A Good Country Wife
Chapter 264 - 255 Not Easily Obtained_1

Chapter 264: Chapter 255 Not Easily Obtained_1

Zhao Lingxiang now prided herself on her status, so she was not willing to deal with just anyone. Therefore, she disdained the eagerly approaching Chunxi and had no intention of engaging with her. She had the servant drive the carriage away, telling him to pay her no mind.

"Wait, wait, Aunt Zhao, I have something to tell you. I know a lot about Zhao Erhu’s family matters, and I can tell you if you want to know," Chunxi originally wanted to keep some leverage for herself, but seeing Zhao Lingxiang’s attitude, she couldn’t care less and hurried after the carriage, shouting loudly. Sure enough, Zhao Lingxiang had the carriage stop upon hearing her words.

"Aunt Zhao, do you think what that woman said is true? Judging from her shabby and desperate appearance, how could she know the affairs of your brother’s family, especially such secret matters? She wouldn’t be deceiving us, would she?" Xiaocui sized up Chunxi with disdain.

"We have no other choice right now. Whether she’s telling the truth or lying, let’s just hear what she has to say. If she really knows something, it would be a great help to me. If she doesn’t, it’s just a waste of time. Anyway, we’re not in a hurry," Zhao Lingxiang actually hoped that what the woman said was true. That way, she wouldn’t have to work so hard to ingratiate herself with Zhao Erhu and his wife again, which was indeed a very frustrating matter.

"Hey, you there, come here. My master is allowing you to come forward and speak," Xiaocui, an arrogant maid, told Chunxi in a haughty tone. Chunxi quickly walked over, eager to please.

Zhao Lingxiang waited for Chunxi to come closer, then slowly began, "Who are you, and what is your relationship with Zhao Erhu’s family? Why did you stop me? What do you want to do?"

"Responding to Aunt Zhao, my name is Chunxi, and I am from Zhao Jingui’s household. I used to work for Zhao Erhu, and I got along quite well with his wife, Lin Yue. Unexpectedly, Lin Yue showed her true colors, vicious despite her kind face. Seeing that Zhao Erhu took a liking to me, she grew jealous and set me up several times, ruining my reputation. Thinking that Aunt Zhao might not know what kind of person Lin Yue is and that you might have been deceived by her, I specifically came to tell you," Chunxi replied.

Chunxi considered herself rather clever. Sensing that Zhao Lingxiang and Lin Yue did not get along, she deliberately said such words. She truly resented Lin Yue in her heart and intended to damage Lin Yue’s reputation. Furthermore, she aimed to align herself with Zhao Lingxiang, who appeared visibly annoyed upon leaving Zhao Erhu’s house earlier.

Zhao Lingxiang’s eyelids lifted slightly. Though she disliked Lin Yue, she had to admit that Lin Yue was very attractive. She could hardly believe that Zhao Erhu would neglect his own beautiful and delicate wife in favor of a woman like Chunxi, who was plain-looking and had already married once. Unless he had poor taste, moreover, she found that Chunxi did not seem to be honest and was probably besmirching the family out of spite.

However, for Zhao Lingxiang, whether Chunxi was telling the truth was not important; what mattered was her claim to know the recipe secrets of the Lin Family. She hoped the woman was not deceiving her. "I see, I also don’t think Lin Yue is good. Right, you said you know the recipe secrets for the food made by Zhao Erhu’s family. Is that true?"

"Of course, it’s real. How could I dare to deceive you, Lady Zhao? But I only know two simple recipes. The Lin Family is very cautious around me, and it was already quite difficult to learn these two recipes," Chunxi said pleasingly as she looked toward Zhao Lingxiang. She knew Zhao Lingxiang had taken the bait, but if Zhao Lingxiang wanted to get the recipes from her, she would have to offer a substantial reward.

"What are they? Let’s hear it. If it’s true, I will certainly give you a good reward," Zhao Lingxiang said disdainfully, seeing the greed in Chunxi’s eyes. However, in her mind, a woman like Chunxi, who was like a begging pauper, could be easily sent off with a few dozen copper coins; that was already a huge favor. Zhao Lingxiang hadn’t even considered giving more since, after all, her hands were not that loose with money; her monthly allowance was just so much. If she gave too much, she would feel the pinch too.

"Well, I naturally trust you, Lady Zhao, but it wasn’t easy for me to get these recipes. Whether you pay me now or later doesn’t make a difference to you," Chunxi, who was always scheming, was not so easily convinced by Zhao Lingxiang. She wouldn’t agree until the reward was safely in her hands. Until Zhao Lingxiang paid her, she wouldn’t reveal anything. Life in that family was unbearable, and the silver she had saved before was now tightly held by her mother-in-law. Whether Chunxi wanted to leave or do anything else, she needed money in her hands.

Zhao Lingxiang’s face grew unpleasant at Chunxi’s attitude. This woman was really not easy to deal with, and it seemed a few dozen copper coins wouldn’t do the trick. She coldly said, "Speak up then, name your price. How much do you want?"

"Lady Zhao, don’t be angry. I’ve said that this recipe was hard to come by. With this recipe, you are sure to gain much more. How about this amount?" Chunxi was actually weighing how much to ask for, and then she gestured with her fingers.

"What? It’s just a recipe, and you actually want five hundred copper coins? Your appetite is too big," said Zhao Lingxiang. Seeing the gesture that Chunxi made, she automatically translated it into such a large amount because, in her view, it was already plenty. She could never imagine that Chunxi was actually expecting fifty taels of silver, an utterly unimaginable amount.

When Chunxi heard Zhao Lingxiang’s response, she frowned. In the past, she would have considered five hundred copper coins a considerable sum, as her family was poor back then, and even when selling things at the market, making a few dozen copper coins was a lot. But now, things were different; Lin Yue had already inflated her expectations. When she had helped out with making zongzi at Lin Yue’s house for a few days, she earned five taels of silver.

Initially, Chunxi thought that as a noblewoman of the Wei Residence, Zhao Lingxiang must be very wealthy, not caring about such a small amount of silver. Therefore, she was prepared to ask for fifty taels and then bargain with Zhao Lingxiang. Unexpectedly, Zhao Lingxiang offered only five hundred copper coins, evidently unable to afford fifty taels of silver. This could jeopardize the whole deal, an opportunity Chunxi had finally found and couldn’t afford to lose. Well, if it had to be less, so be it.

"Five taels of silver—that’s all I want. That’s already the lowest price. Lady Zhao, you have seen the world with Master Wei, such a wealthy man. This recipe is only available from me. If it were someone else, they might have been willing to pay fifty taels. Lady Zhao, what do you think about this price? If it’s any less, then there’s no need to negotiate further. I’ll find someone else. After all, with the recipe in hand, I’m not worried about not being able to exchange it for silver," Chunxi said, her heart still uneasy. Only she knew that the recipe she had was incomplete, having only sneakily glimpsed it. It was only because Zhao Lingxiang was desperate for it now that she believed Chunxi.