Chapter 517: 517: The Origin of Yingniang

Qiao Xiaomai had a furrowed brow, and Madam Sun was buzzing like a relentless fly outside the door, making it hard for her to concentrate.

She was already in a bad mood because of her menstrual cycle, and bumping into Madam Sun, the detestable spoiler, had absolutely worsened her mood.

Qiao Changshun, Qiao Zhaodi, and Qiao Yindi, all tried to persuade her, telling her to bear with it.

Given her physical discomfort, they advised her not to confront Madam Sun.

As a result, Madam Sun kept rambling on until noon.

Qiao Changshun got up and went into the kitchen to make lunch.

The house had rice, flour, firewood, a vegetable garden, and a water well, so staying inside for three days wasn’t a problem.

He didn’t believe that Madam Sun could keep loitering outside.

Indeed, Madam Sun couldn’t carry on. It was a scorcher of a day, and after standing at Qiao Xiaomai’s door, peeking through the gap and shouting the whole morning, she was tired, hot, and thirsty.

“Yingniang, let’s go back to my place,” she climbed back onto the cart and headed back to the Qiao family’s old courtyard.

At the Qiao family’s old courtyard, Qiao Meipan was about to make lunch.

Qiao Qinghe hadn’t returned from the fields yet, Qiao Changfu’s family had all moved into the new house built for Qiao Dazhu.

“Mother, why are you here?” Qiao Meipan was a bit surprised to see Madam Sun driving a cart into the courtyard.

“A bowl of water first,” Madam Sun waved her hand.

She was parched after all the morning’s talking.

After drinking the water and soothing her throat, she quickly had Yingniang dismount from the cart.

“Sit down, we’re simple folk so don’t be too critical,” Madam Sun said with a polite smile.

Yingniang gave a warm smile, “Madam Sun, you need not be so formal.”

Qiao Meipan observed the two from the side, a bit confused.

Madam Sun noticed her look, and explained to her, finally adding, “To prevent that wretched girl Qiao Xiaomai from looting your elder brother’s property, we need to find him a suitable woman!”

Qiao Meipan was taken aback, but slowly nodded.

Then, uncontrollable envy welled up in her eyes.

Last time, when she tried to frame Tong Sanlang by planting his trousers, she ended up becoming the joke of the entire Anping Village.

With that incident hanging over her, how could she possibly get married…

Her expectations weren’t high; a situation like Qiao Xiaomai’s was sufficient. The woman in front of her, Yingniang, was truly lucky.

Madam Sun sent Qiao Meipan off to cook, then sat in the courtyard, asking Yingniang, “What do you think of Changshun?”

“He’s fine, just as Madam Sun described.” Yingniang’s fair face blushed a little.

She and her man used to run a small tavern in the county outskirts frequented by soldiers from the barracks. However, after the death of her husband, she struggled to keep it going and was contemplating whether to shut it down.

Then, she met Sun Junyan, who worked for Cen Hong. Sun Junyan introduced her to a potential spouse: Qiao Changshun.

She saw Qiao Changshun among a group of rough men in the morning; he might have looked older than his years, but his features were well-proportioned, and on closer inspection, he was quite handsome.

Though he seemed a bit inept and walked with a limp, such men were easy to manipulate, obedient.

Moreover, his substantial family wealth, five hundred acres of farmland, thousands of taels of silver, he would be considered a local tycoon even in the county town.

So, speaking of Qiao Changshun, she was very satisfied, extremely satisfied.

“I’m glad you’re satisfied. Xiaomai might be a bit stubborn, but that’s okay. She is to be wed one day,” Madam Sun said this, but she couldn’t help worrying as she remembered the previous incident.

If Qiao Xiaomai was capable of hitting people, and fellow villagers were always working around Qiao Changshun, how could Yingniang get close to Qiao Changshun without any trouble?

Moreover, Qiao Xiaomai and Tong Sanlang had been flirting for so long, why hadn’t they still got married yet?