Jiang Shuwan didn't like hearing this. She was a well-known abstract painter in her circle of friends. Many of her friends said that her paintings were excellent, very spiritual, and of a high aesthetic value.

Jiang Shuwan looked utterly devastated. She pulled out Qingxing and pointed to the little bee pattern she had drawn.

"Where have you been? You've looked the same all these years. Don't talk nonsense with your eyes wide open. Being a bee is tough. Sometimes you should look at yourself and see if your aesthetic sense has improved over the years. Have you been studying hard enough...?"

"Look at it, you'll see how cute it is."

"..."

The three girls turned their heads away in unison.

It's even uglier than the silly Bugs Bunny I drew before.

I'd go blind if I looked at it even once more.

He looked dull and confused, with two whiskers on his head.

Good heavens, they could actually see the bewilderment on a little bee's face; you can only imagine how skilled their young lady was at drawing...

Only young ladies would find such ugly things beautiful and would even embroider them.

Tsk tsk tsk~~~

As the saying goes, when God opens a door, He must close the window.

Jiang Shuwan =_=: "..."

What's the meaning!

Is there no justice left?!

Flip the table!

"You're just plain jealous, jealous of my advanced aesthetic sense..."

Jiang Shuwan was furious. She looked at the drawing from left to right, up to down, and thought that the big-bellied, big-eyed little bee she had drawn was very cute and there was nothing wrong with it.

She thought her drawing was quite beautiful, so she asked Meixue to embroider it for her. She planned to put it on the chaise longue as a small, thin blanket to cover her legs when they were cold and her stomach when it was cold.

Qingxing: "..."

Chun Jiao: "..."

Meixue: "..."

The three girls were completely shocked.

God!

They couldn't imagine what kind of expression others would have when they saw this ugly thing.

It's just that the young lady likes it.

What else can we do?

Spoil them.

The three maids took the drawings to study, and Jiang Shuwan stared at their backs, blinking as she asked Granny Tao a question.

"Am I being looked down upon by them?"

"..."

"Ahem, I think it's quite good." Granny Tao forced herself not to burst out laughing and called Xiao Tao to bring over a bowl of crushed ice.

"Miss, please try this. It's fresh fruit shaved ice that just arrived from the kitchen."

"Yes, it tastes really good."

Jiang Shuwan took a bite and nodded in satisfaction.

The crushed ice that came into the kitchen was homemade by Li Gui's family. In addition to crushed fruit, it was also drizzled with jam, making it quite sweet and delicious.

"Granny Tao, give a silver ingot to Li Gui's family. It's so hot today, let everyone try the taste of jam and crushed ice."

Her casual remark startled Granny Tao.

“Miss, this is probably not appropriate. Honey jam is expensive and has always been enjoyed only by noble families. I know you are not short of money, but if word gets out, people will say we are disrespectful and it will damage your reputation.”

Jiang Shuwan glanced at the maids and servants in the courtyard, each performing their duties.

This summer was hot. Even though she had two basins of ice in her room, it was still so hot that she would sweat as soon as she moved. However, the girls did not put down their work and worked diligently. Those who did not have work also took the time to write and learn to read.

Everyone, from top to bottom, is very diligent.

With her eyes lowered, Jiang Shuwan instructed, "If you can't eat the jam, then give each of you a bowl of fresh fruit shaved ice. Also, tell Granny Song to send a bowl of mung bean soup to all the boys and girls on duty in our mansion every day to cool them down. It's so hot, don't let them get too hot."

"Miss Xie."

"Miss is too kind to us servants!"

All the maids came to express their gratitude, and the stewards of both the inner and outer courtyards also came over happily to thank them for the reward.

"It's just a bowl of mung bean soup, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?" Jiang Shuwan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Miss, you may not know this, but the harvest has been bad these past few years. Many noble families have been lending money at exorbitant interest rates. This time, His Majesty has confiscated all the money, which has only made these families even more strapped for cash. Nowadays, many families in the capital are cutting back on their expenses."

"Of course, the masters' expenses must not be reduced. Where does this money come from? It comes from the servants' monthly wages and expenses."

"I heard that the monthly wages of servants in many families have been halved. Take the Chen State Duke's Mansion that Madam mentioned last time. After their title was demoted, they have no shame at all. They don't even make summer clothes for their servants. The servants have to work in spring clothes. When it gets too hot, they can only drink well water to quench their thirst. Many servants have suffered from heatstroke."

"It's really pitiful. There are very few households like ours that don't reduce the servants' monthly wages and even give them extra mung bean soup."

After listening to Granny Tao's explanation, Jiang Shuwan gained a new understanding of these families in the capital.

In her previous life, although she was the mistress of the Earl's Mansion, the old Earl was useless and Pei Lingyu was good-for-nothing. The most powerful and influential people she could come into contact with at that time were of the Marquis's Mansion.

She didn't even have the right to enter the circles of those bigger and more powerful families like the Duke's Mansion.

In this life, I will inevitably have to deal with them, so of course the more I know, the better.

Jiang Shuwan pulled Granny Tao to sit down, and the two of them talked for a long time about the gossip of these aristocratic families. At the end, Granny Tao sighed.

"Although their money was confiscated, those masters still live in luxury, sheltered from the wind, rain, and sun. It's the servants who suffer, their monthly wages halved, and they can't even get a sip of soup."

"Moreover, it's only the beginning of July, and it's going to be hot for three more months in July, August, and September. What are we going to do? Ice is also very expensive."

Speaking of ice prices, Jiang Shuwan also remembered something.

"I heard that Jiang Yao recently took over several shops to sell ice cream. I hope nothing goes wrong..."

Granny Tao asked curiously, "It's just selling ice, how could something like this happen? At worst, you'll just lose some money..."

Jiang Shuwan shook her head and didn't say anything.

Jiang Yao's spending was so extravagant; she had a bad feeling about it.

No one starts a business with such a large scale from the beginning; it's either a rash decision or an absolute certainty of success...

She really didn't know what other tricks Jiang Yao had up her sleeve besides copying poems.

Since her shop hasn't opened yet, I'll find an opportunity to check it out sometime.

"Miss, the fourth wife has arrived."

Just then, Jiang Shuwan arrived with Pei Shushu. They went straight to Jiang Shuwan.

Jiang Shuwan quickly got up to greet her.

"Why is Aunt here on such a hot day?"

She invited the two to sit down, but the fourth wife hesitated, twisting her handkerchief, and asked the maid behind her to bring her a bowl of ice.

"The kitchen just got some fresh fruit crumble and iced jam. I'm too old to eat this, but I heard the young master's wife likes it, so I brought it to you."

In the sweltering summer, who wouldn't love to eat this, especially with jam on top?

Upon seeing the Fourth Madam's demeanor, Jiang Shuwan knew she had something to ask of her. She gave Granny Tao a look, and Granny Tao immediately led a group of maids out, leaving only Qingxing in the room to serve her.