Quick Transmigration: Reversing the Life of a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character

"Alright, we don't have anything else to do anyway, let's go for a walk." Cui Yao nodded. She had actually wanted to go out for a while, but in order to maintain her sad state, she pretended to be listless and not interested in doing anything.

After all, she lost her husband and eldest son within two years.

"Yes, this servant will go and instruct them to prepare the carriages and horses." The most composed Jixiang replied, her tone carrying a hint of excitement.

There's an element of pandering to one's master, but there's also the young woman's longing to go out.

Cui Yao smiled and said to Granny Cui, "These girls have really suffered these past two years."

The eldest among them, Jixiang, was only 17 years old, a lively age. When their master was in a bad mood, the servants had to be careful and restrained.

"Madam, what are you saying? Our master is so kind and generous. Which servant doesn't come into our courtyard feeling grateful and happy? What's there to feel aggrieved about?"

To be allowed into the main courtyard, these maids' families must have done countless favors behind their backs. The lady is a princess, and although she has strict rules, she is also very generous. Putting aside everything else, just take the snacks that the small kitchen makes every day according to the menu. How many bites can the lady eat? They all end up in the mouths of these servants. The patterns that even young ladies from ordinary families outside can't see are already too much for the maids here.

Cui Yao felt that she had a biased view of the original owner; in her memory, the original owner was quite strict with the servants.

This is the difference in thinking. In Granny Cui's eyes, being well-fed, warmly dressed, and not being beaten or scolded all day long is already a good life for servants. The master only requires them to follow the rules, eat delicacies, and wear fine silks and satins. If they dare to be dissatisfied, they are not appreciating their blessings.

"Oh right, go and call Lan'er over. She's had the hardest time these past two years, and she's still so young." Cui Yao suddenly thought of Xiao Lan, a little girl who always had a stern face and furrowed brows, and was very worried.

"Yes, this servant will go and invite Miss herself right away," said Granny Cui happily.

According to the rules of this world, when parents pass away, one only needs to observe a year of mourning, eating vegetarian food and wearing mourning clothes. The Xiao family's children have already completed their mourning period.

When Xiao Lan arrived, she was dressed in a rather plain silver-white and light green cross-collar ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

"Mom, where are we going to go?" she asked excitedly.

"Let's go to the Brilliant Pavilion first. I heard they've got some jewelry in the style of the South. Our Lan'er should get some new jewelry too. Then let's go to the fabric shop and buy some nice fabric to make clothes. Does Lan'er have any patterns she wants?"

"Mother, let's go to Jinxiu Pavilion. Their embroidery workshop is on the second floor. We can go there and choose a pattern, have the embroiderers embroider it, and then make it into a garment. Mother, their embroidery patterns are divided into many schools, unlike the ones in our mansion, which are all from the capital and the north."

"it is good."

"And also, let's have lunch at Jin Fu Lou. I want to try their assorted platter, as well as hibiscus cake, glutinous rice duck, roasted rabbit meat,..." She rattled off a long list of dishes.

"Alright, Lan'er, you are the eldest daughter of the Xiao family. If you want to eat something, just have the servants go out and buy it. You don't need to make yourself suffer."

"Mother, I know. I just didn't have an appetite the other day." Xiao Lan smiled brightly. Of course, she wouldn't deprive herself of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. It was just that her father's mourning period had ended and many things had happened in the mansion, so she didn't feel like eating or drinking.

The mother and daughter chatted and laughed as they headed straight for the Brilliant Pavilion to choose jewelry first.

Cui Yao is the Princess of Fu'an, the wife of a marshal, and the wife of a marquis from the Xiao family. In this border prefecture, she is the woman with the highest power and status. Cui Can Pavilion naturally dared not neglect her and emptied all the private rooms on the second floor, which were used to entertain distinguished guests, to receive this guest.

"Madam, this is a set of headdresses that was just transported from Suzhou and Hangzhou. It includes a gold-threaded and jewel-inlaid hair ornament, a peacock-shaped hairpin with a pearl in its beak, a pair of gold-threaded bracelets, a gold-inlaid jade brooch, and some other small ornaments."

"This bracelet is quite interesting."

"Madam has excellent taste. This bracelet is made of ninety-nine fine gold wires twisted together using a special technique, which makes it not at all dull despite being pure gold."

Cui Yao sat to one side: "Does Lan'er like it?"

"like."

"Then let's buy it." Cui Yao directly had someone bring silver notes and bought the set of jewelry priced at three thousand taels.

"Thank you for your patronage, Madam." The shopkeeper, beaming, cupped his hands in greeting. "We also have a batch of very fine jade pieces in the shop; would you like to take a look?"

"Oh? What styles are available?"

Before long, the shopkeeper brought over a large tray lined with velvet.

The mother and daughter sat together, choosing a hairpin: "Mother, this white jade hairpin is pretty."

"I bought it. This jade pendant is quite nice. I'll have the servants make a cord to attach it when I get back. It would make a very good waist ornament. Take it."

After careful selection, they chose one-third of the jade ornaments from the tray, which cost another two thousand taels.

The manager of the Brilliant Pavilion fawned over the mother and daughter as they boarded the carriage.

Before the carriage curtain was lowered, Cui Yao saw a familiar figure mingling in the crowd.

Inside the carriage, Xiao Lan said somewhat uneasily, "Mother, I think I saw my eldest brother."

"Yeah, he's not your older brother anymore."

"I heard from my second brother that he's living in a small courtyard now, and his life isn't very good."

"Lan'er, what's the standard for 'not good'? Like this?" Cui Yao pointed to the pile of jewelry boxes: "Or just an ordinary wealthy family?"

The Xiao family's education of their offspring is quite pragmatic. Xiao Lan had some understanding of the income and expenditure of an ordinary wealthy household as her mother had described. She shook her head: "Based on the assets you gave him, he is much richer than the ordinary wealthy households in this prefectural city."

However, his life was worlds apart from that of the eldest son of the high-ranking marshal and the princess.

"Everyone has to pay the price for their choices. I gave him a chance, but he insisted on making this choice himself," Cui Yao said calmly. If you don't have the ability and always rely on others to cover for you, you should be aware that you will lose some of your freedom.

Besides, the original owner's experiences in that life already provided the wrong answer.

Granny Cui secretly gave Xiao Lan a wink, and the little girl wisely perked up and changed the subject: "Mother, it's almost noon now, let's go to Jin Fu Restaurant for lunch first."

"Okay, let's go look at the fabric after we finish eating."

The princess-style carriage slowly turned onto another street.

Xiao Qingzhi, who was following behind, knew that they were going to Jinfulou for dinner. It turned out that it was also a place he often went to.

After being expelled from the Xiao family, he was in a bad mood and went out for drinks twice. Before, he had never known that Jin Fu Lou was so expensive. He would eat and leave, and the steward of the mansion would check the accounts with his servants and then go to the restaurant to settle the bill.

The first time he had to pay on the spot, he flew into a rage, cursing the shopkeeper and the waiter for being blind and meddling in the affairs of the Marshal's Mansion.

In the end, the servant who left the Xiao family with him paid the bill with all the money he had on him.

The second time, neither the master nor the servant had enough cash, so he paid the bill with his jade pendant.

After that, he never went to Jinfulou again, and he always had someone buy him a small courtyard wine from a liquor store to drink.