Chapter 39 The Rice Seeds Are Gone
"Second Grandma, we hit it off immediately and can talk about anything..."
Yuan Hongqu didn't delay her work while talking; with a swift stroke, she peeled the outer skin off three coconuts.
“But here, we’re not equals. If you don’t want to be suspected, it’s best if we keep our distance.”
The last time I gave cherry tomatoes to Wang Xifeng, I heard her say that even things from the palace could be found if you asked someone for help.
Although Yuan Hongqu disagreed and was worried at the time, she was surprised to find that it was not an exaggeration for the matriarch of Rongguo Mansion to say such a thing.
I was being too cautious.
Another point is that although she herself was not a slave, and her former teacher even had a certificate issued by the government to prove her status as a teacher.
But to outsiders, her close friendship with the second mistress of the Rongguo Mansion, who was at the top of power, was seen as an attempt to climb the social ladder and curry favor with the powerful.
Even though Wang Xifeng was her die-hard fan in modern times, in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber she is the noble second mistress of the Rongguo Mansion, while she is just a tutor and governess in the Lin family.
Therefore, I should no longer have close relationships with Wang Xifeng in public; it would be better for both of us.
"Sister Yuan, didn't I already say that I want to learn to read from you?"
Wang Xifeng didn't care about so many things. With this excuse, even if she came to see Yuan Hongqu every day, no one would dare to say anything!
“Sister, there are many improper things happening in this mansion. I have a good relationship with you, so I won’t let people blow it out of proportion.”
"You still need to be careful. Don't come here so often in the future. While you don't need to be timid in your actions, remember not to cross the line. That way, you might not be able to keep your wealthy life, but at least you'll be able to keep your life!"
The deeper Yuan Hongqu delved into the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, the more she understood its rules, and the more careful she became, the more cautious she had to be in her actions.
"Sister, don't worry, I won't go along with them!" Wang Xifeng said with a smile, only then noticing what Yuan Hongqu was dealing with.
"Coconut!" she exclaimed. "Sister, quickly give me a cup of coconut juice!"
She simply grabbed a clean cup from the side and held it out to them.
"So greedy? What good things hasn't Second Grandma seen? Why would she be interested in this?"
Yuan Hongqu smiled and poured her a glass of coconut water.
"You have no idea, I was out socializing these past few days and heard that a few places in the capital spent a hundred taels of silver to buy a rare thing. They said it was green on the outside, very hard, and watery inside. When I heard that, I thought it was a coconut. I was just thinking of having someone inquire about it and buy some to try. But before I could go, I found it here."
Wang Xifeng drank the coconut water and was thinking of asking Yuan Hongqu for another cup.
But then they saw Yuan Hongqu pour all the coconut water into a porcelain basin.
"I'll make coconut chicken later and save some for you."
"Sister, where did you buy this? And those tomatoes from last time, I've never been able to buy them before." Even if Wang Xifeng was naive and innocent, she knew that there were many things about her sister that she didn't know. If her sister was willing to tell her, she could help cover things up for her.
The fact that Yuan Hongqu possessed a spatial ability could not be revealed, but it would be much more convenient for Second Madam Lian to know some things.
“I have a friend who trades goods overseas. He has a small shop in the capital and can get some fresh goods every ten days or so. All of these come from him. Your Wang family is the King of the East Sea. These things are usually shipped to your house by the ship. Don’t you know that?”
Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes at Yuan Hongqu and said bluntly, "I had no idea that the Wang family had such a glorious history."
Yuan Hongqu was taken aback by her words. She realized that Wang Xifeng didn't have any memories of her. She had always been playing Wang Xifeng and didn't really know much about the Wang family's background. It seemed that she would have to find time to explain the Wang family's affairs to her in detail.
"If anyone mentions it, just say that it was something from your childhood, and besides, you went to live in the capital when you were young and haven't been back to Jinling for many years. You don't remember it anymore, you only remember that your family did seem to have such a thing back then."
Wang Xifeng nodded, "I understand, Sister Yuan... When the Wang family first came, I mostly didn't see them, only a few times on important occasions. I'm usually busy, so it's normal that they don't see me even when they come..."
Yuan Hongqu felt a little reluctant. Sometimes, fate really does play tricks on people, letting a naive and innocent girl transmigrate into Wang Xifeng's body without giving her any of Wang Xifeng's memories. Fortunately, this naive and innocent girl's profession is acting. If it were an ordinary person, they probably wouldn't last more than a few days before being exposed.
Seeing that Yuan Hongqu seemed to have softened her heart towards her again, Wang Xifeng took advantage of her busy schedule to bring up that matter again.
"Sister Yuan, the old lady has always wanted you to tutor the girls in their family. Why don't you agree? It's good to have a powerful backer. The Rongguo Mansion's reputation still has some use outside."
"After Zhong Fang was kicked out, her classes were only available three times a month. The girls also refused to learn any more about female virtues, saying that what they learned from the teacher in the morning was enough for them."
"Am I already teaching?" Yuan Hongqu said calmly, taking out all the coconut meat from a coconut.
“Uh,” Wang Xifeng watched Yuan Hongqu’s movements. Her movements were just as nimble as when she had watched Yuan Hongqu’s modern videos before. She sighed again, thinking how lucky she was to have Yuan Hongqu as her cheat code.
But after listening to Yuan Hongqu's words, she thought back and realized that it seemed that during the two previous times when they had attended the women's virtue class, the girls had come to Rongyue Courtyard.
It is said that she observed plants and made records with Daiyu, and even the Fourth Sister asked her for paints, wanting to draw pictures to record the growth process of plants.
"Sister Yuan, then I can explain myself." Wang Xifeng smiled broadly. "I should come and attend classes with them whenever I have time in the future."
Yuan Hongqu rolled her eyes at her.
"Are you sure? You haven't heard enough of those things yet, and you want to hear them again?"
"Sister Yuan, what exactly are you teaching them?" Wang Xifeng asked, pressing for an answer.
"Ideological and political education, didn't you take any classes?"
"Ah!" Wang Xifeng was so shocked her jaw almost dropped. "You're teaching ideology and politics in feudal society? Amazing!"
“Otherwise, what should I teach them? Poetry and composing? Aren’t they all better than me? Physics and chemistry? I’m afraid I’ll be seen as a con artist! I’ll just teach them how to grow flowers and learn the right principles of being a good person. That’s the safest approach,” Yuan Hongqu said seriously.
Wang Xifeng thought of the political education classes she had taken from elementary school to university without interruption, and her expression changed slightly. "Sister, you'd better take it easy."
Yuan Hongqu smiled and said, "I know what I'm doing."
She was simply stating some simple truths while the girls were observing the plants, leaving them completely bewildered.
This was a theory completely different from what they had learned before, but it made a lot of sense. Sometimes, a simple sentence would enlighten them.
What Yuan Hongqu taught them was the essence of thousands of years of cultural knowledge.
Wang Xifeng was still in shock and hadn't recovered when Yuan Hongqu chased her out.
"Second Madam, you can go out now! While you're at it, remind your Second Master Lian when he's going to send me the rice seeds he promised? And are the tomatoes almost ready to bear fruit?"
Yuan Hongqu was preparing to chop the whole chicken into pieces. She was wearing old clothes and an apron, which was fine, but if Wang Xifeng were splattered with blood and bits of meat, her outfit would be ruined.
Wang Xifeng felt ashamed after hearing this. She had urged Jia Lian, but the rice seeds for this year had already been cultivated and planted in the fields.
Jia Lian was asking around to see if anyone had any extra rice seeds that they could share with him.
Yuan Hongqu hadn't urged them at all, and this was the first time she'd brought it up in so long. Wang Xifeng herself felt rather embarrassed.
"Sister, why don't we ask him for something else? What's so good about that rice? It looks so green, I don't even like eating it..."
Yuan Hongqu sharpened the kitchen knife, and, in the light streaming in from the window, examined the blade.
"In that case, I want to buy a small estate so that I can have a place to retire when I get old. Can you ask Second Master Lian to help me find one?"
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