Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 224 - 91 The Sample

Chapter 224: Chapter 91: The Sample

Chapter 224 -91: The Sample

On the way back to the Capital City, Yueyao didn’t cause any trouble, and because she was familiar with the road, it took only three days to return.

Yueyao arrived back in the Capital City on the 18th. The next day, she sent Nanny Deng to the Ma Family to deliver her gifts; at the same time, she informed Ma Chengteng and Ma Peng that she would not attend the wedding. She had no issue with attending the banquet for the Palace Graduates earlier, but now that it involved the bride’s happiness, Yueyao still wanted to maintain a good relationship with her and did not want to put her in an awkward position before even crossing the threshold.

Upon hearing Yueyao’s concerns, Ma Chengteng did not insist. It wouldn’t be too late for Yueyao to visit after his daughter-in-law had arrived; there were many things they, as men, might overlook, so it would be good for his daughter-in-law, who had grown up in the Duke Mansion, to look after and guide Yueyao in the future.

Turning around, Nanny Deng then went to have a chat with Granny Liu. With the Eldest Young Master’s marriage, Granny Liu should have been the busiest person, but she had to talk more with Nanny Deng no matter how busy she was.

Granny Liu told Nanny Deng everything, both what should and shouldn’t have been said. Yueyao was shocked, “A Chambermaid is pregnant? When did this happen?” Yueyao’s first reaction was disbelief, suspecting that this news might be false.

Ma Peng was already eighteen years old, and in great households, a chambermaid was placed in the service of a young heir by the age of fifteen. However, until the official wife arrived, no Legitimate Child would be born, and these people had to drink contraceptive soups. How could such an incident occur just before the marriage? If it were a coincidence, Yueyao did not believe it. Moreover, Nanny Liu was cunning and calculating, and even if she were close to Nanny Deng, she should not have divulged such private matters. There was something fishy about this.

Nanny Deng shook her head, “Nanny Liu said it was Lady Cheng who tampered with the medicine, and those two maids were sent to a manor in the countryside after the New Year. That girl was audacious, knowing she was pregnant, still she deceived everyone with monthly sanitary pouches, thinking to cover it up. Fortunately, it was discovered; after Granny Liu got wind of it, Uncle Master dealt with it overnight.” If it had been within the Ma Mansion, it would have been discovered sooner. Because it was in the countryside manor, oversights were inevitable.

Upon hearing this, Yueyao sensed something was amiss, “These two chambermaids were given by Nanny Liu, right?” If Lady Cheng could instigate chambermaids, there was no need to wait until now. Isn’t it too coincidental?

Nanny Deng, however, thought differently, “Lady Cheng did this merely to let the Zhuang Family’s Young Lady know and to create discord between the Young Master (cousin) and his wife. However, she didn’t realize that this marriage itself was already the Ma Family marrying up, and if this matter gets out, it will be the Ma Family who suffers in the end. If that’s the case, the Old Master would be heartbroken.” Concerning the family’s fortune and future, no man would be lenient. This time, Uncle Master would surely send Lady Cheng directly to the Nunnery.

Yueyao was curious, “How did uncle decide to marry Lady Cheng as the stepmother? Even if uncle was manipulated, what harm would there be to refuse to marry her?” Although Yueyao detested the greedy and vicious nature of the Lady’s family, she had to admit that Lady’s family’s stewardship was quite good, without any mistakes over the years, and even socially, they did not give anyone a reason to complain. But Lady Cheng was truly a fool, causing chaos both inside and outside the household, and even her children caused nothing but trouble.

All Nanny Deng could do was sigh, “Back then, Lady Cheng was also quite attractive and good at pretending, so Uncle Master thought she was a woman of good character and insisted on marrying her. Old Madam disagreed, but in the end, she couldn’t win against Uncle Master. Uncle Master regrets it now.” This chambermaid issue finally made Ma Chengteng give up hope, and the reason for keeping the incident from Lady Cheng was that he wanted to get through the wedding peacefully. Otherwise, she would certainly have been sent to the Nunnery.

Yueyao’s eyes twinkled; there might be more to this incident. She didn’t believe that Granny Liu, who had outsmarted Lady Cheng for over a decade, could be outmaneuvered by her at the last moment. If Lady Cheng had that capability, she wouldn’t have ended up in her current situation. Regardless, Lady Cheng had finally worn down uncle’s patience, and getting rid of her would make visiting uncle’s family more convenient in the future, “I think sending Lady Cheng to the Nunnery might not be as effective as sending her back to the old family home; that might be a better punishment.” The Ma Family’s old home was in Luzhou, thousands of miles away from the Capital City; a round trip took months. If Lady Cheng were sent back to the old home, Yueyao thought it would be better, as a husband and wife living separately would naturally drift apart.

Nanny Deng clapped her hands, “Exactly! The aunt-in-law at the old house is very strict. If Lady Cheng is entrusted to her, she definitely won’t make trouble again.” Putting her in the Nunnery was risky, as there was a chance that Uncle Master might soften and let her out someday, creating endless trouble.

Yueyao nodded.

On the day of the joyous occasion, Yueyao did not attend the wedding banquet. Yuebing didn’t say a word, but surprisingly, Yueying broke with convention and asked Yueyao, “Today is the big day for our third younger sister’s elder cousin, why didn’t third younger sister attend the wedding banquet?” Usually, Yueyao wouldn’t miss any good events in the Ma Family; this time was indeed unusual.

Yueyao spoke indifferently, “I am in a period of mourning and it is not suitable for me to attend a wedding banquet. It’s not too late to meet my cousin-in-law after she returns for a visit.” This meant that she would still go to the Ma Family’s place in a few days.

Beside her, Yuebing’s mouth twitched. She was particularly annoyed by Yueyao’s behavior, who always brought up mourning at every opportunity. Knowing she was filial was enough, there was no need to proclaim it to the whole world, was there? Such talk really sickened her; mother said she did it on purpose, to let everyone know about her filial piety.

Yueying didn’t continue to ask. This time, seeing the three of them talking, Yuehuan didn’t interrupt. After they finished talking, Yuehuan handed her something.

Yueyao opened it and found something resembling a stick; upon twisting it open, she saw a clump of red substance. Yueyao curiously asked Yuehuan, “What is this?”

Yuebing took the lead in explaining, “Fourth younger sister said this is ‘lipstick’ and it can replace the use of red paper. Third younger sister, have you ever heard of lipstick?”

Yueyao shook her head, “No.” Yueyao had never used such a thing up to this point. Her lips were naturally a deep red, and even without such products, they looked the same as others did when using red paper.

Yuehuan demonstrated to everyone, applying it along the outline of her lips. After she finished, the shape and outline of Yuehuan’s lips were very distinct, and the color was extremely vivid.

Yuebing grabbed it to try for herself, looked in the mirror, and felt very good about it. She immediately said, “Fourth younger sister, do you have any more? If you do, give me one.” After more than half a year’s instruction from Nanny Wang, Yuebing had also begun to restrain herself. Otherwise, she would have simply said, “Give this to me.”

Yuehuan shook her head, “Not right now, but more can be made; lipstick is very convenient to carry around, and I believe many people will like it. If sold, it definitely could make money.” Not just money, but a substantial amount.

Eventually, with no other option, Yuehuan decided to make her own money. Just the other day, by chance, she heard Maternal Aunt Su complaining that once the red paper got wet, it couldn’t be used again, so she decided to make lipstick to try. After she started working, she shared a rental with a beautician; they had a pretty good relationship, and she learned quite a bit from her. She not only knew how to make lipstick but also handmade soap and other items. It just never occurred to her that her English major from the modern era would be utterly useless; yet these hobbies became quite useful.

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While the product seemed simple, it had taken Yuehuan quite some effort. Seeing the item, Yueyao frowned and said, “What is this made of? Could it be harmful to the body? A physician should examine it first.” Yueyao’s concern was that since no one had used these products before nor had a physician examined them, and since they are applied to the lips, they could easily be ingested by accident. What if they were toxic? This was definitely something to be cautious about.

Yuehuan was caught off guard, thinking that Yueyao’s concern was that such a product lacked fame and would not be trusted by people, making it hard to expand the market. Yuehuan hadn’t realized that Yueyao, though she appeared inexperienced in business, actually had keen insight into it.

If Yueyao knew what Yuehuan was thinking, she would surely look up to the sky speechless. She had only intended to give a friendly reminder, yet it was misconstrued as if she had some kind of insider knowledge. In fact, it was a straightforward matter: a new product that could easily be ingested needed assurances before people would accept it.

Yuehuan wanted to make the product herself and then sell it for money, asking if everyone was willing to contribute. Her original hope was that the four young ladies could chip in to start a small shop and build it up from there.

Only then did Yueyao realize why Yuehuan had talked so much to them: she was looking to bring them on board as partners, “Thank you for your kind intentions, fourth younger sister. If you need money, I can lend you some, but I’m not interested in doing business,” Yueyao said.

Yuehuan quickly shook her head, “No need. If third sister doesn’t want to join, then never mind.” Ah, she had hoped to use this opportunity to close the distance between them, but it seemed her cousin remained unyielding.

Yueyao might not be willing to do business, but having been by Zhou Shu’s side for many years and hearing his constant chatter, she had picked up a bit about the things to be cautious of when conducting business. Yueyao warned Yuehuan, “If the lipstick is harmless to the body, it will surely be very popular when it comes out. You must keep the formula secure and not let it leak out.” People in the marketplace were very cunning; if Yuehuan’s lipstick passed medical examinations and seemed effective, it would definitely sell well, and others would surely set their sights on it.

Now Yuehuan finally understood what Yueyao had meant earlier, “Thank you, third older sister, I understand.” The formula had to be kept secure, and she felt warmed by Yueyao’s advice.

Yuehuan’s invitation to Yueyao to join the venture didn’t elicit much reaction from Maternal Aunt Su. After all, having invited Yuebing and Yueying, it would seem quite unfair to exclude Yueyao.

Nevertheless, Yuehuan was somewhat disappointed. She was eager to improve her relationship with Yueyao. This time when Yueyao returned to her hometown, Yuehuan heard that Yueyao had helped a young boy. If her guess was correct, Yueyao must know the boy’s identity, and moreover, this boy was bound to achieve greatness in the future. To be associated with someone who seemed to have such an advantage, one could at least benefit indirectly. Unfortunately, Yueyao wasn’t even leaving her a drop of that benefit.

Yuehuan only thought about getting on good terms with Yueyao privately but didn’t consider that with Maternal Aunt Su being so loyal to the Lady family, Yueyao wouldn’t dare to get too close to her. That Yueyao would offer a reminder was already a testament to her altruistic nature; any deeper involvement was certainly out of the question.