Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1499: Buying Iron

Ji Zhenniang froze, looked at Mrs. Han, and then at Sister Yu, and when she saw Sister Yu turn her head away refusing to look at her, she sadly shed tears: "I didn’t mean it, I really like Gu Xiaoyu and am grateful that she saved me."

Mrs. Han sneered: "Your gratitude is to mock her behind her back?"

Ji Zhenniang was left speechless.

After a few days of interaction, Mrs. Han understood Ji Zhenniang’s temperament. She is someone who remembers rewards but not the beatings, the more familiar you are with her and the better you treat her, the more she’ll take it for granted.

So is Xie Cheng, and so is Sister-in-law Qin. As time goes by, when her family becomes familiar with her, Ji Zhenniang will feel that it’s only natural for her family to treat her well.

"Sister-in-law Qin is generous and won’t hold it against you, but you, Sister-in-law Xie, should be sensible. You’re not young anymore, nearly twenty, while Sister-in-law Qin is almost sixteen, being three months younger than you, how can you receive her kindness but mock her behind her back?"

"Such actions, if in the Capital, not only make you a laughingstock for having no upbringing, but also offend others, causing them to hate you and even plot against you behind your back."

"Do you know why nobles and noble families look down on merchants? It’s because you merchants have only silver but lack insight, decorum, and are ungrateful, your actions are comparable to those of shameless scoundrels..."

Mrs. Han rattled on a lot, leaving Ji Zhenniang stunned, tears flowing incessantly.

Mrs. Han said: "Stop crying, when you do something wrong, instead of thinking about how to fix it, you only cry, crying is the most useless!"

Then she instructed the driver: "Stop the car."

The driver, being from the Han Family, quickly stopped the car upon hearing her.

Mrs. Han said: "Sister-in-law Xie, please go back first. My family’s Sister Yu is at the age of learning manners, with your ungrateful attitude, not acknowledging the benefactor’s kindness, if she stays with you for long, she’ll end up being taught the wrong things."

Ji Zhenniang was bewildered, how could she teach Sister Yu the wrong things?

She was about to argue but was grabbed by the arm by the nanny from the Han Family and gently helped off the carriage.

"Madam!" Nanny Xie hurriedly followed down the carriage, supporting Ji Zhenniang who nearly fell.

Mrs. Kuang watched the spectacle eagerly, seeing Ji Zhenniang suddenly getting kicked off the Zhang Family’s carriage, she immediately sped her carriage over: "Oh, Lady Xie, did you say something unpleasant again and got kicked off? Serves you right! I’ve told you before, temper your pampered attitude, your family is just a merchant family from Linhe Prefecture, do you really think you’re a noble family’s young lady? Now you met a real noble lady, having a hard time, right."

Ji Zhenniang was furious, pointing at Mrs. Kuang: "You..."

"Blech! What are you pointing at? If you have the guts, go and curse Mrs. Zhang, she is the real young lady of the Earl Mansion, whose son will be Lord in the future, a true noble, do you dare to curse her? If you curse her, she can go to the Emperor and complain, and have you and your entire family taken to the Capital and beheaded!"

Mrs. Kuang’s words were fierce, leaving Ji Zhenniang no chance to retort, she cursed them and left, leaving Ji Zhenniang to continue crying.

Mrs. Kuang shouted back at Ji Zhenniang: "What are you crying for, it’s the New Year, the first month hasn’t even finished, are you holding a mourning ceremony for yourself?!"

Her words frightened Ji Zhenniang into silence immediately.

Xie Cheng, learning of the situation, rode over, helping Ji Zhenniang: "Stop crying, let’s go back to our family’s carriage first."

Seeing Xie Cheng, Ji Zhenniang found her support and sobbed uncontrollably: "I’m really not ungrateful, I just said something."

Xie Cheng said: "Mmh, mmh, Zhenniang is not ungrateful, come, let’s get on the carriage."

Company Commander Jin passed by with his soldiers, hearing and remarked to Xie Cheng: "Company Commander Xie, your authority is really weak, it’s just a merchant girl, not some noble lady, why are you coaxing her? Once we reach the Northwest, my friend will find you a few gentle, sensible beauties from good families, stop being such a pushover, coaxing a merchant girl like this, it undermines the prestige of our Southern soldiers!"

With that, he rode off.

Ji Zhenniang was stunned, recalling Mrs. Han’s words... Could it be that her Ji Family really is so lowly? Just a humble merchant family?

Xie Cheng saw her in a daze and helped her onto the carriage, worriedly asked: "Zhenniang, are you alright? Say something, don’t just stare blankly."

Ji Zhenniang burst into crying, clutching Xie Cheng’s clothes asking: "Is my Ji Family truly so worthless? But Gu Xiaoyu’s family is also a merchant, why aren’t they criticized?"

Xie Cheng said: "The eldest son of the Gu Family is a ’Small Three-Yuan Scholar’ from Jianghuai, a scholar. The Gu Family is already considered a scholarly family, not a merchant. Plus, the Gu Family is into farming, owning much land, their shops are rented out, without their own shops, they are not considered merchants, they are a farming and reading family."

Gu Jinli’s house foresaw this long ago, thus besides workshops, they don’t run shops under their name, owning shops rented out, county shops under Old Mrs. Yan’s name, prefecture pavilions under Gu Jinli’s, run by Mrs. Chen and Gu Dagui, Gu Dashan and Gu Jin’an are not involved at all.

But it’s different with the Ji Family, all shops are under Elder Ji’s name, with little land, the whole family relying on the shops to make a living, long designated as a merchant family.

Ji Zhenniang listened, unable to refute, silently shedding tears.

Xie Cheng sighed: "Although you and Sister-in-law Qin have a good relationship, Sister-in-law Qin is also generous and doesn’t hold it against you much, but it’s truly inappropriate to mock Sister-in-law Qin behind her back. Sister-in-law Zhang comes from a noble family, and has an old palace maid as a nanny, with strict rules, you spoke ill of Sister-in-law Qin in front of Sister-in-law Zhang, how could Sister-in-law Zhang not be angry?"

With heartfelt advice he continued: "Zhenniang, I know you didn’t mean it, but you really need to change this attitude, if not altered, you might offend people we cannot afford to offend, and it won’t just be a few scoldings. There are many generals in the Northwest, all those General’s wives and Old Madams, I am merely a small Company Commander, if you really offend them, I cannot protect you even if I stake my life."

If Gu Jinli were to hear this, he would chuckle twice and say: "Company Commander Xie, you’re overthinking it. Your Ji Zhenniang is good at assessing people, when she sees those high-ranking ladies, not only will she not offend them, she’ll immediately kneel down to flatter them."

Ji Zhenniang listened, startled, in recent times her relationship with Xie Cheng had improved a lot, knowing Xie Cheng’s difficulties outside, unwilling to burden him, after crying for a while, she nodded and said: "I understand... please send me to the Gu Family’s carriage."

She dared not go alone, afraid of being kicked out by Gu Jinli.

Xie Cheng laughed hearing her: "Alright, I’ll take you there."

Gu Jinli found Ji Zhenniang very annoying, but hearing she was scolded by Mrs. Han made him particularly pleased, allowed Ji Zhenniang onto the carriage, mocked her a bit, and laughed heartily at her frustrated expression.

Meanwhile, Nanny Tao took the opportunity to instruct Ji Zhenniang, who acknowledged her mistakes before stopping.

...

After the bandit attack, their army acquired several carriages and mule carts, allowing the wounded and families to have transportation, without delaying the journey.

Leaving Old Guzhuang, after racing for another month, they finally arrived at Beicang Prefecture on the day of the Dragon Heads Festival, February 2nd.

Beyond Beicang Prefecture lies the true lands of the Northwest, thus various armies will rest in Beicang Prefecture for a few days to replenish supplies.

And what everyone bought the most of—was ironware.