Chapter 30 "Yuanyuan also learned to cater to others' preferences..."

After being cooped up in her room for only two days, Meng Yuanxiao couldn't stand it anymore. She was leaving tomorrow, and today she had to plead with Cui Xintang before he finally agreed to let her go out and have some fun.

After finishing his breakfast, Meng Yuanxiao wrapped himself in a cloak and waited early in front of Village Chief Sun's house.

When Li saw her from afar, she was full of surprise. "Oh, Madam Cui, Lord Cui has allowed you to come out today!"

Meng Yuanxiao smiled and agreed, holding a dry branch he had picked up from under the tree in his hand, and ran happily to Li Shi.

Li still had many clothes and sheets to wash today. Meng Yuanxiao looked at the pile of clothes and sheets in her hands, and ran to the South River first to help Li find the biggest and cleanest stone.

While Li was washing clothes, Meng Yuanxiao had nothing to do, so he casually stuck the twig in his hand into the water and stirred it, quickly making the water muddy.

Li threw off her clothes, washed her hands, and gently patted her. "Are you asking for a beating?"

Meng Yuanxiao chuckled and dropped the branch in his hand. As the two talked, several more women came to the riverbank to wash clothes.

Meng Yuanxiao followed Li around the village every day and had long since gotten to know all the women there. Everyone liked this beautiful and lively official's wife. They hadn't seen her for two days and knew she would be leaving the next day, so they were a little reluctant to part with her and chatted with her.

As they were talking, Madam Ye arrived with the clothes and squatted down to wash them by a stone not far away.

Upon seeing Ye Shi, Meng Yuanxiao paused for a moment, met Ye Shi's gaze, and hurriedly turned her face away.

She always felt a little guilty towards Madam Ye, and she became somewhat absent-minded afterward, no longer listening to what Madam Li and the other women were saying.

With Ye's arrival, there was no shortage of mockery. She paid no heed, quickly finished washing the clothes, and, carrying the wooden basin, rose to say to Meng Yuanxiao, "Little Cui, why haven't I seen you these past few days? Niu Niu has been talking about you. Little Cui, when you have some free time, don't forget to come visit!"

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

With a smile playing on her lips, Ye gave her a meaningful look before swaying away.

After everyone had gone far away, Li scoffed at Ye's retreating figure, "Ignore her. Look at how she twists her waist, isn't she afraid of hurting it? She came with clothes, and left in less than a quarter of an hour. She washed them so quickly, she wasn't there to do laundry, she was clearly out to seduce people."

Li was quite indignant, but Meng Yuanxiao felt that she was jealous that Ye didn't have to wash a lot of clothes like she did.

She thought this to herself, but said directly, "Sister-in-law Li, Madam Ye only washes a few pieces of clothing, unlike you who has to wash such a large basin of clothes."

She not only spoke, but also gestured with her two arms to show how big Li's wooden basin was.

Li choked, rolled her eyes at her, "I was originally thinking of going back to steam some buns for you, but now even if I steam them, I won't give them to you."

Meng Yuanxiao thought to herself, "Your steamed buns are so awful, I don't want to eat them!"

She had a sweet tongue and coaxed Li Shi with a playful smile, making Li Shi smile happily again.

Li couldn't keep quiet, and soon whispered, "It's strange, Ye Shi, though she used to be unreliable, always knew how to restrain herself. But these past few days, she's been acting like she's taken the wrong medicine, deliberately going against the Wang family, as if she doesn't want to live with them anymore!"

Meng Yuanxiao was stunned upon hearing this.

Li added, "However, her outburst that day alarmed Village Chief Sun. Fortunately, Lord Cui is still staying in the village. Village Chief Sun reprimanded the Wang family, and with no one watching over Ye these past few days, she couldn't help but cause trouble."

As she spoke, Li finally finished washing the clothes. She rubbed her back, picked up the wooden basin, and stood up. "Come on, come back with me. Your sister-in-law will steam some buns for you."

Meng Yuanxiao followed behind Li Shi like a little tail. When they reached the village entrance, several aunties sitting in the sun saw her and greeted her with smiles.

Someone said, "Madam Cui, this morning when I went to the vegetable garden, I saw that widow from the Wang family waiting at the alley entrance, trying to stop Master Cui from speaking to her again!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yuanxiao immediately put on a stern face.

Seeing that she was annoyed, the woman added, "But Master Cui ignored her, so please don't be angry, Madam Cui."

Li said, "Don't be angry with that shameless woman. I'll scold her for you later."

Meng Yuanxiao's face was stern and she looked unhappy. "No need, I'll go and scold her myself."

Having said that, he no longer needed to hide from others and stormed off to the east end of the village.

Before she even got close, she saw Madam Ye leaning against the door, smiling at her from afar, as if she were waiting for her on purpose.

As the person approached, Madam Ye chuckled and said, "Oh, where did you hear this gossip from? Are you here looking for revenge?"

Meng Yuanxiao frowned, pursed her lips, and remained silent.

Niu Niu was playing in the yard when she heard Meng Yuanxiao coming. She ran over happily, poked her little head out from the door, and sweetly called out, "Sister."

Madam Ye patted Niu Niu's head and said, "I was shameless. I originally thought I could use my family's affairs as leverage to ask Lord Cui and Madam Cui for some benefits, but now I realize I was overthinking it."

"After all, I've told Madam Cui everything I could," she said, then covered her mouth and giggled, "and I've told Lord Cui everything I couldn't, haven't I?"

These words certainly sparked the imagination. Meng Yuanxiao hated this kind of look the most, and said angrily, "What are you trying to do by having someone lure me here?"

Ye deliberately let people see her struggling with Tang-gege, wasn't that just to lure her over?

When she guessed what Niu Niu was thinking, Madam Ye was not annoyed. She simply said to Niu Niu, "Niu Niu, go inside and play. Mother will have a few words with your sister."

Niu Niu was reluctant to leave, looking at Meng Yuanxiao with longing eyes. Only when Meng Yuanxiao reached out and patted her head did Niu Niu smile happily and skip into the house.

After Niu Niu went inside, Madam Ye closed the courtyard gate behind her and suddenly said, "Could you please ask Madam Cui to take Niu Niu away?"

When she suddenly blurted out that sentence, Meng Yuanxiao was stunned.

A smile played on Ye's lips. "Mrs. Cui has seen what I've been doing in the village. I can manage no matter what, but Niu Niu is still so young, and I can't bear to see her living like this with me."

Meng Yuanxiao frowned, and after a long while said, "Niu Niu is so young, how can she be separated from you?"

“How can you say you can’t leave? With a mother like me, you’ll only live a miserable life. I’ll only be a burden to her.”

Madam Ye was unusually lost in thought, murmuring, "If I leave here with you, even if I become a servant, I'll at least have enough to eat and live a few comfortable days."

After saying that, she looked up at Meng Yuanxiao, her lips curving into a smile, but her eyes were red. "Niu Niu is a sensible child. She knows I'm doing this for her own good and won't blame me."

“Madam Cui, I know you are kind-hearted. Considering that I have helped Lord Cui, please do me a favor and take Niu Niu away. I don’t ask for her to be rich or noble, I just want her to live a good life and not be mistreated like I have been.”

*

Meng Yuanxiao was leaving early the next morning, and in the afternoon, the women from Huai Shu Village who knew her gathered at Village Chief Sun's house to talk to her.

No one came empty-handed. Since they didn't have anything presentable and were afraid Meng Yuanxiao wouldn't like it, they brought some interesting trinkets from their own homes to give to her to take back and play with.

So when Cui Xintang returned, he saw Meng Yuanxiao lying by the table, which was piled with all sorts of small items, all little things to amuse the child.

Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then stepped forward with amusement, picked one up at random, looked at it in front of his eyes, and then looked at the rest.

They were all inexpensive but charmingly rustic items, such as gourds carefully sewn stitch by stitch with red cloth and colorful thread, embroidered with flowers, stuffed with dried mugwort, and adorned with tassels. Hanging them in front of the bed was both beautiful and pleasant, and also calming.

There were also a bunch of other things, such as little sheep woven from thin bamboo strips, lanterns made of thin bamboo strips, and lifelike little figures made of red clay in her likeness.

Cui Xintang only knew that she wandered around the village with Li Shi every day, visiting other people's homes. She originally thought that she was only familiar with Li Shi, but she didn't know that she was familiar with most of the women in the village, and was quite likable.

He found it both amusing and surprising, glancing down at her. "Were they all gifts from the village women?"

In front of Meng Yuanxiao was a bamboo cage slightly larger than a fist, inside which was a lively cricket.

Meng Yuanxiao, holding a white cabbage leaf in his hand, was teasing the cricket in the bamboo cage. Hearing this, he didn't even look up, "Yes!"

After saying that, she added, "Brother Tang, you're back a little late today."

"Yes, I have to leave early tomorrow morning. I have some things to take care of," Cui Xintang said.

Crickets are rare in winter. While some wealthy young men in the capital might keep crickets for amusement, they are a rarity in the countryside.

Cui Xintang found it intriguing, took the white cabbage leaves from Meng Yuanxiao's hand, went over to tease the cricket, and casually asked, "Which women gave these to you?"

Meng Yuanxiao was very interested and pointed to each one as he spoke.

"This gourd was sewn by Sister Li. She specially took some time a couple of days ago to sew it for me. And this little lamb is..."

She remembered clearly who had given her all these things, and proudly told Cui Xintang about them one by one.

Finally, while playing with the cricket, he said with a smile, "This cricket was given to me by Sister-in-law Mao. She said it was raised by Sun Erlang. He spends all day playing with crickets and doesn't do anything important. Sister-in-law Mao thought it was an eyesore, so she gave it to me."

Cui Xintang was surprised and asked with amusement, "Is Sun Erlang willing to part with it?"

"Who knows?" Meng Yuanxiao said, "But since I gave it to him, it's mine, and he can forget about taking it back."

Mentioning Sun Erlang, Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but swallow hard. "Brother Tang, Sister-in-law Mao knows I love roasted sparrows, so this afternoon she specially asked Sun Erlang to go and steal a nest of sparrows. This time she brought me three!"

Thinking of the taste of roasted sparrows, she still felt a lingering sense of satisfaction. "The sparrows roasted by Sister-in-law Mao were even more delicious than the roasted pigeons in the restaurants in the capital. But once I returned to the capital, I could never taste them again."

Of course she won't be able to eat it! In the capital, these are things that can't be served in public, and her elder brother and Brother Tang would never allow her to eat them.

Her delicate eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and she looked like she was craving something.

Previously, we always addressed her as "Mao Shi," but after eating the roasted sparrow she gave us, we've become "Mao Er Sao" (Second Sister-in-law Mao).

Cui Xintang chuckled and pinched her cheek. "It's so delicious, why didn't you save one for your brother Tang?"

Meng Yuanxiao choked and stammered, "I originally wanted to keep one, but the roasted sparrows aren't as fragrant when they get cold, and I was afraid of wasting them, so I ate them all."

After saying that, she looked at him earnestly with her almond-shaped eyes, "Brother Tang, when will you go on another business trip and take me out to play again?"

Cui Xintang: "...Still want to follow?"

"I want to." Meng Yuanxiao nodded seriously.

Cui Xintang chuckled and said, "Haven't you had enough of the steamed buns from Village Chief Sun's house?"

“No,” Meng Yuanxiao shook his head, “The steamed buns at the Sun family’s house aren’t particularly bad. Sometimes they’ll even bring a small dish of honey for me to dip in!”

After playing for a while, Meng Yuanxiao became somewhat disgruntled. She dropped the white cabbage leaf in her hand, turned around, and hugged Cui Xintang's waist.

Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then gently patted her back. "You've been running around outside all day; you're all dirty."

Meng Yuanxiao, unusually, did not dislike him. She hugged him, buried her face in his chest for a long time, and then raised her head to look at him and said, "Brother Tang, today Ye Shi said that she wants me to take Niu Niu away."

Cui Xintang: "..."

He didn't speak, and Meng Yuanxiao's almond-shaped eyes dimmed slightly. "Brother Tang, is it alright?"

"Did Yuanyuan agree?" Cui Xintang asked.

Meng Yuanxiao shook her head. Actually, she felt a pang of sympathy, but she also knew that her brother Tang would probably not agree.

Brother Tang was ordered to check the land tax and winter crops, but the investigation of the land was carried out in secret.

Brother Tang's concern about the Ye family's land being seized is likely related to the Yunping County government. If they take Niu Niu away, it will inevitably alert the enemy and hinder Brother Tang's mission.

Meng Yuanxiao originally thought that Brother Tang would be surprised, but he just remained silent and showed no surprise on his face.

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why do you want to take Niu Niu away?"

Meng Yuanxiao said in a muffled voice, "I just feel sorry for Niu Niu."

"So, you still gave in?"

Meng Yuanxiao was a little embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Brother Tang, I was thinking that Sister Chen doesn't have any children yet, but I know that Sister Chen likes children. So, I was thinking of taking Niu Niu back for Sister Chen to raise."

She had followed Madam Chen down to the shop and witnessed firsthand how gentle Madam Chen was with the shopkeeper's granddaughter.

Cui Xintang raised an eyebrow. "Yuanyuan has learned to cater to people's preferences and win their hearts now?"

Meng Yuanxiao was stunned. She didn't mean it that way, but she couldn't help but blush when he said it like that.

She said, "If that's how you put it, then let's say it is. Sister Chen is good to me, and I want to be good to her too."

Cui Xintang was silent for a moment, then asked, "You and I came out here and suddenly brought back a child. Do you know what the people in the capital will think?"

"..." This was something Meng Yuanxiao hadn't expected. She frowned slightly. "It's just a child, who cares what others think!"

Cui Xintang remained silent and did not respond to her words.

Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "Brother Tang, can you help the Ye family?"

Cui Xintang looked down at her for a long time, then suddenly said in a low voice, "Yuanyuan wants to help the Ye family, but how can she do so?"

Meng Yuanxiao choked.

Yes, she was in a moment of panic and forgot that Ye was a member of the Wang clan. With the Wang family keeping an eye on her, they couldn't interfere in Ye's affairs at all.

Brother Tang is here on official business; we cannot let Ye Shi give rise to gossip and suspicion.

Although she understood these principles, she still couldn't help but tear up.

Cui Xintang sighed softly and said, "I promise you, I'll let you take Niu Niu away."

Meng Yuanxiao almost thought she had misheard, and her almond-shaped eyes immediately brightened. "Is it really possible?"

"Um."

Meng Yuanxiao beamed, "But we didn't ask Sister Chen beforehand. What if Sister Chen isn't willing?"

“If Madam Chen is unwilling, we will raise the child ourselves. The Cui family can certainly afford to raise a child,” Cui Xintang said.

Meng Yuanxiao was delighted. Her eyes darted around, and she looked up at Cui Xintang earnestly. "Great! The imperial court has already issued an edict that women can also enter officialdom. We'll send Niu Niu to school so she can take the exam to become a female official in the future!"

Cui Xintang: "..."

How could he not know what she was up to using Niu Niu? She sighed, patting her back gently. "Let's eat first. After we eat, shouldn't we go and tell Madam Ye?"

After dinner, it was already dark.

The night was bitterly cold, and there was no one to be seen on the village road. The two strolled out of Sun Village Chief's house, where Cui Xintang waited at the alley entrance while Meng Yuanxiao quietly slipped away to Ye's house.

When she arrived at the Ye family's house, she didn't dare to knock on the door, afraid of attracting attention. After a slight hesitation, she tried pushing the door open.

The door was ajar, and it opened with a push.

Meng Yuanxiao's heart pounded. He pushed open a door and peeked inside.

There were no lamps lit in the courtyard. Meng Yuanxiao immediately noticed that Madam Ye was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard. Her face was eerily pale in the moonlight.

Upon seeing her enter, Madam Ye paused, then stood up blankly.

Meng Yuanxiao came in, closed the door, and subconsciously looked around the courtyard.

Ye smiled and said, "Niu Niu is asleep, there's no one else around."

Meng Yuanxiao breathed a sigh of relief, then walked closer and asked curiously, "Why didn't you bolt the door?"

Madam Ye said, "If I bolt the door, how will you, Madam Cui, get in?"

These words seemed to have her pinned down, and Meng Yuanxiao pursed her lips, somewhat displeased.

Madam Ye noticed this, covered her mouth and chuckled softly, then led Meng Yuanxiao into the house.

The Ye family home was simply furnished but kept clean. Upon entering, one could see a neatly packed bundle already laid out on the table.

Meng Yuanxiao did not explain why she had come, but Madam Ye understood without saying a word. She opened the bundle, which contained several children's clothes and some loose silver and copper coins.

She said to herself, "These clothes are still relatively new and clean, so I'll trouble you to take them with you, Madam Cui. I originally had some money, but those beasts ransacked it all. I only have this little bit left, and I've managed to hide it by moving it around a few times."

After Ye finished her rambling, Meng Yuanxiao noticed that she looked different tonight, as if she had dressed up on purpose.

She looked at Ye Shi with surprise on her face and stared at her carefully for a few moments.

Madam Ye noticed this and smiled at her, "Mrs. Cui, you'll be setting off before dawn tomorrow, won't you?"

“Hmm,” Meng Yuanxiao replied.

Ye seemed to be talking to herself, saying, "It's good that you're leaving soon. There's no farm work to do right now, and the weather is cold. The villagers get up late and are still sleeping in before dawn!"

Meng Yuanxiao felt that Ye was acting strangely. In the dimly lit room, a rustling sound suddenly came from a dark corner.

She was startled, and her whole body tensed up immediately.

Ye glanced into the darkness and laughed, "Don't worry, it's just a few rats. Rats are so greedy. My family is dirt poor, yet they still insist on making their nests here. The other day I asked Sun Dalang to bring some rat poison, and we'll wipe out that whole nest of snakes and rats first thing tomorrow morning."

Meng Yuanxiao's face was pale, but she forced a smile and said, "Don't you want to keep some money for yourself?"

Ye waved her hand, "Don't worry, you know my capabilities. As long as all the men in the village are alive, I'll always have food to eat."

Meng Yuanxiao: "..."

"Don't believe me?" Madam Ye chuckled. "Before you came here, you must have met Registrar Xu from the county government, right? Registrar Xu is handsome, isn't he? I'm not bragging, but Registrar Xu has visited my house quite often when he came to the village before!"

She said this without any embarrassment, “If you don’t believe me, when you get back to the county office, you might as well pay more attention to Registrar Xu, or ask him if he still remembers me.”

Leaving the Ye family's house, Meng Yuanxiao kept thinking about Ye's words and walked forward with her head down. When she reached the alley entrance, she almost bumped into a wall of flesh.

Cui Xintang caught her and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Meng Yuanxiao snapped out of her daze and whispered, "Brother Tang."

Cui Xintang pulled her cloak tighter around herself and led her towards Village Chief Sun's house under the moonlight. "What did Madam Ye say to you?"

Meng Yuanxiao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Just now, Madam Ye mentioned Registrar Xu to me a few times."

She felt that Madam Ye was acting strangely tonight. Her mention of Registrar Xu earlier seemed intentional, as if she were reminding her of something.

Cui Xintang looked surprised and glanced at her. "Really?"

"Hmm," Meng Yuanxiao said in a muffled voice, "Brother Tang, when we get back to the county office, could you tell them that the Ye family man is gone?"

Cui Xintang paused, "Does Yuanyuan really think that the people in the county government don't know that Ye's husband is no longer alive?"

Meng Yuanxiao was puzzled. Cui Xintang turned to look at her and said in a deep voice, "If Ye's husband had died for other reasons, perhaps it could have been kept secret. But Wang Dalang contracted the disease in the military camp and died. The military camp had already sent the news to the county government. How could the people in the county government not know?"

"According to the county government's register of citizens, Ye's husband had already passed away."

Meng Yuanxiao was stunned, and after a long while, she asked, "Then why did the Wang family keep this from the Ye family?"

I'm afraid the Ye family is still unaware of these things.

Cui Xintang didn't want her to get involved in these matters, so he didn't say much to her, only saying, "When you return to the county office tomorrow, stay away from the Xu family and Registrar Xu. Don't take Ye's words to heart."

Meng Yuanxiao swallowed hard. "So, all of this is related to Registrar Xu? Is it Registrar Xu colluding with the Wang clan?"

"..." She pressed on, and Cui Xintang, feeling helpless, thought for a moment and finally said, "Does Yuanyuan still remember that Grand Tutor Xu in the court?"

Meng Yuanxiao naturally remembered that Cui Xintang said, "That Grand Tutor Xu comes from the Xu family of Yunping County, and is from the same lineage as Registrar Xu."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yuanxiao was shocked.

She knew that Grand Tutor Xu and the Princess were at odds. She swallowed hard, and it took her a while to figure out the reasons behind it.

"What Registrar Xu did was the work of the Xu family, and the Xu family has caused trouble in the village for far more than just this one incident. Is that why the Princess sent you, Brother Tang, to Yunping County?"

Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."

Meng Yuanxiao's almond-shaped eyes widened slightly, and she didn't know what to say for a moment.

The two remained silent until they reached the elm tree in front of Village Chief Sun's house. Then Meng Yuanxiao said in a low voice, "No wonder Princess Sun wants to implement new policies. Those people really deserve to die."

Cui Xintang paused slightly and subconsciously turned to look at her.

Meng Yuanxiao's eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "Brother Tang, will you report the affairs of Yunping County and the Xu family to the Princess?"

*

The next morning, when the rooster crowed twice, Meng Yuanxiao was woken up by Cui Xintang. After washing up and having a simple meal, it was time to set off.