Chapter 169: Selecting Embroiderers
"Who knows, but it's probably quite a bit. Doesn't the Cui family also have a girls' school? That's all money."
When you are famous, you are prone to gossip. It is no secret in Huaihua Lane that the two young ladies of the Cui family can make money.
After what happened between the Gu family and Hua Pozi, everyone felt that the young lady of the Cui family had high standards and looked down on people from their small county town. Based on the idea that if I can't get it and you can't get it, then no one can get it and we can all live in peace, no one is jealous of anyone else.
But who would have thought that the Lin family moved out and the Qiao family came. The Qiao family seemed to be very poor, and their two sons were still bachelors at an old age. No one understood why such a family caught the attention of the Cui family.
What’s the use of this woman being so capable? After she gets married, all the money she earns will eventually go to her husband’s family.
In everyone's eyes, the young lady from the Cui family is like a hen that lays golden eggs, and everyone is jealous. Now that this golden hen has fallen into the hands of the Qiao family, how can those who can't get it not have thoughts?
But what can one do even if they are jealous? The Cui family has been praised by the current Empress Dowager herself. The scene of the imperial envoy announcing the decree in Huaihua Lane is still talked about by everyone.
You may say that the emperor is far away, but they have seen those ferocious-looking runners in the county government office with swords hanging on their shoulders before, and they cannot afford to offend them.
Besides, the local officials are not incompetent. There is a shortage of people to repair the river every year, and anyone who eats too much will look for trouble.
After driving away the man who came to her house to express his feelings for no apparent reason, Cui Qingyi changed into a simpler dress and went to Fanjiazhuang outside the city with Konjac and her two big dogs.
On the way, Konjac glanced at Cui Qingyi cautiously several times, and finally couldn't help but be curious: "Miss, what did the Beijing escort leader say to you? I saw that he didn't look very happy when he left."
Konjac and Qiao Yishi were guarding in the yard, so they could only hear clearly the last few words Cui Qingyi said when she raised her voice to drive the guests away.
Cui Qingyi naturally had nothing to hide from Konjac. She waved the round fan in her hand and said, "He said he fell in love with me at first sight and wanted to marry me."
Cui Qingyi spoke so calmly, but Konjac only felt stunned and a little upset.
After living in Dongping County for a long time, the people I come into contact with are either students from the girls' school or people like Uncle Fan. When I hear such words at first, it is inevitable that I feel jealous.
"What is he thinking? No one would come to my house and say something like that."
At the very least, they should ask a middleman to go to the house and ask the woman's opinion first. Jing Wei is a caravan from the north, and there's no guarantee they'll ever see each other again. Cui Qingyi didn't want to waste time on someone she'd only met a few times, so she said calmly, "Perhaps the customs in the north are different from those in Qinghe County."
Hearing Cui Qingyi's tone, Konkon knew that she didn't want to talk about it anymore. Afraid that she would think of bad things because of someone rash, Konkon quickly changed the subject to something interesting to make Cui Qingyi happier.
........
Once the peppers are established, they don't actually require much care. Even though she hadn't been there for over half a month, the pepper field was already lush and green. Cui Qingyi took a look and saw that some of the pepper plants had already bloomed small white flowers.
The Qiao family rented more than 40 acres of land. In addition to Brother Qiao and Mother Qiao who often came to take care of the land, several families they hired also came from time to time, and tasks such as drainage and weeding were always completed quickly.
But Qiao Yishi had specifically instructed that no one else needed to take care of the two acres of pepper field in the middle, so no one came here.
As soon as Cui Qingyi appeared at the edge of the field, people working in other fields knew that the boss had arrived, but most of the farmers were capable and simple and were not willing to get close to the landlord.
Only those who knew Qiao Yishi would greet him from a distance and ask, "Do you need any help?"
After getting a negative answer, he carried his hoe and walked away.
After inspecting the growth of the peppers, Cui Qingyi looked at Konjac and Qiao Yishi talking about something, and simply walked towards the fields in the distance.
This was the first time in two lifetimes that Cui Qingyi had truly walked in the fields. Although the weather was hot and humid, there were occasional breezes, mixed with the fragrance of soil and grass, accompanied by the croaking of frogs, which made people feel relaxed and happy.
Having fields and land without having to work hard, and being a landlord collecting rent is what Cui Qingyi longed for most when she was a slave in her previous life. Fortunately, God treated her well and her dream finally came true.
Cui Qingyi is very satisfied with her current life.
Inside the county government office
Zhou Wu received the order and took Shufeng out to the girls' school. Shufeng knew the way to the girls' school, and she ran ahead vigorously all the way as if she was really a married girl returning to her parents' home.
When they arrived at the girls' school, they found the gate closed, so the man and the dog went back to Huaihua Lane.
When they arrived at the Cui family's door, they found it was still closed. Zhou Wu hadn't done anything yet, but Shufeng was already unhappy. He knew there was no one inside, but he still refused to accept the defeat and tried hard to pry at the door with his two front paws, making whimpering sounds.
If you don't know its appearance, you might think it must have made great contributions to the family when it went out, so it can be so confident when it comes back.
Zhou Wu snorted a few times, not wanting to admit that he was jealous. "You're just taking advantage of Wangcai's absence, otherwise I don't think you'd dare to try to grab one."
Wangcai is the one who least spoils children, especially this unlucky child who comes back home to eat and drink for free even though he already has a new home.
When Shufeng heard Wangcai's name, his ears moved back and forth a few times, and he lay down with a few unwilling whimpers.
.....
"You said that the Internal Affairs Office wants us to select someone to send to the palace?" Cui Qingyi's tone was filled with difficulty in disguising surprise, and Zhou Wu nodded solemnly.
"Yes, the message was passed directly to our Lord. The double-sided embroidery presented by our Dongping County was shown to the Empress Dowager. The nobles in the palace often went to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. As the news spread, the word of our Dongping County embroiderers' unique skills spread, and it became famous.
This September, it was time to send a group of palace maids out of the palace. The officials in the Internal Works Department, understanding the nobles' intentions, requested that all regions select embroiderers to enter the palace. Our Dongping County even specifically instructed them to do so."
The news came so suddenly that Cui Qingyi was completely unprepared. She could only try to ask as many questions as possible while Zhou Wu was there: "Did the palace specifically request Konjac and me to go?"
Zhou Wu immediately shook his head. "The Empress Dowager had previously praised you for opening a girls' school. Naturally, the Imperial Household Department wouldn't contradict the Empress Dowager. Your Excellency's intention is to select the most skilled embroiderers from the girls' school to enter the palace."
Otherwise, if they just issued an edict to praise Cui Qingyi for her noble character, and then sent her to the palace, wouldn't that be slapping themselves in the face? The royal family would not do such a thing.
Cui Qingyi was still in a dilemma: "The children in the girls' school are still young. I'm afraid they won't be able to adapt to the palace..."
Zhou Wu understood what Cui Qingyi was thinking as soon as he heard it. To be honest, he sometimes couldn't understand Cui Qingyi's actions, such as keeping her distance from the royal family.
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