Chapter 88 Entering the Inner Chamber

When it was time for dinner, Xiao Qi came to pick up Lin Yuesha and take her home.

Jiang Baozhu was a little reluctant to part with her, but after learning that Lin Yuesha's family had moved to town and would be visiting her at the Jiang residence the next morning, Jiang Baozhu finally let her go.

Xiao Qi looked at Jiang Baozhu scrutinizingly, sensing that she had a secret.

"Big brother, I wasn't home today, are Mom and Dad alright?"

Lin Yuesha asked cryptically, fearing that the white shadow would come out and cause trouble again.

"Don't worry, your parents are doing well, and Xiaohua has come to town with you too."

During the day, Mr. Chen went to Chenjia Village and had an oxcart bring all the peanuts from their ovens to the town. Then, the couple went to find Manager Cai.

The roasted peanuts were more popular than the spiced melon seeds, and Manager Cai bought them all.

Chen Tieniu and Wang Jinhua bought another batch of peanuts to take home and continue processing them. Chen Xiaohua begged to stay in town for two days.

"My second cousin is here?"

Lin Yuesha was pleasantly surprised. During this time, she had become familiar with the town by following Jiang Baozhu. She knew where the food was authentic and where the silk flowers were beautiful.

It just so happens that they're selling spiced melon seeds. Lin Yuesha had some coins on hand, so she thought she'd treat Chen Xiaohua to some snacks.

"Yes, Mother let Xiaohua sleep in the back room with you."

Seeing his younger sister happy, Xiao Qi's expression softened even more.

"Brother, how much did Manager Cai pay for the roasted peanuts?"

On the way home, Lin Yuesha took Xiao Qi to buy braised pork, as she couldn't forget the taste of that particular braised pork.

Of course you can make it yourself, but the longer you cook the braised meat broth, the more fragrant it becomes, which uses a lot of firewood, and Mother Chen will definitely feel bad about it.

"Eighteen coins a pound, the price is okay."

Roasted peanuts are more expensive than spiced melon seeds, simply because peanuts are a precious commodity. People in the north can't afford meat and have little oil in their diet, so they occasionally eat peanuts to satisfy their cravings.

The peanuts shrank after being roasted in a hanging oven, and the weight is even less than that of dried peanuts. The price is only reasonable.

“Manager Cai knows how to do business. We’ll sell to him by weight. When we get to the teahouse, we’ll sell peanuts and melon seeds by the plate.”

Lin Yuesha clicked her tongue. She accompanied Jiang Baozhu to the teahouse for a midday rest. A plate of cakes, only three or five pieces, cost several tens of coins, and a plate of melon seeds cost ten coins, not even an ounce.

"You mean Manager Cai is heartless?"

Xiao Qi found that he really enjoyed talking to his little sister, listening to her rambling on and on, saying all sorts of wild and imaginative things.

No.

Lin Yuesha shook her head. The price Cai Zhanggui offered was fair enough, and besides, there's a difference between wholesale and retail.

The food in teahouses is expensive because the production costs are high.

Hiring helpers, renting a house, and preparing firewood all require a significant investment. Making small snacks at home, on a small scale, doesn't even require hiring helpers, and the profits are pure profit after deducting costs.

When Chen Xiaohua arrived in town, Chen specially prepared the dried chicken that the Jiang family had given her. She boiled it, stir-fried it with red chili peppers, and the flavor was pungent but very appetizing.

Chen Xiaohua hadn't eaten meat for a while. The stir-fried dried chicken was so spicy that she was sweating profusely. After eating a piece of braised pork belly with soup, she ate three bowls of rice by herself.

After eating and drinking her fill, Chen Xiaohua awkwardly realized that she had eaten too much.

"Eat more, we have plenty of food."

Xiao Chenggui smiled kindly. He did hope that his daughter, Lin Yuesha, would also eat three big bowls of rice so that she would grow up strong and healthy.

Chen Xiaohua nodded like a chick pecking at rice. The food at her aunt's house was so delicious that she couldn't resist. She felt embarrassed and worried that she might be disliked, but she was glad that her new uncle didn't mind.

Chen Xiaohua's arrival made Lin Yuesha temporarily forget about the white-shadowed female ghost. The two sisters lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) talking, and Lin Yuesha fell asleep in no time.

...

The next morning after breakfast, Chen Xiaohua spoke to Lin Yuesha.

"Little sister, are you going to the Jiang residence today? I'm helping my aunt with chores at home."

Chen Xiaohua stayed mainly because she was worried that the Chen family wouldn't be able to handle everything. Her older brother and sister-in-law could help with the roasted peanuts, so they didn't need her.

"Yes, let me talk to Sister Baozhu and we'll take you to the Jiang residence as a guest."

Jiang Baozhu is not a stingy person, and Lin Yuesha plans to ask Jiang Baozhu's opinion on taking Chen Xiaohua to see the world.

Xiao Qi had something to do in the morning, so Lin Yuesha walked to the Jiang residence by herself. As soon as she arrived at the gate, she saw a crowd of onlookers gathered around.

"What happened?"

Lin Yuesha couldn't squeeze in and could only watch anxiously from behind.

"I heard that Master Jiang is not at home, he has gone out to sell goods, and his mistress, whom he secretly keeps, can't stand it anymore and plans to move in."

Someone who had roughly observed the spectacle summarized it as follows.

"That's right. If you ask any man in the world, who doesn't care about having offspring? Otherwise, when Master Jiang kicks the bucket, won't the family fortune fall into the hands of outsiders?"

Nothing beats having a son, whether it's marrying into the family or being adopted. It's that simple.

At first, the townspeople thought that Master Jiang was a devoted man who stayed with his wife who couldn't have a son, and that he had never taken a concubine in all these years. But it turns out that he wasn't stupid; he already had a son.

"Perhaps it is because Madam Jiang is jealous that Master Jiang dares not bring the young girl to the mansion."

The onlookers chattered amongst themselves, and Lin Yuesha, unaware of the situation, heard it all.

Jiang Huai had a mistress outside the marriage, and they had a son who was now four or five years old. The mistress couldn't stand it anymore and, not wanting to be without a proper status, came to Jiang Huai's door to demand an explanation while he was away.

The purpose of doing this was clearly to annoy the Xu family.

"Do you think Madam Jiang will allow the mother and child to come into the mansion?"

Someone raised a question, and everyone responded.

"Master Jiang is probably afraid of his wife, otherwise why would he have raised a child for several years without bringing him back?"

"Not necessarily. Perhaps Master Jiang is unsure if that is his son."

Some women deeply resented keeping mistresses, thinking, "How could a daughter from a respectable family become someone's concubine? She's probably a prostitute."

Those courtesans are used to playing along, and who knows where they might have gotten their illegitimate children from.

"Oh dear, you haven't met Master Jiang before, have you? That little brat looks somewhat like Master Jiang."

Some of them swore it was true, and that Master Jiang was a businessman, not a complete fool, and would never be willing to be a cuckold.

After several years, the mistress must have gotten restless, and with her son grown up, she finally brought people to visit.

It must be said that the mistress is very shrewd. It must have been because Master Jiang did not allow it that she took it upon herself to act first and then inform him later.

Once this matter is exposed and brought to light, it will be too late by the time Jiang Huai returns.

Suddenly, a mother and son appeared and knelt outside the gate of the Jiang residence, but the gate was tightly closed, and servants inside were peeking in.

Lin Yuesha saw Xiao Xi through the gaps in the crowd.

"Please, Madam and Miss, have mercy and let this lowly concubine bring her son in."

A pretty woman knelt before the gate of the Jiang residence with a small child. The child was very active, looking left and right, always trying to stand up, but the woman held him back.

“This lowly concubine may leave, but Pipi is the master’s flesh and blood.”

The woman wept and wailed, stating that she would not take Xu's position, but only asked to have her son recognized. She did not want her son to be called a bastard, and hoped that her son could stay in the mansion and be a respectable young master of the Jiang family.