Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

Chapter 94

New Year time was often busier than usual.

The Qi family was wealthy in the area, with many managers and many proprietors. Usually each had their own masters, but during New Year, these people would bring gifts to pay New Year visits, and the women would also visit each other.

Since the Qi family was a simple household with no extended clan behind them and usually didn't interact with distant relatives, Liu Shi didn't go out much.

Women's socializing differed from men's. Even when men gathered in leisure time, their conversation focused on work matters, only discussing personal feelings with close friends. Their wives could gather together mostly because their husbands' families had close connections, which allowed the inner quarters to interact.

Since the managers made their living under the Qi family, they naturally needed to visit frequently.

However, Liu Shi didn't have Ye Jiao and Fang Shi come out to join this bustle too much. They each had children to care for, and Liu Shi felt sorry for both daughters-in-law's hard work. She mostly just had them make brief appearances, then let Ye Jiao and Fang Shi arrange their own time.

Ye Jiao didn't know how Fang Shi managed things. For Ye Jiao, these past days besides watching Xu Bao to keep him from chewing on things randomly, she chatted with Dong Shi about the medicinal flowers in the courtyard.

"Spring Orchid, why didn't you bring Hu Zi?" Ye Jiao put down her small hoe, stood up, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and asked.

Dong Shi smiled at Ye Jiao: "He probably left home for the first time. Yesterday after playing with Xu Bao for a while, he went back and fussed about not sleeping. He didn't fall asleep until the moon had set. He probably still won't be awake when I get back, so I didn't bring him."

Hearing this, Ye Jiao was somewhat surprised: "He doesn't sleep at night?"

Dong Shi nodded and followed Ye Jiao into the side room, closing the door. After it warmed up, she held her tea and smiled: "It's fine. Children easily get too excited to sleep. At night they inevitably don't sleep and cry, which is normal. He'll make it up during the day."

Little Ginseng also noticed the dark circles under Dong Shi's eyes, which were also swollen. Ye Jiao wrapped her cloak again and went out to the courtyard, looking around the flower beds before plucking a pale yellow petal, pinching it gently to make it much softer, then returned and pressed one under each of Dong Shi's eyes.

Immediately, Dong Shi felt a cooling sensation and her eyes became much more comfortable.

This amazed Dong Shi, who immediately thought these medicinal flowers were useful.

She quickly took out a booklet from her chest, got a brush from the table, dipped it in ink, and said to Ye Jiao: "Jiao Niang, tell me what this flower is called and what it's used for. I'll write it down."

Ye Jiao was used to Dong Shi's obsession with medicine. Every time she came, she'd bring a small booklet, wishing she could learn about these medicinal flowers' uses from Ye Jiao every day.

But Little Ginseng had nothing to hide. She had once been ginseng, doing life-saving work. If these medicinal flowers could help others, she was naturally happy. Besides, Dong Shi was the proprietress of their own shop, so knowing more was good.

However, seeing Dong Shi with yellow flower petals under her eyes was somehow amusing.

Ye Jiao smiled and walked over to take her hand: "I'll tell you later. Rest first. Wait until the swelling under your eyes goes down before writing, or you'll strain your eyes and waste the flower petals."

Hearing this, Dong Shi nodded, temporarily suppressing her excitement, put down her brush, and sat back at the table with Ye Jiao.

Xu Bao's cradle was nearby. The little fellow was awake, reaching out to bat at the black feathers hanging from the cradle, entertaining himself happily.

Seeing Ye Jiao approach, he made "ah ah" sounds, babbling and then laughing. He didn't know what he was laughing about, rubbing his round face against the small blanket, very lively.

This made Dong Shi somewhat envious: "Xu Bao is well-formed and sturdy, and he seems to sleep during the day and at night too. Taking care of him must not be too difficult."

Ye Jiao blinked: "He usually sleeps too, sometimes sleeping all day long."

Dong Shi couldn't help but look back, curious: "That shouldn't be right. If he sleeps during the day, he definitely can't sleep at night."

But Little Ginseng slept deeply at night and didn't know what her chubby son did.

Little Su, who was nearby, heard and said: "Second Young Mistress, little Young Master sometimes doesn't like sleeping at night very much. He gets hungry at night too."

Ye Jiao was stunned.

Hungry?

He was still nursing now, so if he was hungry, naturally Ye Jiao would need to feed him. But Little Ginseng never remembered feeding him in the middle of the night.

Seeing her confusion, Little Su continued: "Every time it's Second Young Master who gets up. If little Young Master is hungry, Second Young Master carries the child to the inner room, presumably to feed him then."

At these words, Ye Jiao understood that she didn't have to wake up at night thanks to her husband's efforts.

No wonder she sometimes felt someone fumbling around her chest in the middle of the night. She'd always thought it was Qi Yun being restless and bothering her. Little Ginseng had always let him do as he pleased and never woke up, never thinking it was actually her chubby son doing the fumbling at night.

Ye Jiao couldn't help but look at Xu Bao, reaching out to poke his chubby little cheek.

Little thing, only knowing how to eat, not knowing if he was tiring out her husband.

She couldn't help thinking she should watch Xu Bao sleep during the day from now on.

Ye Jiao knew Qi Yun always looked after her and didn't want to wake her, but Ye Jiao also knew Qi Yun's health needed good care to stay strong. These past days, the merchant caravan troubles had made him busier than usual. At night he should sleep well.

Xu Bao wasn't angry about being poked, but showed a soft smile, turning his head to bite Ye Jiao's finger and gnaw on it.

Since he hadn't grown teeth yet, Ye Jiao only felt tickled when he bit her fingertip, making her laugh. She lowered her head and planted a loud kiss on Xu Bao's forehead.

Dong Shi, watching from the side, couldn't hide her envy.

There were many good men in this world, but truly ones like the master were indeed too rare.

Dong Shi thought to herself that when she got home, she'd have a good talk with Fang Li. Didn't he think the master was amazing? Then he should start by learning to pamper his wife.

Before long, Ye Jiao reached out and removed the flower petals from Dong Shi's face.

Dong Shi touched her eyes, which were no longer swollen, smiled, took out the booklet she'd been carrying, and begged Ye Jiao to tell her carefully about this medicinal flower's uses.

When Dong Shi left, Ye Jiao gave her a pot of small yellow flowers to take home for careful study.

Ye Jiao then changed clothes, applied floral decorations, and went out with Fang Shi to Madam Gongsun's tea gathering.

This was the first time the two sisters-in-law had gone out together, and Fang Shi was still somewhat nervous.

Usually they got along harmoniously at home, but mostly they met at Liu Shi's place or played together with their children. They rarely gathered just the two of them.

It wasn't that their relationship was bad, they just didn't have much in common.

Fang Shi liked reading and practicing calligraphy, while Ye Jiao liked eating and drinking, so they rarely found topics to chat about together.

Before getting in the carriage this time, Fang Shi had prepared many conversation plans in her mind, thinking about what to do if things became awkward.

Who knew that as soon as she got in the carriage, she smelled waves of sweet fragrance.

Like red dates, and like osmanthus.

Ye Jiao had gotten in the carriage early to wait. Since they were taking the larger carriage for this outing, with a spacious interior, Ye Jiao had simply moved in a low table and brought a food box, taking things out one by one.

Seeing Fang Shi enter, Ye Jiao smiled and beckoned: "Sister-in-law, come sit."

Fang Shi slightly lifted her skirt and sat on the soft cushion beside Ye Jiao, then saw several plates of pastries on the table. The sweet fragrance she'd smelled earlier must have come from these pastries.

Ye Jiao finished arranging the plates, put the food box aside, and said: "I asked Mother, and she said it takes over half an hour by carriage to the County Magistrate's house. When we get to the tea gathering, we might not get much to eat, so I thought we'd bring some things to fill our stomachs."

Having been there several times, Fang Shi nodded: "Yes, when you go there, it's just drinking tea and chatting. There's absolutely nothing to eat."

As she said this, Fang Shi's tone was somewhat disdainful.

The Qi family was wealthy, and even though Fang Shi was stingy, she wouldn't shortchange her appetite. When guests came, she also knew to bring out things for hospitality.

But that County Magistrate's wife was an iron rooster who wouldn't pluck a feather. Usually when she invited people over, she only mentioned tea and never provided meals. Even tea snacks were omitted.

But these wives of shop managers and estate owners had to bring gifts when they went, so back and forth, it became a time for the County Magistrate's family to make money.

Fang Shi looked at the red brocade box placed in the corner of the carriage and couldn't help grinding her teeth inwardly.

Sending gifts but never getting even a hot meal every time was truly infuriating.

Ye Jiao was more easygoing. When the carriage started moving, she handed chopsticks to Fang Shi: "Then let's eat some first, so we won't be hungry later."

Fang Shi usually didn't eat at night, but with Ye Jiao handing her chopsticks, she couldn't refuse. She picked up a peach blossom pastry, her round face showing some hesitation about whether to eat it or put it down.

But when she looked up, Fang Shi saw Ye Jiao with her cheeks stuffed full like a chipmunk.

Little Ginseng was always straightforward by nature, eating when she wanted to eat, drinking when she wanted to drink, not caring about anything else.

She was also very direct when eating, not being affected or hiding anything. Having been taught proper manners by Liu Shi, she looked pleasing to watch. Most importantly, Ye Jiao never picked at her food and found everything delicious.

Fang Shi just stared at her, suddenly understanding why her mother-in-law Liu Shi liked having Ye Jiao accompany her for meals.

Besides being pleasing to look at, it was also because this younger sister-in-law's way of eating was so appetizing.

Smiling eyes, slightly puffed cheeks, every bite showing satisfaction.

Even someone like Fang Shi, who was determined not to eat too much, couldn't help but develop an appetite. She quietly put the peach blossom pastry in her mouth.

It was truly delicious. Fang Shi reached for her chopsticks again.

When the carriage stopped, looking at the several empty plates on the table, Fang Shi couldn't help but look dejected.

She'd probably gain weight again...

But soon she smiled again. The peach blossom pastries were really delicious. In the future, she'd just walk more rather than shortchange herself.

After the two entered the County Magistrate's household together, they sat in the back rows, not pushing forward.

Though merchants' status had improved now, official families still commanded more respect.

The Qi family was indeed newly wealthy, but these inner quarter women had already formed their own circles with their own hierarchies. Since the Qi family had recently risen and hadn't integrated yet, they had nothing to do.

Actually, Fang Shi had her own friends and recognized young ladies from her maiden days, but this time she stayed with Ye Jiao the whole time, never leaving her side.

Perhaps Fang Shi would be envious of Qi Yun's higher income at home, but once outside, Fang Shi could still distinguish between insider and outsider. She understood the principle of "glory together, loss together" very clearly.

From the moment they entered, Fang Shi had stayed beside Ye Jiao, telling her the names and backgrounds of the ladies who came here.

Ye Jiao held her teacup and listened. Having eaten her fill, she had energy to remember. Even if she couldn't remember everything, she could remember those who might be related to the Qi family. For others, she just listened generally.

No matter how lively the people gathered around the County Magistrate's wife up front were, neither of the Qi family daughters-in-law went to join them.

Fang Shi had her reasons: "Now that all three brothers have their own prospects, we don't need to flatter anyone. Otherwise, if any of them become successful in the future, what we're doing now would embarrass them. Better to stay quietly aside, get acquainted with some people, and just not offend anyone. We can discuss other things later."

Ye Jiao could hear that Fang Shi was comforting her. She smiled at Fang Shi and said softly: "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I don't mind."

Little Ginseng's heart was small, only able to hold those people she cared about. What did other people matter to her?

How others treated her didn't concern her. Her own happiness was most important.

She said softly to Fang Shi: "I just want the gathering to end early so we can go see the lanterns."

Fang Shi smiled and nodded, telling her to wait patiently a bit longer. But when Ye Jiao turned to look elsewhere, Fang Shi's round face showed some confusion.

Usually, even if she didn't get too involved at such tea gatherings, she wouldn't ignore everyone. Today seemed unusually cold.

It was as if... they were being deliberately isolated.

When the tea gathering ended and they were about to leave, Fang Shi finally noticed what was wrong.

A young woman standing beside the County Magistrate's wife kept looking their way with cold, somewhat annoyed eyes.

Little Ginseng also saw that person. She tugged Fang Shi's sleeve and whispered: "Sister-in-law, who is that? Why does she keep looking at me?"

Fang Shi frowned slightly. Since the young woman had thick powder on her face and they were far apart, she had to look carefully to recognize her. Using her handkerchief to cover her mouth, she whispered to Ye Jiao: "She's the daughter of the Lin family who sells pottery in the east of the city. I remember she was married to the County Magistrate's son as his wife. You were in confinement at the time, so you didn't go to the wedding banquet."

When the County Magistrate's family married a daughter-in-law, everyone with some standing would go to celebrate.

But Ye Jiao had been in confinement after giving birth to Xu Bao, and after confinement, she went to the mountain courtyard, so she didn't know about these things.

But the Lin family... Ye Jiao had no impression of them.

However, that Madam Lin stared intently at Ye Jiao, feeling indignant in her heart.

Her family had originally been prosperous, but just because her fifth brother contracted a dirty disease, Second Young Master Qi directly cut off relations with the Lin family, making the Lin family lose their biggest income source. Other shops also gradually stopped doing business with them, making the Lin family's recent days particularly difficult.

Madam Lin's natal family had come to cry to her, asking her to help her own family. But the Lin family couldn't very well say it was because Lin Wu Lang went out carousing every night that he got sick, so they claimed it was Third Young Master Qi who had encouraged him to go, and as for the family business, it was Second Young Master Qi who was ungrateful first.

The Lin family's intention was just to speak of their hardships, hoping their daughter could put in good words before the County Magistrate to get some benefits so they could make a comeback.

Who knew that Madam Lin only remembered the Qi family's grudge but forgot what they'd instructed her to do.

Moreover, after Madam Lin married, life wasn't going well. Her husband went out to play every day and was too lazy to come home at night, making her increasingly frustrated.

Madam Lin was extremely resentful, not only because Qi Yun had cut off business relations, but also hating why it had to be her fifth brother who got the dirty disease.

According to her natal family, Lin Wu Lang had originally planned to go to the brothel with Qi Ming. Since Qi Ming didn't go himself, why didn't he stop her fifth brother and prevent him from going? Wouldn't that have solved everything?

If Qi Ming had shown any classmate friendship, her family wouldn't have suffered this disaster.

Everyone protects their own, and Madam Lin was no exception. Moreover, she believed everything her natal family said. Since she couldn't admit it was her own family's fault, it must be someone else's fault. The Qi brothers were convenient targets for all the blame.

Now hearing that Second Young Master Qi's wife was coming, Madam Lin was determined to make trouble for her.

But Ye Jiao wouldn't come forward, giving her no opportunity.

Moreover, during the tea gathering just now, people had mentioned that the charming woman sitting over there was Qi Yun's wife, praising both Qi Yun for painting her eyebrows and envying Ye Jiao's beautiful face and good figure. This made Madam Lin feel even more uncomfortable.

The more uncomfortable she felt, the colder she became, even preventing others from talking with Ye Jiao. But Ye Jiao's completely unconcerned and carefree manner made Madam Lin particularly frustrated.

Previously when she was in her maiden home, Madam Lin hadn't been particularly scheming, but with the Lin family's inner quarters being troubled, she had heard many underhanded methods even if she hadn't used them herself.

Now, she was the legitimate wife of the County Magistrate's son. Even if her husband's family had grown somewhat cold due to her natal family's decline, she still held the position and had confidence.

Thinking of this, she quietly left the hall, immediately called over a servant, and said to him: "Did you see those two people's carriage?"

This servant worked at the County Magistrate's residence. Since the Young Mistress had spoken, he didn't dare refuse. He immediately looked at the carriage Madam Lin pointed to and nodded: "I saw it."

Madam Lin said quietly: "Now that it's New Year, there are bound to be incidents of frightened horses and overturned carriages. It wouldn't be surprising." Then Madam Lin slipped a pouch to this attendant: "Take this, find two constables and say I'm buying them drinks. When it's done, there will be other rewards."

The servant secretly weighed it - there were at least three taels of silver in this pouch.

He understood immediately, smiling as he pocketed the pouch and left to find people, obviously not doing this kind of thing for the first time.

He thought to himself that this Young Mistress was much more generous than the County Magistrate's wife. This job was worth doing.

As for whose carriage it was, he didn't care. Just create a little trouble - with the County Magistrate backing them up, as long as no major incident occurred, it would be fine.

However, after Madam Lin returned to the hall, she heard ladies who hadn't yet left murmuring: "Look at Second Young Master Qi - he even knows to come pick up his wife personally."

"I know Second Young Master Qi, that good-looking one, but who's that tall, strong man beside him?"

"I heard he's Madam Ye's brother, but I'm not sure of the details."

"That good-for-nothing Second Brother Ye?"

"No, I just heard Madam Ye calling him big brother. It should be Elder Brother Ye."

"Really nice. It looks like her natal family has support now. Madam Ye is truly blessed."

Listening to their conversation, Madam Lin said nothing but sneered inwardly.

So what if she was proud? Let's see who would be crying and who would be laughing shortly.