Chapter 200 Each Person's Choice
After organizing everything given to her by the Marquis's mansion, Xie Wanniang discovered that her purse was once again bulging with money; she had become a little rich woman. No, a very rich woman.
The package included a complete set of jewelry made from the finest Hetian jade, a complete set of gold filigree jewelry inlaid with sapphires, a small box of gold leaves, a small box of rouge and face powder that Xie Wanniang would hardly ever use but which looked very valuable, a small box of precious spices neatly packed in boxes, a small box of a complete set of fine porcelain, as well as ten bolts of Shu brocade, ten bolts of Hangzhou silk, two jars of pre-Qingming Longjing tea, and six jars of pre-rain Longjing tea.
"I'm rich..." Xie Wanniang murmured softly. Putting everything else aside, those two sets of precious jewelry, totaling thirty-two pieces, had already saved her an unknown amount of money.
Yes, it's not about how much money it can fetch, but how much money it can save—would she dare sell something given to her by the Lady of the Marquis?
Fortunately, she is now an official's wife, although only a sixth-rank official's wife. But as long as she enters this circle, she can openly wear gold jewelry instead of just keeping it as a mere ornament.
Thinking of this, she reached out and touched the simple gold hairpin in her hair—perhaps, probably, this was the reason why the Lady of the Marquis gave her two sets of jewelry.
Ah, this...
Xie Wanniang was somewhat embarrassed. It wasn't that she didn't have more elaborate and exquisite gold jewelry, but she was used to being rough around the edges. She didn't pursue gorgeous and beautiful clothes at all, but always pursued being as capable and efficient as possible and convenient for self-protection as possible without being impolite.
After all, she was not only in a border town, but also someone whose background posed a huge safety hazard and who could be hunted down at any time.
To reiterate, for her, nothing is more important than her freedom, dignity, and safety.
In order to continue living a free, simple, happy, and stable life, Xie Wanniang could give up everything else that was unimportant, including her gorgeous dresses and heavy jewelry.
As for the gold hairpin in her hair and the two bracelets on her wrist, she didn't tell anyone except Haitang that her hairpin was a sword hidden in a hairpin, and that one of her bracelets contained poison powder and poison pills, while the other contained silver needles, antidote pills, and rolled-up small silver notes—all prepared for any possible emergencies.
Okay, actually, that's not all. There are two extremely thin but incredibly sharp blades hidden in her shoes, and the deer-shaped wooden ornament around her neck contains a potent powder that she made and purified herself, capable of instantly knocking someone unconscious.
Her earrings weren't just ordinary earrings; the curved parts could be straightened out and used as needles to puncture acupoints when no one was looking.
Even the wire inside each piece of underwear she sewed by hand could be easily pulled out and used as a lock-picking tool.
If she weren't attending a banquet at the Marquis's residence today, she could have tied a dagger to her leg and put more medicine powder in her sleeve.
In short, as someone who is always ready to fight for safety and freedom, Xie Wanniang has nothing on her that is purely for decoration.
However, it was quite obvious that her attire was still somewhat plain in the eyes of the Lady of the Marquis.
Otherwise, the other party wouldn't have given her such beautiful and expensive jewelry, as well as Hangzhou silk and Shu brocade with fresh patterns and excellent quality.
Uh, there were even precious spices and cosmetics.
God knows, she dared not have any distinctive, strong scent on herself.
After expressing her appreciation for Lady Hou's good intentions, Xie Wanniang decisively put away all the things she didn't need for the time being.
As for rouge and face powder that cannot be preserved for long, they are easy to deal with. They can be given as gifts, and at least nine out of ten women will like them.
As Xie Wanniang was pondering these matters, she was about to instruct Haitang to fetch hot water when the innkeeper knocked on the door of their courtyard.
He gave Xie Wanniang a letter, "Miss Xie, this is... someone asked me to give this to you."
Seeing his strange expression, Xie Wanniang couldn't help but ask, "Who is that?"
"Uh, that guy." The waiter gestured, his eyes glancing sideways at the small courtyard next to the guards.
Xie Wanniang couldn't help but laugh. The waiter's gestures were a mess and completely incomprehensible, but the sidelong glance he gave clearly showed who "that person" was.
She thanked him and saw off the shopkeeper, whose feelings were extremely complicated because he had received a bag of silver.
Yes, the girl came to repay her kindness. She gave the shop assistant one hundred taels of silver to thank him for his kind advice.
As for Xie Wanniang, she could tell that Xie Wanniang was not short of money, so she only left Xie Wanniang an address and a promise, without giving her any money as a thank you gift.
Xie Wanniang quickly read the letter, then sat there blankly, feeling a mix of emotions.
Haitang called out with some concern, "Miss?"
Xie Wanniang sighed and burned the letter in the brazier.
Haitang was startled by her action. "Miss, this letter?"
Xie Wanniang explained, "It's better not to keep this."
The girl was naive and ignorant of the ways of the world. She didn't know that the letter she wrote to Xie Wanniang would bring some trouble to her current backer and to herself in the future. Xie Wanniang, however, couldn't keep the letter after realizing this.
She never intended to ask the girl for any favors; it was just a few words and a meal, nothing more than a small favor for her.
As for what the girl said in her letter—that she had decided to marry her current backer, a man twenty years her senior who had lost his wife but had a bunch of children and concubines—Xie Wanniang did not tell Haitang, nor did she offer any opinion on the matter.
Everyone has their own destiny; she has no way to control other people's choices and lives.
She asked Haitang, "Has that family ever revealed when they're going to marry off their daughter?"
Haitang said, "It's tomorrow. They already sent the dowry to the groom's family today."
"How did they communicate with the man's side about the replacement?"
Haitang shook her head. "There's still no news. Should I send someone to investigate?"
Xie Wanniang sighed, "Never mind, it's ultimately none of our business."
Haitang cautiously observed her expression. "Miss, are you... in a bad mood?"
Xie Wanniang sighed again, "It's nothing."
Haitang: ...Forgive her for speaking frankly, but no matter how she looked at her daughter, she didn't seem to be "okay".
But she didn't press the matter further. The girl's mood had soured because of the letter. After reading it, she asked the girl next door when her cousin was getting married. Clearly, the letter was written to her by the bride whose marriage had been stolen.
So, the reason her daughter was in a bad mood was probably because she sympathized with the new bride.
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