Ting asked him of her own accord, he would not respond to a thing of his own accord.
Yuezheng Ting had not yet managed to see her Third Brother and Xie Jingrong together for a long time, and on this rare occasion, she believed that Xie
Jingrong would stay more patient, and talked more.
But Xie Jingrong was so annoyed and so was Yuezheng Xiao.
What a shameless person!
Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan had sensed the hidden trouble between them. They exchanged a look and felt helpless.
Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong had to let the show go on. So, they needed to finish the whole meal from beginning to the end.
Qiao Xuan could sense that Shao Xiaoqi and Shao Taotao were nervous. She smiled at Shao Xiaoqi and patted Shao Taotao's hands, saying with a smile,
"Let's eat, the dishes are expensive, don't waste them.."
Chapter 319: Contempt
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Shao Taotao burst into chuckles spontaneously, hearing what Qiao Xuan said. She felt more relaxed as well.
She nodded at Qiao Xuan and answered with a small okay.
The two girls did not make a big move of it, but Yuezheng Ting happened to see that.
Yuezheng Ting not only needed to pretend that she were elegant, but also tried to find some topics to start the conversation. The whole thing was very tiring!
Moreover, Xie Jingrong seemed quite uninterested, and did not seem to have any intention of speaking with her. To top it, her Third Brother disliked her even more.
That made Yuezheng Ting feel rather annoyed. It was quite embarrassing as well.
Since Xie Jingrong did not want to speak with her, and she could not continue to pester him, she glanced at Qiao Xuan and Shao Taotao. "Mrs. Shao, you are on a good term with Ms. Shao. Where are you from? I have never seen you before?!"
Qiao Xuan smiled. "We are just running some small business outside the city. It is quite normal that you have never seen us before, Lady Yuezheng."
Yuezheng Ting chuckled, and threw a look at Yuezheng Xiao. "You are demeaning yourself, Mrs. Shao. My Third Brother is a very picky person. Ordinary business people do not impress him, let alone be his friends."
Yuezheng Ting felt increasingly confused.
Her Third Brother was a very picky person and only a few people had managed to become his friends.
If Shao Yunduan were alone here, she might have understood what happened. But Qiao Xuan was a woman and she was here with her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. It looked so strange.
How important did her Third Brother consider the whole family to be? He was treating the whole family to such a huge lunch.
Qiao Xuan continued making up some stories.
At the same time, she showed a surprised look. "That is really nice of Young Master Yuezheng! Well, when Young Master Yuezheng passed by our village, it happened to be raining very heavily. So, he sought shelter under our roof and had a wonderful chat with my husband. We came to the town today and ran into them again, so…"
Yuezheng Xiao let out a sigh of relief upon hearing what Qiao Xuan said.
He immediately reacted. "Mrs. Shao, you are very friendly. You treated us well the other day, and now it is my turn."
Yuezheng Ting smiled and nodded, losing the interest of speaking with them any more.
She understood that this family did not seem to have the chance of becoming her Third Brother's friends. Well, they were just being polite with each other.
The long lunch was finally finished, and Shao Yunduan waved them goodbye, leaving with Qiao Xuan and his brother and sister.
Yuezheng Xiao did not have a very happy and easy family either.
Yuezheng Xiao lowered his head slightly in an apologetic way, and did not get up to walk them out.
They had just left when Yuezheng Xiao said to Yuezheng Ting, "You can go home now. I and Brother Xie have other affairs to deal with.
Yuezheng Ting smiled bashfully. "Third Brother, where are you going, take me along too!"
It was okay for women and men to go out together with family accompanying them.
But Yuezheng Xiao did not have any interest in taking her along. He smiled and said, "Girls should not go where we are going."
Yuezheng Ting got startled, and her face reddened. She could not insiste upon following along. So, she had to pretend as if she knew nothing and smiled. "I… I will go home first, I am leaving now."
Having said that, she left with her maid.
Yuezheng Xiao let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Xie Jingrong.. "Honestly, Brother Xie, when are you getting married? Don't be so picky! Just get engaged and marry as soon as possible!"
Chapter 320: Too Kind
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
As long as Xie Jingrong was engaged, Yuezheng Ting would leave him alone. She was just too annoying.
Xie Jingrong showed a weak smile. "I can't lose my whole life for this tiny nuisance, right?"
Yuezheng Xiao laughed.
Then… he sighed.
It was so annoying that someone just had no idea how they should behave.
In the wagon, Yuezheng Ting's face sank.
Jiang said angrily, "Third Young Master behaves way over the top. How can he say such a thing in front of you! Let's tell Madame Yuezheng about this, so he can be punished."
Irritated, Yuezheng Ting snapped at her. "Alright, alright, what is the point of telling Grandma about this?"
Grandma would just tell him not to do that, and that was it. She did not want to look more irritating in his eyes.
"You are simply too kind, Miss!" Jiang mumbled. "But why is Third Young
Master not helping you? Isn't that a good thing for the Yuezheng Family after all?"
Yuezheng Ting bit her lips and said nothing more.
That was exactly what she was thinking.
It would be a good thing for the whole family. But her Third Brother was not helping her and also pretending not to know a thing. That was so disgusting!
She was growing older and older, and would need to get engaged to someone else after a couple of more years, if she didn't manage to get the man she wanted.
But she was not convinced.
Which other family had a better groom than the lineal grandson of the Xie Family in the whole province?
It would be such an honor if she could marry Xie Jingrong!
Everyone was going to be jealous of her!
More importantly, she had the chance to make it happen.
Her Third Brother and Xie Jingrong were good friends. As long as he helped, she would have at least 80%, if not 100% chance to get him!
She really fancied Xie Jingrong personally as well, keeping aside his background.
Xie Jingrong was such a handsome man that was attractive to everyone…
Yuezheng Ting felt so annoyed. She decided to think of a better way to make this happen.
Yuezheng Ting was just thinking when she heard Jiang speak. "Look at that, isn't that Young Master Shao and his family?"
It was cloudy today, not very hot, and Qiao Xuan and the other three walked back to the hotel, strolling along the street.
Yuezheng Ting cast an arrogant look at her and rolled her eyes.
She had no interest in looking at them.
Jing sneered. "Poverty!"
They could not even afford to ride in wagons.
In the afternoon, Yuezheng Xiao and Xie Jingrong visited the hotel again, and exchanged business matters with Qiao Xuan. They also talked about the tea leaves. They were quite confident about the future.
As for the colleges and the scholars whom Shao Yunduan would like to visit, the Xie Family knew it all.
Xie Jingrong gave him the advice and even expressed that he would send a pageboy to tag along.
With Xie Jingrong's pageboy around, he would remind Shao Yunduan and help him reach the right people. In the process, he would not become a target for people to get jealous about or attract too much attention.
If Xie Jingrong went there with him, Shao Yunduan might be the topic of gossip among the scholars in the whole province.
This seemed to be a proper arrangement.
Shao Yunduan thanked him politely.
Qiao Xuan was quite glad. Xie Jingrong was such a friendly and considerate person!
Xie Jingrong also expressed that he would treat them for another meal after a few days. After speaking with them for a while, the two friends left together..