The Marquis' Wife
Collaboration with Xiaowen
The next day Adelia went to Li village where Xiaowen lived. Li Village is the closest village to Cheng city, the village is more developed and prosperous than other villages because the villagers grow herbal plants that will then be sold to pharmaceutical stores.
Adelia saw many buildings of houses made of stone rather than wooden houses, before long she got to the house of a fairly large stone building and then got off the horse carriage.
The villagers see Adelia who is very foreign to them but no one is huddled and gossiped because they have their own jobs. After all, the horse carriages had often entered their village so it was not a new sight anymore.
"Aadellias! What are you here for?!" Xiaowen who was sweeping the courtyard was shocked to see the woman.
Adelia smiled. "I want to visit you".
"Please enter! Mother-in-law! Mother-in-law. Xiefu's wife is visiting!".
Xiaowen's words made the villagers shocked and crowded to see Adelia up close made the woman awkward, it was fortunate that Xiaowen immediately let her in.
"Mrs Xiefu. Sorry if the house is a mess. We didn't know that the lady would visit". Xiaowen's mother-in-law greeted Adelia enthusiastically.
"Call Adelia Li's mother. I'm sorry if I bother you with my sudden arrival".
"No, of course not. It's an honor for our home to be visited by you Adelia".
"Please drink Adel". Xiaowen put down a tray containing tea and some cakes.
"Xiaowen, sit here and accompany Adelia. I'll cook".
"Mother Li doesn't have to bother. I won't be here long, Ms. Li".
"Don't do that. You have to have lunch before you go home, although our cooking is simple but we want to have lunch with you Adelia". Mother Li kept forcing.
"Alright" Adelia had to agree.
"What are you doing here, Adelia? If you tell your servant then I can come to your house, you don't have to bother coming".
Adelia shook her head. "I have to see you in person".
"Xiaowen, do you want to work in Cheng City?"
"You mean?".
"Now I will move to Fucheng and it will be a pity if I have to close the store in Cheng city because I cannot manage it from far away. So I asked you if you wanted to run De Xiang's cake shop, you could start your career there".
Xiaowen. She did not expect the fall of duren to collapse today, she had long wanted to start a business because she wanted to improve her status in her husband's family, although her mother-in-law did not say much, she knew that her mother-in-law was more pampering for her brother-in-law because she already had a son than she did not have a baby.
"You're sure Adel?".
"Yes. Since this is my shop so you don't have to worry about people interrupting your efforts, we'll split the 6:4.6 profit for me and the 4 for you, I'll give you a recipe and teach you how to make a tart".
Xiaowen shook her head strongly. "You gave me too much. What if it's 8:2?".
"No, it's too little. You made it and sold it so you deserve 40%". Adelia insisted.
"No, not Adel. Starting from the store, the equipment and even the recipes are all from you so I don't deserve that much" Xiaowen insisted more.
After a long debate the two finally agreed to give a 7:3 advantage. Both are breathing resigned because they both think that they are taking more advantage.
"But did your mother-in-law allow you to live in the city?".
"Living in town?" Xiaowen did not understand Adelia's question.
"After the store is my house that you will occupy".
Xiaowen's eyes widened, he forgot that one thing. For a moment he seemed hesitant but he convinced himself that this was an opportunity that did not come twice.
"I will persuade my mother-in-law. I'll let you know the final decision about whether or not I live in the city".
Adelia smiled with satisfaction. "alright". The two then gossiped about what was happening in Cheng city as well as in Li village, after discussing about the business the two were getting closer.
Li's female family enthusiasm makes Adelia almost overwhelmed in serving them but occasionally Xiaowen helps mediate so that the atmosphere does not become a canggungg, he said, Adelia eats more than usual probably because of the simple dishes that make her taste more homey.
After lunch, Adelia returned to Cheng. His pleasure was lost hearing the report when he had just entered the gate.
"Mrs. Two women named Li Mei and Lien Hua came to visit".
Adelia took a long breath. "Where are they now?".
"There's in the mistress' living room".
"Send them to wait. I'll take a shower first". Adelia thought that she should refresh her mind before serving her two aunts.
Half an hour later, fresh-looking Adelia walked into the living room and smiled at Li Mei and Lien Hua. "What are the two aunts visiting here for?".
Although Li Mei was not happy because Adelia made a wait but for her purpose she endured her dislike. "Auntie wants to congratulate Lu Xiang but the waiter says that Lu Xiang is going to Fucheng?".
"Yes aunt. My husband is having some business there" Adelia told the waiter to bring her strawberries.
Lie Hua looked very envious at the good treatment the princess received by the niece who was always below her, he glanced at Li Mei to say their true purpose was to come here but the woman did not see it at all.
"Auntie also heard that you're pregnant? Congratulations Adelia, may you give birth to a son so that your status here is more solid".
Adelia received a bowl of strawberries and ate it casually, smiling at her aunt's words. "Auntie doesn't have to worry, there's no mother-in-law here who's going to pressure me".
The exact insinuation about the chests of his two aunts made their smiles freeze and try hard to keep smiling.
"You can't say it's Adelia. What if Lu Xiang preferred a concubine over you because you didn't have a boy who would pass on the Lu family candle like your mother?". Lien Hua attacked back.
Adelia's smile disappeared, she took a deep breath. It was true that his guess would be very sultry against these two old women.
"That's all I want to say. Pregnancy makes me tired easily, then...". Adelia moved from her seat but Li Mei immediately held her back while staring fiercely at Lien Hua who was unable to be patient. He did not want his goal destroyed just because of this narrow-minded woman.
"Wait a minute, Adelia. Actually auntie wants to ask you something, I heard you're moving to Fucheng? You're gonna buy a house there, right?".
"Yes aunt". Adelia becomes lazy to ask back and let her aunt convey their own goals.
"You also know that Miao Sheng will also go to Fucheng to continue his schooling at the Academy that is there. But renting a house is very expensive, you know for yourself that our family does not have much money, so aunt wants to ask you that Miao Sheng can stay in your house until he can rent his own house".
Adelia's lips pulsed speechless, the Miao family was indeed very thick-faced, after what had happened between them, Li Mei still had a face to ask her for help.
"Auntie, for that matter I have to discuss it again with my husband. I don't want my husband to think that our family is taking advantage of every opportunity to take advantage of him, do we?".
Li Mei was stunned and became angry yet she could only bite her lips firmly to stifle emotions. "Oh-of course you should discuss with Lu Xiang".
"Adelia. What about the cake shop if you move to Fucheng?" Lien Hua immediately took over the conversation for fear that Adelia would make a pretext to expel them quickly.
Adelia and Li Mei were stunned. Lien Hua also realized that she was speaking bluntly, she cleared her throat and chuckled. "I mean aunt, it would be a pity if no one ran a cake shop after you moved to Fucheng. Aunt can snuggle...".
"Auntie doesn't have to worry about it. Someone already intended to buy a cake shop and wanted to run that cake shop with me. He had given away several thousand silver coins and would give 30% of the profits from the sale of tarts every month".
"You sold it?!!" Li Mei and Lien Hua shouted in disbelief.
"Yes aunt. Haah~ aunt knows for herself that buying a house and living expenses in Fucheng is very high so aunt requested that Miao Sheng stay in our house right? I have to figure out a way to earn big money to do that because it is impossible with the Xiefu title that Lu Xiang wore we just rented a house right? It just so happens that there are people who want to buy a De Xiang cake shop and pay dearly". Adelia said nonsense without even blinking.
"How could you sell it?!" Lien Hua was still in disbelief, she was fed up of living in the village and wanted to move to the city, she said, the only way that she can achieve her goal is through Adelia and now this rancid woman is saying that she has sold De Xiang's cake shop?!.
"I had to be an aunt if I didn't do that how could I have the money to buy a house in Fucheng. If aunt Li Mei and aunt Lien Hua no longer have anything to talk about then Lu Yan, call Lu Cai to take my two aunts home".
"Good mistress".
Adelia left the living room without heeding the call from her aunt.