Chapter 9

Qiao Mai found a thermos flask from her space and poured the ginseng water into it. She then put it into her space and cleaned the pot and the stove before returning to bed.

When Ruxin came, she was sleeping. The little girl was diligent. She washed the dishes and then sat at the table to continue drawing.

It had to be said that Lu Sanniang’s upbringing was really good.

Her two daughters were polite, not snobbish, hardworking, and as kind as her.

At night, she prepared the rice and brought it to the table. After she woke Qiao Mai up, Madam Lu and Ruyi also came.

“Sister, are you feeling better?”

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“I’m much better. It’s just that it’s been too hard on Ruxin. Don’t come tomorrow. I can take care of myself.”

“No, we’ve discussed it. We’ll take care of you for at least ten days. After that, we’ll see how you recover. Then, we’ll decide whether you’ll be alone at home or send someone to accompany you.”

“Alright then, I’ll listen to you.”

Qiao Mai was not a shy person.

“That’s more like it. You can eat. We’ll go home first?”

“Yes, yes.”

Madam Lu left with her two daughters. Qiao Mai didn’t need to come out to close the door. They locked the courtyard door behind them.

“Mother, Auntie Qiao looks like a good person.”

“You’ve only been in contact for a day, and you already know?” Lu Sanniang smiled and glanced at Ruxin.

“Yes, I think I get along well with her.”

“She is indeed a good person. Mother asked someone to ask around. What she said is true. She didn’t lie to us. How pitiful! A kind person is always bullied by others.”

“Mother, it’s a blessing in disguise. It’s also a good opportunity to escape from that devil’s den.”

“Let’s treat each other as a family in the future, okay?”

“Sure, I like to have more people at home.”

In the blink of an eye, ten days flew by. Qiao Mai ate and drank to her heart’s content. Under the nourishment of the red ginseng water, Qiao Mai’s body was getting better day by day. Now, she did not feel the soreness in her tailbone even when she sat down.

Every morning and night, she would exercise on the brick bed for fifteen minutes, and her body recovered quickly.

It was sunny outside. When there was no wind, she would bask in the sun for a while.

To heal her hand, she would use hot water daily and pour some vinegar into it for fifteen minutes. Then, she would dry it and apply some hand cream from her space.

She slept in the space every night. She didn’t even need to shower and was already clean and refreshed. The parasites on her body had also disappeared, and her hair had a little luster.

She would comb her hair neatly every day, and Lu Sanniang even gave her a hairpin.

In terms of appearance, she didn’t look like a married woman. Lu Ruxin would praise her every time she came.

“Auntie Qiao, you’re getting prettier and prettier. If we stand together, people will say you’re younger than me.”

“Don’t praise me. Do you think I don’t know what I look like? I’m not pretty.”

Indeed, when Qiao Mai looked at herself in the mirror, it took her a long time to accept it.

In her previous life, she was the super cute type. Now that she had become such an ordinary-looking woman, she could not accept it.

However, she could not have everything she wanted. It was good when she thought about it. Without her beautiful appearance, her life would be more worry-free.

As for remarrying? In her previous life, she had never considered a man. In this life, she looked ordinary. A good man would not fancy her, but she does not want to lower her standards. She might as well live by herself. Fortunately, she had a child to accompany her, so she would not be bored.

Half a month later, Lu Sanniang gave her the house keys.

“Sister, you can move now. We won’t come over if there’s nothing else. If you’re bored, you can go for a walk on the street.”

Qiao Mai reached out and took it. “Look, my hand is almost healed. I’ll embroider a sample and put it in your shop in a few days. We’ll try to sell it first.”

“There’s no rush. It’s not too late to talk about this when you’ve fully recovered.”

“Let’s talk about it in advance. I happen to have something to discuss.”

“Go ahead. I am listening.”

“It’s like this. You know what my paternal family and my in-laws are like. I only want to live a quiet life and avoid trouble, so I want to ask you to get me a fake slave contract.”

“Fake slave contract?”

“If my maiden family comes here to cause a disturbance, take it out and say that I sold myself to you to work in your embroidery workshop to survive.”

Lu Sanniang thought for a moment. “That’s possible.”

“Also, write a fake promissory note.”

“Do we still need a promissory note?”

“Yes, I fell ill after giving birth. You cured me, and it cost you twenty taels of silver to treat my illness and recuperate my body.”

“Are you afraid someone from your family will come to further take advantage?”

“Yes, if they can sell me once, they can sell me twice. Even if I sold myself, they would want my monthly salary. Since I owe money, they naturally have to pay it back. They won’t have any thoughts on me.”

“The law states that after a young lady marries, she will no longer be controlled by her family. They don’t have the guts to do that, right?”

“The law is the law. I can’t possibly report my parents to the mayor, right? I still have to be punished. Speaking of which, this is also a family matter. Usually, if the people don’t report it, the officials won’t investigate.”

“That makes sense. Alright then, I’ll prepare to put it on the counter tomorrow. If anyone dares to come to my shop and cause trouble for you in the future, I’ll use this to deal with them and help you vent your anger.”

“It’s Qiao Mai’s fortune to be able to meet you, sister. Let’s work together in the future and strive to earn more money.”

“Speaking of this, we have to settle accounts with each other. In the future, when your embroidery is sold in my shop, I plan to split it with you 70 – 30. After all, the embroidery skills and materials are yours. If I paid for it, we’ll split the revenue in half.”

“I’ll listen to you. When the time comes, we’ll write a document and put our fingerprints on it. Sisters still need to settle our accounts!”

“Haha, yes. I will send it over in a few days.”

As she spoke, Lu Sanniang took a purse and stuffed it into Qiao Mai’s hand.

“Here are ten taels of silver. Take it as your capital first. If the cloth shop in town doesn’t have good materials, take a car to the county. Many cars on the official road carry passengers back and forth.”

Qiao Mai asked when she mentioned the county.

“Sister, I haven’t registered my household register yet. Back then, I insisted on leaving the Tian family and angered them.”

Lu Sanniang pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “Don’t be afraid. You can hold it for now. I’ll ask someone to see if it can be done directly. Oh, right, do you have your divorce papers?”

“I keep it safely.”

“Don’t be anxious about this matter. With sister here, there will be a way to resolve it.”

After Shopkeeper Lu left, Qiao Mai went back to the yard and locked the door. She then returned to her room and locked the door again before flashing into her space.

The baby had been in her space for half a month. She ate and slept every day. She seemed to have grown a little taller and had some flesh on her body. Her skin was not so red anymore and looked like a normal child.

Qiao Mai gently poked the baby’s little face. The baby sucked her little mouth and continued to sleep.

Qiao Mai stood up and walked to the shelf. She picked up the fan and the embroidery and looked at them carefully.

This entire row was filled with these items. It would be more than enough to open a shop. Most of them were bought, only ten pieces she embroidered herself. After all, she had limited time.

Seeing that the weather was getting warmer, it was time for her to plan.

Shopkeeper Lu had invested a lot in her, so she had to let her see some results.

Hence, Qiao Mai took ten taels of silver and locked the door before leaving the residence. She planned to familiarize herself with the environment first.

She first walked around the area where she lived. She realized that the houses in this area looked the same. Other places were not the same, except for her neighborhood.

It seemed that all the people living here were foreigners and tenants.

Could this be the slums of a small town? Or was it called Outsider Street?

Was it similar to one of the foreign streets in her previous life? How fresh!