Chapter 3
‘I thought Xie Qiao would be a crude-looking lady. I did not expect her to look so beautiful.
‘Fortunately, she does not look sensible, and the rich boys in the imperial city have seen all kinds of beauties before.
1
‘When a man looks for a wife, he regards her moral character highly.’
2
Xie Qiao did not have many possessions. After sorting out her stuff, she followed Ms. Lu and her daughter down the mountain.
Ms. Lu’s facial expressions turned wacky as she sat in the carriage.
“I have never seen a lady like this. It’s not that our family can’t afford to eat meat, and yet she decided to be in the same carriage with a domestic animal. It will take one and a half months to arrive in the imperial city. How smelly would it get when she eats and lives with the animal?” Ms. Lu rubbed her nose as if she was already taking in the scent.
1
When Xie Qiao went down the mountain, she brought along a bamboo box, and no one knew what was inside it.
She also had a live huge fat rooster with her.
2
That rooster had brightly colored feathers that shone brightly under the sun. Wherever Xie Qiao went, the rooster would follow her closely behind.
“Mom, the first young lady looks a bit weird, but I can’t tell you exactly what is weird.” Pei Wanyue frowned slightly, “By the way, she doesn’t seem to be in good health…”
“Her health wasn’t good. I heard your Uncle Xie saying that she had an injury since birth.” Ms. Lu nodded her head.
“But for a fine young lady, why did she choose to live in a temple? Isn’t it better to keep her at home if she is not healthy?” Pei Wanyue said again.
Ms. Lu was taken aback, and she thought for a while. “It is said that she must not see her family until she is a grown-up. Otherwise, she may die young.”
Xie Niushan had only mentioned that to her once, and that was never touched upon ever since.
2
“I don’t know if your Uncle Xie will regard this daughter highly. I have never heard him mention her. He hasn’t given her anything all these years, as if he has forgotten her. But this time, he has urged me repeatedly to bring her back and take good care of her…” Ms. Lu struggled to make sense of this.
1
Her husband used to be a bandit, so she did fear him a little.
She did not have the guts to make too many predictions.
“The first young lady is so beautiful. When she arrives in the imperial city, Uncle Xie will now pay more attention to her, even if he didn’t like her initially,” Pei Wanyue said softly with a sad and resentful tone.
4
Ms. Lu was startled by her words.
Then she shook her head. “Don’t worry, she’s just beautiful on the outside. Does she know how to play musical instruments or chess, write calligraphy and paint? She doesn’t even understand basic etiquettes. Who will fancy her? When she arrives in the imperial city, you must know how to sweet talk a little. Instead of calling him ‘Uncle Xie,’ you should address him as Father. Doing this makes us a family.”
“Calling him Father? Would Uncle Xie be happy to hear that…” Pei Wanyue was already mentally prepared for that.
Although the Pei family were good citizens. They were only merchants, not officials.
After her father died, the Pei family had no place for Pei Wanyue. For this trip to the imperial city, she was actually going to seek refuge and live under the Xie family.
“He must be delighted. He mentioned you several times earlier,” Ms. Lu insisted.
This stabilized the uneasy mood Pei Wanyue had earlier on.
Xie Qiao held the dried little bugs in her hand. She poured them into the small bowl. She watched the big rooster eat with relish.
“Hah.” After passing a steep slope, Xie Qiao sighed suddenly.
After a while, she said to the outside, “Stop.”
The coachman outside was stunned and shouted from the outside, “What’s the matter, First Young Lady? The madam said we are in a hurry today, and we must reach the nearby town by dusk.”
Ms. Lu had brought twenty people on this trip.
Originally, this carriage had been prepared for Pei Wanyue, but now it was taken up by Xie Qiao after her unexpected emergence.
According to the norm, she should have a maid to aid her in delivering any of her messages. But Ms. Lu did not have that idea and could only speak directly to the servants.