Chapter 442 Lin Yuesha's Suspicion
Lin Yuesha encountered the bearded man in Cangzhou City and inquired about her stepbrother's situation, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips.
Although being captured and taken to the mountain caused trouble for Fang Dazhuang, it's good that his stepbrother didn't hold a grudge.
People have varying degrees of closeness and distance. Between Xiao Qi and Fang Dazhuang, Lin Yuesha was biased. She comforted herself, now that Fang Dazhuang had come down the mountain with her and hadn't suffered much, everyone was happy.
Whether Fang Dazhuang's innocence was taken by Madam He is not her concern.
"Qingxing, I didn't expect Brother Yun to really go to the Northwest."
Lin Yuesha automatically filled in the blanks in her mind. Originally, the pockmarked man was supposed to go to Beijing, but due to an unexpected situation, he had to change his plans at the last minute, which is why he asked to meet her and mentioned the Northwest seemingly unintentionally.
The pockmarked man didn't say it explicitly, but that was the same thing he said to her.
Qingxing pretended not to know anything and talked about Baiying. She felt sorry for him and said that he had been abandoned by his master and discarded like a used tool. She suggested that she should ask him for some benefits.
"It's better to express our feelings than nothing at all."
During the conversation, Lin Yuesha thanked the bearded man, saying that not only had he served her well along the way, but he had also played a crucial role in persuading her stepbrother to go to the capital to take the imperial examination after the group was robbed and taken up the mountain.
Although Fang Dazhuang was somewhat unethical, there are priorities, and the exam could not be delayed.
If the group stays, the result will be that they waste time and return empty-handed. The government has been unable to resolve this matter for so many years, do they really expect a scholar like Xiao Qi to solve it?
"No need to send anything, just some food."
Bai Ying had been wanting to eat the grilled meat skewers made by his young mistress for a long time. Every time he heard his master describe them, his mouth would water, but he never got to eat a single bite.
Qingxing took the initiative and helped Baiying get some perks.
"But Jia San said that Big Beard's pockets are cleaner than his face, does that mean he has no money?"
Lin Yuesha wanted to give the silver notes as a token of her gratitude. In her view, money was important, but Xiao Qi's safety was even more important, so she was never stingy with money when it came to those who helped her.
Qingxing:......
They indeed did not carry money when they went out, because wherever they went, there were properties owned by the Lord. If they needed money, they could withdraw it with their identity tokens, so why carry a burden?
In the past, Bai Ying did the same when he went out. When he had no money, he would steal. He would inquire about the local rich but heartless merchants and steal some silver to rob the rich and help the poor.
"Brother Bai, you're welcome to come visit us anytime. This little bit of food is hardly enough to express our gratitude."
Lin Yuesha immediately denied it, saying that inviting someone to dinner was no big deal.
Qingxing lowered her eyes. Given the master's temperament, would Bai Ying dare to come to the manor for a free meal? If she ate one meal, she would be punished by the master and fed bitter herbs for the second meal.
"Brother Bai is going to the capital, right? Then let's invite him to visit us when we get there."
Lin Yuesha completely failed to understand Qingxing's thoughts and continued speaking to herself.
There were two pastry shops ahead, each with its own signboard. Lin Yuesha bought some of the signature pastries from each shop and then headed straight for the clothing shop with Qingxing.
While in the capital, they were busy trying to find someone to treat their father, Xiao Chenggui. The family was so busy that they didn't have time to buy new clothes, but since they needed to travel around, they couldn't dress too poorly.
"Qingxing, the task of choosing a dress is entrusted to you."
Lin Yuesha had never been to the capital, but judging from the styles in Cangzhou, she guessed that they were not much different from those in the capital. As long as she was willing to spend money, she could buy a few sets of exquisitely embroidered dresses, which would at least be presentable.
There is no shortage of snobs in the capital. If you dress poorly, you will be looked down upon, which forces people to compare themselves with others.
Lin Yuesha harbored a strong ambition: to earn lots of money to buy her mother, Chen, the most expensive dresses and jewelry, making Qin Shi look up to her in awe.
As for Qin and Lin, they are both shameless. I hope they will lock themselves up and torture each other instead of going out to harm others.
"Don't worry, Miss. I've been in the capital for many years. Although I'm just a maid, I can still tell the latest trends."
Qingxing took charge and led Lin Yuesha straight to Jinxiufang.
Jinxiufang is one of the Lord's properties. The embroiderers there have skillful hands and are top-notch in both fabrics and embroidery.
Upon learning that the Chen family had arrived in the capital, Xiao Qi immediately made arrangements. There was a large selection of high-quality, inexpensive, and well-fitting ready-made clothes available at Jinxiufang.
Lin Yuesha had no idea. Standing at the entrance of Jinxiufang, she sighed, "This clothing store must be expensive. Just look at the signboard, it's very impressive."
"Pick out a few nice outfits for my mother; I don't need any."
Before entering, Lin Yuesha took a deep breath and gave Qingxing some instructions.
Despite her generosity towards her family, she's a bit reluctant to spend money on herself. In fact, she can't understand the mentality of spending a lot of money on clothes. Besides looking good, they don't have any other advantages. When it comes to choosing, she still wants to choose something comfortable and cost-effective.
“Miss, Jinxiufang looks grand, but the dresses inside aren’t actually that expensive. If they have a size that fits, you might be able to find some new styles at a cheaper price.”
Following her master's instructions, Qingxing deceived her young mistress.
The Lord thought this was a good deed, a white lie, and that his conscience wouldn't bother him. But she didn't think so; she wasn't that skilled yet.
"is that so?"
Lin Yuesha hesitated for a moment. Could it be that Daqi also had a policy of selling out-of-stock sizes at a discount? Anyway, there was no such thing in the North, so clothing stores often had clothes gathering dust and not selling, but she never saw any shopkeepers selling them off cheaply.
"Cangzhou is close to the capital, and doing business here is more flexible than in the north."
Lin Yuesha was puzzled, but when she entered the room and saw the gorgeous dress, she immediately froze.
The silk dress shimmered in the morning sun, its luster shimmering. Lin Yuesha was unsure if it was the shimmering brocade described in folk tales.
"Miss, why don't you try on this dress? If it fits, it'll only cost two taels of silver."
The shopkeeper was extremely enthusiastic towards Lin Yuesha, but there wasn't a single customer in Jinxiufang, which was very strange and made Lin Yuesha very suspicious.
Two taels of silver? Even if it's not shimmering brocade, it would cost at least ten taels of silver per piece. Could it be that she's stumbled into a shady shop?
"No need."
Those who try to gain small advantages will suffer big losses; businessmen pursue profits and will not engage in unprofitable transactions.
Lin Yuesha was unfamiliar with this shop. The fact that other shops were packed with customers while Jinxiufang was deserted was enough to explain the situation.
Perhaps this is a shady shop that tricked her into trying on clothes, and then, if there's a problem with the clothes, they'll demand compensation from her—a honey trap to swindle her out of money.
No, no, that won't work!
Although she could buy her heart for just two taels of silver, Lin Yuesha thought about the consequences of being scammed and getting into trouble, so she decided to give up.
"Miss, why don't you give it a try?"
Qingxing received a hint from the shopkeeper that there were only a few of these shimmering brocade dresses in the capital, and that the master had specially prepared them for the young lady.
The disguise of the pockmarked face could no longer be used, and since the lord could not find an opportunity to send the dress, this was the only method he could think of.
"Qingxing, don't you find it strange?"
Lin Yuesha and Qingxing whispered to each other, thinking that such fabric only cost two taels of silver, and that they were probably taking advantage of Qingxing's lack of worldly experience. Based on her guess, the dress was made of precious shimmering brocade, and two taels of silver couldn't even buy a sleeve.
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