Chapter 170 Encountered

Yu Qingci suddenly realized: "What you said has reminded me. In order to increase your confidence in learning to do business, I have decided to teach you to recognize characters for one hour every day. Each of you will write five calligraphy templates and hand them to me for inspection. That's settled."

"Let's go back and start."

The two girls immediately regretted it and wished they could do it all over again.

Meanwhile, Lu Yun Chu arrived at the city gate by carriage and met up with her friends. The two of them got into a carriage and then set off for a spring outing in the suburbs.

The person who invited Lu Yun Chu out was the youngest daughter of the Imperial Censor Lin, named Lin Wu, who was the same age as Lu Yun Chu. The Lin family's carriage had been waiting at the city gate for a long time. As soon as the general's carriage arrived, the young girl ignored the reminders of her maid and got off her own carriage and into Lu Yun Chu's carriage.

The two best friends finally met, and after hugging and cuddling for a while, Lin Wu quickly uttered a series of exclamations of praise:

"Yun Chu, you look so beautiful today! Which embroidery shop did you have this dress made at? I've been to several embroidery shops with my cousin these past few days, but I haven't seen a dress like this before. If I had, my cousin would definitely have bought it. Tell me which embroidery shop it is so I can tell her to buy it."

The series of questions made Lu Yun Chu feel a little smug.

“It’s Jinxiufang, which is run by my sister-in-law. She said this is the new style for this year and it hasn’t been released to the public yet, so of course you can’t see it.”

Lin Wu: "Oh, it's not for sale yet. No wonder my cousin and I didn't notice it. When it's available, you have to tell me first so I can ask my cousin to buy it."

Lu Yun Chu said with a smile: You keep telling your cousin to buy it, but don't you plan to buy one for yourself?

Lin Wu smiled sheepishly: You know my family's situation. My mother has already made clothes for my sisters and me for this spring, so there's no way Duan can get any new ones.

In other words, my cousin's family is wealthy and she likes to dress up; she has to buy any pretty clothes she sees.

Lu Yun Chu naturally knew about the situation of her younger sister Lin Wu's family. As an imperial censor, Lord Lin was a fourth-rank official, but he was upright and honest. His family's daily expenses were almost entirely limited to his salary. Therefore, Lin Wu's life was not as luxurious and carefree as other young ladies from wealthy families, who could buy whatever they wanted.

Lu Yun Chu recalled that her situation a year ago was actually similar to that of her girlfriends. It wasn't until her sister-in-law married into the family and the two families separated that her good days began.

So he changed the subject, saying, "Lin Wu, don't flatter me, you look beautiful today too."

Lin Wu pouted: "Compared to what you're wearing, mine is barely passable."

I initially thought you might have lost weight and been in a bad mood since I hadn't seen you for over a year, so after telling my mother, I invited you out for a walk to cheer you up. But seeing you today, I realize I was wrong. It seems you're doing quite well at home."

Lu Yunchu nodded reservedly and said, "It's alright. Our family has actually had a tough year. We're so grateful to my sister-in-law."

Lin Wu's eyes lit up again: "Are you talking about that sister-in-law who married into your household and became a widow? The daughter of the Marquis of Nanping who returned home halfway? I've heard a lot of gossip about her lately. Tell me quickly, what's your sister-in-law really like?"

The two huddled together and chatted quietly the whole way.

We arrived at our destination quickly.

The place they chose for their outing today was an open area at the foot of Jiyun Mountain in the suburbs. It would take an hour to get there by carriage after leaving the city gate, or even faster by horseback.

This place not only has a wide-open terrain and excellent scenery, but also has a river that flows from the foot of the mountain into the open area, gradually widening. Rows of willows and lush green grass line the banks, making it a great place for a spring outing.

When Lu Yun Chu and Lin Wu arrived, several noble ladies were already resting in small groups on the grass.

Upon seeing the two approaching, two noble ladies stood up and waved to them from afar.

Lin Wu pointed over there and said to Lu Yun Chu, "Yun Chu, look, Sister Bai and the others have arrived. Let's go over there quickly."

After saying that, he pulled Lu Yun Chu over.

The "Sister Bai" that Lin Wu mentioned was Bai Yuzhu, the daughter of Hanlin Academician Bai, who had a good relationship with both Lin Wu and Lu Yun Chu.

Upon arriving, the two women saw that Bai Yuzhu had brought several of her cousins ​​with her. After a brief introduction, they quickly became friends, as they were all of similar age.

After playing for a while, several more groups of people arrived nearby. There were noble ladies in groups like them, as well as groups of young men, some of whom were accompanied by many maids and servants to serve them.

The group planned to wander around other places, and just as they stood up, they heard a voice behind them:

"Sister Yun Chu, it really is you."

Lu Yun Chu and the others turned around and saw Yu Qing Yan.

She was dressed in a gorgeous brocade dress, with a red gold hair ornament inlaid with diamonds in her hair, and a pair of high-quality jade bracelets on her fair wrists that attracted a lot of attention.

Recently, due to her marriage to Li Chen of the Prince Cheng'an's Mansion, Yu Qingyan's reputation among noble ladies seems to have risen even higher, and many noble ladies give her face when she goes out to socialize.

For example, right now, Yu Qingyan is accompanied by several young ladies from prominent families, all dressed in the most fashionable clothes in the capital. They walk by glittering with jewels and exuding elegance, forming a stark contrast with Lu Yun Chu's group of friends.

After Yu Qingyan stopped, she looked at Lu Yun Chu with concern on her face: "Sister Yun Chu, I didn't expect to meet you here today. I'm so happy. It's been a long time since we last met. Judging from your appearance, you seem to be doing well during your mourning period at home."

Lu Yun Chu also had a good impression of Yu Qing Yan, her former sister-in-law, and upon hearing this, she stepped forward and bowed, saying:

"Hello, Sister Qingyan. I didn't expect to meet you here today. You look even healthier than before."

Yu Qingyan touched her fair and delicate cheeks and smiled with satisfaction: "Not bad. Are you all planning to go back? I've only been here a short time. Since we've run into everyone, why don't we get together and chat?"

The noble ladies who came with Yu Qingyan couldn't help but look at Lu Yun Chu's clothes, scrutinizing her from head to toe, their eyes flashing with surprise and envy.

Yu Qingyan also noticed Lu Yun Chu's clothes, and said, "Sister Yun Chu, your clothes are quite unique. I wonder which embroidery workshop made them?"

Lu Yun Chu: "This is a new style from my sister-in-law's shop, Jinxiufang. It will be available for sale in a few days. If you like it, Sister Qingyan, you can go to Jinxiufang to buy it in a few days. There are many new styles from Jinxiufang this year, not just this one."

These words made the noble ladies behind Yu Qingyan secretly remember the name Jinxiufang.

However, Yu Qingyan's gentle smile suddenly stiffened. She forced a smile and asked casually, "So it's a new product from Third Sister's shop. Of course, I'll go and support it."

Speaking of my third sister, I haven't seen her since she married into your household. I wonder if she's behaving well as a widow in the General's Mansion?