Chapter 29 Gray Lady's Story
"My husband, let me tell you a bedtime story."
Song Wu Shao stared at the eager woman, feeling that something was wrong, but he still didn't refuse: "Hehe, what's the bedtime story?"
"They are just some short stories to lull people to sleep. Do you want to listen to them, my husband?" Xu Miaomiao tried her best to pull the corners of her mouth into a beautiful arc and looked at Song Wushao.
"Madam, please speak."
Song Wu Shao made a gesture of invitation.
Xu Miaomiao was stunned. Was he inviting her to bed? After thinking it over again and again, Xu Miaomiao climbed up on tiptoe.
Song Wu Shao didn't react until he squeezed next to the man and covered himself with the quilt.
He lay down stiffly, trying to keep some distance from Xu Miaomiao, but the narrow bed made them both stick close to each other. Song Wushao snorted in his heart, wondering if he couldn't pretend anymore.
Xu Miaomiao saw him lying down, then she spoke slowly: "Once upon a time, there was a girl who was the daughter of the Prime Minister, Gray Lady. But because her mother died young, her father married a stepmother, and her life was very difficult."
"She lives and eats with servants every day, and her two step-sisters often laugh at and bully her."
"Later, when the prince was choosing a concubine, she wanted to go, so she asked the fairy for help, and finally a fairy really appeared."
Before Xu Miaomiao finished her story, Song Wushao turned over and said to her: "Nonsense, there are no fairies in this world."
Xu Miaomiao didn't know what to say for a moment, so she could only continue: "Later, the fairy gave her a gorgeous dress and a pair of embroidered shoes, and told her that she must come back at midnight, otherwise these things would disappear."
"Gray Lady went to the banquet and fell in love with the prince at first sight. She even played the flute with the prince, but midnight was approaching."
"Gray Lady had to go home immediately, so she rushed home. The prince didn't want to let her go, so he chased her."
"But she finally left, leaving behind only a pair of embroidered shoes."
"So the prince issued an order that whoever could wear the embroidered shoe would become the crown princess."
"All the women in the capital city rushed to try it on, but only Gray Lady could wear it. Finally, the prince recognized her, and the two lived happily together..."
As Xu Miaomiao spoke, her voice became weaker and weaker, until it finally disappeared.
After a long while, Song Wu Shao suddenly spoke up: "If the prince really loved her, why would he need a shoe to find her?"
But the only answer he got was the sound of regular breathing.
Song Wu Shao turned over and found Xu Miaomiao had already fallen asleep.
Looking at the woman's delicate and fair skin and her long eyelashes trembling with her breathing, Song Wushao's heart began to beat fast. He quickly turned around and took a few deep breaths before he came to his senses. He wondered what had happened to him.
The sky gradually brightened. When Xu Miaomiao opened her eyes, the bed around her was already cold.
Song Wu Shao has always had his own business, and he makes a living by writing letters to people in the village.
Looking at the sky, he should have gone to write a letter to someone, Xu Miaomiao thought secretly.
"Mother, are you going to the market?"
Erbao held onto Xu Miaomiao's sleeve and refused to let go.
Xu Miaomiao gently touched his head: "Erbao, where is Xiaobao?"
"Xiaobao is in his aunt's room, telling her jokes."
Xu Miaomiao looked towards Song Weiwei's room, sighed helplessly and nodded. Song Weiwei seemed a little unwell after coming back, so it would be good for Xiaobao to spend more time with her.
"Mom is going to the market, does Erbao want to come with us?"
"Erbao wants to go!"
The little girl looked at the woman with joy.
Xu Miaomiao picked up Erbao and put him on the ox cart, then drove away.
"Boss Wan, how have things been these days?"
Xu Miaomiao took Erbao around the store and said to Wan Fuquan.
The man respectfully took out the account book and handed it to Xu Miaomiao: "Madam Xu, it's the Qiqiao Festival these days, and there are so many ladies who have ordered hairpins."
Xu Miaomiao nodded and said, "Then don't sell it anymore. From today on, we will launch our new product, the Jade Rabbit Pounding Medicine Hairpin, and the purchase limit is fifty per day."
Wan Fuquan nodded and watched Xu Miaomiao leave.
Erbao tilted his head, not understanding: "Mom, everyone likes this hairpin now, shouldn't we make more? Why is there a purchase limit?"
Xu Miaomiao looked at her chubby cheeks and couldn't help pinching them: "Limiting purchases will create a gimmick, and our hairpins will become famous, and our business will be better in the future."
Erbao suddenly realized something and patted his head and said to Xu Miaomiao: "Yes, mother is really smart."
"You little girl." Xu Miaomiao playfully pinched Erbao's cheek, then squatted down and asked her seriously: "Erbao, are you interested in this business? Do you want to learn with mother?"
Erbao thought for a while and nodded: "Mom, Erbao wants to learn. Erbao wants to become the richest man in the capital, so that his brothers, mother and father can all live a good life."
Xu Miaomiao scratched her nose and said jokingly: "You little brat."
"Come and take a look, take a look at this newly released Yang-boosting Pill. Come and take a look."
While walking in the market, Xu Miaomiao saw a group of people gathered together, with some pills placed in front of the stall.
Xu Miaomiao walked closer curiously and told Erbao to hold on to his sleeves tightly. Then she picked up a bottle and put it to her nose and sniffed it.
The man saw her coming over and thought she wanted to buy something, so he said, "My wife, my pill contains precious medicinal materials such as deer blood and bear paws. If you eat one pill, you will be very replenished."
"Oh?" Xu Miaomiao asked curiously, "Since the material is so precious, why did you only buy it for two taels of silver?"
"This..." The man hesitated for a moment before responding, "This is what we do. We are doing charity for the people and don't want to collect any money."
After that, everyone praised the boss's good name.
Xu Miaomiao threw the pill on the table with disdain: "You are talking nonsense, there is only plant ash in it, where does the bear paw and deer blood come from?"
"You, you have no evidence, why do you say that!"
Xu Miaomiao did not answer. She poured out the pill, crushed it, and smeared it on the white paper beside her.
There was only a line of gray and black marks left on the paper, nothing else.
"You, what do you mean!"
"If there really was deer blood, why would there only be a line of black marks left behind?"
Xu Miaomiao questioned loudly, and everyone saw the boss hesitating and knew he was lying, so they threw the pills down and turned away.
When the stall owner saw that he had been exposed, his face turned red with shame and he quickly ran away with his things.
Xu Miaomiao followed him all the way and found that he had entered a clinic called "Yimanlou".
Xu Miaomiao shook her head helplessly. Has the medical clinic nowadays fallen to the point where it has to cheat in order to survive?
"What is mother thinking about?"
Erbao blinked curiously and said to Xu Miaomiao.
"Erbao, no matter how poor we are, we can't lie to others and we must do a decent job. This is the first lesson that mother taught you. Do you understand?"
Xu Miaomiao looked at her and said seriously.
Erbao nodded solemnly, raised his hand and swore: "Erbao will never lie."
(End of this chapter)
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