Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 160 - 6: Yang Liu Is Pregnant (Part 2)

After Susu finished speaking, she quickly instructed Qi Qiao and Linglong to pack clothes and bedding for her. She then invited Mrs. Cai down for some tea, and afterwards asked Linglong’s mother—Bai Fu’s wife and Shuimo’s father—Zhao Youshen to come over. She gave a few instructions, saying it was nothing more than following the manor’s routine, and that the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching in a few days, so Susu would definitely return by then.

Since she was going to someone else’s house as a guest, Susu thought it wouldn’t be appropriate to bring all her maids, so she took only Qi Qiao and Linglong, leaving the clever Fen Dai and literate Shuimo at home to look after things. "If anything happens, just discuss it with Aunt Bai and Uncle Zhao, keep the house in order, and when I return, I’ll take you all into the city for a stroll."

Fen Dai was initially somewhat reluctant; it was such a privilege to follow the young lady, and staying at the manor seemed so dull. However, upon hearing that Susu would take them to the Capital to explore when she returned, her dissatisfaction quickly vanished. She shook Susu’s hand excitedly, "Really, Miss? I haven’t been to the Capital yet!"

Fen Dai’s family weren’t originally from the Capital; they merely followed a human trafficker there, having no qualifications to stroll around the streets. Being still young, she always harbored a sense of yearning for the imperial city. Seeing the other three maids’ eyes light up as well, Susu chuckled, "When have I ever broken my word? By then, I’ll even treat you all to a meal at a restaurant."

The kindness Susu received from Mrs. Zhao and the Old Madam prevented her from wandering aimlessly or straying from the right path, so she also desired to treat others with kindness. There might be other things she couldn’t accomplish, but fulfilling these young maids’ small dreams was something within her reach.

Qi Qiao and Linglong packed the bundle of luggage, Susu also got herself dressed up, and personally went to the west wing, which served as a storeroom for the boxes, to select a few gifts. Although she was a junior, she was also from Yang Liu’s maternal family, so it was her first visit, and naturally, she needed to bring face to Yang Liu.

For Old Mrs. Huang, who was Yang Liu’s great-grandmother-in-law, she brought two lengths of embroidery to be delivered in advance, appropriate for making clothes when the weather turned cooler. She also included a pair of intricately crafted hairpins that had been bestowed by Princess Consort Gong. The design was indeed unsuitable for unmarried girls to wear, so though they were exquisite, Susu kept them at the bottom of the box, and now they had finally found their purpose.

For Mrs. Huang, or Granny Yang Liu, she prepared two lengths of silk as well—a piece with an Autumn Fragrance Color Five-Colored Chrysanthemum Pattern Silk, and a piece of brown base with gold and silver flowers Shu brocade. She also prepared a gold filigree inlaid with precious stones bracelet for her, each of the six gemstones was as large as a fingernail and was honest-to-goodness pigeon blood red.

In terms of value, this bracelet was even more expensive than the pair of hairpins, but the appeal of the hairpins lay in their elegance, an elegance that money couldn’t buy. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Yang Liu’s husband’s great-grandfather was still alive, with the Huang Family now considered a four-generational family. Susu also prepared a gift for him—an inner-painted glass snuff bottle bestowed by the palace.

For Yang Liu’s husband, father-in-law, and grandfather, Susu also prepared appropriate gifts. As for Yang Liu, she had even more prepared.

Having everything ready, Susu took Qi Qiao and Linglong with her, boarding her own carriage, with Mrs. Cai sitting in the leading carriage to guide the way, followed by another mule carriage carrying their baggage, all heading towards the county town of Tong County.

The Huang Family, Yang Liu’s in-laws, were the largest landowners in Tong County. They had been settled there for two or three hundred years, and were regarded as well-known gentry. Due to a lack of numerous descendants and no offspring skilled in reading or martial arts, they remained merely local landlords in Tong County.

Old Master Huang was already over eighty years old. After the Song Family became prosperous, Old Master Song foresaw the future and sent Grandpa Qiao to the Capital to establish industries. It was during this time that Grandpa Qiao and Old Master Huang became acquainted and formed a deep friendship that lasted through the years.

When the Song Family moved to the Capital, Mr. Huang, Yang Liu’s father-in-law, personally brought lavish gifts to the Bo Mansion to meet the Elder Master. With Grandpa Qiao paving the way, the Elder Master was also eager to connect with local influencers in the Capital, and thus easily accepted the Huang Family’s covert allegiance. Consequently, the Qiao and Huang families became in-laws from then on.

All these matters were discussed during Old Madam’s storytelling sessions after learning about Yang Liu’s engagement. Back then, they were still in Yangzhou, and Old Madam wasn’t entirely at ease; she only consented to the engagement after arriving in the Capital and personally meeting Yang Liu’s future husband.

Yang Liu’s husband, the only scion of this Huang Family generation, though not particularly handsome, was tall and robust, exuding a certain aura of the martial world.

It turns out that Young Master Huang inherited neither the scholarly nor martial talents of his ancestors, yet he was not content with merely managing the lands accumulated by his forefathers. He favored engaging in trade and commerce. At fifteen, he took his personal savings and ventured out for business, essentially buying and selling goods. Within a year, he had multiplied his silver several times over.