Qiuju paused slightly as she combed her hair. "I was worried that no one would come to snatch the embroidered ball."
"puff!"
"Silly girl, I was just teasing you. Think about it, what if the embroidered ball I threw was snatched away by a spoiled young master? Would I really marry him?"
"Besides, your young lady isn't a girl anymore. You can't hide the fact that she has a child. I'm concerned about Sui Sui's safety."
Jiang Shuyue burst into laughter at Qiu Ju's silly appearance.
She is now focused solely on building her business empire.
As for marriage, she'll leave it to fate. She believes that in this time and space, there will be someone who will walk out of the vast sea of people and come to her side.
Even without it, she would still live a wonderful life.
A quarter of an hour later, Gao Mu and Cang Yun saw Jiang Shuyue leading a group of people out, with a little girl in her hand.
No, it's not a girl, it's Sui Sui.
Gao Mu looked closely and saw that Sui Sui's hairstyle was different from usual. She had two buns on her head, one on the left and one on the right, with bangs that reached her eyebrows in front of her forehead and a tuft of hair at the back of her head.
If it weren't for the light blue robes he was wearing, he would look like a delicately carved little girl at first glance.
Jiang Shuyue rode in one carriage with Sui Sui and Qiu Ju, while Lan'er and Mei'er rode in another carriage.
"Mommy, my hair makes me look like a little girl. Uncle Gao Mu was laughing at me just now." Sui Sui touched the little bun on her head.
"No, that's not true. Gao Muxiao is just happy. Girls wear double buns, but you have a topknot. There's a difference."
Jiang Shuyue suppressed a laugh and explained in a serious tone.
Qiuju pulled Sui Sui's soft little hand into her palm, her eyes full of doting affection.
"Girls have pearl flowers in their hair buns, while we have hairbands. Young Master Sui is cute no matter how he dresses up, so don't overthink it."
Sui Sui touched the hair on her forehead again. She used to have hair on her forehead, but not as much as she did today.
Today, his mother snipped his long eyebrows with a pair of scissors.
Looking at her adorable son, who was so different from his usual self, Jiang Shuyue was very satisfied with her masterpiece.
After being specially dressed up, Sui Sui didn't look much like that person unless you looked closely.
Zhuangzi lived at the foot of Yanhui Mountain, not far outside the city.
Hearing Gao Mu say they were almost there, Jiang Shuyue lifted the carriage curtain and looked out.
Two roads appeared ahead, winding along the foot of the mountain to both sides, as wide as official roads.
Everywhere was lush and green, especially the rolling mountains, where wisps of white mist floated on the peaks, giving it an ethereal feel.
Gao Mu pointed to the road ahead and said, "Miss, that road leads to the front of the mountain. The manor manager said there are several hot spring resorts owned by nobles from the capital there."
Are there other people's estates on the back hill?
Jiang Shuyue knew that the estate she bought was in the back mountains, in a remote location, but it was quite large and nestled against the mountains and by the water.
The carriage slowed down, and Gao Mu said, "There are no other villages behind the mountain, but there are scattered villages around."
"Perhaps because there are no hot springs in the back mountains, it is not well regarded and many places are deserted."
Qiuju rolled up the carriage curtain, and as the carriage rounded a bend, the view became wider.
Qiuju couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss, the scenery here is so beautiful! There are no hot springs in the back mountain, but it's cool in the summer."
Sui Sui, like a curious little baby, stuck her whole little head out.
"Mother, look, the fruit on that tree is so big. When we go back, let's pick one for Uncle Nangong to take back with us."
“Young master, that’s a wild pomelo. It’s bitter and astringent, and even the villagers don’t eat it.”
"Ah! What a pity."
Seeing Sui Sui pouting, Jiang Shuyue secretly thought that she must try the grafting technique.
She knew a little about the theory of tree grafting, but had never done it herself.
She believes that anything is possible with effort, and that as long as she puts her heart into it, she will eventually succeed.
After turning the corner of the mountain pass, a corner of the village comes into view.
There were no tall pavilions or towers, and the walls were not as high as those of the Jiang residence.
Everywhere is shaded by green trees, and within the red walls and green tiles, a corner of the house is clearly visible.
As the carriage approached, the entire courtyard came into view.
“Miss, this courtyard is nice, about the same size as those in the capital.”
Before Qiuju could finish speaking, someone came out to greet her.
The carriage drove through the gate, and Jiang Shuyue led Sui Sui down from the carriage. The people who came to greet them followed and bowed respectfully in front of the carriage.
"Greetings, Master."
Gao Mu introduced, "Miss, this is Zhang Yuanshan, the head of the estate."
Zhuang Tou was in his forties, with graying temples and dark skin. He wore short, coarse cloth clothes and looked energetic and capable.
Jiang Shuyue nodded slightly, "Uncle Zhang, you may dispense with the formalities."
Immediately afterwards, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang came over to pay their respects.
After the former owner of the estate sold it, he dismissed all the people living there.
Gao Mu saw that Zhang Yuanshan was a useful person, as his whole family of five worked there.
After communicating with Zhang Yuanshan, the Zhang couple agreed to sign a death contract with Gao Mu along with their three sons, but their daughter-in-law and grandson did not sign.
Zhang Yuanshan's wife was dressed neatly and her hair was styled meticulously, giving the impression of a capable woman.
Upon seeing Jiang Shuyue, she bowed and introduced herself, saying, "This old servant, Cao Shi, greets Miss and Young Master."
Jiang Shuyue gestured with her right hand to support him, saying, "Aunt Cao, you may dispense with the formalities."
Aunt Cao had regular features and a kind face.
Upon hearing the host say that there was no need for formalities, she straightened up and called into the house, "Qiuwa, come out and greet the host."
Aunt Cao had a loud voice, and soon a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old came out of the house.
The boy had a handsome appearance and was slightly taller than other children his age. Perhaps because he often did farm work, he was very strong.
He raised his sleeve to wipe the soot off his face, bowed to Jiang Shuyue, and said, "Greetings, Master. I am Zhang Qiu. My father said that you would be coming to the manor soon and asked me to clean the bottom of the pots in the kitchen. I haven't even had time to wash my hands yet. Please forgive me, Master."
The young man spoke calmly and unhurriedly, and was neither timid nor hesitant when meeting people; he was poised and generous, which Jiang Shuyue admired from the bottom of her heart.
"Have you ever been to school?"
Zhang Qiu chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I learned to read and do math from my father, but I never went to school for a proper education."
A person who can become the head of a village is naturally not stupid. Most people in farming families haven't received much education; being able to read and write and do accounting is already quite an achievement.
"That's good. Read more books and practice calligraphy in your spare time. You'll find it useful in the future."
Aunt Cao and Zhang Yuanshan were both smart people. Upon hearing their employer's words, they quickly said to Zhang Qiu, "Thank the employer."
"Thank you, sir. There's still some work to finish in the kitchen, so I'll get back to it now."
Zhang Yuanshan cupped his hands and gestured for her to go. "Miss, please go to the east courtyard to rest. There are no extra people here. I will go to the back mountain to call the eldest and second eldest brothers back to greet the master and the young master."
It's only half an hour's journey from here to the capital, and Jiang Shuyue doesn't feel tired.
She said to Zhang Yuanshan, "Uncle Zhang, go ahead and do your work. We'll stay here for a few days."
She then called Qiuju and the others over. After exchanging greetings, Aunt Cao looked at Suisui with a smile and said, "Young Master is so handsome. Today, my eldest daughter-in-law took her grandson back to her parents' home. Now that he's back, let him come and play with the young master."
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