boyutpedia Chapter 44 Fate Has Arrived
Chapter 44 Fate Has Arrived
After returning to the city, Nangong Xiawu introduced a job to a young man in the village. In return, the young man treated her to a meal, during which Zhou Jundong confessed his feelings.
"Miss Nangong, you are not only beautiful, but also helpful. I think you are the one for me. Why don't we start dating?"
Nangong Xiawu used a smile to cover up her embarrassment.
"I'm helping you purely because I don't want to see you idle around. I know I'm pretty, but I really don't like you. How about we just be ordinary friends?"
Jun Dong picked up his wine and drank it all in one gulp, then asked dejectedly, "Nangong Xiawu, do you really think I'm that worthless?"
Nangong Xiawu knew that boys were proud and didn't want to say anything that would hurt his feelings, so she could only use silence to cover it up.
“I used to be single, and fishing made my life more fulfilling, so I fished every day to pass the time. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t ambitious.”
“You’re single now too,” Nangong Xiawu replied. “Relationships are a two-way street; it can’t be one-sided. I’m doing this for your own good. Find a girl who likes you and settle down with her. We’re really not a good match.”
"Feelings are cultivated slowly. Nangong Xiawu, please give me a chance to stay by your side and take care of you," Zhou Jundong replied, unwilling to give up.
Nangong Xiawu grew tired of hearing such words and turned away. Afterwards, the village lad could only drink alone in the tavern.
When Zhou Jundong still hadn't returned by evening, Tianqi, a fellow villager, went out to look for him. He inquired at shop after shop and finally found him unconscious in a restaurant. Tianqi and the restaurant's staff helped Jundong back to his dormitory and fed him some hangover soup, which finally brought him back to consciousness.
"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you home in the middle of the night? Why are you drinking alone outside? If it weren't for the fact that we're from the same village, I really wouldn't bother with you," the village chief's nephew angrily accused. "Do you think you can still work here? If you don't want to earn money, go home! Don't embarrass yourself out here!"
At this moment, Zhou Jundong hid under the covers and cried bitterly. When the village chief's nephew asked what happened, he told him everything that had happened.
“Nangong Xiawu is the legitimate daughter of a noble family, and she’s from the northern desert. Why are you provoking her? Birds and fish can’t be together, and you and she can’t be together either. Stop daydreaming and go to bed,” the village chief’s nephew kindly reminded him.
At this moment, the village lad cried even harder, "Waaah~ Why doesn't she like me? What's wrong with me?"
The village chief's nephew wanted to say a few words of comfort, but the butler stopped him, saying, "Which young person hasn't gone through this? Let him cry if he wants to. He'll be fine after he's done crying."
"Alright then." The village chief's nephew nodded in agreement, then went back to his dormitory to rest, looking back every few steps.
Inside the shop, the proprietress was checking the accounts when my cousin suddenly ran in, all smiles.
"Cousin, I have some amazing news to tell you!"
The proprietress looked up at her, then asked impatiently, "What good news?"
My cousin smiled mysteriously and replied, "The osmanthus-scented soap you gave me has been sold. It's twenty taels of silver per bar."
The proprietress immediately closed the ledger and asked, "Is this for real? A bar of soap costs as much as a straw mat?"
My cousin nodded. "Yes, things are valued for their scarcity. After all, no one in the city has used soap like this before. I've decided to give you half the money and continue getting supplies from you. What do you think?"
"Give me half the money first." The proprietress showed her no respect and directly demanded the money.
My cousin actually gave the proprietress twenty taels of silver very generously, and then suggested, "From now on, give me thirty bars of soap every month, and I'll give you two-thirds of the silver, and I'll keep one-third, okay?"
"Why should you get a third of the profits? You didn't make the soap, and you didn't provide any raw materials. Why should you get a third of the profits?" the proprietress immediately retorted.
"You can get a maximum of two-tenths of the silver; the rest will go to me and my men."
"This...isn't it a bit too little? If it weren't for me, this soap might not have sold. I may not have done anything special, but I've certainly put in the effort, right? Dear cousin, give me three-tenths of the silver, otherwise I won't have any motivation." The older cousin bargained from the side.
“No, let’s sign a contract. You take two-tenths of the money, and I’ll keep eight-tenths. We’ll have a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership. I’ll provide thirty bars of soap every month, and you’ll be responsible for selling them and bringing the money back,” the shrewd proprietress replied.
"Alright then, sign it!" My cousin nodded helplessly in agreement.
After her cousin left, the proprietress gave Su Yuning ten taels of silver and then gave her some instructions.
"You don't need to work at my shop anymore."
Su Yuning asked, looking completely bewildered, "Does this mean I've been fired?"
The proprietress was both amused and exasperated. "You're so capable and talented, how could I bear to fire you? From now on, your main task will be making soap, and your secondary task will be learning to weave mats. How about you make thirty bars of soap for me every month, and I'll give you thirty taels of silver?"
Su Yuning replied unhappily, "Boss lady, making soap requires costs. The wages you pay me are so low, I'm afraid I won't be able to make that many soaps. Besides, autumn is almost over. If I don't hurry up and collect osmanthus flowers, I'm afraid I won't be able to make a single bar of soap after the season."
The proprietress had no choice but to concede, "Fifty taels of silver per month, that's the most I can offer."
Su Yuning nodded in satisfaction, "Okay, thank you, boss lady!"
"Alright, go study now, and do your best!" the proprietress reminded her with a smile.
"Okay, I understand." Su Yuning readily nodded in agreement.
They say when fate arrives, nothing can stop it, and that's absolutely true. Nangong Xiawu rejected the advances of Zhou Jundong, a young man from the village, and then went out shopping and met the leader of the Grassland Alliance. The Grassland Alliance leader fell in love with her at first sight and began pursuing her.
"Meeting you is fate, young lady, let's be friends?"
Nangong Xiawu refused outright, "No, I don't know if you're a good person or a bad person. I don't make friends with strangers."
"Hello, I am Cade, the leader of the grassland alliance. Would you be willing to be my leader's wife?"
Nangong Xiawu was initially unwilling, but upon hearing of the other party's prominent status, she agreed to be with him.
"If you're with me, you'll have to live on the grasslands. You won't regret it, will you, young lady?" the grassland leader asked curiously.
"No, as long as you're devoted to me, that's enough," Nangong Xiawu replied with a smile.
"That's easy, I'll definitely do it!" the leader of the grassland alliance assured him confidently.
"Oh, right, I have one more condition."
"Please speak, young lady. I am all ears."
"I'd like you to take me to the Nangong residence to announce this good news to my parents," Nangong Xiawu suggested.
“That’s easy, I’ll go with you,” the leader of the grassland alliance readily agreed.
"Alright, you wait for me where you are, I'm going to the security escort agency," Nangong Xiawu instructed him.
"What are you doing at the escort agency, a young lady like you?" the leader of the grassland alliance asked, looking puzzled.
Nangong Xiawu didn't hide anything and told him everything, "I'm working over there. If I go with you, I'll have to quit my job too. I can't just leave without saying goodbye, can I?"
"Alright, go ahead, I'll wait for you here!" the grassland leader replied with a smile.
So, Nangong Xiawu ran all the way to the escort agency to find the head steward.
"My lord, I want to resign."
"Oh my, you've only been here a few days? And you already want to quit? Believe me or not, I'll deduct all your wages!" the manager replied with a displeased expression.
"It doesn't matter, I have someone to take care of me anyway. Farewell, Steward!" Nangong Xiawu said and was about to leave, but the Steward blocked her way.
"Do you think this is your home? You can come and go as you please? Let me tell you, we signed a contract. You have to work for at least a year before you can leave. Don't try to joke with me! Get back to work!" the steward replied impatiently.
At this moment, the leader of the grassland alliance arrived uninvited.
"I am Miss Nangong's future husband. I would like to ask, what will happen if we don't follow the contract?"
"Pay up the money, what else can we do?" the steward replied impatiently.
"How much?" the grassland leader asked, barely containing his anger.
"One hundred taels of silver," the steward replied, making an exorbitant demand.
"Hehe, not much," the Grassland Alliance Leader replied with a smile, and the steward immediately beamed and reached out for the money. The Grassland Alliance Leader added, "It's not a small amount either."
"What do you mean? Are you making a fool of me?" the steward retorted angrily.
“Call your boss over. I need to discuss this with him personally. I won’t hand over this money easily,” the Grassland Alliance Leader replied.
The steward was a bit greedy, but he wasn't stupid. If he called the boss over, he would be the one to leave. So he quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, I misremembered. The compensation for damages is twenty taels of silver. I'll show you the contract later."
The leader of the grassland alliance nodded and smiled, patiently waiting for the contract to be brought out. After carefully reading the contract, he ordered his subordinates to give the steward twenty taels of silver, then tore the contract in half, and left with Nangong Xiawu by the hand.
"Please take care!" the steward replied respectfully.
As they were leaving, they ran into the village chief's nephew, who, being a busybody, immediately stopped the grassland leader.
"What's going on? Who are you? How dare you lead my colleague away?"
The leader of the grassland alliance smiled slightly, "I'm her boyfriend, can't I take her away?"
At this moment, the village chief's nephew turned to look at Nangong Xiawu and asked, "Is what he said true? Don't be fooled by him."
Nangong Xiawu nodded affirmatively, "Yes."
Left with no other option, the village chief's nephew had to let them leave. But the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed, so he chased after them, only to find they had gone to the palace.
Finally, the emperor and empress smiled and waved goodbye as they left, leaving the village chief's nephew completely baffled.
Afterwards, the Empress went shopping with her maids, and the village chief's nephew dared to go over and ask him something.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am a villager from Xinghua Village and a colleague of Nangong Xiawu. May I ask Your Majesty, why did you agree to let Nangong Xiawu leave with that man?"
The Empress responded kindly, "So you're from the same hometown as the Prince Consort. Hello, that man is the leader of the grassland alliance. He originally planned to marry Princess Wan'er, but unfortunately, Wan'er was already married. So he left with Miss Nangong in the end. The Emperor and I naturally wish them our sincere blessings."
"I see, thank you, Your Majesty!" The village chief's nephew bowed and thanked him as he withdrew.
Seeing that Nangong Xiawu had finally found her other half, the village chief's nephew should have been happy, but he felt lost and couldn't be happy at all. In the end, he went to a restaurant and got drunk. In the end, his roommates had to take him back.
While washing a towel to wipe his face, Da Xi nagged at him, "How come you're even more infatuated than me? I like Nangong Xiawu too, but she ignores me. She's with someone else, but I'm not sad. I just let things take their course."
“But I’m worried about her. What if she’s not doing well out there? What if that person is just pretending to be nice to her? I’ve worked with her for a long time, and I know her well. She’s simple-minded and doesn’t know right from wrong. I’m really worried about her leaving like this!” The village chief’s nephew replied with a worried expression.
At this moment, his roommate on the upper bunk criticized him, "You don't even like her, so what does it matter to you whether she's doing well or not? Let me tell you, once you have a wife at home, you should settle down and stop daydreaming all the time. I despise those who treat their wives like servants and their girlfriends like family."
The village chief's nephew was speechless. Yes, he had absolutely no relationship with Nangong Xiawu, so why should he care about so many irrelevant things?
In Yangjiaping, Zhou Xi has successfully mastered the blacksmithing trade. Now, besides blacksmithing, she goes hunting in the mountains and lives a very happy life. Yang Yuxuan is also very promising; she has not only learned to manage the business but also to weave and tailor, making her a qualified boss.
That day, during dinner, Master Yang called them back to have a family reunion dinner and casually suggested that they get married.
As soon as the two of them got home, they helped their mother cook. The woman was beaming with joy, saying, "I'm so happy to see you. Go and wait at the table; the food will be ready soon."
"No, no, no, we've finished cooking, you should go and rest," Zhou Xi replied, shooing Madam Yang out of the kitchen.
Dinner was plentiful, featuring Kung Pao chicken, eggplant with minced meat, braised pork, cucumber salad, winter melon meatball soup, and stir-fried bok choy with shiitake mushrooms. There was also white rice porridge and cornbread.
"This dish was made by Zhou Xi, wasn't it? It's delicious!" Master Yang praised.
"Yes, thank you for the compliment." Zhou Xi felt very pleased.
"I called you two here today to finalize your marriage. Do you have any objections?" Old Yang asked.
Zhou Xi and Yang Yuxuan exchanged a glance and both said no.
"Alright, let's set the wedding for New Year's Eve, then we can have a big celebration," Old Yang replied.
“But… my father and brothers are all back in our hometown,” Zhou Xi said worriedly.
"Why don't we pick them all up in advance? It'll be more lively with more people, okay?" Old Yang asked again.
"Okay, thank you for your concern, elders!" Zhou Xi and Yang Yuxuan replied in unison.