Chapter 171: Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 171

Qingzhou of today is a famous prosperous county in Da Xia. Here not only produces plenty of rice, but also has special local products of canned fruits and camellia oil.

Although the sun is scorching hot, the streets are still bustling with people coming and going. There are also many pulling carts to sell late-ripened watermelons. Watermelons can no longer be considered a rarity in Qingzhou nowadays.

Revisiting one's hometown, the feelings are always different every time. Jiang Yuqing asked Bai Xiaoshi, "What do you think of today's Qingzhou compared to the past?"

Bai Xiaoshi said, "It's a world of difference. The streets of Qingzhou in the past were small and narrow. Needless to say, the streets have expanded a lot now, and small buildings line both sides.

You can hardly see any beggars on the streets. The clothes of the common people are all clean and tidy, with smiles on their faces, and their mental outlook is completely different."

They inadvertently walked to He'an Medicine Hall. The poison-tongued old doctor was no longer there. Now the sitting doctor in this shop has been replaced by his disciple's disciple.

Although it has been many years since they last met, he still recognized Jiang Yuqing at a glance. Because of the unique red lotus mark between her eyebrows.

The sitting doctor was overjoyed and immediately bowed to Jiang Yuqing, addressing her as Martial Uncle.

Jiang Yuqing returned his courtesy and said, "I'm just passing by to take a look. I'll be leaving soon, no need to mind me."

The disciple nodded and went about his business. Jiang Yuqing looked around the shop, flipped through the medicine cabinet, saw everything was fine, and nodded with satisfaction. After bidding the disciple farewell, she went out.

Seeing there were still fruit stands selling chilled fruits on the street corners, Jiang Yuqing bought two bowls, one for herself and the other for Bai Xiaoshi's exclusive bowl.

The ice was made with saltpeter, the fruits were real fruits cut into small pieces, poured with sugar water. Cool and sweet. After one bite, half of the summer heat in the body could dissipate.

Business at the small stand was very good. The stand owner was a very young couple. Especially the woman, looking quite familiar.

The woman looked at her carefully for a moment, recognized her first, and was both surprised and delighted. But still conscious of so many people here, she just came to her table and asked softly, "Are you Jiang Sanye’s daughter Qingbao?"

Jiang Yuqing was stunned for a moment before she remembered who she was, "You are Granny Yang's granddaughter, Yang Xiaoyue?"

Yang Xiaoyue nodded, almost laughing with her eyes narrowed, "It's me." Then she called to her busy husband, "Dear, look who's back."

Jiang Yuqing took a closer look. Oh, this was also an acquaintance, Qi Xiaopang from the Qi family. That guy who was fatter than her, yet always mocked her for being “little fat girl”.

At first he always called her “little fat girl”, so Jiang Yuqing called him “squinty eyes”. The two did not hurt each other less. After the battle was over, they got together after a while to dig cicada pupae. Now that she thought back, it was full of memories.

She didn’t expect that he had married Yang Xiaoyue. Childhood sweethearts knew everything about each other. Not bad.

Qi Xiaopang also recognized Jiang Yuqing and laughed, "We were just talking the other day, your two brothers got married, you should be back by now.

Didn't expect to see you at the stand today. You haven't been home yet, have you?"

Jiang Yuqing shook her head, "No, I just got into Qingzhou City. I'll be heading home in a bit."

The couple wanted to chat more with Jiang Yuqing, but the customers at the stand kept coming, so they really couldn't spare much time.

After Jiang Yuqing and Bai Xiaoshi finished eating, they left the stand, not daring to pay, afraid of getting sprayed. Fôllôw new stories at novelhall.com

She said to Bai Xiaoshi, "Every time I come back to Qingzhou, even if I don't do anything, just walking on the streets and roads, listening to the familiar local accents, I feel particularly intimate and especially at ease. Why do you think so?"

Bai Xiaoshi thought for a while and said, "Whether intimate or not, native soil is intimate. This is probably hometown?"

"You're right!"

Jiang Yuqing rode Bai Xiaoshi, trotting all the way home.

At this time, the paddies on both sides of the village road had already been transplanted with the second season rice seedlings.

As far as the eye could see, the emerald green seedlings, like a green carpet, stretched between the surrounding mountains. Against the tranquil and harmonious villages in the distance, it was especially beautiful.

The streams in the ditches by the fields murmured, and occasionally, one could still see old farmers carrying hoes on the ridges, their oxen leisurely eating grass beside them.

The whole body was covered in mud, with a few legs still twitching in a dying struggle.

Jiang Yuqing blankly picked it up with her chopsticks and looked up to see two little brats with hands covered in mud, smiling at her with drool. "Cicada candy for auntie to eat!"

Jiang Yuqing: "..." My good nephews, you really filially tortured your aunt to death.

She felt it was necessary to let these two little brats experience the perilousness of the human world.

So she put down the bowl, grabbed each of them by the scruff, and took them outside to the yard to dig earthworms for the entire afternoon.

Not until the two little rascals bawled their eyes out and promised never to put things in other people's bowls again did she finally stop.

Unfortunately, the noodles mixed with earthworms that took up half the bowl were still discovered by Zhu.

Then the two little ones were thrashed by all the elders in the house, each taking turns beating them with thin bamboo sticks.

From then on, their father became the demon king and their aunt was an even more terrifying existence in the tiny hearts and minds of the two children. They absolutely could not mess with her.

With one brother after another getting married, the Jiang Family was flourishing with a growing population.

The original three-section courtyard was starting to feel crammed.

Old Jiang took charge and had the houses on one side torn down two years ago for further expansion, adding another two sections.

Now the new houses of Fourth Brother and Fifth Brother were situated in the new wing.

Jiang Yuqing went to visit the new houses of her two elder brothers. Though not as exquisite as the dukes’ mansions in the capital, they were still impressive by Qingzhou’s standards.

Tenth day of the eighth lunar month.

The bridal sedans carrying the two daughters-in-law of the Jiang Family arrived at the grand residence in Qingzhou County.

On the twelfth, the pair of twins were to depart from this place to the old family home across the Xijin ferry where the wedding ceremony would take place after they've settled into the house.

Eleventh day of the eighth month.

The daughters-in-law brought their dowries of sixty-six carts each to the groom’s Jiang Family house in Xijin, much to the admiration and envy of villagers.

The last time they witnessed such a spectacular sight was during Jiang Yuhu’s wedding.

As for the weddings of Eldest Brother Jiang Yujiang at the duke’s mansion in the capital and Second Brother Jiang Yuhe’s nuptials in Fuzhou, no one had seen them with their own eyes. They only heard rumors of opulent celebrations.

With the marriage of these two brothers, only Sixth Brother Jiang Yuming and Seventh Brother Jiang Yuchuan of the Jiang brothers in this generation remained unwed. They would likely follow soon after.

Jiang Yuqing firmly believed Sixth Brother’s wedding may take place at their old family home, but Seventh Brother would definitely not be holding his there.

Especially not for Jiang Yuqing herself. She had already been promised to the Crown Prince as his imperial consort, the future mother of the nation.

Two days ago when she placed the imperial bestowal of her title as the Crown Princess Consort on the ancestral shrine’s offering table, the candles already burning burst into sparkles twice in felicity. Clearly the venerable ancestors approved greatly.

Twelfth day of the auspicious eighth month. Amidst the flung open gates of the Jiang ducal residence in Qingzhou, the distinguished guests and friends filled the manor to the brim to witness the Duke’s sons bring home their brides, the Twin Flowers of the Li Family. Such a fortuitous coupling was extolled far and wide.

At the wedding banquet, Jiang Yuqing accompanied her two aunts and sisters-in-law in receiving guests and offering congratulations most attentively and fastidiously.

The Lis who came to deliver the brides breathed sighs of relief and felt honored to see her attending her own sisters-in-law’s nuptials.

The famous Guardian Princess of the nation, the future Imperial Consort and Mother of the Realm—what glory to have her present at their own family’s daughters' weddings.

That night, Jiang Yuqing took it upon herself to safeguard the consummation of the two newlywed couples, driving away all the rabble intending to crash the bedchambers and eavesdrop.

Satisfied, she returned to her own quarters, just about to turn in for bed when the messaging jade token hanging by her waist stirred...