Chapter 203 Appearance (Part 2)

I had been worried about Gongxian Hutong, but I didn't expect that my eldest brother not only knew about it, but also rushed to the Xu family early in the morning to inform them.

Thinking of this, Wu Niang's slight uneasiness disappeared.

She whispered to Shiyi Niang: "What did the eldest brother say to me?"

Shiyi Niang only mentioned Luo Zhenxing's advice to her not to cause discord between husband and wife for the sake of the child.

Wu Niang then asked Shiyi Niang what her plans were.

"What plans can I make?" Eleventh Lady said, "If that is the case, it depends on what the Marquis says."

"That's right." Wu Niang smiled, "After all, you are a stepmother, so it's not convenient for you to take the lead."

Eleventh Lady nodded, not wanting to talk to her about this anymore, and smiled and changed the subject: "Sister, are you feeling well?"

"Yeah." Wu Niang smiled sweetly, "I'm fine. I eat and sleep every day, and I've gained a lot of weight."

"Being able to eat and sleep is a blessing." Eleventh Lady smiled and chatted with her, "I wonder what your sister likes to eat? I can ask someone to prepare some."

Wu Niang sighed when she heard this: "How can I be as picky as I was when I was a girl? I just eat whatever is available."

Eleventh Lady heard something else in her words, but couldn't figure out what she meant, so she pretended to be confused: "I see that Fifth Brother's wife likes to eat sour bamboo shoots especially when she is pregnant. How about I ask someone to serve some for you to try? If it tastes good, take some back."

Wu Niang shook her head: "Forget it. It's easy for a person to go from frugality to luxury, but it's hard to go from luxury to frugality. I'm afraid that I'm used to eating, and once I can't eat, I'll feel uncomfortable."

He's complaining in front of me like this. Could it be that he's set his eyes on some new business and wants me to be a partner?

Eleventh Lady thought about it and said with a smile, "Look at what sister said. Sour bamboo shoots are not a good thing. If sister likes to eat them, I will ask Dongqing to help her make them." Then she stood up and called Luyun, asking her to bring a small plate of bamboo shoots.

Lu Yun left immediately.

"Alas!" Wu Niang sighed as she looked at it. "This is in line with the old saying - every family has its own problems. You don't have to worry about food or clothes, and you can get people to serve you whenever you say something, but the Marquis... As for me, my husband is handsome and well-educated, but his family is poor and has no foundation. We have to live on my dowry. Others may not know, but you should know it best. We talk about how much dowry we have, but in reality, we can't even make ends meet. Otherwise, how could I show up and do business?" As she spoke, her smile turned bitter. "Who knew that my luck would be so bad? I encountered a heavy snowstorm that has not been seen for decades. I lost hundreds of taels of silver in vain."

Eleventh Lady has also been through hard times. If it were her, she would also feel heartbroken. She can understand Fifth Lady.

She advised Wu Niang: "Just think of this as a lesson. If you decide on a business in the future, start small. Once you are confident, it won't be too late to expand it."

"That's all I can think of," Wu Niang said helplessly. "Your brother-in-law also advised me to treat it as a bad year with no harvest."

Although Qian Ming is a bit snobbish, he has his own demeanor. Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Since my brother-in-law thinks so, I should be more relaxed."

Wu Niang hummed, and then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she leaned over the table and asked Shiyi Niang in a low voice, "How is your dowry?"

Eleventh Lady didn't expect her to ask about this, and paused.

Wu Niang said, "One is sandy land, the other is sloping land. Not to mention that we don't know the difference between the five kinds of crops, even the maid next to us is from the south, how can she understand the crops on sandy land and sloping land! It must be difficult for my sister too!"

"Yes, I'm worried about this!" Eleventh Lady did not deny this, "But my knowledge is limited, and I don't have any particularly good ideas. If Fifth Sister has any good ideas, please tell me."

"Of course." Wu Niang agreed readily. "You and I are of the same mind. If I don't help you, who else can I help?" Then she showed a sincere look, "However, you really need to spend more time on this matter. You know, you are different from me. I live in a small family, with food in the pot and clothes on my body. But you have a big family, complicated and tangled personnel. If you don't have some private money, I'm afraid it will be difficult to reward the maids, let alone subdue those housekeepers who think they are more respectable than anyone else because they have served the lady!"

Wu Niang was right.

She was really worried.

If nothing unexpected happens, I will definitely be in charge of the Xu Mansion's feast next year. It is inevitable to invite these housekeepers to have a snack and show them some jewelry to win their hearts. But the Xu family is not a poor family. The environment changes the temperament and the body changes. These housekeepers are watching and listening, and their hands and eyes are big. If there are not enough things, taking them out may not achieve the purpose of winning people's hearts, but make people look down on them. In the future, when I take on a job, I will be disobedient and lose my dignity.

Seeing that Shiyi Niang didn't say anything, Wu Niang lowered her voice and said, "Sister, there is a business that is very profitable. If it can be done, it will not only help you out of your predicament, but also allow me to give birth peacefully."

A hint of helplessness flashed in Eleventh Lady's eyes, and she politely refused, "Others may not know, but you should know it best. I can't afford the extra capital." She said something very skillful. Saying "I can't afford the extra money" gave people the illusion that although I have money, it's not much.

She did this on purpose.

If she said she had money, she was afraid that Wu Niang would ask for too much. If she couldn't give it to her, it would ruin the harmony between the two sisters. If she said she had no money, she was afraid that Wu Niang would misunderstand that she was complaining about being poor and would not want to help her.

Wu Niang smiled and covered her sleeves after hearing this: "This business doesn't require any capital."

Eleventh Lady's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she reminded her calmly, "How can pie in the sky fall like that?"

"This is a case of pie falling from the sky!" Wu Niang laughed, "Of course there are some difficulties. However, this matter is difficult for others, but it is a piece of cake for Eleventh Sister."

What is difficult for others is a piece of cake for me...it can only be done by borrowing Xu Lingyi's name!

Eleventh Lady felt a chill in her heart, but she smiled with a hint of luck and said, "Are you going to open an embroidery building? I am somewhat sure about this."

"Why open an embroidery shop? That needs capital." Wu Niang smiled and told Shiyi Niang about the salt-drawing incident. "... Tell me, is this a piece of cake?"

Eleventh Lady felt a little upset.

Merchants pursue profits. Who would push away the money they have earned? The Wen family is either baiting the two of them with a business that can easily make a lot of money, and then gradually work on it from easy to difficult, making the two of them unable to stop and even taking risks in the end; or although this business is profitable, it is not easy to succeed, and they are even making money from relationships.

If you find Fan Weigang, you will need to spend 1,800 dan of grain to deal with the middlemen, but now you only need 500 dan. Where will the rest of the profit come from? Of course, it comes from those officials who are taking advantage of you. This is like taking food from a tiger's mouth. It's okay once or twice, but if it goes on for a long time, I'm afraid that even if you are the king of the world, those officials will still be resentful and find a chance to trap you. By then, it's not impossible that a thousand-mile long dike will be destroyed by an ant's hole.

She thought of the words that Luo Zhenxing had used to encourage her.

Obviously, she was treated like an ignorant child...

Eleventh Lady acted anxious: "I don't know Master Fan... I'm afraid the Marquis will have to step in..."

Wu Niang turned her eyes and said what Qian Ming told her when she came: "This is a small matter, why does it need the Marquis to show up? You just need to talk to the housekeeper and get a name card from the Marquis. We will help you with other matters.

"This, is not good!" Eleventh Lady seemed a little flustered. "What should I say if the Marquis asks? No, no!" Her head shook like a wave drum.

"Oh, the Marquis has so many things to do every day, how could he pay attention to these things." Wu Niang laughed, "You are too timid."

Eleventh Lady smiled awkwardly: "Sister also knows that I am timid. I'd better tell the Marquis before making any plans!"

Seeing that she was tight-lipped, Wu Niang acted as if she was disappointed with her husband and sighed, "What can I do about you? I am worried about you, but you act as if nothing has happened. Don't think that I, your sister, speak too directly. You should know that you and the Marquis are a married couple. He is not even 30 years old this year, and he already has a concubine's eldest son, a legitimate son, and a concubine's eldest daughter. There are some things you should be aware of. You should know that you still have a long life ahead of you, and you never know when you will be in trouble. Another concubine has come in. If you don't plan for yourself, you should plan for your future children and get some money to live on. Let's not talk about other things, just take your fifth wife, she had a dowry of 128 kg when she married in, she was a county lord conferred by the court, the eldest daughter of the Dingnan Marquis's mansion, she is prominent, isn't she! She still runs a shop outside. She knows that she has money in her hands, so she is not worried. Don't be like a child, afraid of this and that..."

Eleventh Lady listened attentively, nodding in agreement, and refused to join in the conversation.

Wu Niang saw that Shiyi Niang was afraid of trouble no matter what she said. Although she was anxious, she didn't want to push her too much. She slowly turned the topic to the child: "...There's nothing to be afraid of. He's not the eldest son. Wait a few years, find him a wife, and give him some money to let him go out and live on his own."

Seeing that it was getting late, Eleventh Lady interrupted her and said, "Sister, come over and have lunch here!"

When Wu Niang came, she was planning to go back early to report the news to Gongxian Hutong. Now that she knew Luo Zhenxing had come before her, her anxiety faded. She thought about Qian Ming asking her to spend more time with Shiyi Niang, and smiled and replied, "I haven't kowtowed to the Madam yet!"

Seeing that she agreed readily, Eleventh Lady called Amber in and told her to arrange lunch and send someone to ask about Xu Lingyi's letter. Then she changed her clothes and went to the lady's place with Fifth Lady.

The old lady was very happy to see Wu Niang and asked her many questions. Just then a maid came to report that Xu Lingyi was having lunch in the outer courtyard, so the old lady called the third lady to accompany him and invited Wu Niang to have lunch with her. After lunch, she personally escorted her to the door before returning.

Wu Niang's expression was somewhat uncertain. After she sat down in Shiyi Niang's room, she said, "I didn't expect that you are so pleasing to mother-in-law."

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "Mother is kind to others, but it's not like I can please her."

Wu Niang didn't say anything. Thinking of the respectful look on the eldest wife's face every time she mentioned the old lady, she felt a little bitter in her heart.