Chapter 14 Making Money
Under the blazing sun, a few rays of sunlight peeked through the gaps in the vines, illuminating the glistening dust beneath them.
Li Qu understood.
It turns out that it was Zhou Jin who could make this arrogant young lady lower her head.
Qingci's warning voice rang out: "Auntie, have you thought it through before you go back!"
Li Qu pulled out a handkerchief, shook it, and gently pressed it to the corner of her eye, her face filled with sorrow: "Miss, you don't know, Third Master only regards me as a plaything, and has no affection for me whatsoever, so how can there be any talk of lingering over me?"
Qingci stepped forward: "Auntie, you may still have to rely on our young lady for your livelihood in the future. When the young lady asks you a question, have you thought carefully about whether you can be negligent?"
"Oh? So, the old lady has agreed to let your young lady become her third wife?"
Qingci was furious, not expecting Li Qu to be so direct: "Don't talk nonsense."
It's not even close to being done yet.
Li Qu glanced at Qingci, a hint of displeasure in his eyes: "I'm telling the truth. If Miss Qingci doesn't believe me, please go ask Third Master."
“How could that be? Third Master is not interested in women. If it weren’t for you being different…” Qingci’s words were interrupted by Lu Yanyan raising her hand.
"Those who speak ill of Third Master shall be slapped by Qingci."
With a loud slap, Qingci glared angrily at Li Qu and slapped herself hard.
Li Qu lazily withdrew her gaze from the celadon.
A barking dog should be driven away.
Then she looked at Lu Yanyan and gave her a sincere smile: "If there's a difference, it's probably that those people would grant you any request, while I play hard to get."
He sighed and said, "It's a pity that this tactic of feigning indifference can't be used for long."
I truly hope that the mistress will enter the household soon. If she is pregnant then, she can allow me to have a child or two, and in the future, I will have a place to settle down and make a living in this Zhou household.
Li Qu smoothly shifted the topic to one that no one objected to, forcing Lu Yanyan to personally steer the conversation toward the outcome she desired.
"The rouge that my aunt sent me before was secretly turned away by my servants. If my aunt has any new trinkets in the future, you might as well send some to me as well."
"What kind of concubine does Miss Cousin like?"
"Just use your usual colors."
"no problem."
What kind of fragrance are you wearing?
"I like to burn fragrance on my hair ornaments, so that it is faintly noticeable as I move, and one cannot smell it from afar."
Which one?
"I don't know. I just use whatever's on the dressing table. The incense on the dressing table was all prepared for me by the nanny."
Lu Yanyan glanced at Granny Xu, then looked at Li Qu: "Where are the clothes?"
“The other day, the young lady from Jinxiutang, who was in love with love, brought a tailor to make it for her. She wears whatever is made for her and is not picky.”
Looking at Li Qu's clothes, which were much more dignified than before, Lu Yanyan nodded slightly: "Although you use your beauty to please people, it would be better if you dressed more dignifiedly and modestly."
Li Qu smiled politely.
What do you usually do to pass the time?
Li Qu's gaze fell on Lu Yanyan's clothes: "A female worker."
And an idea popped into my head instantly.
So, she twisted her handkerchief and put on an affected air: "To tell you the truth, I was just about to embroider a robe for you, but I haven't decided what material to use or what color to choose yet."
Lu Yanyan took the bait: "I do have a fine piece of fabric, a dark Shu brocade that shines with seven colors in the sunlight and glows with a light moonlight at night. If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Li Qu's face lit up with delight: "Thank you, Miss Biao. I'm sure the master will like it."
As he spoke, his eyes lingered directly on Lu Yanyan's dress: "I've always said that Miss Lu has excellent taste; you can tell from the fabric she uses that it's extraordinary."
Lu Yanyan was pleased with this, and seeing Li Qu's petty attitude, she smiled with satisfaction and sarcasm: "I have quite a lot of leftover fabric from tailoring. If you don't mind, I'll give it to you."
Li Qu feigned obvious delight.
After praising Lu Yanyan for a while, Lu Yanyan walked away with her head held high and her chest puffed out.
Seeing that Lu Yanyan had left, Xu Mama, who felt that she had grasped the crux of Li Qu's personality, walked to Li Qu's ear and whispered, "Auntie, the fabric that Miss is wearing was given to her by the old lady. Although it is not bad, it is not the best fabric."
Li Qu looked at Granny Xu.
Just look at Xu Mama's face, which looks like she's trying to seduce underage girls into going astray: "The best materials are in Master's storeroom, snow foxes hunted in the Northwest, brocades from the South that have been tributes over the years, as well as imperial gifts and treasures given by the Second Master, there are countless."
Xu Mama had an expression that said, "If our master nods, then the materials in the storeroom are at your disposal, Madam."
Li Qu raised an eyebrow.
Granny Xu coughed again: "Of course, it's not that the material you're wearing now is bad, Auntie."
You just came back from Aunt Hu's courtyard; you should be able to tell that, apart from Aunt Hu, whose family is incredibly wealthy, the fabric you're wearing is the best."
Our master hasn't treated you unfairly, but if you want to go further, you'll have to rely on your own efforts.
Li Qu couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips: "If the fabric is stored for too long, won't it become out of fashion?"
"No, those classic and timeless materials, as long as they are properly preserved, will remain rare no matter how long they are kept."
“Aside from a few small gifts for the old lady, the women of the second branch of the family have absolutely no need for the materials in the third master’s storeroom. The materials that the second master sends back every year are more than enough to cover the second branch’s allowance.”
No wonder he's a major shareholder of Zhenbaoge, a leading tycoon in the Liangjiang and Sixteen Rivers region, he's incredibly wealthy.
"Your master is really wasting his talents. He has so many good things but doesn't even know how to give some to young ladies who are in love or longing for spring."
Li Qu put the handkerchief on her head, stepped off the vine-covered corridor, and took a shortcut towards Fanghua Garden.
Xu Mama quickly followed up: "Miss Huaichun was sent by the old lady to serve the master when he was fourteen and had his first menstruation."
Huaixiang was entrusted to my father by the old lady before she passed away when my father was sixteen years old.
There are also six beauties, all selected and sent from various places. They are currently housed in Qinghuai Courtyard, simply to provide them with more idle food.
"Oh? Your master is truly unmoved by temptation."
"In previous years, I was obsessed with the imperial examinations, and later I became obsessed with officialdom. I only returned to the mansion recently."
"You're the first one to be favored, Auntie. If you keep trying, you might become one of the master's favored concubines in the future."
Li Qu wanted to mock her: Wasn't the second wife, Consort Qing, someone the second master had kept by his side for many years? Where is she now?
The legal wife is a constant, while the concubines come and go.
Li Qu didn't care how many women Zhou Jin had or who he would bring with him in the future.
She thought of the emerald set in the old lady's headband, and the bushel of purple pearls.
Zhou Jin is a bully who abuses his power, so it's not unreasonable for her to take advantage of the situation and make some money, is it?
No sooner had Li Qu returned to Fanghua Garden than Lu Yanyan's fabric arrived.
Besides the black Shu brocade, there were also some leftover fabric.
Although it was leftover material, it was enough to make two new sets of clothes.
Moreover, the materials used are of a quality that ordinary farmers can only dream of.
Li Qu returned two boxes of lip rouge that she had prepared for Lu Yanyan but hadn't given her yet.
Then I started to catch up on sleep.
To appease the old lady, she stayed up all night, leaving her looking exhausted.
Now that the old lady has passed, the next step is to rest and recuperate, seek personal gain, and wait for the right opportunity to act.
Li Qu slept until the sun was setting in the west, when she was woken up by Granny Xu.
"Auntie, if you keep sleeping, you'll have trouble sleeping tonight."
Li Qu stretched and called for a bath. When she came out of the bathhouse, the sky was ablaze with rosy clouds.
The four maids in the courtyard, who had nothing to do, were playing cat's cradle.
Seeing Li Qu staring at them, they were so frightened that they immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
Li Qu, fanning herself, said with a smile, "Since there's not much to do, you can all learn embroidery from us from now on."
Once you've mastered the skills, you can help her embroider things for Zhou Jin.
The four were overjoyed and quickly kowtowed in agreement.
During dinner, Xu Mama, still thinking about her encounter with Lu Yanyan during the day, said to Li Qu, "Auntie, this old servant and Aunt Li, the tutor in the manor, are from the same hometown."
While my aunt was taking a nap, I went to her room for a quick look and heard that she was preparing to weave a book to teach my cousin manners.
Li Qu sipped her unsweetened lily and white fungus soup: "And then?"
“What Miss Cousin is learning is the etiquette of being a first wife.” Xu Mama carefully chose her words. “Since Miss Cousin has taken the initiative to befriend the concubine, the concubine might as well do her a favor.”
Li Qu looked at Granny Xu with a half-smile: "Are you trying to help me get on good terms with the future mistress? Or is someone who wants to become the future mistress and is trying to find out about Fanghua Garden in order to curry favor with you?"
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