Chapter 693 The Zou Family

Chapter 693: The Zou Family

The Zous had finally made it to the capital.

In the old residence left behind by their "distant relatives," the household staff was fully intact.

The old steward, with tears in his eyes, said they were all retainers from the previous owners and were willing to serve the new masters.

The Zous were pleasantly surprised.

This time, the entire Zou clan had relocated to the capital. Aside from the frail family matriarch, there were the master and mistress of the house, along with their several children.

Apart from the eldest and second daughters, who had already married locally, the youngest daughter and two young sons also accompanied them to the capital.

After settling in comfortably, the old steward noticed that Mrs. Zou kept fishing for information about the Duke of Xinguo's household.

The old steward's eyes flickered slightly as he chuckled, "Might I ask what interests Madam about this?"

Mrs. Zou evaded the question, saying that they had once had some dealings with the Duke of Xinguo's family during their previous stay in the capital and were naturally curious now that they had returned.

The old steward chuckled knowingly, "Ah, I see. Everyone in the capital knows that the Duke of Xinguo's household is among the capital's most distinguished noble houses. The old Duke and his wife earned numerous battlefield honors, securing wealth and honor for three generations."

Mrs. Zou's eyes lit up hungrily, but just as she was about to ask more, Master Zou approached with visible disapproval, hands clasped behind his back, and coughed pointedly.

Mrs. Zou clammed up immediately, putting on her most dignified air. She waved her hand dismissively, signaling the old steward to withdraw.

The old steward bowed respectfully, "As you wish."

No sooner had he withdrawn, faint voices could be heard as Master Zou berated his wife for being overly familiar with the servants.

The old steward remained silent, pretending not to hear a thing.

Old Madam Zou sat on the luohan bed in her room, fingering appreciatively the small table and the golden silk pillow, her face crinkling into a delighted smile. "Well now, did our dear aunt truly leave us all this?"

Nurse Yue replied respectfully, "Indeed, Old Madam. These were all left behind by our former mistress. According to her final wishes, everything was to be given to Master Zou, with only the request that he remember her in his offerings... Our late mistress, poor soul, wasn't as blessed as you, Old Madam. She had no children or grandchildren to dote on her, unlike you, whose family is clearly filial and thriving."

Old Madam Zou beamed even brighter.

You see? This is what comes of raising sons!

Nurse Yue artfully buttered up Old Madam Zou, and within a few words, had her thoroughly pleased.

Old Madam Zou couldn't help but reminisce with Nurse Yue about the Zous' heyday.

Over a decade ago, the Zou family had been one of the capital's most prominent mercantile families. But after *that incident*, their fortunes declined rapidly. Within a few years, their fortune dwindled away, and with no other choice, they sold their ancestral home and returned to their hometown with what little remained.

Old Madam Zou had never imagined that one day they would return to the capital and live in such a magnificent residence again!

Just thinking about it made her preen.

She even considered seeking out her old friends from the capital, just to show them that she was truly blessed—after all, she was back in the capital to enjoy the good life once more!

Nurse Yue, following Old Madam Zou's train of thought, praised, "Indeed, Old Madam. In all my years in the capital, I've seen many noble ladies and matriarchs, but few have a countenance as blessed as yours. Truly, such fortune is rare in the entire capital."

This delighted Old Madam Zou even further. She asked with a self-satisfied grin, "Really? Who else have you seen with such a fortunate face?"

"Of course it's true," Nurse Yue said convincingly. "Have you heard of the Duke of Xinguo's household? I once met his mother, the Dowager Duchess."

She spoke casually, but after mentioning the Duke of Xinguo's household, she kept a close watch on Old Madam Zou's expression.

Old Madam Zou's expression shifted slightly, though the change was fleeting, it didn't escape Mother Yue's notice.

Mother Yue pretended not to notice and continued, "...The Dowager Duchess of Xin is famously known in the capital as a lady blessed with both fortune and longevity. The Duke of Xinguo's residence is the most prestigious noble household in the capital, with every man in the family being exceptionally accomplished. Even the young lords and ladies are exceptionally talented."

Old Madam Zou, drawn in by Mother Yue's words, swallowed hard, her cloudy eyes darting about nervously.

In a hoarse, aged voice, she murmured, "Good, good..."

Knowing when to hold her tongue, Mother Yue didn't elaborate further. Instead, she shifted to other auspicious topics, coaxing Old Madam Zou into a good humor.

Late at night, when all was quiet, the old steward slipped unnoticed into Mother Yue's room.

Neither lit a lamp, and in the darkness, they discussed the day's events in whispers.

"Today, Mrs. Zou made a point of asking me about the Duke of Xinguo's residence. I intended to press further, but Master Zou arrived and interrupted her."

"I also deliberately brought up the Duke of Xinguo's residence in front of Old Madam Zou today. Her expression gave her away—they must know something!"

"Good. For now, we’ll stay cautious. Tomorrow, I’ll report to the Duke first and await further instructions."

"Understood."

After their hushed exchange, the old steward silently left Mother Yue’s room and vanished into the night.

...

The Zou family had been enjoying a stroke of good fortune.

Their distant relative had left them not just a residence but also several shops and businesses.

Among them was a cosmetics store, which delighted Mrs. Zou so much that she took her youngest daughter and eldest son to visit it.

Her eldest son, Zou Minglei, was still young—just fourteen this year. Though the Zou family had fallen on hard times in recent years, they had never skimped on coddling their long-awaited son and heir. Zou Minglei had grown up pampered, even expecting sedan chair transport whenever he went out.

Now that Mrs. Zou had some extra money, she immediately went all out to rent a fine sedan chair for him.

However, today, a newly opened shop on Vermilion Bird Street was holding a grand opening celebration, drawing such a large crowd that the street was completely jammed.

The Zou family’s three small sedan chairs naturally couldn’t pass through.

The bearers stopped and checked with their passengers, asking if they could take a detour.

But Zou Minglei, curious, lifted the sedan curtain and asked, "What kind of shop is that? Why so many people?"

"Young Master, it’s the newly opened fabric store of the Yu Family Trading Company. They’re running an opening special—buy three bolts of fabric, and the cheapest one is free."

At this explanation, Zou Minglei’s interest was piqued. "Really? The merchants in the capital are quite generous."

Suddenly, he couldn't be bothered to accompany his mother and sister to the cosmetics store.

Turning to Mrs. Zou, he said, "Mother, we haven’t had many new clothes made since arriving in the capital. This seems like a perfect opportunity—why don’t we buy some fabric and have some nicer outfits made? That way, when you attend banquets in the future, you’ll cut a fine figure, won't you?"

Though Mrs. Zou had some extra money, it wasn’t much. She had originally planned to buy new outfits for her two sons.

But now, her youngest daughter was also looking at her with hopeful eyes. In such a public setting, Mrs. Zou could hardly refuse without causing her embarrassment.

Half-resigned, half-indulgent, she nodded. "Very well, let’s pick out three bolts then."

Though the promotion was "buy three, get one free," many commoners couldn’t afford to buy three bolts at once. Still, the Yu Family’s new fabric store had other incentives—anyone who bought fabric would receive a complimentary fabric swatch as a gift.

Wealthy households turn up their noses at these fabric scraps, but common folks can’t get enough of them!

Perfect for making hankies or small clothes!

And best of all—they’re free!

That’s why the fabric shop is packed with people right now.

The manager of Yu Family Trading even had to bring in extra staff from other branches to maintain order—that’s how crazy busy it was.

It took great effort for Mrs. Zou and her two children to fight their way in.

The moment they entered, the youngest daughter, Zou Pingping, her eyes nearly popped out of her head!

Though she had lived in the capital for a few years as a child, she was too young then to remember much of it.

She’d only ever known the offerings of a small county town.

What good things could a small county town have? Nothing but tired old patterns and so-so cloth.

Now, suddenly in the capital—and in a fabric shop opened by the prestigious Yu Family Trading—she felt as if she had stepped into a wonderland of silks and satins.

The fabrics were all so beautiful, but the prices on the tags were just as eye-watering, making Zou Pingping wince.

Mrs. Zou’s wallet hurt even worse.

The money that could buy two bolts of fabric in their small county town wouldn’t even get you one here!

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Zou Minglei was going wild picking fabrics, and the shop assistant behind him was already carrying two bolts.

Mrs. Zou nearly had a heart attack watching this!

Just as Zou Minglei was about to pick a third, Zou Pingping blurted out: "Hey you, don’t hog all the good stuff. You’ve already picked two, and both are men’s patterns. Shouldn’t the last one be for Mother and me?"

Zou Minglei scoffed. "Oh come on, Sis, I’ll pick mine, you pick yours—it’s not like we can only buy three."

This made Mrs. Zou’s heart tremble even more. She quickly interjected, "Minglei, listen to me—this joint is robbing us blind. The fabrics are too expensive. If you like them, we can go to another shop later and buy as many as you want—"

Zou Minglei refused. "Mother—"

"Madam, how exactly is our shop a rip-off?"

A voice dripping with sarcasm came from behind the Zou family. Gong Qingniang, dressed in a practical riding outfit and holding a riding crop, had clearly just returned from outside.

And the first thing she heard upon returning was someone badmouthing her shop as a scam—oh, her short fuse was already lit.

Mrs. Zou hadn’t expected her casual remark to her son to be overheard by the shop owner. Turning red, she stammered. "No, it’s just—your fabrics are priced so high. Look at this brocade—we usually pay one tael per bolt, but here it’s a full tael and eight mace—"

At first, when Mrs. Zou confronted Gong Qingniang, everybody stopped to stare, making Mrs. Zou feel awkward.

But as she spoke, she dug in her heels.

The nerve of this price-gouging shop, setting such high prices and not expecting criticism?

Yet, to her surprise, after she finished, nobody jumped in to agree. Instead, the crowd were staring at her like she’d grown a second head.

Mrs. Zou didn’t know what to make of it.

Gong Qingniang's eyes lit up: "Oh? Care to take a closer look, ma'am? Is that brocade you're talking about, the one that costs one tael of silver per bolt, the same as the brocade in our shop?"

Mrs. Zou laughed angrily: "They're both brocade, aren't they? What's the difference—"

She reached out to touch it, but the moment her fingers made contact, her face went stiff.

The crowd, seeing the woman's stiffened expression, immediately knew she must have noticed the difference—

This brocade was woven with silver threads, not only enhancing its luster but also adding a touch of softness.

At first glance, it might not be obvious, but under sunlight, when tilted slightly toward the light, the difference became strikingly clear.

Or, with just a touch, one could feel it.

Seeing Mrs. Zou's face flush red, the crowd began mocking her: "She's clearly not from around here! Doesn’t she know Yu Family Trading’s brocade is renowned?"

"One tael per bolt? Tsk, at that price, I’ll take two!"

"What a backwater hick!"

The jeers made Mrs. Zou was mortified.

Zou Minglei felt even more humiliated. He ditched their shopping, and angrily dragged his mother out of the shop.

Zou Pingping stomped her foot and chased after them.

Unbeknownst to the Zou family, as they left, Xingxing came out looking for Gong Qingniang and happened to catch sight of their backs as they left.

Xingxing stood frozen.

A flood of jumbled images surged in her memory, tumbling and churning until her head ached.

Gong Qingniang was puzzled at first, wondering why Xingxing had stopped moving.

But upon seeing Xingxing’s pale face, she was startled and quickly took her hand: "Xingxing, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Your face is so pale, and your hands are ice-cold—"

Gong Qingniang was deeply worried.

Xingxing finally came back to herself, shaking her head with a complicated expression: "Second sister-in-law, I’m fine."

Her lips were bloodless, making Gong Qingniang’s heart ache.

"Come, let me help you inside to rest and have some hot tea." Gong Qingniang slipped an arm around Xingxing’s shoulders and guided her in.

Xingxing didn’t resist, letting Gong Qingniang lead her away.

Cradling the warm teacup, Xingxing’s mind kept returning to the figures she had just seen.

She couldn't have met those people before, so why did their appearance trigger so many broken memories she didn't recognize in her mind?

Those scenes were filled with people like something from a nightmare, too awful for words.

Xingxing’s hands tightened around the cup.

She remembered—her grandmother had found her on the rocky shore when she was just over three years old. Everything before that was gone from her memory.

Those chaotic flashes, those dreadful images—weren’t they just a child’s terrified memories of fear?

Her expression darkened further.

Was that possibly her family from her past?