Rebirth of the Merchant Woman's Revenge

The Xie family's carriage was very narrow and crowded. Even if only Gu Xunwei and Chenxiang were sitting there, they couldn't even stretch their legs.

The two of them first arrived at the shop where Manager Li worked, called Yaxiangzhai, and the other shop was called Qianxiangge. They were located in the most prosperous commercial streets in the capital, one in the eastern half and the other at the westernmost end of the commercial street.

The two shops have the same manager. The incense sold in Yaxiangzhai is exclusively for use by high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Incense, bath incense, incense pills, balm, and perfume ointment are all extremely valuable goods.

Qianxiang Pavilion is more targeted at the general public. Its insect repellent incense, scented powder, hair cream, etc. are affordable and very popular, with the main focus on small profits but quick turnover.

When Shopkeeper Li saw Gu Xunwei enter the store, he immediately came out from behind the counter and said, "Young Master, why... are you here today?"

It’s the second day of the wedding, why is the young master going out?

"I have nothing to do, so I came over here to see Uncle Li." Gu Xunwei said with a smile, taking off the veil on her head and going to the reception room in the back with Manager Li.

Shopkeeper Li had tea served, and then he asked, "I heard yesterday that the son-in-law won the first place in the imperial examination. Did they..."

Gu Xunwei stopped Manager Li's words with a look, and he swallowed the next words back into his stomach.

"I need you to help me find two useful people, a maid, who must be loyal and preferably know some fighting skills, and a servant, who will help you here on weekdays and can run errands for me when I need him." Gu Xunwei said in a normal tone.

"Okay, I understand. I do have two good children here. I'll arrange it right away and tell Dingxiang when it's ready." Shopkeeper Li knew Dingxiang because Dingxiang had been helping Gu Xunwei pass on some information to Shopkeeper Li in the past few days.

"No need, let's find Chenxiang next time. Dingxiang rarely goes out now." Gu Xunwei pointed at Chenxiang.

Chenxiang bowed to Manager Li, and neither of them said much. However, Chenxiang still found something wrong from the fact that Gu Xunwei had taken Dingxiang's keys early in the morning and now did not allow Dingxiang to go out.

But she has always been calm and composed, so she didn't ask any more questions.

After coming out of Yaxiangzhai, the two of them walked all the way from the east end to the west end of the commercial street, and went to Qianxiang Pavilion to take a general look at the situation. They also bought a lot of good things, and then went to the largest restaurant in the capital - Louwailou to have dinner together.

When I returned to Xie's house, it was already noon. Qian was basking in the sun in the yard with an unhappy look on her face.

"Where are you going? It seems that I should let Wei'er know the rules of my Xie family."

She signaled to Matron Li with her eyes, and Matron Li placed a cushion behind her in front of Qian.

"You are already a wife of the Xie family, how can you still be so unruly? You don't even say hello when you go out. Are all the people in your Gu family brought up like this?" Qian scolded. She thought that if she was so angry, Gu Xunwei would definitely kneel down and admit her mistake.

Unexpectedly, Gu Xunwei was surprised. "Mother, this is not the case in the Gu family. I just saw that my husband went out this morning without telling you, so I thought this was the rule of our Xie family and I misunderstood."

Qian was so angry that she fell backwards, but Gu Xunwei didn't care and kicked the cushion on the ground away lightly, then sat on the chair next to the old lady, revealing Chenxiang who was carrying large and small bags of things behind her.

"My daughter-in-law went to the shop to take a look. She thought that if the shop had a higher profit, we would have more money to spend. Look, I also brought you some snacks from Xiangruizhai on the way."

Gu Xunwei reached out and took the two paper bags from Chenxiang's hand.

Chenxiang carried the other items back to the east wing.

Qian thought that since her daughter-in-law bought so many things, she should have bought a lot for herself. However, she didn't expect that there were only two bags of snacks for her.

However, the snacks at Xiangruizhai are very expensive, and I have never been able to afford to eat them in the two years since I came to Beijing.

"Wei'er is thoughtful." Qian said while suppressing her anger, her eyes fell on Gu Xunwei's hand as she opened the paper package.

Nanny Li also came forward with a stern face and helped Gu Xunwei open another bag of snacks and put them on the small table.

There were two portions each of steamed chestnut flour cake with osmanthus sugar and Ruyi cake. Looking at the crystal clear cakes, Qian's anger subsided a little and her tone softened.

"You are now a wife of the Xie family. You must remember your duties as a woman. In the future, you should let the shopkeeper come to your house to report on the matters of the shop. If necessary, you can ask Shuangrui to run errands for you."

Gu Xunwei smiled, stood up and bowed to Qian, then said, "I know, mother, please try the cakes."

By the time she had finished speaking, Nanny Li had carefully taken a small piece of steamed chestnut flour cake with osmanthus sugar and handed it to Qian to taste.

Well, it melts in your mouth, sweet and delicious, it is a rare delicacy.

But Qian didn't show it on her face, instead she said calmly, "Such expensive things should be bought less in the future. Wouldn't it be better to use this money to help An Ge out?"

Humph, you're still ungrateful after getting the advantage. Gu Xunwei couldn't stand Qian's behavior the most, so she found an excuse and returned to the east wing.

Nanny Li frowned and whispered, "Madam, you didn't even show your power this time?"

Qian was also annoyed, but she said stubbornly, "After all, it was An Ge who did the wrong thing. You can ask An Ge to come back and find me later. We still have to consummate the marriage first."

Nanny Li nodded and said no more, gently massaging Qian's shoulders.

When it was time for dinner in the evening, Chenxiang came over and said, "Madam, Master, the young mistress caught a cold after going out today. I'm worried that she will pass the disease on to you, so she won't come to dinner."

Qian asked about the general situation with concern, and then said calmly, "She should go back home tomorrow. What should we do with her like this? Otherwise, let's find a doctor."

"No need for that. The young lady has always been in good health. She will be fine after a good night's sleep. Please say hello to the young master when you return home tomorrow." After saying that, Chenxiang went back to the east wing.

Mr. Xie was also an old Jinshi in the past, but he only remained at the Jinshi level throughout his life and never made any further progress.

The Xie family used to be very prosperous. Mr. Xie's father was once a fifth-rank Censor-in-Chief. However, he later committed a crime and was demoted to Liuzhou, which is how the family fell into decline and is now so poor.

However, the rules of the Xie family are very strict, and they have been passed down since the time of the Chief Censor. As the saying goes, "a donkey becomes thin when its hair grows big."

"A merchant girl is really not presentable. Otherwise, just do as An Ge wishes and divorce her and send her home." Mr. Xie said angrily, throwing down his chopsticks.