The next morning, the group returned to the village. Qi Qingyao first switched off the mechanisms before personally making the bed. Jiang Yeqian and Si Jin teamed up and lit up a few of the braziers. With that, the building showed more homeliness and the air also started warming up a little.
Si Jin had even poured some hot water into some of the footwarmers.
The children were playing by the brazier inside the house and they also jumped and played on the new beds.
Qi Qingyao carried a footwarmer and sat by the brazier in the reception pavilion, warming her feet as she looked at the beautiful building.
She felt quite elated.
She thought, ‘This reception pavilion is missing a pearl curtain for now. I’ll have to get some made later!’
Warming up a bit, Qi Qingyao suddenly thought, ‘Ah, we’re living here now but I got Jiang Bai to send the chefs home yesterday. What are we going to eat later? Who’s going to prepare the meals?’ Surely it could not be her? Even if she were to prepare the meals, there were no ingredients! This problem had completely eluded her.
Shortly after, someone was here to see her.
Jiang Yeqian and Si Jin quickly put on their masks.
Si Jin went ahead and answered the door. Then, he brought in an old lady.
After the old lady entered, she said with an amiable expression, “I suppose you’re Miss Qi?”
Qi Qingyao looked at the old woman, her expression startled. “And you are?” She had thought that it would be Ma Sanye given how early in the morning it was.
Madam Liu covered her mouth with her hand. As she scrutinized the house that still looked quite bare and had rather simplistic furnishings at the moment, she said, “I’m Madam Liu from town.”
Madam Liu?
Never heard of her.
“Madam Liu, to what do I owe you this pleasure?” Qi Qingyao was being quite polite, considering she had not immediately chased her away. She first wanted to find out the reason for this woman being here.
Madam Liu responded absent-mindedly, “Oh Miss, this house is really lovely.” She had never seen such a lovely building. Who else would have a house that was five stories high and modeled like a luxurious pagoda! It was so lavish!
It was ten to a hundred times better looking than the houses in the village and in town.
Qi Qingyao was stunned for a moment before interjecting decisively, “It’s not for sale.”
Madam Liu returned to her senses and hurriedly smiled. “Hahaha, I didn’t come to you to buy a house. I wanted to ask if there is someone you fancy.”
“There isn’t.” Although she did not know why Madam Liu asked her such a question, Qi Qingyao still answered her quite honestly.
Hearing this, Madam Liu immediately approached her, looking very excited. She said, “Then, I happen to know a few decent men. They are not too old and there is one from every village and town, like Carpenter Yang from Zhiniao Village, Liu Zhennan’s second son from town, or Jiang Tiehua in the next town… These men have good family backgrounds, they possess land and are not just tenants! They’re self-sufficient… Liu Zhennan’s second son, he opened a millet shop in town and the business isn’t doing half-bad…”
Qi Qingyao, who had just taken a sip of her tea, remained stunned. She did not know how to respond.
Si Jin’s large and clear, pure black eyes were fixed on this Madam Liu. There was no response from him either.
The one who responded first was Jiang Yeqian.
After he returned to his senses, he immediately said, “Wait.”
Madam Liu, who had been chattering incessantly, stopped and turned to look at the ox-head man. “Does this gentleman have something to say?”
Jiang Yeqian rubbed the mask on his face and in a rather incredulous tone, asked back, “Did you come here to introduce her to potential partners?”
“Of course.” Madam Liu answered confidently. “The lady has shown her talents and is a woman glowing with health and vigor. She’s also as beautiful as a flower. While she has three kids, it’s all an incident of the past. I have asked what these few families had to say. The potential in-laws said they were willing to raise the children as their own grandchildren! It was not something they can’t do. The men also said they didn’t mind the children and were willing to marry the young miss.”
Jiang Yeqian, “???”