Chapter 90: Helping Hands

Chapter 90

Helping Hands

That evening, Nie Shuang was stunned once again.

She had only stepped away to work for a moment, but when she returned to the main hall, she found dozens of chests stacked tightly together.

Wha...What was all this?

Tie Tou hurried over to report, looking troubled.

"Uh...these...are gifts for the young masters and young miss, prepared by the Hou. Inside, there are many valuable items. I believe there are also chests of jewelry personally selected by the Elder Furen for Young Miss Hua Hua."

Nie Shuang nearly fainted. With so many items, wouldn’t it take her months to finish logging everything? Not to mention the fine fabrics and children’s items that the elders had brought for their grandchildren. She raised her hand to gently massage her temples and spoke to the butler.

"Have the servants pile them in a corner of the storage for now. I’ll go over them when I have time."

Hopefully, by the time she finished inventorying everything, the children wouldn’t have already grown up...

Tie Tou acknowledged the order and began supervising the servants as they moved the chests into storage. Nie Shuang took a deep breath and decided to check on the children, who were likely bathing by now. As she approached the bathroom door, the sound echoed from within.

"Bao Bao, stop splashing water at Grandpa! Hahahaha. You little rascal, take this!"

It seemed the Hou was in the middle of a fight with the little one. Laughter from both the children and the adults could be heard.

"The Hou, be careful! Didn’t you see you just splashed water on Bei Bei’s face? He could choke on the water,"

Came the voice of the Elder Furen, who was probably staying nearby to keep her husband in check.

"Don’t pour water on Xiao Hua Hua’s head like that. Ah! You’re no good at this, just step back. You’re in the way."

Xu Shi scolded her husband.

It seemed the wet nurses could only stand back, watching while the noble grandparents happily bathed their grandchildren. Nie Shuang decided not to interrupt and headed to the courtyard, where she found Song Qilin practicing martial arts. His tall, lean frame was clad only in loose white pants, revealing his muscular chest. His body was as finely sculpted as a statue, and as he moved, the fabric clung to him, clearly outlining his muscular legs. His entire body glistened with sweat as he gracefully executed his forms. When he noticed her standing there, a soft smile appeared on his lips, and his eyes sparkled with tenderness.

The golden evening sunlight bathed his strong frame, making it glow. Both his features and his physique were strikingly handsome, and his movements radiated strength. Nie Shuang stood there, blushing as she watched. Her husband remained focused, but inside, he was thinking about how he couldn’t wait for nightfall.

Shuang Shuang, standing there with her blushing cheeks, looked absolutely adorable...

It was as if she could sense the General’s heated gaze, the beautiful wife quickly turned away and walked off. As she walked, she could still hear his deep, low chuckle carried on the wind.

As dinner time approached, Nie Shuang went to personally invite Nie Ran and Xiao Yi Niang from their quarters. When left alone with their daughter, her parents expressed their concern over the time she had run away. Nie Ran even voiced his hurt feelings.

"If you couldn’t bear it, why didn’t you just tell me? Even if the General refused to let you go, I would have taken you home."

Xiao Yi Niang gently scolded her, saying,

"Silly child, don’t you know how much your father loves you?"

Tears welled up in Nie Shuang’s eyes. They weren’t angry at her after all; they were just worried. Seeing his daughter’s red eyes, Nie Ran felt sorry and changed the topic.

"But let me say, my daughter is truly remarkable. It’s clear you’re the daughter of a great merchant. Even without prior experience, you’ve managed to grow your tea business into something so impressive."

Despite being a capable and successful woman, the praise still made her beam with pride.

"It’s not just the tea business, Father. I’ve also opened the Shen Nong Protection Agency."

Nie Shuang seized the chance to boast a little. Nie Ran was shocked by what he heard.

"A protection agency! That’s no easy feat. Unless one establishes a martial arts school first, it’s incredibly difficult to train people. How did you manage that, Nie Shuang?"

She then told him about Yan Zhan’s former master and how, when he and his men were left adrift, she had offered them a safe haven. Nie Ran listened and was deeply impressed.

"I never expected it. Shuang Shuang, a woman, has a knack for business even better than your brothers. Truthfully, the dowry I gave you was enough for you to live in comfort for a lifetime, but you’ve managed to turn it into wealth, becoming one of the richest in the southern land."

Xiao Yi Niang looked at her daughter with pride as she listened to Nie Ran discussing plans to expand Xiangyun tea shops into the northern part of the region, including the transportation routes. Nie Shuang suggested that her father handle tea distribution in the north by using his existing grain trade routes. Nie Ran had many capable head managers under his command, and in addition to trading grain, he also owned shops and restaurants. With exclusive rights to distribute the tea from his daughter’s business, there was a great opportunity for profit.

"After this, I’ll send people to discuss and study the details of Xiangyun Shop. You just need to provide the products, and I’ll distribute them through the shops in the north. All the profits will be yours."

Nie Shuang declined,

"Father, business shouldn’t run at a loss. If I send tea to you, it will already include profit. Since you’ll be managing it, you should receive compensation."

"We can discuss that later."

Xiao Yi Niang then took out clothes she had sewn by hand for Nie Shuang and the children.

"It makes me so happy to see you well, Shuang Shuang. But don’t you think about returning to the capital?"

She wished her daughter would stay nearby.

"That...I haven’t decided yet."

Nie Shuang was still uncertain. For now, Song Qilin still had to go to war, but in the future, if he assumed the title of Yong An Hou, as his wife, she would have to follow him. She knew she would need to plan for that day.

The three of them walked to the dining room together. Nie Shuang felt relieved that neither Nie Ran nor Xiao Yi Niang seemed to notice anything suspicious. She had feared they might discover that she wasn’t the real Nie Shuang, but because she was now married, they likely thought her changes were signs of maturity.

As soon as she stepped into the hall, she heard the commotion of footsteps. The Hou and Elder Furen were leading the way, with the three children being carried in to sit down. All of them were dressed in brightly colored clothes, as if for a special occasion. Nie Shuang stifled a laugh. Bao Bao was in green, Bei Bei in bright yellow, and Xiao Hua Hua in red. When they sat together, they looked just like traffic lights. But oh well, these were new clothes that the Hou had specially ordered from the capital. She could understand the doting love of the elderly grandparents, but what left Nie Shuang and her parents completely speechless was that the little ones were adorned with so many valuable accessories that it was almost blinding. Around their necks were necklaces with longevity locks[1] sparkling with diamonds and gems. On their wrists and ankles were gold bangles with tiny bells. Even at their waists, they had jade tassels hanging down. If it weren’t for the concern that they might put rings in their mouths, their pudgy little fingers might not have been free at all.

"Uh...The Hou, these accessories..."

Even a wealthy merchant like Nie Ran was stunned. He had certainly seen valuable items before, but never anyone adorning babies with such extravagance.

"Hahahaha. Don’t they look perfect in them?"

The Hou looked at his grandchildren with pride. Look at them. Even at this young age, dressed up like this, they exuded so much elegance. The sound of the gold bells on their wrists and ankles jingled loudly as they crawled around.

Xu Shi and Nie Shuang exchanged helpless looks before Nie Shuang finally spoke up.

"They’re still so young. There’s really no need for them to wear so many accessories."

With that, she moved closer to Bao Bao, intending to take off the necklace for him. But Bao Bao quickly grabbed the necklace with his chubby hands and looked up at her with wide eyes.

“Ah, ah, ah.”

He babbled, as if trying to explain that the necklace was his. The Hou saw this and burst out laughing.

"Let him be. It seems like he really likes it. These kids have such great taste."

The elderly man shamelessly praised his grandson. Just then, Song Qilin entered the room, having just finished bathing. Seeing his three children, he couldn’t help but laugh loudly.

“Bao Bao, Bei Bei, Xiao Hua Hua, dressed like this, are you all planning to perform in an opera somewhere?”The Hou’s face turned bright red at his son’s comment. Nie Shuang quickly smoothed things over by inviting everyone to dinner. After the meal, the Hou and Elder Furen reluctantly returned to the nearby mansion they had recently purchased. Once the couple was finally alone, Nie Shuang sighed deeply. She didn’t even want to think about the future. What would it be like if the Hou came to help her take care of the children every day?

[1] Longevity Locks (长命锁, cháng mìng suǒ) are often given newborn or small children to symbolize long life and peace for their lives.