A Good Country Wife
Chapter 454 - 448_1

Chapter 454: Chapter 448_1

Although Zhao Xinglin had decided to work with Zhao Erhu, the matter of returning to the countryside remained unchanged. There was no longer a need for him to go to the government office every day, and naturally, there was no need to live in the city. Residing in the village would also allow him to cultivate those few acres of land, achieving self-sufficiency without having to spend money on purchases. A deeper concern was that if he went south with Zhao Erhu, leaving his wife and children alone in the city was somewhat worrisome. It would be better to return to Zhao’s village, where the neighbors could look out for one another so that they wouldn’t be completely unaware if something were to happen.

Zhao Xinglin was well aware that the person he had offended in the government office had finally, as he wished, become an arrest officer, and was very likely to come knocking for trouble. Hadn’t it been for that man’s obstruction and collusion with Master Wei, he would not have been unable to find work all this time, so being guarded was necessary.

After Zhao Erhu and the others had returned for so many days, Master Wei finally received the news and came to Zhao Lingxiang with two purposes in mind: firstly, to discuss Zhao Erhu’s affairs, as Master Wei was still not giving up on Zhao Erhu’s recipe for ingredients, and secondly, to visit his son. Though frail at birth, a late-born child is always adored, and it wasn’t easy for Master Wei to have a son at his age, so he couldn’t help but check in on him at Zhao Lingxiang’s courtyard every few days.

It was no surprise to Zhao Lingxiang that Master Wei had come. She now truly understood the difference between a woman in a grand household with or without a son. Now, favored by Master Wei and with a son to depend on, there was nothing more satisfying to her. The only regret was that she couldn’t get rid of that poisonous woman, the wife.

"Master is here. The child was just fed by the wet nurse and is now sleeping soundly. Should I bring him to see Master? He was frail at birth but is getting stronger as he grows. He looks like someone who will be blessed," Zhao Lingxiang was shrewd enough to know that much of Master Wei’s fondness for her actually hinged on the child, so she never forgot to use her son to ingratiate herself further in Master Wei’s presence.

"No need, let him sleep. Come and sit with me." Normally Master Wei would certainly want to see his own son, but today he had things on his mind and thus gestured for the concubine Zhao to come over.

"Master, is there something you came for today?" Zhao Lingxiang found Master Wei’s behavior a bit out of the ordinary and cautiously inquired as she massaged his shoulders, gauging his expression.

"Have you returned to your parental home these days? Have you heard any news?" Master Wei was quite satisfied with Zhao Lingxiang’s skillful care, and he asked languidly with a squint.

Zhao Lingxiang didn’t know why Master Wei was asking, but she was aware that her travels could be tracked by Master Wei, and there was no need to hide them. Indeed, she had been visiting her family rather frequently. Assuming that Master Wei wanted to warn her, she was surprised by his last sentence, realizing that something unknown to her might have happened in Zhao’s village. "I haven’t been back for some days, the last time was half a month ago. Has Master heard something?"

"Nothing much, it’s just that I heard that your half-brother from the same father has returned from the Capital City. If you aren’t occupied, you should visit your family more often to find out news about their household. Master is determined to obtain that recipe. As for the child, he is too young to take out, so let the wet nurse take care of him." Master Wei did not yet know that now Zhao Erhu’s family was beyond his means to provoke, and even Ceng Lu would have to weigh the consequences before meddling with Zhao Erhu’s lot, let alone he who merely flaunted borrowed power by clinging to Ceng Lu, appearing to others as nothing more than an underhanded businessman, unnotified by anyone, and forgotten by Ceng Lu himself.

"What? You mean Zhao Erhu and his wife are back? Rest assured, Master, I shall visit Zhao’s village tomorrow to inquire." Having received instructions from Master Wei, Zhao Lingxiang was left with no room to refuse. Now in a position of advantage, she was eager to flaunt her authority before Zhao Erhu and his wife. If it were not for the late hour, she would have wished to return to Zhao’s village right away, as she remembered how they had disdained her in the past and was determined to get her revenge.

These last few days, Lin Yue had been first helping the Han Family, who had moved back to the village, to settle in, and then had spent time delivering the specialty items brought from the Capital City to every family, targeting those with whom she had close relationships. After completing these deliveries, she became busy once more.

Zhao Erhu had decided to set sail, and besides preparing some goods, most of the procurement was left to Zhao Erhu himself, since the Princely Heir of Marquis of Zhenbei, busy with his official duties and amidst complicated matters of the Marquis’s household, could not spare too much time for this. The Princely Heir would handle the necessary matters for appearance sake, and the rest had to be entrusted to Zhao Erhu. It was precisely because of such circumstances that the Princely Heir had thought of collaborating with Zhao Erhu initially.

Setting sail was no small feat, and naturally required the purchase of a large quantity of goods to fill the ship. Zhao Erhu had a rough idea from the Princely Heir that the barbaric countries of the East Ocean were fond of Dazhou’s furs, embroidered items, and tea, which fetched high prices there. The rest was up to his own discretion, and since Jiangnan produced a wide variety of such goods, Zhao Erhu was intending to head south for procurement.

Lin Yue felt that not only Zhao Erhu should be involved in the procurement, but also the items ready at home could be prepared and shipped to the East Ocean along with the others. She was very confident in herself—their family’s goods were values even in the Imperial Palace by the Princess, so they would undoubtedly be well received in the East Ocean; after all, everyone loves quality products.

Lin Yue focused on making various soaps and embroideries, two areas where she was most confident. Non-perishable food items could also be prepared, and although unsure of the tastes of East Ocean inhabitants, some could be taken along for selling as a test. If they sold well, it could be another lucrative avenue.

Considering the travels, it would take around a month for Zhao Erhu to journey south and prepare the goods, with an estimated three additional months before departure.

Three months was neither too long nor too short. It was plenty of time to prepare soaps and food items, but for embroidery, time was tight. Large embroidered pictures were too time-consuming, so Lin Yue could only opt for smaller, more exquisite designs. Her most distinctive and proudest skill was double-sided embroidery, and importantly, such a unique technique could fetch a high price if showcased.

In Dazhou, Lin Yue still had reservations about showcasing her Double-sided Three Unique Embroideries, fearing that her unique skill might lead to trouble if investigated. However, selling them in East Ocean would pose no issue at all. Even if those foreigners marvelled at her embroidery prowess, they would simply by it for a high price rather than inquire about its origin. Given the vast ocean between them, even if they wanted to investigate, they wouldn’t know where to start, and it would pose no threat to her family.