Jiang Shan nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin, and said, "That's true. Then let's prepare another gift list based on the one we prepared for Mother. We don't need clothes, shoes, or socks; let's prepare more of our own local specialties!"
"Excellent!"
"I'll also send over a few jars of my homemade wine and soy sauce... Oh right, I'll make some mooncakes tomorrow; we can't celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival without them!"
"I'll do whatever you say."
"And please send two baskets of salted duck eggs as well, they go well with rice!"
"Okay."
"Would you like some smoked meat? It hasn't been marinated long enough, so it won't keep for very long. You can take just a little bit!"
"Excellent!" There are tens of thousands of people on the mountain, and we can't give them too many... Fu Qiyuan added in his mind.
"I'll draw up a list for you to take a look at. If there are no problems, we'll start preparing tomorrow." Jiang Shan clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
When Fu Qiyuan left, he felt like he was floating, and his heart felt like it was filled with ten thousand sugar-coated fireworks, so dazzling and sweet.
As for the third day, when Fu Qiyuan received several boxes of Mid-Autumn Festival gifts and two exquisite headdresses from the Shangshu Mansion in the capital, the thought of "it is impolite not to reciprocate" never even crossed his mind.
Yes, they completely ignored it, whether it was their own father or mother.
When Aunt Li sent over some jewelry, Fu Qiyuan casually gave it to Jiang Shan. Jiang Shan didn't think much of it and put it away as soon as he turned around.
These days, all gold and silver jewelry can be passed down through generations or kept for emergencies.
After preparing the festival gifts, Aunt Li took the gift list to report to Fu Ting.
Fu Ting certainly wouldn't object to trying to please his son. Seeing that there were two valuable jewelry items on the gift list, Fu Ting didn't say anything, which was considered his tacit approval.
In the end, all they asked was for Aunt Li to tidy up the storeroom and make some room for her.
He knew that the girl his son liked owned a thriving shop in Chongqing and was even smarter and more capable than he had imagined. Although he wasn't a good match for his son, he wouldn't stand up for him and contradict him as long as his son was happy.
However, as the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, Fu Ting still hadn't received the festival gifts sent back by his son.
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he rushed back from a banquet in the palace, only to find that the place was empty.
Unable to bear it any longer, he summoned An San.
It would have been better if I hadn't asked; after asking, I almost made him furious.
It's one thing to send holiday gifts to the adoptive mother in Guyang County, but to send holiday gifts to the Fu family in Qingcheng Mountain as well!
He tolerated sending festival gifts to the Fu family in Qingcheng Mountain, so why not send festival gifts to the Fu family in the capital?
Why should I?!
The family living on Qingcheng Mountain is my ancestral home! I've never even met them, so why should I be so close to them?
He's the real father!
What a wicked son! He's even forgotten his own father!
After his anger subsided, Fu Ting felt deeply aggrieved for himself.
He was going to write a letter to his father, demanding that his son be his and that they shouldn't even think about taking his son!
He naturally never imagined that what An San told him was only what Fu Qiyuan wanted him to know; An San would never reveal a single word about what he didn't want him to know.
It's all because the old patriarch favors his grandson.
The same thing happened completely differently on Mount Qingcheng.
When the old patriarch Fu saw the three large carts overflowing with a dazzling array of food, his heart was practically leaping for joy.
The gifts sent by Jiangshan were mostly ordinary food items. Apart from a relative lack of seafood, the other supplies were readily available on the mountain.
but!
Jiangshan's pastries are beautifully shaped and taste amazing; they're so fragrant they're almost unbearable.
The roasted and marinated meats made in Jiangshan have a unique aroma. Once cooked, the fragrance can be smelled from across a mountain. The clay pot meat is so delicious that it can make a three-year-old child cry.
The soy sauce and wine that Jiang Shan sent were things that those reclusive martial arts practitioners had never even heard of, let alone seen.
There are also seasonal mooncakes and salted duck eggs; the thought behind them is truly ingenious!
Full marks!
He's determined to have this granddaughter-in-law! Not even the emperor can stop him!
It was as if a hook had grown in Old Master Fu's petty mind, making him really want to go down the mountain to help his granddaughter-in-law take care of her great-grandchild.
The one who delivered the festival gifts to Qingcheng Mountain was Fu Qiyuan's confidant, Fu Shu. He picked out the words that the old master of the Fu family liked to hear, and almost dragged his master's importance in the young master's heart to zero.
"Didn't send any festival gifts to the capital? Hahaha, good, good, good!" Old Master Fu slapped his thigh and laughed loudly.
"Yes! I imagine the young master is still upset about the Pei family's affairs!" Fu Shu imagined the young master's feelings with great empathy.
Mentioning the Pei family, the old patriarch Fu's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
If it weren't for that old woman from the Pei family causing trouble, her son wouldn't have held his breath and refused to contact them for so many years.
"Your uncle deserved to be defeated by that mother and daughter! He insisted on becoming an official, but he couldn't even handle a few women. How could I have given birth to such a stupid son!"
Fu Shu didn't know how to respond to this, so he laughed and said, "My young master is different. He just casually took a test and became the top scholar. He's amazing! The young master is even more amazing. Not only did he inherit the Fu family's talent for martial arts, but he can also recite the Three Character Classic at such a young age. He will definitely become the top scholar in both the civil and military examinations in the future!"
The old patriarch's eyes lit up. Thinking of his son's bad temper, he nervously lowered his voice and said, "Don't let your master know. We absolutely cannot let him take Xiao Huaihua from me again!"
Fu Shu patted his chest with unwavering confidence, "You can rest assured, as long as Miss doesn't give in, no one can take the young master away! Not even my young master can be taken away!"
When he said that last sentence, Fu Shu's expression was a mix of fear, disdain, and an indescribable melancholy.
The old patriarch Fu agreed wholeheartedly, which strengthened his resolve to win over his future granddaughter-in-law.
The Mid-Autumn Festival brings joy to some and sorrow to others.
The "Mid-Autumn Family Reunion" set meal offered by Jiang's Private Kitchen has seen queues stretching from Guyang County to Chongqing.
Jiang Shan personally led several shopkeepers and managers on a tour of the two shops. After confirming that there were no problems, he prepared to take them back to the first shop for a meal.
Not long after leaving the shop, a group of people came running towards them. A big fat man in front of them was running as fast as he could, and several people were chasing him for their lives.
"Young master, don't run away! Come back quickly!"
As the group drew closer, Jiang Shan tried to move aside, but the fat man grabbed her, asking anxiously and in alarm, "Where is Jiang's Private Kitchen? Quick, quick, where is it? Where is it?!"
Jiang Shan turned his head and pointed to the shop not far behind him.
The fat man shot off like an arrow, his speed many times faster than before.
"Hey, have you made a reservation?" Jiang Shan asked from behind.
The fat man had disappeared, but a long line of people followed him as he ran over.
A man who looked like a follower ran up to Jiang Shan, hunched over and clutching his back, panting as he said, "You...you're finished!"
A chill suddenly ran through Jiang Shan's heart.
(Author's note: Someone's identity is about to be exposed in Chapter 1. Guess who it is.)
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