Yang Chuxiaâs daily tea costs over a hundred taels of silver per pound, while she couldnât even dream of affording that considering her brotherâs meager salary. If they were to buy tea like that, their entire household would go hungry and thirsty.
She had originally hoped to be selected this time, but in the end she was eliminated. She begged her brother to find a solution, but it was useless.
This made her even more inferior to Yang Chuxia. She heard that Ye Ziâan was going to take the Recommended Man exam this time. If he succeeded, Yang Chuxia would not only be a merchantâs wife but a government officialâs wife. And what about her? Her own marriage prospects were uncertain, and most importantly, she was two years older than Yang Chuxia.
The more she thought about it, the more upset she felt. When Yang Chuxia walked in, she saw the coral pearl flower hairpin on Yang Chuxiaâs head and the pearl necklace around her chest. The pearls were even finer than the ones she was wearing.
"Xiaxia!"
"Shen Qiu, itâs been a long time."
Ever since Shen Qiu gradually showed the demeanor of a noble young lady, she also communicated with her in official language.
"Indeed, it has been a long time. And now youâre married."
Yang Chuxia laughed.
When Xiuâer brought the tea, Yang Chuxia said, "Have a taste, this is this yearâs new tea, just bought it."
"Truly excellent tea, worthy of being yajian tea of Yan Mountain." After pondering a bit, Shen Qiu squeezed out a slightly bitter smile and continued, "Only wealthy people like your family can afford to drink such precious tea. As for me, even though my brother is the County Magistrate, his salary for an entire year is limited. If I were to buy tea to keep up appearances, I would have to bear hunger for the whole year."
"Yes, youâre right, the salary of an official is not much." Yang Chuxia raised her eyebrows, but she gossiped in her heart: Why did Shen Qiu come? Was it just to talk about the hardship of being an official? Itâs rare for her to even admit that her tea is good.
"Xiaxia, sob sob..."
Yang Chuxia was surprised. How could she burst into tears just after calling her name? She hadnât said or done anything.
"Shen Qiu, donât cry."
"Miss, please donât cry. If you ruin your health, the County Magistrate and the Old Grand Master will be heartbroken." The servant girl beside her hurried up to comfort her when she saw her crying.
"Xiaxia, Iâm so miserable." Such a pitiful voice almost made Yang Chuxia jump up. Was she miserable? Wearing gold and silver, thatâs called miserable?
Shen Qiu cried, and with a sidelong glance, she noticed Yang Chuxia lowering her head without asking why she was crying or comforting her, which made her very unhappy. When Yang Chuxia continued to ignore her, she became even more upset.
But thinking of her purpose for coming, she sobbed twice, took out a handkerchief, wiped the corners of her eyes, and continued, "Xiaxia, I didnât make it through this selection."
"Oh, I know."
"You know? How do you know?" Hearing Yang Chuxia say she knew, Shen Qiuâs voice grew shrill.
Yang Chuxia looked at her inexplicably, "If you had been selected, you wouldnât be here in my house right now. Is there anything worth guessing about that?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qiuâs heart thumped. She almost thought Yang Chuxia knew the reason for her visit.
She calmed her mind and slowly continued their previous conversation.
"Xiaxia, for this selection, my brother used up all of his savings for the past two years, and even called in favors to hire a nanny for me. I wore the best clothes and jewelry, and the nannies even had me learn the manners of noble young ladies. I took petal baths, applied fragrant oils to my hair, and ate ginseng and cubilose. I paid such a high price but wasnât selected. Iâm so ashamed to face my brother now."
"So, youâre hiding in my house?"