Qiao Niang nodded upon hearing this: "Yao Niang is so clever!"
Is she clever? Yao Niang felt that Qiao Niang's words seemed like she was deliberately teasing her. Given the example of "Ta Yu," and the high probability of using a carriage when going out, it didn't seem surprising that she guessed "Xie Xiang" was the name of the carriage.
Gu Yaoniang wondered if she was simply too naive to know about the refined custom of naming carriages. She looked at Qiaoniang with suspicion and said in a tone that was both inquisitive and trying to remain calm:
"Sister Qiaoniang, I'm new to Shuojing and don't know much about it. But nowadays, wealthy families in Shuojing all give their carriages names?"
Qiaoniang giggled, covering her mouth and glancing at her, just laughing incessantly. Only when Yaoniang, annoyed, stomped her foot and walked towards the door did she finally speak slowly:
“How could that be? As far as I know, this is the only carriage in Shuojing City that names its carriages. This ‘Xiangxiang’ is the carriage I use for going out on weekdays. I like all kinds of spices, so I’ve also cut holes in the carriage walls to store my favorite spices.”
Yao Niang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Thankfully, her understanding hadn't strayed too far from the current trends in Shuojing. She could only blame her second uncle! He always had such strange quirks. But then again, the name Xie Xiang was indeed quite fitting for this carriage.
The two walked side by side toward the door when Yao Niang suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear!"—she said she felt something was wrong!
She looked at Qiaoniang suspiciously: "Walking on jade and carrying fragrance, it is quite elegant."
Qiaoniang met her eyes calmly, a smile still playing on her lips: "Yes. Is there something wrong?"
Gu Yaoniang couldn't discern anything from Qiaoniang's face, but she was still suspicious: "You can name your carriages 'Treading Jade' and 'Carrying Fragrance,' so why do you name Jin Yu Lou's signature dish 'Big Pork Knuckle'?"
Could it be that old fox, Second Uncle, deliberately dug a pit for me, and put on a show in front of me with his young apprentice?
Qiao Niang blinked and looked at her innocently: "Don't you think braised pork knuckle sounds cute?"
Yao Niang stared intently at Qiao Niang, trying to discern whether Qiao Niang truly didn't know or was feigning ignorance. But Qiao Niang's expression was so pure and innocent that Yao Niang couldn't detect any flaws.
She had no choice but to give up her investigation.
"I just think that someone who can come up with names like 'Treading Jade' and 'Carrying Fragrance' would surely find it difficult to give Jin Yu Lou's dishes an elegant name," Yao Niang murmured.
In her opinion, these were already two extremely elegant words.
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