Days stretched on in peace and tranquility.
Perhaps it was the year's worth of toil or the drowsy nature of a pregnant woman, but after the New Year, Qi Jiao spent most of her time in bed, only getting up for meals and to relieve herself.
After noon, the warm sunlight streamed into the room, creating a gentle band of light that made her feel utterly comfortable.
Pei Xia entered with an armful of fabrics, piling them on the table like a small mountain.
Mint green, sky blue, imperial red, wild chrysanthemum purple, water red, apricot yellow... The rich colors bloomed against the dark ebony, creating a picturesque scene.
Some of these fabrics were Pei Xia's rewards from his work, while others were gifts Qi Jiao received during her visits in the inner courtyard. In any case, they were all fine materials.
The family didn't usually have many opportunities to wear silk and satin, but now they finally came in handy.
Qi Jiao became interested and held up a piece of lotus - patterned satin against herself. "This fabric is soft. It can be used to make little clothes for Shrimp Dumpling."
She had given the baby the nickname Shrimp Dumpling, subtly incorporating the names of the parents. Qi Jiao believed that such an earthy nickname would make the child easier to raise.
When Pei Xia first heard the name, he twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking the child would surely dislike it in the future.
But Qi Jiao was insistent. Since she got pregnant, her taste had changed, and she couldn't have a meal without shrimp.
She only liked shrimp and had no interest in other seafood, so Pei Xia had to cook it in different ways.
Shrimp dumplings were a local traditional dish.
To ensure Qi Jiao had a balanced diet, Pei Xia came up with a tofu - wrapped shrimp dumpling. Tender tofu was used to wrap the pounded shrimp meat, shaped into dumplings, steamed, and then drizzled with vinegar and topped with minced garlic. It was extremely delicious.
Qi Jiao loved it and thought the baby in her belly did too, so she named the baby Shrimp Dumpling.
After all, Shrimp Dumpling sounded much nicer than the common nicknames like Dog Egg and Dog Leftover in the village. It was so cute and could be used for either a boy or a girl.
Seeing that Qi Jiao liked it, Pei Xia laughed for a while and then let her have her way.
Since Qi Jiao wasn't good at needlework and could only do the most basic mending, Pei Xia let her choose the patterns she liked. Then he took the fabrics out as they were. He would either ask the skillful women in the village to help sew or send them to the embroidery workshop in the county to make clothes.
The baby's clothes weren't urgent. The main thing was to make suitable clothes for Jiao Niang. Watching her belly grow day by day, Pei Xia was both happy and anxious.
As a first - time father, he was afraid he might miss something.
Qi Jiao, however, had a good attitude. Doctor Zou's medicine was effective. After some time of recuperation at home and without the daily worries, her morning sickness had improved a lot.
She lazily lay on the couch, her body curved in an arc. Her face had rounded a bit, and her waist had visibly thickened, no longer as slender as before.
Looking at Jiao Niang like this, Pei Xia thought she was more beautiful than ever. He just couldn't get enough of looking at her.
But now, as the head constable in the county, he could only stay at home for a few days before returning to the county for work.
Counting on his fingers, Qi Jiao was not yet three months pregnant. It was best for her to stay in Yinwan during this period.
At home, there were Tang Guiniang, Aunt Ye, as well as experienced female relatives like Aunt Zheng and Jiang Yuniang. Without Pei Xia's instructions, everyone would take good care of Jiao Niang.
After Pei Xia left, Qi Jiao stayed at home obediently for ten days. But eventually, she got bored and started to worry about the family's workshops. She asked the stewards to come and report to her every day.
As soon as she started to manage, even before she took any real action, Qi Jiao found many loopholes.
Although the villagers in Baiyun Village were generally simple - minded, people were different. There were always some who were lazy and greedy.
Early one morning, Qi Jiao got up, washed, and dressed. After sipping a few mouthfuls of hot milk, she left the Pei family's courtyard and headed to the neighboring workshop.
There was a meeting hall in the workshop. It wasn't very big but could accommodate about a hundred people.
When A Lian and two female workers saw Qi Jiao coming, they quickly stepped forward to support her.
Qi Jiao said with a smile, "There's no need to be so careful." She sat down on the armchair in the middle and waved her hand. "Go and call everyone. It's almost time."
In no time, the stewards in charge of the food production line, the cosmetics line, and even the newly - recruited steward from the duck farm all stood in neat rows, holding the expense ledgers for Qi Jiao to review.
A Lian presented the ledgers to Qi Jiao. She looked through them one by one and then asked the relevant stewards questions.
At first, everything went smoothly. All the stewards knew Qi Jiao's personality—she seemed kind and amiable, but she couldn't tolerate any mistakes.
No one dared to underestimate or neglect her.
It just so happened that Mrs. Wan, who had been sick at home for a few days, returned.
Mrs. Wan was the wife of Uncle Qi, a distant relative of the Pei family. Because of the family connection, Tang Guiniang had specially assigned her the relatively easy task of managing the pomade production.
For some reason, Mrs. Wan came late when most of the stewards had already reported.
Qi Jiao looked up at her. Mrs. Wan was wearing a water - red jacket and a skirt. She walked slowly with a casual attitude, and she didn't even bring a ledger.
A Lian frowned and said, "Auntie, why are you so late? I specifically told you yesterday that the mistress would check the accounts and ask questions today."
Mrs. Wan remained calm. She stroked her smooth sideburns and said coquettishly, "I haven't been feeling well. I overslept today. Jiao Niang, you're not going to take this little thing to heart, are you?"
Qi Jiao realized that this woman was a troublemaker, taking advantage of her seniority to act arrogantly.
She guessed that the accounts under Mrs. Wan's management must be in a mess.
After a moment, Qi Jiao sneered, "It's you who missed the time. Well, I call you Aunt Qi out of respect for the Pei family. Do you think you're more noble than others?"
Mrs. Wan was taken aback and replied slowly, "You didn't see me working hard on normal days. Just because I'm a bit late today, you're going to scold me? It's so unreasonable."
Qi Jiao immediately retorted, "If someone else is late tomorrow and another is late the day after, then there will be no one left in the future! I know you're not feeling well, and I was going to let you off. But I've heard that the production of pomade is decreasing day by day, and customers in Zhuoxiang Pavilion have repeatedly complained about the uneven quality. I haven't even had a chance to question you about this!"
Suddenly, she changed her tone and shouted angrily, "A Lian, take someone to find her ledger. I'd like to see what tricks are hidden inside."
Seeing that Qi Jiao was going to deal with Mrs. Wan, everyone didn't dare to be slow. A Lian acted quickly and dragged Mrs. Wan away to get the ledger.
In a short time, A Lian came back with the ledger.
Mrs. Wan followed at the end of the group, wringing her hands.
Qi Jiao took the ledger and examined it carefully. There were many expenses listed, and every item seemed unreasonable. It was clearly a fake ledger.
Moreover, the fake ledger was poorly done. Even the dates were mixed up.
Qi Jiao rubbed her forehead. She looked at Mrs. Wan without any mercy and said, "Mrs. Wan, think it over. If you confess everything on your own, this matter may be resolved. But if you try to be tricky, I'll make you return every single thing you've embezzled in the past six months. If this gets out, Uncle Qi will also lose face..."
Then she ordered, "It's almost the end of the month, right? Don't give her the monthly stipend this month."
Mrs. Wan's face changed several times. Finally, she couldn't hold on anymore and confessed that she had used inferior tea oil to replace the good ones.
An old woman in a blue dress who knew Mrs. Wan well couldn't help but say, "That's not all! Mistress, you don't know. She used to rely on being a relative of the Pei family and acted like a mistress. She did nothing all day but bossed us around. She not only used the hair oil and perfume in the workshop herself but also secretly sold them to passing ship merchants..."
These words stirred up a storm.
Mrs. Wan was thick - skinned and tried to defend herself. "Hey, you, Mrs. Zhan. You're just jealous that I'm a steward. Don't slander me."
But it wasn't just the old woman in blue who testified. Several workers in the cosmetics workshop, who were more or less dissatisfied with Mrs. Wan's behavior, all stood up to testify.
Qi Jiao's cold gaze fell on Mrs. Wan. Mrs. Wan felt nervous, her lips trembling as she swallowed hard.
Everyone thought Qi Jiao would get angry, but she just said calmly, "Mrs. Wan, you have one month to make up for all the losses. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for the constables to come. The crime of embezzling property is not a small one. A Lian, go to Uncle Qi's house and ask if he knows what good deeds his wife has done. Ask him to take her back. Our workshop can't tolerate such a person."
"By the way, what's your name? You're quite articulate." Qi Jiao turned to the old woman in blue.
The woman quickly replied, "Mistress, my surname is Zhan. Everyone calls me Second Aunt."
Qi Jiao said, "From now on, you'll be the second - level steward of the cosmetics workshop (the head steward is Pei Jin). You'll take over the production of pomade and hair oil. Is that okay?"
Mrs. Zhan was surprised by the promotion. She was so overjoyed that she couldn't close her mouth. She bowed to Qi Jiao and thanked her repeatedly.
She glanced at Mrs. Wan and said to Qi Jiao, "Mistress, you can rest assured. I, Mrs. Zhan, am upright. I'll handle everything properly and never take even a single needle or thread from the workshop."
Qi Jiao nodded and gave a few more instructions. Then everyone went back to their own work.
Mrs. Wan stood in a corner, unable to bear the accusing looks from others. She had to leave, ashamed and angry, sobbing as she went.