"Look, a carriage!"
"Goodness gracious, one with a canopy, what sort of VIP has come to visit with such a carriage? I’ve only ever seen one like this in the county town, you know, that time I went there."
"We know, we know; you’ve been boasting about it for a year now. Just because you’ve been to town, you strut around like a peacock."
"What do you mean strutting around? The city is indeed better than our village; there are so many rich people there, really. You should go to the city when you have the time. Even there, you hardly see such luxurious carriages!"
"Yeah, I remember the Yu Biao family had one, but they only had a mule pulling it—not at all like this one."
"Why even mention the Yu Family? They’re done for. And who else can afford such carriages, anyway?"
"Let me tell you, these horses are so precious. Just the daily feed costs 30 to 40 cents."
"30 to 40 cents? Are these horses eating gold or silver? A family of four like us doesn’t even spend that much in a day!"
"What do you know? These horses are prized; they have to be fed beans!"
"Beans! My lord, I haven’t even had beans to eat."
"Do you think it’s as simple as just feeding them beans? Those big households keep horses in a special stable, along with saddles, carriages, and even a dedicated groom. It’s really luxurious care that we commoners can’t even imagine."
"Sounds more troubling than raising a child!"
"Raising a child? How much does your child cost? Do you know how much a horse costs? You can’t compare the two."
At this, everyone fell silent.
Just then, someone shouted, "Hey, look, that carriage—it appears to be heading to Jiu Si’s home!"
"Eh, really? It really is going to Jiu Si’s place."
"It stopped, it stopped!"
The commoners of Xiantao Village still held onto their excellent traditions of loving a spectacle.
Especially when a carriage as splendid as this one appeared in the impoverished hamlet, it truly was a sight to behold.
At that moment, the carriage came to a halt, the curtains flung open, and Si Xi quickly removed the horse stool from the carriage pole and placed it on the ground. He then cautiously said to Chen Jie, who was getting off, "Fifth Master, please take your time."
Chen Jie replied, "Hmm! Do wait outside for a moment."
"Of course."
Si Xi was all smiles, presenting the peak of courteous service.
Meanwhile, inside the dilapidated courtyard of Chen Jie’s family, the hedge couldn’t block the outside view. Sitting in the corner and watching ants was Daisy, who turned around and saw the magnificent carriage.
She exclaimed, "Sister, a carriage, a big carriage stopped right outside our home."
Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin was startled. She came to the door only to see Chen Jie alighting from the carriage.
Then she heard Daisy excitedly shouting, "Wow, it’s brother-in-law, it’s brother-in-law!"
Daisy joyously called out and then stood up, arms wide, shouting, "Brother-in-law."
Chen Jie heard the voice and saw Daisy.
"Ruirui."
Chen Jie picked up Ruirui, and the latter excitedly looked at the large carriage in front of her, "Brother-in-law, whose carriage is this? It’s so pretty!"
Chen Jie laughed and said, "This carriage came to pick up Ruirui."
"To pick me up? Haha, can I go up and see it?"
"Certainly, but be careful; don’t fall."
Saying this, Chen Jie lifted Ruirui into the carriage and told Si Xi, "Brother Si Xi, please take care of her."
"Fifth Master, rest assured, the miss will be fine here."
At this time, Ruirui crawled into the carriage and discovered how spacious it was, able to comfortably fit three or four people without crowding, and there was even a small table with a fruit plate on it, filled with fruits.
Ruirui’s eyes lit up as she looked at the peaches in the fruit plate, "Can I eat these?"
Si Xi outside replied, "Of course, Miss, please help yourself."
"I’m not a Miss; my name is Ruirui."
Daisy corrected, and Si Xi smiled without saying anything.
At that time, the people outside also moved closer, and Chen Jie nodded to the crowd before entering the yard.
Su Yunjin stood at the door, partly proud and partly anxious, seeing the crowd gather; the carriage was simply too luxurious.
Even at the peak of the wealthy Chen family, they never had such a carriage; at most they kept a little donkey, and their usual transportation was a donkey cart, which was already considered wealthy in the village.
Horses, they were just too valuable.
Especially since the court imposed restrictions on horses from the South, making the cost of transporting a horse from the North exorbitantly high. Even the worst nags cost upward of eighty taels.
A slightly better horse could cost hundreds of taels.
And that didn’t even include the cost of keeping the horse.
Thus, even the worldly Su Yunjin found herself amazed.
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"Lord, this carriage?"
Su Yunjin asked Chen Jie, to which Chen Jie replied, "Oh, it’s to take us into town."
Su Yunjin said, "This carriage, to take me?"
Su Yunjin looked down at her clothes, still darned with patches, and tugged on the hem, feeling a sense of inferiority.
Chen Jie continued, "Who else but you? Also, go inside and put on the new clothes I bought you. Later, when we’re in town, I’ll find a maid for my wife, so you don’t have to worry about the washing and cooking."
Su Yunjin replied, "There’s no need, my Lord. The maids are too expensive, and the housework isn’t too much; I can manage."
Chen Jie said, "We will be new to the town and need to be careful with our spending."
Hearing this, Chen Jie reassured, "Yes, yes, you’re right, wife. But please go and change; you will meet Sect Master Peng with me shortly."
Su Yunjin nodded understandingly, knowing that she must dress and groom herself before meeting someone important; it was about respecting both herself and others.
Su Yunjin quickly went inside and started applying makeup simply.