The Farm Girl's Charismatic Fortune-Chapter 83 - 81: What a Bargain for Madam Liu!

The cart approached, eventually coming to a stop in front of everyone, and Master He and his wife Yang Qixiang looked at the cartload of items with a flash of surprise in their eyes.

The fabric covering the brocade quilt had been seen by He Lan in the Cloth Store, allegedly coming from the Capital City and costing a tael of Silver per zhang.

There were also several exquisite food boxes from Tianxiang Tower, the contents of which were unknown; but any dish from Tianxiang Tower, even plain vegetables, cost dozens of Wen per plate, with none being cheap.

Where did Ruo Shui and Madam Liu get all that silver, willing to buy all these things?

He Lan couldn’t help but glance at Ruo Shui, who was as handsome as ever, clenching her handkerchief. Could Ruo Shui, such an impressive figure alone, have really turned his fortunes around?

If that were the case, her canceling their engagement... really was a bargain for Madam Liu!

She looked towards Madam Liu and noticed her attire was still miserably poor, and casting a glance at Ruo Shui’s whitened Changcao, she breathed a sigh of relief!

Although she didn’t know how they acquired these items from Tianxiang Tower, the Ruo Family certainly hadn’t turned their fortunes around, otherwise, their clothing would never be so destitute.

Then she thought of Yang Qixiang, who after the New Year would be taking the Advanced Scholar examination. This time he was confident he would pass and by then, she would be an Advanced Scholar’s wife. Eventually an Imperial Scholar and entering court as an official...

Regardless, Madam Liu would surely not live a better life than her!

Whatever Master He and the others thought, Madam Liu didn’t care anymore.

He excitedly stepped forward, picked up his granddaughter from the cart: "Xuanbao, call me grandpa again!"

Madam Liu had long known Xuanbao could speak, but now seeing and hearing with his own eyes and ears Xuanbao calling him, and saying such a lengthy speech, his heart was still filled with great joy.

"Grandpa!" Ruo Xuan sweetly called out.

"Good! Good..." Master Liu couldn’t help but exclaim, his eyes turning red with excitement.

Xuanbao finally could speak.

Master Liu only had two daughters and no sons. His worries over their marriages had shattered his heart.

His eldest daughter had married well into a family that ran a grocery store, where meals were plentiful and the husband and wife were affectionate. However, after giving birth to three daughters in a row, she faced scorn from the family matriarch, who threatened that if the next child wasn’t a son, they would make her husband take a concubine.

During the days of the flood, he stayed at his eldest daughter’s house. Before him, they treated her as if she was neither nose nor eyes, and they looked upon his three granddaughters with disdain. It made him feel terrible. Although he was a scholar, his son-in-law was the only male in three generations, and for his daughter’s sake, he promised he wouldn’t take a concubine. Respecting his son-in-law, he felt unable to argue much with a woman, only hoping his eldest daughter could soon give birth to a promising son.

The second son-in-law was also good, but the Ruo Family’s fortunes were down, and his daughter’s life after marriage was difficult. The daughter she bore couldn’t speak at three years old, and they sought doctors and remedies everywhere, until his hair turned white with worry.

Now that Xuanbao was finally better, he could let go of one of his concerns.

Seeing her grandfather’s eyes turning red, Ruo Xuan reached out her chubby little hand, using the sleeve of his robe to wipe away his tears: "Grandpa, last time you didn’t go to Tianxiang Tower for a meal, you didn’t get to taste their food. This time I bought Tianxiang Tower’s roasted lamb ribs, roast chicken, braised rabbit, and braised squab for you to try. Dad said you love sweet and sour pork, so I bought some for you to taste later. Tianxiang Tower’s food is so delicious, even better than what mom makes!"

Madam Liu, upon hearing her words, didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Having tasted the food from outside, her daughter now disdained her own cooking; but how could the dishes from fancy restaurants, with so many spices and seasonings, be compared to home cooking with just a hint of oil and salt?

She pretended to be angry: "If you don’t like it, I won’t cook for you anymore!"

Ruo Xuan immediately responded: "I was wrong, the food Mom makes is the tastiest!"

Certainly among the family, what Mom makes is indeed the tastiest, no mistake.

Master Liu successfully laughed, being teased by such an articulate and lively granddaughter; he glared at his daughter, "What kind of mother are you? Even teasing your daughter."

Madam Liu: "Sure enough, a daughter married away is like water splashed out. With a granddaughter now, this birth daughter of mine has no place to stand! Husband, let’s go home! My father doesn’t want me anymore!"

Madam Liu looped her arm through Ruo Shui’s, pretending to walk away!

It was only when visiting her family that Madam Liu would show such a girlish demeanor.

At such a young age, she lost her mother. Her father and elder sister, fearing she might lack maternal love, doted on her all the more, making up for her mother’s absence. With just a pout, she could get anything she wanted! And so, from childhood, she grew accustomed to acting coquettishly around her dear father.

Of course, Madam Liu behaved this way to please Master Liu and to feel closer to her own father. She had married at not quite seventeen years of age, leaving her father alone. After becoming a mother, especially once she’d given birth to Xuanbao, she understood all the more how difficult it was to be a parent.

She felt burdened with responsibility from head to toe!

Here, she was only a daughter, not a mother, not a wife, not a daughter-in-law. Any one of these three roles carried responsibilities; she couldn’t act recklessly, had to maintain dignity, and couldn’t even sleep through till dawn.

But as a daughter, she only needed to be the apple of her father’s eye, happily enjoying his love.

Ruo Shui, feeling sorry for his pampered wife, said indulgently, "Don’t worry, Xuanbao is small and can’t occupy much space in dad’s heart. You are definitely the biggest treasure in dad’s heart! Besides, isn’t it better if dad snatches Xuanbao away? You are the only treasure in my heart."

His words succeeded in making Madam Liu blush. There were others present, what nonsense was he spouting! She cast an annoyed glance at Ruo Shui, "Aren’t you going to move the stuff into the house?"

The whole family was immersed in warmth, completely forgetting that Hen Lan and a few others were still watching from the side.

Hen Lan and two others wanted to see what Madam Liu had brought back home and stood there for quite a while, watching.

Ruo Shui was the first to carry the quilts inside.

Madam Liu brought in the bamboo shoots from the basket, "Dad, these are mountain delicacies, along with a wild duck, wild chicken, wild pigeon, and several pieces of cured meat. Don’t save them; eat them up. Next time my husband enters the capital, we’ll send you some more."

Master Liu widened his eyes, "Why bring so much? How can I eat all this by myself?"

"Grandpa, take your time eating. We still have a lot at home. When it’s all gone, I’ll go up the mountain to hunt some more," Ruo Xuan wriggled her little body in Master Liu’s arms, wanting to get down.

Master Liu then set her back on the cart.

Ruo Xuan opened the food box, "Grandpa, doesn’t the roast lamb chop from Tianxiang Tower smell amazing?"

More than a dozen lamb chops connected together in a row, roasted to a golden hue and sprinkled with spices like chili powder and cumin. Once the lid of the food box was opened, the fragrance, carried by the autumn breeze, instantly wafted throughout the yard.

Ruo Xuan couldn’t help but swallow saliva; she had been drooling all the way from Tianxiang Tower to the Academy!

"Grandpa, these taste even better when hot. Let’s eat! Mom and dad have bought and packed all the meals."

Master Liu was amused by his granddaughter’s gluttonous appearance, "All right! Let’s eat! Are you hungry, Xuanbao?"

Ruo Xuan nodded her tiny head; she wasn’t hungry, she just wanted to eat, but claiming hunger meant she could eat right away!

Master Liu hurriedly asked Madam Liu to set the meal.

Yang Qiqi, in Hen Lan’s arms, loudly said, "Grandpa, I want to eat the roast lamb chops from Tianxiang Tower too!"

Only then did Master Liu remember Hen Lan and his family’s presence. He quickly invited, "Hen Lan, Qixiang, Lanlan, come eat at my house! Wenyu has brought so much food from Tianxiang Tower; we can’t finish it all. There’s no need to cook; it’s all ready to eat. The stewed hen and pork Lanlan brought we can leave for later; it’ll be gone in a day or two. It’s different here; in addition to the dishes from Tianxiang Tower, there’s wild chicken, wild duck, wild pigeon, cured meat—how can we finish all that?"

He utterly turned back Hen Lan’s earlier words on him!

Hen Lan was frustrated. If he hadn’t passed up Ruo Shui as a son-in-law to Master Liu, would Master Liu be receiving such filial respect? All this was what he had renounced!

He held his chin high, "No, thank you. Qixiang has taken me to Tianxiang Tower so often, I’m sick of it!"

Then, with heads held high, the family of four strode back to their room!

Ruo Xuan could still hear Yang Qiwei inside, throwing a tantrum about wanting to go to Tianxiang Tower, claiming she’d never been there!

Madam Liu wasn’t concerned with the Hen family; as she set the meal, she asked, "Dad, did you ask someone to send a message for us to come back for something specific?"