Free Web NovelChapter 124: Chapter 124
Chapter 124
This village was like any other, except it served as a thoroughfare to many other villages. Consequently, the market here had more merchants than the town where Mu Heng lived. The local economy was relatively better, with many people seemed to have money to spend. However, one had to be more cautious as well. With numerous caravans stopping here, the diverse crowd meant increased vigilance was necessary. No one knew if there might be criminals hiding among them.
The Qin family soldiers had been here three times before. The first two times were with the head of the Qin family. The third time, they traveled alone to invite the Eldest Young Miss Qin back. Therefore, on this fourth visit, they were able to find accommodation quickly.
The place they rented was the largest inn. Its price was relatively high for the villagers, but for the Qin family, it was nothing. Although the head of the Qin family, Qin Majiao, wanted to teach his daughter a lesson so she would crawl back on her knees asking for mercy, he would not tarnish the family’s reputation either.
On the way, the Qin family members could make Yueqian’s life as difficult as they wanted. However, once they entered the city and encountered people, the honor of the former Eldest Young Miss Qin still needed to be protected.
She stayed in a large room at the inn with her family. The large room cost a gold tael, so the food provided by the inn was not shabby at all, offering a variety of savory and sweet dishes. This allowed the children to relax a bit.
After seven days, they began to understand how to play the number sliding puzzle. They found it even more enjoyable than before. There were various ways to arrange the numbers, which could be quite flexible. For instance, instead of the numbers lining up from top to bottom, they could change it to line up from the bottom.
The two siblings played and laughed together, sometimes even competing in speed. The initial tension they felt had completely disappeared.
Yueqian also admired them. They were quite quick-witted, learning how to play and enjoy the game in just a few days. Moreover, they no longer seemed so fixated on the number puzzle. Perhaps it was because they had succeeded in solving the intense problem. Once they managed it the first time, it no longer consumed them as much at the second time.
However, they still didn’t know that Yueqian had many more toys for them to try. Over the next ten days or so, they wouldn’t feel bored at all during the journey and would gain more knowledge as well.
Setting aside the toys for now, the four of them entered the room prepared by the inn. They would stay here for one night, during which the soldiers would gather their supplies again. The rice they had run out of two days ago was now replenished.
Yueqian and the younger siblings had nothing to do, but they already had a purpose in mind. She wanted to walk around and explore. To keep travelers from getting bored and to help villagers earn some income, the city hosted nightly events that seemed like a festival. There would be exhibitions of their renowned products and vibrant trading along the way.
The festival would start before dusk and last until the torches had to be lit to see. Only then was the festival truly over. When Yueqian and her group arrived, the festival hadn’t started yet, so they had a meal at the inn to pass the time.
As the time approached, the distinctive sound of drums began to play. Many villagers started shouting to attract customers who were staying here, making the street very lively.
The beautiful woman and her two younger siblings held hands, with Mu Heng observing and taking care of them from behind. Yueqian didn’t pay much attention to the villagers’ performances since she had lived in the capital before, where festivals were hundreds of times grander. But for the children, it was different. This was their first time attending such an event, and they were thrilled by the performances. freewebnøvel.com
She took the children to watch one round of performances and then led them to see the competition showcasing the best local products. In reality, it was similar to the performances. The competition had ended early in the year, and the winners had been selected. The winners would remain the winners throughout the year. However, the competition that was displayed for the visitors to see was just to show off their renowned products.
This year, the competition theme was embroidery design, unlike last year’s contest, which was about producing the best fermented liquor. This time it was more of a women’s competition, so the showcased items were various embroidery patterns.
"Sister-in-law, that embroidered piece is truly beautiful. Look at that pair of cranes; it’s as if they want to be together forever," Huan’er said. She didn’t favor the winner who used her grand and strong embroidery skill to embroider a formidable and majestic tiger. Moreover, it was different from the second-place piece, which was an embroidery of a vast field of flowers.
Naturally, Yueqian also didn’t favor the first and second-place embroideries, though she did not disdain others’ work. Personal taste shouldn’t be used to judge others.
However, upon seeing the third-place winner’s embroidery, Yueqian could only nod in agreement. This piece was beautiful and truly understood the essence of embroidery. To make it outstanding and remarkable, it should allow the viewers to clearly see and feel it in their souls.
Even though the two embroidered pieces that won prizes were grand and magnificent, neither of them aimed to evoke emotions and feelings on a spiritual level.
"Indeed, anyone who can embroider like this is truly talented," Yueqian agreed, praising without reservation.
"Oh, young miss, do you like this embroidery?" A distinctive, high-pitched voice from a sycophant sounded from behind them. It seemed they had been watching Yueqian’s group and got excited when they saw the four of them stop at the embroidery piece they had displayed.
Usually, after seeing the first and second prize-winning embroideries, people wouldn’t find the third piece as beautiful. It was just a simple crane embroidery design. Even she herself didn’t know how this randomly submitted piece ended up winning a prize.
"Did you embroider this piece?" Huan’er, who liked it very much, assumed the person asking such question was the embroiderer and looked at her with admiration.
Yueqian raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at the woman’s fingers before acting as if nothing had happened. Of course, the woman who approach to greet in a flattering manner didn’t notice Yueqian’s scrutiny. Seeing the little girl, who she thought must be the beautiful woman’s daughter, she tried to get closer.
"Yes, little miss. I embroidered this piece. It’s called ’Cranes in Love.’ See how perfect it is when the two cranes are together. Moreover, they wouldn’t be willing to part ways with such longing for each other, If this embroidery were used for clothing, with that symbol, it would be stunning."
"Heh," Yueqian let out a small laugh. The listener was puzzled, not knowing what that expression meant.
"I’m serious. This embroidery is very suitable. Before long, the little miss will grow into a beautiful young lady. If you use this embroidered piece, it might bring you the blessing of finding a good match," the woman did not give up easily, trying to sell the embroidery to Yueqian and Huan’er.
"N-No, I don’t have any money. I can’t trouble Sister-in-law for this," Huan’er, though she liked it, didn’t dare accept such generosity. Such a beautiful embroidered piece must be expensive. Who would dare ask for it? She merely admired it and had no intention of possessing it.
“Ah, so you are the little miss’s sister-in-law? In that case, how about this? If you want the embroidered piece for yourself, you can still make it into a dress. Or, if you wish to gift it to this little sister, you can do that too. You might give it to her as a wedding gift in the future, or perhaps use it as...”
“That’s enough,” Yueqian waved her hand, not wanting to hear any more from the middle-aged woman.
A mocking smile appeared in her eyes as she stared at the middle-aged woman, who still didn’t understand the situation. The woman just wanted to sell the embroidery at a higher price, befitting a third-place prize-winning piece of the year.
“I’m interested in buying this embroidery, but...”
“But what, Miss?”
“But I need to meet the person who embroidered this piece,” Yueqian said. The middle-aged woman’s expression changed slightly but returned to normal in a couple of breaths.
“Um, Mistress, this embroidery was done by me...”
“Don’t lie to me. I want to meet the person who did this embroidery personally, and I’ll pay double for it,” Yueqian interrupted again. She was tired of listening to lies.
Huan’er initially just liked the embroidery. When the middle-aged woman claimed she made it, Huan’er believed her completely without any other thought, and was ready to offer her admiration. Who would have thought her sister-in-law would suddenly become so serious?
Moreover, the embroiderer wasn’t this middle-aged woman? How did her sister-in-law know that? This question lingered in her mind, but what was stranger was the middle-aged woman’s reluctance to let them meet the actual embroiderer.
Wasn’t it just a request to meet the person who embroidered it? Why hide it?
“Well, this...”
"Then I don’t need it," Yueqian said curtly, not wasting any more words. She simply took the hands of the two children and walked away, ignoring the middle-aged woman.
This made the middle-aged woman, who felt like she had just lost a tael, rush forward to block their path. After all, she didn’t want to lose this customer because she didn’t know if anyone else would show interest in this poorly embroidered piece.
Fine! If she wants to meet, let her meet. she had nothing to fear. With just a bit of threat and that foolish girl would be so scared that she nearly lost her mind, how could she possibly dare to act so foolishly?
"I can let you meet her, but can you keep this matter a secret?" The other whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear. She had already boasted that this piece was her work, even though it belonged to someone else.
"Alright." Yueqian did not think much. She didn’t care who would get the reputation for this piece. What she wanted was to meet the embroiderer of this piece. Someone who was incredibly intelligent and able to craft the perfect piece. Yueqian simply wanted to know what kind of person the embroiderer was. How could the person come up with such work.
Not long after, they walked through the maze of alleys until they reached an old house on the outskirts of the city, almost outside the bustling town. Yueqian wasn’t afraid because the Qin family’s soldiers should be around. If there was any danger, just calling out should be enough. Or really... if she had to handle it herself, it wouldn’t be too much effort.
"Here it is. This is my house. I’ll go and get the embroiderer for you. Actually, she’s my niece, but she’s a bit shy," the middle-aged woman said, her eyes darting nervously, clearly suspicious.
Leaving Yueqian to wait outside for a short while, the middle-aged woman soon returned, pretending to gently hold the hand of her niece who kept her head down. She made it seem as if they cared deeply for each other, but only they knew the truth of the situation.
"This poor niece of mine has had a tragic fate. She’s just a few years old, but her parents and older brother were killed by forest bandits while visiting relatives in another town. With nothing left, my husband and I took her in as our own. She loves embroidery, and we never discouraged her. She’s a niece we’re very proud of," the other said with a fake smile.No matter how much she tried to hide the girl’s trembling hands out of fear, it didn’t escape the notice of the four visitors.
