Chapter 27 – A Family has a Fortune

For a period, these two plates were vied for by several rich families. As the price gradually drove up, they sold a total of 230 taels of silver.

Many other dignitaries who didn’t make the order felt regretful, so they left a deposit for Miantang and will send someone to the State of Zhen to pick up the goods in the future.

The name “Jade Porcelain Workshop” is also known on the ground of the State of Qing. Touching the hundred dollars silver note, Miantang felt that the assassin’s lords should deserve her to light up a few more high incense sticks.

But with a large amount of silver money in her possession, how to return to the State of Zhen safely has become a problem.

Miantang wanted to go to the local escort agency to hire someone to escort them, but Servant Li insisted that they would be safe along the way, so they didn’t have to spend the money in vain.

Miantang feels that Servant Li doesn’t know the dangers of the world. Some money cannot be saved.

Her grandfather’s family runs an escort agency. Naturally, she also knows all kinds of methods used by bandits to block the way and rob. Now she is so rich that if she is a robber, she can’t help but want to rob!

So despite the dissuade of Servant Li, Miantang hung up a short task with ten silver money in the escort agency. They were escorted by two military men that have great physical strength and courage to cross the river and take a carriage back to the State of Zhen.

While Cui Xingzhou was out on business, he went to the mansion in the North for lunch. As soon as he entered the door, he found that Lady Liu, who had met at the door earlier in the past, had disappeared this time.

He asked Servant Li who was coming out with the motion of his sight eyes. Servant Li helplessly pointed to the closed door and said in a low voice, “This is the case after she went to the money bank to exchange the cheque for money this morning. She didn’t even come out for meals!”

Cui Xingzhou raised his eyebrows and strode toward the house. With a push, the door was latched. Prince Huaiyang felt that the young lady inside had done something unspeakable. When he was about to stretch out his foot to kick, Lady Liu inside asked, “Who is outside the door?”

Cui Xingzhou said briefly, “Me……”

The next moment, the latch on the door opened, and a slender arm stretched out from the crack of the door and dragged Cui Xingzhou into the room.

He saw that Lady Liu was wearing long trousers and short blouses, her long hair was simply rolled up with a few hairpins, her forehead was covered with sweat, and she even held a pair of short spades in her hand.

Cui Jiu looked at her up and down calmly, and then asked, “What are you doing?”

Miantang was so tired that her two arms ached. It was just when she was worried about what to do, her husband came back, and she met the savior.

After carefully closing the door, she took him into the inner room, pointed to the position of the wooden bed, and said, “I’m going to dig a deep hole here to hide money. Husband, you came back just in time. Help me continue digging!”

Cui Xingzhou looked at the half-dug shallow pit and looked at the neatly stacked mountain of silver ingots on the bed. He said lightly: “You should know that there will be a profit if you store the silver money in the bank? If you bury it under the bed, don’t mention wasting your energy, but there won’t be any profit.”

Miantang went to the bed and gently touched the shiny silver ingots, Then she smiled and said: “I divided the money into three parts. One part was stored in the bank to generate profits, and the other part was taken to the shop to make capital and buy some fine goods. This part is just life-saving money for emergencies. Naturally, it should be buried more securely. Although it is said that the world is peaceful, if the owner of the bank will run away in case of fighting and confusion, she can’t exchange the cheque for money to buy food… Hurry up, husband! Help me dig it quickly!”

Miantang was also alerted by the turmoil in the State of Qing. She felt that it would be better to keep her hands on everything and have a backup plan. That’s why she wanted to bury the money. Thus, she didn’t ask for help from the servants at home and do it on her own.

Cui Xingzhou worked hard in the military camp for half a day, but he didn’t come to work as hard labor. How could he go to dig a pit and fool around at the instigation of Lady Liu?

So he didn’t say anything. He just took his book, pulled aside the silver ingots on the bed, put up his long legs, and went half lying down to read.

Miantang doesn’t care if her husband doesn’t move. Only local country moneybags will do such things as burying money. It is a disgrace to the educated class for her husband to do so.

Fortunately, she had rested for a while, and her injured wrist had regained some strength, so she simply did not disturb her husband’s hard-working, but just waved a short spade and continued to work.

After reading for a while, Cui Xingzhou couldn’t help looking at the woman waving the short spade.

As the saying goes, “It’s easy to change rivers and mountains but hard to change a person’s nature.”. Although this woman has lost her memory, her nature of loving money as much as her life does not change.

When she was rescued from the water, the woman not only had a makeup box with some jewelry in the package tied to her waist but also had silver notes wrapped in oil paper and wax in the soles of her shoes wrapped with hemp rope.

It seems that it is in line with her “burrow oneself in secret hideouts” way of hiding money.

Cui Xingzhou is not a bandit. After saving her from the water, he ordered someone to put the woman’s valuables under her bedside mattress.

Remembering that the first thing she could do when she woke up was to search for something, Prince Huaiyang ticked the corner of his mouth in boredom.

The soil in the house is compacted when the foundation is laid, which is very hard. Liu Miantang’s wrist was seriously injured from the beginning. It was a little difficult to even carry the bowl every day, not to mention doing such things.

After a while, her slender arm trembled slightly, and she only closed her lips, digging little by little with the small spade. Large beads of sweat rolled down from her smooth forehead, flowing happily all the way down, and disappeared along her white neck into her loose collar

Cui Xingzhou unconsciously vibrated up and down his adam’s apple and then turned his eyes to the book.

The room was not quiet. Lady Liu, who did some rough work, couldn’t follow up with her strength and was panting with fatigue.

Perhaps he was so disturbed by Lady Liu’s voice that he could not read quietly. Cui Jiu closed his eyes and forbore. He suddenly got up, took off his outer shirt, tucked in his clothes, strode over, grabbed the short spade in Lady Liu’s hand, waved his arm, and started digging.

The man’s strength was originally greater than the woman’s, so Cui Xingzhou dug a deep pit not long after, then stuffed the short spade back into Miantang’s hand, and then asked softly, “Is that enough?”

Miantang was still immersed in the sweetness of her husband’s ability, and immediately nodded her head and said, “Enough, it’s even enough to bury more silver money in the future!”

Unfortunately, before she had finished speaking, Cui Jiu had thrown away the spade and pushed the door out with vigorous strides.

Liu Miantang cannot help but shook her head. Her husband’s scholar temperament was too heavy. Naturally, he’s sick of these trivial things. It would be better for her to hide money by herself in the future.

At noon that day, Servant Li cooked bass, fat greasy duck, and even the soup includes a whole lot of big fat prawns.

Now the business of the porcelain workshop has been rising, and the tables in the North Street house have suddenly become more generous. There is no more dried radish being served in the house.

During the meal, Miantang thought of the State of Qing specialty she had bought for the neighbors, so she said to Cui Xingzhou, “Husband, after dinner, don’t forget to walk with me to the neighbors’ houses one by one. After all, we have been on a long trip. I have brought some specialties for distribution, which can also be regarded as a token of our gratitude and a reward for the care of the neighbors these days.”

After the mundane affairs of digging holes and burying money, the tolerance of Prince Huaiyang seems to have increased a level. After listening to Miantang’s feeble demands and looking at her, he didn’t refute.

After lunch, taking advantage of the time when all the neighbors went home for meals, Servant Li followed behind Cui Jiu’s “couple” and sent gifts door to door, carrying a basket of assembled specialties.

At this time, North Street is bathed in the rising sun in early summer, and the courtyard walls of each family stretch out colorful flowers, which reflect the shadow of the courtyard walls one after another in abundance.

Miantang, dressed in a newly cut thin skirt, combed the fashionable ponytail with her thick and beautiful hair, stood beside a man dressed in Confucian clothes, gently greeting the neighbors. They look like a married couple, an immortal couple in the world.

This scene of summer love was reflected in the eyes of Yun Niang in the carriage at the corner of the street, but it was somewhat offending to the eye.

But the young servant girl beside Yun Niang, Hua Ping, cries out involuntarily in a low voice: “Miss, she… She is still alive!”

Yun Niang’s face which is always gentle was covered with frost at the moment, and she also reprimand in a low voice, “Shut up!”

At this moment, the man beside Miantang suddenly looked up at them. His deep eyes were sharp. Yun Niang was surprised and immediately asked the cart driver to drive the carriage away from the alley.

Hua Ping was reprimanded by the young lady, and she dared not open her mouth. After a while, Yun Niang asked the servant boy who is driving the cart, “Are you sure that Liu Miantang was the one selling porcelain in the market that day?”

The young man Yan Chi was Yun Niang’s confidant. He quickly nodded and said, “I followed the young master until I saw him stop in front of the porcelain stall. Seeing the young master talking to her, my heart almost jumped out. I thought I had met a ghost…”

Yun Niang glanced at him and Hua Ping sneered and said, “If you guys see Liu Miantang again in the future, calm down. Whether she is dead or alive, that has nothing to do with you and me. If you make a fuss, aren’t you guys proving to have a guilty conscience?”

Hua Ping quickly bowed her head and said yes, but she was worried and said: “But what if the young master insists on seeing her again… What should we do…”

Yun Niang’s long nails were firmly clasped in the palm of her hand, she said coldly, “Didn’t Yan Chi say that she scolded the young master badly that day? She probably won’t pay any attention to him until she dies. What’s wrong if they see each other again? Besides, she’s married now. Although the merchant is a little humble, he is good-looking… A woman who has lost her martial arts needs to live a solid life if she married such a person. Compared with her, the daughter of Commander Shi’s concubine is the one who I have to worry about! If Liu Miantang doesn’t pick a problem, let her live a few days in peace… ”

Hua Ping realized that the young lady had a sense of propriety.

But Yun Niang’s face was still slightly heavy, thinking about the smile on Miantang’s face just now.

As if she was not demoralized at all or having the depression of randomly finding a vulgar businessman and struggling to keep body and soul together. The resentment in Yun Niang’s eyes deepened slightly, my good sister, have you really put everything down and become a merchant’s wife?

This ordinary carriage seems to have gone the wrong way. After stopping at the corner of North Street for a while, it seems to have come and gone all the way without a sound.

After Cui Jiu’s good-neighborly friendship, he can finally return to the house and have a good rest.

Miantang was eagerly attentive and made tea for her husband. Then, sat at the end of the bed and held his leg to massage, while carefully testing: “Husband, Mo Ru said that your clothes are temporarily placed in the chess house. Although you need to have some clothes to change over there, you have to have some at home too, otherwise, I can’t even wash and sew for you. Where is there a wife like me…”

Before she finished speaking, her eyes began to turn red again, as if she had been wronged endlessly.

Cui Xingzhou glanced at her sideways, suspecting that she was pretending to cry.