Chapter 36: Preparing for the Unexpected

  "Back to Old Lady Hui, it's just the barren mountain on the north side of Qingquan Mountain, which is also the villa bought by that mysterious noble!"

  Wang Qifang's purchase of the farm was conducted in private, and apart from herself, Zhao Nian's mother and Chen Shi's brothers and sisters, as well as the county government's chief clerk and general manager who handled the matter, no one else knew about it.

  Qīng Fāng and Zhào Mǔmǔ originally didn't want to attract attention, so they decided to handle it quietly, of course, without telling outsiders. As for the Chen siblings, although they hadn't signed a lifelong contract with Wáng Qīngfāng, they had signed employment contracts of varying lengths, and within those contracts, everything was under the master's control, so they didn't dare reveal their master's secrets easily. As for the steward and the head servant, they had unexpectedly gained a large sum of money, and towards Wáng Qīngfāng, this generous master, they were extremely obedient, and for the sake of the large amount of silver, they would also keep the matters entrusted to them confidential.

  So all the villagers nearby knew that the Zhuangzi and Huangshan of Qingquan Village had been sold, but who the buyer was, no one knew.

  Zi Zhuang and Zi Juan were newly purchased little maids, who had not yet learned the rules and only showed reverence to their master, but not loyalty. Wang Qifang and Zhao Mama temporarily could not consider them as their own people, let alone tell them any confidential matters easily.

  So, Zichun is completely standing from a bystander's point of view, gossiping and watching the excitement.

  "…Madam, I heard from Chunhua in the front yard that Wei TaiTai from the neighboring Zhuangzi had also thought of buying Qingquan Mountain before. However, she was worried that since something bad just happened here, it would be unlucky and troublesome. Just as she was hesitating, that nobleman from outside came forward first. Now that hot springs have been dug up, who knows how much she regrets it!"

  The young girl was young and energetic, and she had a natural inclination to gossip about the countryside. As soon as Old Lady Zhao left the small courtyard, Zi Zhu would slip out of the main gate and explore all around. In just a few days since her arrival at Qingyuan Manor, she had already become fast friends with the maidservants, strongmen, and tenant farmers' wives in the front and back courtyards, and every day she could hear many new and interesting things.

  Although noisy, Wang Qifang felt that with this little trumpet, she didn't seem to be isolated from the world either. For this reason, she also didn't stop Xiaoying's running around.

  "Haha, it's Mrs. Wei again!"

  After listening to Xiaoyutou's "news" today, Wang Qifang had a vague idea in her mind, but it was too fast and she didn't catch it for the time being. Then she heard the title of "Madam Wei", and couldn't help but look down at the clothes that had just been finished. Hmm, this dress seems to be the one ordered by Mrs. Wei, who is always a beat slow?!

  "Milady, what did you say? I didn't hear it!"

  Zi Zhuang seemed to hear the young lady muttering something "wife", but her voice was too small, she didn't quite catch it.

  "It's all right," Wang Qifang smiled slightly and shook her head, instructing: "Zichu, go to the front yard and see if Aunt Feng is at home. If she is, please ask her to come over, I have something to discuss with her!"

  "Alright, alright, young lady!"

  Lisu responded with a "yes", Xiaoyao made a somewhat irregular bow and rushed out quickly.

  It wasn't long before Qianfang hadn't finished drinking the old hen soup stewed by Chunni, and Zizhu led Qiangniang to the small courtyard.

  Qian Niang has seen Young Mistress before, Young Mistress is doing well! Young Mistress, are you looking for me?

  It's been a while since Zhao's nanny arrived at the Qingyuan Mountain Villa, and Qiangniang rarely had the chance to see Wang Qifang. Logically speaking, a few days shouldn't make much of a difference in a person. But when she saw the rosy-cheeked and serene Wang Qifang, she was still taken aback - was this radiant young mistress sitting on the kang really the disheveled and abandoned woman she had seen just a few days ago?

  A flash of surprise in her eyes, but no expression on her face, Qiangniang's movements were standard as she placed her hands on her waist and slightly bent her knees to greet Qifang. Of course, if her tone was a bit more natural, it would be even better.

  "Feng Dashi doesn't have to be so polite," Qifang put down the porcelain cup, pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at the corner of her mouth, gesturing for Ziyun, who was waiting behind her, to bring over a package from the kang cabinet. "This is the clothes you asked me to make last time, I just had a lot on my hands, so it's a few days late, but it shouldn't have caused any inconvenience to anyone!"

  Ziyuan was only one year older than Zishu, but she was much more mature and sensible. She also followed Zhao's rules and learned them faster and better than Zishu. When she heard the master's orders, she calmly took over the package, holding it with both hands and handing it to Qiangniang.

  "What's this?"

  It was clear that Qiangniang had also been busy these days and had forgotten about asking Wang Qifang to help her make clothes. She took the package in confusion, untied the knot, and revealed a silver-red dress with lace trim at the neckline, which reminded her, "Ah, look at me, I almost forgot about this! I said earlier that when I went to the market, I met Mrs. Wei, she kept pulling me close and asking questions but didn't say anything, it turned out it was for this dress! Hehe, Young Mistress, you've worked hard!"

  Qian Niang originally handed over the clothes to Qi Fang to make, with a hint of sympathy. But unexpectedly, in less than two days, the abandoned woman who was desperately trying to make a living for herself had transformed back into a noble young mistress. First, there were loyal and diligent nannies bustling about, followed by the purchase of two or three maidservants to attend to her...

  "Ah, this must be the new maid that Mistress just bought, right? It's only been a few days and she already has the demeanor of a lady from a big household. She's indeed worthy of being taught by Old Madam Zhao herself! By the way, Mistress, where is Old Madam Zhao? I heard from Old Chen in the village that she seems to be quite busy lately. Is there something urgent going on? If you trust our family's Tiezhu, you can just order him to do it directly!"

  Wang Qifang heard this, her eyes slightly narrowed, with a hint of inquiry looking at Xiangniang who was smiling with a friendly face. Then, as if she had thought of something, the corners of her mouth curved up into a smile: "Oh, it's not a big deal. When I left the house, I didn't prepare many things, and there weren't enough people to help, so outsiders saw it and we would have lost the face of the Wang family. So, these past few days, Zhao Ayi has been busy buying things and training the servants!"

  "Oh, I see," Qiangniang thought back to the visit of the second young master of the Qian family a few days ago, and perhaps Zhao Ayi felt embarrassed in front of outsiders that time, so she was busy putting on a good face. Based on Qifang's words, Qiangniang thought of this possibility and secretly wondered why her husband was making such a fuss - saying that Zhao Ayi often went out suspiciously, and the Zhuangzi in Qingquan Village was bought by a mysterious nobleman, who knows if there is any connection between these two things.

  If Wang Qifang heard Feng Tiezhu's speculation, she would definitely seal him as the Emperor of Truth and applaud his cleverness. No wonder Zhao's family had so many young children, her cheap old husband chose Feng Tiezhu, who was not surprisingly handsome, to be the manager of the farm. With this kind of mind and lively brain, he is not an ordinary person.

  In the afternoon, after sending away the two little maids by her side, Wang Qifang hid in the space to take a nap. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but when she was in the space, she always had a very comfortable feeling, and her tired body due to pregnancy would also be completely relaxed and relieved. After realizing this, Qifang often took advantage of Zhao's absence to rest, drink tea, or even pick cotton flowers in the space.

  "It's a good thing the space has a magical preservation function, so these cotton flowers can stay on the branches," Wang Qifang said after waking up from her nap and seeing that it was still early, she got up to pick cotton flowers in the backyard of the wooden house. Looking at the white flowers still blooming on the branches, she felt a little regretful, thinking that such good things couldn't be promoted or used, and couldn't help but feel heartbroken. So much so that every time she saw the cotton flowers on the branches, she wanted to pick them off, even if it was just for her own use.

  It's just... um, thanks to the blessing of liking handmade coarse cloth from past life, Qifang also understands the traditional craftsmanship of processing cotton. But understanding is one thing, being able to do it is another. Picking cotton is simple, but spinning cotton into yarn and then weaving it into cotton fabric seems a bit more difficult.

  Perhaps Qiangniang should know the processing technology of cotton. For some reason, this sentence popped up in Wang Qifang's mind. She still remembered that when Qiangniang saw the cotton seeds that day, her eyes flashed with excitement and surprise. So can it be inferred that she originally knew what kind of seed it was? If you know cotton seeds, then you should have seen cotton and cotton cloth too?!

  Wang Qifang shook her head, "No way, Qian Niang and Feng Guan Shi's attitude is unclear, can't easily reveal the cotton matter to them. Besides, what did she mean by what she said at noon today? Are they starting to suspect Zhao Niang?"

  Spread the picked cotton on the ground under the wooden house corridor, Wang Qifang's mind kept replaying Xiangniang's expression and her words. Suddenly, she thought of a serious problem, hurriedly went to the hot spring pool to wash her hands, and rushed back to the small courtyard outside.

  "Zi Zhuang, has Zhao Niang returned?"

  The more she thought about it, the more uneasy Wang Qifang felt when Zi Zhu told her "news", but at that time she didn't pay attention to it. After listening to Qiangniang's words, she finally figured out what that feeling was. Alas, it's been too comfortable for a long time, how could I not even think of this?

  "Qī niáng, I just got back, what's up?"

  It was not Zichun who responded to Qiniang, but rather Zhao Aiguo, who had just stepped into the courtyard. Through the window, Zhao Aiguo heard Qifang's summons and quickly walked over to the house, "What's wrong? Qiniang, what's happened again?" Haven't things been going well lately? The Zhuangzi has been bought, they have a house now, and the servants are all being trained, everything is progressing smoothly, so why does Qiniang still look so worried?!

  "Zhao Ayi, come sit down," Wang Qifang said, seeing the sweat on Zhao Ayi's face, and quickly pulled her to sit on the edge of the kang, pouring a bowl of tea for her. "Ayi, I remember I still have two paternal uncles, do you know where they are now?"

  "Uncle, Uncle?" Zhao Ayi gulped down the water in her cup and put it down empty. She wiped the water stains from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief. "Seventh Lady, why did you suddenly think of the two uncles?"

  "Alas, sister, we've overlooked a crucial matter," Qifang sighed helplessly and said with a bitter smile: "In our current situation, buying such an eye-catching property, without a strong backing, just the two of us, women without any support, can't possibly hold on to it!"