Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 453 - 453 454 A Servant Disciplining Their Master_1

Chapter 453: Chapter 454: A Servant Disciplining Their Master?_1 Chapter 453: Chapter 454: A Servant Disciplining Their Master?_1 “Do you like these little deer skin boots? Just the other day, Chengzi said he hunted a young deer on the mountain, and had someone from the tavern come to sell it. When I heard about it, I had someone buy the deer skin so I could make you a pair of shoes. It would really give us that New Year’s feeling,” Mrs. Lin was in high spirits today, talking with her brows dancing and her face beaming.

Muniang took the boots and looked them over with an affection she could not hide. “Thank you, Mother! These boots are so beautiful, you are so skilled!”

“You’re always such a charmer,” Mrs. Lin laughed.

“After these couple of days when the New Year’s celebration is over, remember to prepare some New Year’s gifts. Our family is not ordinary anymore, so we can’t be careless with these gifts. If they are too few, the villagers might say we’re stingy. If they are too many, it’s too showy; you have to get the measure just right.”

“Yes, I know.”

Muniang put on the deer skin boots which, paired with her little red jacket, looked festive and a bit cheeky. After checking herself out in the copper mirror and feeling satisfied, she smiled contentedly.

“Lady, with this outfit, you look like you’ve shed a few years,” Qingya said, trying to please.

Muniang laughed. “Don’t let your master hear you say that. It was hard enough getting to eighteen, and he just can’t stand it when others say I look young. Don’t go and upset him again.”

Qingya giggled with an audible “pfft.”

Suddenly, Yu Ze’s voice came from the doorway, “Don’t tell me what?”

Seeing Yu Ze come in, Qingya conscientiously left, reasoning that if the couple wanted to show affection, what was the use of her standing by?

Muniang blinked, “Qingya said our master has gotten older again.”

Yu Ze pinched her cheek, “Only you would say something like that.”

Muniang stood up, lifting her skirt and did a twirl in front of him, “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” Yu Ze said, smiling.

“Did Mother make these boots for you?”

“Yeah, she said that Li Cheng hunted a young deer on the mountain a few days ago, so she bought the hide to make these boots for me.”

Yu Ze curved his lips into a smile, “Tomorrow I’ll go up to the mountain to hunt and get enough for a hand muff, a cloak, a velvet hat. That will be the warmest.”

“Dressed like that when going out, that would indeed be the attire of a noble lady. If I were to walk out of the village in that getup, there’d be a lot of gossip.”

Yu Ze hooked his arm around Muniang’s waist, “What’s the problem with wearing something I hunted for my wife? Who dares to gossip?”

Muniang suddenly remembered something, “That’s right, speaking of which, next year I plan to open a branch office in Qinghua City. Traveling between both places will be troublesome, so maybe we should just move to Qinghua City.”

“To the Princess Mansion?”

After thinking for a moment, Muniang shook her head, “That wouldn’t be good. The Princess Mansion is simply too flashy in the end. If we move there, wouldn’t our identities be exposed? Everyone would know I’m your Princess.”

Yu Ze gave a wry smile, for the first time seeing that becoming his Princess was considered an “embarrassing spectacle.”

“Well then, let’s just buy a residence in Qinghua City for now. Later, when we’re finding a place for the branch office, we’ll buy it all in one go,” Yu Ze said.

“Hmm!”

The New Year’s Eve feast at Muniang’s home was as lively as it could be. After a merry dinner, Muniang dragged Qingya and Hong Luo to join Mrs. Lin on the kang bed to play a game of Fight the Landlord. Muniang had already taught them how to play earlier, and they played in their leisure time without betting any silver. The loser had to stick a piece of paper on their face.

For someone with a weak constitution like Mrs. Lin, this was indeed the most suitable game.

Yu Ze said he was going hunting in the mountains, and at first, Muniang wondered what there was to hunt in the dead of winter. But then she thought about his skills and figured that even if he didn’t catch anything, he wouldn’t hurt himself, so she let him go without worry.

To her surprise, Yu Ze returned in the afternoon alone. Muniang was about to mock him when he ordered several servants to take a cart to the back mountain to carry back the game.

“How much did you hunt?” Muniang exclaimed.

“I don’t know,” Yu Ze replied. “I followed Chengzi to the mountain. He chased a fox for half a day, but the fox hid in a burrow and he couldn’t catch it. He asked me if I had a way, so I struck with my palm. I only meant to shock the fox out, but I ended up getting all this.”

Muniang’s face fell into a frown—this man was simply a thug!

The next morning was the first day of the new year, and it was time to prepare the New Year’s gifts. Qingya had already purchased various gifts, and there were also items given by other families, all piled up here. Muniang picked out some everyday necessities from the gifts received and passed the rest on to others.

The close villagers in the area all received a bolt of satin and two packets of sweets, while the large households with business ties in town naturally picked the more valuable items.

When it came to selecting gifts for Lu Mansion, Muniang wrapped up a piece of Yuan floral porcelain from the Official Kiln, “This is for Mr. Lu.”

She also selected a fine jade Ruyi and handed it to Qingya, “Take this yourself and deliver it to Lu Ziquan.”

Qingya was startled, “Mr. Lu? Why send it separately? Besides, he hasn’t sent us anything.”

But immediately, she realized that Muniang’s intention was not just about sending New Year’s gifts; it was to remind Lu Ziquan that Qingmei’s status was not low, at least she had the Lady backing her up. And the fact that the Lady specifically asked her to deliver it, being the most prominent maid beside the Lady, also gave Qingmei quite the honor.

“If Miss Qingmei knew of the Lady’s intentions, she would not have acted rashly,” Qingya sighed.

“If she could understand, would I bother to worry so pointlessly? Get on with it,” Muniang said.

“Yes.”

Qingya carried the New Year’s gifts and made a special trip to Lu Mansion, first delivering Lord Lu’s gift to the steward of Lu Mansion and presenting her card. Afterward, she went to Lu Ziquan’s courtyard, intending to deliver the gift personally.

Entering the courtyard, to her surprise, she saw someone kneeling outside. On closer inspection, she recognized it was Qingmei. Qingya quickly asked a maid beside her, “What happened?”

The maid lifted her chin, “This woman actually dared to offend Ziqin, the most favored maid by the young master’s side. Now she’s being punished by the young master.”

Qingya scolded, “How dare you! A mere maid, where do you get off talking about offending? Miss Qingmei is a master, since when has a servant had the right to discipline the master?”

The maid laughed scornfully, “She a master? The young master never took her seriously at all.”

Qingya was fuming with anger, but she held back her temper. This was not the Yu Family, where the servants would heed her authority.

Qingmei noticed the commotion and stiffly turned her head.