As soon as Jiang Shuyue got off the carriage, she saw Gao Mu and Zhang Cai walking out of the mansion.
Seeing Jiang Shuyue standing outside the door, Zhang Cai quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, Miss."
"Miss is back." Gao Mu called out and went to take the items from Qiu Ju's hands.
"Why did you come to the city in this weather?" Jiang Shuyue looked at the carriage with expectant eyes.
If nothing unexpected happens, Zhang Cai should have arrived to deliver the vegetables.
The outside of the carriage looked no different from an ordinary horse-drawn carriage. Zhang Cai stepped forward and lifted the curtain.
The carriage, with its seats removed, was filled with bamboo baskets.
"The smaller ones are for delivering vegetables. Leafy greens are easily damaged by freezing, so the smaller ones can't be delivered by cart," Zhang Cai said with a simple, honest smile.
Jiang Shuyue gave Zhang Cai an approving look. "Your idea is good. Bamboo baskets are breathable, so the leafy vegetables won't turn yellow."
"I've taken a basket of vegetables to the kitchen. Where should I send the rest, Miss?"
Thinking that Zhang Cai and his son had been separated for some time, Jiang Shuyue said, "I'll have Gao Mu go with you to deliver the vegetables later. You can stay and see Yaozu today, and go back to the manor tomorrow."
Jiang Shuyue's words were exactly what Zhang Cai wanted to hear. Before leaving, his father specifically instructed him to check if Yaozu was settling in well in the capital and whether he was taking good care of the young master.
Zhang Cai bowed slightly, "This humble servant will follow Miss's arrangements."
Gao Mu and Qiu Ju moved the items to the gatehouse. Qiu Ju said to Gao Mu, "Leave this to me. You go and do as the young lady does."
Seeing Gao Mu come out of the gatehouse, Jiang Shuyue said, "Send some to the palace first, leave a basket for Ajin, and send the rest to the restaurant."
"How much should be sent to the palace?"
Jiang Shuyue thought for a moment and said, "Send two baskets so that the people in the palace can have a taste."
She then looked at Zhang Cai: "About a few days before the next vegetable delivery?"
Zhang Cai respectfully replied, "If Miss needs it urgently, I can send it over the next day after I return."
"No need for that. It just snowed heavily, and the roads are slippery. It would be just right to send another truckload in five days."
Gao Mu and Zhang Cai left, and Jiang Shuyue headed towards the kitchen.
A basket full of bok choy, the green leaves glistening.
Jiang Shuyue instructed the cook to divide the food into two portions: one to be kept at the mansion for consumption, and the other to be sent to Du Yutong's house by a servant.
Du Mansion.
Du Yutong leaned lazily against the soft couch. Zhu'er said, "Miss, the snow outside seems to be getting lighter. If you're bored, I'll accompany you to the courtyard to build a snowman."
"No, I'm not going. If my mother sees me, she'll definitely say I'm childish."
After Du Yutong finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something. "Zhu'er, go get the cloak. Let's go to Aunt's courtyard and take a look."
Before Zhu'er could bring the cloak, Du Yutong sprang up from the soft couch and ran out like a gust of wind.
"It's cold outside, Miss, please wait a moment." Zhu'er hurriedly chased after her.
When Du Wenru saw her niece, who was dressed in thin clothes, coming over, she quickly stuffed the hot water bottle in her hand into Du Yutong's arms.
"Why are you running so fast, child? Don't you know to put on your cloak? It's so cold outside, what if you catch a cold?"
While hugging the hot water bottle tightly, Du Yutong said with a grin, "I'm not cold. Thinking that my aunt is about to make a lot of money, I feel warm inside."
"You're such a money-grubber. Your aunt's shops are barely enough to support herself after deducting expenses. How could she possibly make any big money?"
Du Wenru gently tapped Du Yutong's forehead, then pulled her to sit down on the soft couch.
Just as the maid poured a cup of hot tea, Zhu'er followed her in, panting.
"Miss, you ran too fast, I couldn't catch up with you."
Du Yutong said to Zhu'er, "Go and rest for a while. I have something important to discuss with my aunt."
Pearl bowed slightly, put down her cloak, and stepped aside.
Seeing her niece's serious expression, Du Wenru sat down next to Du Yutong. "Tong'er, do you really have some business acumen to share with your aunt?"
“Aunt, I just remembered that Sister Yue’er runs Juxian Pavilion so well. She has a great business sense. Why don’t you invite Sister Yue’er to invest in the incense shop?” Du Yutong looked at her aunt with shining eyes.
Du Wenru nodded without hesitation, "Of course, but I don't know if Miss Jiang would be interested in my small business."
"Auntie, don't underestimate this small business now. It may grow into a big one in the future. There are so many wealthy families in the capital, and their consumption of incense is not small."
Du Wenru was not so optimistic. She said, "There are quite a few ladies and young women in the capital who own spice shops, and some of them are not doing well and have been losing money all along."
"If you want to invite Miss Jiang to invest, just let her give you some guidance. Don't let her put any money in. If there are any losses, I'll feel bad about it."
Du Yutong agreed with her aunt and nodded hurriedly: "Okay, okay, I'll go talk to Sister Yue'er about this tomorrow. But I believe in Sister Yue'er's abilities; she'll definitely find a way to make the incense sell better."
Du Yutong was speaking happily when a maidservant announced from outside the door, "Miss, someone from the Jiang family has sent some leafy greens over. Would you like to go out and take a look?"
"Leafy greens!"
Du Yutong jumped to her feet. "Sister Yue'er's greenhouse vegetables on the estate are ready!"
Before Du Wenru could even ask what greenhouse vegetables were, a figure flashed before her eyes, and Du Yutong grabbed her cloak and rushed out of the warm pavilion.
When Du Yutong arrived at the outer courtyard, the servant who delivered the vegetables had already left.
On the octagonal table, a bamboo basket was filled with bok choy.
Du Yutong picked up a vegetable and examined it from all angles, then brought it close to her nose and sniffed it.
"This vegetable is really strange. The part above the root is white and tender, and you can tell from the look that it will be crunchy. The leaves are like rapeseed seedlings in spring, and they also have a faint fragrance."
"That's right. Leafy greens are a rare treat this season; you can't buy them even if you have money."
"Don't even mention that you can't buy it with money, even the imperial kitchen doesn't have this rare item."
“A few days ago, I went to the market in the east to buy some things, but there weren’t many radishes or cabbages available.”
"This dish looks so cute, I've never seen it before."
When the servants and maids in the outer courtyard learned that fresh vegetables had been delivered from the Jiang residence, they all rushed over to be the first to see them.
Everyone gathered around the bok choy, discussing it animatedly. Du Yutong put down the vegetables she was holding and asked, "Did the delivery guy say how to cook this vegetable to make it taste better?"
The servant in charge of purchasing for the kitchen said, "I've asked around. This vegetable is called bok choy. It can be used in soups, stir-fried, or the leaves can be cut off to make vegetable porridge."
"Make all the ways you described, we can't let the vegetables go bad." Du Yutong loves meat and hasn't eaten any leafy greens since winter began. Looking at the fresh, green vegetables, she suddenly felt a little hungry.
...
In the Imperial Garden, plum blossoms, with their delicate and enchanting beauty, stood tall and slender beneath the magnificent red walls.
Suddenly, a figure came running from a distance.
Looking at the shallow footprints in the snow behind the newcomer, Xiao Jingzhao said calmly, "Has the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent back any news?"
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