Chapter 47 "What are you saying!..."

Chapter 47 "What are you saying!..."

"What are you saying! What nonsense are you talking about? You're really wronging me." Qin Ji laughed as if he was amused.

The guilt only lasted a moment; at this moment, Qin Ji was already able to calmly face the daggers shooting from Xiao Yan Hui's eyes.

"Qin Xi, go to the housekeeper and get some of that sweet fragrance used in the front hall."

Qin Ji turned around and raised his voice slightly to instruct Qin Xi, then gave Xiao Yan a feigned aggrieved smile:

"Today I must clear my name in this injustice, and I cannot enjoy this strange fragrance alone. Since you praised its sweetness, Yan Hui, I suppose you would like to take it back and use it to fumigate your body."

Although the sudden sweet fragrance made Xiao Yan Hui a little suspicious, Qin Ji's explanation made sense.

The reason I changed my attitude just now is because since they will be marriage partners in the future, I need to let Qin Ji know what things she cannot tolerate.

"Am I praising the scent? The one you're wearing is almost cloyingly sweet."

Xiao Yan Hui naturally wouldn't hold onto such a seemingly plausible clue and let it go, so she simply brushed it off with a half-joking attitude.

Looking at Qin Ji's slightly affected and aggrieved expression, I was surprised. I didn't know Qin Ji had this side to him.

Qin Ji shook his head and chuckled, feigning helplessness: "The steward doesn't know how to use incense. Actually, if you use a small amount of incense, grind it into powder and mix it with wood incense, the scent will still be quite nice."

Qin Ji glanced down at Xiao Yan Hui and made a mental note: It seems that her sense of smell is more acute than that of ordinary people.

Otherwise, with the slight lingering scent on her body, even if a normal person could smell it, they wouldn't find it cloyingly sweet.

"Qin Ji, you actually know how to blend perfumes?" Judging from how effortlessly he talked about using perfumes just now, he's probably quite skilled in this area.

"I learned a little when I was young, just for show. By the way, Qin Xi just said you were quite satisfied with today's lunch. Why don't you let the cook go back with you?" Qin Ji changed the subject subtly.

"Pfft, Qin Ji, what were you thinking? I thought it was already too much to eat and take things, but you actually want me to eat and then just take your cook away!"

How come she hadn't noticed before that Qin Ji had this habit of giving gifts so extravagantly? This morning, when the topic of the horse farm came up, he even mentioned that if he saw a horse he liked, he would just pick out a few and take them home.

“Sending these small items back and forth like this is a bit troublesome,” Qin Ji tapped the back of his left hand a few times with his right hand, then gave Xiao Yan a hearty smile as if he had come up with a good idea: “Why not just include this estate in the betrothal gifts? That would save us from all this trouble.”

"Okay, okay!" Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle as she listened, then looked up and found Qin Ji's expression quite serious: "Hey! Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious, what's there to joke about?" Qin Ji raised an eyebrow, seemingly wondering why Xiao Yan Hui thought it was a joke.

"Qin Ji, tell me honestly, are you hiding something from me?" Xiao Yan looked into Qin Ji's eyes with her bright black eyes.

Qin Ji, who always prided himself on his excellent mental fortitude, felt inexplicably flustered when looked at like that, even though he had clearly seen the playful and teasing look in Xiao Yan Hui's eyes.

Sure enough, she then said, "Did I have amnesia before? When did I ever save your life?"

"Although we didn't save each other's lives, we still have a bond that transcends life and death. Besides, we are different from others, aren't we?" Qin Ji said this earnestly.

"It's just a villa. If it wasn't here, it would have been somewhere else in the betrothal gifts. Since you like it here, and the pandas are kept here, wouldn't it be perfect to give it to you?"

She was the one who looked into Qin Ji's eyes first, but she was also the one who looked away first. Faced with Qin Ji's serious expression, she actually felt a little embarrassed and unworthy of it.

"Oh dear, let's hurry up, the sun seems to be getting a bit strong. Isn't that Snow Melting Courtyard just ahead?" The topic was changed very abruptly.

Although it was afternoon, the autumn afternoon sun was anything but "sunny".

Seeing Xiao Yan Hui's suddenly hurried steps, Qin Ji's eyes fell on her suddenly ruby-red earlobes, and his smile suddenly became vivid and intense, but he dared not tease her at all, and only followed her words: "Yes, that is Rongxue Courtyard."

......

"Phew!" Sitting in front of the bronze mirror, Xiao Yan patted her burning cheeks and gritted her teeth: she had been flirted with. During that eye contact just now, she felt like she had been slightly flirted with by Qin Ji's gaze.

After all, he seemed so sincere, and the light in his eyes was so beautiful. When he looked at me, it was as if I was the only person in his eyes and heart.

"You tell me, what if someone suddenly showered you with money..." Looking through the bronze mirror at the maids behind her who were combing her hair and fiddling with a damp handkerchief, Xiao Yan asked hesitantly.

It's said that whether you like someone or not can be seen by whether they spend money on you. Qin Ji, who gives gifts at the drop of a hat... must like me, right?

"Then he must like me," the cat, having just finished rubbing the damp cloth, blurted out.

Upon hearing the cat's answer, Xiao Yan's lips curled up slightly.

"Not necessarily. It could be a scammer's tactic. Isn't there a saying that you must give before you take?" Green Moth shook her head at the cat while gently stroking her daughter's hair. "Little girl, you don't understand."

Xiao Yan glanced at Lü'e and felt that what she said made a lot of sense. Her anti-fraud classes hadn't been for nothing; giving too much of it did seem a bit suspicious.

"What do you mean by 'take' and 'give'? I don't understand." Although Cat had learned some reading and writing these days, she was only at the level of not being completely illiterate. She really didn't understand what Green Moth was saying, but that didn't stop her from having her own twisted interpretation.

“My mother used to say that in this world, it’s all about you deceiving me and me deceiving you. Whoever has the ability to swindle someone out of their entire fortune wins.”

"Didn't you say before that if someone can throw money at you, they must like you? How come it's become a lie now? You little girl, you keep changing your story." Green Moth complained to her.

“Since someone is throwing money at me, they must like me at first. So I’ll find a way to get them to keep throwing money at me. If I have all of their money, no, most of it, if I have most of their wealth, then even if they don’t like me, they’ll have to pretend to like me.”

The cat's expression at this moment had a maturity beyond its years.

Xiao Yan blinked and looked at the two girls beside her with a look of surprise. She hadn't expected that these two were not love-struck at all.

"Cat, your mother is quite wise in life," Xiao Yan replied in praise.

"No, my mother was the one who was swindled out of her entire fortune and lost everything." Cat looked at the Third Sister with red eyes: "My mother also told me that we women must be careful. No matter how much we like someone, we can't give our hearts away without leaving ourselves a way out."

The cat didn't continue.

Today, she and Sister Green Moth followed behind. Although they didn't hear what the young lady and Qin Liangjun were talking about, judging from the young lady's expression and the question she asked, the person she was referring to should be Qin Liangjun.

Cat knew she shouldn't have said those things. She should have just said that she was willing to spend money so much because she liked it. That would have made the girl happy, and if her future husband knew later, he would be happy too.

Cat didn't know why Sister Green Moth had said something unpleasant first, but she herself suddenly changed her mind because she was thinking of her mother.

The night before she was taken away by the broker, her mother repeatedly told her to protect her money, not to trust men, and to leave herself a way out. I didn't leave myself a way out, so... I'm sorry to you, and I'm sorry to myself.

It was only later that Mao'er realized that when her mother said those things, she knew she would be sold to that brothel. She was originally going to be sold there, but if the young lady hadn't taken her that day...

"Silly girl!" Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her forehead. Cat came to her senses and saw her daughter flicking her forehead a second time with her bent finger.

"Wow! Girl, you're bullying me!" Cat cried out as usual, covering her forehead.

"So, in your eyes I'm just a fool who's so easily fooled!"

Not only the cat, but even Green Moth felt a flick on the forehead: "These days, all the money in my hands is coming in. I'll go back and prepare autumn tonic recipes for the shop. We're slowly opening up the market to mid-to-high-end customers; we need to start thinking about expanding our brand..."

Distracted like this, the budding romantic thoughts I had just started to have completely turned to store operations.

"Green Moth, last time I instructed Li Jiuniang to try to find a female doctor, did she keep in touch with you about the follow-up?"

"Ninth Sister said she found two people. According to your requirements, they were people who seemed honest and reliable, but were actually good at talking and getting things done. However, they were not really capable."

Both of them had only learned a smattering of skills from their families, and now they could only prescribe medicine using a few outdated remedies. If it weren't for their silver tongues, they probably wouldn't even be able to make a living in the medical field.

When it came to serious matters, Green Moth's expression became much more serious, but she was also worried because she hadn't been able to complete the tasks the girl had given her.

"As long as they look good and can talk, that's enough. We don't need them to actually prescribe medicine or dispense it. Our real partner is Huichun Pavilion. We use them because they are convenient to move around in the inner quarters, and it's more convenient and professional to have them in the shop."

Ever since she decided to add nourishing and beautifying stews to her shop, Xiao Yan Hui's first priority was to find an "old Chinese medicine doctor" who looked like a wise and sage.

This part was resolved after finding Huichun Pavilion. Their resident doctor perfectly met their requirements and agreed to a nominal collaboration.

On the other hand, if she wants to further develop her business in the inner quarters, then necessary marketing is essential. Someone with good speaking skills, a good appearance, and some medical knowledge is her salesperson, responsible for promoting her one-on-one special recipe stew.

But most importantly, this was Xiao Yanhui's test, a test of the possibility of opening a beauty center or a health clinic.

Of course, her conditions are not yet sufficient. She has not yet fully built up either the number of clients or their trust.

However, for Xiao Yan Hui, this can be considered her next goal: to use her current dietary therapy as a stepping stone to enter the beauty and wellness market.

That's a much larger and more profitable market, after all, who can resist beauty and longevity?

-----------------------

Author's Note: Qin Ji: No, why are other people's maids matchmakers, but Yan Hui'er's maids have such a peculiar style? Does that make sense?

Xiao Yan replied: Marriage partner—I'm a little tempted—but never mind, focusing on my career is more important.