Chapter 531: Chapter 531: Giving the Cold Shoulder
Luo Huiniang laughed when she heard this, then came over and pinched Gu Jinli’s face: "Of course our Xiao Yu isn’t silly, she’s the smartest and can make lots of tasty things."
Gu Jinli laughed: "I’ve made so many things, and all you remember is the food."
Luo Huiniang by nature was a foodie, and she wasn’t upset when she heard this, just laughed and giggled away. After finishing laughing and remembering her older brother’s instruction, she pressed on: "You haven’t told me whether Sister Xiu will go to Huaiyu Embroidery Shop to see Granny Li or not, come on, tell me."
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to account for herself.
At this point, she complained to Gu Jinli: "You have no idea how annoying my brother can be... Not only is he annoying, but he’s also lazy. Our houses are so close if he wanted to know he could just walk over and ask, but he refuses, insists on making me come over, and even threatened that if I don’t, he won’t buy me tasty treats when I go home next time."
Luo Huiniang put on a look of having been wronged by her own brother, which caused Gu Jinli to burst into laughter, saying, "You’re finished, absolutely finished."
Luo Huiniang didn’t get it: "You’re talking about my brother, why am I the one who’s finished?"
Gu Jinli pointed to her head: "With you being this silly, what are you going to do in the future?"
Luo Huiniang blinked: "I may not be very smart, but I’m not stupid."
Suddenly, she looked around, seeing Brother Cheng sitting in the courtyard holding a brush and dipping it in ink to write. From the kitchen came the clattering sounds of pots and pans, where Sister Xiu and Zhu Chahua were cooking... She leaned close to Gu Jinli and whispered in her ear: "My brother is thinking about marrying Sister Xiu."
Thud!
The medicine pestle in Gu Jinli’s hand dropped to the ground.
Luo Huiniang picked up the medicine pestle, looked at her disdainfully, and said, "Look how scared you are. When a lad grows up, it’s natural for him to think about taking a wife, and those who don’t are doomed to stay bachelors."
She raised her eyebrows, somewhat proud as she said to Gu Jinli: "I overheard my parents talking about this a few days ago. My mom said my brother wants to marry Sister Xiu, so he bought a house in the county."
Luo Huiniang started to feel a bit upset: "If my brother and Sister Xiu move to live in the county, I’ll hardly see them."
Gu Jinli quickly interrupted her: "Don’t talk about this anymore, it’s not good for either your family or mine if the matter hasn’t been settled yet."
Luo Huiniang quickly covered her mouth: "Mmm, I won’t mention it anymore, I’ll just quietly know."
She knew that talking too much about an unsettled marriage could lead to gossip, which wouldn’t be good; she didn’t want Sister Xiu and her brother to become the subject of rumors.
Although Hui Niang was straightforward, she would follow through on things she promised, so Gu Jinli wasn’t worried that Luo Huiniang would slip up and say something to outsiders. And Luo Huiniang told her these things because they were close; had it been someone else, she probably wouldn’t have said a word.
Gu Jinli told Luo Huiniang: "My sister doesn’t need to go to Huaiyu Embroidery Shop in person, in the future we’ll just have someone deliver the new embroidery pieces there."
Granny Li was a reasonable person and knew that Gu Jinxiu was getting older, making it hard for her to travel far. Moreover, Gu Jinli’s house was also worried that now that Gu Jinxiu’s embroidery had gained fame, there could be those harboring malicious intent towards her. So, they decided that Gu Jinxiu would only focus on the embroidery, and wouldn’t handle anything else, nor show herself in public to avoid misfortune.
These matters had already been clearly communicated during previous exchanges, and Granny Li had agreed, even having the Jiang Family send over a three-year contract to Gu Jinli’s house. Gu Jinxiu had already stamped it with her handprint and sent it to the Jiang Family, who then forwarded the contract to Granny Li.
After learning that Gu Jinxiu was using the pseudonym ’Fu’an’, Granny Li even praised in a return letter: "Such a good name."
Looking like one with good fortune, sure to be liked by those noble family matriarchs, and it wouldn’t let others discover that Gu Jinxiu was actually a young girl.
Having gotten her answer, Luo Huiniang stood up and said, "I’m going back home now, my brother is waiting."
"Go ahead." Gu Jinli did not ask her to stay, continuing to pound medicine.
But Luo Huiniang loved good food, and before leaving, she took a peek inside the kitchen, asking Gu Jinxiu: "Sister Xiu, what tasty thing are you making today?"
I want to eat.
Gu Jinxiu smiled and said, "Xiao Yu wants to make some jerky to take on the road to the Prefecture. We’re going to try making a pot today and if it turns out well, we’ll make more before leaving for Prefecture."
Luo Huiniang immediately said, "I want to eat too."
Gu Jinxiu smiled and nodded, "Don’t worry, I’ll save some for you."
After hearing this, Luo Huiniang happily went home and told Luo Wu that Gu Jinxiu was not going to the Prefecture.
Luo Wu sighed in relief and smiled, "Well done."
Luo Huiniang wrinkled her nose and made a face at him, "You just know how to boss me around."
Then she asked, "Brother, did you buy the wine? I’ll take it to Grandpa Qin and Third Grandpa’s Family."
Luo Wu pointed to the three jugs of wine on the main house table, "It’s reed wine, just take one jug to the Qin family."
He would take the jug for Third Grandpa’s Family himself so he could see Sister Xiu.
"Alright." Luo Huiniang didn’t mind and happily took a jug of wine to the Qin family.
Qin Er Lang’s face turned cold the moment he saw her, scaring Luo Huiniang into a shiver, but being naturally cheerful and brave, she smiled at Qin Er Lang after the initial fright, "Brother Qin Er, I’ve brought some wine to your family again, this time it’s reed wine. My brother says it’s even more fragrant than Songhua Wine, it’s for Grandpa Qin..."
Before she could finish speaking, Qin Er Lang snorted coldly, grabbed a carrying pole and rope, hung a firewood knife on his waist, and stormed out, slamming the door.
Luo Huiniang received a cold reception once more and felt aggrieved.
Elder Qin saw this and comforted her, "Your Brother Qin Er is just bad-tempered, don’t mind him."
While speaking, he took the jug of reed wine from her hands and smiled, "Brother Wu is considerate, bringing wine for the two of us old men whenever he comes home."
Luo Huiniang’s grievance was fleeting, and she smiled again, "Yeah, my brother is the best. He always brings me delicious treats when he comes back."
These words made Elder Qin laugh. Hui Niang was such a cheerful girl. If only she were born into a better family, she might have been able to brighten up Er Lang’s gloomy mood. It’s just a shame... Er Lang was no longer the carefree legitimate son of the Duke Residence he once was, but had become someone who would do anything for revenge.
His wife’s family’s support was very important to Er Lang.
After delivering the wine, Luo Huiniang left the Qin family and went to Gu Jinli’s house, waiting to eat the jerky.
The jerky wasn’t ready yet when Mo Chunyue came looking for Gu Jinli and said, "Young Master, the village chief has brought the people who fry tofu and make dried tofu over, and Dong Family wants you to take a look."
This Dong Family referred to Gu Dashan.
"I’m coming." Gu Jinli divided the pounded herbs into separate dual-layer cloth bags and carried them to the workshop, instructing Luo Huiniang before leaving, "Help me look after the house, don’t let strangers in."
Luo Huiniang replied, "Got it, don’t worry."
Gu Jinli walked fast and soon arrived at the workshop.
Village Chief He had already arrived with people, and Third Master and Gu Dashan were there too.
"Xiao Yu, come and see, these six are the people I’ve found for you; they are all from our village," Village Chief He said cheerily, his heart filled with joy. More than seventy percent of the He family’s households relied on Gu’s Workshop for a living and their days were getting better and better.