Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 171

After wandering through the market, they didn’t end up buying much else, but Yu Jiao had her arms full of snacks, various pastries stuffed into her arms and cheeks so full they were puffed out. Worried she might choke, Yu Qizhe specially bought her a chilled mung bean drink.

The drink was cool, served in a bamboo tube, and carried a faint bamboo fragrance beneath its sweetness, quite refreshing.

Sweet treats always lift the mood. Spotting a street vendor selling sugar figurines, Yu Jiao bought two for little Jie Geng before the two of them headed home.

As soon as they got back, Madam Zhao came rushing over, eager to ask about the recommendation letters. Yu Jiao brushed her off, claiming that Headmaster Lin hadn’t agreed yet, but that she would keep trying. That was enough to send Madam Zhao away.

She hadn’t immediately shown the recommendation letters because she wanted the third branch of the family to understand that seeking a favor from Headmaster Lin was no easy feat. If they thought she could accomplish such a thing with just one visit, they’d take it for granted, never realizing how much effort it really took.

Yu Jiao brought the sugar figurines to little Jie Geng, who clutched them tightly, drooling as she chewed and giggling at Yu Jiao. She quietly confided in Madam Zhang that Yu Zhizhou’s place as a county scholar was secured. Madam Zhang was deeply grateful and began to prepare for Yu Zhizhou’s betrothal.

A few more days passed. It was now the third of August, and after a brief break, the rain had started falling again. The date for the county examination recommendation letters was drawing near, and Madam Zhao was growing frantic. Her mouth had broken out in blisters from the stress, and she tried every trick she could to please Yu Jiao, treating her as if she were a revered ancestor.

During this time, Yu Jiao claimed to visit the Lin household again, but in truth, she took Yu Fuling into town for a bit of leisurely wandering. When they returned, she still insisted that Headmaster Lin hadn’t given a clear answer, though his attitude had seemed more agreeable.

The provincial exams required three rounds, and they were held in Qingzhou. The first exam was on the eighth, and it took half a day to travel there from Changkui County. They’d need to arrive two days early to find a place to stay.

Madam Song had already packed for Yu Qizhe, and, still uneasy, she and Madam Zhang decided that Yu Qiaoshan would accompany him.

With the county scholar name list about to be published, Yu Jiao decided it was time to stop stalling. That morning, while Yu Qiaoshan and the others went into town to sell umbrellas, she took Yu Fuling with her and wandered around town under an umbrella for most of the day. She even stopped by a blacksmith’s workshop to custom order a surgical knife.

She wasn’t sure if a traditional blacksmith could make such a delicate tool, but she sketched a diagram and asked the old master to give it a try.

Even if the knife could be forged, given the current level of metallurgy, it would likely fall far short of a modern surgical scalpel.

But it was better than nothing. She feared encountering another case of obstructed labor. Lin Shuang had been lucky, her condition was just exhaustion and a closed cervix, but not all women were so fortunate. Not every birth could be solved with acupuncture.

Having a surgical knife made was a precaution. Yu Jiao sincerely hoped she’d never need to use it for a C-section.

The old blacksmith told her to return in five days. The knife was thin and intricate, hard to forge, and he couldn’t promise success. He only took a thirty-wen deposit.

After leaving the blacksmith’s shop, Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling returned to town and went to check on Yu Qiaoshan and the others who were selling umbrellas.

They’d set up outside the porch of a closed shop, since rainy weather had slowed business. It was a secluded spot, and foot traffic was sparse. There were still over ten oil-paper umbrellas left unsold.

“Fuling-jie, grab a few umbrellas and let’s go sell them ourselves,” Yujiao said, crouching to pick up three oil-paper umbrellas.

Yu Mengshan tried to stop her. “Young ladies shouldn’t be hawking goods in the streets. Come rest under the eaves.”

“Uncle Mengshan, it’s mostly women who buy floral umbrellas. Fuling-jie and I will sell more easily,” Yu Jiao said with a smile.

Women liked pretty things, and these floral umbrellas were bound to attract them. The problem was that the sellers were two grown men, Yu Qiaoshan and Yu Mengshan, likely scaring off many potential female customers.

Yu Fuling now listened to Yu Jiao in all things. She scooped up three or four umbrellas and followed her out.

“Meng girl makes a good point,” Yu Qiaoshan said with a chuckle. “Just don’t go too far or into any alleys. If you can’t sell them, come back.”

“Got it!” Yu Fuling chirped, happily running into the light rain with Yujiao.

They walked briskly into a narrow residential alley, flanked by low walls. Branches from apricot and pear trees inside the courtyards drooped over the tops of the walls.

Yu Jiao called out brightly, “Umbrellas for sale! Pretty and practical oil-paper umbrellas, just twenty wen each! Take a look!”

Yu Fuling watched Yujiao shout with confidence, not a hint of the usual shyness of a young lady. She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, her voice coming out as soft as a cat’s meow.

Her face turned red with embarrassment.

“Don’t be scared,” Yu Jiao encouraged. “We’re not stealing or cheating anyone, we’re selling our own family’s goods. Nothing to be ashamed of. Once you shout for the first time, it gets easier.”

Yu Fuling looked at Yu Jiao’s young face and took several deep breaths. Yu Jiao was younger than her and could shout boldly, how could she, the older sister, fall behind?

“Oil-paper umbrellas for sale! Many colors and designs! Only twenty wen!” she shouted in one go.

Yu Jiao turned to smile at her, almond-shaped eyes crinkling, and Yu Fuling beamed back.

Sure enough, once she got that first call out, it wasn’t hard at all. The two girls walked slowly through the water-speckled alley, their cheerful cries echoing between the walls.

A woman stepped out from a courtyard, holding a child, and looked around. She called out to them just as they were about to leave the alley, “Hey, girls, wait a moment!”

Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling turned back and hurried over with their umbrellas.

“Auntie, would you like an umbrella?” Yu Fuling asked with a smile, showing the ones in her arms.

The woman examined the patterns on the umbrellas. “I heard you calling out earlier, twenty wen each, right? Are they all that price?”

Yu Fuling nodded. “All of them are twenty wen. Which pattern do you like?”

Their conversation caught the attention of another household nearby. A young woman peeked out curiously from another gate.

Yu Jiao smiled at her. “Autumn is almost here. There’s been a lot of rain this year. Would you like to buy one too?”

The girl, about the same age as Yu Fuling, stepped out to join them and began browsing the umbrella designs.

“Do you have any with pomegranate blossoms?” the first woman asked.

“Yes, we do!” Yu Fuling remembered that her eldest brother, Yu Zhixing, had specially painted a few with pomegranate blossoms. They were popular for weddings. When brides disembarked from sedan chairs, a red oil-paper umbrella was used to ward off evil spirits. The umbrella also symbolized fertility.

She quickly looked through her stash while Yu Jiao checked her own and pulled out one with pomegranate blossoms to hand over.

The woman opened it and examined it with satisfaction. “This is beautiful. My daughter’s getting married after the harvest. This will be perfect for when she gets off the sedan.”

“Peace and joy through bamboo, Auntie. With our umbrella, your daughter and her husband will surely be harmonious as zither and harp, full of love and devotion,” Yu Jiao said with a smile.