4 Chapter 4
◎This is a rare thing from the south, called yam◎
Jiang was busy all day dealing with the misfortune of her head of the family. She sent two large pearls as big as longans to the Yang family's housekeeper. She felt completely relieved when she received a reply in the evening.
Her husband had gotten this job through the housekeeper Yang. Although he was at the farm all year round and had a lot of time to spare, there were still many greedy eyes watching him and trying to squeeze him out.
"This old dog leading the group is so filthy and chaotic..." Jiang sat on a low stool, spitting on her hands and cursing while twisting the hemp rope.
On the other side, Gui'er was sitting on a stool, sharpening a kitchen knife.
When Mrs. Min came here, she was frightened by the momentum of the two men and hesitated, not daring to step forward to ask.
Jiang looked up after a while and saw it. She quickly changed her expression and went forward to greet him warmly.
Mrs. Min didn't go into her shop, but stood on the side of the road and asked.
When Jiang heard that they were asking about Madam Cheng, she glanced at the sedan chair behind the maid, her eyes rolling around, "Excuse me, who is your master's family? How is your relationship with Madam Cheng? Are you going to take her away, or do you have any instructions?"
Old Lady Min said impatiently with a serious face, "Why are you so talkative? Just tell me if Ninth Lady Cheng is here. Why don't you just go and tell her that she is here?"
Jiang was not angry. She quickly stepped into the inner courtyard and happily called out to Madam Cheng.
"Oh, Madam Cheng, great joy, great joy!"
When Cheng Mu heard that it was the Zhou family, she hurriedly asked Jiang to invite them in.
Mrs. Min went in alone, and the sedan chair was left outside the door.
Jiang sat back down to twist the rope and said to Gui'er, "It's so fast! Madam Cheng has found her relatives. They are here to take her away to enjoy happiness. Madam Cheng is beautiful and kind-hearted. Now she has a place to go, and her marriage will be settled soon."
Gui'er paused her work and said blankly, "The night before yesterday, a young man came to stay overnight. Was that her marriage?"
The expression on Jiang's face was frozen for a moment, "What are you talking about, you idiot!"
Gui'er said seriously, "I saw it with my own eyes. The little girl brought her in."
"What little girl? You're the same age as me."
Jiang thought to herself, no wonder Madam Cheng gave her an extra ounce of silver yesterday and said she would send two meals later. She was also wondering why the little thief came back again, but because she was worried about the head of the household, she didn't ask much.
Maybe she had misjudged the person, and this Madam Cheng was a secret agent?
Thinking along this line, it seemed that everything strange made sense. She didn't dare report Ah Wu's theft to the police because she was not upright. She didn't reveal anything to her when she came to look for her relatives. She was generous with her wealth. Also, I heard that there was a kind of skinny horse raised in the south that was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Moreover, Madam Cheng had a graceful figure, like someone from the south...
While she was speculating, the people inside came out. Jiang looked over and saw Madam Cheng slowly getting into the sedan chair, with the old woman and Awu walking on both sides.
Cheng Mu sat upright in the sedan chair.
Mrs. Min said that only the young lady wanted to see her.
In the original book, Gao didn't meet Cheng Jiuniang for the first time until a year later. Now she is so anxious to see her. Is it because she rejected Zhou Mao?
If she wanted to resolve the identity and household registration issue, she could contact the Gao family. This was something she had considered in the book. She wondered if the Gao family would still help her now that she was no longer with Zhou Mao.
The Zhou family's house, though modest in appearance, was spacious inside. Cheng Mi wanted to go and see the mistress of the household first. Mother-in-law Min said she was out at the temple, worshipping Buddha. Because the young mistress was pregnant, she would have to stay for another month before returning. The young mistress was now the head of the household.
After walking for a long time, we finally reached a greenhouse.
"Please wait here for a moment, young lady."
The greenhouse is a flower shed, and the flowers are planted in pots of varying sizes, each pot having a unique view. The plum blossoms are in full bloom, and the fragrance is pleasant.
At the beginning of this dynasty, the palace strictly prohibited the construction of gardens, and there were also regulations on the residences of officials. A hundred years later, the government orders were relaxed, and the trend of extravagant construction arose again, especially in the south.
Cheng Mu walked around the flower shed and saw something strange. She called the garden maid and asked what it was.
"This is a rare thing from the south, called earthen taro." The thick warm curtain was lifted, and a tall woman walked in. She was wearing a lilac-colored fox fur coat with a brocade surface of peony pattern and a white collar, a yellow pleated skirt with a cloud pattern, and a set of gold and silver headpieces on her head. She had a smile on her face and two shallow dimples on the sides of her mouth.
"Miss Cheng."
"Mrs. Zhou."
The two of them greeted each other. Seeing her interest in the taro, Gao introduced it to her, "Look at it! Its leaves are like beans, its roots are round like eggs, and its flowers are like upside-down bells. They come in a variety of colors, clustered together, vibrant and eye-catching. I heard that people overseas love to use taro flowers as decorations. People in the south call it yang yams."
Cheng Xi had a polite smile on her face, "Potato."
Gao nodded. "The farmers in Shanglin Garden in the capital grow it. It can be boiled or steamed. It's a delicacy in the palace."
According to Gao, potatoes are still just a new import, enjoyed only by the rich and powerful. Fans like Gao are more likely to plant them for viewing. Cheng Mu couldn't help but think of two words: waste.
This was a waste of the potato's natural talent. As an excellent food crop, potatoes can quickly adapt to complex natural environments and are not picky about geology. Even in poor soil, they can produce high yields. They should move from the hands of the royal family and nobles to the poor and the needy.
Cheng Mu asked Gao for more, not fearing embarrassment. Gao didn't have much, so Cheng Mu didn't mind cutting two pieces from what she had. The maids and servants felt contempt for Cheng Mu's behavior, but they had to endure it and carefully cut the pieces under her command.
Gao admired the flowers with her, and then took her to the warm room to sit down, drink tea, and chat about some irrelevant gossip.
Finally, let’s talk about Zhou Mao and her.
Gao's intention was to persuade her to become Zhou Mao's concubine. First, she and Zhou Mao liked each other, and their youthful friendship was precious; second, Zhou Mao was a man of love and loyalty, a true lover rare in the world; and third, she could no longer return home as if nothing had happened. Her absence had affected her integrity, and she had no way of explaining it to her family.
She always considered her best interests and said things that were impossible to refuse. Cheng Mu was amazed. Is there really such a wife in this world? She was not jealous and even handled her husband's concubine so well. In the original book, Gao never treated Cheng Jiuniang badly. She did not let her follow Zhou Mao without status. She never forgot to give her a share of the delicious food and useful things. She would replace the things she smashed in a tantrum with better ones. Gao did not mind taking in such a person who did not know the difference between right and wrong into her backyard.
You see, she rejected Zhou Mao without any hesitation, but Gao was still trying to save the relationship.
Cheng Mu couldn't help but continue on the road of self-deprecation. She said, "Due to some unavoidable reasons, I now have a bad debt in my belly. Brother Zhou even scolded me. Could it be that he has come to his senses? Young Madam, you don't mind?"
Hearing this, Gao's expression froze for a moment.
No matter how hard she tried to think, she couldn't understand why her love, at its peak, suddenly came to an end, her passion turning cold. Her husband told her not to even mention it. So that's how it was...
Cheng Mu's frank confession of her own scandal also shocked her, "Since it's a sinful debt, why do you still want to keep it?"
Cheng Mu was surprised. "Young Madam is pregnant, yet she is encouraging others to take lives?"
The implication is how not to accumulate virtue for children.
Gao's heart ached at the teasing, and she quickly tried to make amends, "What I meant was... the baby could be given away after birth."
Cheng Mu refused. "Being a wife or a concubine would be an obstacle. Madam, I've finally figured it out. Brother Zhou and I are destined to be apart in this life." She looked steadfast. "Right now, I just want to find a way to support myself and this unborn child. Oh, and I have a brother-in-law. Madam, you're a considerate person. Jiu Niang is asking for your advice."
Gao suddenly choked and started coughing non-stop. Mrs. Min, the maids, and the others were horrified, fearing that something had happened to her. They quickly helped Gao back to her room and hurriedly called a doctor.
In the warm room, only Cheng Mu and her maid were left.
"Muyun," Cheng Mu said with amusement, "You haven't even had a turn to play yet."
Mu Yun is Awu, who rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky.
Cheng Mu's idea was to have a son in her belly and a brother-in-law by her side, so that they could become a family.
"That way I can stand on my own feet, and you can also refresh your identity." She said that day, "If you don't want to, I can hire you to pretend to be my brother-in-law. One tael of silver a month, just one or two years..."
She told her to eat more and do more physical work every day. After a year or two, her appearance would have changed so much that even the tribesmen wouldn't recognize her. "From now on, just like your name, Mu Yun, your life will be as open as the sea and sky."
…
After the two of them had been left in the warm room for more than half an hour, Mrs. Min came with her gifts. She said a few polite words and then had someone move their belongings onto the carriage and send them back home.
After returning home and taking inventory, he found two boxes of snacks, a bundle of children's clothes, two pieces of brocade, some rice, flour, oil, dates, apples, pumpkins and other fruits and vegetables stored in the autumn, and 100 taels of silver.
These were all prepared to help her support herself, her children and her brother-in-law. Gao did not mind her recklessness and behaved decently. Cheng Mu still admired her very much. It was a great blessing for Zhou Mao to marry her. No wonder the original book kept praising her and drove Cheng Jiuniang crazy.
With 100 taels of silver, you can start a small business and become a businessman, or buy a few acres of land and become a local landlord.
Just take your time to find out.
The identity issue is the most urgent at the moment. Cheng Jiuniang is dead, and everything in the Cheng family is cut off. She wants to become Cheng Mu herself in this world.
When Jiang saw Madam Cheng coming back from recognizing her relatives with a lot of things, she was very jealous.
Cheng Mu divided the snacks and fruits and vegetables equally, giving one portion to Jiang and one portion to Gui'er's mother Yu. Jiang took the things happily and then asked about which family the relatives were from, etc.
Cheng Mu formally introduced her new identity to her. She said that Mrs. Zhou and her mother were close friends. She had been worshiping Buddha in the temple recently. She went to see the young lady of the Zhou family. The young lady was kind-hearted and saw that life was not easy for an orphan and a widow, so she gave her some gifts.
Jiang listened in astonishment as Cheng Mu told her that she was pregnant with a posthumous child and that the girl beside her was actually a boy, her brother-in-law.
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