Chapter 153 The gift touched the heart!
Manager Min quickly stood up, took out two big golden corn cobs from the bag and handed them over.
“What…what is this?!”
Sure enough, Mr. Min and Mrs. Min were both surprised. They subconsciously shook the corn cobs in their hands and their eyes widened.
"Master, this is corn. It's a high-yield grain imported from overseas. It's been grown in Fuzhou Prefecture for two years. I heard it doesn't require a lot of soil, and the planting process is similar to sorghum, but the yield is two to three times that of sorghum. And after the grain is harvested, the kernels can be crushed or ground into flour, which can be used to make porridge or flatbread. It tastes great and is especially good for satisfying hunger!"
"Really?" Old Master Tai was rarely so happy. He suddenly remembered something and said, "Last year, a classmate who was sent south wrote to me and mentioned it a few words. I thought he didn't know anything about farming and was exaggerating. Now it seems that I was too narrow-minded. I didn't expect such a miraculous high-yield thing to exist."
Madam Tai quickly responded, "The world is so vast, and there are so many strange things. How could Master possibly know everything? Besides, it doesn't matter if we don't know. Look, such good grain seeds are right here before our eyes."
Mr. Min laughed and nodded repeatedly.
Madam Min then asked Steward Min, "Did the Tai family go south? How did they come across such good seeds?"
Manager Min quickly responded, "Madam, the third son of the Tai family got some cashmere and had women weave it into cashmere mats. He was planning to send it south to exchange for some goods to sell. He happened to meet a merchant from Fuzhou who had difficulty acclimatizing and had to turn back halfway. The third son of the Tai family was shrewd and simply exchanged the cashmere mats for all the merchant's goods."
After saying this, he stepped aside and revealed the candied fruits and tea leaves, saying with a smile, "The Tai family is a very honest family. They gave us almost everything they brought back. They didn't even consider that our family is rich and there's no need for these ordinary things..."
Old Master Min frowned and scolded, "Shut up! No matter what the Tai family sends, it's always a thoughtful gesture. Not to mention the grain seeds shipped all the way from the south! If you say something like this again, and make people think the Min family is arrogant and rude, then you can go back to the farm and farm!"
"Yes, sir! I made a slip of the tongue and would never dare to tarnish the reputation of the Min family." Steward Min quickly knelt down to admit his mistake. At the end, as if he wanted to make amends, he said, "Sir, the Tai family is a small family. They probably took all their wealth to buy things and took them south, and then exchanged them for these candied fruits and tea. But we have too many in Tai'an, and I'm afraid we can't sell them.
"Our convoy to the grassland is about to depart. Why not add a few more vehicles and have the Tai family take the candied fruits and tea to the grassland? We will definitely recoup our investment."
Mr. Min usually doesn't bother with such trivial matters. He waved his hand and said, "You can report it to the lady."
After that, he instructed Madam Min, "I will go to the front to talk to the retainers about the new grain. Dinner will be served in the study."
"Yes, sir."
Mrs. Min agreed and stood up to see Mr. Min off.
When she turned around again, she glanced at Manager Min with a half-smile and said, "Min Chang, you are so close to the Tai family? You are not afraid of angering the master, but you are still paving the way for the Tai family."
Manager Min kowtowed quickly without making any excuses, but simply said, "Madam, please allow me to say that I am a servant of the Min family, so naturally I will always consider the Min family's interests.
"The reason I'm on good terms with the Tai family is, firstly, that they're considerate, simple, and grateful. Secondly, I've always felt that the Tai family has good fortune, like this good seed.
"In Tai'an, there are at least eighty, if not a hundred, caravans traveling north and south each year. But no one ever brings back these seeds. Instead, the third son of the Tai family fell ill and stayed at the infirmary. He happened upon a merchant from Fuzhou who was also ill. They shared beds across from each other, and after a few words, they struck a deal and brought back the seeds. Don't you think this was a bit of a coincidence?"
Mrs. Min couldn't help but nod her head after hearing this. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that the Tai family was indeed lucky.
Is this what Buddhism means by the law of cause and effect, that good people will be rewarded?
"What you said does make some sense. Get up." Madam Min raised her hand. When Manager Min stood up, she instructed, "Go to the warehouse later..."
Halfway through her speech, she changed her mind.
"No, I'll prepare a return gift for you to send to the Tai family tomorrow. Ask them if they're willing to go to the grasslands. If they are, they can leave with our caravan in a few days. If not, that's fine too."
Also, I'll send an invitation to Yang for my birthday party in three days, asking her to bring her little maid to attend."
"Yes, ma'am!" Manager Min was happy and immediately agreed, then retreated obediently.
If he went to the warehouse to get something for the Tai family, it would only be considered a reward from the Min family to the Tai family.
But the return gift that the Madam personally prepared meant that the Min family treated the Tai family as real relatives and friends!
I have to say, the Tai family made the right decision by sending these high-yield corn seeds.
Not only did it make the master pay attention to it, but it also made the lady happy!
Besides, Tai Jiye was worried sick on his way home. The things he brought back from so far away were not only worthless, but he might even end up losing money. This was a huge blow to him.
But when he got home he didn't say a word, not wanting to embarrass himself, and even more so not wanting to make his family worry.
That night, he tossed and turned like a pie and didn't fall asleep until dawn.
The whole family, young and old, got together to eat breakfast early, but Tai Jiye was nowhere to be seen.
The old man asked, "Where's the third brother?"
Yang Lihua quickly responded, "Dad, Yong'an went to check, and the third child is still asleep. Maybe he's too tired from the journey and hasn't recovered yet. Let him sleep a little longer. There's not much work to do at home anyway."
The old man nodded but said nothing.
As a result, after dinner, when the table was cleared, the sun rose higher and higher, but Tai Jiye still didn't get up.
Grandpa Tai frowned, picked up his granddaughter and said, "Come on, let's go see your uncle. The sun is already shining on your butt, and you still haven't gotten up. What a disgrace!"
Zhuzhu smiled, hugged her grandfather's neck, and laughed at her uncle, "Grandpa, lift up Third Uncle's quilt!"
The old man laughed and replied, "Okay, find another wet cloth and let him wake up!"
Before the grandfather and grandson could take action, Manager Min arrived in a carriage.
Manager Min was wearing new clothes and had a smiling face, followed by two servants carrying boxes.
Old Master Tai quickly went up to greet him and said with a smile, "Manager Min, you haven't been here for a while. Come in and sit down!"
Steward Min bowed, then took the fat girl and teased her with a smile, "Zhuzhu, do you miss Uncle Min? Uncle Min brought you some delicious food!"
Zhuzhu clapped her chubby hands and shouted happily, "Uncle Min is the best, Zhuzhu wants some snacks!"
Old Master Tai chimed in, laughing, "This girl ate the dim sum my third son brought back from the south the other day, and she said it wasn't as good as the ones in your shop!"
Manager Min laughed heartily and said proudly, "Of course, the dim sum in our shop is the best in Tai'an. Zhuzhu likes it so much, so next time you come to the shop, uncle will take you to try the freshly baked ones!"
While they were talking, except for Tai Jizong who went out, the rest of the Tai family came out and greeted Manager Min one after another.
Yang Lihua brought Chunhong some tea, then took her daughter in her arms and sat down with Tai Jizu.
At this time, Tai Jiye was also woken up, and he rushed over after regaining his consciousness.
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