Chapter 367 - 367: It’s Good That the Gift Arrives

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“My goodness, Madam Qiao has kept this matter well hidden.”

“Don’t talk about it to others. My mother said that blood relations don’t make much difference. She treats us all as her own. With such a good mother, the distinction between blood and non-blood relatives doesn’t matter.”

“In all these years, you never thought about finding your biological parents?”

“Yes, it is the right thing to do. Seeking them out would only hurt my mother’s feelings.”

“No wonder that man keeps coming to you. It turns out you are related by blood, and he might feel a connection with you.”

Ling’er snorted, “Dream on. There’s not a single good person in the Tian family. My mother carried me for ten months, went through the gates of the afterlife for me, and nurtured me into an adult. Why should I let him benefit from it?” “That makes sense.”

“I will never acknowledge him in this lifetime. In the future, I’ll leave a lesson for my children and grandchildren, strictly prohibiting any interaction with families surnamed Tian from Peach Blossom Village. We are sworn enemies!” “You are truly Madam Qiao’s daughter, with a temperament that despises evil!”

“It’s snowing. Shall we go to the teahouse and have a cup of milk tea while watching the snow?”

“Sure.”

Along with her teacher and the two maids, Ling’er went to Qiao’s Small Eatery. The warm atmosphere inside was almost full of people.

Shopkeeper Feng personally came forward when he saw the young mistress.

“We don’t have private rooms here. Otherwise, I would have arranged one for you. It’s a bit messy. Hope you don’t mind.”

“No, it’s lively.”

They sat in a spot near the window, watching the snowfall outside. The table was filled with snacks, and the servers brought four cups of milk tea.

Ling’er took a sip. “Hmm, it tastes familiar. Not bad.”

“The recipe hasn’t changed. The method is the same. Are Shopkeeper Niu in the capital doing well?”

“Not bad, he’s just as busy as here.”

“Being busy is good. I heard that you will be getting married in March?”

Ling’er nodded, and Shopkeeper Feng gave a deep bow. “Then let me congratulate the young lady on her upcoming marriage!”

Blushing, Ling’er said, “Thank you. Give everyone a red envelope of five taels of silver, and yours is ten taels.”

“Thank you, young lady.”

“You can go back to work.”

Ling’er planned to leave on the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. The people in the town knew about her impending marriage. After the New Year’s gifts, many congratulatory gifts followed.

Since the wedding was far away, they couldn’t attend. Gifts were enough.

Ling’er accepted them without hesitation.

In recent years, due to the emergence of an honorary prince in Tianshui Town, the town was talked about as having good Feng Shui.

Many business people came to join in, making it several times larger than when Qiao Mai first settled here. Even with heavy snowfall, pedestrians in the town kept coming and going.

No one dared to cause trouble in Tianshui Town, whether living here or doing business. It felt exceptionally peaceful.

Meanwhile, Qiao Mai would visit the ski area and sit in the wooden cabin, enjoying tea and the snowy scenery outside.

Greeny appeared. “Master, you have the space. Why don’t you go there to enjoy the view?”

“I built this place with my hands, with effort and the laughter of children.” “Are you saying the space lacks human touch?”

“Stop twisting my words. By the way, every once in a while, replenish the rice in the shop. Didn’t you say the warehouse is almost full?”

“That’s true. People follow the trend. Just because someone said our rice is delicious, they bought a lot in ten days. You’re selling it too cheaply; this is spiritual rice.”

“Spiritual rice is worthless if no one eats it. Besides, who can afford it if we sell at the price of the immortal realm? It’s more expensive than regular rice.”

“But this is the result of my hard work.”

“Should we stop selling it then?”

The master and servant argued back and forth. Just as they were talking, the steward arrived.

“What’s the matter?”

“The Song family also sent New Year’s gifts. Should we accept them?”

“No, reject it and send it back. We can’t afford such relatives. Remember, no matter who from the Song family comes, don’t let them in.”

The steward left, and Qiao Mai went out of the ski area, locked the courtyard door, and visited Jiamei.

Once the men in the family were occupied with their duties, only the two mistresses remained home.

Jiamei’s belly was growing larger, prompting Qiao Mai to visit occasionally.

Upon reaching Jiamei’s place, she found her nibbling on a large apple. Seeing her mother-in-law, Jiamei hurriedly tried to get off the bed.

“Enough, don’t get up with that belly of yours.”

“Mother, please have a seat.”

“It’s almost seven months now. I calculated the dates, and it’s right around

March. I hope your delivery date doesn’t coincide with Ling’er.”

“Well, wouldn’t that be a double celebration?”

“Fortunately, we’re marrying off a daughter. No need to entertain guests.”

“Father said all courtiers are to attend the prince’s grand wedding. Are we going?”

“No, our family doesn’t follow the custom of the bride’s family going to the groom’s family.”

Qiao Mai reached out and touched her belly. “Do you want a son or a daughter?”

“A son. It’s not that I don’t want a daughter, but we only have Chuan’er. Having a few more sons will deter anyone from bullying them.” “If a woman is strong, she won’t be bullied either.”

“Women like Mother are rare in this world.”

“That’s because they are raised from birth with the doctrine of being a good wife and mother. If you let them learn martial arts from a young age, they can also go to the battlefield.”

“Regardless of sons or daughters, I will bear more for the Qiao family.”

“Alright, I’ll use the best medicine to keep you in good health.”

With Ling’er not at home, Qiao Mai wandered around the house. After checking on Jiamei, she headed to Old Mistress Wang’s place.

“Grandmother, didn’t you bring Jiaru back?”

“She said she’s doing well over there. Now that she’s changed her appearance, the Old Princess Consort likes her. The prince is treating her well. She won’t be coming back.”

“As long as she’s doing well.”

At this moment, a red cat jumped down from the roof and rushed into the house, meowing loudly at Old Mistress Wang.

She carefully examined it. “Isn’t this the cat that went with Ru’er?”

Qiao Mai frowned. She put her hand on the cat’s head and soon saw many images.

It turned out the cat was asking for help!

Qiao Mai stood up with a swish. “Grandfather, Grandmother, get dressed and prepare the carriage to Prince Shunqin’s mansion. I’ll head over first.”

“Girl, what’s going on?”

“Jiatu is in trouble.”

After saying this, she disappeared in a flash. Old Master and Mistress Wang panicked, immediately ordering someone to prepare the carriage and horses.

Qiao Mai had already arrived at Prince Shunqin’s mansion. With a swift kick, she pushed open the door. Inside, a maid was wiping away tears, startled to her feet.

“Who’s there?”

“No need to be afraid. Where is the princess?”

“She’s… She’s asleep.”

Qiao Mai rolled her eyes. “Speak up. What’s going on? Why are you crying?” Seeing that it was Qiao Mai, the maid gathered some courage.

“About a month ago, Miss Jiaru started feeling fatigued, but it wasn’t noticeable. Later on, she could sleep for almost twelve hours every day. But for the past few days, she’s been sleeping longer. She hasn’t woken up since yesterday.”

“Do they know about this?”

“Yes. They even sent for the imperial physician but couldn’t determine anything. They suggested observing her for a while.”

Qiao Mai sighed. The wealthier the household, the dirtier the affairs behind the scenes. For favor, power, and status, people resorted to all kinds of means. It seemed that Jiaru had fallen victim to the schemes.

Sitting at the bedside, Qiao Mai took Jiaru’s pulse and examined her eyes.

Honestly, she couldn’t discern much if she were an ordinary person. Unfortunately, she was an alchemist, a physician, and a cultivator. The petty tricks at play were beneath her notice.

Although she didn’t know the specifics of the poison, she could tell that Jiaru had been poisoned. It was a slow-acting anesthetic, colorless and tasteless, something the imperial physicians wouldn’t easily detect..