Chapter 124: Fake
Wang Xifeng hurriedly took her leave and left. Watching her retreating figure, which seemed to be fleeing in panic, Yuan Hongqu seemed to be deep in thought.
I'm afraid the Rongguo Mansion will be enjoying a rare period of peace!
But what does it have to do with her?
Out of consideration for being from the same hometown as Wang Xifeng, she had already said a lot of things, both things she should and shouldn't have said.
If they continue to court disaster, there's nothing she can do to stop them!
When Yuan Hongqu returned to Jiaoyun Garden, Daiyu and the maids had already collected a large jar of snow and were discussing where to put it!
"Granny, where should we store this snow water? Running water doesn't stagnate, but once snow water is in the jar, it's no longer running water. Won't it spoil quickly?" Daiyu was very worried.
Although Daiyu initially thought that using snow water to brew tea would be both sweet and refreshing, she wondered if it was really appropriate to drink the water after it had been sitting for half a year.
She always drinks fresh water and eats fresh food. How can you drink water that isn't fresh, like snow water?
Daiyu felt that she might have done something futile.
"There's no need to worry about that," Yuan Hongqu explained.
"Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica states that snow collected in the twelfth lunar month, if sealed in a container and placed in a cool place, will not spoil for decades. The longer it is stored, the stronger the medicinal properties of the snow water become."
"Granny, can this snow water still be used to make tea?" Daiyu was quite concerned about this.
“Of course it can be used to make tea, but people who drink tea made with snow water must first be strong and healthy, otherwise it might not be good for their health,” Yuan Hongqu said after a moment’s thought.
Miaoyu, I'm sorry, but you should keep the snow water that's been buried under your plum tree for five years. Our Daiyu is not worthy of enjoying it.
“Your body is not as strong as others’. Snow water is inherently cold and not nourishing. We might as well not eat it.”
"Then all my collecting of this jar of snow water would be a complete waste," Daiyu said, somewhat dejected.
"How could that be? Vegetable and grain seeds soaked in snow water from the twelfth lunar month are drought-resistant and less prone to insects. Sprinkling this snow water on furniture can also repel mosquitoes and flies."
"If it's really that good, what if we mix the medicine with incense? Wouldn't it be even more effective at repelling mosquitoes than regular incense?"
Yuan Hongqu nodded gently, "That's possible. Why don't you and Zhixia make some incense together when you have some free time and give it a try?"
Zhixia was skilled in making incense and also knew some pharmacology. Whenever Daiyu got a new incense, she would ask Zhixia to come and identify it. She could even describe the ingredients in the incense with great accuracy.
Yuan Hongqu thought this girl was a promising talent, and even specially asked her to study this area more.
When Zhixia heard Yuan Hongqu mention her name, she said...
“Miss, we have used snow water to blend incense in previous years, and the shampoo you use now is also made with snow water.”
"It's good that it wasn't all for nothing. I was just regretting that I had put in so much effort, and it would have been such a waste if it had all been lost." Daiyu smiled after hearing this.
“How could it be a waste of time? This snow water from the twelfth lunar month is very good for treating burns and frostbite. If you get prickly heat in the summer, just wipe it with this snow water and it will work very well!” Tingyu also knew some folk remedies that used snow water. “In my hometown, my mother would store several jars of snow water every year when it snowed in the twelfth lunar month! Otherwise, it wouldn’t be enough when the weather got hot.”
"Can't we use 'spring snow'?" Daiyu found it strange. "Isn't it all snow?"
“Young lady, spring snow cannot be stored. It will spoil by summer and become unusable,” Tingyu said.
Having gained many more strange and wonderful insights, Daiyu was quite satisfied. She carefully took up her pen to record what she had heard that day, then copied it out again and put it into an envelope.
This was the first letter Daiyu wrote to her father after Lin Ruhai left.
With disaster relief efforts underway in the western part of the city, Yuan Hongqu no longer had much time to think about things there. Her top priority now was to copy out the "Travels of Xu Xiake" that Daiyu wanted to read.
Yuan Hongqu first went to a nearby calligraphy and painting shop, bought paper for copying books, and then bought several hand-copied books.
She returned to her family's courtyard and then entered the space.
It would be impossible for her to copy books herself; her calligraphy skills are mediocre. If she were to copy books for Lin Daiyu to read, she would be mortified.
Yuan Hongqu first compared the paper used for copying books with the printing paper in the space. After finding the most similar paper, she cut it to the appropriate size, put it in the printer to test it, and it was able to print normally.
Yuan Hongqu felt a sense of relief.
After examining the writing style and structure of the handwritten copies, she had a general idea of what to expect. She then converted her copy of Xu Xiake's Travels into traditional Chinese characters, adjusted the layout and font, printed it out, and compared it to the handwritten copy she had purchased...
She spent half a day adjusting the settings in the space and finally finished processing the first volume of "Xu Xiake's Travels".
Yuan Hongqu had never seen the contents of the handwritten copy of "Xu Xiake's Travels". She heard that the original version had been lost, so even if there were discrepancies in the content, it could only be said that it was copied incorrectly when it was circulated.
The set she has is the result of numerous revisions and compilations, and it is the essence that has survived the test of time. It is incomparable to any ancient handwritten copy.
After busying herself for half a day, Yuan Hongqu left the space with a book that smelled of ink. As soon as she stepped outside, a gust of cold wind blew, and she felt her throbbing head instantly clear.
Am I doing something like making pirated books in ancient times?
As she stepped through the gates of the Lin residence, Yuan Hongqu gave a self-deprecating laugh, then consoled herself.
"I didn't expect to make money from this; it's just that I'm lazy, and I didn't dare let Daiyu study my handwriting every day, so I ended up making this book..."
Yuan Hongqu looked at the brand-new copy of "Xu Xiake's Travels" and felt something was amiss. The book was too new; as a handwritten copy, the ink wasn't even completely dry. If she showed it to Daiyu, she estimated that Daiyu, with her intelligence, would immediately notice something was wrong.
But she doesn't yet have the skill to age books.
It seems that Daiyu will have to be disappointed for now.
This book cannot be shown to Daiyu yet. I will read it myself for a while, and then give it to Daiyu when it gets a bit worn.
"Granny, is that 'The Travels of Xu Xiake' you're holding?" Daiyu's crisp voice suddenly rang in her ears. Yuan Hongqu was stunned for a moment, and looked up to see that she had unknowingly walked into the inner courtyard.
Daiyu was playing with the little sleds in the courtyard with the maids, and now she was sitting on the sleds on a small slope in the courtyard, ready to slide down it.
She spotted Yuan Hongqu holding a book from afar and immediately became excited, remembering the travelogue Yuan Hongqu had told her about.
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