Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress
Chapter 97: Ugly in Appearance, Beautiful in Mind_1

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Ugly in Appearance, Beautiful in Mind_1

After the old madam finished speaking, she addressed the few girls sitting on the footrest, "As the adults are talking here, and you girls might feel restrained, the plum blossoms in the garden are in full bloom now. You may take young lady Mu and go admire them."

The girls on the footrest, hearing this, were delighted. They all stood up, bowed to old madam An, and gracefully exited.

Cai Wei also bowed to old madam An, then respectfully bowed to the other madams before following the young ladies out.

After a few steps, Cai Wei sensed something was amiss.

The young ladies in front were happily chatting and walking together, whispering in each other’s ears or teasing each other playfully. None of them paid any attention to her.

It was clear to Cai Wei that the young ladies were silently ostracizing her. Perhaps they were upset that she had stolen their spotlight earlier with old madam An, or maybe they felt embarrassed to be associated with her due to her poor attire. Or perhaps they were jealous because she was more beautiful than them. Either way, since no one paid her any attention, she didn’t bother sticking with them. After walking a few more steps, she saw a curve in the path and turned towards it.

The An mansion was vast, with a myriad of intricately arranged courtyards. After walking for a while, Cai Wei thought she may have gotten lost. Just as she decided to ask for directions, she heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"Miss Mu, please wait a moment."

Behind her, a woman’s voice echoed.

Cai Wei stopped and turned to see the young madam who had worn a red rose brocade dress at old madam An’s room.

Cai Wei was profoundly impressed with this madam. Not only was she the first madam to humble herself and speak to Cai Wei, but she had also behaved unusually when giving her a gift.

As everyone wanted to please the old madam, they deemed it necessary to present something to Cai Wei. Most people gifted her inexpensive items they were wearing, like rings or small earrings. However, this madam gave her a ruby and gold hairpin that she was wearing.

This hairpin was not only delicate and intricate but also genuinely valuable. The red gold flat hairpin weighed two or three taels, and the red flower, made of six or seven pieces of ruby the size of a fingernail, was surrounded by countless tiny diamonds. The single hairpin itself was worth two or three hundred taels.

Cai Wei didn’t understand why the madam was so generous. When the madam was giving the hairpin, her hands were visibly hesitant, and despite the smile on her face, her reluctance was clear in her eyes.

Seeing her coming over, Cai Wei assumed that the madam regretted giving away her hairpin and wanted to take it back, so she just stood there, quietly waiting for her.

Lady Yu, out of breath, caught up with Cai Wei. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and caught her breath. Only after a moment did she look up at Cai Wei with a smile and said, "Indeed, beauty is seven parts looks, three parts adornment. Miss Mu, wearing this red gold ruby hairpin, you have become even more beautiful!"

Cai Wei laughed and replied, "Madam, I guess you didn’t come here just to praise me? If there’s anything you want to say, Madam, you are always free to speak."

Lady Yu didn’t expect Cai Wei to be so straightforward. Her smile froze for a moment, but quickly regained composure. Clearing her throat, she replied, "Speaking with smart people like you always saves time. Since Miss Mu has pointed it out, I will speak straight."

"I am the niece-in-law of old madam An, as well as the lady boss of Hongyun Tavern. I heard that Miss Mu’s family’s grilled skewers are very unique. I particularly offered this gem-studded hairpin to obtain the secret recipe for your family’s grilled skewers!"

Ah, so she is the wife of Master Lü, thought Cai Wei gleefully. She had been vexed over how to find that scumbag, and lo and behold, his wife had literally walked right in. What luck! Finding what she was looking for without any effort!

"Miss, you probably haven’t seen such fine jewelry before. To tell you the truth, these are made by the best craftsmen in our town’s ’Bai’s Silver Shop’, costing a full three hundred taels of patterned silver! Thus, trading this jewelry for Miss Mu’s prescription wouldn’t be a loss, right?"

Lady Yu tried to persuade her gently, as if she purposefully let Cai Wei have quite a great bargain in this transaction.

Cai Wei lowered her eyes, a mocking smile flashing in them. This foolish woman must think she was an idiot. The secret recipe that was hot enough to smoke was hers alone, and she thought she could seduce it away with a mere three hundred taels’ worth of objects. What a smart calculation! However, if she knew her husband was spending the money she had earned at a brothel, answering the call of wine and women, would she still be so eager to make money?

Thinking of this, she laughed wickedly: "Madam, if you want my secret recipe, it’s not hard. As long as Madam can persuade Master Lü to spare the Dawn Cloud Maiden of Slave Chant, I will hand over the secret recipe to Madam personally."

Lady Yu was taken aback, and it took her a while to understand Cai Wei’s meaning. She frowned, scolding in a low voice, "What are you, a country girl, talking nonsense about? What kind of person is my husband? He wouldn’t go to such filthy places! Don’t make unfounded accusations, or you’ll suffer the consequences."

Oh boy, threatening her! Cai Wei chuckled, she wasn’t scared of the rumored consequences. After being intimidated by Lady Yu, she was even more outspoken.

"Whether it’s unfounded or not, Madam can send someone to check and she will know. Why should you plug your ears and pretend to be a victim while venting your anger at me, a young girl?"

"You... Impudent...!"

Lady Yu was really pissed off, almost infuriated.

"As an unmarried young lady, how would you know whether my husband frequents brothels or not? Liked my handsome and wealthy husband, you wanted to get in and be his concubine. Hmm, speaking of it, I’m not really narrow-minded, as long as you hand over the secret recipe for the grilled skewers, I would let you in, how about it?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Wei burst out laughing, her laughter shaking and uncontrollable.

Lady Yu’s face darkened, and she shouted, "What are you, a rude girl, laughing at?"

Cai Wei was covering her mouth and giggling low, "I am laughing at Madam, even though you are so ugly, you are really optimistic, hahaha..."

"You little slut, what did you say?" Lady Yu was staring at her incredulously, hardly believing her own ears.

"Miss said that, although you are ugly, your thoughts are quite beautiful!" Cai Wei held back her laughter and looked at the woman in front of her with mockery.

"You... You insolent little whore! How dare you speak to me like this after taking my things, did you borrow courage from heaven?"

Lady Yu clutched her chest, and gasped for breath. Everyone in town knew that she is the young madam of the Lü family, and nobody dared to disrespect her even a little, so why should this country girl be so cocky?