Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 217 - 156: Proposal_1

Chapter 217: Chapter 156: Proposal_1

Yixiu and Tiaotiao sat by the back door waiting for Monkey Brother and Dashan with his son to return from retrieving the pearls.

The scorching sun turned the wet ground dry before long. The courtyard was spacious and next to the foot of Shixi Mountain, so Yixiu did not feel too hot.

The lotus leaves had sprouted last month, covering the lake surface like a spread of green umbrellas. Some leaves floated on the lake while others stood above the blue waves like layers of green ripples. Among the lotus leaves stood many pink-white lotuses. Some bloomed brilliantly, some were bud-like and about to bloom, and others had just a few petals opened. When the wind blew, the lotus leaves danced and the lotuses swayed gracefully.

It was a sight too beautiful for words.

Yixiu enjoyed the view and did not mind the wait. About half an hour later, Monkey Brother, along with Dashan and Benben, ran back. Yixiu opened the door to let them in and took out the sachet from Monkey Brother’s embrace. She squeezed it; not a single pearl was missing inside.

She tucked the sachet into her bosom and patted Monkey Brother’s head, saying, "Good job. You’ll all be wearing silver collars soon." Then she led them to the main hall of the small courtyard.

Qian Sangui was sitting on the luohan bed listening to Qian Hua’s report. Upon seeing Yixiu enter, he waved Qian Hua out.

Yixiu had the House of Animals sit and play at the doorway, which in essence was her way of having them guard the door.

She closed the door and took out the pearls from the sachet. Qian Sangui saw his granddaughter’s chubby hands holding eight pearls, plump and lustrous, with three slightly larger and the rest a bit bigger than peas.

Qian Sangui picked up one of the larger pearls to get a closer look. Under a ray of sunlight coming in, the pale pink pearl gleamed with iridescence, and amidst its soft pink hue, it subtly revealed a few golden threads.

In his younger days as a bodyguard, Qian Sangui had seen quality pearls, but he felt none were as good as this one. He examined the other pearls as well: the other two larger ones were pure white, also with strands of gold inside. Of the smaller five pearls, two were pure white, two pale pink, and one light blue.

Qian Sangui’s face grew stern as he clasped his granddaughter’s small hand tightly and whispered in her ear, "You must absolutely never speak of finding pearls. It should be kept secret between you and me. This includes Jinwa and Grandma Wu. The tea you found is already more valuable than gold, and if it were to leak out that such fine pearls were found, both you and Monkey Brother would be in danger, and the mountains behind our house would no longer be peaceful."

Yixiu felt the same. Although Jinwa was smart, his young age made her afraid he might accidentally let something slip. Grandma Wu was timid, and knowing this secret would surely make her anxious. Better let her enjoy her life without added pressure.

She truly hadn’t misjudged him; Qian Sangui was a good grandfather, thinking first of his granddaughter’s safety, not making a fortune from the pearls. Seeing his solemn face, she thought it was fortunate she hadn’t brought back the larger, trouble-attracting pearls, or he probably would not be able to sleep at all.

Obediently, she said, "Alright, we won’t say I picked them. Let’s think of a different origin story."

Qian Sangui hesitated for a moment and then said, "As for the origin of the pearls, Grandfather has a way. Yixiu, you needn’t worry about that."

Yixiu started to suggest how to distribute the pearls, "I was thinking of keeping two for Auntie as dowry, two for emergencies at home, and selling four to the Silver Tower."

After some thought, Qian Sangui said, "Keep one of the small pearls for Auntie Xia’s dowry, and one of the large pearls for Jinwa. Save another large one for you to take to your husband’s family in the future, and sell the rest. With the money, we’ll buy more land; that way, Grandma Wu won’t be so reluctant to spend."

Yixiu thought to herself, she still had even finer pearls kept at Cave Sky Pool and there were more treasures in Shixi Mountain waiting for Monkey Brother to grow up and fetch. There really was no need for these. Generously, she said, "Jinwa and I are still young, we don’t need them. Sell them all, use the money to buy land and servants for the family. When we grow up, our family’s foundation will be stronger, and we will have things far better than these pearls."

Nonetheless, Qian Sangui stubbornly pulled out two large white pearls and put them in the sachet, "These pearls are worth a great deal of money, or should I say, even with money, they are hard to come by. Keep them to pass on to future generations. Yixiu is a sensible and good child, and you must take good care of your and your brother’s pearls. It’s safer to diversify our family wealth."

He added, "I cannot be certain of the big pearls’ price, but even these small ones won’t be worth less than a hundred taels of silver each. Selling one large pearl and the four smaller ones, I estimate we can get at least a thousand taels. Take some out for your aunt’s dowry, buy more farmland... It’s best not to sell them in the county town. Take them to the provincial city to sell, where they can fetch a higher price without being easily spotted by acquaintances."