Ling Qi parked the carriage, brought in several boxes, and placed them on the long table.
"You gave it to me?"
Chen Yuancheng gave him a knowing look: "Should we open it and take a look?"
"Of course."
Chen Yuanyao pulled out the widest brocade box: "This is a gift from me, the rest are from my elder brother."
Xiao Yunying opened the brocade box: "Bird's nest?"
"Sister Yunying recognizes it. This is the finest bird's nest, which is very nourishing for a woman's body."
Xiao Yunying: Um... should she tell the truth?
She was a country bumpkin; she didn't want to eat swallows' saliva, she felt disgusted and couldn't bring herself to do it...
Xiao Yunying closed the box: "I can't accept it."
Why?
"It's too valuable."
Chen Yuanyao said eagerly, "This... is a little pricey, but not that expensive. Sister Yunying, please accept it."
"You're lying. I recognize bird's nest. You said it's the highest grade, how could it be a little pricey?"
Chen Yuanyao sighed, "Sister Yunying, take a look at what Big Brother gave us."
Xiao Yunying opened four boxes in one go, her eyes lighting up – these were all good things!
The four brocade boxes contained sea cucumber, abalone, dried scallops, and fish maw, respectively.
Xiao Yunying picked up an abalone and examined it closely: "Where did you get such good stuff?"
The abalone is perfectly shaped, with a round waist and thick back, plump and juicy flesh, even pearl edges, no gaps or cracks, clear color, and a substantial weight, truly a top-grade product.
Chen Yuancheng observed Xiao Yunying's expression and curled the corners of his mouth: "Have you forgotten what I told you? Donglin City is very close to the sea. It only takes about ten days to get there by carriage. It's easy to buy seafood treasures there."
Xiao Yunying put down the abalone: "Don't try to fool me. The things you brought are large, neat, and all top-quality. I don't believe you didn't spend a lot of money on them."
In the current environment, marine products are not farmed; they are all wild. Such high-quality marine delicacies are not only priceless but also not something you can buy whenever you want.
“I didn’t say these things are cheap, I just said they are easy to buy.”
Xiao Yunying closed the box: "Stop nitpicking with me."
Chen Yuanyao said unhappily, "Brother, didn't you say that Sister Yunying likes to cook and that she would definitely accept rare and precious ingredients if you sent them?"
Chen Yuancheng said calmly, "Yun Ying will accept me, but I don't know if she will accept yours."
"Sister Yunying, you're not really going to accept my brother's gift and not mine, are you?"
Xiao Yunying nodded: "Your brother is right."
Judging from the gift she brought at the last housewarming party, Chen Yuancheng knows what kind of person she is, and he chose a gift that was very appropriate.
The fact that I was able to bring such valuable ingredients this time was not only to cater to her preferences, but also to express my gratitude for the medicine she gave me yesterday.
To be realistic, the Chen family is not short of money. If someone else had such a highly effective medicine to relieve asthma and asked for a thousand taels of silver per bottle, the Chen family would buy it.
Chen Yuancheng understood her and knew that she didn't want to make money off his asthma inhaler, so he didn't question the origin of the medicine or offer to pay for it.
It's a tacit understanding between the two of them as friends: one doesn't say anything, and the other doesn't ask.
So she doesn't plan to refuse this time. She likes these ingredients, so she'll accept them. She can always reciprocate in another way later.
Chen Yuanyao asked in confusion, "Why? The things my brother brought are worth much more than my bird's nest."
"This is a thank-you gift from your brother; I shouldn't refuse it."
"I know what happened yesterday. I brought the bird's nest specifically to thank Sister Yunying for saving my older brother."
Xiao Yunying gestured to Chen Yuancheng as if she were pressing a spray bottle, but Chen Yuancheng shook his head.
Xiao Yunying was relieved: "The little girl is quick to come up with excuses."
Chen Yuanyao couldn't understand Xiao Yunying's actions: "Sister Yunying, what are you doing?"
Chen Yuancheng said, "Why don't you accept it? If you don't like it yourself, you can cook it for your family. If you don't accept it this time, she will keep bothering you."
"Alright, I'll take it." Xiao Yunying stacked the brocade boxes together and muttered to herself, "I don't understand why you rich people like to eat swallows' saliva."
Like her mother in her previous life, she never ate bird's nest since she was a child.
Her father and mother started from scratch after getting married and ran a clothing factory. The family was fairly well-off. Among the gifts they received during holidays were bird's nests, which her mother would give away.
It's not that bird's nest doesn't taste good or anything else; it's purely a matter of perception. She can't bring herself to eat anything, including silkworm pupae, that she can't accept either.
Chen Yuanyao didn't hear clearly: "What swallow?"
"nothing."
She may not eat it herself, but she won't spoil other people's appetites.
Xiao Yunying took off her apron: "Let's go, I'll take you for a walk around the greenhouse."
I led them out of the yard through the back door and went to the vegetable greenhouse.
Xiao Yunying unlocked the door and let them in, then closed it behind her.
Chen Yuanyao said, "It's quite warm inside. Huh? There's no charcoal brazier."
Xiao Yunying patted the already assembled stove: "We don't need charcoal for now. The greenhouse is covered with three layers of waterproof tarpaulin, which can maintain the temperature generated by the ground."
When it snows, the stoves will be lit, and the heat from the four stoves will be evenly distributed to every part of the greenhouse through pipes. The smoke will be exhausted from the chimney above. With a layer of cotton blanket added for insulation, the vegetable seedlings won't freeze.
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