Jiang Shuyue, Du Yutong, and Zhan Shuzhen helped pick flower petals and didn't return to the courtyard until noon.
"Sister Jiang, my arm is sore, could you please treat it for me?"
Back in the room, Zhan Shuzhen lay sprawled on the bed, looking utterly exhausted.
She was more active and had the most energy than Jiang Shuyue and Du Yutong.
The two stood under the tree picking peaches, and she tied her skirt around her waist and climbed up the peach tree.
Her two aunts were worried that she would fall, and no matter how they tried to persuade her, they couldn't stop her.
She also asked Du Yutong to hand her a basket to hang on a tree branch.
I must say, she was really fast at picking them.
When they saw Zhan Shuzhen lying there groaning, everyone burst into laughter.
"Sister Jiang, please stop laughing. My arms and legs are sore. No wonder peach blossom wine is so expensive; even the first step in the process is so difficult."
Jiang Shuyue walked over, pulled Zhan Shuzhen's arm, and rubbed it.
"Making peach blossom wine is not only difficult in terms of the process, but the most difficult part is the short flowering period, which easily leads to untimely harvesting. The petals are best when they first open, and the wine will be of much lower quality when they are about to wither."
Du Yutong also came over and took Zhan Shuzhen's other arm and squeezed it.
“Labor is hard work. Farmers work themselves to the bone all year round and don’t have much money left over. So, sister, don’t believe the old saying about scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants when choosing a husband.”
Zhan Shuzhen deeply agreed. She looked at Jiang Shuyue and said with a smile, "Of course. Isn't Sister Jiang a perfect example? She's a successful businesswoman who makes a fortune and is respected wherever she goes."
She said this because when she returned, she saw that her aunts had taken good care of them, and the water in the yard for washing was always full.
Not only were they polite in their speech, but they also specially brought over the mint leaves they had been asking for.
Jiang Shuyue teased her in a serious tone, "The aunts aren't looking at how well I run my business, but mainly at how hard you work picking flower petals."
"Pfft! Hahaha..."
Du Yutong laughed so hard that her body went limp and she collapsed onto the bed.
Watching the two of them rolling around in bed laughing, Jiang Shuyue couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh as well.
Qiuju, Zhuer, and Zhan Shuzhen's maid went to get lunch and returned.
Two dishes and a soup. Jiang Shuyue picked up a bowl, ladled out half a bowl of soup, and with a thought, a muscle-relaxing and pain-relieving pill slid into the soup bowl, then handed it to Zhan Shuzhen.
"Drink some hot soup first, and the soreness will go away in a while."
"Thank you, Sister Jiang."
Zhan Shuzhen took the soup bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
During the meal, Zhan Shuzhen was surprised to find that the soreness in her arms and legs had disappeared.
"Sister Jiang, it really doesn't hurt anymore, look!" Zhan Shuzhen jumped up and down again, afraid that no one would believe her.
Jiang Shuyue smiled without saying a word.
Du Yutong also found it amazing.
From this, Zhan Shuzhen came to the conclusion that drinking hot soup is good for when you're tired.
Later, this habit became a family tradition, which was passed down to her grandson's generation.
That's a story for another time, so let's leave it at that.
Even the most beautiful peach blossoms can't be admired all the time, so in the afternoon everyone went for a stroll in a nearby village.
The rapeseed flowers in the field were in full bloom, and bees were buzzing around in the field, creating a busy scene.
Du Yutong and Zhan Shuzhen occasionally ran into one or two familiar girls. After exchanging greetings, they would each continue playing with their close friends.
After strolling around, everyone felt a bit sleepy, so Jiang Shuyue led them back to rest.
Perhaps they were too tired from playing, because everyone except Jiang Shuyue slept until sunset.
While everyone was sleeping, Jiang Shuyue went into her spatial dimension and soaked in a hot spring.
After leaving the space, they filled the water tank with water again.
Fortunately, everyone was confused and didn't deliberately thank their aunts.
Qiuju, in particular, thought that the money donated by the young lady had worked, and the aunts even prepared washing water for everyone.
Jiang Shuyue guessed that her aunts who had been picking peach blossoms would have returned by now, as her hair was still damp.
She wanted to go out with her hair down, worried that people would think she looked unkempt if they saw her.
I simply used a headband to loosely gather my hair at the back of my head.
Having learned that the head maid lived in the front courtyard, Jiang Shuyue followed the bluestone path there.
Laughter from girls could be heard from the courtyards on both sides of the central courtyard from time to time.
Upon arriving at the front yard, Jiang Shuyue went straight to the hall where the Guanyin Bodhisattva statue was enshrined.
I heard that the aunt in charge lives in the next room.
Before she even got close, Jiang Shuyue could smell a medicinal herb in the air.
Is Aunt Meng here?
Jiang Shuyue walked to the window and called out softly.
"Cough cough!"
"Is there something you need, young lady?"
The person inside coughed twice in response, her voice weak. Jiang Shuyue could tell from her panting that she had phlegm in her body.
"Aunt Meng, my daughter Jiang Shuyue has come to see you. Is it convenient for you? If not, I will come another day."
Before Jiang Shuyue could finish speaking, someone inside the room said, "Please come in, Miss Jiang. The door is open."
"Thank you, Aunt Meng."
Jiang Shuyue didn't stand on ceremony, stepped forward, pushed open the door, and went inside.
Jiang Shuyue quickly glanced into the room.
Inside the room, a slender person was lying quietly on the bed.
A ray of setting sun slanted in through the cracks in the window frame, the light splitting into soft golden lines that fell on the faded table in front of the window, creating dappled light and shadow.
The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood and herbs, a scent that was common in the temple and carried a calming tranquility.
The room was simply furnished, but it had all the basic necessities.
Upon seeing Jiang enter the room, Aunt Meng struggled to sit up and picked up a tinderbox from the small table beside the bed.
"Auntie is not feeling well, please rest. Let me do it." Jiang Shuyue stepped forward and took the tinderbox to light the pine oil lamp on the small table.
The oil lamp emitted a steady light, like a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
Jiang Shuyue then got a clear look at Aunt Meng's face.
She had kind eyes and delicate features. A peach wood hairpin was inserted in her hair bun, and a strand of black hair hung down from the end of her eyebrow. Perhaps because she was too thin, she looked frail.
Even though she was dressed in plain clothes, it was hard to hide her outstanding beauty. It was easy to see how beautiful Aunt Meng was when she was young.
"Please sit down, young lady. I caught a chill a few days ago, and my old ailment has flared up again."
"Thank you, Auntie. Springtime is a season when the weather is still chilly, making it easy to catch a cold."
Jiang Shuyue curtsied and returned to her seat at the table.
After Jiang Shuyue sat down, she noticed a small stove in the corner of the room, with a rough ceramic pot for decocting medicine on it. The fire in the stove had gone out, and wisps of white smoke were rising from the pot.
Jiang Shuyue, with her keen observation, said, "Aunt Meng, it's time for your medicine. I'll pour you half a bowl right away."
Aunt Meng stared intently at the woman in the room, secretly marveling at her beauty. She was truly a rare beauty.
"Thank you, miss. I'll drink it after I've had a moment."
As she spoke, Aunt Meng leaned closer to the pillow and then reached out to pull the curtains to one side.
Jiang Shuyue noticed that she seemed to be in much better spirits.
He got straight to the point: "I heard that my aunts are planning to make peach blossom wine this year. My daughter runs a restaurant, so I came here specifically to discuss with my aunts whether it would be possible to sell all of the peach blossom wine to my daughter once it's made."
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