Chapter 367: Just the Gift Is Enough

My god, the princess kept this matter really secret.

Just let yourself know, don't tell others. My mother said, whether related or not makes no difference; she treats the few of us as if we were her own children. With such a good mother, it doesn't matter if we're blood-related or not.

So all those years, you never thought of searching for your biological parents?

Hmm, not searching is right; searching would hurt my mother's heart.

No wonder this man keeps looking for you; after all, the blood ties are there—does he also feel that you're his daughter?

Ling'er snorted coldly, "What dream? The Tian family has nothing good. The one who bore me in October was my mother; the one who crossed the ghost gate was also my mother; the one who raised me to adulthood was also my mother. On what grounds should I let him pick a ready-made one?"

That's the logic.

In this life I can never acknowledge him; in the future I'll leave a legacy to my descendants: absolutely no dealings with the Tian family of Taohua Village—dead enemies!

No wonder she's the princess's daughter—such a temperament, hating evil as if it were a foe!

It's snowing, let's go to the shop for a milk tea and watch the snow, okay?

Sure.

Hey, thank you, Master.

Ling'er set the date for the eighteenth day of the twelfth month; everyone in Town knows she's to be married, to wed the current Crown Prince, so after the gifts for this year were sent, many more congratulatory gifts followed.

No one dares to cause trouble in Tianshui Town; whether living here or doing business, the atmosphere feels especially peaceful.

When the man at home takes up his post, only the two female heads remain.

Fortunately, our family marries off daughters, so we don't have to entertain guests.

Alright, you shouldn't go down with that body.

Qiao Mai brushed herself up and stood, "Grandfather, Grandmother, quickly put on clothes, prepare a carriage to the Prince's mansion, I'm heading out first."

Mother, then you sit.

Father Emperor said the Crown Prince's wedding would send all the ministers there; shall we go?

The daughter-in-law's belly keeps growing; as the mother-in-law I have to check on her from time to time.

What is it?

This place was built single-handedly by me, with my effort and the children's laughter.

The elderly lady examined it closely, "Isn't this the little cat that went over with Ru'er?"

But that's the result of my own labor.

Steward Zhang left, Qiao Mai exited the Ski Field, locked the courtyard gate, and went to Jia Mei's place.

Ling'er blushed, "Thank you, give everyone a red envelope of five taels of silver, and yours ten taels."

When she arrived, Jia Mei was gnawing a big apple; seeing the grandmother arrive, she hurried to get off the kang.

The master and servant were quarreling verbally when the courtyard gate rang; Qiao Mai got up and went out, seeing it was the steward.

No need to be afraid, where is the princess?

Qiao Mai furrowed her brows tightly, placed her hand on the kitten's head, and after a while saw many visions.

Seeing it was Fu Wang's consort, the Wang Jiaru's Servant Girl finally felt confident.

Go and get busy.

Ling'er wasn't home; Qiao Mai wandered around the house, and after seeing Jia Mei, she ran over to the old lady.

Servant girl, what's going on?

People like mother are so rare in this world.

Isn't that just double happiness arriving?

Hmm, I'll use the best medicine to treat your body.

It's too far; they can't go attend, as long as the gift arrives is fine.

Qiao Mai reached out and touched her belly, "Do you want a son or a daughter?"

Got it, people just follow trends; once they say our rice is tasty, they buy this and that. In just ten days, tens of thousands of kilograms of rice left. You sold it too cheap; this is Spiritual Rice.

They sat near the window, watching the snow outside; the table was piled with snacks, and the attendant brought four cups of milk tea.

Busy indeed, I heard the young master will get married in March?

Jiaru is in trouble.

Grandmother, aren't you taking Jiaru back?

Do they all know about this?

Who?

No, this is quite noisy,

Don't accept, return it; we can't afford such relatives, remember, from now on no one from the Song Family shall be seen.

Son, it's not that we don't want a daughter; it's just that we only have Chuan'er as a man, having a few more would prevent anyone from bullying us.

Here, Qiao Mai had already arrived at Shun Qin Wangfu; she kicked the door open, and a Wang Jiaru's Servant Girl inside was wiping tears, startled to her feet.

Whether it's a son or daughter, I will bear several more for the Qiao family.

Spiritual Rice left uneaten is worthless; moreover, selling it here at Cultivation Realm prices—who can afford it? It's just a bit pricier than ordinary rice.

Xiao Qing slipped out, "Master, there is also space; why don't you go appreciate the space?"

We don't have a private room here; otherwise I'd set one up for you alone. It's a bit messy, please don't dislike it.

Ling'er didn't decline either; she accepted everything.

Qiao Mai also delivered all the New Year gifts; when idle she goes to the Ski Field, drinks tea in a cabin, and enjoys the snowy scenery outside.

How about not selling it?

Ling'er nodded, and Shopkeeper Feng bowed deeply, "Then I, your subordinate, wish the young master a joyous wedding in advance!"

Turns out, the cat was calling for help!

"The Song Family also sent a New Year gift; do you think you'll accept it?"

"No, it's not proper for the natal family to follow the in‑laws' customs."

"It's like this: a month ago the Princess Consort began to feel a bit drowsy, but it wasn't obvious. Later she could sleep more than six hours each day. Starting a few days ago, the Princess Consort's sleep time lengthened, and from yesterday until now she hasn't woken up at all."

After speaking, the figure vanished in an instant; the old master and the old lady panicked, and hurriedly ordered people to ready carriages and horses.

"Understood; we also sent someone to summon the Imperial Physician. The Imperial Physician examined it but couldn't say what it was, so let's continue observing."

"It'll be almost seven months soon; I counted the days, and it's around March. Mother is truly afraid your marriage to Ling'er will coincide."

Ling'er took a sip, "Hmm, an old flavor, not bad,"

"So you're saying the place has no human scent?"

In recent years, Tianshui Town has been talked about because a king of a different surname emerged, and people say it's due to good feng shui.

At that moment, a red cat leapt from the roof, dashed into the house, and shouted wildly at the old lady.

"She says she's fine over there; now she's changed appearance, the old Princess Consort also likes her, whatever can be taught here can be taught there, and now the Little Prince treats her well, so she won't return."

"That's fine; it's as busy as here."

Thus many merchants gathered, several times larger than when Qiao Mai first settled here; despite the heavy snow, townsfolk kept walking back and forth.

"The recipe hasn't changed; it's the same as before, the method is the same. How are Niu Shopkeeper and his crew doing in Jingcheng?"

"Hmm, as long as she lives well, that's enough."

"If a woman becomes strong, no one will bully her either."

"Fallacious reasoning. By the way, every now and then you restock some Ling Mi in the shop, didn't you say the warehouse is almost full?"

"That's because they've been indoctrinated with the doctrine of serving husband and teaching children since birth; if you let them practice martial arts from childhood, they can also go to the battlefield and kill enemies."

Shopkeeper Feng, upon seeing the young master arrive, hurriedly went forward to receive them personally.

Qiao Mai glared at her, "Tell me, what exactly is going on, why are you crying?"

Ling'er, accompanied by her master and Yuehong and Yuexia, arrived at Qiao Ji Snack Puzi; the room was warm, almost full of people.

"Here, here, asleep."

Qiao Mai sighed, the richer the family, the dirtier the backyard; for the sake of vying for favor, power, status, any means are used. I'm afraid Jiaru has fallen into the ways of the women in the back garden.

She sat on the bedside, took Jiaru's hand to feel her pulse, then flipped her eyelids.

To be honest, perhaps she has no cultivation and is just an ordinary physician, which truly can't be discerned; what a pity, she's an alchemy master, also a physician, and also a cultivator—these little tricks are not even worth her notice.

Although she doesn't know what the poison is, she knows Jiaru has been poisoned; it's a chronic anesthetic‑type toxin, colorless and odorless, and the Imperial Hospital staff can't detect it at all.

(End of Chapter)