novelraw Chapter 672: 656: Treat if you want to, no need to consider anyone
Chapter 672: 656: Treat if you want to, no need to consider anyone
Chapter 672: Chapter 656: Treat if you want to, no need to consider anyone
Qin Liuxi went to Mrs. Wang’s room while she was busy with the accounts with Qin Meiniang. Seeing Qin Liuxi, she stood up with joy all over her face.
“The servants below said you had come back. I was planning to go over to your courtyard after finishing the accounts, but didn’t expect you to come first,” Mrs. Wang said with a beaming smile, pulling her hand to size her up and then frowned, “You’ve lost a lot of weight. Was it due to the exhaustion of the long journey by boat and carriage?”
Qin Liuxi saluted her and Qin Meiniang, replying, “I’m fine. It’s just that I’m not very accustomed to the food, and I’ve eaten a bit less.”
Qin Meiniang said, “Your spirit seems fine, but have you grown taller again?”
Indeed, looking at her, Qin Liuxi was taller than all of them; when she spoke, they had to look up slightly.
Mrs. Wang’s frown deepened. While it’s good for a man to be tall, for a woman, being too tall could be problematic when discussing marriage. But then she suppressed this thought, considering Qin Liuxi’s status.
“Nanny Shen, go and ask Aunt Li to stew a chicken soup to nourish Xixi, and take the ginseng that Qian’er brought over,” Mrs. Wang instructed Nanny Shen, who smiled and agreed.
Qin Liuxi hastened to stop her: “It’s already summer, and having ginseng chicken soup might be a bit too much. No need for it, as Qi Huang has already cooked up some nourishing soup in my own small kitchen.”
Ginseng? Could that even compare with the red fruit of the Little Ginseng Spirit?
The Little Ginseng Spirit being thought of was silently placing the plucked red fruit into a box, shedding stealthy tears. After the fruits grow, it won’t take more than three days before it’s tragic.
“Then you can take the ginseng back with you later and have her make it for you,” seeing her refusal, Mrs. Wang did not insist. However, she intended to let Qin Liuxi take the ginseng with her, and she added, “This ginseng was sent by your maternal family. It was your cousin who brought it. Let him come over later so you can recognize each other’s faces.”
“I’ve already met him.”
Mrs. Wang was startled: “Ah?”
Qin Liuxi said indifferently, “Qin Mingyue took him to my courtyard and introduced him. Since a guest has arrived at home, if mother is too busy to leave her duties, she could simply ask for a leave from the school and let Qin Mingchun and Qin Mingqi come back to entertain. After all, they are men: socializing and interaction are their duty. Allowing a female cousin to accompany him may easily attract criticism.”
Mrs. Wang’s face burnt hot, turning an iron blue.
Qin Liuxi’s words were like a slap to her face.
As the matriarch of the Qin family, she was responsible for overseeing the household and managing the servants, establishing norms—it was her duty. However, in a large family, when a male visitor from outside comes, it was nonsensical to have a woman accompany him because of the separation of genders; even if the visitor was her nephew from her maternal side, the hospitality should be carried out by the male members of the house. Even if the older ones were in exile, the young ones were still in Li City, fully capable of playing host.
But what happened? A girl was accompanying him around, even moving freely inside the mansion?
Was Qin Mingyue out of her mind, bringing an outsider man to her eldest sister’s courtyard, and daring to introduce him? What status did she have to make this introduction?
Mrs. Wang felt utterly humiliated, and said with a stern face, “The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and the business in the shop has been good. Your aunt and I have been busy there every day, I’m afraid I’ve neglected something at home, and that’s my fault.”
Qin Meiniang opened her mouth, sighed, and thought that with the men not around, Mrs. Wang took charge of external affairs, whereas internal matters could only be entrusted to Mrs. Xie and Mrs. Gu. With the girls being so bold, perhaps it was also encouraged by the elders.
Mrs. Xie had her eye on her sister-in-law’s maternal nephew.
The things Qin Meiniang considered, how could Mrs. Wang not think of them? It was because she had thought of them that she felt irritated. Not because she thought the Qin family’s daughter was not a worthy match for her nephew, but because such behavior was indeed unseemly.
As Qin Liuxi said, once it got out, how would outsiders perceive the Qin Family’s daughter?
The daughters of the Qin family were not limited to just Qin Mingyue.
And her actions, were they not also a harsh slap to her own face? As the matriarch who had neglected her duties regarding the household rules and discipline.
Qin Liuxi said in a dispassionate voice: “Idleness leads young ladies to whimsy thoughts, and a mind not engaged in thought tends to cause trouble, burdening the family. It might be beneficial for the mother to arrange tasks to keep them busy. The girls in the village from dawn to dusk are incessantly occupied, and that’s for the best. The times are not what they used to be, but we haven’t reached the point of lacking food. The adult men of our house are still toiling in the northwest, not depending on the earnings of these girls to support the family. They can at least earn their own money for accessories, and without their monthly salary, let them go to the Embroidery Workshop to find work.”
Immediately, Qin Meiniang said, “This is a good proposal, the Embroidery Workshop also takes external orders, which could be a good opportunity for them to refine their needlework skills.”
Mrs. Wang also nodded in agreement, “I will arrange it later.”
Without realizing it, these two took Qin Liuxi’s words as a decree to be enforced, without feeling the slightest bit of impropriety.
Outside, Wang Yuqian cleared his throat and asked to see them.
Mrs. Wang sighed; there were not many servants in the house, nor were there maids to relay messages as in the past, and it was quite inconvenient when male visitors came.
She walked to the doorway and gave Wang Yuqian a stern look, “Come in and speak.”
Wang Yuqian felt a tightening of the skin, and upon entering, he saw Qin Liuxi sitting aside, leisurely drinking tea, wondering whether she had lodged a complaint or not.
Qin Meiniang gathered the account books and said, “Elder Sister-in-law, I will go attend to our mother first.”
After she left, even though Mrs. Wang knew that Qin Liuxi had previously met Wang Yuqian, she reintroduced them.
“This is your uncle’s second son, named Wang Yuqian. You can call him your cousin,” Mrs. Wang first explained Wang Yuqian’s identity to Qin Liuxi, then turned to Wang Yuqian sternly, “This is your proper cousin, Liuxi.”
Wang Yuqian sheepishly bowed to Qin Liuxi again, “Hello, cousin.”
Qin Liuxi returned the bow, calling cousin in a rather indifferent tone.
Mrs. Wang then continued: “Last year, I sent a letter to your maternal grandmother mentioning your excellent medical skills. Your maternal grandmother, who came from a branch of the Northwest Quan Family and is removed by five degrees of kinship, recommended your name to the direct lineage of the Quan family in the northwest. And now, your cousin has traveled thousands of miles accompanying that Quan Family’s son to seek medical help.”
Mrs. Wang had a clear picture of the Old Lady’s intentions—if Qin Liuxi were capable and succeeded in curing the Quan Family’s son, as the intermediary, Old Mrs. Wang would be owed a favor by the Quan family, that was one thing.
Secondly, if the cure were successful, the Quan family would owe Qin Liuxi a huge debt of gratitude. With their roots in the northwest, for those members of our family banished to the northwest, the Quan family would naturally make additional arrangements.
This was a win-win situation. Old Mrs. Wang only had to drop a hint and make the introduction. There was no loss to her—whether the Quan family chose to seek help was up to them. She simply informed them that such a skilled Daoist doctor existed.
In the secular world, as long as there is a benefit to be pursued, scheming is possible, and Mrs. Wang, who came from a prominent family, understood this too.
But understanding aside, she could not decide for Qin Liuxi.
Mrs. Wang looked at Qin Liuxi and said, “The Quan family’s son is already here. Whether to meet or treat him is up to you. You don’t need to consider anyone’s face—not your maternal grandmother’s, nor mine, nor even your grandmother’s. It’s entirely up to you.”
Wang Yuqian was startled by this and looked at Mrs. Wang, wondering if her intent was indeed placing more importance on Qin Liuxi than on her uncles and cousins in the northwest?