Have children??
Jiang Jingyi’s forehead was instantly covered in dark lines. Having a son—wouldn’t that be the villain? If she raised him poorly and he turned into a villain, wouldn’t she end up suffering along with him? She knew how these stories worked: the author, in order to highlight the glorious image of the righteous male lead, would do everything to blacken the antagonist. If she couldn’t change the fate of those around her, that would be a disaster.
Besides, she and Ji Qiuyang were only married by agreement. Having a child was out of the question.
Jiang Jingyi pretended not to hear and continued directing Ji Dehong to tidy things up.
Mrs. Yun covered her mouth and said to Old Mrs. Ji, “My sister-in-law is just shy. She’s still young.”
And indeed, she was young. Mrs. Yun and her husband were already thirty, while Jiang Jingyi was only sixteen—barely three years older than Ji Dehong.
The bean sprouts were stored away before dark. Jiang Jingyi didn’t plan to do everything herself, so she handed the methods and precautions over to Ji Linxia and Yingtao. The two young girls had been subtly competing with each other ever since they started tending the fire for the braised meat. Jiang Jingyi decided to split the bean sprout baskets between them, letting each manage her own. Both were quite pleased with the arrangement.
The day’s labor made for a sound sleep that night. The next morning, Mrs. Yun had to call Jiang Jingyi several times before she could barely get out of bed.
Seeing how drowsy she looked, Mrs. Yun asked, “Sister-in-law, would you like to rest for a day?”
Jiang Jingyi shook her head. Mrs. Yun and her husband got up in the middle of the night every day to grind soybeans and make tofu. Ji Linxia and Yingtao also rose in the dead of night to help with tofu skin. Even Old Mrs. Ji and Ji Dehong were up early working. In truth, she and Ji Deyuan were the latest risers in the household but Ji Deyuan was only eight and still growing.
“It’s fine.” In fact, since they went to bed early, their total sleep time was still quite long.
The three of them set out and arrived at the county seat. By morning, they had already sold most of the braised meat. While resting, Mrs. Yun tugged at Jiang Jingyi’s sleeve. “Sister-in-law, look over there.”
Jiang Jingyi turned her head and saw Mrs. Miao standing just a few steps away, her face full of hesitation.
Jiang Jingyi’s expression cooled. “Is Mrs. Wang here to buy braised meat?”
Since they all lived in the same county, the shoppers naturally recognized Mrs. Miao. Seeing the two women about to speak, the passersby stopped to watch the spectacle.
Mrs. Miao looked terrible. Her eyes were red and swollen, and even through her makeup, a handprint was visible on her cheek. When Jiang Jingyi spoke to her, Mrs. Miao frowned deeply and shook her head. “No.”
“If you’re not buying, don’t block the way,” Jiang Jingyi said, then turned with a smile to ask the next customer how much braised meat they wanted.
Mrs. Miao was furious that Jiang Jingyi wouldn’t even give her face. But the day before, not only had she failed to deal with this little wench, but the wench had turned the tables on her. Her own brother had slapped her. How could she swallow this?
But her brother had also said that the Miao family couldn’t afford to provoke the He family. Every year, the He family spent a considerable sum greasing the wheels at the county yamen. Offending the He family would cut off their own source of income. He told her to apologize to Jiang Jingyi.
Why should she apologize? Mrs. Miao was seething with hatred. Qingshui County was their territory. The Wang family had been making braised meat first. The Ji family was the one breaking the rules.
But this time, not only her brother but also her mother and her husband had insisted she apologize.
Wang Gui, that useless man, had never raised his voice to her in all these years. Now, he was stubbornly demanding she apologize.
Mrs. Miao was so angry her face twisted. Standing there, surrounded by onlookers, she felt as if decades of face had been lost. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “I came to apologize.”
Her voice was very soft. Jiang Jingyi didn’t hear her clearly. “What did you say, Mrs. Wang?”
Mrs. Miao was certain she was pretending not to hear. She trembled with rage. Her voice suddenly rose. “I came to apologize!”
Jiang Jingyi smiled. “I wasn’t aware that Mrs. Wang had ever wronged me.”
Mrs. Miao’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Jiang Jingyi to play dumb like this. Was she forcing Mrs. Miao to publicly admit to hiring thugs to hurt her?
Mrs. Miao was furious, but she couldn’t say it outright. If she did, the Wang family would be finished. Their reputation in Qingshui County would be ruined forever.
Jiang Jingyi’s expression didn’t change. She weighed out braised meat for the customer beside her, acting as if Mrs. Miao wasn’t there. Just as Mrs. Miao was about to explode, someone pulled her back. She turned—it was Wang Gui.
Wang Gui knew his wife’s temperament well. He had been watching from a distance. Seeing that the young woman wasn’t so easily placated, he swallowed his pride and stepped forward with an apologetic smile. “My wife did something foolish yesterday and has been beside herself with guilt ever since. She came today specifically to apologize to Mrs. Ji.”
His words were watertight. He didn’t mention what exactly had happened, only saying Mrs. Miao had done something foolish, neatly distancing himself from the matter. Jiang Jingyi nodded slightly. “Now that you mention it, Mr. Wang, are you referring to the incident yesterday when someone blocked our way and attempted violence?”
She paused in feigned surprise. “Could it be… could it be that it was Mrs. Wang?”
Her bluntness made Wang Gui’s face fall. She hadn’t spared him an ounce of face. He gave an awkward smile. “My wife is foolish and did wrong. Mrs. Ji, please don’t pursue the matter…”
“Alas.” Jiang Jingyi frowned, looking troubled. “It’s fortunate that we survived yesterday…”
She lowered her eyes slightly, her expression tinged with sadness. “I’ve heard that your Wang family has been in the county for decades. As country folk, we naturally can’t hold it against you. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Wang Gui gave an awkward bow. “Then thank you, Mrs. Ji, for your forgiveness.”
Jiang Jingyi didn’t take up that thread. She neither said she forgave them nor that she didn’t. The smile on Wang Gui’s face froze.
He then turned to Ji Dongyang and bowed. “Brother Ji, since you’ll be selling in the county from now on, if you ever need anything, just come to the Wang family. We’ll certainly help.”
“Wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare,” Ji Dongyang said, waving his hands hastily.
He wasn’t being polite—he truly didn’t dare. In fact, he was somewhat astonished that the Wang family had come to apologize. It was probably out of respect for the He family’s standing. But the Ji family was small and humble. Even if their relationship with the Wang family were good, which it wasn’t—he still wouldn’t dare ask them for help.
Jiang Jingyi, however, wasn’t particularly pleased. Who comes to apologize right at someone’s market stall? And who comes empty-handed? The Wang family’s plan was likely to force Jiang Jingyi to accept their apology in front of all these people to save face.
As for coming empty-handed, that was probably because they were still resentful and didn’t genuinely want to apologize.
If they weren’t sincere, why should she save face for them? They had Constable Miao as their backer, and yet they had come to apologize. That clearly meant Constable Miao didn’t want to antagonize the He family. In all likelihood, the Wang couple had been sent by him.
Since the apology wasn’t sincere, the Ji family had every right to give it back to them.
The Wang couple had apologized publicly, and Jiang Jingyi had said she wouldn’t make things difficult for them. But to the onlookers, it sounded like the Wang family was using their power to pressure her, without any genuine contrition.
Neither Wang Gui nor Mrs. Miao looked pleased. Jiang Jingyi sighed softly and said, “Mr. Wang, since things have come to this, could you please step aside? I still need to continue my business.”
At that, the Wang couple’s faces turned even uglier. With so many people around—many of them waiting to buy braised meat, not just watching the drama—it was a stark contrast to the Wang family’s former glory.
Wang Gui carefully asked, “Do you plan to keep selling this braised meat?”
Jiang Jingyi smiled brightly. “Of course. Everyone likes it. Why would we stop after just one or two tries? Who would want to give up a profitable business, right, Mr. Wang?”
Wang Gui could no longer force a smile. Mrs. Miao’s eyes were practically shooting flames.
But seeing them so angry yet unable to speak their minds actually pleased Jiang Jingyi. Her mood improved considerably.
In her good cheer, she added a little extra when weighing out braised meat for customers, making them laugh with delight. “Boss Jiang is in a good mood today!”
“Wouldn’t you be happy when business is good?”
At Jiang Jingyi’s words, the Wang couple’s faces looked ready to burst into a downpour.
When others saw the two still standing there, they couldn’t help but make sarcastic remarks. Mrs. Miao could tolerate it, but Wang Gui, who valued his pride, found it unbearable. His expression dark, he pulled Mrs. Miao away and left.
After they were gone, Jiang Jingyi and Mrs. Yun busied themselves for a while longer. When most of the meat was sold, Mrs. Yun said with concern, “I wonder how Dehong is doing with his sales.”
The day before, they had bought a whole pig from Butcher Zhao and braised it all. Apart from the bulk of it they had brought, the remaining twenty catties or so had been taken by Ji Dehong to sell in town on his own initiative. Ji Dehong was a half-grown lad going out to sell by himself for the first time. It was only natural for Mrs. Yun to worry.
But Jiang Jingyi wasn’t worried. She smiled. “Dehong has a steady temperament, just like his father. Since he volunteered, there won’t be any problem. Even if sales aren’t good, it doesn’t matter. We can eat it ourselves tonight. Or at worst, we can sell it cheaply to the villagers. Someone will definitely want it.”
Mrs. Yun thought for a moment and smiled. “That’s true.”
Ji Dongyang silently packed up their things, preparing to go peddle in the alleys. He sighed. “Is it really alright for us to offend the Wang family like this?”
Jiang Jingyi raised an eyebrow. “If I hadn’t done this, would they stop bearing a grudge? We didn’t do anything before, and they still sent people to cause us trouble. Should we just give up this business because of them?”
Ji Dongyang fell silent. He knew very well how profitable this business was. Qiuyang needed money for his studies, and he himself wanted to send Deyuan to school. All of that required money. Backing down was not an option.
Ji Dongyang raised his head and gritted his teeth. “Let’s do it! We’re not afraid of them.”
**