Chapter 27: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 27: 

 

The two plates were fiercely bid on by several wealthy patrons, and their price rose steadily to an impressive total of 230 taels of silver.

Many other nobles who missed out on the auction left deposits with Mian Tang, planning to send people to Zhenzhou later to purchase the items.

The name of "Burned Jade Porcelain Workshop" was thus established in Qingzhou. Holding the silver notes, Mian Tang felt it was only right to offer a few more incense sticks to the great assassin above.

However, the challenge now was how to safely return to Zhenzhou with such a large sum of silver.

Mian Tang wanted to hire local escort services for the journey, but Li Mama insisted that they would be safe without spending the extra money.

Mian Tang, familiar with the dangers of the road from her maternal family's escort agency, was convinced that some money was worth spending to ensure safety.

She reflected that with her newfound wealth, if she were a bandit, she would be tempted to rob herself!

Thus, disregarding Li Mama's objections, Mian Tang spent ten taels of silver to hire a short-term escort from the local escort agency. Two strong and capable bodyguards were assigned to escort them safely back to Zhenzhou, ensuring their journey across the river and by carriage was secure.

When Cui Xingzhou went to the Northern Town residence for lunch amid his official duties, he noticed that Miss Liu , who usually greeted him warmly at the door, was conspicuously absent this time.

He glanced at Li Mama, who, helplessly, pointed towards the tightly shut door and whispered, “Since this morning, after exchanging the silver notes at the money shop, it’s been like this. She hasn’t even come out for meals.”

Cui Xingzhou raised an eyebrow and strode towards the door, only to find it bolted from the inside. He suspected Miss Liu might be engaged in some secretive activity and was about to kick the door open when Miss Liu’s voice came from within, asking, “Who’s outside?”

Cui Xingzhou briefly replied, “It’s me…”

In the next moment, the bolt was undone, and a slender arm reached out to pull him inside.

Inside, Miss Liu was dressed in long pants and a short top, with her long hair loosely pinned up with a few hairpins. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and she was holding a small shovel.

Cui Xingzhou, maintaining his composure, looked her up and down and then asked, “What are you doing?”

Miss Liu, exhausted with sore arms, was worried about what to do next when her husband came back, and she saw him as a savior.

She carefully closed the door behind her and led him into the inner room, pointing to the partially dug pit where the bed had been moved. “I need to dig a deep hole here to hide the money. You came back just in time. Help me continue digging!”

Cui Xingzhou looked at the half-dug shallow pit and then at the neatly stacked piles of silver ingots on the bed. He said calmly, “You should know that keeping money in a silver shop earns interest, right? If you bury it under the bed, not only will it be a waste of effort, but you won’t earn any interest at all.”

Liu Mian Tang walked to the bed, gently stroking the gleaming silver ingots, and smiled as she said, “I’ve divided the money into three parts. One part is kept in the silver shop to earn interest, another part will be used as capital for the store to buy fine goods, and this part is for emergencies—it's our lifeline. Even though the world is peaceful, it's wise to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. If chaos breaks out and even the silver shop owner absconds with the money, silver tickets won't buy us even a loaf of bread... Darling, hurry and help me dig!”

The recent turmoil while they were in Qingzhou had made Liu Mian Tang cautious, leading her to think of safeguarding her assets. She decided to do the digging herself, dismissing the need for household help.

Cui Xingzhou, having worked hard all day at the military camp, was not inclined to take on such menial tasks just because Liu Mian Tang asked. Instead, he picked up his book, moved the silver ingots aside, and propped his long legs up, settling into a comfortable reading position.

Seeing her husband’s lack of action, Liu Mian Tang didn’t mind. Burying silver was more of a country squire’s task, and having her husband do it would indeed be beneath his dignity.

Fortunately, after resting for a while, Miss Liu's injured wrist regained some strength, so she decided not to disturb her husband’s reading and continued to dig with the short shovel.

Cui Xingzhou glanced up from his book and couldn’t help but watch the woman working hard. Despite her memory loss, her inherent nature remained unchanged. It reminded him of when he had first rescued her from the water. At that time, not only did she have a jewelry box in her waist pouch, but the soles of her shoes were also wrapped with oiled paper and sealed wax containing silver notes.

It seemed her instinct to hide her wealth in multiple places remained the same.

Cui Xingzhou wasn’t a bandit, and after rescuing her, he had ordered her belongings to be placed by her bed. He remembered that when she first regained consciousness, her main concern was searching through her things. With a wry smile, he shook his head.

The soil in the room had been compacted during construction, making it quite hard. Liu Mian Tang’s wrist, still recovering from a severe injury, found even the simple act of carrying a bowl challenging, let alone digging a hole.

Soon, Miss Liu’s delicate arms began to tremble slightly. She pressed her lips tightly together, digging away with the small shovel, as large beads of sweat rolled down her smooth forehead, cascading down her slender neck and disappearing into her loose collar.

Cui Xingzhou felt his throat involuntarily tighten. He shifted his gaze back to the book he was trying to read.

The room wasn’t quiet; Miss Liu’s heavy breathing and the sound of her laboring were constant interruptions. Eventually, unable to tolerate the disturbance any longer, Cui Xingzhou stood up abruptly. He removed his outer garment, tucked the hem neatly, and strode over. Without a word, he took the small shovel from Miss Liu and began digging.

Given that a man’s strength exceeds that of a woman’s, it didn’t take long for him to complete the deep hole. He then handed the shovel back to Miss Liu with a gentle tone, asking, “Is this enough?”

Still basking in the sweetness of her husband’s competence, Miss Liu nodded eagerly, “Yes, this is enough. Even if we need to bury more silver, this will be sufficient!”

Unfortunately, before she could finish her sentence, Cui Xingzhou had already tossed aside the shovel and exited the room with quick strides.

Miss Liu shook her head in resignation. Her husband, with his scholarly demeanor, clearly found such mundane tasks tiresome. She decided that, in the future, she would handle the money hiding herself.

That afternoon, Li Mama prepared a feast featuring bass, a succulent, oil-rich duck, and even a soup brimming with whole prawns.

With the porcelain shop's success, the meals at the North Street residence had become unexpectedly lavish, no longer just the simple dried radish.

As they were eating, Miss Liu remembered the local specialties she had bought for the neighbors and said to Cui Xingzhou, “Husband, after we finish eating, don’t forget to join me in visiting the neighbors. Since we’ve been away, we should distribute some of these local specialties as a token of appreciation for their care over the past days.”

After dealing with the mundane task of burying money, Cui Xingzhou’s tolerance seemed to have increased slightly. Hearing Miss Liu’s humble request, he looked at her but did not object.

After lunch, while the neighbors were at home eating, Li Mama, carrying a basket of carefully packed local specialties, followed behind Cui Xingzhou and Miss Liu as they delivered gifts door to door.

North Street basked in the early summer sunshine, with each household’s garden walls adorned with a variety of blooming flowers, casting vibrant shadows.

Miss Liu, dressed in a newly tailored light dress and styled with fashionable cascading hairpins, stood gracefully beside the scholarly Cui Xingzhou. She greeted the neighbors with a gentle smile, embodying the perfect image of a harmonious couple.

This scene of summer affection caught the attention of Yunjia, who was watching from a carriage at the street corner. To her, it was rather jarring.

Beside Yunjia, her maid Huaping exclaimed softly, “Miss, she... she’s still alive!”

Yunjia, usually gentle, now wore a frosty expression and hissed, “Be quiet!”

At that moment, the man beside Miss Liu suddenly looked up and glanced toward them with piercing eyes, startling Yunjia. She quickly instructed the driver to hurry the carriage out of the alley.

After a while, once the carriage had left the alley, Yunjia turned to the driver and asked, “Are you certain that the person selling porcelain at the market that day was Liu Mian Tang?”

The young servant, Yanchi, who was Yunjia’s trusted aide, quickly nodded and said, “I followed the young master all the way and saw him stop at the porcelain stall. Seeing him talk to her, my heart almost jumped out; I thought I had encountered a ghost…”

Yunjia glanced at him and Huaping, her maid, with a cold smile and said, “If we encounter Liu Mian Tang again, stay calm. Whether she is alive or dead is none of our concern. If you overreact, won’t it seem like you’re guilty?”

Huaping quickly lowered her head and agreed, but she still asked anxiously, “But if the young master insists on seeing her again… what should we do?”

Yunjia’s fingers clenched her long gown tightly as she replied coldly, “Yanchi, didn’t you say that Liu Mian Tang scolded the young master severely that day? She is probably resolute not to pay him any more attention. What does it matter whether she sees him or not? Besides, she is now married. Although the merchant she married is of a lower status, he is quite handsome. A woman who has lost her martial skills and married such a man will just live a settled life. Compared to her, the daughter of General Shi’s concubine is the real concern. If Liu Mian Tang doesn’t stir up trouble, let her have a few peaceful days…”

Huaping understood and said that Miss Yunjia had a good grasp of the situation.

However, Yunjia’s expression remained somber as she thought about the smile on Liu Mian Tang’s face earlier.

Her demeanor seemed to show no signs of resignation or frustration at living a modest life with a merchant. Yunjia’s resentment deepened slightly—oh, my dear sister, have you truly let go of everything and resigned yourself to being a merchant’s wife?

The ordinary carriage seemed to have taken a wrong turn as it lingered at the street corner of North Street for a moment before quietly continuing on its way, disappearing into the distance.

After making friendly visits to neighbors, Cui Jiu finally returned to the residence for a well-deserved rest.

Liu Mian Tang attentively prepared tea for her husband and then sat at the foot of the bed, gently massaging his legs. Carefully, she broached the topic: “Husband, since your clothes are temporarily stored at the chess house, although you need some clothes there, we should also keep some here at home. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to wash or mend them for you. Isn’t it what a wife should do…”

Before she could finish, her eyes began to redden, as if she were enduring some deep injustice.

Cui Jiu glanced at her, suspecting she might be pretending to cry.

[Author's Note:] Liu Mian Tang: Meow~~ I think my husband is great. If you don’t believe it, try looking through twelve layers of filters. Isn’t he a new good man???

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