Chapter 4 First Shopping Trip
Mentioning her only daughter, a hint of worry appeared between the old lady's brows. She had been married to Xu Yongruo for twelve years, only returning three times when he went back to the capital for official duties. Although each time she returned, she always appeared as a capable and confident mistress, her apparent pride and disappointment were genuine. The old lady, with her keen eyes, naturally knew that her daughter was not happy in the Xu family. A mistress of a large household must know how to use both kindness and authority. Ruan Lan, however, was gentle and compliant, kind to others, and only knew how to bestow favors, never to coerce. Over time, Xu Yongruo's concubines and servants took advantage of her gentleness, flattering her to her face while plotting against her behind her back. The children born to the principal wife and concubines were already grown up and no longer respected their stepmother. "What did Miss Lan say?"
The old lady sat down on the wisteria trellis and said, "She mentioned Fifth Sister in her letter, saying that she had dreamt of her crying for several nights in a row..."
Granny Zheng sighed inwardly; the letter had arrived far too late. Although the journey from Guangzhou to the capital was long, in the past, correspondence via post stations would only take a little over two months. She wondered why it had taken more than three months this time. Could it be that the winter snow had delayed the journey?
"...and also said he wanted to marry Fifth Sister to the Third Young Master of the Xu family."
"Young Master Xu?" Granny Zheng asked, her eyes wide. "Is he the legitimate son who passed both the provincial and metropolitan examinations with top honors?"
"It's him..." The old lady's teeth itched at the mention of him. The third young master of the Xu family, named Xu Chuanyang, was born to Xu Yongruo's first wife and was the only legitimate son of the Xu family. He was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, able to read three sentences and compose poems at eight, and was greatly favored by Xu Yongruo. While the concubines and their children only spoke ill of him behind his back, this Xu Chuanyang dared to challenge Ruan Lan to her face. "...I thought about it all night last night and felt this marriage was truly a good one. Fifth Miss is now clever and capable, better at managing the household than Lan'er. If she marries into the Xu family, Lan'er can peacefully be a hands-off manager. Besides, mother and daughter are of one mind; how could they not deal with those demons and monsters in the Xu family?"
"It's a good match, congratulations, Madam." Granny Zheng's mind raced. As both mother and mother-in-law, Miss Lan would naturally not mistreat her daughter-in-law. And with such a mother-in-law, Ruan Bi would be spared countless troubles. It was universally acknowledged that Young Master Xu was exceptionally talented, but it was unclear what his appearance and character were, and whether he was a suitable match for Fifth Miss. She needed to speak to Fifth Miss beforehand.
The old lady smiled and said, "My biggest worry is Lan'er. If this marriage goes through, I can finally relax." She paused, then added, "In two days, Young Master Xu will arrive in the capital..."
Granny Zheng was taken aback, then understood. "Are you here to participate in next year's imperial examination?"
The old lady nodded and said, "Yes, Lan'er's letter was delivered by him. His own boat is still docked in Siyang. He said he was visiting a friend and sent a servant over first. The Xu family doesn't have a house in the capital. Lan'er wanted to borrow our villa in the suburbs for him to stay in. I thought about it and decided to let him stay in our mansion instead. Jiaxuan will also be taking the exam next year, so he can keep him company."
No wonder the reply came so slowly; it turns out this third young master has been traveling all this way. Granny Zheng suddenly realized this and was about to speak when she heard a burst of laughter. Following the corner of the corridor, a group of people came over: the second madam, the third young lady, the fourth young lady, and Ruan Bi, along with their respective maids.
The old lady asked curiously, "What are you going to do?"
The second wife said with a smile, "When I went to my eldest sister-in-law's courtyard just now, I heard Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister asking my sister-in-law for permission to go to Zhenxiu Pavilion to buy cloth. I thought it was a long time since I had been there myself, so I came to ask Mother if there was anything I needed to bring?"
The old lady thought for a moment and said, "It's been a long time since I've had 'Shi Quan Ji's' fragrant candies, nuts, and sweet pastries. Let's bring some back."
"Yes, Mother."
A group of people chatted and laughed as they left the old lady's courtyard and headed towards the main gate. The First Madam had given permission, and a maid had informed the stables to prepare a carriage and horses waiting at the gate. Once seated in the carriage, Ruan Bi let out a long sigh of relief. It was truly troublesome for a young lady to go out; she had to ask permission from everyone, otherwise they wouldn't prepare a carriage.
The second wife's shop was on Gaotou Street, called Zhenxiu Pavilion. It sold ready-made clothes and fabrics, and the shop was quite large, with a dazzling array of goods. There were quite a few customers browsing, both men and women, but all the women were wearing veils. When the shopkeeper saw that it was the owner, he quickly welcomed her to the inner room and ordered a young assistant to bring tea.
The second madam took a sip, pointed at Ruan Bi and the fourth young lady and said, "The fourth and fifth young ladies want to buy cloth, so go and pick out the best ones and bring them over."
Ruan Bi shook her head and said, "Auntie, we don't want the best, we want fine linen."
The second wife paused for a moment, but did not ask further. She asked the shopkeeper, "Do you have any in the shop?"
"If you have it, go and get it."
The shopkeeper shook his head with difficulty and said respectfully, "Ladies, our customers are all high-ranking officials and nobles. We don't sell this kind of coarse cloth used by ordinary people." He pointed to the east and said, "There's a cloth shop on the east side of the street. It's not a big shop, and it sells goods that are a bit inferior to ours. Maybe they know what they're good at. How about I send a young assistant over to take a look?"
"Approximately how far?"
"About a hundred meters."
"It's not far, let's go ourselves." Ruan Bi turned to look at the second madam. "Auntie, is that alright?"
“Alright.” The second madam nodded, then said to the shopkeeper, “Send two young assistants to follow them.”
The third daughter put down her teacup and said, "Mother, I'll go with them too."
Grandma wanted to buy sweet candies and honey cakes, right? They're over there.
"A servant can go buy it, why do you have to make the trip?" The second madam glared at her and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You've gained a lot of weight this summer, you can't be so greedy anymore. Look at Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister, and then look at yourself, your waist is almost as thick as a bucket."
The third daughter, her brows furrowed, cried out mournfully, "Mother..."
The second wife ignored her.
"My dear mother... my dear mother..."
"Go! Go! Go."
“Okay, I’ll go, I’ll go.” The third girl stood up happily.
Fourth Sister and Ruan Bi covered their mouths and laughed.
The second wife chuckled, reached out and lightly tapped the third daughter's forehead, saying, "I'm really impressed with you. Buy less, or I'll throw it all away."
The third girl nodded repeatedly, then asked with a smirk, "The honey-roasted pigeons there are absolutely amazing. I'll bring one back for my mother too."
The second wife was slightly tempted, but then she noticed the fourth young lady and Ruan Bi's incredibly slender waists. She coughed lightly and said, "I don't want it. You eat it yourself."
He gave them a few more instructions, telling them to put on their veils, watch out for pickpockets, and not to get separated, before allowing them to leave.
The three girls, each accompanied by their maid and two shop assistants, left the shop and headed east.
Along the way, shops lined the streets, selling antiques, books, calligraphy and paintings, all kinds of food and wine. There was also a shop that sold eagles, with several eagles tied to a crossbar with ropes attached to their claws. They flapped their wings and flew around occasionally, and pedestrians usually avoided them when they passed by.
After walking about a hundred meters, they reached the "Shi Quan Ji" food shop. The Third Sister stopped and said, "The cloth shop the shopkeeper mentioned is less than ten meters ahead. You can go there. I'll go buy some sweet candies and honey cakes first. Come back to the shop to find me when you've bought them." Ruan Bi and the Fourth Sister nodded, leaving one of their assistants to follow the Third Sister, and continued walking. After walking about ten meters, they indeed found a relatively small cloth shop, mainly selling cotton and linen fabrics. Based on her impression of cross-stitch from later generations, Ruan Bi picked out a piece of fine white linen.
The fourth sister was a little suspicious; the fabric looked too cheap and was stiff and loose.
"Fifth Sister, is this suitable?"
Ruan Bi said, "Sister, this kind of fabric is naturally crisp, and the embroidery will look like a scroll after it's finished. Look at the cotton fabric I used, it still looks a bit too soft."
The fourth sister thought about it carefully and felt that it made some sense, so she didn't say anything more.
They handed the fabric to the shop assistant, and the two went out together and started walking back.
When they arrived at "Shi Quan Ji," the Third Miss was already waiting at the shop entrance, with the young waiter carrying large and small bags. Through the light gauze hanging in front of her veil, Ruan Bi saw that the Third Miss's mouth was constantly moving, and she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She had never known before that this Third Miss was a foodie; no wonder she was so plump and radiant.
Suddenly someone said, "...We're still missing a lot of things, not even enough bowls and plates..."
The surrounding area was filled with people, and the sounds of hawking and talking blended into a noisy background. The reason she could hear it clearly was because the voice was familiar. It sounded like... Dongxue's voice? Ruan Bi looked in surprise in the direction of the sound, only to see a throng of people. Most of the women passing by wore veils, so her face was completely obscured.
"Fifth Sister, what's wrong?" Fourth Sister also looked around curiously.
"It's nothing, let's go back." Ruan Bi composed herself and started walking forward.
Has Dongxue returned to the capital? If so, why hasn't she contacted me? Perhaps it's a similar voice.
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