After the emperor and Empress Dowager Jiang had rested, they went to visit the melon fields and grape fields.
They had eaten grapes before, but the grape varieties grown on Gu Nian's estate were somewhat different from the ones they ate.
The watermelons ripened faster because they were watered with a low proportion of water from the small plot of land, which is why the grapes in the vineyard are not yet ripe.
The field is mostly covered with flowers.
Empress Dowager Jiang felt she had fallen in love with this place; there were so many flowers, which she, as the Empress Dowager, had never seen before!
"Sister Gu, your child is amazing!" Empress Dowager Jiang said, linking arms with Grandma Gu.
"These seeds were given to us by the Zhou family. They can only be said to be good at farming. We peasants may not be good at anything else, but we must be good at farming, otherwise we won't have anything to eat!" Grandma Gu still had a pretty good impression of Empress Dowager Jiang.
"Yes! I can say I've seen all the famous beauties, some of which were raised by Master Zhou and sent to the capital, but Master Zhou's ability in farming is still a bit inferior to your family's," Empress Dowager Jiang said with a smile. Then, the topic suddenly shifted to Grandpa Gu, "By the way, Sister Gu, I heard that your brother Chuan is a refugee, and your eldest son is thirty-four. Then Brother Ye must have arrived in Qingzhou thirty-five years ago, right? Where is Brother Ye from?"
Grandma Gu paused, looking at Empress Dowager Jiang with suspicion.
Empress Dowager Jiang smiled quite frankly: "I think Brother Ye looks familiar. My husband's family also has the surname Ye, so I'm asking to see if we're from the same place."
Grandma Gu turned to look at Grandpa Gu, who was leading the children to see the flowers, and said, "Brother Chuan fled from the north. He only had his father and sister at home. During the escape, his father and sister both met with misfortune. Finally, he came to our village, and it was my father who saved him."
Empress Dowager Jiang suddenly realized, "So there's a father and a sister too? Then it shouldn't be. My husband has an elder brother who disappeared decades ago. There's a large family fortune waiting for him to inherit, but since we couldn't find him, my stepmother had no choice but to let my husband inherit it."
Grandma Gu nodded: "Oh, then it can't be. Brother Chuan has been raised by his father and sister since he was a child, and he has no brothers."
Empress Dowager Jiang sighed: "My husband's stepmother is seventy years old this year. The old lady spends her days eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers, hoping to find her eldest son. Although she doesn't say it, we younger generations can all see it. I just hope that her brother is still alive and can return to reunite with his stepmother as soon as possible. You know, at seventy years old, it's really uncertain when she will be gone. Although she didn't raise my husband, she raised my son. I respect her, and I also hope that she can get her wish and have no regrets."
Grandma Gu sighed, "Ah, it's not easy being an old person! I hope you can achieve your wish soon."
...
After spending four days at the Gu family home, the Emperor and Empress Dowager Jiang had fallen in love with the place. Empress Dowager Jiang, in particular, finally found the feeling of being a grandmother here, and she wanted to take all of the Gu family's grandchildren back with her.
She was very interested in everything in Gu Nian's laboratory—the various fragrances, the products that everyone had already made, and the products that were being researched.
She really wanted to send a group of skillful palace maids to Gu Nian, but she was afraid of scaring her.
The emperor advised her to find an opportunity to bestow these women upon her when Gu Shouxin came to the capital for the imperial examinations next year.
Empress Dowager Jiang had a sudden inspiration: "Zhao'er, what do you think about me finding them a shop, so they can open it as soon as they arrive in the capital? I'll also reward them with a house, closer to the palace, so they can easily come to the palace."
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