Chapter 254: They’re All Cowards
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Did the horse-faced skirt originate from your shop?” “More or less,” Nanny Jin replied confidently.
“Do you have those shiny hair accessories?”
Upon hearing this, Jin Mama understood. “You’re from the capital, right?” “Yes, I have relatives in the capital. I’m staying there temporarily.” “A few years ago, our family stopped selling those.”
“That’s a pity. I was thinking of buying a couple of pieces to take back.”
“I’m sorry.”
The elegantly dressed lady walked over to Yue Hong, who was busy with her embroidery, and reached for the embroidery thread beside her.
“Your embroidery thread is unique, with bright colors and a variety of types.”
“We get these from our supplier.”
“From overseas?”
“It seems so.”
Nanny Jin noticed her inquisitiveness. She realized this visitor had a specific purpose in coming to their shop.
“Can I meet your mistress?”
“That’s not something we can decide. I’ll have to ask.”
“In that case, send someone to inquire. I’ll wait here.”
The elegantly dressed lady calmly sat down, with her maid standing respectfully behind her, fanning her with a fan.
Helpless, Nanny Jin signaled Yue Xia and hurried back to Lucky Garden. “Mistress, there’s a beautiful and noble lady in the shop who wants to meet you.”
“I won’t see her.”
Qiao Mai rejected without even looking up. Yue Xia opened her mouth but closed it, about to turn away.
“Ask her to come to the house.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Yue Xia couldn’t quite describe the impression she got from the elegantly dressed lady. It left her feeling somewhat uneasy, but she believed that such people were the ones the Mistress should handle.
When the lady heard that the Mistress wanted to see her at her house, she left the embroidery shop, returned to her carriage, and arrived at Lucky Garden’s gate.
With the main gate open, she and her entourage entered the compound. They were impressed by the clean and elegant mansion. The elegantly dressed lady nodded in satisfaction.
The maid led them into the living room and served tea before leaving.
It took a while, but Qiao Mai finally came from the backyard. When she saw the lady in the elegant dress, she didn’t show any surprise.
“What business do you have with me?”
The elegantly dressed lady smiled and introduced herself, “My name is Mu
Xuehua. I’m a noblewoman from the capital.’
“I haven’t heard of you. Just tell me why you’re looking for me.”
“I’ve heard your name for a long time and wanted to make your acquaintance.”
Qiao Mai raised an eyebrow, “I’m busy and don’t have time for making friends, nor do I intend to make friends with anyone.”
The elegantly dressed lady examined her, “Your skin is quite good. Do you use skincare products from overseas?”
Qiao Mai remained silent, looking at her until the elegantly dressed lady stopped her inquiries.
“Miss Mu, please get to the point.”
“I wanted to stay at your place and be friends with you.”
Qiao Mai stood up. “Servant, get these madwomen out of here!”
Just at that moment, the maid who had followed the elegantly dressed lady burst in and shouted, “How dare you throw out our county princess, you impudent servant!”
Qiao Mai looked coldly at the maid, treating her as if she were already dead.
“I dare to throw out a princess, let alone a county princess. Out!”
Several servants rushed in to remove them, but the man who had driven the carriage quickly jumped, flew into the yard, and shielded them.
Qiao Mai’s eyes finally showed a glint of interest. “Your coachman is quite skilled to have such a high level of martial arts.”
The elegantly dressed lady smiled wryly. “Sister Qiao, I didn’t mean any harm.” “Friendship should be mutual. I’m not interested in making friends with you.
You can leave. However, since he dared to fly into my yard, there must be a small punishment.”
She then delivered a light palm strike, and the confident coachman, taken aback by her skills, couldn’t react in time.
The palm strike hit his chest, sending him flying backward. He landed on the ground and struggled to get up, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
“You?”
“Next time, if you don’t enter through the main gate, I’ll take your life!”
The lady had no choice but to bear this. She had genuinely intended to befriend Qiao Mai, but it seemed her approach was wrong. Just as she was considering how to turn this situation around, Old Mistress Wang hurried over.
Seeing Miss Mu, she was immediately astonished.
“IS rms tne DUKe’S aaugnter, county princess Ivnngnuaf”
She felt as though she had seen a savior and immediately rushed to the old lady.
“Lady Pang, it’s me, Minghua. Greetings.” “Too many formalities. How is your grandmother’s health?”
“Thanks to your blessings, she is well.”
Qiao Mai rolled her eyes and flicked her sleeve. “Grandmother, I have matters to attend to in the backyard. She knows you, so it’s up to you to entertain her.
Staying in my house is impossible. Hmph.”
With that, she walked away, leaving the embarrassed old lady behind. It seemed that her presence had put Qiao Mai in a difficult position.
“Why are you here?”
“I’ve heard a lot about Madam Qiao’s reputation, the Lucky Embroidery Manor, and the Qiao’s Small Eatery, so I came to look.”
“I meant, how did you get here from the capital?”
“I’ve been stationed at the northern gate for a while as my father led the troops during the recent battle. After the victory, I came to pick him up.”
Old Mistress Wang seemed pleased, “So your father led the troops in this battle?”
“Of course. Who else would do so? They’re all cowards.”
“Is your father okay?”
“He got injured, but it’s not serious. He’ll return to the capital after a few more days of rest.”
“You came to make friends with Madam Qiao?”
“Yes, but she’s not interested.”
“Don’t push her. Everything is a matter of fate.”
“I understand, Lady Pang. I never thought I’d meet you here.”
“You’re a good child.”
Old Mistress Wang was fond of Minghua. Despite her status as a noble lady, she had no airs, which was regrettable. If they had met earlier, they wouldn’t have had this unpleasant confrontation.
“Since Sister Qiao doesn’t welcome me, I’ll leave.”
“Shall I have her send you some special products from our home?”
“That would be great.”
The old lady arranged for her to receive a carriage full of fine products.
Feeling somewhat puzzled, she found her way to the backyard. “Is it because of
Jiaru’s situation that you refuse to make friends?”
Qiao Mai shook her head. “Grandmother, what are you thinking? A stranger suddenly tells you, ‘I want to live at your house, and I want to be friends with you,’ and I should accept? Do I look that foolish?”
Hearing this, Old Mistress Wang couldn’t help but laugh.
“County Princess Minghua is indeed a good child. Despite her high status, she doesn’t act pretentious and is straightforward.”
“Jiaru was the same back then.”
“She’s different. She was spoiled by us while Ming Hua wasn’t.”
“However you put it, I don’t want to make friends anymore. I have many things to handle at home, not to mention the mess Yuan Jiaqi created for me. I can’t afford to befriend her.”
“Is the workshop in County She under construction?”
“Yes. When the workshop opens, I’ll visit regularly and select some trustworthy people to manage it.”
“Understood. You can keep busy. If that girl comes back, don’t drive her away like that.”
“She shouldn’t act so foolishly. If she were smart and approached my daughter to befriend her, I wouldn’t object.”
“Haha, you…”
And that was the end of this episode. That evening, when Nanny Jin had free time, she sought out Qiao Mai.
“Many people have been asking if we sell our embroidery thread.”
“We don’t sell it. We only provide work for our subcontractors. If anyone dares to cheat us by switching the embroidery thread, we won’t give them work anymore.”
“Why is that?”
“In the Ming Dynasty, tea, salt, fabric, and even thread were monopolized by major merchants. If we were to sell our thread, it would be like taking a piece of meat from someone else’s plate. Although I’m not afraid of them, I don’t want to deal with the trouble. There’s never enough money to earn. Living peacefully is the main thing.”
“I understand. I underestimated the situation.”
“That shop is just for Ling’er to practice. You can play with it, but we’re not looking for trouble.”
“Yes, Mistress..”
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