[Conspiracy]
"I paid the deposit for the Plum Blossom Screen, and I provided all the embroidered threads. The agreed price at the time was thirty taels. Now, I am willing to give an additional fifty taels on top of the deposit." The lady in the carriage said.
The maid immediately chimed in, "You should accept the offer while it's still good! My lady's status is..."
"Liuliu!"
The maid named Liuliu covered her mouth as if she had almost leaked a huge secret.
Bai Xiaohu felt that fifty silver taels were a lot! But Ning Jing didn't care!
Ning Jing turned and walked towards the Bai Family, Bai Xiaohu asked in confusion, "Brother Ning, where are you going?"
"To your house," Ning Jing replied.
Bai Xiaohu remembered that Su Liang gave his dad a few white cakes last night, which were fragrant, soft, and delicious, inviting the Bai Family to treat Ning Jing to a meal today.
Bai Xiaohu ran after him, while Liuliu became annoyed, asked Ning Jing to stop, but no one paid attention.
Liuliu stomped her foot, "Miss, although that man is very handsome, he is in shabby clothes and lives in such a place. He must be short of money! This is his way of threatening us to raise the price!"
The curtain of the carriage jiggled, revealing a light pink skirt, "If he wanted to raise the price, he would not have left.".
"Then what should we do? Madame Xing's birthday is just around the corner!" Liuliu clenched her handkerchief. Glancing over, even Ning Jing's shadow was gone. Her brows furrowed, "In any case, we had a deal with the Su Xu's family. Su Liang is their niece after all. If we leave the money here and take the goods, both the silver and goods are settled, what can they do about it? Even if they go to court, we are in the right!"
The lady in the carriage spoke after a moment, "That's not appropriate. The fewer people who know about this matter, the better. This absolutely cannot be made a big fuss."
Liuliu sighed, "The lady is right. In case Madame Xing finds out that it was not my lady who embroidered…This servant should die for her nonsense! Now, what should we do?"
"Su Liang... what was her husband's name?"
Liuliu shook her head, "I don't know. But that man really doesn't look like someone from this village. He's even better looking than Young Master Xing!"
"What does it matter if he's good-looking? He's just a lowly commoner. You go find someone to inquire about the details of Su Liang's husband."
"Yes, Miss," Liuliu replied.
...
As Bai Xiaohu was eating, he went out again to check on things, only to find that the carriage and the people were gone from the entrance of Ning's house.
Mrs. Bai, after learning about this, suddenly recalled something and hurriedly said to Ning Jing, "Su Dafu's daughter is a gossip, telling everyone that her daughter Su Xiaodie embroidered flowers and sold them for a high price, as if no one knows what Su Xiaodie's real character is! It's said that the one who bought Su Liang's embroidery is a nobleman from the county town, who instructed not to sell any embroidered items to anyone else, nor could anyone know about it!"
"Why?" Bai Xiaohu scratched his head, curious.
Bai He had a decent appearance, had studied for two years before, and gave up due to his family's financial problems. However, he was still a bit smarter compared to other young people in the village.
Mrs. Bai's focus was on the "nobleman from the county town," worried that Ning Jing would offend someone and be retaliated against.
However, Bai He discovered the trick, "That nobleman might be taking Sister-in-law Ning's embroidery as her own to gain some benefits. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so secretive."
"What nobleman? She didn't even show her face, I think she's too ugly and afraid of being seen!" Bai Xiaohu said.
And this also confirmed Bai He's guess.
"Brother Ning, what should we do? Will she send someone to steal the Plum Blossom Screen?" Bai Xiaohu asked with a furrowed brow.
Ning Jing's expression was indifferent, "No need to worry about it."
Mrs. Bai stuffed a steamed bun into Bai Xiaohu's hand and told him to eat up.
Ning Jing exchanged the white cake that Mrs. Bai had specially set aside for him with Bai Xiaohu's steamed bun.
Bai Xiaohu dared not eat it, fearing he would be beaten, but he heard Ning Jing say, "Change the taste."
"I'm going to find my brother!" Bai Xiaohu tore the cake in half and went looking for Zhuzi.
Mrs. Bai sighed softly, "Sister-in-law Liang was forced by the Su family to embroider day and night when she first got married. Her eyes were full of red bloodshot! Now that you're protecting her, unwilling to exchange her heart's work for money, she's finally enjoying the fruits of her labor!"
The Bai family firmly believed that Ning Jing loved Su Liang deeply.
However, the real owner of the Plum Blossom Screen had already passed away, and now Su Liang was unwilling to exchange her precious work for money.
As for Ning Jing, he knew about this matter and did exactly what Su Liang would have done.
Fifty silver taels were indeed not a small amount for Ning Jing and Su Liang now, but they didn't lack this sum of money.
After the meal, Ning Jing and Bai He went back to work."
…
Mrs. Bai told Bai Xiaohu to take his younger brother out to play but not to go far and to stay vigilant in case the "nobleman from the county town" really sent someone to steal the Plum Blossom Screen.
Bai Xiaohu patted his chest and said he would keep a close eye on Ning's house, and not even a mosquito would be able to fly in!
Zhuzi blinked his innocent face, "Brother, it's cold now, there are no mosquitoes."
...
As for Su Liang, when she left the house, it was late morning. By the time she walked to the town, it was almost noon.
Feiyan Restaurant was doing good business, and Su Liang was recognized as soon as she appeared at the door.
"Miss, you're here!" The manager saw Su Liang, with a big smile on his face, and hurriedly invited her in.
Su Liang thought it must be because her medicinal diet sold well last time.
"These pears, does Miss's family have any more? I'll send someone to pick them, we can negotiate the price." The manager asked.
Su Liang shook her head, "There's only one pear tree, and the remaining ones are not good-looking."
Last time she sold four baskets of pears with the medicinal diet recipes for three silver taels.
This time, before Su Liang could speak, the manager offered her one silver tael for half a basket of pears.
The price was unusually high.
Seeing that Su Liang didn't show any joy at the good price but looked puzzled instead, the manager thought that she was not an ordinary person and explained with a smile, "The owner's friend's elder loved the medicinal diet that you made with the recipe last time, and only wants to eat pears from your family!"
Su Liang then understood why the manager was so enthusiastic.
"Do you have any other medicinal diet recipes, Miss? Our restaurant will buy them all! The boss said that as long as the recipes are good, this is the price per recipe!" The manager said and held out a hand to show her the price.
"500 taels?" Su Liang asked.
The manager's mouth twitched, "50 taels."
Su Liang smiled, "Alright. But these recipes have been passed down in my family, not made up by me, and there aren't that many. If not for my family needing money, I wouldn't sell them."
The manager nodded repeatedly, "How many recipes do you have, Miss?"
"Two." Su Liang took out the medicinal diet recipes and handed them to the manager.
The manager found her straightforward, and without even looking at them, he ordered someone to fetch the money.
Finally, Su Liang got a total of 101 silver taels, and with an empty stomach, she decided to have lunch at Feiyan Restaurant.
The manager recommended a few signature dishes, and Su Liang ordered one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a main course.
After waiting for a while, the dishes were served. They looked exquisite but the taste was just fair.
Su Liang didn't plan to sell all the medicinal diet recipes she knew at once. Although she could make a fortune, she and Ning Jing didn't need that much money for now, sufficient food and clothing were enough.
Seeing Su Liang leaving after finishing her meal, the manager asked her again where she lived, saying that he wanted to reserve her family's pears for next year and would send someone to pick them when the time came...
Su Liang gently refused, "If I don't need money next year, I won't sell my family's pears."
...
After leaving the restaurant, Su Liang planned to go to the medical hall to take a look, and buy some food and meat when it was time to leave.
The medical hall was located at the end of the street and was called Bao'an Hall, with a tea house opposite to it.
Seeing many people in line, Su Liang found it strange. In an ordinary small town, there shouldn't be so many patients on a normal day.
She heard someone say, a nobleman who was temporarily staying in Feiyan Town's Qiuming Manor was ill, and a famous doctor from the capital city was invited.
The famous doctor would start to sit in Bao'an Hall for consultation today and would be there for three days.
A famous doctor from the capital city? Su Liang thought of the grandfather of the original owner, Su Yuanzhou, who was said to be a famous doctor from the capital city too.
Having no memory of the original owner, Su Liang thought for a moment and decided to avoid it. If she encountered someone who knew the original owner, she could only pretend to have amnesia, which would be troublesome.
Without going to the medical hall, Su Liang bought some food, some meat, and a big piece of ribs, then took an ox cart at the entrance of the town after paying a few copper coins.
...
Feiyan Town belonged to Bei'an County.
At this moment, County Magistrate Huang Jin had a gloomy face, and a girl in pink clothes sat not far away, her head lowered, and her eyes red.
"You just said that the embroiderer's husband is surnamed Ning and lives in Sujia Village in Feiyan Town?" Huang Jin asked coldly.
Huang Wanwan nodded, "Yes, Father. The Plum Blossom Screen is in their hands, but they are not willing to sell it. Countess Xing's birthday is approaching, and I have already said that we would get the screen..."
"That man surnamed Ning is not a commoner either." Huang Jin said coldly.
Huang Wanwan was stunned, "He lives in a village and has mud all over him, how could he be somebody?"
Huang Jin didn't solve Huang Wanwan's confusion, and let out a sigh, "Didn't expect those embroidered items would catch a noble's eye. We must seize this opportunity. As long as you can marry Crown Prince Xing, even as a concubine, you'll enjoy endless wealth and honor in the future."
"If I marry well, it will also help my father and brothers." Huang Wanwan quickly said.
Huang Jin snorted coldly, "That Ning is involved in a lawsuit over a human life. It's better to get rid of him and save him from going around spreading rumors, ruining your good fortune!"
Huang Wanwan's face relaxed, "I'll leave it to Father's judgment. As long as my marriage is settled, I'll find a chance to injure my hand, and I can rest easy. Only, Father, you just said that Ning is not a commoner…"
Huang Jin sneered lightly, "He's just a merchant's son who was expelled from his family! Compared to the Xing Family, he's nothing!"