Chapter 14 Bringing in Wealth and Treasure "What kind of strange thing is this? Let me see it..."
"What strange thing is it? Let me see it." Xiao Yan waved back to the cat, which was half-hidden behind the door, with an encouraging smile on her face.
But no one noticed that the moment she heard the cat-eared creature say that a strange thing had emerged from the fish's belly, her hand holding the chopsticks suddenly tightened.
I'm drenched in sweat! Help! Am I going to run into some kind of "Nine Clans Elimination" event?
It's no wonder she overthinks things; upon hearing that something strange had been found inside the fish's belly, her mind immediately conjured up the image of a book hidden within it. The words "The Great Chu will rise, Chen Sheng will be king" popped into her head.
After a few breaths and a few mental cycles, Xiao Yan regained some of her composure.
No, no, that kind of "nine clans elimination" thing wouldn't happen in front of her even if it were a staged performance.
However, it is not impossible for someone to have ulterior motives and use such ethereal things as destiny and prophecy to set up a scheme.
She had recently heard rumors that a certain expert had seen through the Second Miss's extraordinary destiny, but after saying this, the expert only shook his head and sighed without uttering a word. She hadn't heard the rest of the story yet, but she could guess most of it without even listening.
Why did the wise man shake his head and sigh? It was naturally because the second young lady's current arranged marriage was unsuitable and would stifle her noble destiny. After all, wealthy families like the Qin and Xiao families might have money, but they certainly didn't possess any real status. However, a wise man like himself couldn't very well disrupt an already arranged marriage.
With all this groundwork laid, if another preordained marriage involving the Qin family were to occur on our side, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable to change the marriage proposal?
While Xiao Yan Hui was frantically speculating about conspiracy theories, Mao'er, with an excited and ingratiating expression, quickly walked up to her. When Mao'er opened her palm, Xiao Yan Hui was taken aback.
But none of the conspiracies she had imagined came to pass. What lay in the cat's palm was just a stone, a strange stone with a peculiar shape and color.
It really was just an accident!
Letting out a breath and calmly putting all the possible solutions back into her mind, Xiao Yan turned her attention back to the strangely shaped stone itself.
It had clearly been cleaned, but since it came from the belly of a fish, it still had a fishy smell. Ignoring the somewhat unpleasant odor for the time being, the stone was only about the size of two finger joints, and it was shaped like a swimming fish. It was two-colored, one side orange-red and the other bluish-white.
"Look over here, young lady." The cat turned the orange-red side of the stone over.
Xiao Yan took the stone from the cat and examined it closely before discovering that it had a deeper mystery. Not only were the two sides different colors, but their shapes were also very different, one side being flat and the other convex.
On this smooth surface, a small orange-red fish appears lifelike. It retains the leisurely posture it had when swimming, with its dorsal fin raised and its tail fin spread, and all the scales and bones on its body are clearly visible.
This is a remarkably complete fish-shaped fossil. Looking at it, it's as if time has frozen on this tiny stone. And this fish, no bigger than a finger, still looks incredibly lifelike after millions of years, as if it could break through the stone and leap into the water.
The protruding side of the stone is bluish-white, and the stone looks like some kind of jade. The surface has a smooth, rounded texture caused by years of water erosion, and the undulating curves are exactly the shape of a fish.
This stone embodies the concept of contradiction and unity in every aspect. Although the material looks ordinary, it is an absolute rare treasure from the perspective of appreciating rare stones.
Xiao Yanhui played with it repeatedly, and it was as if she loved it so much that she couldn't put it down.
However, despite the obvious fish-shaped stone, the cat insisted on referring to it as something strange. This little girl is quite shrewd despite her young age.
You see, I was engrossed in the food just now. If the cat had come in to report that she had cut out a beautiful stone from the fish’s belly, or a fish-shaped stone, I probably wouldn’t have been interested in taking a look. But she said something strange.
No longer dwelling on these minor details, Xiao Yan looked at the cat and asked directly, "Your name is Cat, yet you brought me such a peculiar little fish. It's quite a strange coincidence. I really like it. What do you want?"
"No, no, no, ever since I entered Miss's courtyard, I've been well-fed and well-dressed, and everyone in the courtyard has treated me well. I don't want anything else," Cat waved her hands repeatedly.
"I just thought it was pretty and novel, and thought that you might like it, so I brought it in." After saying that, the cat smiled shyly, making its already cute appearance even more endearing.
"In that case, you will come to my room to serve me starting tomorrow, and I'll consider you second-class for now."
Xiao Yan thought for a moment and then turned to Qing Fu and instructed, "Pick another one from among the maids and let them assist you. You and Lü E will also mentor them."
Qingfu smiled and agreed, while Mao'er, her face filled with excitement and joy, immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express her gratitude.
Xiao Yan subconsciously raised her hand to help her up, but in the end she withdrew her hand and said only, "Get up, there's no need for that."
After saying that, she reached into her purse and took out a handful of gold coins. She gave two to Cat and gave the remaining five to Aunt Fu as a reward for Green Moth. This made Aunt Fu, whose face had been somewhat unpleasant, smile like a flower.
Aunt Fu rubbed the gold coins in her hands one by one. She was delighted that the girl had given her such a generous reward, but from an angle where no one was watching, she still glared fiercely at the cat.
Cat glanced at Aunt Fu with her head down, then quickly looked away. She knew that what she had done today was a bit underhanded, but such a great opportunity had fallen into her lap; wouldn't it be foolish not to seize it?
"Aunt Fu, could you make me another bowl of seafood porridge? You can share these." Having witnessed the exquisite knife skills and tasted the fish sashimi described in the book in its original form, Xiao Yan Hui felt a sense of accomplishment, as if she had successfully checked off a challenge.
But since she had already stopped eating, she didn't plan to continue. Raw food, while delicious, carried the risk of hidden parasites, so she had to restrain herself. Besides, after the emotional turmoil she had just gone through, her back felt sticky and uncomfortable.
......
Inside the steamy bathhouse, all the maids had been dismissed. Xiao Yan was soaking in the tub, splashing the water absentmindedly, but as she washed, she kept noticing a faint fishy smell on her hands.
It must have gotten on the small fish and stones. Sure enough, in this era where there were only simple bath beans and scented soap, its ability to remove dirt and odor was still somewhat lacking.
"Since Xiao Quexian is planning to open a cosmetics shop, will she also make some soap? And that unknown time-traveling senior, since he has already extracted such troublesome things as refined salt and high-proof liquor, why didn't he make soap first?"
Thinking about all these random thoughts, Xiao Yan reached out and lifted the clothes she had changed out of, taking out the small fish-shaped stone from her sleeve. This stone also needed to be cleaned carefully, as she didn't want to get her hands covered in fishy smells again after playing with it next time.
Apply some scented soap to the surface, then carefully scrub and wash every nook and cranny.
"Huh?" After soaking and scrubbing it in warm water for a while, the bluish-white side of the little fish became even more moist and translucent, and you could actually see the other side of the fish fossil through it.
It is likely that many years ago, the fish fossil and the jade stone were stuck together, and then gradually fused together through continuous sedimentation, resulting in the wonderful structure we see today.
I poured some water on it in an attempt to see it more clearly, but unfortunately, all I could see through the bluish-white jade were some unevenly distributed small holes and a few messy, abstract veins.
Seeing that there was nothing else new or interesting about it, Xiao Yan played with it for a while and then put it on the small wooden table next to her.
In such hot weather, the gradually cooling water brought a sense of comfort that made her half-close her eyes and feel drowsy as she soaked in the water.
So she naturally didn't notice that a few rays of sunlight shone through the gaps in the bamboo curtain and slanted onto the fish-shaped stone. As the light moved, the holes and lines on the stone seemed to form another kind of posture.
"Miss, Miss, are you asleep? You've been soaking for a while now, and the water getting cold isn't good for your health. Would you like me to come in and serve you?" Green Moth, who was guarding the outer cubicle, heard no sound from the bathing room for a while. Judging from the time, the Third Miss had been soaking for quite some time, so she couldn't help but ask softly.
"Hmm?" Awakened from her nap, Xiao Yan noticed that the skin on her fingers was wrinkled, so she quickly washed up and got up.
......
When the First Madam entered the main room of Qingnuan Courtyard, she saw Xiao Yan Hui wearing only a short, wrapped inner garment. Through the thin, light gauze outer garment, her slender neck and collarbone, as well as her fair arms and legs, were all faintly visible.
At this moment, she was lazily lying on a bamboo chair, fanning herself, her head tilted back slightly, her long, silky hair hanging down completely, letting the summer heat and warm breeze carry away the moisture remaining on it as it swayed.
"Oh my god, how could a young girl like you dress like this?" The first wife stepped forward and casually patted her fair forehead, which was tilted back.
He urged again, "Go and change into a more presentable undergarment, or just change this gauze dress."
“Mother, I’m in my own room. Besides, this is fashionable now. What’s wrong with wearing something cool on such a hot day?” Xiao Yan’s reply wasn’t just made up; it was something the wife from the family’s silk shop had said when she came to deliver some fabric.
She didn't believe her mother was unaware that this style was currently popular in her own business.
To be honest, this outfit did break her stereotype of ancient clothing. If described in modern terms, she was wearing a strapless short dress with a long gauze overlay.
Although you can only wear it indoors, who would want to be wrapped up like a dumpling in the sweltering summer heat if they could stay cool?
So instead of getting up to change her clothes, she smiled at the First Madam and said, "When I ordered this outfit, I also asked them to make two for you, Mother. I was planning to send them to you later, but I didn't expect you to come first."
A hint of unease flashed across the First Madam's face. In fact, she had already ordered several of these gauze dresses, but she was a married woman while her daughter was a young girl. How could they be the same?
Although she thought that way, when she heard her daughter say that she had thought of her when she ordered the clothes, but she had kept it from her daughter, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. So she was too embarrassed to say that she couldn't wear it anymore, and could only force a straight face and say, "You can only wear it in your room and you can't go out, understand?"
"Mother, please sit down and have a cup of cool tea to cool down."
Xiao Yan got up and personally served tea. The maids serving in the room also rushed up to help her wash and dress. In this kind of weather, even a little walking would make her sweat profusely.
"Don't rush, your hair isn't dry yet." After taking the tea, the First Madam pressed the woman back into the recliner and pulled out her hair to continue drying.
"I heard that Xiao Quexian bullied you again, and that Granny Gui sent you several Buddhist scriptures to copy? Why didn't you tell me about these things when I didn't ask?"
Actually, the First Madam was quite surprised to see her daughter so leisurely lounging on the chair, letting her hair dry. She had initially thought her daughter was busy copying Buddhist scriptures. After all, over the years, whenever the Old Madam had any requests, this girl would always do them without hesitation, even if it meant doing everything perfectly.
"A few words exchanged don't really count as bullying. As for the Buddhist scriptures, I've already copied them down," Xiao Yan said casually.
"Finished copying?" Turning her head to look at her daughter's expression, the First Madam knew what she meant by "finished copying."
Seeing her daughter's nonchalant attitude, the First Madam felt a sense of relief; it seemed her daughter had finally come to her senses.
It's my own fault for neglecting my youngest daughter in the past few years, as I was busy competing with the second wife's family, considering my eldest daughter's marriage, and my son's studies. I only saw her being pampered and adorable in my mother-in-law's yard and didn't think much of it. That girl is so tight-lipped, she never said a word. Who knew...
Even though she carefully pampered and indulged her daughter, trying to restore her spoiled and timid nature, Yan Hui'er was fine with other people and things, but she was always somewhat inferior and timid around the second young lady, and she was also very cautious around the old lady's courtyard.
This matter infuriated the first wife in private, but since the old lady was the elder, she couldn't find any fault on the surface, so she and her daughter could only swallow this bitter pill.
Now that the old lady has been in seclusion for several months, her daughter hasn't met with anyone there, and the ropes that had bound her for years have finally loosened.
"Take it." The First Madam waved her hand in a cheerful mood, and Xiangmiao placed a rather heavy-looking copper box on the table in Xiao Yan's room.
"What is it? Did Mother buy me new jewelry again?"
These days, Xiao Yan Hui has gotten quite used to the First Madam sending things to her from time to time.
Not to mention that she never came home empty-handed after diplomatic engagements or attending ladies' gatherings, even when she was admiring flowers and scenery or doing chores in the courtyard, she would occasionally remember to send some flowers, snacks, or fabrics to her daughter's room.
Perhaps to make up for the neglect in previous years, or perhaps because she is the only one by her side now, Xiao Yan felt that the first wife was actually a mother who doted on her children.
Upon opening the bronze box, they found a stack of silver notes and two neat rows of gold ingots.
A note from the author:
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