Chapter 126

Chapter 126

Lin Taohong asked Wang Yingniang with some concern, afraid that Aunt He might actually come looking for them.

Wang Yingniang said, "A long time ago, when they sold me with those strange silver coins, I had nothing to do with them anymore. If she comes, we can settle our accounts one by one."

She had already come to terms with it, and the chains that had bound her had long since vanished.

When they arrived at the bathhouse, it was still early, and many people had come to bathe. They went to the same place they had visited before. It was Wang Yingniang's first time there, and she was surprised to see that the whole alley was lined with bathhouses.

They paid a few copper coins to enter. Most people preferred cold baths, finding it pleasant to soak in the pools. Aunt Zhang found an empty pool and wouldn't let them join her.

"We agreed you would soak in the warm water," she said.

The warm water pool cost a few more copper coins than the cold one. Initially, Lin Chunyan didn't know how they heated the water, but later she saw the attendant bringing in buckets of hot water one by one.

The water was free, but heating it required a lot of firewood. All in all, it wasn't particularly expensive.

Lin Taohong had placed the flowers she had picked earlier in the water. The girls helped each other wash their hair, and after washing, they wrapped their hair in towels to speed up drying.

Aunt Zhang found it boring to soak alone and asked Lin Taohong to help her scrub her back, offering her a few coins, but Lin Taohong still refused.

With a good amount of money in hand, she naturally didn't care about those few coins.

Aunt Zhang hurried to their pool, glancing around nervously, afraid the attendant would see her and charge extra.

"This warm water feels nice too," Aunt Zhang said, shivering when she first entered the warm water, but after a while, she felt comfortable.

When the attendant came in with water, she saw Aunt Zhang and her eyes flickered, but she didn't say much.

Perhaps thinking the three young girls had already paid enough, she let Aunt Zhang join them for free.

Saving those few coins made Aunt Zhang so happy that she asked the attendant to bring some snacks.

After soaking for a while, Aunt Zhang started to feel hungry.

"What would you like, miss? We have a variety of drinks and fruits," the attendant asked.

Lin Chunyan saw the attendant bring a small plate of snacks over and chose a bowl of yellow rice dumplings and a pot of jasmine tea.

The yellow rice dumplings were icy cold from the well, sweet and soft, with a refreshing flavor.

Lin Taohong ordered plum paste, which, despite its name, contained no plums but used smoked plums and cinnamon.

Lin Chunyan took a bite and found it not very similar to plums, but it was quite delicious.

After finishing the snacks, their hair was nearly dry, and Lin Chunyan got dressed to check on her family's mule.

The mule was tied in the backyard of the bathhouse, where there were attendants to feed it. The mule had been kept at home most of the time and had rarely gone out, so it was a bit timid. When Lin Chunyan approached, the mule looked at her with a pitiful expression.

Animals are very intuitive, and especially after being raised for a long time, even though they can't speak, one look was enough to know what the mule was thinking.

Lin Chunyan chuckled and walked over to feed it some hay. "I brought you out for some fresh air, and you're not happy."

Many people who bathed at the bathhouse weren't in a hurry to leave. This place had several tables and chairs set up in the yard. It was said that there was a more expensive bathhouse ahead, where there were not only tables and chairs for people to rest but also musicians singing and performing.

Not far away, while feeding the mule, Lin Chunyan could hear some faint singing.

After their hair was completely dry, Aunt Zhang let them go out. After walking a few steps, they saw Qiwen Jie coming out with a pipa.

Lin Taohong recognized her, and even though the moonlight was dim, she was still captivated by her slender figure. Seeing the large red flower, as big as a bowl, on her head, she nudged Lin Chunyan, who was beside her.

"Big Sister, look who that is."

Lin Chunyan only had a vague impression of Qiwen Jie, and even that was from Lady Zhu. She had heard faintly that she had become the concubine of some traveling merchant.

The competition among the ladies in the entertainment quarters was fierce. It was said that one could earn seven or eight strings of cash a month just by singing songs, which was far more lucrative than other places.

However, when they grew old and lost their beauty, it would cost a substantial amount of money to buy their freedom.

This time, when she saw Qiwen Jie, the maid, who hadn't been seen for a long time, was by her side. When the two saw Lin Chunyan, they only nodded lightly.

Walking behind them, they could still hear people whispering about the two's backs. "She's quite a restless one. The traveling merchant gave her money and even made her his concubine, yet she still comes out to sing. If I were that merchant, I would be livid."

Hearing this, Lin Chunyan frowned. Lin Taohong had already picked up a stone and threw it in. The men gossiping were startled by the sudden movement and stopped talking about Qiwen Jie, instead discussing the person who threw the stone.

"Is being a concubine really that carefree? Isn't someone supposed to manage them?" Lin Taohong was still asking about this as they walked along.

Thinking of how Lin Laodie had kept a concubine outside, Mrs. Zhang felt a deep resentment. She hadn't known back then, and even though she no longer cared for Lin Laodie, mentioning it still made her clench her teeth in anger.

"Who's going to manage them? Those traveling merchants are away for months at a time. They just rent a small courtyard for these concubines and provide them with a maid to serve them, only coming back to enjoy themselves when they return."

However, the merchants weren't stupid; they didn't give them too much money, fearing they might run off with it.

Such incidents had happened before. There was a time when an older musician became the concubine of a traveling merchant, conspired with a servant boy from the entertainment quarters, and ran off with the money, setting up a setup.

Of course, there were also those who were honest and just wanted to live a stable life. If they weren't discovered by the main wife, these concubines could live in peace, but if they were found out, they usually didn't end up well.

Lin Chunyan also found Qiwen Jie strange. If she truly had no desires, why would she come to the perfume shop to play music for people who are less appreciative than those in the entertainment quarters?

As they reached the alley entrance, they could hear the sounds of a scuffle ahead. Lin Chunyan and the others stretched their necks to look, and Erlang slowed the mule down, afraid of causing an accident.

Upon approaching, they saw that it was Lady Zhu quarreling with Qiwen Jie.

Lady Zhu was visibly angry, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, panting as she stood with her hands on her hips. Qiwen Jie, on the other hand, hung her head and remained silent, as usual.

"You're such a strange person! I asked you to come and play music at my Clear Breeze Building, where you would earn much more and not have to stay out late at night. But no, you insisted on coming here! Didn't that old man leave you any money?"

Qiwen Jie didn't respond, but the maid beside her couldn't help but defend her. "Lady, please be careful with your words. If others hear this, it won't be good."

"Which of my words is false?" Lady Zhu glared at the maid. "You step aside. I won't waste my breath on you."

Afraid that they would continue arguing and attract more onlookers, Lin Chunyan called out to them from afar.

"Oh, you didn't go back to the town tonight? That's quite unusual." Seeing Lin Chunyan, Lady Zhu was no longer as angry and let go of Qiwen Jie's hand.

Taking the opportunity, Qiwen Jie nodded to Lin Chunyan and hurriedly walked away.

Curious, Lin Taohong asked Lady Zhu, "What were you two arguing about?"

Since she couldn't retrieve the person, Lady Zhu had no choice but to sigh and sit on their cart. "I'll hitch a ride with you. It's been a tiring day of walking."

She didn't hide anything from Lin Taohong. "As you can see, we knew each other before."

She looked at Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang. "We were about your age and from the same village. We were closer than most others."

As the moon rose higher, people returning from their dinners strolled back. Lady Zhu's voice carried a hint of nostalgia.

"Back then, there was a lady in our village who taught us how to prepare tea, allowing us to earn some money with this skill. We learned it together."

Unfortunately, because Qiwen Jie was so beautiful, she was spotted by a matron from the brothels and taken away after only a short time of learning the art of tea preparation. The matron spoke to her family and bought her for three strings of cash.

At that time, Qiwen Jie was completely captivated by the prospect of earning money and even encouraged Lady Zhu to go with her. "That madam said we could earn several strings of cash a month. We don’t even know how long it will take to master this skill."

Lady Zhu, who wasn’t as beautiful as Qiwen Jie, shook her head in self-deprecation. "But our master said that if we master this skill, we can earn one or two strings of cash a month, which is enough for me."

Qiwen Jie pointed to the fabric of her own clothes. "This dress alone costs seven or eight hundred coins. How can one or two strings of cash a month be enough?"

The two couldn’t understand each other, and gradually, they grew apart.

Lady Zhu always thought that Qiwen Jie would have a good life. She was so beautiful and had learned singing and dancing from the madam. Surely, she would have saved some money.

When she got older, she could buy her freedom and either marry or purchase a maid to take care of her in her old age, holding some money to live a good life.

Obviously, she had overestimated the situation. Nearly twenty years passed, and she became the manager of Clear Breeze Building, while Qiwen Jie, due to her fading beauty, was sold again by the madam to a trader as a concubine.

When Lady Zhu first heard the news, she was nearly shocked. After much thought, she went to find Qiwen Jie and learned that over the years, she hadn’t saved any money at all.

Lin Taohong was also curious. "Where did all the money go?"

"Some of it was spent by her. Don’t look at the large red flower she’s wearing on her head now. When she was the leading courtesan, she adorned herself with peony hairpins or pearl hairpins."

Lady Zhu, sighing over their different fates, said, "Most of it was taken by her parents to subsidize her brothers."

At first, Lady Zhu had advised Qiwen Jie not to give the money to her family, but they were still young then. Qiwen Jie had said, "If they hadn’t sold me, how could I have such a good life now? And they are my own brothers. They will support me in the future."

As time went by, she diligently served as the top courtesan in the brothel for many years. Her family bought houses and land, and her brothers all married and had children. Although they couldn’t compare to big landlords like Mr. Wang, they were known as prominent locals.

However, the gratitude Qiwen Jie expected didn’t come. As she grew older and earned less money, what awaited her were complaints and curses, followed by silence.

"What a fool," said Mrs. Zhang, shaking her head.

"Of course, she’s a fool. Why do you think she’s performing in the perfume shop?"

Wang Yingniang was also touched by Qiwen Jie’s story and said, "Maybe she wanted to earn some extra money?"

"If she had that thought, she wouldn’t have even been able to keep her maid. If the trader didn’t have some feelings for her and bought the maid for her, they would have been separated long ago," said Lady Zhu with both regret and anger. "She sings to earn money for her brothers so that her parents and brothers would talk to her a little more."

Because they were from the same village, Lady Zhu knew her situation well. At first, she didn’t want to get involved, but she still scolded Qiwen Jie, thinking of their past friendship.

Lin Chunyan knew without asking that Lady Zhu’s scolding wouldn’t wake Qiwen Jie up.

Her entire emotional support came from her parents. Despite knowing it was wrong, to regain her parents' favor, she would go to great lengths to earn more money.

When Lady Zhu reached her destination, she got off the cart and reminded them to be careful on their way back. "See you at the establishment tomorrow."

After returning, they continued talking about Qiwen Jie. Lin Taohong and Mrs. Zhang couldn’t understand. "Since her family is so bad and she knows it, why does she keep trying to please them?"

"Exactly, if it were me, I would have cut ties with them long ago."

Wang Yingniang gave a bitter smile. "I understand. There was a time when I was like that too, doing everything they asked, wanting to show them my heart."

The more you do, the less your sincerity is valued.

Mrs. Zhang and Lin Taohong stopped talking about it and only comforted Wang Yingniang, saying that she had already escaped that misery. "You don’t have to be like Qiwen Jie."

"In the end, they are all pitiful people."

After bathing and returning, they didn’t feel hot when they went to bed. They lay comfortably on the bamboo mats, wearing the hemp garments made by Ding Huiniang.

Ding Hui Niang had made this ramie cloth some time ago. The resulting fabric was light, breathable, and quite rare, making it cool to wear.

Lin Taohong, who was particularly fond of it, had heat rash on her body that took several days to subside. Despite using mugwort and peppermint ointment, she still couldn’t resist scratching, which inevitably left some scars.

Being very concerned about her appearance, she even cried when she saw the scars. When Lin Chunyan suggested she change into the ramie clothes, she no longer resisted.

In the morning, Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang planted several succulents and a small mimosa sapling they had dug up from the mountain at their home.

They had no flower pots, and they would need to spend extra money to buy them, so Lin Chunyan planted them under the windows.

During the Grain Buds season, the wheat matured, and the mimosa flowers also bloomed in clusters. There were many mimosa trees on the mountain, and you could smell their rich fragrance even before you got close.

The sapling they dug up was likely newly sprouted, about two handspans tall, with its leaves already shaped, looking exceptionally cute.

There were many wild succulents on the mountain. Last year, Lin Chunyan saw many but didn’t dig any up, planting wild chrysanthemums at the door instead.

This year, when they went up the mountain, Wang Yingniang was delighted by these small-leafed plants, which she found beautifully clustered. Lin Chunyan and she dug up quite a few together.

Lin Chunyan remembered that these succulents all had names, but she didn’t know many of them and didn’t dare to say them rashly.

"We still need to buy pots," Wang Yingniang thought after planting the succulents. If they were in pots, they could be placed on the windowsill, and she could see the small plants as soon as she opened her eyes each day.

"We’ve used too many dishes and jars," Mrs. Zhang said, wishing she could fire them herself, "otherwise we could save a lot of money."

"Oh, don’t say that anymore. Last time, Silang overheard and told Uncle Lin he wanted to learn kiln firing rather than carpentry."

As a result, Uncle Lin beat Silang, and during dinner, neither of them spoke.

Lin Cuixiang arrived early, slaughtering the duck brought by Sister Wei Rou and applying honey before placing it in their bread oven.

Although guests wouldn’t arrive for the feast until noon, these main dishes needed to be prepared in advance.

Lin Chunyan wasn’t in a rush to go to the shop and helped her prepare the rabbits.

They could hear people arriving gradually from the east side of the village. Zhao Huaizi had even invited someone to sing small operas, and Mrs. Zhang originally planned to go to the shop that day but changed her mind, wanting to delay for another day.

Lin Taohong disagreed; handling the meals alone at the shop was too exhausting, and she didn’t even have time to use the restroom.

Mrs. Zhang persisted, "If you do one more day for me, I'll give you two days' wages."

"That won’t work. We agreed to go today. It’s been just me handling the meals lately, and it can’t continue like this."

It hadn’t rained the previous night, but the sky became overcast again early in the morning.

There was a local belief that if it rained on the wedding day, the couple would argue frequently after marriage, and many of the helpers were somewhat worried.

Zhao Huaizi, however, didn’t show any signs of worry, busying himself with arrangements, running around non-stop.

Madam Sun didn’t go to help and, along with Second Aunt Lin, came to Lin Chunyan's house early in the morning. Smelling the fragrant aromas from the kitchen, they knew the preparations had already begun.

In addition to the dishes Lin Chunyan prepared, Zhao Huaizi had ordered a lot of fried fish from Sanlang, along with some cold dishes, making the feast quite easy to prepare.

With the experience from Xinghua’s mother's previous feast, Lin Cuixiang remained calm and collected, and seeing that Lin Chunyan had already helped her prepare the rabbit heads, her last concern vanished.

Lin Cuixiang had never cooked rabbit before, and hearing from Lin Chunyan that if the meat wasn’t prepared properly, it might have an earthy smell, she didn’t dare to start.

With a loud thunderclap, the heavy rain poured down. On her way to the shop, Lin Chunyan met the people escorting Wang Danie.

Wang Danie arrived by mule cart and wasn’t very wet, but the worry in her eyes was evident.

She was still worried that she wouldn't be able to live a good life with Zhao Huaizi and couldn't understand why fate was playing such a cruel joke on her, preventing her from marrying well.

Her brothers escorted her into the room, and she was immediately invited by Zhao Huaizi to sit down. Due to the rain outside, the banquet was set up indoors.

The table was filled with melon seeds and candies. Both adults and children grabbed a handful of snacks and stashed them in their sleeves, slowly munching on them.

Zhao Huaizi had prepared extensively. He instructed the aunts who were helping to keep the table full. Today was definitely not the time to skimp.

Everyone knew that it wasn't easy for him to marry a wife. Moreover, since Wang Danie was willing to marry him after he got injured, people praised her as a loyal and righteous woman, and many of them looked at him more favorably.

Wang Danie sat on the bed, listening to Liu Niangzi’s endless chatter. She knew the decision had been made, and from now on, she would be a person of Qingshan Village.

Marrying a man is like starting a new life; it wasn't just an empty saying.

Fortunately, Qingshan Village was far superior to other villages. As her mother had said, she also had considerable strength and believed she could manage this household well.

After talking for a while, Liu Niangzi felt her throat dry up and drank a cup of water in one gulp. She suddenly realized that Wang Danie hadn’t eaten anything, so she quickly went to the kitchen and brought back some mint pastries.

"Huaizi got these from Yan Niang, just to tide you over."

Liu Niangzi handed Wang Danie a mint pastry while keeping one for herself.

The mint pastries were elegantly crafted, with flower patterns imprinted on them. Wang Danie held the pastry in her hand, took a small bite, and the minty sweetness filled her mouth.

Her anxious heart eased a bit more. Hearing the increasingly lively sounds of clinking bowls and chopsticks outside, she knew the feast was about to start.

Liu Niangzi told Mrs. Li, "You stay here and watch. I'll go see what delicious food there is."

Mrs. Li smiled and nodded, "Go ahead. I see there's a lot of good food today."

The relatives attending the banquet noticed that the melon seeds and candies were never out of stock. The aunts from Qingshan Village would replenish them whenever something ran low. Even the tea from the teapots was sweet, and no one knew what made it taste so good. Everyone said that Zhao Huaizi was generous and that he valued Wang Danie greatly, which was why he was so willing to spend.

"Look at this village! Even the road to the town was lined with many trees! The people here can even make pig pancreas soap. If you learn this skill, your family won’t have to worry about food and clothing for generations."

When the various dishes were brought out, everyone, young and old, was amazed. Everything looked rare and exquisite.

"What is this? Why are there small pancakes next to it? It looks like duck meat, and it looks delicious, glistening with oil."

"Isn't that the crispy fish? I've had it once before, and even the bones can be eaten!"

Some people had already started eating heartily. There were two plates of cold dishes alone, not to mention the tofu skin, dried tofu, and even a large plate of rare vermicelli.

Seeing Zhao Huaizi coming over, the people who had accompanied the bride smiled at him widely. Wang Danie's brothers also felt proud. This brother-in-law was so sensible and had arranged such a grand event, which reflected well on them.

Zhao Huaizi toasted everyone. The wine was the plum wine brewed by Lin Chunyan's family, sweet and even the women and elderly enjoyed a couple of sips.

Hearing the lively atmosphere outside, Wang Danie also breathed a sigh of relief. Mrs. Li and Liu Niangzi both encouraged her to eat more, "We don't need to follow so many formalities. You should eat your fill first."

Liu Niangzi had already made a duck wrap, dipped it in sauce, and added some scallions before handing it to Wang Danie, "Quick, try this roast duck. It's from the ducks raised by our Roujie. The duck eggs used in Yan Niang's establishment are all from our ducks!"

Wang Danie looked at her with a hint of envy, "So, the days at your household must be very good!"

Liu Niangzi laughed. Their household hadn't been like this before; they wouldn't have dared to dream of such a life.

"I don't have much ability. It's all thanks to our Roujie and Yan Niang. As long as we don't hold them back, that's enough."

Mrs. Li truly hoped that Zhao Huaizi and Wang Danie would be able to live a good life, so she said to her, "When you have time, you ought to visit Yan Niang's family more often. No one is better than those young ladies."

Mrs. Li had also raised two more pigs at home, feeding them carefully. Once the pigs were ready, they wouldn’t need to sell them to outside butchers; they would all go to the Lin family.

Their family now made ham, which was said to be quite delicious.

At this time of the year, in addition to the abundant eggplant harvest, there were mostly beans in the fields, but those who came to the shop to eat always ordered the beans with ham to try something fresh.

Beans were not rare, but when stir-fried with ham, the flavor became very aromatic.

Even in the rain, the loafers had to stay busy, carrying warming trays through the streets and alleys, delivering meals to different households.

In such heavy rain, Erlang and the others struggled more with setting up their stalls outside. Li Shitou, now with some money, didn’t call for a loafer to deliver food. He went to the shop to buy the newly made bean and ham dishes and, passing by Erlang’s stall, invited him home for dinner.

Growing up without a father, Lin Chunyan had taken special care of Shitou from the beginning. When she stopped setting up stalls in town, she specifically asked Erlang to look after him.

Erlang was straightforward. Whatever Lin Chunyan asked him to do, he did. Over time, he developed a friendship with Shitou.

However, since only Li Niangzi, who handled the laundry, was at home, it wasn’t convenient for him to visit. Erlang didn’t agree but instead took several items from his stall and gave them to Shitou, saying, "Sanlang asked me to bring these for you. We made too many of these river shrimp. If we can’t sell them, they’ll go to waste."

Shitou knew Erlang was lying. Unable to refuse, he brought them home.

Seeing this, Li Niangzi didn’t know what to say but took out some fabric, planning to make shoes for Erlang and Sanlang.

Mrs. Zhang couldn’t resist Lin Taohong in the end and followed her to the shop. Who knew that after working for a short while, Jin Niangzi packed up the stall and took Mrs. Zhang to the backyard to chat idly.

The more Lin Taohong thought about it, the angrier she became. She wanted to report to Lin Chunyan again. As soon as she put down the spoon, she saw someone holding an umbrella disembarking from a boat, heading straight to the place where their family used to set up their stall.

The spot where they used to set up their stall was already taken by someone else. Now, they were selling noodles there.

At first, only Lin Chunyan and that Shen lady bought noodles at the wharf. Later, one of them opened a shop, and the other started selling roujiamo in the county town, leaving no one to sell noodles at the wharf.

When Mrs. Zhang heard this, she specially went over to check it out. Seeing that the noodle seller was a couple making ordinary noodles, she felt relieved.

In the past, her temper would have made her jump up and down with anger at such a sight, and she would have run over to give them a good scolding.

Just like she did with Shen lady back then. But now, perhaps because she had experienced more, she had become more understanding.

Life is hard for everyone; they were just trying to earn a living.

Lin Taohong saw the man loitering around the stall for a while. Not recognizing him as one of their regulars, he followed the noodle seller’s direction and walked toward their shop.

As he got closer, Lin Taohong immediately recognized him as Shuxiang, who was usually by Hu Xiaolangjun's side.

Speaking of which, it had been almost a year since Shuxiang went to the Imperial City with Hu Xiaolangjun, and she hadn’t seen him since.

Lin Taohong put down her spoon, her gloomy mood instantly lifted, and she ran over happily.

"Shuxiang, how did you come back?"

Although Shuxiang was a servant to Hu Xiaolangjun, he never looked down on them and even helped them out of trouble. Lin Taohong had always been close to him.

Shuxiang, closing his umbrella, said, "I came back to deliver some things and thought I’d drop by your shop."

Previously, Wang Xiaolangjun would occasionally write to Hu Xiaolangjun, mentioning the delicious food Lin Chunyan made and even sending some items.

Unfortunately, those jars of fish sauce eventually ran out.

Hu Xiaolangjun, after finishing them, still craved more and wrote several letters to Wang Xiaolangjun, but none received a reply.

After arriving in Bianjing, Hu Xianggong had sought advancement somewhat by relying on the influence of King Zhao. Perhaps because people lack something, they fear others bringing it up. Hu Xianggong, coming from a humble background, was especially fearful of being seen as uncultured, so he was very strict with Young Master Hu.

Because of this, Madam Bai had countless arguments with Hu Xianggong.

Madam Bai’s birth family surname was Bai, and several of her sisters had married into prominent families. Only she had married into the Hu family, which consisted of impoverished scholars.

At first, Madam Bai naturally found it difficult to get along with the Hu family, thinking they were crude in their dining habits and spoke rapidly and brusquely, sounding like they were arguing.

Fortunately, Hu Xianggong was quite capable. But Madam Bai hadn’t anticipated him being *so* ambitious. Since he sent Zhao Xinghua to King Zhao, Madam Bai hasn’t had a peaceful night’s sleep.

Perhaps if it had been someone else, Madam Bai wouldn’t have been so affected. But Zhao Xinghua looked exactly like Zhou Wanniang, and she could somewhat guess the reason, which planted guilt in her heart.

When Zhou Wanniang appeared before her, begging for help, Madam Bai’s psychological defenses completely collapsed.

After helping, she feared that King Zhao would find out and bring trouble to the Hu family. Her excessive worry made her fall ill in bed.

Young Master Hu was a filial son, and his time in the town was perhaps the most carefree period of his life, thanks in no small part to Madam Bai’s indulgence of him.

He took a break from the academy to care for Madam Bai by her sickbed.

Madam Bai slept fitfully for two days and sent the servant girl Ruo Liu out of the room, leaving only the new young bride from their household inside.

Young Master Hu was aware of this young bride. She had been taken in by Hu Xianggong when they were still in their town, but she had reportedly been ill for some time, breaking out in a rash on her face, which kept her from appearing in public.

After the young bride left, Madam Bai summoned Young Master Hu and suddenly started talking about the food they had enjoyed in the town.

“Now that I think about it, it’s been nearly a year since I last had it. I wonder if I’ll ever taste those small crispy fish from the jar again.”

Young Master Hu felt a strange feeling rise within him. This was the first time Madam Bai had mentioned the items from Lin Chunyan’s stall since arriving in Bianjing.

Before he could fully understand it, Madam Bai clapped her hands and decided, “Have Shuxiang run an errand. And while he’s at it, send the young bride back to the old residence. I doubt the rash on her face will clear up anytime soon, and having her here is unsightly.”