Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

Liu Xin recalled what happened in the past few days and said with a smile: "She is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. Moreover, I saw that she took care of the children these days while embroidering a round fan. She said it was a thank you gift for us."

"Then I will own a round fan embroidered by Ruan?" Xing'er could not hide her anticipation on her face.

Ruan embroidery is comparable to the embroidery techniques of today's Southern embroidery.

Since the decline of Ruan embroidery, the Bai family's Yun embroidery was directly renamed Nan embroidery, becoming the number one embroidery technique from Yongze Prefecture to the entire southern part of Dongsheng.

If Liu Xin could accept Ruan Jinxiu, and if Ruan Jinxiu was still willing to teach her, it would be difficult for her not to become a big shot in the future.

Thinking of this, Liu Xu immediately looked at Liu Xin: "Sister Erya, please find an opportunity to test her as soon as possible to see if she is willing to go with you."

They had stayed in Jia County long enough, it was time to set off.

Liu Xin nodded upon hearing this.

No matter what, she had to convince Ruan Jinxiu to go with her. Ruan Jinxiu cared most about her daughter now, so she thought that starting from the child, she should succeed, right?

At this time, Ruan Jinxiu was embroidering round fans for Liu Xu and the others in the guest room of the outer courtyard. She had no idea that her family's secret, which had been buried for decades, had been exposed.

It was not until the fifth day that Liu Xin came back with a smile on her face, holding the contract she and Ruan Jinxiu had signed.

"Sister Ruan agreed. She is willing to follow me for the next ten years."

"Will she teach you?" Xing'er asked impatiently.

Liu Xin's smile became even brighter. "Well, Sister Ruan said that she would only give me ten years. How much I can learn is up to me, but she will teach me everything she knows."

Having said this, she paused and looked at Liu Xu: "But Xu'er, she has a condition..."

Liu Xu motioned for her to continue.

"Sister Ruan hopes that I can make the truth about the Ruan family's decline public and completely destroy the Ruan family in Yongze Prefecture. She wants to seek justice for grandma and father."

She doesn't have the ability to do this now, so she can only ask Liu Xu for help.

Liu Xu nodded when she heard this, "It's not difficult."

He immediately asked Qi Chun to send someone to deal with it.

Then, Liu Xu said to Liu Xin: "Sister Erya, our next stop should be Yongze Prefecture. I'm afraid it's not suitable to bring Ruan Niangzi and her daughter with us for the time being..."

Liu Xin nodded. "I know. I've discussed it with her. When we leave, we'll send her on the boat back to Qinghe County. I'll write her a letter and ask her to stay at my house for a while."

Liu Xu shook her head and said, "Let her go to Mufeng Academy to find Aunt Qu. Ni'er can go there to study. As for her, she can be an ordinary needlework teacher in the academy before we go back."

Liu Xin's eyes lit up and he readily agreed.

Two days later, Liu Xu and others set off again, and Ruan Jinxiu also took her daughter on board the ship to Qinghe County.

Considering that she was a young woman with a daughter, Liu Xu asked a guard to accompany her back.

At the same time, Han Duoduo also asked them to take a letter back to Chang Yifei, asking him to send someone to learn the craftsmanship of making these snacks.

She and Xing'er went to eat in almost the entire Jia County three times in the past two days, and finally picked out four delicious snacks.

Liu Xu's advice to her at the time was to let her set up her own store and then divide it into several small counter rooms, which could then be rented out and generate income.

After stopping and walking along the way, it took them ten days to finally reach the capital of Yongze Prefecture - Lanze Prefecture.

As soon as they entered the city, everyone was attracted by the prosperous scene before them.

There are many shops on both sides of the street, and pedestrians are constantly flowing. Especially those cloth shops, which display all kinds of exquisite cloths with colorful and high-quality materials.

After the carriage entered the city, Liu Xu asked Qi Chun to take people to find a place to stay, and they got off the carriage first.

"Wow, look, these fabrics are so beautiful!" Han Duoduo ran into a fabric shop excitedly, her fingers gently touching a piece of smooth silk.

Liu Xu, Liu Xin and others also followed in, and saw that the store was filled with all kinds of fabrics, including soft cotton, gorgeous brocade, and delicate gauze.

"Girls, these are the newest products in our store. They are all specialties from Nanzhou." The store owner introduced enthusiastically.

Yongze Prefecture was called Nanzhou in the previous dynasty, and included Yongyue Prefecture, so the local people called themselves Nanzhou people.

Liu Xin picked up a piece of cotton cloth embroidered with exquisite patterns, her eyes full of love, "This piece of cloth will definitely look good when used to make clothes."

Liu Xu and the others were also picking and choosing. "This one is also good. The color is elegant and the texture is soft."

"I like this pattern, and this one..."

"This is soft in texture and the color is stain-resistant, perfect for making clothes for Brother Xing!"

"This, this..."

It was just a cloth shop, and the few people bought half a horse carriage. Fortunately, Qi Chun was very efficient and sent someone to inform them of their accommodation in no time.

There were people from the secret guard camp in Yongze Prefecture who prepared the courtyard in advance.

After paying the money and giving the owner the address, the group prepared to shop around for a while.

As I walked out of the cloth shop, a burst of fragrance hit my nose.

The foodie duo immediately became excited and ran out following the smell.

Lan Ze Prefecture is worthy of being the city second only to Shengjing. Compared with Shunxing Prefecture, the gap is like the gap between first-tier and third-tier cities.

As the richest state in Dongsheng, this place is not only prosperous in business, but also a famous Jiangnan water town. The rivers are crisscrossed and boats shuttle leisurely through them. People often rely on small boats to travel. The boatmen row skillfully and hum local songs, leisurely and contented.

The pace of life here is slow and the literary style is flourishing. Teahouses can be seen everywhere, and scholars and literati leisurely sip tea, talk about things, or recite poems and compose essays.

The customs here are also very different from those in Yongshun Prefecture. People are gentle and polite, and neighbors get along well with each other. From time to time, you can see groups of people gathering in the streets and alleys, chatting about family matters or sharing their recent experiences.

Most of the women are gentle and beautiful, speaking softly and showing elegance in their gestures, while the men are hardworking and down-to-earth, managing their own livelihoods.

Yongze Prefecture has a very developed handicraft. In addition to exquisite embroidery, there are also beautiful wood carvings and bamboo weaving.

In the shops on the street, craftsmen are working on site. Most of these people’s skills have been passed down for a long time, and every piece of work reflects their love for life and pursuit of beauty.

In terms of food, Lan Ze Prefecture had far more options than Jia County where they had stayed before.

In addition to street snacks, there are also a variety of exquisite pastries and special dishes.

For Han Duoduo and Xing'er, this was like a mouse falling into a rice jar.

It was already mid-afternoon when they entered the city, and after some strolling around it was already sunset.

Han Duoduo had come to Yongze Prefecture with Chang Yifei before, but unfortunately she had something else to do at the time and was unable to take a closer look.

However, she knew that the busiest time in Lan Ze Mansion was not during the day, but after nightfall.

"Let me tell you, they don't have a curfew here at night. See that over there?"

Afraid that they didn't understand, she pointed with her finger, "Do you see that? That's the most famous red-light district in Lanze Prefecture. I heard that the courtesans and famous actresses there are all as pretty as fairies, with skin as white as cream, and..."

"Wait!" Liu Xu interrupted her and raised her eyebrows and asked, "Senior Sister, how did you know?"