Inside Qingxi Pavilion, Xu Wanying was practically going moldy from staying there. Fortunately, the system had an entertainment function, allowing her to watch some movies and TV shows in her mind.
She was watching a highly-rated comedy at the moment and was immediately amused.
"Hahaha—" She closed her eyes, leaned back in the recliner and swayed slowly, occasionally letting out a few eerie laughs, which looked somewhat frightening.
The two maids standing by her side looked at her with worried expressions.
"What's wrong, Madam? Have you fallen asleep?"
"How can you talk like that? Maybe you're having a good dream. Anyway, with us guarding the place, nothing serious will happen."
She didn't stop until she finished watching a whole series.
When she sat up, she realized that her lower abdomen was a little sore. It was obvious that she had laughed too much and had been straining her abdomen, which caused some soreness.
[System, system, I just watched a comedy, is that why I'm in a particularly good mood?]
[Yes, the host experienced twenty small emotional leaps and five instances of bursting into laughter while watching that comedy.]
"So you have plenty of energy? I'll do this from now on: you watch comedies for me, I'll recharge your energy, and then we can happily enjoy the gossip!" Xu Wanying felt a surge of joy.
She's a genius! She actually came up with this ingenious method of self-production and self-sales; it's practically a perpetual motion machine.
The system remained silent for a long time, clearly speechless at her antics.
[Host, only the positive emotions generated by external stimuli can be converted into energy. Stimuli provided internally by the system do not count. Please do not cheat; there are no shortcuts to energy recharging.] The system warned sternly.
Xu Wanying immediately felt bored and couldn't help but scoff, "Tch, so boring!"
Her path to becoming a gossip enthusiast is long and arduous!
"Madam, the young master's wife has arrived," a maid announced from outside.
"Please let her in." Xu Wanying had just gotten tired of watching TV dramas and wanted to change her mind. She wanted to see what this sister-in-law wanted.
"Third sister-in-law, how are you feeling today?"
Before anyone even entered the courtyard, they could already hear Li Chunlan's loud voice.
Before Xu Wanying could answer, she saw a large group of people following behind Li Chunlan. They were all burly women, with two people carrying a large box each, for a total of six boxes.
“Your head was injured, and you’ve been recuperating at home. Although I sent you some apologies last time, it was mostly medicine and tonics. At the time, you were lying in bed, and I figured you wouldn’t be in the mood to spend time on food, clothes, or dressing up. A few days ago, I saw that you were feeling better, so I packed a few more boxes to send over.”
Li Chunlan waved her hand, and immediately an old woman opened all six boxes.
The first box contained silk fabrics. Li Chunlan casually said, "I heard that my third sister-in-law likes Shu brocade. I happen to have plenty here, so I picked out a few brightly colored ones that are suitable for a young girl like you. Of course, my sister-in-law's taste isn't very good. If you don't like them, we can go to my private storeroom together to pick some out when you're feeling better."
"These few bolts of gauze were specially selected by me to make your bed curtains. The gauze curtains on your canopy bed were splattered with blood before, and I hadn't thought of it until I was choosing gifts today. I had a few maids cut them, and they're breathable and look nice when hung up! I was lying on the bed with nothing to do, so I stared at the top of the curtains, and it was quite interesting."
When Li Chunlan talked about these Shu brocades and silks, her eyes shone, completely different from her previous vulgarity, exuding a sense of confidence and effortless ease.
Clearly, this is her comfort zone.
Before Xu Wanying could even speak, the system exclaimed in surprise: "[My God, your sister-in-law is truly wealthy, befitting the daughter of a royal merchant! The bolts of gauze she's holding are tribute items, called Moon Brocade Gauze. Only the most favored concubines in the palace are allowed to wear these, and even then, they're often cut up and used as outer garments to flaunt their favor throughout the harem.]"
[Or it could be cut into a close-fitting nightgown, worn to seduce the emperor during his nights of service. This kind of moon-colored brocade would subtly shimmer in the light, as pure and bright as the moon, hence its name. The concubine who first had a nightgown made to seduce the emperor is now one of the four imperial consorts and has been bestowed the title of Moon Consort by the emperor, all thanks to this moon-colored brocade.]
[Your sister-in-law is too extravagant! She actually used this kind of gauze to make mosquito nets, and even gave you several bolts. Tsk tsk, no wonder merchants are ranked at the very bottom; they live a more luxurious life than the nobles in the palace. If they had power, what would that be like?]
Xu Wanying didn't initially think much of the fabrics when she saw them.
After all, she came from the modern world and thought she had seen many strange and wonderful things, but after hearing the system's introduction, she suddenly felt completely different.
Offerings, oh, I never thought she would one day live a life of using and tearing apart offerings.
Not to mention Xu Wanying, even Li Chunlan, the person involved, couldn't help but stand there stunned after hearing the system's explanation.
She had always known that the salt merchants of Yangzhou were extremely wealthy, especially since her father was one of the four major salt merchants, making him even richer. It was not surprising that his family had tribute items.
She just didn't expect that the tributes those nobles possessed were not even as good as what they had at home.
"Sister-in-law, this is too precious, please take it—" Xu Wanying said politely first.
"What's the rush, Third Sister-in-law? I haven't finished introducing myself yet!" Li Chunlan interrupted her directly.
She brought these gifts purely to please Xu Wanying; she never intended to take them back with her.
You have to make people happy!
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