Mid-Autumn Festival has arrived in the blink of an eye, and the osmanthus flowers in the village outside the city are in full bloom.

The steward had three carts brought in, and the various courtyards within the mansion were decorated. The decorations were exquisite and far-reaching.

The chrysanthemums, known as "Rouge Snow," carefully cultivated in the garden's flower room of the Hou Mansion, have also bloomed, and the Hou Mansion has hosted a flower-viewing banquet.

Chrysanthemums paired with drunken crab are a perfect match.

The young ladies and wives of each family also brought their own carefully cultivated chrysanthemums to the banquet.

Everyone in the kitchen was so busy they barely had time to breathe, so by all accounts, Aunt Sun should have had some free time.

However, the lady ordered that a dish of crispy rice crust be added to the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet.

So even during this quiet time, Aunt Sun and Fuling couldn't stay idle. Fuling's arms were so tired that they swelled up.

Originally, only a few dozen packs were made to keep on hand, but some ladies and young women tasted them and found them delicious, so Gao would pack a box and give it to them.

Now, besides making a pot of soup, Grandma Sun spends all her time making rice crust from morning till night.

They received quite a few rewards, and these past few days have been a mix of pain and joy.

The reward is now split equally among the three of them; Fuling is truly exhausted.

Because Wang Yan couldn't help, the leaves in the yard started to fall, and she was always busy.

Sweeping from morning till night, now I get off work later than spring snow and spring rain.

Every day, the four of them would work in the backyard until the oil lamp was lit.

The person sweeping the front yard doesn't have to work so hard, because Granny Hua lives in the back yard.

The lady was worried that the fallen leaves would trip the maids who were serving her at night, so she asked them to sweep for an extra hour.

Granny Hua is used to having Zhixuan and Zhihan by her side. If they were to fall and cause serious injury, Granny Hua might not be used to it.

However, Chunye and Chunyan can have a late-night snack with Aunt Sun in the small kitchen.

As for the lady's stew, forget about it. She only got to enjoy it during the tasting.

But being able to eat meat porridge or steamed buns every day is quite satisfying.

Wang Yan didn't participate in making the rice crusts, but a third of the reward was given to her.

He received three gilded silver hairpins, two gold ingots, half a packet of silver melon seeds, five or six silver coins, and half a string of cash.

I forgot to buy a makeup box and a lock when I went home last time. I must remember next time.

The chrysanthemum appreciation banquet has been in full swing for several days, and the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner is just around the corner.

I'll get a reward money then, how exciting!

Starting this month, no matter which courtyard a customer comes from, Aunt Sun will make them rice crusts.

They didn't ask for much, just one portion for the tea room, as everyone was busy climbing mountains to admire chrysanthemums or visiting relatives and friends.

The third young master asked for more, but he was still recuperating in the courtyard and only came twice in total.

Although I thought the rice crust was a good snack to pass the time, the doctor told me not to eat too much of it.

"Sister Xingzi, this, this tastes really good. No wonder everyone in the manor loves it."

Chun'er stood timidly to the side, echoing her words.

Xingzi forced a laugh, "Hehe, how could that be? Didn't Miss Xiang'er just reward you with crab roe pastries?"

"You're eating so deliciously; that must taste better than these."

Chun'er bit her lip, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall.

She didn't want to tell anyone, but the girl pinched and hit her, and it really hurt.

He also told her that if she didn't tell, he would find an excuse to have the young master sell her off.

She was genuinely frightened, and regretted it as soon as she said it. She wanted to come and report the news, but the girl held back.

Fangli came over to fetch water, and seeing the tense atmosphere, she made a joke.

"What's wrong, Chun'er? Did this little rascal play a trick on you?"

Xingzi stomped her foot in anger, "Why did my sister say that to me! She was the one who came over asking for food and drink, and I gave it to her."

"She's crying for no reason..." She stopped herself as she was about to say it. She saw Fangli give her a gentle, reproachful look.

"Alright, alright, I was just joking. I wasn't really scolding you."

Fangli quickly stepped forward, hugged Xingzi, and coaxed her, then glanced at Chun'er.

Chun'er was so badly hit that she turned and ran away.

………………

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet, the Third Young Master was finally released, and Wang Ying was able to go out and visit her younger sister openly.

She went to deliver cosmetics to her younger sister. The household distributed them once a quarter, and the second-class maids received better ones than the third-class maids.

The third grade is ordinary rice noodles, and the second grade is lead powder.

When they arrived, they couldn't deliver the package and instead received a scolding from Wang Yan.

"Don't use this kind of lead powder; it's bad for your skin."

"...So, do you still want it or not?"

"If you want it, use the rice powder I use; it's good for your skin."

"I was going to use yours anyway, what else would I use? I came here to exchange with you."

...Fine! Then Wang Ying got so angry that she couldn't bear to use it herself, so she decided to take it to the corner gate to sell it.

"Sister, this is really bad for your skin, and it can be sold for five qian of silver."

When silver was mentioned, Wang Ying fell silent. If it could be exchanged for money, well, that wouldn't be a bad idea!

She was successfully persuaded! The two sisters walked hand in hand, laughing, to the back gate; a peddler was sure to come today.

"Sister, how much reward did you get this Mid-Autumn Festival? I only got 20 coins. I got a full 200 coins at the Madam's birthday banquet."

Wang Ying, second class, received 60 coins. "Are you stupid? The Madam's birthday gifts were for your courtyard, and the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet was for the entire Marquis's mansion."

How many people are in your courtyard, and how many are in the Marquis's residence?

Wang Yan chuckled and said, "That's true."

"Just wait, the old lady's birthday bonus will be much higher next month."

Alright! The two sisters held hands and ran forward. "Don't laugh at the peddler carrying his goods, for he can reach any deep courtyard or winding alley." It really is a realistic poem.

It wasn't just one peddler who came, but several. They set up their stall in the backyard of the Marquis's mansion, and the maids and servants came out to choose and look at them. It was just like a small market.

Wang Yan was excitedly rummaging through the peddler's load when she saw a string of bright red fruit, and her heart pounded.

The exit was calm; "What is this?"

The middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes looked over and smiled ingratiatingly, "Young lady, the fruit you're holding is just some random picking, but you can't eat it. It'll give you a heartburn."

I originally intended to sell these decorations, but I forgot for a moment. Give them to me, and I'll get them right away.

Wang Yan pulled her hand back, "How much is this?"

"It's worthless. If you want it, young lady, you can take it and play with it."

Wang Yan lost ten copper coins. At this time of year, cheap vegetables cost two copper coins per pound. Let's do it this way.

Aunt Wang wasn't on duty today, and Wang Yan was extremely anxious. After pacing around, she had no choice but to bring the chili peppers back to the backyard.

Instead of putting it in the small kitchen, it was placed directly in a willow box.

Tomorrow I'll find an excuse to go to Jiaomen and have Aunt Wang bring some home. When I have some free time, I'll look for this chili pepper and buy a lot.

She didn't trust anyone to take care of her, and even when Wang Ying said she would hand her over to Fatty Wang when getting lunch tomorrow, she was still unhappy.

About ten days later, Wang Pangzi took the opportunity of going to the village in the countryside to collect about ten baskets of the harvest. He then had the farmers deliver them to him.

It was quite a coincidence that the young masters went to climb the mountain, and they followed them, just in time to pass by a village.

Wang Pangzi casually brought it up and asked a question. A group of kids around ten years old ran over and said they had seen it before, right in the back mountain.

It didn't cost much money, just two qian of silver to collect ten large baskets of these things, which grow very densely.

A group of children picked enough in less than half a day, and then the adults in their village took it all to the city.

"Thank you, madam." The old man delivered the red fruit to Granny Wang, took the money, bowed, nodded, and left.

Wang Yan heard the news in the inner courtyard and was overjoyed. She instructed Aunt Wang to dry the chili peppers.

We'll talk about the rest when she goes back on her vacation.