Chapter 353 - 208 Decided_3
Afterward, a few people were employed to escort Qian Yixiu and Qian Hua as they left Liang Mansion to return to Jinxiu Embroidery Workshop.
Uncle returned to the main courtyard, where Grandma Liang had already changed into her house clothes, an imperial embroidered short shirt, and a matching long pleated skirt. She personally helped Uncle take off his outer robe and removed his hat. The couple then sat on the heated brick bed in the east-side room to chat.
A maidservant with a slender waist, an oval face, fair skin, and delicate features dressed in a peach-colored armor, came to serve Uncle tea. Her voice was as melodious as a oriole’s, "Uncle, please have some tea."
Uncle glanced at her and nodded his head.
Grandma Liang waved her hand, and the servants all withdrew. Grandma Liang said with a smile, "Uncle, what do you think of Jiao Mei?"
Uncle asked, "You mean the girl who was just here?"
Grandma Liang replied with a nod and a chuckle, "Yes, she was bought by the mansion last year. I had someone train her for six months. I was thinking, Zhaozhao will be turning seventeen in two months. Other young men his age are already married, some even fathers, but he...," she sighed deeply, continuing, "May the Bodhisattva bless him. With the superb medical skills of Old Fairy and Doctor Zhang, that illness has been cured. I want to place Jiao Mei in his room first, then we’ll slowly look for a suitable marriage for him."
Uncle said, "Father mentioned that Old Fairy predicted Zhaozhao’s fortune; he shouldn’t marry early, fearing a disaster involving bloodshed. You needn’t worry about Zhaozhao’s marriage; Grandmother and Father have their plans. As for Jiao Mei, it will depend on Zhaozhao’s wishes..."
Grandma Liang replied with a smile, "How could Zhaozhao possibly refuse? He’s already seventeen. If he doesn’t understand the ways of the world, others will laugh at him." She then asked in a lowered voice, "Did father-in-law really give all three thousand taels of gold to the young lady from the Qian family?"
Uncle laughed, "Of course it was all given to her - could we possibly withhold a thousand?" He then reminded her, "You should have realized that Grandmother and Father both like the young Qian lady very much. From now on, you should show her some respect too; don’t see her as someone poor relying on our Liang Mansion just to make a living..." Seeing his wife’s slightly unconvinced expression, he added, "The young Qian lady is clever and quick-witted. She has an extraordinary relationship with Master Beikong and Hongji, and she also has a deep connection with Zhaozhao..."
Grandma Liang, seldom hearing her husband speak so highly of someone, chuckled coquettishly, "Whatever you say, Uncle, I will do. Rest assured, I will treat the young lady differently. I will also instruct Shopkeeper Cui to take good care of her. I heard from Shopkeeper Cui that if it weren’t for the Liang Mansion’s protection, their family would have been bullied to death long ago and couldn’t possibly do such big business."
Only then did Uncle nod in satisfaction.