Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 1354: Preparing to Leave Beijing 9

Chapter 1354: Chapter 1354: Preparing to Leave Beijing 9

Coming across someone who knows their stuff naturally allows one to raise their price.

Therefore, Jin Lao Qi was straightforward, taking out the items he had prepared, including porcelain, jewels, calligraphy, paintings, and decorative pieces, "If it wasn’t from the imperial palace, then it was from the nobility’s households. During the war era, I avoided numerous lootings to preserve these. Now that I am old, who knows how much longer I’ll live? What use are these things to me if I keep them at hand?"

At this point, he laughed in self-derision, "The items I’m offering are more numerous and valuable than those from Qiao San. I don’t want a penny from you; I only want food, at least three hundred catties of fine grains!"

"We don’t have that much on hand right now," Lu Jiang chimed in; they had only brought a little over one hundred catties of fine grains.

"That’s okay, you can take the items first, and as for the grains, you can deliver them to me tomorrow, or send them whenever you have them; I’m not in a hurry." Jin Lao Qi was especially carefree, "The monthly grain ration is hardly enough for me, and it’s mostly coarse grains. It’s not like I see fine grains every New Year’s festival, and even when I do, I can’t grab any. Just give me some to fill my stomach for now."

Lu Jiang nodded in agreement, "We have your address, so we can send you a monthly share in the future. Right now, it’s really difficult to come up with that much at once, but we can give you one hundred twenty catties of grain along with some cured meat, sausages, and peanut oil for now."

"Great!" As soon as Jin Lao Qi heard mention of cured meat, sausages, and peanut oil, he agreed without hesitation.

The trade was completed, and each party collected their goods.

Watching them pack and arrange their items, Feng Qingxue, bored, drew out the Ivory Mat, rolled it up, and held it in her arms. She casually said, "Jin Qiye, I heard from Qiao San that your ancestor was a Baylor during the Qianlong Era. Which Baylor? You know, my family ancestor was a princess from a Baylor’s residence during the Qianlong Era. It seems we might have some connections."

Jin Lao Qi was taken aback and eyed them for a moment, "You are Han Chinese, aren’t you?"

"Yeah, are you referring to the old saying about Manchu and Han not intermarrying?" Feng Qingxue said with a smile.

Jin Lao Qi nodded, "Let’s not talk about the late Qing; it was all chaos. But before and during the height of the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns, Manchu and Han indeed did not intermarry. However, there were precedents. Manchu princesses could be registered under the names of Han officials and then marry Han men. That wouldn’t be considered a violation of the intermarriage prohibition and would also promote goodwill between Manchu and Han. One of our ancerstors had a great-aunt who married out like that, her surname seemed to be Lu, and she was very favored. But their family fell into decline long ago; they never lasted more than three generations in wealth and I’ve no idea where their descendants ended up."

Hearing this, Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue looked at each other in disbelief.

Could it be?

Feng Qingxue had only made a casual mention, and they might have run into a relative from countless generations back?

Jin Lao Qi couldn’t see the couple’s expressions and asked with interest, "Which princess did your ancestors marry? If she was from a Baylor’s household, she must have had a title. If she was favored and born to the primary consort, she might have been titled a ’Doroi Princess’; if not favored or born to a side consort, that would be another matter."

Lu Jiang hesitated for a moment before shaking his head, "I don’t remember, just that she was a princess."

They knew they couldn’t say more as they did not wish to continue reminiscing about relatives with Jin Lao Qi.

"What’s your surname? If your ancestor married the old lady, then you are directly descended from her," Jin Lao Qi, who was alone with no other relatives, pressed on with the persistence of someone determined to get to the bottom of the issue, "We might be relatives, you never know."