Chapter 365 - 366: Yang Muxiu

Chapter 365: Chapter 366: Yang Muxiu

Gu Wenheng understood with a single glance and smiled. "This must be the first challenger to come to our door since we arrived in Shangjing. It’s time to properly swat their paws away."

Hopefully, this show of force will serve as a deterrent, and those who are itching to make a move will retract their claws.

Jin Qianqian nodded in agreement. Lately, whenever she attended banquets, many people had hinted, both overtly and covertly, at wanting to buy into their business.

Everyone wanted to pick the ripe peaches, but it all depended on whether she, the owner, was willing to let them.

"There’s one more thing—the bookshop. We’ve received some rather interesting stories lately. I’ve already had the housekeeper pay for them, and at a very good price. After getting paid in silver, the scholars are in high spirits. I estimate we’ll be getting even more submissions soon.

The only issue is that hand-copying is too slow, and the printing costs are too high. I was wondering if we should..."

Gu Wenheng grabbed her hand. "Let’s hold off for now. The time isn’t right."

Jin Qianqian didn’t press the issue, simply nodding before bringing up other sundry matters.

Yang Muxiu, the steward from Sea City, arrived in Shangjing with the harvest from the estate.

Jin Qianqian glanced over the manifest. "This estate we traded with Prince Bai is quite good. Its yield is a full twenty percent higher than the others."

Yang Muxiu said, "Madam, most of that estate is prime farmland. The foreman is also a very skilled farmer, and he’s done an excellent job leading the tenants and managing the land."

Having earned his mistress’s praise, Yang Muxiu naturally wanted to credit the man who was truly responsible.

To this day, Jin Qianqian still felt a pang of regret that the trade had been so rushed she hadn’t had time to visit the estate in person.

"He certainly deserves a reward. Qing Mei, prepare a bonus for Housekeeper Yang to take back to the foreman.

Is everything all right with the courtyard back in Sea City?" Jin Qianqian was truly beginning to miss that southern residence and its warm spring weather.

Winter was fast approaching in Shangjing, and soon it would take a great deal of courage just to step outside.

"Everything is as it should be, Madam." Yang Muxiu hesitated for a moment, then continued, "However, Young Master Le’s younger brother-in-law has shown up to cause a scene several times, demanding that our estate return his sister to him."

Jin Qianqian frowned. "Don’t tell me Song Xiuyang hasn’t written to him this entire time?"

Yang Muxiu replied, "That, I do not know. But his tantrums can be quite extreme, and bystanders who don’t know the whole story are quietly accusing our household of bullying others with our status. I’m worried that if this continues, it will harm the family’s reputation."

The news that Gu Wenheng had become the top scholar in the imperial examinations had long since been spread by the local Yingshan Academy. As a result, his fame had grown, and with it, the value of everything associated with him—not just their current estate, but even the house they had previously rented.

When a person becomes famous, they naturally draw more attention. It was precisely because an increasing number of people were whispering and pointing fingers that Yang Muxiu felt he had to inform his master and mistress.

Jin Qianqian said, "Don’t hide the trouble that brother and sister caused in the past. Spread the story and let the public be the judge.

As for Song Xiuyang’s family, you can ignore them completely. People like that, you give them an inch and they’ll take a mile."

Yang Muxiu nodded. "I thought of that as well. After all, with you and the Master not being there, I was afraid he would use his status as a ’relative’ to slander your and the Master’s names all over town."

Jin Qianqian nodded in approval. "You’ve handled this well. If he goes too far, report him directly to the government. We can’t do anything that might feed his audacity."

Yang Muxiu agreed profusely. He shared a few more updates about Sea City before following Housekeeper Fu to go and rest.

Jin Qianqian looked over the dried seafood he had brought, selected some, and arranged for it to be sent as gifts to the few families they were closest with, thoughtfully tucking in a few recipes as well.

After a moment of thought, she also prepared a portion for Li Cuicui and some of the other elders in Gaoling Village. Figuring they couldn’t return home for their first New Year’s away, she decided she might as well prepare the annual gifts before the snow started.

Of course, included with these gifts was a family letter.

"Mother, are you going to Shangjing?" Liu Liu cried out after the letter was read. It was an invitation from her seventh sister-in-law, asking their mother to spend the New Year in Shangjing.

Li Cuicui looked at her daughters-in-law’s expectant faces. "You want to go, too?"

Liu Liu nodded eagerly. "Of course! It’s Shangjing! We could go with you, Mother, and take care of you on the way."

"Seventh Sister-in-law didn’t invite us. You’ve got some nerve wanting to tag along, Fourth Sister-in-law," Wang Caiyue said with a sneer. "Besides, they’re a prominent family now. I doubt they’d be willing to host poor relatives like you."

"You sound so bitter, Second Sister-in-law," Li Xiaohua shot back at once. "Stop with the snide remarks. Seventh Sister-in-law has been more than fair to you, so don’t you go talking behind her back.

Besides, you’d never understand the bond we have with Seventh Sister-in-law. How would you know she wouldn’t welcome us? And for the record, we’re not the ’poor relatives’ a certain someone mentioned."

As she finished speaking, Li Xiaohua held out her hands, flaunting fingers laden with rings and wrists adorned with glittering gold bracelets.

Wang Caiyue felt a rush of anger that nearly choked her. ’These sisters-in-law are unbelievable,’ she thought. ’Always getting all dolled up and flaunting it in my face. They’re doing it on purpose just to spite me!’

Seeing that they were about to start squabbling again, Li Cuicui cut in, "That’s enough. Stop bickering. I’m not going anywhere, I’m staying right here."

"Mother, this is a wonderful opportunity, and it’s so rare for Seventh Sister-in-law to invite you personally. It would be a real shame not to go," Xie Ruyi added, trying to persuade her. As a woman, and one who had become a mother-in-law herself, she had a deeper appreciation for Li Cuicui’s difficult life.

Managing her own three sons was exhausting enough; she couldn’t imagine how her mother-in-law had managed to endure all these years, especially with that vexing husband of hers.

’It suddenly clicked. Seventh Sister-in-law must be inviting Mother now because Father-in-law isn’t home yet. That has to be the reason she’s asking, right?’

"Exactly! You should go for a visit while the weather is still mild," Gu Yuanjin agreed. "If you like it there, you can stay longer. If you don’t, there are plenty of escort agencies to bring you back. The worst that can happen is you lose a few days traveling." He was also very much in favor of his mother getting out for a bit. If he weren’t so busy, he’d be tempted to go himself.

With so many people urging her on, Li Cuicui found herself genuinely tempted.

"It’s just... I would be troubling your seventh brother and his wife. I’d hate for an old woman like me to get in their way."

"Mother, how can you think that?" Gu Yuanshui said, moving closer to his mother and resting his hands lightly on her shoulders. "Seventh and his wife are the most filial of your children. They would be overjoyed to have you visit. If you’re worried, I can set my work aside and go with you."

"I think you’re all more excited about this than I am. Claiming you want to ’accompany’ me is just an excuse to go have a look for yourselves, isn’t it!" ’How could I not know the sons I raised?’ she thought. The moment Fourth spoke up, she had seen right through him.