AWB Chapter 189 Jing'an Prefecture City
Chapter 189 Jing'an Prefecture City
As Meng Fuqing left the village, Cui Miao'er was about to step out of the Ji family's house when she saw Meng Fuqing's figure and quickly withdrew her foot, hiding behind the door, watching the four cars drive away from the village.
Unexpectedly, when I turned my head, Yao Shanyun was standing next to me.
Startled, she clutched her chest and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Mother-in-law, why do you walk so quietly? You gave me quite a fright."
Yao Shanyun scrutinized her sharply for a moment, then asked, "What are you doing sneaking around here?"
"I came out to see which family it was because I heard some noise outside. If Mother-in-law has nothing else to do, I'll go and get to work," Cui Miao'er said obediently.
Yao Shanyun watched her walk into the house, feeling that her daughter-in-law had been acting strangely lately.
She's so obedient; lately, she does whatever I ask her to do without uttering a single complaint.
You know, before, her daughter-in-law would complain about everything she did, and if she didn't like someone, she would keep talking about them behind their back, unless she interrupted her. But now she doesn't do any of that, it's like she's become a completely different person.
Yao Shanyun knew that the divorce had frightened her, but she didn't believe that Cui Miao'er would change for the better because of it; she was afraid that she might have other thoughts.
When Pan'er returned from outside, Yao Shanyun waved to her.
Pan'er put down the bamboo basket in her hand and walked up to Yao Shanyun. "What's wrong, Grandma Yao?"
Yao Shanyun pulled the person out of the yard and asked in a low voice, "Has your aunt said anything to you recently?"
Pan'er shook her head blankly, "My aunt has been very quiet lately, focusing on taking care of Jinbao, and she doesn't talk to me and my sister much anymore."
After thinking for a moment, Yao Shanyun asked again, "Grandma Yao is asking you, if your aunt and uncle were to divorce, would you rather stay at Grandma's house or live with your aunt?"
This question wasn't meant to drive the two girls away. Both children were very sensible and perceptive, and they eagerly took on all the chores around the house, working harder than her three sons.
But when it comes to blood ties, the two children are closer to Cui Miao'er, so she wanted to ask them what they thought.
Upon hearing this, Pan'er felt a little flustered. "Grandma, my sister and I will eat less from now on..."
Seeing that everyone was on the verge of tears, Yao Shanyun exclaimed, "What kind of talk is this? The work you do in a wealthy family is worth a lot of money in a month. What's a little food? It's not much anyway. Grandma is just asking. You should at least call her 'Auntie.' She can't just not ask you at all."
Pan'er hesitated for a moment, "I don't know what my elder sister is thinking..."
"Then you two sisters should discuss it carefully, and don't overthink it."
The two entered the courtyard together and happened to run into Cui Miao'er walking towards them. The panic on her face was fleeting, but the two, who were still talking quietly, did not notice it.
Cui Miao'er picked up the basket from the ground to hide her panic. "Mother-in-law, let me take the wild vegetables to the well to wash them first."
As she stepped out of her house, she slowly stopped, feeling a chill in her heart.
Her mother-in-law is indeed very hard-hearted; she's probably already dissatisfied with her, so no matter how well she does, it's useless.
Her husband always listened to Yao Shanyun, so it was probably her mother-in-law who first brought up the idea of divorce.
At this moment, Cui Miao'er became even more determined in her heart. She was still young and had to think about herself, and also about her child.
Her child cannot be without a mother, much less with a stepmother.
***
Jing'an Prefecture City.
After entering the city, Meng Fuqing and Yan He parted ways at the entrance of the pawnshop.
She drove her mule cart through the streets for a while. The streets were lined with shops, and the goods were dazzling. The people on the street looked peaceful and serene, looking at the bustling scene in the city as if the Great Yan Dynasty was in its golden age.
After getting off the carriage, he stopped a kind-looking woman and asked for directions, then drove the carriage towards a less populated slum.
She drove the mule cart to a deserted, narrow alley, and then, behind a paulownia tree, she led the cart into the space.
She hadn't had time to organize the things she'd stolen on the way out of the famine, so they were all piled up in a corner of the front yard. While Yan He and the others needed a lot of time, she used the vines to quickly tidy up the things in the corner.
Finally, she selected three beds and examined them carefully. She found that these beds were fixed with mortise and tenon joints, so she simply disassembled them into several parts to make them easier to load into the car.
They then picked through the looted items, selecting some usable furniture and loading it all onto the mule cart.
After it was secured, the mule cart was packed full, and Meng Fuqing was worried about whether the mule could pull it.
Pushing the mule's head aside, Meng Fuqing once again placed the prop he had used to lure it in front of it.
Seeing that it was almost time, she checked the activity outside the space and, after hearing no sound, she flashed behind the paulownia tree.
Seeing that no one was around, she released the mule cart, which had already been loaded, from her spatial storage and drove it towards the pawnshop.
"Miss Meng!"
Following the sound, Meng Fuqing saw a familiar face.
She stepped down from the carriage, leading the mule to Steward Qiao. "I didn't expect to run into Steward Qiao again on my first trip to the prefectural city. What brings you here..."
"I was out shopping and didn't expect to run into Miss Meng. Speaking of which, my master said this morning that Lord Xu wanted to invite Miss Meng or Doctor Zheng to personally guide the epidemic prevention work in Jing'an Prefecture. I suppose someone will go to Hanhua Village to deliver the message in the next couple of days."
Meng Fuqing thought for a moment, "Doctor Zheng is a renowned physician, so it would be more appropriate for him to step in."
Manager Qiao hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "The young lady is indeed a bit young, but that's alright. I think she's quite capable."
After exchanging a few words about the situation in Hanhua Village, Meng Fuqing took the opportunity to ask about Guo Lizheng.
"The Guo family of Linan County? I know a little about them, but it's a long story. Miss Meng, why don't you come with me to the teahouse for a cup of tea?"
In the teahouse, Meng Fuqing learned from Manager Qiao that Guo Zimou, the eldest son of Guo Lizheng, had become related to the Qin family after passing the imperial examination.
"The Qin family?" Meng Fuqing repeated, "Which Qin?"
Upon learning that it was the "Qin" in "Qin Su", Meng Fuqing was momentarily distracted, but was quickly drawn back to what Steward Qiao was saying.
Manager Qiao's voice was low, "Before the new emperor ascended the throne, the Qin family enjoyed the late emperor's trust, and the Qin family patriarch once served as the Minister of War. Unfortunately, during the struggle for the throne, the Qin family chose the wrong side and was repeatedly demoted by the new emperor."
After the death of the Qin family patriarch, only his eldest son possessed considerable talent and rose to the position of Sima (military officer) in Jing'an Prefecture. Guo Zimou, however, had cultivated a relationship with the Qin family's third daughter, Qin Han.
Meng Fuqing tapped the table with his fingertip. "Has Manager Qiao ever heard of the name Qin Su?"
"Qin Su? Isn't that Lord Qin's..." Steward Qiao stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, "Miss Meng is new here, how could she know this Young Master Qin?"
Seeing that he knew but didn't say it, Meng Fuqing stopped asking.
"I heard about it on the way to escape the famine, and asked casually. I never expected it to be related to Lord Qin of Jing'an Prefecture."
"I see." Steward Qiao stroked his goatee and advised, "In Jing'an Prefecture, Miss Meng should refrain from inquiring about this young master's affairs."
Meng Fuqing nodded seriously, "Thank you for the reminder, Manager Qiao."
The two walked out of the teahouse, and Manager Qiao said, "That Guo Li is a bit troublesome, but Miss Meng doesn't need to worry too much. As long as you spread the news that you have presented Lord Xu with the method of epidemic prevention, they will be wary of you."
"Thank you, Steward Qiao."
After parting ways with Manager Qiao, Meng Fuqing got back into the mule cart and headed back to the pawnshop.
Having been delayed for so long, Yan He had already pawned most of the items.
Meng Fuqing peeked into the pawnshop and saw that the pawnshop owner's face had turned green.