Ugly girl only wants to farm

Cailian noticed that her young mistress looked listless and couldn't muster any energy for anything. Her previous chance encounter with Meng Jiuhe at the academy had also failed to bring her the desired result.

That person was like someone with oil on their feet; they would disappear without a trace as soon as school was over.

Cailian cautiously suggested, "Miss, why don't we go to the silk shop up ahead? I heard they've got a batch of fabric from Jiangnan. The clothes they make will definitely be beautiful. They'll definitely outshine that second young lady. Even though she stole your fabric, she doesn't have your figure or your looks, so she won't look good in anything. Unlike you, Miss, with your graceful figure and first-rate looks, even ordinary fabric looks like a fairy descended from heaven on you."

Cailian said a lot of nice things in one breath, and Qiao Yue's expression finally improved a little.

She was delighted by Cailian's words, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile: "You really know how to talk to make me happy. Unlike that brat Caihe, who just keeps to herself and does nothing but work like a block of wood. If it weren't for the fact that we grew up together, I would have sold her off long ago."

Cailian quickly nodded: "Yes, our young lady is kind-hearted and beautiful."

Qiao Yue took out a small bronze mirror from her person and looked at herself in it again and again. Finally, she nodded with a satisfied expression.

"You did a good job combing my hair today. If you see anything you want later, just tell me and I'll give it to you."

Seeing that her mistress was in a good mood, Cailian breathed a long sigh of relief. As long as her mistress was in a good mood, that was all that mattered.

Suddenly, she thought of Caihe, who was still recovering from her injuries at home. That girl was indeed clumsy with words. But she wasn't a bad person. She just kept to herself and did her job well. She handled everything that the young lady asked her to do. It's just that she spoke bluntly and didn't know how to please the young lady.

Just a few days ago, she was punished with a few strokes of the cane by the young lady for saying the wrong thing. She's been lying in bed recovering from her injuries these days, but her hands haven't stopped. She's lying down, embroidering undergarments and bodices for the young lady.

Although the young lady has a bad temper and occasionally punishes people, she is generally quite generous.

She and Caihe both grew up with their young mistress. The young mistress's father was a clerk at the prefectural school, and his monthly income was limited. Given the young mistress's extravagant lifestyle, he simply couldn't support them.

Her wife was born into a merchant family and had a very generous dowry when she got married. Her maternal grandparents' family only had her as a daughter in their generation, and every time she went back, she could bring back half a cartload of things, which shows how much she was favored in her maternal grandparents' family.

Because her father was a clerk at the prefectural school, she was acquainted with several young ladies from the families of the magistrate, the sub-prefect, and the judge. They were all of similar age and often visited each other.

The other girls were alright; even if they looked down on her, they wouldn't say it out loud. At least everyone kept their dignity intact. In particular, the magistrate's daughter always looked down on her. Last time, she fought with her for a long time over a piece of fabric.

Qiao Yue couldn't help but snort twice: "What's so great about her, a girl from a magistrate's family? Do you think I don't know what she's thinking? She's got her eye on the prefect's son and is always fawning over Miss Jing. Everyone thinks she's a fool. If you ask me, she just doesn't know how to be content. The second young master of the prefect's family is deeply in love with her, but she looks down on him and thinks he's useless."

Cailian chimed in, "What Miss said makes sense. Although the second young master of the Tongzhi family is a bit weak, he is quite talented. With a little effort, he might even pass the imperial examination. But that second young lady is too proud and has taken a fancy to the eldest young master of the prefect's family."

While whispering to her maid, Qiao Yue looked around and said, "Although the prefect's family has a higher official rank, there are a lot of troubles in their household. Besides, that eldest son doesn't have any real talent or learning. I heard that his concubines in the backyard are causing quite a stir. She'll be in big trouble. Her family background isn't suitable for her as the principal wife. In my opinion, there are so many talented and good-looking men in the prefectural school. Wouldn't it be better to just pick one that's easy to control? These poor young men usually come from simple families. We just need to give them enough money, which is enough to give them a sense of security. As long as they have the ability, they can rise step by step in no time."

At this point, Qiao Yue couldn't help but feel troubled again. When she was little, her parents had arranged a marriage for her with a family that owned a restaurant.

Her business was thriving; she owned several restaurants in the prefectural city. But she longed to climb the social ladder and leave the prefectural city for the bustling capital, hoping to become the wife of a high-ranking official and enter the circle of wealthy ladies. She had always looked down on the proposed marriage.

Besides, that marriage was just a verbal agreement between the adults, and now that she has come of age, the man's side has not mentioned marriage at all.

That guy is usually incredibly attentive to her. Never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore; I don't want to ruin my shopping mood.

"Miss, look at that little stall over there."

Qiao Yue looked in the direction Cai Lian was pointing, her face full of disdain: "It's just an ordinary little stall, isn't it? The things they sell there probably aren't much better. You're eyeing those junk items? Fine, since you're so sweet-talking today, go ahead and pick whatever you like."

Cailian pointed at the little girl and hurriedly explained, "No, Miss, what I meant was that the little girl seems to be Scholar Meng's sister. Weren't you just worried about not having a chance to get close to him? Well, here's your chance."

Qiao Yue glanced at the little girl in the distance. At that moment, Meng Jiuxia'er was facing away from them, showing only her profile.

She looked at her with suspicion: "You're not mistaken, are you, with just this profile view?"

Cailian rubbed her eyes and looked again with certainty: "Absolutely no mistake. I happened to run into the brother and sister on the street last time. They were chatting and laughing. The little girl called him 'Big Brother'."

Qiao Yue became interested: "Let's go over and see what kind of business she's doing."

After listening to Xu Chaoyan's words, Meng Jiuxia carefully arranged the small porcelain bottles and sprinkled a few drops on herself. At that moment, a faint fragrance emanated from her body.

Suddenly, an arrogant and rude voice rang out: "You are Scholar Meng's sister."

Without even thinking, she retorted, "Whose sister am I? What's it to you?"

Then, he wondered to himself if his older brother had gotten into another romantic entanglement.

Her eyes involuntarily drifted towards Xu Chaoyan. Hopefully, her sister-in-law wasn't angry. The Zhang Qiao'er affair had only just subsided. How come another unwanted romantic entanglement has appeared? Her brother really has a face that attracts all sorts of women; can't he be a little more discreet?

"You little brat, how can you speak like that? My young lady is asking you a question out of kindness. Can't you answer properly? Do you even know who our master is?"

Meng Jiuxia then looked up at the two people standing in front of her. The arrogant and rude woman was indeed beautiful and charming. But weren't she wearing too much jewelry on her head and body? Didn't she find it cumbersome in the middle of summer?

The maidservant beside her was pretty, but seeing her aggressive demeanor, Meng Jiuxia didn't have much affection for her.

"Who is your master? Why should I know?"

"You, you little brat, you've got a sharp tongue. Let me tell you, my master is the registrar of the prefectural school."

Meng Jiuxia was gently tugged a few times by Xu Chaoyan, signaling her to keep quiet.

Then Xu Chaoyan smiled and looked at them: "What would you two ladies like to see? We have mosquito-repellent sachets and refreshing floral water to relieve itching. We also have all kinds of wooden hairpins. They are small, exquisite and pleasing to the eye. You can pick some to take home and play with."

Qiao Yue casually fiddled with the sachet a few times, and a faint fragrance wafted out as it swayed. She withdrew her hand and covered her nose with some disgust: "How dare you display such a crudely made and low-quality sachet? The smell is pungent."

Xu Chaoyan remained smiling and not annoyed: "If you don't like it, Miss, we have several other fragrances you can try."

I just overheard that little maid say their master is the registrar of the prefectural school. He was just worried about not having any opportunities, and this one just happened to be his. It really is true that timing is everything.

Meng Jiuxia glanced at Xu Chaoyan, who was all smiles, and thought to herself, "I wonder what my sister-in-law is up to now. Look at her scheming expression. Could it be that she sees that girl dressed in rich clothes and wants to take advantage of her?"

She glanced at the two of them and gave them a look that said, "Good luck to you."