Transmigration: A Farm Girl's Brocade-Chapter 76 - Nipped in the Bud_1

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Nipped in the Bud_1

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Nipped in the Bud_1

Fourth Lady Song said with a laugh, “It’s not just in Xishan County. In Xizhou Mansion, people are also flowering with Xia Grass and have come up with a lovely name for it, they call it Gypsophila.”

Old Lady Song nodded and said, “She really is a good child, both smart and filial.”

At this moment, Second Madam Song, who was sitting below Old Lady Song, fiddled with the basket in her hand and spoke up, “Why doesn’t this basket have a handle? It looks rather bald on top without those few good-looking bits.”

Qian Yixiu laughed and said, “Madam, take a closer look at the little tiger in your hands; it has a bun on its head, so it’s a Little Tigress. What it’s carrying isn’t a basket but a cage, and cages don’t have handles.”

Fourth Lady Song asked in confusion, “What’s the difference between giving a basket and a cage?”

Qian Yixiu chuckled and answered, “Of course, there is a difference. A basket represents a boy, and a cage represents a girl. The little male tiger brings a boy, while the Little Tigress brings a girl.”

Forth Lady Song seemed to suddenly understand and laughed merrily, “Oh, I see. Baskets have handles, so they represent boys. Cages don’t have handles, so they represent girls. That handle was actually referring to that kind of handle!”

Once she finished speaking, the room erupted into laughter.

Her demeanor was somewhat reminiscent of Wong Xifeng. Qian Yixiu was the well-behaved child; she blinked her large, innocent eyes—harmless and clueless like White Lotus Mom—and pretended not to understand.

Inwardly though, she gave the Beautiful Woman a thumbs-up for nailing her creative idea so accurately—brilliant! The inspiration had come from her own mother.

Old Lady Song was laughing so hard she was struggling to catch her breath, with maids behind her helping to pat her back as they giggled.

Once Old Lady Song had regained her breath, she pointed at Fourth Lady Song and scolded her with a laugh, “Only you, you unruly character, would dare to say such a thing. Don’t lead the children astray.”

In an unobtrusive corner of the room, two youths sat, one of them drinking tea. When he heard this “absurd” statement, he choked and began to cough.

After coughing, he muttered, “This kid sure knows how to play her cards right.”

The two youths were Song Huaijin and Zhang Yang. Today, they had come along with their elders to offer incense. In addition, Liang Jinzhao also sought Master Bei Kong’s acupuncture services.

The one truly oblivious to the meaning of “handle” in the room was the Little Monk, who asked Qian Yixiu in bewilderment, “What are they laughing at?”

Qian Yixiu shook her head, indicating she didn’t know either.

Sister Zhang chimed in teasingly, “This servant must congratulate Fourth Lady Song. As soon as the servant came in carrying these baskets and cages, the Fourth Lady was the first to ‘grab’ one with a handle. It looks like next year the little male tiger could be presenting Fourth Lady Song with a chubby little boy.”

Excited by Sister Zhang’s words, Fourth Lady Song’s eyes shone brightly. Even though she was straightforward and generous, she couldn’t help blushing a bit.

Second Madam also felt happy and asked Qian Yixiu, “I hear that these items are meant to be sold. How do you sell them? We would like to buy.”

Qian Yixiu replied, “It is their good fortune that these items have caught the eyes of the Old Madam, the madams, and the ladies. They have come to a house of wealth. Madam, please feel free to bestow whatever you deem fit in reward.”

For the Song family, she didn’t discuss the price, and the tips she received were always more, not less. But if it were a family like the Di family, she wouldn’t dare not to discuss the price.

Second Lady Song was even more pleased to hear this. With a knowing look, a crone behind her handed Qian Yixiu two embroidered purses.

“Oh my, so sweet, even I’m starting to like you now,” Fourth Lady Song laughed, then turned to flatter Old Lady Song, “Old Lady Song has the eyes of a hawk, just one glance at this little one and you knew she was smart. It has taken me much longer to see that.”

Old Lady Song laughed proudly, “These eyes of mine have been trained, after all. Did I follow your grandfather around the south and north for decades for nothing?”

While they were talking, a servant came to report that Old Lady Di and Madam Di from next door had arrived.

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Old Madam and Second Madam exchanged a look, a trace of disdain and irritation crossing their faces. Then it quickly vanished, replaced with beaming smiles. They said loudly, “Please, do come in quickly.”

A few maids and crones helped an old woman and a younger matron walk in, with Qian Yixiu being squeezed off to the side.

Although these two were adorned in gold and silver and wrapped in fine silks, their poise and elegance could not compare to the inhabitants of this house — in fact, they looked more like potato flowers compared to even Qian Yixiu. Madam Di was even carrying a little basket with a lace border, one of their household items.

Qian Yixiu’s heart sank. Aside from those five little tiger baskets, the other items wouldn’t fetch a high price. That wasn’t all; the real issue was that her own diplomatic strategies had just begun, and they were about to be prematurely snuffed out.

When playing the ghost at the old Di residence, Qian Yixiu had also visited. Old Lady Di could be described in a few words: thrifty, stingy, and coarse — utterly out of touch. She was a joke among Xizhou Mansion’s high society, oblivious to the point of embarrassment.

Old Lady Di’s son, Sir Di, Di Shu, was the Inspector of Ji’an Province. Di Shu was of peasant stock, who had earned the title of Graduate at the age of thirty, appointed by His Majesty the Emperor himself as one of the top scholars. Most of the top scholars were good-looking, and Di Shu was no exception. Although he was now in his early forties, he was still cultured and handsome, as gentle as jade.

The son of a farmer not only became a Graduate, but he also rose to a Third-ranking officer within a few decades, not just a legend in the Great Qian Kingdom but also an inspirational figure for many peasants’ sons, including Yijin’s young friend, the idol they all sought to learn from and look up to.

But as for his family, well… heh heh heh…

Old Lady Di sat down and laughed loudly, “Heard you were next door, so we decided to come take a look. Oy, I thought I hadn’t climbed a mountain in a while, didn’t take the sedan chair, just climbed a bit of the mountain way. I’m old now, useless. Didn’t climb for long and already worked up a stinky sweat.” After saying that, she lifted her arm to sniff her sleeve, then fanned it.

Old Lady Song’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly beside her.

The relationship between the two families wasn’t very close, sending a younger member for a visit would have been sufficient, but Old Lady Di had personally come over.

A guest is a guest, moreover, even though Old Great-grandpa Song was two ranks above Sir Di, he had already retired. So naturally, Old Lady Song couldn’t put on airs and said with a modest smile, “Big sister is robust in health, still able to climb mountains by herself, enviable indeed. My old arms and legs, well, they just wouldn’t manage… ”

Little Monk Hongji was very tactful, seeing that guests had arrived and the Song family was too busy to attend to Qian Yixiu, he stood up and took his leave. Yixiu had no choice but to reluctantly follow suit.

No sooner had Qian Yixiu stepped out the door, Old Lady Di’s loud voice followed from behind, “You bought those baskets from that woman outside the compound, right? That woman’s handicrafts are quite nice. Although they are just the most common items from the countryside, adding a little flower here, pinching a blossom there, it looks different, and the young ones at home like it too. I had the servants buy all her stuff, and though that bit of reed and scrap fabric isn’t worth much money, we still gave her a hundred wen — country folk have it tough…” She acted as if she was so considerate of others.

Qian Yixiu’s heart was bleeding. The reed might not be valuable, but her creativity was, the craft of her father and mother was valuable. The dozen or so unique and exquisite items, even if sold outside the temple, would fetch more than a hundred wen. The stingy old woman, it was no different from robbery.

Truly, no plan survives contact with the enemy. So infuriating.