Chapter 44 Care
“My uncle is a hunter. He was lucky and dug it up to plant in the yard. He never expected to accidentally dig up such a valuable species,” Song Yushu explained.
“If you want to buy it, I will bring it tomorrow,” Yang Su said, holding the sixty-five taels of silver in his hand, his expression somewhat excited.
“I want one. If the one you bring tomorrow is of the same quality as this one, I will take it,” one of the scholars who loved orchids quickly said.
The other scholars, having acquired a pine tree at Qingsong Hall, were no longer so attached to it.
"You can go to the magistrate's residence tomorrow. The magistrate's wife is a flower lover," Xue Huai'an reminded him from the side.
"Thank you for the reminder, Master Xue. We'll head back now," Song Yushu said, having achieved his goal, and decided not to bother the teachers any further.
"How did it go? Did you sell the flowers?" Mother Wei asked as she waited for them to return at the shop.
"Go inside first," Yang Su said, now that he had a large sum of money in his hands, he couldn't make a scene outside.
"These flowers are so valuable! You won't need to go hunting in the mountains anymore. If you set up the land quickly, you can plant a batch of grain," Mother Wei thought to herself, feeling happy for him.
“I’ll go back and ask where they can be sold. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known that those few flowers in the yard could be sold. Please accept these ten taels!” Yang Su took out ten taels of silver and put it on the table.
"Oh! No need for that. We were just reminding you. You dug up these flowers and planted them. What business is it of ours? Brother, you should put the flowers away!" When Wei's mother saw that he was offering ten taels of silver at once, she quickly tried to dissuade him.
“Uncle, we don’t need your money. Last time, my aunt said we could choose whichever flower we liked. Tomorrow when you go down the mountain, please help me pick out two pretty flowers. They’ll look nice in my shop. You can take the money back.”
Seeing that the brother and sister were declining each other's offers, Song Yushu simply asked for two pots of flowers as a thank you gift, since the flowers in the Yang family's courtyard were all growing well.
“Yes, just listen to your nephew. Pick out a couple of potted plants to put in the shop. Maybe they’ll bring you good fortune! How festive!” Mother Wei also thought Song Yushu’s idea was good.
"Alright, you go back first, I'll bring you two pretty pots of flowers tomorrow," Yang Su couldn't refuse the two of them, so he had to agree. He still had to get back before dark, and it was getting late.
"Your maternal grandparents' family can finally live a peaceful life now. Everyone says that hunters earn a lot when they go into the mountains, but only family members know that every trip into the mountains is extremely dangerous. The scar on your uncle's face is from when he encountered a tiger eight years ago. He escaped from the tiger's jaws but almost lost his life. Your aunt has been worried ever since. She didn't want your cousin to go into the mountains with your uncle, but she was also afraid that your uncle would suffer too much alone..."
Mother Wei is now genuinely happy for her eldest brother. Yang Su is so old, he finally doesn't have to go into the mountains anymore. With land and several children to help him, he can live a stable life.
Song Yushu sighed inwardly, becoming even more determined to earn more money. She didn't own any land yet, but once she earned enough, she should probably buy some. After all, if things didn't go well in business, she would have a backup plan. It would be even better if she could come back and become a landlord; her life there certainly wouldn't be too bad.
The next morning, as soon as Song Yushu's restaurant opened, he saw Yang Su waiting at the door.
“Uncle, you’re here so early. Have you eaten yet? Come in and have something to eat with my mother to tide you over,” Song Yushu said, noticing that the dew on his trousers was still wet. He must be hungry after traveling such a long distance.
Yang Su brought back a sum of money yesterday, and the Yang family was very excited. His father was in tears, never expecting that his grandson's generation would no longer have to risk their lives to earn money on the mountain. He was so excited last night that he barely slept, his mind preoccupied with selling the orchids to buy land.
“These two pots of flowers were chosen by your aunt. She loves tending to these flowers and plants. These two are blooming the best,” Yang Su said, bringing out the flowers he had brought for Song Yushu.
"Auntie, you're so thoughtful. These two pots of flowers are so cheerful."
Song Yushu couldn't recognize what kind of flowers they were, but they were all in full bloom. One pot had pale yellow flowers, and another had pale pink flowers. They looked vibrant and lovely.
Zhou Chengzhu liked it too, and even forgot to eat breakfast, so she excitedly went to water the flowers.
Song Yushu didn't keep Yang Su waiting for long. After quickly eating some wild vegetable pancakes and porridge, he took Yang Su to the academy.
The teacher who wanted to buy orchids yesterday stared at two pots of orchids and couldn't decide which one to choose. Other teachers came over to watch the fun and gave him a lot of advice. Finally, he bought an orchid that was a little smaller than the one from yesterday for fifty-five taels of silver.
After Yang Su accepted the money, Song Yushu led his men to the residence of County Magistrate Gu Cheng.
After knocking on the door, Song Yushu thought it wouldn't be so easy to see the magistrate's wife, but to his surprise, after the gatekeeper announced their arrival, a maid came and led them inside.
Song Yushu and Yang Su didn't dare to look too long and followed the maid to the backyard. Unexpectedly, they also saw County Magistrate Gu Cheng, who was currently enjoying the flowers with his wife.
"You're here to sell orchids, right? Yesterday, Xue Huai'an even sent someone over to say hello and bring the orchids up for us to see. If you like them, Madam, please keep them," Gu Cheng glanced at Song Yushu, feeling a bit more favorably disposed towards her as he remembered how much she had helped the orphanage before.
The magistrate's wife was beautiful and dignified, and her demeanor was elegant and proper. However, she was very friendly to them, which relieved Song Yushu.
The orchid that Yang Su brought was certainly of good quality; otherwise, the academy's teacher wouldn't have hesitated for so long, and the magistrate's wife would have bought it quickly.
"One hundred taels? Isn't that too much? Madam, please give the market price, sixty taels will be enough," the magistrate's wife's generosity truly surprised Song Yushu and Yang Su.
"Don't you recognize me? I was there when you were at the orphanage helping those children buy New Year's goods. The extra money was my token of appreciation."
"So it's Madam. No wonder so many ladies and young misses have come. If we hadn't had more manpower, I really wouldn't have been able to handle it all." Song Yushu didn't expect that the county magistrate's wife was so down-to-earth, actually going to the orphanage to cut paper and prepare for the New Year.
"If it weren't for your idea, how could the orphanage have attracted so much attention? You're a clever one. I heard you even opened a restaurant in town? I'll have to try it sometime," the magistrate's wife said, pulling Song Yushu aside for a while before letting him go.
"So? My junior brother has good taste, doesn't he?"
"He's a good person, but how can you tell that your junior brother is interested in her?" The magistrate's wife didn't want to play along with his unreliable behavior.
"If he didn't like it, why would he send someone to make a special trip to tell us? Isn't he afraid we'll lock him out?" Gu Cheng said confidently.
"Couldn't we just feel sorry for a woman struggling to make a living with two children? Besides, he's the tutor of one of the children!"
"Then let's make a bet..."
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