Full House Spring

Chapter 99 Fragrance Appreciation Meeting

The early morning light pierced through the thick clouds and evenly sprinkled on the bluestone path.

Kuang Yulin came out of the house yawning. The Cui family was very strict and her daughter had to help her dress and wash every day, so Kuang Yulin didn't dare to delay.

She was wearing a green half-sleeved shirt and a folded skirt. She was adjusting her clothes as she walked out. She looked up inadvertently and saw that the door of her second brother's room was ajar.

On weekdays, her second brother stayed at the teacher's house most of the time and only came back on holidays, so the door was always locked. She didn't see her second brother last night, and Kuang Yulin couldn't help but look puzzled.

She walked lightly towards her second brother's room, and when she got closer, she stretched her neck to look inside. It was a sudden glance, and she saw clothes scattered all over the floor, and the top piece was actually a women's coat.

Kuang Yulin was a person who knew when to act and when to retreat, and rarely got angry, but at this moment her face was terribly gloomy. She and her mother placed all their hopes on her second brother, hoping that he would pass the imperial examination and become an official, so that he would not be suppressed by the eldest son's family in the future.

She had never thought that he would be seduced by a foxy woman in such an indecent way. How could Kuang Yulin tolerate this? She rolled up her sleeves, kicked the door open, and cursed:

"You despicable little whore, you dare to hook up with anyone, and even dare to follow me home, I will beat you to death today."

As she spoke, she rushed in, lifted the quilt and started beating people without any reason. Kuang Chengming was sleeping soundly when he was startled by the noise. Before he could react, he heard Cui Yingying's painful cries from being beaten.

Kuang Yulin was so disappointed that she didn't care about anything else. She just wanted to vent her anger. She was very heavy-handed and didn't care who the woman on the bed was.

Cui Yingying wanted to hide in Kuang Chengming's arms, but Kuang Chengming was too busy to protect her. She rolled down from the couch, picked up the clothes scattered on the ground with difficulty, and ran out while shouting: "Help! The girl is killing someone, help quickly..."

Cui Yingying thought it through clearly. If she wanted to have a clear solution to this matter, she had to make it known to everyone. Then, even if her aunt wanted to put her on ice, she would not be able to do so. Sure enough, she shouted so loudly that not only the people in the West Courtyard heard it, but even Kuang Chengdong in the East Courtyard stretched his neck curiously to look inside.

Cui Shi couldn't wait for her daughter to come in and serve her. She had just stood up and dressed when she heard a noise outside. Her eyelids twitched for no reason and she ran out in a hurry. She saw three people fighting. Cui Shi's eyes went dark. How could she not understand? She was furious and said, "Stop it! How can you be so disrespectful?"

Cui's prestige was very great, and everyone in the West Courtyard was afraid of her. Seeing her standing there with a gloomy face, the three of them did not dare to act rashly. Cui Yingying was the first to react. She knelt on the ground with a plop, and without saying anything, she just cried.

Kuang Yulin panted and said in great disappointment, "Mom, this little bitch seduced my second brother and did something shameful in our house. It's really disgusting. You should kick her out quickly."

Kuang Chengming was so angry that he said, "What are you talking about? You keep calling me a little bitch. How can you be so gentle like a girl? She is my uncle's cousin Yingying. You should take a closer look."

Kuang Yulin was surprised. She turned around and took a closer look. It was indeed Cui Yingying. Seeing her mother's face turn pale and blue, she vaguely understood something. She rushed over and grabbed Cui Yingying's collar, angrily saying:
"You are such an ungrateful person. My mother treated you wholeheartedly, but you repay her like this. You have done such a shameless thing. Don't even think about staying in our house. Hurry up and go home. My second brother is going to be an official, so how can I allow you to smear him?"

Although Kuang Chengming was a little arrogant, he still had some sense of responsibility. He pushed Kuang Yulin away and said impatiently, "I'm an adult now, what's wrong with taking a concubine? Yingying is not a messy woman outside. As a girl, do you really want to meddle in your brother's bedroom?"

Kuang Yulin was angry and ashamed. She turned around and shouted to Cui: "Mom, please take care of my brother. If he continues like this, he will be ruined."

Cui felt her heart choke up, her eyes were cold, and she said without hesitation: "Yingying, pack your bags and go home immediately. I don't want to see you again."

The blood on Kuang Yingying's face disappeared completely. She slammed her forehead heavily on the ground and said in a choked voice, "Aunt, you can't treat me like this. I am already my cousin's woman. If I go back, I will have no way to survive..."

Cui slowly turned her head to look at her, and said in a timid tone: "I arranged a ladder for you to climb the cloud, but you refused to go. Instead, you had to provoke people you shouldn't provoke. This is all your own fault. You have to bear the consequences yourself."

Cui Yingying suddenly collapsed to the ground. Before she could open her mouth to argue, she heard the old man's angry voice, "Why are you making such a fuss so early in the morning? What's going on?"

The old man was wearing a coarse cloth short brown shirt, his complexion was ruddy, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. It was obvious that he had practiced martial arts with Kuang Chengrui early in the morning. Cui Yingying saw Kuang Chengrui's eyes flashing beside the old man. She knelt down in front of the old man and cried with snot and tears:

"I beg you to help me, old man. I am Yingying from the Cui family. Last night, my second cousin got drunk and raped me. My aunt wants to send me home. This is forcing me to death. Please be kind and give me a way out."

Although the old man had been mentally prepared, he still got angry, which was rare. There was a flash of rage in his eyes, and he scolded Kuang Chengming:
"You've read so much that it's like a dog's stomach. You're a coward who has the guts to do something but doesn't have the guts to admit it. If your father were still alive, he would whip you to death."

Kuang Chengming was frightened in front of the old man. He shrank back and stammered:

"Grandfather, please calm down. I don't intend to be irresponsible. It was my mother who said that. There is nothing wrong with me taking a concubine. Let's choose a good day and have a banquet at home. It will be a clear way out. What do you think?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cui said firmly: "No! You haven't sought fame, nor have you arranged a proper marriage. You're taking a concubine before your wife is married. How can a good family marry their daughter to you?"

Kuang Chengming scratched his head and said impatiently, "A man should have a wife. I am a scholar now. There will be many women waiting for me to choose from. You have nothing to worry about. It is normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Don't stop me. Yingying is not an outsider. She is your niece."

The old man had a gloomy expression, his eyes were cold, and he said in a calm tone, "You are the one who provoked him. It is useless to say more now. Whether you like it or not, the reputation of my Kuang family cannot be damaged. This matter is settled."

After that, he looked down at Cui Yingying again, frowned slightly, and said in a voice with a hint of reprimand: "In the future, stay in the house and don't come out to hang around. If I know that you don't follow the rules, I will just sell you out." Cui Yingying didn't dare to continue to make trouble. She thanked the old man profusely and said: "I dare not. I will live a down-to-earth and honest life in the future. Thank you for taking charge of me, old man."

The happier Cui Yingying was, the more aggrieved Cui was. Not to mention the confusing lawsuit in the west courtyard of the Kuang family, Xia Li's perfume business had already begun to take shape. Although her marriage to Kuang Chengrui made her family depressed for a few days, Xia Li was not affected at all.

She blended a very seductive perfume named Charm, which opens with pure jasmine and ends with white musk. The overall fragrance is soft and lazy, very suitable for married ladies and grandmothers. Another one is named Qintian, which has floral and fruity notes. The overall fragrance is sweet but not greasy, very suitable for ladies in the boudoir.

With these two flagship products, Xia Li wanted to hold a perfume tasting party. When she brought the perfume to the main courtyard, Rong was sorting out the dowry list. Seeing her daughter, she looked at her lovingly and said, "Come and have a look, dear girl. I have accumulated a lot of dowry for you over the years, but I always feel that it is not enough. See if you need to add anything."

Xia Li only glanced at the thick dowry list and was amazed. She said in a brisk voice, "You are not preparing a dowry at all. If you don't know, you would think you are going to empty your family's assets."

Rong looked at her daughter with gentle eyes, "This is just the beginning. I'm afraid I haven't given you enough. The Kuang family lives in poverty. You can give them some money after you marry in, but you can't have no bottom line. Kuang Chengrui seems to be okay now, but it's hard to say what he will be like in the future. You still have to be more careful."

Xia Li picked up a cherry and put it in his mouth, saying calmly:
"My dowry or the money I earn can only be invested in Kuang Chengrui personally, and it depends on whether he is worth investing in. The Kuang family has been running the business for generations, and they are not living in poverty. I don't need to worry about it."

Rong nodded thoughtfully and murmured, "Mr. Kuang is a smart and capable person. It's hard to say what he captured on the battlefield. Anyway, he is on the side of the eldest grandson, so you won't suffer any loss. Your father and Kuang Chengrui have agreed to get married in two months. By then, Queen Lu will almost give birth to a prince. Even if the imperial decree for selecting a concubine is issued, we don't have to be too nervous."

Xia Li nodded slightly. She had not expected to get married so hastily. The circumstances of life were really hard to explain. Rong asked softly, "Why are you here now? Is there something going on?"

There seemed to be stars twinkling in Xia Li's eyes. She smiled and said, "Mother, I want you to send invitations to the ladies of various families for me. I want to hold a perfume tasting party and show the perfumes I mixed. It can also be regarded as a warm-up for the perfume shop."

Rong supported her daughter to focus on business. A woman with the capital to make a living can always stand up. She pondered and said, "How are you going to hold this incense tasting meeting?"

Xia Li chuckled and said, "I have mixed ten kinds of perfumes now, but they have not yet been put into mass production. I would like to invite the ladies and girls to smell the scents first, and then auction them. The number of perfumes is limited, and only the highest bidder can win."

Rong had never heard of the word auction, but she found it very new. She asked Xia Li to explain it in detail. Rong was the biggest supporter of Xia Li's business, so Xia Li would not neglect it. She explained the rules, and Rong was quite interested.

"In that case, auctions are quite interesting. Not only perfumes can be auctioned, but jewelry, calligraphy and paintings can also be auctioned. If I have some free time in the future, I will also organize an auction for fun."

The ladies of the rich and powerful families would find ways to entertain themselves. Xia Li chuckled and said, "Just watch me do it first, and then you can follow my example. We will hold the incense tasting party at home. Anyway, our garden is big enough, and there are not that many famous women in Laizhou."

Rong nodded and looked at her, saying gently and calmly: "Since you want to hold this incense appreciation meeting, you have to manage it yourself. This is also a good opportunity to practice your skills. In the future, you will inevitably have to deal with the women of various mansions."

Xia Li naturally had no objection. After returning from the main courtyard, she began to think about the perfume tasting party. She first drew a design for the on-site layout, making sure that each bottle of perfume was placed in a very particular position, and then she arranged the dishes for the day.

She planned to set up a buffet with all kinds of dim sum and desserts, and even took the time to write down a few dessert recipes for Qiao He to try to make. The maids in Cui Hua Ting all knew that their daughter was going to do something big, and they tried their best to share the burden with her.

Xia Li did not waste resources and taught them step by step how to introduce each perfume. Considering that she had to entertain guests on the day of the perfume tasting event, the host of the auction had to be let other people.

She planned to choose from the maids, and when others were hesitant, Shi Mi took the lead in speaking up for the opportunity. Now, the maids serving the girl are all capable of standing on their own, and Shi Mi didn't want to be suppressed.

Xia Li was very pleased with her initiative. She formulated detailed rules based on her understanding of the auction, and then taught Shi Mi how to follow the process. On that day, no matter who was vying for the perfume, they had to bid according to the rules. Shi Mi learned very carefully.

It took only three days from posting the invitation to holding the incense tasting party. Since all the guests invited were female, it was natural for Rong and Sun Fuya to help entertain the guests.

The women of the clan were also invited. When Mrs. Zhou saw Xia Li, she said happily, "Ali knew that you were holding an incense tasting party and was so eager to come back immediately, but I held her back."

Xia Lilu was puzzled and said, "It's great that my sister comes back to play. Why don't you let her come?"

Mrs. Zhou's eyes and eyebrows were full of joy. She leaned close to Xia Li's ear and whispered:
"A-Li is pregnant, and the baby isn't even pregnant yet. How dare I let her go out and wander around? What if something happens?"

Xia Li was delighted when he heard this and said, "This is really a happy event. My brother-in-law will be very happy. I have to go to her house to accompany her some other day."

Mrs. Zhou was very pleased, and her eyes became more loving as she said, "You two sisters are the only girls in our clan, so you should be more intimate with each other. When you marry in Jiaozhou, you can visit us more often. There is no need to rush."

Her marriage with Kuang Chengrui was no secret in the family, and Xia Li did not feel shy. She said generously, "What my aunt said makes sense. I will visit her every few days. I will make sure that she will have a rosy complexion during her pregnancy and give birth to my nephew safely."

Mrs. Zhou couldn't stop smiling when she heard this. At this time, Rong was chatting with Zhong and others. Zhong was very moved when she learned that the layout of the garden was designed by Xia Li.

Zhong Huiting, who was following beside her, was originally looking sick and listless, but when she turned around and saw the uniquely shaped glass vase decorated with colorful flowers, she couldn't take her eyes away.

(End of this chapter)