As Lili's only personal maid, Huang Ying was naturally very clear about Lili's "private property".
Huang Ying answered briskly, "The grain that the Xia family originally sent to the courtyard in the west of the city has all been used as seed. Now it's all stored grain from the fields of Xinghua Village in the past few years. There are a total of about 110 shi of rice, about 700 shi of potatoes, and about 480 shi of sweet potatoes..."
In the granary north of the city, besides the grain transported from the border every year, there is also grain produced from our twenty mu of land on the outskirts of Liucheng, totaling 1,900 shi of rice, 8,300 shi of potatoes, and 6,100 shi of sweet potatoes..."
Lili did a quick mental calculation and had a general idea of what was going on.
Huang Ying comforted her, "Don't worry, Miss. We've been preparing for so many years, there's definitely no problem. Miss isn't some savior; she's just a child. We'll help as much as we can. Miss doesn't need to worry so much."
"Yes, Sister Huangying is right."
Lili sighed, turned and left the field: "Let's go."
Huang Ying is right. We should help her as much as we can, and if we can't help, we can't blame her.
Lili sighed, trying to comfort herself, but her brows remained furrowed.
*
On the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, Madam Yang received an invitation from the Prefect's wife, who said that the Prefect's government would be hosting a hollyhock banquet this year and invited her and Lili to attend the banquet in the prefectural city.
Hollyhocks are flowers with vibrant and varied colors, large blooms, and layers of petals, making them very beautiful.
Around the Dragon Boat Festival, hollyhocks are usually in full bloom, so the prefect's wife wanted to hold a flower-viewing banquet to invite the female officials and their families from various cities in Nanlin County to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival together.
As the wife of the county magistrate, these occasions were unavoidable for Lady Yang.
In the past two years, Yang has gradually gotten used to attending these occasions. In addition, the Qin family and the Shen family have always had a good relationship, so Yang insisted on going to the Hollyhock Banquet.
"Mother is fine, but Lili, can you spare some time?"
A few days ago, a field on the outskirts of the city suddenly encountered a problem. The reform of the farming of this field was personally persuaded by Lili to change it from one household to another. Now that a problem has occurred, Lili naturally has to solve it herself. During this period, Lili has been busy and has been staying in that field all day.
“Of course I have time. The problem with that land is almost solved. Actually, it was just a problem with the fertilizer, but it's fine now. Besides, Lili hasn't seen Uncle Qin for two years, and she wonders how Afu is doing.”
Afu is Qin Renjie's daughter, the one who was mistakenly arrested and identified as the wrong person back then.
Three years ago, she came to Liucheng to find Qi Zheng, only to see Qi Zheng teasing Qin Fu on the street with a string of candied hawthorns, forcing her to call him "brother".
Qin Fu was furious, her face turning red. Li Li watched as six-year-old Qin Fu kicked eleven-year-old Qi Zheng away, exclaiming that she was a role model for everyone. From then on, she became sworn sisters with Qin Fu, despite not being from the same father or mother.
Madam Yang smiled and said, "Then I'll send someone to reply to the invitation. There are many other officials' wives and young ladies attending this Hollyhock Banquet, and Madam Qin even mentioned that it seems some dignitaries from the capital will be attending. I can't let your father lose face. You'll come with me to buy a couple of new outfits later, and I'll also get you some fabric while I'm at it."
Lili readily agreed, "Okay."
After instructing someone to reply to the invitation in the prefectural city, the two of them went out.
Having grown accustomed to doing things herself, Lady Yang, now an official's wife, didn't like to bring too many people with her when she went out, so she only brought a maid.
Huang Ying went to do some errands for Li Li today, so Li Li asked Chen Ye to go with her. Chen Ye had learned a lot of kung fu from Shen Zhengzhong, so he could be both a guard and a helper.
The group arrived at the largest clothing store in Liucheng. Men's clothing was displayed at the front of the store, so Yang pulled Chen Ye over and wanted to choose two outfits for him as well.
Chen Ye was somewhat at a loss, blushing as she stood there letting Yang Shi gesture.
Seeing that Chen Ye's body had stiffened, Li Li couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
For Shen Ye, who used to be the esteemed Fifth Prince, he had never experienced being dragged around in a shop by his elders to buy clothes before, so he felt embarrassed.
"You child, you always wear all black. At your age, you should wear brighter colors instead of always wearing these dull clothes."
Madam Yang carefully selected colors for Chen Ye, while Li Li waited obediently behind her, occasionally offering her comments to Madam Yang's maid, Cui Liu.
“Brother Chenye looks good in black, but I think he would suit red better.”
"Red?" Cui Liu asked in surprise. "Young Master Chen Ye is indeed handsome, but isn't red a bit too flashy for a thirteen-year-old?"
"It shouldn't be...?"
Shen Ye is different from Gu Ziyi. Gu Ziyi is gentle and handsome, making people feel like they are basking in a spring breeze. Although Shen Ye doesn't like to talk much, he is indeed a little arrogant, and his face is also flamboyant and handsome.
Lili and Cuiliu were having a deep discussion about whether Chenye looked better in red or purple when they heard a rather high-pitched voice coming from behind them.
"Who goes there, blocking my young lady's way? Get out of the way at once!"
Lili paused, suddenly feeling a strange gaze fixed on her back, probing with a hint of hostility.
Lili frowned and turned her head away.
Two well-dressed girls stood at the shop entrance. The moment Lili turned around, the strange gaze disappeared again.
She was about ten years old, wearing a moon-white silk skirt with a hem as light and flowing as a cloud. Her top was a light pink silk short jacket with delicate lace embroidered on the collar and cuffs.
A golden hairpin adorned her head, its pearls and jade shimmering in the sunlight. Two strands of hair fell on either side of her face, adding to her gentle and graceful demeanor.
The other woman, wearing an orange ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), was older than the one next to her. Her gaze went straight past Lili, looking behind her with some excitement.
Two maids followed behind her; the one on the left had an unfriendly expression, and it seemed she was the one who had spoken.
Seeing that Madam Yang and the others were looking over, the woman in the moon-white silk dress smiled faintly, showing her demeanor as a lady of high birth. She bowed slightly, her movements elegant and graceful: "Please forgive me, Madam. The maid was ignorant and offended you."
The woman in the orange dress next to her seemed somewhat dissatisfied with her words. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but after glancing at the expressionless Shen Ye, she shut her mouth again. This whole ordeal left Shen Ye with a rather varied expression.
Madam Yang smiled. She never got into conflicts with anyone. If it were any other official's wife who was spoken to like that by a maid, she would have already lost her temper.
"It's alright." Seeing the two women's luxurious attire, Madam Yang looked towards the other entrance and smiled politely, "If the two young ladies want to buy clothes, they can go in over there."
The girl in the orange dress looked Chen Ye and Madam Yang up and down and said with a smile, "Madam, did you bring your son to buy clothes? Your son is so handsome and dashing. I was just praising him to my cousin. Now it seems that he is all thanks to Madam's beauty."
Shen Ye's expression turned slightly cold. Yang Shi hesitated for a moment before explaining, "No..."
Unexpectedly, the girl in the orange dress didn't give Yang a chance to speak. She directly summoned the shop assistant, casually pointed to one, two, three, four, or five pieces of clothing next to her, and said, "This, this, this, wrap them all up. Siting and the young master are destined to meet. Consider these clothes as a gift for the young master!"
After saying that, Yu Siting seemed to think it wasn't enough. She lifted her skirt, went up the steps, stepped into the shop, and personally picked out a few black clothes: "Young master looks very handsome in black. He is truly the most handsome young master I have ever seen!"
Yu Siting shoved the black clothes into Lili's hands, who was closest to her: "These are all gifts from me to your young master. You'd better hold them tight. If you accidentally get my gifts dirty, you'll be sorry!"
Lili blinked, looking somewhat confused.
Instead of offering an explanation, he kept observing the other person.
The girl in the white silk dress always wore a gentle smile, but there was a hint of helplessness on her face, as if she was quite helpless against her carefree older cousin.
But no one noticed the hint of mockery and disdain she concealed the moment she lowered her eyes.
"Did you hear me? I'm talking to you!"
Seeing that Lili didn't react, Yu Siting's expression became somewhat impatient. The maid behind her stepped forward and raised her voice: "Our young lady is talking to you. How dare you, a mere maid, not answer her?"
What, a maid?
She just casually put a simple hairpin in her hair when she went out today, how did she become a maid?
Madam Yang's face fell, and Shen Ye's face darkened even more. She snatched the clothes from Lili's hands and shielded Lili behind her, saying, "Miss, step back. There's a dog barking."
Yu Siting's expression changed instantly, whether because she had mistaken the two for master and servant or because of Shen Ye's words.
She didn't care who he was; it was an honor for him that Yu Siting gave him something!
Yang pondered for a long time but couldn't remember which family's young ladies these two belonged to in Liucheng.
Madam Yang said in a deep voice, "You two are dressed quite well, so you must be daughters of wealthy families. Is this how you discipline your servants?"
Yu Siting is only the daughter of a sixth-rank city gatekeeper, but she has a cousin from the Bai family!
Bai Weiwei is the daughter of the Vice Minister of the Secretariat of the third branch of the Bai family. Although the Vice Minister of the Secretariat is only a fourth-rank official, the two daughters of the eldest branch of the Bai family are the wife of the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the wife of the heir of the Marquis of Chongbo's mansion. They are very noble!
In addition, a few years ago, the youngest daughter of the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was abducted and disappeared without a trace. Most likely, she died. The heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was heartbroken and at the same time, she doted on her only daughter from her own family. Outsiders said that the heir's wife transferred her love for her daughter to Bai Weiwei.
There were even rumors that the Crown Prince's wife wanted to raise Bai Weiwei as her daughter, which instantly elevated Bai Weiwei's status in the capital.
Yu Siting's mother and Bai Weiwei's mother are sisters. After Bai Weiwei gained power, her cousin also became arrogant in the circle.
Yu Siting has become accustomed to being wild and unruly over the years, so how could she tolerate others speaking to her like that?
Moreover, she was just a lowly official's wife in this small Liucheng.
Yu Siting was about to speak, but Bai Weiwei tugged at her clothes, interrupting her.
Yu Siting couldn't catch her breath, but seeing Bai Weiwei's displeased smile, she shut her mouth and retreated to the back, extremely unwilling to accept it.
Bai Weiwei bowed and said apologetically, "My surname is Bai. My cousin Yu has been spoiled by her family since she was a child. She speaks a bit bluntly, but she is not a bad person. I hope you will not take offense."
Her every smile and gesture was perfectly timed, dignified and gentle, but for some reason, Lili always felt something was off about her.
It wasn't for any specific reason, but perhaps because Lili had just caught a fleeting emotion that didn't match her expression, Lili inexplicably felt... something was off.
Yang's expression softened a bit, and she held Lili's hand, though her tone was still somewhat unfriendly.
Although she was kind, how could she not be angry when someone came up to her and inexplicably said that her daughter was a maid, and then bossed Lili around to get things for her, and even scolded Lili?
“It’s alright, but Miss Yu is still young, and it’s not appropriate for her to be so enthusiastic towards a strange man,” said Madam Yang. “Besides, she’s not a maid, she’s my daughter.”
Bai Weiwei said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, it's the first time my sister and I have traveled so far from home, and my cousin must be a little excited. I hope you can forgive my impetuous cousin, Madam and Miss."
Goodness, they've said everything, good and bad. If they say they won't forgive or will add more charges, wouldn't that make them seem too aggressive and petty?
Is this the art of language?
But this Miss Bai…
It gave her a very strange feeling.
This feeling was something Lili had when she met Madam Bai and Madam Xia five years ago, but it wasn't exactly the same.
Lili couldn't explain it either.
Yang frowned, about to speak, but Yu Siting became impatient first.
Yu Siting pulled Bai Weiwei aside, her tone sharp: "Hey Weiwei, why are you talking to them? Do you think there's anyone in this remote mountain village who can do anything to us?"
Bai Weiwei was pulled back a large step by Yu Siting, and almost lost her balance. It was only thanks to the maid behind her that she was supported.
Yu Siting strode forward, and Bai Weiwei seemed unable to stop her: "Cousin..."
Yu Siting wouldn't listen to any of it. She had her maid bring out a money pouch and tossed it aside.
"You're a young lady? Then you're a guard or a servant?" Yu Siting looked up at Chen Ye. "I think you're quite good-looking. How about you come with me?"
Though she said she was asking a question, she meant no real question. Yu Siting pointed to the purse at Madam Yang and said, "I'll buy this person. Fifty taels should be enough, right?"
Shen Ye's face was frighteningly dark, and Madam Yang had never seen such an unreasonable young lady.
Lili shifted her gaze from Bai Weiwei, who was standing behind her with her eyebrows slightly furrowed and biting her lip in hesitation, and refused her quite rudely: "I'm sorry, he's neither a guard nor a servant, so it's even less likely that he'll go with Miss Yu."
"What?!" Yu Siting shrieked, "I don't care if he's a guard or a servant, I want this person!"
Lili's face also darkened. Chen Ye took a step forward, looking down at Yu Siting with a fierce expression. His eyes were as sharp as knives, as if they could pierce through people, revealing his ferocious nature.
Yu Siting's breath hitched, and she subconsciously took a step back.
Shen Ye's voice was so cold it could kill: "Get lost."
Yu Siting blushed with anger: "How dare you speak to me like that? Do you even know who I am? It's an honor for you that I've taken a liking to you. Do you think being my bodyguard is so easy?"
Bai Weiwei stood silently behind her, seemingly unable to control her willful cousin.
Whether it's an inability to control the situation or a silent form of indulgence, it's impossible to know.
Lili was really angry. No matter what their status was, they shouldn't be so rude.
“Miss Yu, please have some self-respect.” Lili’s face scrunched up. “Miss Yu, your clothes are quite expensive, so you must be of an extraordinary status. But no matter what your status is, you should know how to behave properly. Don’t you agree?”
Bai Weiwei, who had been silently following behind, suddenly looked up and lifted her eyelids to look over.
This person wore no makeup, and her only jewelry was a simple hairpin in her hair. She looked younger than her, but her beauty was undeniable.
A look of amazement flashed in Bai Weiwei's eyes, followed by an even more complex emotion.
How come this child's face looks so much like his aunt's?
A sense of panic and unease flashed through Bai Weiwei's mind, but she shook her head and denied it.
No, my cousin is long dead. If she were still alive, how could the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion not find her?
Yes, yes, they just look alike.
If my cousin were still alive, why would my aunt love her so much and use her to soothe the pain of losing her daughter?
Bai Weiwei suppressed the irritation in her heart, looked away from Lili with some disdain.
She's just a daughter of an official from a poor, remote place; she's really not presentable.
Yu Siting was already furious at having her pride slapped, but to be lectured by the daughter of a minor official made her so angry she was about to explode.
"What are you saying! Do you know who I am, and what my cousin's status is?" Yu Siting pointed at Bai Weiwei and shouted triumphantly at Lili, "This is a cousin of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Do you, a country bumpkin, even know what the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is!"
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