Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 225 - 158 Provincial Capital_3

Chapter 225: Chapter 158 Provincial Capital_3

Qian Sigui already knew they were coming and had prepared the rooms. He just hadn’t expected Wan Dazhong to come as well, so he had to rearrange the sleeping arrangements. Being polite, he said, "My home is modest, Da Zhong, make do with what we have."

Wan Dazhong had no self-awareness about causing inconvenience to others and laughed, "Uncle Si, no need to be so courteous, I’m a rough man. A layer of straw on the ground is all I need to sleep."

There were four rooms in total, three bedrooms and one main hall. Qian Sigui and Qian Sangui shared one room, Lady Wong stayed in one with Qian Manting and Qian Yixiu, Qian Hua and Lady Wei took another, and Wan Dazhong slept on the floor in the main hall with Qian Yijin and Qian Manpo.

Being poor in the provincial capital was worse than living in the countryside, where, at the very least, one could enjoy more spacious accommodations. During the night, Qian Yixiu was so hot she couldn’t sleep; the space was already small and the mosquito net made it even stuffier.

Only late into the night, when the weather cooled down, did Qian Yixiu finally manage to fall asleep.

When she woke up, everyone else had already finished breakfast. Qian Manting said with a smile, "Mother said you didn’t sleep well last night, so she let you sleep in a bit."

Qian Yixiu came out to eat; breakfast was a bowl of green bean porridge, a piece of pastry, a boiled egg, and a slice of fermented tofu. The porridge was thick and cooling, very refreshing to drink, and the tofu had a unique flavor.

"Where are my grandpa and brother?" Qian Yixiu asked as soon as she woke up, noticing they, as well as the other men, were nowhere to be seen.

"My dad took them to the shop. It’s about two streets away from our house," said Aunt Ting.

Qian Yixiu smiled and took out four silk flower hair ornaments from her bundle to give to her, beautifully made by Qian Xiaoyu.

Qian Manting’s eyes curved into a smile as she immediately pinned two of the flowers into her hair, looking into the mirror and said, "These flowers are really pretty," then pondered, "Why do they look even nicer than the ones sold in the provincial capital?" She possessed some of the provincial capital inhabitants’ sense of superiority.

"These were made by Sister Xiaoyu according to the styles of the Capital City," explained Qian Yixiu.

"Oh, no wonder, things from the Capital City are definitely prettier than those from the provincial capital," Qian Manting suddenly realized.

Coming to the courtyard, she heard Lady Wei and Lady Wong busy making pastries in the drying room. The lush leaves of the big tree filtered out the sunlight, casting a shadow over the area.

Curses spilled from the adjacent yard, seeming to be a mother-in-law scolding her daughter-in-law. The latter, not conceding, argued back a few words, inciting even harsher scolding from the mother-in-law.

Qian Manting muttered, "That family argues every day; it’s so annoying."

Lady Wong, hearing the young girls come out, specifically instructed, "Xiu’er, be good and stay home to play with Aunt Ting. Xizhou Mansion is large and there are many pickpockets. Wait until you have an adult with you before you go out to explore." Then she addressed Qian Manting, "Ting Gu, keep Yixiu with you playing with rope and don’t run around everywhere."

Qian Yixiu spent a gloomy morning following Aunt Ting Gu, flipping rope until Qian Sangui and the others returned.

Qian Sangui gave full recognition to Qian Sigui’s work. That afternoon, the brothers discussed the specific affairs of expanding "Old Brother" Dessert House. Business was easier in the provincial capital, and the Qian Sigui’s family alone had sold over one hundred taels of silver. However, limited by space and personnel, they could have sold more.

The brothers discussed leasing another larger property with a better location: a shop in the front and pastry-making in the back courtyard. They planned to recruit more apprentices, buy a couple more braziers, and expand the business.

The next day, with his new responsibilities, a cheerful Qian Sigui went out to find a property.

Qian Sangui took his siblings and Qian Hua to stroll the streets, with Wan Dazhong obliviously insisting on accompanying them. Along the way, Qian Sangui hinted about wanting to sell some pearls he purchased while he was a courier in his younger years, to buy some land and arrange a dowry for Auntie Xia.

Wan Dazhong laughed and said, "Before coming here, my dad specifically asked about the provincial capital’s market. He said Treasure Silver Building is a time-honored brand with an honest reputation and suggested that I go there to buy jewelry for Auntie Xia. But their stuff is too expensive; I can only afford one item. The rest of the jewelry, I’ll have to buy from ordinary shops." He then chuckled, somewhat embarrassed.

Qian Sangui nodded and said, "Treasure Silver Building is indeed good, and I’ve even escorted valuables for them before." He also advised Wan Dazhong, "Their goods are indeed expensive. Da Zhong, when preparing the dowry, be sure to live within your means and not overspend."

Qian Yixiu initially wanted to persuade Grandfather Sangui to visit Treasure Silver Building but was surprised to find they already held it in high regard, which saved her the effort. Yet, this Wan Dazhong really didn’t know how to read the room. He should have known to avoid being seen as presumptuous.

Treasure Silver Building was located on Xida Street, quite a distance from where they were. Once they stepped out of the alley, Qian Hua hailed a donkey cart.

The streets bustled with traffic and pedestrians, shops lined up one after the other, far larger and more prosperous than Xiding Mountain County City. In this era, the segregation of the sexes was not strictly enforced. Occasionally, women dressed in silk could be seen walking on the streets, although they were a rare sight.

After traveling for about half an hour, they finally reached Treasure Silver Building on Xida Street.