A Good Country Wife
Chapter 172 Too Indifferent_1

Chapter 172: Chapter 172 Too Indifferent_1

Although the Magistrate’s wife felt regret, she knew that Lin Yue had first taken on an embroidery job from Jiang Ziqi and naturally did not dare to have any objections. She quickly said, "The matter entrusted by Divine Doctor Jiang is important. It won’t be too late for you to embroider for me when my sister has some free time."

Because of Zhao Erhu, Lin Yue had lost an opportunity to make money, so naturally, she did not intend to keep her frustration to herself. She wasn’t a foolish woman who silently sacrificed; even if she couldn’t make money, she still wanted Zhao Erhu to know what she had given up for him, to prevent him from taking her for granted in the future. Although it seemed like Zhao Erhu still cherished her quite a lot, she didn’t think it would be too much to be cherished even more.

"Okay, I know our Niuniu is the best behaved. To reward you, how about I take you out to buy some tasty snacks?" Zhao Erhu could not be too affectionate amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, so he just ruffled Lin Yue’s hair, finding her coquettish demeanor irresistibly adorable.

"Come on, Zhao Erhu, are you sweet-talking your daughter? It sounds so awkward. You can’t even speak romantic words properly. You really are an old man who can’t please anyone. Who cares about you buying me snacks? Can’t I buy them myself? Besides, the ones sold on the street aren’t as delicious as the ones I make myself." Now that Lin Yue was displeased, she called him Zhao Erhu this and Zhao Erhu that, no longer gently calling him Brother Erhu like before. Zhao Erhu missed Lin Yue’s docile demeanor somewhat, yet he was happier that Lin Yue was growing closer to him; hence, he was so casual.

"Then what do you like? How about I buy you a silver bracelet to wear, or a silver hairpin? Yeah, I should also buy you some hair accessories. There’s no need for a young lady like yourself to dress so plainly every day."

Lin Yue gave Zhao Erhu a disdainful look. "I think it’s you who wants to buy them." Ever since Zhao Erhu had combed her hair that one time, he had taken a liking to playing with her hair. Now, he combed her hair every morning, and the styles were growing ever more elaborate. He loved putting flowers in her hair. She really didn’t understand why he had such a great interest in it—if it wasn’t for her threats, he might have wanted to comb it several times a day. Just in those first couple of days, he’d combed and uncombed her hair endlessly, which was really annoying.

Lin Yue’s body didn’t have any serious problems; it was just that she had some hidden injuries left over from the past. Jiang Ziqi treated Lin Yue with acupuncture and herbal medicine for a few days and then stopped the treatment. The rest was up to Lin Yue to take good care of herself. After all, medicines are inherently toxic to some extent, and taking too much medicine is not beneficial.

The embroidery fabric transported from the Capital City had been delayed by a small accident on the road for two or three days. Upon arrival in Xin’an City, Jiang Ziqi personally delivered it. Lin Yue saw that it was all very rare fabric, a genuine treasure she had never encountered before.

Of course, a single embroidery piece wouldn’t use up so much fabric. Jiang Ziqi simply didn’t know which one would be most suitable, so he had the best materials from Jiang Residence’s storehouse transported for her. They were laid out before Lin Yue, allowing her to freely choose and create. Moreover, he brought double portions of each fabric, just in case Lin Yue accidentally ruined one; there would be replacements available.

What surprised Lin Yue most was the inclusion of two rolls of bright yellow fabric. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty didn’t impose such strict limitations on the colors used by officials and citizens, it was clear that bright yellow was a color only the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Queen were allowed to use. Unless expressly permitted by the Emperor, not even royal relatives had the privilege of using it; misusing this color was a serious crime punishable by beheading. The status of the person for whom Jiang Ziqi intended the gift was thus self-evident.

The person who liked collecting embroidery must be a woman, and within the Great Zhou Dynasty, only the Empress Dowager and the Queen had that privilege. Considering her age, the only logical possibility was the Empress Dowager. Lin Yue wanted to confirm her guess from Jiang Ziqi, as embroidering for the Empress Dowager and embroidering for just anyone was not the same. Not only would the choice of the fabric’s color differ, but so too would the selection of patterns and motifs. Some motifs held special significance and were only permissible for someone of the Empress Dowager’s status; it would be a grave offense for anyone else to use them.

"Brother Jiang, I have a presumptuous question to ask you. If possible, could you let me know the identity of the person you’re giving the gift to?" Lin Yue had a bold idea after guessing the identity of the person, but she needed to confirm their status before she dared to proceed. After all, in this era of strict hierarchy and supreme imperial power, there were many taboos that could not be ignored.

Jiang Ziqi didn’t know what Lin Yue meant by asking this question and looked at her intently, wondering what could be on her mind.

Lin Yue thought Jiang Ziqi might be suspicious of her. "You don’t have to worry. I don’t have any ulterior motives. It’s just that I have some ideas for the embroidery, but I must confirm the person’s identity first before I proceed. Is that person the Empress Dowager?" Lin Yue asked her last question cautiously.

The Empress Dowager’s birthday was not a secret. People from the upper echelons knew about it, and with a little effort, anyone could find out. It was just that Lin Yue, who had lived in the countryside, had little access to such information. Telling her wasn’t a problem, he refrained from doing so only because he didn’t want Lin Yue to lose her composure upon knowing that she would be embroidering for the Empress Dowager, which might affect her performance.

Jiang Ziqi didn’t expect Lin Yue to guess the answer beforehand, which surprised him. However, on second thought, it was not so surprising given the many clues he had inadvertently revealed, and Lin Yue was no ordinary rural girl. She was smart and perceptive, so her guess was quite normal.

Jiang Ziqi nodded in affirmation. "You’ve guessed correctly. That person indeed is the mother of the current Emperor, the present Empress Dowager Huici. The tenth day of the twelfth lunar month is the 50th birthday of Empress Dowager Huici, and the embroidery piece is prepared for her."

Although Lin Yue had her suspicions, the personal confirmation from Jiang Ziqi still excited her. This was the mother of the nation’s highest leader, the most honored woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty. She, a mere commoner, had the opportunity to embroider for the Empress Dowager. Back in her modern life, she had never even met a county or provincial official, so how could she not be thrilled? However, her excitement went only that far, and no further.

Jiang Ziqi found Lin Yue’s slight excitement to be quite understated, considering most people in her shoes would have been overjoyed to the point of thanking their ancestors on bended knee. This woman always surprised him, made him...

"By the way, I’ve brought these fabrics for you to pick from. See which you think is most suitable?" Jiang Ziqi let Lin Yue choose, and after a while, she selected a piece of white fabric. Originally, she wanted to choose bright red, which was auspicious and most fitting for a congratulatory gift, but it didn’t align with the pattern she had in mind and wasn’t conducive to showcasing her best work. It was also a bit cliché. In the end, she chose the white Luminous Moonlight Silk.

As for the rest of the fabric, Jiang Ziqi showed no intention of taking them back to the Capital City. Instead, he left them with Lin Yue to handle. The Jiang Family had deep roots, and although these fabrics were rare treasures, Jiang Ziqi didn’t consider them important enough to be so petty as to transport them back to the Capital City.