Chapter 341

"Why does it look a bit wrong to this servant?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing Liu Mama's words, Wang Ruofu, who was holding a brush to sketch, froze.

Scanning with a sidelong glance, Wang Ruofu saw clearly the words written on the paper!

"These, are just the interest?"

While speaking, Wang Ruofu quickly put down the brush, picked up the letter paper wrapped around the silver notes with both hands in disbelief, and shook it:

"Could it be that we gave an extra one when we handed the silver notes to Hua'er that day?"

Liu Mama, who had handled it, also doubted herself, and said with a look of recollection in her eyes:

"Madam, this servant is certain we didn't give extra! Because at that time, there was only this one large-denomination silver note left in the house!"

Wang Ruofu nodded, looked at the silver notes in her hand, and asked suspiciously:

"What kind of business is this? So profitable?"

"Could it be that this girl Hua'er is puffing up her face to look fat?"

Liu Mama pinched her handkerchief and affirmed:

"Madam, Hua Jie'er is not that kind of child!"

"If there really were any losses, Hua Jie'er would just need to tell you; why would she need to do this!"

Wang Ruofu nodded and picked up the brush, preparing to continue writing other things in the account book,

but stopped when the tip of the brush touched the account book, and Wang Ruofu quickly raised her head, looked at Liu Mama to the side, and said:

"Yesterday, what did those few Madams say?"

"That the things from the south allowed them to earn back their principal in just a few months?"

Liu Mama said:

"Yes, vaguely heard... It should be that out of respect for Princess Pingning, their families each invested four or five hundred guan of silver!"

"I heard that there will be some money to share in the future!"

"Madam, are you saying that Hua Jie'er also invested in this?"

Wang Ruofu said bitterly:

"This stinky girl, her mouth is really tight!"

"If I had known this, we would have given her more silver at that time!"

Liu Mama also slapped her thigh with some regret to the side.

"Madam, I remember that day, our Old Madam gave the most!"

Wang Ruofu stood up abruptly, her eyes turning, and said:

"Go, send someone to wait at the school gate! Once school is out, invite both Changbai and the son-in-law over!"

Liu Mama bowed in agreement and turned to walk out of the room.

At this moment, Caihuan at the door walked over, bowed, and said:

"Madam, Sister Xiaodie from Jin'an Zhai is waiting outside the courtyard, saying she has come to get the pass for going out."

"She said Little Madam Wei had already asked for your permission this morning."

Wang Ruofu sat back in her chair, looked at the account book, and said: "Give it to her. This Madam of the Xie Zijue Mansion really has leisure time!"

Caihuan bowed and walked to the table to take the pass and went out.

Outside the room,

Xiaodie, with a bundle on her arm, smiled when she saw Caihuan come out:

"Sister Caihuan, sorry to trouble you!"

"Sister, what are you saying; please take it."

Taking the pass to go out, Xiaodie boarded the carriage outside the Sheng family's side gate.

After saying where she was going, Xiaodie sat in the carriage, lowered her head, and touched the bundle in her arms.

Amidst the rumbling of the carriage,

the carriage left Jingying Lane and drove along the alley, which was fine, but once the carriage turned onto the main street, the surrounding noise grew louder.

Listening to the clear singing and hawking of the flower vendors on the road, Xiaodie lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked at the prosperous and lively scene on the road; she smiled slightly.

When they were about to reach the Wei family's house in Bianjing,

Xiaodie, sitting in the carriage, lifted the curtain again; just then, a flower vendor carrying two shoulder poles full of fresh flowers was walking alongside the carriage.

Looking so closely at the fresh flowers in the flower vendor's bamboo basket by the carriage, Xiaodie patted the carriage box and shouted:

"Uncle Qian, stop for a moment!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Flower seller, don't go!"

Half a quarter of an hour later, Xiaodie, holding a flower basket, got off the carriage in front of the Wei residence.

After another quarter of an hour,

the visually impaired Mother Wei, supported by a little maid with envious eyes, sent Liu Xiao Die to the door.

At this time,

Liu Xiao Die was already in a brand-new silk spring shirt, and she also had jewelry in her hair.

And on the back of Xiaodie's spring shirt, one could faintly see a large, embroidered Kerria flower from a distance.

The bundle on her arm was also much smaller.

Xiaodie said to Mother Wei:

"Auntie, when Madam Wei returns, remember to tell her that this silver was earned by the eldest young lady of the Sheng family who married into the Hou Fu for the Little Madam!"

"Just use it with peace of mind!"

Mother Wei nodded and said: "Okay, I know! Second girl, why don't you eat at home!"

Liu Xiao Die glanced at the little maid beside Mother Wei and said: "Auntie, I still have some things to attend to."

"Oh, oh!"

"Then I won't keep you!"

Xiaodie boarded the carriage,

and after waving her hand in the carriage to let Mother Wei go inside,

Xiaodie lowered the curtain and looked at another flower basket in the carriage, taking a deep breath nervously.

Having been in Bianjing for two years, Xiaodie mostly bought small things hawked by peddlers outside the Sheng family's side gate,

and sometimes she would go out to help Wei Shuyi buy some silk threads, satin, and so on; she rarely went out at other times.

Because Xiaodie didn't go to many places, and she had never even been to the west side of Bianjing once, she looked outside the carriage much more often than when she went to the Wei family.

Amidst the hawking and shouting, the Sheng family's carriage drove onto a bridge.

Xiaodie looked along the canal under the bridge; on both sides of the canal, among the green willow trees, pedestrians were like weaving shuttles, and further away were the towering inner city walls of Bianjing.

The carriage went off the bridge, and Xiaodie lowered the curtain with some lingering interest.

After walking for a while longer, Uncle Qian, who was driving the carriage in front, said: "Miss Xiaodie, Xishui Gate is about to arrive!"

Xu Zaijing's maternal grandfather's Sun family was near Xishui Gate, but it was in the outer city west of the inner city wall; walking further west was the main street inside Wansheng Gate, and the nearby Xiaoya Lane was the maternal home of the cousin-in-law of the Zhu family.

And the place where Xiaodie got off the carriage was inside the inner city near Xishui Gate.

When getting off the carriage, Xiaodie looked around from a distance; in the distance, there was a very imposing mansion, though she didn't know whose it was.

Beside the carriage, Xiaodie lifted the bundle and flower basket on her arm and looked up at the plaque with the words 'Zhu Residence' hanging on the door.

In the Xie Zijue Zhu's residence,

in the front hall for receiving guests,

several sturdy women who looked like martial artists stood at the door,

and inside, six or seven women dressed as married women sat there, some drinking tea, some cracking pumpkin seeds.

When they talked, laughter could be heard from time to time.

There was no reserve or nobility of the mistresses of high-ranking families here, but rather more of the liveliness of the marketplace.

To the side, there were two young ladies talking about something.

When they heard the women's laughter, one of the young ladies' faces turned red.

In the gaps of the conversation,

a woman looked at the hairpin on Ni Qiqiu's head and sighed: "Sister Ni, I have never seen the style of this hairpin of yours!"

Hearing this, Ni Qiqiu took off the hairpin and handed it to her, saying:

"This was given by my aunt when I went to the Hou Fu during the New Year!"

"She said it was sent by the maternal grandfather's family of Little Duke Lu, the sworn brother of the Xu family's Jing Ge'er."

Hearing the conversation between the two, someone nearby said: "Isn't that the Li family? I heard they manage the Wensi Institute of the Ministry of Works!"

"Yes, yes! Nowadays in Jinming Pool, the one or two prizes every day come from the Wensi Institute!"

Subsequently, everyone started talking about how many wealthy households in Bianjing had spent how much silver to buy a spot to plant a flag on a small dragon boat and compete for the prize in the past few days.

Ni Qiqiu took back the hairpin handed back by the woman and said:

"By the way, Sister Jin, you told me before that your uncle entrusted you to handle that matter for his apprentice; I found a relative of the Cheng family in the Inspection Office, and this matter can definitely be handled."

"Oh my, that's good! Sister, you don't know, my uncle's apprentice is surnamed Li, and he is a constable in the Yamen; he has changed several places, all to keep his apprentice away from places of trouble!"

Ni Qiqiu nodded:

"Sister Jin, this master is really painstaking!"

"To tell you the truth, before, when my master went to give my mother-in-law a massage, she always brought me; at that time, I didn't understand what she meant!"

That 'Sister Jin' nodded with emotion.

The women talking in the hall

were the Madams of those few comrades-in-arms of Zhu Qinghu.

Having previously performed meritorious service with Zhu Qinghu, they were now all minor officials in the Forbidden Army.

They had been seriously injured by someone in Pan Tower before; if it hadn't been for Yu Huguang, they would have all been left with some disabilities.

After these few entered Bianjing, the wives they married were mostly daughters of martial officials in the Bianjing Forbidden Army.

Ni Qiqiu was considered the most noble in status here; after all, she was a Xie Zijue's Madam.

But although she came from a scholarly family, she had been running around to earn money for her younger siblings since she was a child,

so she had plenty to talk about with these Madams from martial official families around her.

Just as everyone was talking about how much silver it would take to hire a naval soldier to compete, a little maid said at the door:

"Madam, the Liu girl has arrived at the door."

Hearing this, the women's eyes lit up.

As the younger sister of their husbands' comrade-in-arms, and now that she had come to Bianjing, there were some things they naturally had to care about.

Hearing that this girl had finally been persuaded to come out and show her face at the Zhu family, these Madams naturally wanted to come and take a look.

"Quick, invite her in!"

Saying this, Ni Qiqiu stood up and led everyone out.

Hearing that the main guest of the day had arrived, the two young ladies following behind whispered:

"I heard this girl is still a maid in someone else's house?"

"Yes! I heard she serves a Little Madam."

"I wonder what she looks like!"

While talking, everyone walked out of the hall, and the two young ladies following behind heard the exclamations of the sisters and sisters-in-law in front.

"Oh my! This..."

"Is this Sister Xiaodie?"

"She looks quite handsome and refined!"

That Madam Jin said: "This clothing style, why haven't I seen it either?"

The two young ladies who heard this also leaned out to look, and then looked at each other in surprise; one of them said:

"Are the maids in this house all dressed so beautifully?"

"It's the person who is beautiful, right!"

At this time, Ni Qiqiu had already led everyone to Xiaodie.

Xiaodie bowed to everyone and said:

"Greetings to Madam Ni and all the Madams, wishing you a peaceful spring."

"Sister Xiaodie, come, let's go in."

Entering the hall, everyone took their seats, and Xiaodie handed the flower basket to the maid.

Ni Qiqiu held Xiaodie's hand just like that, looking at her with full affection.

After the maid served tea to Xiaodie,

Xiaodie stood up again under everyone's gaze, handed the bundle in her hand to Ni Qiqiu, and said:

"Madam, this is a small token of my appreciation; my Little Madam said that since all the Madams are concerned for me, I should express my gratitude."

"I hope the Madam will not find it lacking."

Ni Qiqiu and the others sitting in the hall smiled and looked at each other, saying: "Xiaodie, what is inside?"

"A few handkerchiefs I embroidered myself."

Hearing Xiaodie's words, the two young ladies looked at each other and curled their lips noncommittally.

Ni Qiqiu placed the bundle on her lap; the bundle wasn't tied tightly, and after opening it, Ni Qiqiu's eyes lit up, and she looked up and smiled:

"Sisters, today it's at my house, so I'll pick first!"

Saying this, she took out a handkerchief from the bundle.

"How can you have such logic; shouldn't we guests pick first?"

Laughing and joking, a few handkerchiefs were passed around among everyone.

The two young ladies who were noncommittal just now held a handkerchief together, stroking the lifelike flower branches embroidered on it, their faces full of surprise.

They had naturally seen the material of the handkerchief, but they had never seen such good embroidery!

If it were to be sold in a silk shop in Bianjing, it would have to start at five guan.

And the handkerchief in Ni Qiqiu's hand was embroidered with one of the cute pictures that Xu Zaijing had once drawn for Minglan; her saying she would pick first was just a joke.

Everyone passed around Xiaodie's embroidery, and seeing the few lines of poetry embroidered on it, Ni Qiqiu asked curiously:

"Sister Xiaodie, you are also literate?"

Xiaodie nodded and said: "Yes, since I was a child following the Little Madam, she taught me to write."

That Madam surnamed Jin asked curiously:

"Sister, then how much do you know?"

Xiaodie replied: "I can read and write the Thousand Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames."

Listening to Xiaodie's words, the Madams in the hall looked at each other in surprise; are the maids in civil official families all like this?

With Xiaodie's few words, the Madams' eyes looking at her became even more amiable.

Behind Zhu Qinghu was the Marquis Yongyi Mansion,

and although they were also thinking about Ni Qiqiu's younger sister, looking at the way the Ni brothers studied, that young lady was likely to marry into a high-ranking family.

Martial officials like them shouldn't even think about it.

And Xiaodie?

Her status was a commoner, and she was what could be called beautiful!

Not only was she literate and good at embroidery, she was someone who could manage a household and support a family.

More importantly, looking at the Zhu family's Madam Ni Qiqiu, she treated this girl like a younger sister.

At home, they had heard their husbands say many times how good the relationship between Liu Xiaomao and Zhu Qinghu was.

When they got home, they would have to carefully pick out some outstanding young men from their families!

Ni Qiqiu looked at everyone in the hall and could guess their thoughts; she turned her head to look at Xiaodie to the side and smiled slightly.

At noon,

Xiaodie accompanied the Madams for lunch.

Seeing Xiaodie eating in a natural and unpretentious way, the Madams were even more satisfied.

End of the Wei hour (3:00 PM)

Xiaodie walked out of the Zhu family's courtyard.

After saying goodbye to Ni Qiqiu and the others, she boarded the carriage.

Watching the carriage drive away, Ni Qiqiu and the others returned to the courtyard.

Xiaodie sat in the carriage and let out a relaxed breath, then lifted the curtain with some melancholy and looked outside.

At this time, the carriage arrived at the bridge they had passed in the morning.

Looking at the flower vendor to the side, Xiaodie patted the carriage box again; after the carriage stopped, Xiaodie got off.

In order not to block the road, the carriage moved forward slightly.

Xiaodie stood by the bridge, carefully picking a dozen flowers for her Little Madam, settled the money with the flower vendor, and Xiaodie happily carried the flowers, turning to walk toward the carriage, when—

"Oh!"

Xiaodie was knocked to the ground by someone, and the flowers were scattered all over the ground.

Uncle Qian, who was watching the carriage to the side, shouted: "Hey! You studying boy, don't you look where you're going?"

The flower vendor also said: "These flowers are ruined, you have to pay!"

Ni Tengyue, holding a book in his hand, was a bit flustered and cupped his hands, wanting to help her up but then retracted his hand.

Looking at the young lady who had stood up and was hurriedly checking her new clothes, as well as the stains and damage on the young lady's new clothes.

The flower vendor said: "Such beautiful clothes, you have to pay for this too!"

Xiaodie also looked bitterly at this blind passerby!

Ni Tengyue hurriedly said:

"This young lady, I am very sorry... I... my brother-in-law's house is just ahead!"

"I will pay!"

(End of chapter)