The Farm Girl's Charismatic Fortune-Chapter 279 - 275: Must Be a Bad Person

Ruo Shui and his brother, along with the guests from the bookstore, chatted as they left the Imperial Examination Court.

Upon seeing their wives and children come to pick them up, they immediately bid farewell to the people around them and then joined their wives and kids.

Right away, Ruo Xuan recognized that the two men following behind Ruo Shui and Ruo Jiang shared the good fortune of their father and second uncle.

One of them was her cousin’s husband’s younger brother, namely Jia Shijie.

She did not recognize the other person.

As soon as Ruo Shui approached and picked her up, Ruo Xuan quietly asked, "Dad, do you know the man following behind you, walking with my cousin’s husband’s younger brother?" freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Upon hearing this, Ruo Shui turned back to glance. He had no idea that Jia Shijie was following behind.

Ruo Jiang answered ahead, "Second Uncle knows him, a guest at the bookstore. He has been coming to discuss poetry with us recently. Why do you ask?"

Ruo Shui, "Xuanbao, why do you ask such a question? Is there something wrong with that man?"

Ruo Xuan shook her head, "I don’t like the look of him. Anyone who associates with my cousin’s husband’s younger brother must be a bad person."

Ruo Shui patted Ruo Xuan’s little head, "You can’t judge people by their appearance. But birds of a feather flock together, and people are known by the company they keep. If their ways are different, they will not make plans together, so it’s possible the two men belong to the same kind. If Xuanbao doesn’t like someone, then Dad doesn’t like them either. No matter if they are good or bad, Dad will not associate with them and will be wary of them, just in case they really are bad people. Dad’s Xuanbao is the smartest, and won’t speak ill of someone for no reason."

Ruo Xuan liked being praised by others and nodded with a smile, "Uh huh, keep an eye on them."

Then the family returned to the bookstore, and as soon as they did, guests immediately began to barrage Ruo Shui and Ruo Jiang with all kinds of questions.

And then the man Ruo Xuan said she didn’t like also arrived.

He asked Ruo Shui and Ruo Jiang questions, trying to seek a topic to bond with them, while Ruo Shui and Ruo Jiang responded indifferently.

Moreover, the brothers noticed he was subtly trying to probe into their family affairs, which made them even more vigilant.

Xuanbao was really impressive, seeing through that man’s ulterior motives at a glance.

It made them wonder what he wanted by inquiring about their family.

Madam Liu and Madam Jiang, seeing their husbands getting busy, decided to return to the village the next day, not waiting for the results to come out.

After all, it would still take a few more days for the results, and once they were out, someone from the Government would come to their door to announce the good news. Ruo Shui and Ruo Jiang had left addresses for both the village and the bookstore, so if both of them passed, they could receive the good news at both locations.

Receiving good news at the bookstore could enhance its reputation.

Receiving good news in the village would delight the family and let the villagers share the joy.

Having a Scholar come from a village is a big deal.

After all, if a Scholar’s name was associated with the villagers’ land, it would qualify for a tax reduction.

Xishui Village had never had a Scholar before.

However, Xishui Village had a Fourth Rank General and a Commandery Princess; they were already well-known throughout Shaxi County.

Besides, Ruo Xuan was a Commandery Princess with her own fief, and the taxes from the lands of her fief belonged to her, giving her the authority to waive the taxes of Xishui Village.

Madam Liu and Madam Jiang decided to wait in the village for the good news. On the way back the next day, Madam Liu went to the general store first to see her eldest sister and her young nephew.

Xuanbao noticed her little cousin had grown much prettier, his skin fair and tender, almost rivaling hers.

"My little cousins are really pretty! Their skin is so good, did they use the skincare products I gave you?"

Madam Zhang laughed, "They look like Xuanbao, of course they’re beautiful!"

On closer inspection, Liu Wenyao’s twins indeed bore a resemblance to Xuanbao; one had similar ears, the other had a similar nose. Madam Zhang was delighted, feeling it was a sign of good fortune.

Xuanbao’s appearance was like that of a blessed child, exceptionally fortunate. In fact, she was fortunate, becoming a Commandery Princess at the age of four. She owned all the farmland taxes in Shaxi County. It was even said that she exceeded the princesses in the palace!

She didn’t expect her grandsons to be as impressive as Xuanbao, but if one of them could become an Imperial Scholar and secure a position as a Seventh Rank minor official, that would be enough. The other grandson could take over the general store. Perfect!

Having one feature resembling Xuanbao should be enough, right?

Liu Wenyao laughed, "Yes, we use it after their baths every day. Thanks to Xuanbao’s toner, even diaper rashes are gone. The shopkeeper’s wife next door had a daughter, and that poor girl’s bottom was so raw. I gave her a bit of the toner to try, and after using it twice, she was healed, and immediately asked me where to buy it."

Madam Zhang laughed again, "I’ve also become fairer recently, and my wrinkles have diminished. When others asked, I recommended the Whitening Wrinkle-Resistant Cream that Xuanbao gave me. But those people said that they always run out at the Rouge Workshop."

Madam Zhang wanted Xuanbao to stock some in the general store, but she was too embarrassed to say so directly.

Ruo Xuan didn’t mind at all. Selling it meant earning more silver. She picked up on the hint and said, "Then I’ll have someone deliver some stock to the general store in the future, and I’ll trouble my mother-in-law and uncle to help me sell it."

"Not at all, not at all, we’re more than happy to! It will even draw more business to our store."

Those who could afford skincare products were from wealthy families! Attracting such customers was a dream come true.

Madam Zhang had recently been looking for a shop in the prefecture city, intending to open a branch there.

Now that she had two grandsons, even if neither became an official in the future, they would each have a general store to inherit—one for each of them.

However, she had consulted a master, who said that her grandsons were destined for prestigious positions and would have influential people helping them. They were meant to be officials.

That’s why she wanted to expand the business of the general store even more, to provide them with the silver to pursue education, and if they became officials, to have the silver to establish connections and not resort to being corrupt because of financial need.

Ruo Xuan took the opportunity to ask, "Cousin, has your sister-in-law visited lately? She must be due to give birth soon, right?"

"She has given birth to a daughter, now they have both a son and a daughter." Madam Zhang had also visited twice, after all, it was her own daughter, and despite being angry, she couldn’t bring herself to completely neglect her.

Because Zhang Xiaoli had given birth, her in-laws came to the city to take care of her during her confinement and to look after the baby. When Madam Zhang visited, Xiaoli complained that her mother-in-law was too stingy to let her eat properly; she had to spread one chicken over four days, resulting in insufficient breast milk, and she wanted to come to her mother’s house for confinement.

However, during her second visit, after holding her granddaughter and then holding her grandsons, both boys cried relentlessly whenever she held them, causing her heartache. So, the next day, she sought the master who told her that her granddaughter’s fate was conflicting with her grandsons’ and she had brought ill-omen to them, which caused them to cry incessantly when held by her.

She then burned the talisman the master gave her and took a bath with mugwort and pomelo leaves to ward off evil before holding them again.

And indeed, they stopped crying!

So Madam Zhang dared not visit anymore, and as for bringing her daughter home for confinement, that was even less likely.

Now she suspected that her daughter was still harming her grandsons; otherwise, why would they cry non-stop whenever she held them after she had visited?

Madam Zhang really didn’t want to have anything to do with Zhang Xiaoli anymore.

Seizing the opportunity, Ruo Xuan took out a pair of bracelets, "Mother-in-law, that master said these bracelets couldn’t be cleansed, and they contain unclean things."

Madam Zhang: "..."

Well done, Zhang Xiaoli!

She really was still trying to harm her grandsons!