But this matter may not be a good thing for Mu Xiaxia.
"Xiaxia, matters of the heart are best when both parties are in love! I know Zheng Zhi, if he truly cares, he won’t mind someone’s status or position!
On the contrary, he’s a man of clear likes and dislikes. If he likes something, then he likes it; if he doesn’t, then he doesn’t! It can’t be forced," said Mu Shuangshuang.
She never believed that Mu Xiaxia could find a good man just because of her family’s background.
She even thought that, as long as Mu Xiaxia was excellent enough, it was entirely possible for her to become the wife of a wealthy man.
However, all of this is contingent upon her being exceptional.
Being a concubine is truly not as good as never marrying at all.
At the very least, in doing so, one is free and avoids being looked down upon.
Mu Shuang’s words had a significant impact on Mu Xiaxia.
She had feelings for Zheng Zhi, such a graceful and handsome young man.
With a wave of his hand, there was an air of sophistication she had never seen before.
The men Mu Xiaxia had encountered before were all those country bumpkins.
Dark-skinned, rough-spoken, and even... even lacking ambition, just guarding their small acres of land every day.
Mu Xiaxia didn’t want to become like them.
And she didn’t want her future descendants to be like that either.
Only Zheng Zhi was different, with ambition and goals.
His speech was also scholarly; although he didn’t take imperial exams, in Mu Xiaxia’s eyes, he was more knowledgeable than those scholars who had passed the exams.
Mu Xiaxia was willing to be his concubine.
When the County Magistrate’s wife spoke to her about these things, Mu Xiaxia’s first instinct was to agree, but she didn’t dare to say yes on the spot for fear of being looked down upon by the County Magistrate’s wife.
"Want to keep strolling?" Mu Shuangshuang noticed Mu Xiaxia’s absent-mindedness throughout and asked.
Mu Xiaxia was startled and shook her head.
"No more strolling, I want to go back! The young master might be waiting for me to serve him!" said Mu Xiaxia.
As she spoke of serving, she did so so naturally.
Yet she seemed to have forgotten, she wasn’t originally a servant.
It was only to conveniently find her brother Xiao Chu that she temporarily became a maid.
Mu Shuangshuang couldn’t resist in the end and reminded her.
"Xiaxia, you were never a maid, nor do you need to see yourself as a servant! If... if you’re willing, it’s best to break away as soon as possible," said Mu Shuangshuang.
Mu Xiaxia shook her head, "Sister Shuangshuang, I can listen to you on anything else, but not this. I must find Xiao Chu!"
Mu Shuangshuang listened to Mu Xiaxia’s words, a smile tugging at her lips.
Very faint, yet very sarcastic!
Forget it, everyone has their destiny.
One’s path, one’s choice.
"Then I’ll head off first!" said Mu Shuangshuang.
Upon saying that, she turned her back to Mu Xiaxia.
Mu Xiaxia watched Mu Shuangshuang’s departing figure and suddenly asked, "Sister, if Lu Yuanfeng were to marry someone else, would you still say the same things to yourself as you did today?"
Mu Shuangshuang hesitated, then spoke, "I wouldn’t!"
Just as Mu Xiaxia breathed a sigh of relief, she continued, "I would directly kick him to the curb! If he truly loves me, then he would marry me!
If not, it just means his love for me isn’t enough, and if that’s the case, why should I compromise myself!"
Mu Xiaxia wasn’t the first to ask this question.
And she definitely wouldn’t be the last.
It seemed everyone wanted to know about the feelings between her and Fengzi.
Mu Shuangshuang didn’t dare to claim that their love was unbreakable, but at least, emotions wouldn’t become a burden between her and Fengzi.
Speaking of Fengzi, a bright smile appeared on Mu Shuangshuang’s face.
That guy, who knows what he’s doing now.
Is he returning to the Capital in a triumphant return, or just staying in Xing City?
He should be heading to the Capital for commendation, after all, this battle with the Wei Dynasty wasn’t an easy feat.
And not just anyone could go.
Mu Shuangshuang left, leaving Mu Xiaxia alone on the street.
She felt a bit cold, with Mu Shuangshuang’s words replaying in her mind constantly.
It was a long time before Mu Xiaxia came back to herself.
She still couldn’t make up her mind.
She needed more time to think.
...
...
The next day, early in the morning.
Zheng Zhi brought his servant to personally pick up Mu Shuangshuang and go to Dahuo Village to see the vegetables they had invested in together.
Mu Shuangshuang made breakfast and had Zheng Zhi eat at her place.
During the meal, she suddenly asked, "Where’s Xiaxia? Isn’t she coming?"
"Mm! She said she wasn’t feeling well today, so she’s not coming," Zheng Zhi replied.
"Do you take her to a lot of places usually?" Mu Shuangshuang asked again.
Zheng Zhi nodded.
"We’ve been to many places and met a lot of people. On regular days, at Jiu Si Xuan, the shopkeeper even teaches her about bookkeeping and accounting!"
Zheng Zhi didn’t shy away from saying these things in front of Mu Shuangshuang.
On the contrary, he was forthright, without any discomfort.
Mu Shuangshuang furrowed her brow slightly at his words.
If that’s the case, it’s possible Mu Xiaxia might misunderstand.
After all, Zheng Zhi hadn’t taught these things to anyone else.
"Zheng Zhi..." Mu Shuangshuang looked at him, wanting to ask something.
"Yes?"
"You..."
Initially, Mu Shuangshuang intended to speak out, but she swallowed her words at the last moment.
No way to ask seemed appropriate, especially if Zheng Zhi didn’t have such intentions from the start.
Bringing it up might only irritate Zheng Zhi with Mu Xiaxia.
"What’s up? Speaking so hesitantly, is there something we can’t discuss between us?" Zheng Zhi looked at Mu Shuangshuang curiously.
Though the two had only recently started collaborating, their teamwork was impeccable.
The clothing designs Mu Shuangshuang provided Zheng Zhi had earned his clothing store quite a bit of money.
Some of the styles became favorites among the young ladies of the Capital.
It brought a lot of help to his business.
"Nothing much! Just wanted to ask how those ready-made clothes turned out?"
Mu Shuangshuang changed the subject.
"They turned out great, I was just about to mention it myself! A moment of mutual understanding," Zheng Zhi replied good-naturedly.
Mu Shuangshuang followed with a smile.
They chatted about other matters, while those involving Mu Xiaxia were temporarily set aside.
After breakfast, Mu Shuangshuang drove a horse carriage herself, Zheng Zhi took another carriage, and the three of them headed toward Dahuo Village.
By about noon, they arrived at Dahuo Village.
Zheng Zhi had leased quite a bit of land there, all for growing vegetables.
Since it had been planted a few months ago, the vegetables were growing exceptionally well.
Standing on the ridge, looking out, it was all lush, green vegetables.
"We rented this land for five years! For vegetable planting, I hired the most experienced farmers as advisors, and as for fertilization, we used the compost method you taught. The vegetables we’ve grown are better than anyone else’s in the village!
Once these vegetables are ready, our restaurants won’t need to use produce from anyone else’s farms," Zheng Zhi said.
"In a way, we’ve provided the people of this village with a bit of work!" Mu Shuangshuang said.
"What kind of work?"
"Transportation! With so many vegetables to be transported, labor and resources are needed! They can build their own carts at home or sign up to help transport the vegetables. Either way, there’s money to be earned!"