Chapter 97 - 97: Cancel It?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Seeing this, the servants at home and the workers in the front yard worked even harder than before.

Time flew by, and it was already May 26th. This day marked the formal engagement between the Lu and Feng families.

Qiao Mai didn’t attend the event; she sent two kitchen maids in her place.

In the afternoon, Shopkeeper Lu came to her house with an unpleasant expression.

“Sister, you were right.”

“How much is the betrothal gift?”

“Thirty carriages. I checked the gift list, and after double-checking the betrothal gift, it doesn’t exceed one thousand silver taels.”

“Don’t feel uneasy about it. The Feng family has many descendants and supports several scholars. Though they may be wealthy, it’s only on the surface. By providing such a generous dowry for Ruxin, they won’t dare to covet it. After she marries into their family, Ruxin will stand tall. It will be considered a beneficial match for us.

“Sigh, I shouldn’t have been so hasty. I should have waited a bit longer. If it weren’t for a relative of my friend, I would’ve wanted to cancel this engagement. ”

“Everyone has their advantages. At least you have a young scholar as your son-in-law with a bright future.”

“That’s true, but I can’t help feeling uneasy. If the betrothal gift is too modest, it means they look down on my daughter.”

“Do you want to cancel it, then?”

“Let’s leave it as it is.”

“Haha, you can’t have everything. Nothing is perfect, not even a son-in-law.”

“If he dares to mistreat my daughter in the future, I’ll find someone to deal with him.”

“No need for you to take action. As her master, I will turn him into mince meat.”

“Hehe, that’s too serious.”

“Has Xin’er started embroidering the wedding dress?”

“I didn’t let her. I ordered it directly from the Capital. It cost two hundred silver taels for the entire set.

“It’s not in vain that you’re her birth mother, truly generous.”

“It’s worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime event like this.

Seeing how enthusiastic Lu Sanniang was when talking about her daughter, her mood inexplicably improved.

Ling’er was still young. When she got married in the future, she, as a mother, wanted her daughter to have a splendid wedding.

The next day, Qiao Mai had Yue Hong and Yue Xia carry a box while she held Ling’er and went to the embroidery shop. In front of Shopkeeper Lu and Ruyi, she handed Ruxin a thousand silver taels in banknotes, two double-sided embroidered palace fans, and an embroidered folding screen as dowry.

Ruxin was so moved that she cried. In this world, besides her mother, it was only her master who treated them well.

Not only did she teach them embroidering skills, but she also gave them such valuable dowry gifts.

She was about to kneel to thank Qiao Mai, but Qiao Mai helped her.

“As your master, of course, I’d treat you well. If you were to marry a year later, I would have given you even more dowry gifts. Your mother is eager for you to marry early. If it were me, I’d keep you for a year or more.”

Upon hearing this, Ruxin blushed. “I follow my mother’s arrangements. Besides, it’s not far. If I want to come home, a carriage ride of an hour is all it takes.”

Qiao Mai understood the meaning behind her words. This girl was willing to marry into the Feng family.

When girls grow up, they only have one person in their eyes. They don’t consider their future. Perhaps, with love, even hardship becomes sweet.

Qiao Mai casually said, “Sister, remember to take the dowry list to the local authorities for documentation.

Upon hearing this reminder, Lu Sanniang became alert.

“You’re right. Our dowry is many times more valuable than their betrothal gift.

MV daughter is gentle, and we must not let them take advantage of her. Sis, your reminder is excellent. I’ll go to the court tomorrow.”

“Yes, never let your guard down. We’ve worked hard to earn this money, so we must protect it.”

“I understand.”

With their tasks completed and their concerns addressed, Qiao Mai brought Ling’er to the store.

At this time, the shop was bustling with customers. Some regulars were resting at the tables outside and greeted Qiao Mai.

“I’ve been wondering, Madam Qiao, what have you been up to at home? We’ve been looking forward to your delicious dishes here.”

“I won’t be cooking today. I’m tired. I’ll play with my daughter and then head home.”

“Oh, how old is your daughter?”

“She’s a little over one year old.”

“She’s so beautiful. You’re still young yourself, but you’re such a great mother.

Her appearance is charming.”

“She eats well and is dressed nicely, so it’s natural.”

The people looked at Qiao Mai’s daughter in her arms with envy. Her clothes, the silver necklace she wore, and the delicate shoes all showed Qiao Mai’s love for her child.

“Some say Madam Qiao had a daughter in her previous marriage, but she was born prematurely and passed away within a few days. She adores this daughter because of the previous one, right?”

“It’s possible. I heard they were born on the same day.”

“Ah, it must be hard for her.”

Since Qiao Mai had practiced internal energy, her hearing had become exceptionally sharp. She heard their conversation clearly but pretended not to.

She smiled, knowing this was the effect she wanted.

Everyone believed her daughter was adopted. The Tian family wouldn’t dare to target Ling’er.

The child was hers alone, and she wouldn’t allow the Tian family’s dirty hands to reach her. If they ever dared to harm Ling’er, she wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate the entire family.

The next day, Yuan Jiaqi and the children returned home.

Seeing Old Mister Wang, Qiao Mai felt a headache coming on. This old man never took a break. He followed them every time.

But this time, she didn’t let them rest.

The other families had already harvested their wheat, but their five acres of land were still waiting. She waited for their return to start harvesting.

The sixty acres of land leased to tenant farmers had all been harvested, with each acre yielding three hundred catties of grain.

The weather was ideal today, and they harvested five hundred catties per acre.

The tenant farmers received two hundred catties, and each family obtained about four thousand catties of grain.

They didn’t lift a finger but netted four thousand catties in total. All three tenant families were delighted.

The Qiao family paid a tax of 100 catties per acre. For sixty-five acres, it amounted to 6,500 catties. Additionally, there were 11,500 catties of wheat.

If they harvested the remaining five acres, the granary would have over 14,000 catties of wheat, which would be sufficient for the family for a year.

Come autumn, they could harvest another batch.

The three tenant farmers cultivated corn. Generally, good farmland was used for corn, while less fertile and uncultivated land was reserved for root crops like sweet potatoes and peanuts.

The family had prepared all the necessary farming tools. Qiao Mai ordered more than a dozen sets from the blacksmith shop.

Apart from the cook and Yue Hong, who looked after the children, everyone else went to the fields. Even Old Mister Wang wanted to experience the feeling of harvesting wheat as a farmer.

With five acres of land, the eight adults and three children managed to finish all the harvesting in a single day.

Fortunately, the weather had been dry, so there was no need to sun-dry the wheat. They threw it in an open area. With over two thousand catties of wheat, it took them two days to store in the storage room.

With so many people working, none of them felt exhausted. On the third day, Qiao Mai hired one of the tenant farmers to plow the land and plant corn.

Qiao Mai didn’t want to deal with the rainy season, so she decided to plant corn. Once they harvested the corn and entered winter, they would plant vegetables out of season.

Old Mister Wang generously allowed them a couple of days off. They spent five days at home.

Given the hot weather, they enjoyed cold noodles and fried sauce noodles. Fortunately, they always had six delicious cold dishes to accompany their meals, so Old Mister Wang didn’t complain.

He commented, “After a hard day’s work, a meal tastes heavenly.”

When he departed, he once again pillaged Qiao Mai’s store and delivered a message from his granddaughter.

Wang Jiaru said she would visit when they moved to their new home, but she was currently busy with her family’s business because they had acquired many recipes. She was too busy to spare any time.

As the date for the completion of their new home drew closer, Qiao Mai made arrangements with the Broker Center to procure several spotted deer, a few mule deer, two cows, and a calf. She wanted the deer for their antlers and the musk deer for their musk. These animals mainly fed on grass, which she could grow in her space, eliminating concerns about their feed..