A Good Country Wife
Chapter 389 - 383_1

Chapter 389: Chapter 383_1

"Yes, young master, this servant will go and prepare immediately," said Axin, somewhat curious about what good news had made her master so happy. Suddenly realizing something, she understood; the master’s repeated invitations to Zhao Erhu and his wife to come to the Capital City were not only for business matters. He wanted to see Lin Yue, didn’t he? Only matters concerning Lin Yue could be so heart-consuming for the master. Sadly, Luo Fu already had a husband, and the master’s affection could only go to waste.

Understanding her master’s feelings, even though Lin Yue was a married woman, Axin still referred to her as Miss Lin Yue, for fear of upsetting the master. But on second thought, even if Miss Lin Yue were still unmarried, her status would still be unfit for the master. Even becoming a concubine would mean reaching too high, let alone becoming the lady of the Jiang Family. The Jiang Family would never agree to it, and moreover, Axin had come to understand the character of Miss Lin Yue somewhat. How could such a bright and talented woman be willing to lower herself to become a lowly concubine in the Jiang Family? So, perhaps it was for the best that things were as they were now.

The more Axin understood Lin Yue, the less she held the initial contempt and disdain she once had, and she had come to admire Lin Yue more, sometimes not entirely siding with Jiang Ziqi on some thoughts.

Jiang Ziqi’s order to clean up the Qiwu Courtyard also caused a stir and speculation within the Jiang Family. The Qiwu Courtyard was not only an exquisitely built compound but also held special significance; it wasn’t a place just anyone could stay in. It was meant for the future head lady of the Jiang Family, and thus this valuable courtyard had always been empty since Jiang Ziqi’s own mother had passed away.

Now, without a wife yet, even though there were several concubines in the compound, Jiang Ziqi rarely paid them much attention, treating them as mere ornaments. His sudden move was enough to spark everyone’s guesswork and curiosity.

Most people in the Jiang Family believed that whoever was to move into the house must be a distinguished guest, and most likely the future lady of the house. There were those who were resentful, those who were indifferent, and those gleefully preparing to ingratiate themselves, but the ones who were most apprehensive were the several concubines of Jiang Ziqi’s household. Although they were currently out of favor, they lacked nothing in terms of food, clothing or spending, and were unsupervised; if the head lady arrived, they feared their lives would no longer be so comfortable.

At this time, Lin Yue was still busy packing. A trip to the Capital City was not easy, and she was also planning to stay there for some time. Social courtesies were unavoidable, which meant there was much to prepare. She couldn’t have imagined Jiang Ziqi making even more elaborate preparations than they were—before they even set foot in the Capital City, they had already caused quite a stir in the Jiang Family.

"Wife, are you still busy?" Zhao Erhu came back from outside and saw his wife working away alone in the workshop, sweat beading on her forehead. He tenderly wiped it away, feeling sorry for his wife who had been working so hard for the preparations to go to the Capital City, insisting on doing her best in person and exhausting herself in the process.

"Yes, I made another batch of Fragrant Soap to take to the Capital City, so I’ve had to put in a bit more effort," Lin Yue said with a smile. She already had quite a stock of Fragrant Soap left from the general store. Initially, considering costs and such, she had only made an average quality Fragrant Soap, better than what was sold in other shops, but not sophisticated in terms of ingredients or workmanship. If given to nobles, it would be too basic, so for the Capital City, she had to make a better batch.

"Wife, your hands are so skillful; you even made the Fragrant Soap look so lovely. It’s almost a pity to use it," admired Zhao Erhu, noticing the exceptional delicacy of the Fragrant Soap Lin Yue had made this time, unlike any he had seen before.

"Although our family has earned quite a bit of silver and is more prosperous than before, our foundation is still modest. We need to save for both turnover and household needs, and can’t afford recklessly spend. The most we can take out is a few thousand taels. There are many nobles in the Capital City, and the expenses are great. Where can one endure such spending? We should save where we can. Besides, the products from our family are of good quality. They’re much more presentable and sincere than buying other expensive gifts. Isn’t it the best of both worlds?"

Lin Yue spoke with a smile, saying without mentioning anything else, she had put a lot of effort into the Fragrant Soap, crafting them into various beautiful shapes and colors. The boxes used for the Fragrant Soap were also designed with great care, carved out of high-quality wood by Zhao Fuquan, unprecedented in Dazhou Country.

Lin Yue had seen the Fragrant Soap from the Capital City which Jiang Ziqi had sent as a festival gift, purportedly used by the Empress herself—from excellent materials and reputed to be very effective. Jiang Ziqi had made the special effort to send them to her from afar, which definitely could not match hers in terms of beauty and practicality. Even a mere piece of such Fragrant Soap would cost at least a few taels of silver. Wrapping them up neatly and giving them away would certainly be better than an ordinary gift.

When it came to gifts, Lin Yue had prepared not only Fragrant Soaps but also other valuable items, including various embroidered pieces she had finished, both large and small, which would probably sell for several tens to several hundreds of taels each on the outside. There were also three larger pieces she had always kept and not sold, which she brought along this time. Whether or not they would be needed in the Capital City was uncertain, but it was always good to be prepared.

After arranging all the household matters and packing everything up, it was already half a month later before Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue, along with several servants and several carts full of belongings, set out for the Capital City. Manager Liu’s group was also going to the Capital City, and they had agreed to travel together with Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue for mutual support on the road.

This was Lin Yue’s first time leaving Xin’an City since marrying into the family. The children were all reluctant to let her go, especially Dalang, who was temporarily staying with Zhao Dahu’s family, and was tearfully saying, "Mother, come back early. I’ll wait for you at home."

Lin Yue was also moved by her children’s emotions, "Don’t see us off anymore. Go back early. Dalang, take good care of your brother. All of you brothers must listen to Brother Erhu, study hard, do you understand?"

They set off early in the morning, and not long after, Lin Yue felt drowsy in the swaying carriage, curling up to take a nap on the carriage bed. By the time she woke up, more than two hours had passed, and they had already left Xin’an City. Lin Yue had never been outside Xin’an City, so she lifted the carriage curtain to look at the scenery outside. Since they were still not far from Xin’an City, there was nothing too different, and after watching for a while, she grew bored. Fortunately, Lin Yue knew the journey was long and had come prepared. She took out novels and a large bag of snacks and began to pass the time on her own.

She didn’t know when the carriage had stopped, and Lin Yue, engrossed in her book, only reacted when Zhao Erhu had already entered the carriage.

"Brother Erhu, why has the carriage stopped? Has something happened?" Lin Yue put down the book in her hands and asked, not knowing what was going on.