Chapter 24: Godmother Xu Nian

The maid took the tray from Tian's hand and put it in front of Shen for her to take a look.

When she saw the bright red cherries on the tray, she covered her mouth with her handkerchief in surprise.

It is rare to see cherries of such high quality even in the summer in northern Xinjiang, let alone in such a cold winter.

Looking at the full plate in the maid's hand, Shen was extremely surprised.

"I feel embarrassed that Sister Tian gave me so many such precious things.

Huan'er, I remember there is a set of white porcelain tea sets in the storeroom that the adults have collected. Bring it here."

Shen smiled and patted Tian's hand.

"Sister Tian, ​​please don't be polite to me. I don't have anything good to give you in return. You can take it back when you return."

"Then I'll get Sister Shen's good stuff.

I was just offering flowers to Buddha. We have been traveling all this time, so how can we have anything to show for it? These were sent by my husband’s friends.”

Shen became even happier when she heard Tian's joke.

After chatting for a while, Tian said goodbye and left Qingfeng Hall. Her eyes turned slightly red. It was thanks to Nian'er who helped her to open up the situation. She couldn't let her daughter down.

After returning to his residence, he put away the tea set, picked up another plate of cherries and went to the courtyard of Mrs. Rong, the wife of the county magistrate. Of course, the amount in this plate was much less than that given to Mrs. Shen.

The courtyard where Madam Rong lived was as big as that of Madam Tian, ​​but Madam Rong was accompanied by a cook and a young woman.

The young woman was originally the county magistrate's maid, but now she is not even as good as an ordinary maid. At least the maidservant beside the county magistrate's wife can still get some face.

After Tian handed the things to the maid named Huamei, she returned to her own courtyard.

In the evening, thanks to the lard sent by Xu Nian today, there was finally a delicious dish on Xu Yaozu and Tian's dining table.

Xu Yaozu came back from his shift and looked at the dining table and couldn't help but tease, "What good thing is this today? They are willing to give me meat."

Tian rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"You think I don't want you to eat well just to save money.

These were also sent by your daughter today."

Upon hearing that Xu Nian had been here, Xu Yaozu couldn't help but ask, "What is Nian'er doing in the county? Since she's here, why don't you let her stay for a few days before leaving?"

Tian placed the prepared tofu soup next to Xu Yaozu and then replied, "Nian'er came with his second brother to sell cotton-padded clothes. He came to give us some silver and then went back."

Xu Yaozu saw that Tian looked worried and asked, "What's wrong with your family?"

Tian shook her head and told her daughter everything she had taught her to do after she came.

"Nian'er told me that if Madam Shen gave us tea sets, it means that Madam Rong and Madam Shen are close friends, so I should be careful when interacting with them in the future...

Nian'er also said that one can not only borrow the power of people but also the power of things. Sure enough, after I sent cherries to Mrs. Shen, her attitude changed a lot.

Yaozu, do you think Nian'er is too smart? "

Xu Yaozu put down the chopsticks in his hand and frowned.

"Our daughter is blessed by the Mountain Goddess. There's nothing wrong with her being smarter.

Don't say such things again in the future. No matter whether she is as smart as a demon or as stupid as a pig, she is still my daughter, Xu Yaozu."

This was the first time Xu Yaozu spoke to Tian in such a serious tone. Tian couldn't help but say aggrievedly: "I am worried because I feel sorry for Nian'er. You talk as if I am a stepmother."

“…”

After leaving the county government, Xu Nian did not stay in the county town and returned to Wanying Village with Xu Fugui.

When Wang saw her son and granddaughter coming back so early with their empty carts, she knew that the cotton clothes were selling well.

"Grandma, it's so cold outside, why are you still waiting here? Why do you miss me like this after not seeing me all morning?"

Wang looked at her smiling granddaughter and said insincerely, "I am waiting for your grandfather and his family to come back for dinner. Who would wait for a shameless girl like you?"

"The one waiting for me is of course my beautiful grandma who loves me the most."

Wang blushed with embarrassment. Her eldest daughter was becoming more and more outspoken, talking about love all the time. However, the slightly curled corners of her mouth betrayed her good mood.

Xu Fugui, who was standing outside the door, was very upset. How come no one noticed him standing there with such a big guy?

Zheng and Xiao Wang also ran out when they heard the noise. Seeing the things on the donkey cart, they happily helped to move them into the main room.

The two sisters-in-law happily took the seasonings, pork fat and other items to the kitchen. Now that everything in the house has been prepared, they feel that their lives are becoming more hopeful.

Xu Nian saw the two kids standing next to the basket and took out two candied haws and handed them over.

"Take it and eat it quickly. Remember to rinse your mouth after eating."

Xu Ling and Xu Cai jumped for joy and took the candied haws and started licking them in small bites.

Xu Nian gave all the remaining money from selling the cotton-padded jacket to Wang.

"I went to the county government to see my mother and left them 20 taels of silver. This is the remaining money from buying things. Grandma, keep it."

After Wang counted them, she found that there were more than 12 taels. She smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed.

"With this money, grandma feels more at ease."

Xu Nian thought her grandmother's little movements of collecting money were particularly cute.

"That's enough for you. When your granddaughter makes a lot of money for you, you will feel even more at ease."

"Haha~ Then grandma will wait."

As they were talking, Old Man Xu and his companions came back.

Looking at the red and swollen faces and hands of several grown men who were frozen, Xu Nian finally remembered the fur hats he had bought.

"Grandpa, I bought fur hats for you and your uncles. When you wear them when you go out, you won't be afraid of the wind.

I'll come up with a pattern and ask Auntie to make you a pair of cotton hand covers, so you won't have to suffer so much."

Old Man Xu thought about trying the fur hat and found that it was quite warm.

"Haha~ My granddaughter is still considerate. Third and fourth children, you can come and try it too."

Xu Youliang and Xu Weian both put on their hats, feeling very happy.

Especially Xu Weian, he finally experienced what it felt like to be freezing cold.

When Old Man Xu learned that Xu Nian had gone to the county government, he asked about the situation of the eldest son and his wife.

Of course Xu Nian only reported good news and not worries, but he still took the opportunity to explain the matter of the money while everyone was around.

"I saw that there was not even a teapot in the room, and people coming and going would inevitably make people look down on it, so I left 20 taels of silver for my mother."

Old Man Xu nodded and said, "This is what I should do. The officialdom is not like our country. We should give up what we should give up."

"Today I heard from my mother that my father's salary is about 58 taels a year. It seems a lot, but it is probably not enough for an official career.

So I thought, when we make some money, we can set up some businesses, even if we just collect some rent every year."

When Zheng heard this, she couldn't help but feel anxious.

"How come I spend more money after becoming an official? I'd rather not be an official."