Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 111 - 109: The First 5 Cities Chronicles

Chapter 111: Chapter 109: The First 5 Cities Chronicles

Only after the villagers had gone to watch the excitement did Mrs. Liu call out Xu Wenhui. Before this, she had Yun’er accompany her in the room, forbidding her to come out so as not to upset her, and to avoid any quarrels with Zhuang Linshi.

"Wen Hui, I’m sorry. This ordeal has involved you unnecessarily because of me." Mrs. Liu felt that her good intentions had led to bad results.

"I know that you truly wanted to help me, Big Sister. It’s all my fault. The disgrace I carry has affected all of you..." Xu Wenhui lowered her head, sniffling a little.

She had experienced the warmth and coldness of human relationships for so many years. Who had actually cared for her, could she not tell? She had attempted suicide before to prevent her disgrace from tainting their reputation, yet people dared to link her with Shen Brother Three... It was so embarrassing she could barely face them.

There were not many people left in the world who cared for her. She sincerely did not want to drag them through the mud! Reputation was really important. Without it, she was homeless, subjected to taunts and sneers, even affecting those close to her.

"Miss Xu, the solution just now was temporary. If you are not willing, after a few days when these things calm down, you can personally end the engagement. This would be better for you." The foreman, Liang, initially found her suitable to be his wife, but now he also pitied her.

"Do you really want to marry me, aren’t you afraid of my bad reputation?" Xu Wenhui couldn’t understand why he would want her.

"Yes, genuinely. I’ve never cared about reputation. It’s always what others say, though I have my own eyes." He didn’t have a good reputation when he was poor either.

Now that everyone saw his life improving, all the negative talk about him from before had disappeared! All you need to do is live your life well, that’s the key!

The two of them were in a similar plight.

When Xu Wenhui recalled the words she had heard him say inside, "I just want to marry her, I don’t want anyone else, no matter how good they are!" She couldn’t deny feeling touched, even though she wasn’t sure if he meant it. But she was moved nonetheless!

She thought for a moment, then nodded and whispered: "Alright."

She had already ’died’ once and was then brought back to life. There was a chance her life could change, she did not want to give up.

From now on... things were already this way, how worse could it become! Having realized this, she let go of her worries.

"It’s only me in my family too, I also have the rumors of having a curse that led to the death of my parents and children. If you don’t mind, I promise to treat you well... you’ve agreed?" Foreman Liang was a bit nervous. He was proposing for himself, which was rather embarrassing. It took him a while to realise that she had already agreed!

"This is indeed a double celebration!" Mrs. Liu exclaimed happily.

"I will go find the matchmaker right now. Tomorrow, I’ll send folks over to propose formally!" After saying this, Foreman Liang left in a hurry, walking on air.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Li returned home and informed Mrs. Shen of the developments. Neither Mrs. Shen nor Mr. Shen had attended the feast. Mrs. Shen knew that her sister-in-law would lead people over, so she didn’t go. She was aware this matter wasn’t upright, there would surely be a commotion later on. As for her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Shen had helped her sister-in-law look for one, whether or not she could bring one home depended on her own abilities!

Mr. Shen advised her to not interfere, lest it affected their relationship with their third son’s family. He was certain this wouldn’t work out. Even though she didn’t think it would affect their relationship, she realized that their third son was no longer obedient as before, this probably wouldn’t work out. Moreover, she was afraid her sister-in-law might lose face and quarrel with her at the spot!

Mr. Shen knew that Zhuang Linshi was going and he also disagreed with this matter, so he didn’t go to the feast. Alas, a disobedient wife and an unfilial son, they were always doing things he disapproved of!

Now, hearing from Mrs. Li that Zhuang Linshi had arranged for the new resident Mr. Ding’s wife exchange, he didn’t care, it had nothing to do with him. But, "Foreman Liang is betrothed to the Xu girl? How did he take a liking to her?"

He had thought about proposing Shen Yuzhu to Foreman Liang. Foreman Liang’s parents were not around, he was all alone. If Shen Yuzhu married him, she wouldn’t need to serve her parents-in-law nor do any farm work.

However, Zhuang Linshi vehemently disagreed! So he let the matter rest!

"A widower paired with a discarded wife, they are indeed a perfect match!" Mrs. Shen said disdainfully upon hearing the news. She despised both of them!

A man who even refused to marry his cousin, that doom-bringer, Foreman Liang actually fancied her! It was like a turtle looking at a toad!

On the fifth day of the New Year, the entire Minze Country was incredibly bustling! No matter which county or town, today was the market day! This was the first market day after the New Year!

Xiao’er’s furniture shop opened on this day as well.

The opening of the furniture shop didn’t have gimmicks like the toy shop to attract attention from everybody.

Furniture is unlike other commodities - it requires a hefty sum of money to purchase, but once acquired, it can last a lifetime! Especially if it’s made from top-tier wood.

Many people order custom-made furniture for their children’s wedding.

Perhaps because refrigerators don’t exist in this time, most joyous events are held at the beginning and end of the year. The weather is too hot in summer, leftover food can’t be stored and is likely to spoil, causing wastage! The folks from farming households would never allow such waste!

This is the beginning of the year, the peak season for custom furniture orders!

The furniture shop had not been open for long, yet it had already received five orders; all to be collected at the end of the year.

These customers weren’t originally planning to buy any furniture. They had just happened to pass by and were so captivated by the unique pieces in the shop that they couldn’t resist placing orders.

A lady and a young maiden walked in, followed by two maidservants.

"Mother, what’s this chair? It’s so unique!" The maiden asked, pointing at a set of leather sofas.

"This is a leather sofa. Miss, you can try sitting on it, it’s very comfortable. This set was specially designed for our shop, it’s the only one of its kind in the whole of Minze Country." Xiao’er explained with a smile.

Both of them tried sitting on it, "Mother, it’s so comfortable! I want to buy a set for my wedding! It’d be so cosy to sit on it during winter."

"Haven’t we already placed orders for your wedding furniture?"

"Those pieces aren’t anything special! They’re so stiff and uninspiring! Is this a bed? Wow! This bed is so comfortable! It looks so beautiful, it makes me want to sleep right away! Mother, I’m going to buy this bed too!" The maiden walked up to a bed and sat down.

"The quilt and the bedsheet are so pretty! Mother, I want..."

"You want to buy them, right? Mother understands." The woman looked helplessly at her animated daughter.

"Is this a wardrobe? You move the door by pushing it, how distinctive! Mother..."

"I know, I know. You want to buy this too, right? My dear girl, we have already ordered your wedding furniture! You can only buy one piece; you can’t buy all of it. What about the orders we placed previously?"

"Mother, I’m going to be married soon, how much more will you be able to buy for me after that..." Her eyes welled up as she spoke.

"You can buy them! Buy whatever my treasure desires." Seeing her daughters’ eyes tear up, the woman quickly comforted her.

The maiden smiled brightly after hearing this, then went off to check out the other pieces.

"How much for the furniture that my daughter wanted earlier?" The woman finally asked.

"The leather sofa is 1,000 taels. The bed, along with the bedding, is 600 taels, and the wardrobe is 500 taels. As our shop just opened today, every purchase worth 1,000 taels comes with a 50 taels cash coupon, which can be used the next time you shop, as long as the article in question costs no less than 50 taels."

"What! It’s that expensive?" The woman frowned. If she were to buy everything, it would cost more than 2,000 taels, and she had already placed orders for over 1,000 taels worth of furniture! Although her household was wealthy, her husband disliked extravagance and waste.

"Mother, I really love this desk and bookshelf, I..."

"My dear girl, we can’t buy more. That set of furniture costs over 2,000 taels!"

At this moment, a young man and woman walked into the shop.

"Brother, the furniture here is so distinctive, warm, and elegant. I want to replace my wedding furniture with these!" The woman pointed to the few pieces of furniture the previous maiden had declared an interest in.

"Sure, as long as you’re happy!"