Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 225 - 10: The Bittersweet Farewell (Part 1)

Susu and Hong Sheng’s meeting ended successfully, and they gained a general understanding of each other, feeling more compatible.

Hong Sheng handed over the small treasury he had brought to Shangjing without Susu’s prompting, though he said with some embarrassment, "I was in a hurry when returning to the Capital, so it was hard to bring many things over, and most of the silver coin has been spent, leaving just this much. Madam, keep it for now. We need to set out for the Northwest before April, and it is extremely arduous along the way. Madam, prepare more things, and I’ll exchange items for some silver later."

Susu took the money box Hong Sheng handed over, inside were two fifty-tael silver ingots, along with some scattered silver, totaling less than twenty taels.

Susu looked at this meager amount of silver with some anxiety, as the elders from Hongshan Village were returning to Yangzhou the next day, and they couldn’t send them back empty-handed.

She could use the silver from her dowry, but feared Hong Sheng might overthink it. After considering, she said, "The village chief and others are returning to Yangzhou tomorrow, what do you plan to prepare for them?"

Hong Sheng initially felt uneasy seeing his wife silent, considering he had been spending money like water recently, and only realized how little he had when he saw the money box.

Upon hearing his wife’s words, he felt relieved, confirming that his wife was not one to disdain the poor and adore the rich. "Earlier, I gave the village chief three thousand taels of silver, five hundred of which is for building a shrine and school for the village. The remainder is for the village chief to buy land, considered as our family’s ritual fields. However, I won’t take the yield for the next ten years; it is all for supporting the livelihood of the old, weak, sick, and disabled in the village."

Susu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "The villagers have shown kindness to you, so this is just appropriate. We should also prepare a lavish gift for the elders and village chief’s couple this time, as they have delayed their spring sowing for three months due to our marriage; we can’t be stingy."

Hong Sheng promptly stood up and cupped his hands to Susu in respect, "I am a simple man, but Madam is attentive to these matters, so I ask Madam to handle this with care."

These tasks naturally fell to Susu, the lady of the house, so she quickly arranged for gifts to be sent to the elders of Hongshan Village.

After the maid left, the village chief’s wife gingerly touched the few luxurious silk pieces on the table, fearing her coarse hands might scratch the shiny fabric. She understood these were silks used by royalty and nobility, "My heavens, this must be worshipped at home!"

The village chief of Hongshan Village was fiddling with a cigarette holder and jade pipe, with a box of tobacco beside him, also sent by Susu. Upon hearing this, he rolled his eyes, unwilling to acknowledge this "ignorant foolish woman," as women only focus on the superficial.

After pondering, the village chief shook his head, ordering some practicality. "Look at that jewelry box, that’s real stuff. High-grade silk isn’t uncommon in noble households, not to mention Hong Sheng’s wife is from the Shun’an Earl Mansion; it’s just for appearances. It’s ideal to put these into a dowry or betrothal gift when marrying off daughters or marrying daughters-in-law."

Although the village chief’s wife was not very knowledgeable, she followed her husband’s words unquestioningly. Reluctantly, she shifted her gaze from the silk and opened the double-layered jewelry box with red lacquer and inlaid flowers, gasping immediately, "My word, Hong Sheng’s wife is incredibly generous!"

The upper layer of the jewelry box contained a set of eight gold items, exquisitely crafted in a chrysanthemum design, made entirely from pure red gold, and heavy. The eight gold items included a pair of golden hairpins, a pair of bracelets, a pair of rings, and a pair of earrings. Having a set of silver items in an ordinary family is enough to brag about, let alone pure red gold.

The village chief’s wife peered at the lower layer, which contained a pair of red gold inlaid with red gemstones butterfly hairpins, a pair of red gold filigree lantern earrings, a pair of thin gold bracelets, and four delicate rings embedded with pearls and gemstones, all designed for young women.

The village chief’s wife realized that Hong Sheng’s wife prepared these specifically, knowing they had two daughters ready for marriage. This thoughtful gesture left her speechless. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Of course, the village chief of Hongshan Village had seen these things, and while not as awestruck as his wife, he was quite shocked. Though he had just received the three thousand taels of silver notes from Hong Sheng earlier, those weren’t his—they were just for handling temporarily; now, these were genuinely for their family.