Peasant Girl Bookseller

Chapter 243 Refreshing the Bottom Line
Mai Xiang found herself a more comfortable backrest, and planned to have a good talk with Jiufeng, because she could tell from Jiufeng's hesitant expression that this girl really had something on her mind.

"Grandma, did you quarrel with Mammy today?"

"No, it's not a quarrel. It's just that my mother said something to me today, and I don't want to hear it. Mai Xiang, why do you think people grow up and marry?"

Mai Xiang smiled when she heard it, and hurriedly leaned over and asked, "Mammy, did you fall in love with someone?"

"What are you talking about?" Jiufeng turned around.

"Then why are you worried?" Mai Xiang was curious.

She saw that Jiufeng didn't seem to be lying, but if she hadn't made an agreement with him, why would Mrs. Liu eagerly ask Ye Dafu for money?

"Mai Xiang, let me ask you one thing, if, I mean if, if you are not engaged, will you marry the prince?"

After hearing this, Mai Xiang looked at Jiufeng inquisitively. She thought of Ziju. Did Jiufeng also want to take a shortcut?
Mai Xiang's momentary silence was fine, but the person standing outside the house was so anxious that Huaici's hands were clenched into fists, trembling slightly.

"I'm asking you something, why are you looking at me?" Jiufeng looked away with some guilt.

"No." Mai Xiang said firmly.

"What?"

"Because I don't want to be a concubine."

"What's wrong with the little wife? I think the prince should also like you very much, and Fujin, they all like you so much. If you become the prince's concubine, maybe you can be a side Fujin."

"What are you talking about? The prince likes me, that's because Fujin likes me and entrusts him to take care of me. Also, I don't think there's anything good about being the prince's concubine. The prince has a lot of concubines at home. Why should I marry someone else? If a woman goes to snatch a man, what am I missing?"

"That's true, you don't lack anything, Huaici is not bad, and you two are so good, so Mai Xiang, I mean, what if, what if Huaici wants to marry a concubine in the future?"

"If he wants to marry a young wife, I will make peace with him."

The people outside the door got the answer he wanted and left quietly.

"Heli? Why? Which rich family doesn't marry a concubine? Are you not afraid that he will divorce you?"

"It's not that I can't support myself. Why should I be afraid that he will divorce me? With a concubine, there will definitely be concubine sons and daughters in the future. Not to mention that adults are fighting each other all day long. You plan on me and I plan on you. Fighting openly and secretly together is inevitable. Don’t you feel too tired on such a day? Would you be comfortable seeing the person you like with other women every day? What’s more, if you are a concubine, you will see yourself every month My husband is only five times, do you think this kind of life will be happy?"

"But, but, but if I don't have enough to eat and don't have beautiful clothes to wear all day long, I don't think I will be happy." Jiufeng said with a sigh.

"Grandma, why don't you understand? Listen to me and I'll do the math for you. Given how much I love you, she will definitely choose a good family for you in the city, not to mention how rich it is, but definitely It won’t be a poor family, at least it can give you enough food and clothing, this is one, and second, you and Mammy have saved a lot of silver in the past few years, plus Mammy got it from Uncle Fifth. , these silver taels can be used to buy more than ten acres of land, and it will definitely be used as a dowry for you, and you can hold the rent in your own hands. Also, when you get married, a few older brothers will add some makeup to you, and there is also money at the bottom of the box. And you yourself can earn a few dozen taels of money every year by embroidering, in this case, not counting the money at the bottom of the box, you can also have two to thirty taels of silver in your private house a year, and these are not enough for you to wear?"

For Ye Dafu's sake, Mai Xiang patiently argued with Jiufeng little by little. It was so hard for Liu to have this daughter. If Jiufeng went the wrong way, Liu would definitely not be able to bear the excitement. The unlucky one is probably Ye Dafu.

"That's enough to do. I can't even afford a good dress. Besides, most people don't know how to wear silk, they can only wear cotton clothes, and there are no maids at home. I, I don't know how to do housework." Nine Feng Yue lowered her voice.

Mai Xiang couldn't help but raise her forehead when she heard it. She didn't expect Jiufeng's vanity to expand to such a degree. If she married like this in the past, it will be a big problem to live in the future. Ordinary people marry a daughter-in-law, and they don't marry back to make offerings. Who doesn't want her Start doing chores?
Thinking of this, Mai Xiang couldn't understand, with Liu's such a smart personality, how could she raise her daughter like this?To be honest, not to mention the previous conditions of the Ye family, even the current conditions of the Ye family, no serious big family would look at Jiufeng.

"Grandma, what do you think?" After talking for a long time, Mai Xiang forgot to ask the other party's thoughts.

"I, I, I don't know. Anyway, I don't want to go through the hard days before."

"Grandma, my life was hard before, okay?" Mai Xiang rolled her eyes.

"Mai Xiang, Mai Xiang, I said, I said..."

Seeing that she was hesitating again, Mai Xiang lowered her head before she finished speaking, thought for a while, and asked, "Grandma, do you have someone you like?"

"me..."

"Grandma, you are happy, who is it?"

After Mai Xiang asked, he thought of the anomaly in the family today, and thought of Yong En leaving in a huff. Could it be him?
"Grandma, don't you have a crush on Prince Li?" Mai Xiang's mouth opened into an O shape.

"Mai Xiang, help me to ask him if he's okay, I don't want to marry into a poor family and suffer, he likes you so much, maybe he will like me too, I, I..."

"Stop, old lady, there is no need to discuss this matter, he won't want you, you should stop worrying about it as soon as possible." Mai Xiang didn't want to listen anymore, what kind of logic is this?

"Mai Xiang, why doesn't he want me?" Jiufeng was not happy when he heard that.

"Grandma, tell me first, why did he want you?"

"I, I, Mai Xiang, you have a sweet mouth, can you go and ask, okay? Don't worry, this matter will be done, and I promise I won't treat you badly. I will remember your great kindness for the rest of my life."

"Grandma, dare I say what I just said in vain, go, you go, go, don't let Mammy think I'm instigating you." Mai Xiang didn't want to play the piano to Niu anymore. It refreshed Maixiang's bottom line.

"Don't, don't, Mai Xiang..."

Regardless of Jiufeng's begging, Mai Xiang pushed her out.

However, this night, Mai Xiang didn't sleep well either. She thought about it all night, and the next day, Mai Xiang found an opportunity to tell Liu Shi what she said. She didn't want the Ye family to produce a purple chrysanthemum. The characters, Mai Huang and the others have also grown up, it should be said that they are kissing each other.

After listening to Mai Xiang's words, Mrs. Liu was naturally ashamed and angry. What was ashamed was that her daughter did not live up to expectations, and what was angry was that Mai Xiang actually let this matter go. After that, how would she discipline Mai Xiang? ?

Liu pondered for a long time, took Mai Xiang's hand, praised Mai Xiang, told Mai Xiang to keep it secret, and then took Jiufeng and Ye Tiezhu back to the city.

After Mrs. Liu left, Mai Xiang's life at home was much easier. Apart from painting, she copied books every day. When Huai Ci came back in the evening, she would go for a walk with him and talk. Before he knew it, a summer passed Huai Ci returned to the Imperial College to study.

Yong En brought two good news to Mai Xiang when he came back. One was that the Empress Dowager wanted to read the book "Story of the Stone", and Yong En took away Mai Xiang's unapproved manuscript. This time Cao Xueqin had no choice but to refuse; The second is that the emperor allowed Mai Xiang to run a newspaper, but there is only one point: he can forward the content of the mansion newspaper, but he is not allowed to discuss government affairs.

After hearing this, Mai Xiang started to get busy, hiring people, training, assigning work, designing the layout by herself, etc. When the first newspaper came out, the first snow in winter had already fallen.

On this day, Mai Xiang was leaning on the kang, listening to the north wind whistling outside the window, flipping through a newspaper with the smell of ink sent by Bai Yang, Liu Huilan came in with a sewing basket.

"This year's winter came really early. It snowed heavily just after October. How can we live this winter?" Liu Huilan complained when she came in.

"Master, what are you worried about? Isn't the coal already ready for loading?" Mai Xiang hurriedly got off the kang to welcome Liu Huilan to the kang.

"It's not that, my family can say that, your husband went to see his uncle at the Dabei Temple yesterday, I think it's a bad day, I'm afraid I won't be able to come down for a while."

"What's wrong with Uncle?" Mai Xiang thought of Cao Fu who was a monk, whom he hadn't seen for several years.

"It's nothing, it's not because the queen mother likes this manuscript and wants to read the later ones, and the husband doesn't dare to make decisions on his own, so he went up the mountain to discuss with his uncle."

When Mai Xiang heard this, she became interested, and quickly asked, "Did you write the ending?"

"How can it be so fast?"

"By the way, speaking of this, Master, I think the prototype of Baoyu in the book is more like an uncle. Baoyu has become a monk, and uncle has also become a monk." Mai Xiang asked.

"You kid, you're starting to ask the bottom line again. Well, it's okay to tell you. In fact, your husband has also become a monk in the temple for a while."

"Really? Mister also became a monk?" Mai Xiang was taken aback when she heard the news.

"When Prince Li was implicated in treason, Miss Biao and our lady disappeared, and the old lady also left. Your husband couldn't stand the blow and went into the temple."

"Then what happened later? How did he come out later?"

"Later, I searched all these temples near the capital, and I found him, and told him that the old lady's last words were to leave a queen for the Cao family, otherwise the old lady would die in peace. That's why I persuaded him After returning home, the two of us lived in the capital for more than two years, and later, his cousin found him a job in the Xishan Jianrui camp, and we moved to this country." Liu Huilan finished speaking. Sighed.

"Master, can you tell me about Li Xiangyu?" Mai Xiang asked.

For some reason, Mai Xiang feels that Liu Huilan has always been reluctant to talk about this Li Xiangyu. Every time she talks about Li Xiangyu, she seems to have an indescribable emotion, envy, jealousy, hatred, in short, mixed feelings.

(End of this chapter)