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Qin Yaru was taken aback and quickly opened the door to welcome Zhao Di into the courtyard.
Zhao Di lowered her head, biting her lip. After a moment of hesitation, she took Qin Yaru's hand and stammered, "Consort Qin, my mother... did she not hurt you yesterday?"
Qin Yaru smiled and shook her head.
Although Zhao Di was the daughter of Zhou Erlang and Mrs. Sun, she was quite different from that couple. Not only did she bear no resemblance to them in appearance, but in temperament, Zhao Di was also a refined beauty with a unique charm.
"That's good to hear." Zhao Di sighed in relief, a strange emotion crossing her face as she forced a bitter smile. "Please don't blame my mother; her fiery temper is just how she is. She can be thunderous at times and even loses control with us siblings. But deep down, she's not a bad person. At home, I would rather be scolded or beaten by her than deal with my father..."
Zhao Di seemed to realize she had misspoken and paused to change the subject. "Consort Qin, I came to see you today because I wanted to entrust you with something. The other day, someone came to our house for a match, and my father has already agreed. If nothing unexpected happens, I will be getting married next month."
She paused again, seemingly lost in thought, a hint of anxiety appearing on her face.
Qin Yaru sighed inwardly. In her impression, Zhou Erlang and Mrs. Sun raised Zhao Di merely to sell her off for profit. Now that Zhao Di was getting married, she wondered what kind of family it would be. However, it seemed the betrothal gifts would not be small; otherwise, given the couple's temperament, they would never have agreed.
With mixed feelings in her heart, Qin Yaru maintained a calm demeanor and smiled. "Congratulations! Zhao Di is a young lady now; it's time for you to get married."
Zhao Di's face turned pale as she forced a smile and nodded. "I heard that the family background over there is decent, and the man has a good temperament. It's certainly fortunate for me to leave this household. But once I leave, Shan Ge'er will be left behind, and I can't help but feel uneasy. Consort Qin, if possible, could you please look after Shan Ge'er for me?"
She seemed aware that such a request was inappropriate; after all, Qin Yaru was a woman without her husband by her side. Given the situation at home, she should have advised Consort Qin to keep her distance. However, being naturally shy, she had grown close to Consort Qin. Moreover, Consort Qin's husband was at least a scholar and had some standing in Chen Family Village.
Seeing Zhao Di's eyes redden, Qin Yaru smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry; Shan Ge'er is quite clever and much smarter than you think. A while ago, Da Lang even taught Shan Ge'er how to write, and Shan Ge'er has an even better memory than he does."
Zhao Di let out a soft laugh, her floral crown swaying slightly on her head, quite charming. She noticed Consort Qin looking closely at her crown and felt a bit shy, gently touching it: "It was given from over there; I heard it's a fresh flower style from the county town, quite expensive. People like us can only wear something like this when we get married."
At that moment, a hint of melancholy appeared on Zhao Di's face; which young girl doesn't love to be pretty?
Qin Yaru nodded, deep in thought. After exchanging a few more words, she sent Zhao Di off and returned to her room. However, Qin Yaru began to think of a way to earn some money that wouldn't draw attention or harm her reputation.
At this time, floral crowns were all the rage, and both men and women enjoyed wearing flowers. A single fresh flower design could sell for around one hundred coins, and the local flower styles were often outdated and tacky. She often heard about wealthy young ladies who would ask someone to bring back flowers from outside, which made everyone envious.
In her mind, there were countless fresh flower designs available. In Wudang County, making floral crowns didn't require particularly expensive materials; even silk wasn't necessary—just colorful paper and bamboo strips would do. Now that it was early spring in March, fresh flowers were abundant and easy to come by. As long as the floral crowns were unique in design, they would sell well. Moreover, it was common for women in the household to engage in needlework to supplement the family income without attracting unwanted attention.
Since her rebirth, although Qin Yaru didn't show it outwardly, various inconveniences had made her quite uncomfortable.
To save firewood at home, they couldn't even boil enough hot water, which left her feeling uneasy since she was used to bathing daily with fragrant oils. That was bearable; she could still wipe herself down with cold water. However, her delicate tongue spoiled by Gao Feng needed proper care; otherwise, it might lead to an outburst!
Today was pleasant—not too hot or cold—just right for Mrs. Wang next door to go to the market for some dry goods. Qin Yaru, being proactive, quickly instructed Da Lang to practice his writing well and not go outside before changing into a set of linen clothes. She picked out twenty coins from the remaining money and hopped onto Mrs. Wang's donkey cart.
In fact, Chen Family Village was very close to the county town; riding the donkey cart took only half an hour. Usually, villagers would walk.
However, Qin Yaru came from a Scholarly Family. She had bound feet since childhood—not as severely twisted as in later generations but still straight and slender. While it looked good, walking long distances felt exhausting like modern girls wearing high heels.
Fortunately, Mrs. Wang's family had some money; they raised two cows and one donkey. The cows were needed for plowing and couldn't be overworked, but the donkey cart frequently went into town.
Mrs. Wang smiled as she helped Qin Yaru onto the cart: "You look fine; clearly, you weren't scared by that woman from the Zhou family. That's good! After all, she's just a shrew; there's nothing to fear. If she dares to act up again, don't hold back—use whatever you have on hand: a fire poker or stones from the ground are easy enough to use. Just be ruthless; even if you can't beat her, you can still scare her off. If all else fails, there are so many people in the village; just shout out loud enough and that woman will think twice."
Qin Yaru smiled in response.
Seeing her radiant smile, Wang sighed, "I remember when you used to go out with a crowd of servants, surrounded by people. How is it that now you are no different from an ordinary villager?"
Qin Yaru chuckled, "I find this way much more comfortable."
Sister Wang frowned and shook her head, "You need to be more careful when going out, especially to the market. Make sure to come find me to accompany you. There are too many kidnappers on the streets who like to target beautiful brides like you; it's not a joke."
Qin Yaru was taken aback and quickly nodded in agreement, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I understand." It then occurred to her that this was not the Twenty-First Century; kidnappers were rampant, especially those who preferred to abduct beautiful young women from wealthy families. They could easily earn dozens or even hundreds of taels without any investment, making it a highly profitable business that was hard to eradicate.
Before long, they arrived at the county town.
Wudang County was also a large county in Jiunzhou. Although it couldn't compare to big cities, the streets were still quite bustling with many people.
Qin Yaru took a deep breath and looked around. She saw the stone-paved horse paths, the towering taverns, and vendors calling out in local dialects. The hurried footsteps of passersby brought a sense of life that calmed her anxious and restless heart.
Just as Gao Feng said, those he trained could survive even in the most dangerous places. Moreover, this was her hometown, a place she often reminisced about in her dreams. What was there to fear?
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