Chapter 40 Coconuts in the Palace
Yuan Hongqu never expected it to be such a coincidence.
Rice is in short supply right now, and even the old lady only has so much left to cook porridge; there's not even enough to cook rice.
The remaining rice seedlings have already been cultivated, and I can't very well tell them that seedlings are fine too.
Besides, I was just curious at the time, and even if it's really not possible to plant it for the time being, it's not a big deal.
When Wang Xifeng heard Yuan Hongqu say she wanted to buy a manor, her eyes lit up and she immediately said:
“That’s much easier. We don’t need him. There’s a small estate next to my dowry estate that’s up for sale. Zhou Rui’s wife even came to ask me yesterday if I wanted to buy it. I’ll just buy it and give it to you.”
"If you're going to send it, then I won't accept it." Yuan Hongqu didn't want to have too much financial involvement with the Rongguo Mansion.
If too many things get involved, and the Rongguo Mansion is eventually raided, I might not be able to keep what I own. It's safest to buy things with my own money.
“You can have someone make the connection for me, I’ll buy it myself.” Yuan Hongqu’s attitude was very firm.
Wang Xifeng did not press the matter further.
Originally, Hongqu used three coconuts as the main ingredients to make coconut chicken, coconut glutinous rice rolls, coconut meat and red date milk, and a coconut milk jelly.
The maids also brought the three young ladies' daily meals to Rongyue Courtyard.
Daiyu had eaten coconut chicken once, but no one else had.
The Rongguo Mansion was founded by military officers, so the dishes that the masters usually preferred were mostly heavily seasoned, with lots of sauce and oil. Meat dishes were rarely made so lightly, looking as if they had been boiled in water.
This young lady actually prefers dishes that look clean and simple.
Daiyu felt much more at ease eating at Rongyue Courtyard. Xueyan first served her a bowl of soup, and after drinking the soup, her appetite was stimulated. She tried all kinds of dishes and had half a bowl of rice before finally putting down her chopsticks.
The maids who served Sanchun also unconsciously followed Xueyan and the others' example, serving soup and serving dishes to their mistresses.
The maids also found it strange. They hadn't noticed that the girls usually had such a large appetite. Why did they eat more than usual whenever they came to Rongyue Courtyard?
After the girls finished their meal, they all ran to the stream outside Rongyue Courtyard, took some fish food to feed the fish, and laughed and played around for a while to digest their food. Then their respective wet nurses came and took them back for an afternoon nap.
Daiyu was tired from playing outside, so she went inside and fell asleep immediately.
Yuan Hongqu looked at Daiyu's face, which had a healthy blush, and thought that although she had suddenly traveled from the south to the north, Daiyu had not suffered from acclimatization problems or had her old illnesses flare up. Yuan Hongqu felt quite accomplished.
This is what she nourished her with every bite of rice and every sip of soup!
When Yuan Hongqu first took over caring for Daiyu, she fell ill every few days, and Yuan Hongqu spent many sleepless nights.
Later, Daiyu's health gradually improved, and she is now like a normal child.
From now on, Lin Daiyu, who used to lament the passing of spring and autumn, will no longer be a lonely fairy in the secluded forest. She will just be an ordinary, healthy little girl!
In the afternoon, Daiyu went to the school. Today she was learning a musical instrument, which the girls all seemed to enjoy. They had asked someone to come early so they could practice and exchange ideas after class. In the evening, they would all have dinner at the old lady's house.
Yuan Hongqu didn't need to prepare anything today, so she spent a little more time in her space in the afternoon.
She took a pre-cut but unsewn garment into her spatial dimension, used the sewing machine inside to sew it up, and then set it aside.
When you go out later, take it out, and others will just think that she is sewing clothes in the house.
The plot of land in the courtyard was reserved for planting jasmine rice, but Jia Lian might not be able to get rice seeds for a while, so Yuan Hongqu planted some vegetables on that plot first.
She mostly seeks common vegetables like radishes, cabbages, green peppers, and cucumbers. She needs a lot of vegetable seeds, so she grows more of these in this area.
Yuan Hongqu scattered seeds all over the field and then set up a ladder under the coconut tree.
The near fall last time didn't dampen her enthusiasm for eating coconuts. Now she has a new method that should allow her to pick the coconuts effortlessly.
The process was the same as before, except this time after she hooked the coconut with a bamboo pole, she shouted:
"go back!"
Sure enough, she, along with the bamboo pole and coconut, instantly teleported and appeared in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber.
Yuan Hongqu hurriedly grabbed the coconut, thinking of returning to the room in the space.
Without the slightest delay, she returned to the space with the bamboo pole and coconut.
This was the first time Yuan Hongqu had done this. She had tried to move the crops from the yard directly indoors before, but she couldn't do it. It turned out that a transfer point was needed.
From now on, she will no longer have to sigh longingly at the fruits hanging high on the branches of that space.
There was also a durian seed that she had buried in a corner for fun. In modern times, it only grew to half a meter tall and then stopped growing.
After the courtyard was transformed into a space, those durian trees changed visibly every day, and now they are laden with fruit, some of which look like they are almost ripe.
Yuan Hongqu would count them every few days. She was overjoyed. She never expected that she would achieve durian freedom in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber!
This time she harvested more coconuts than last time. She had just cut off half of them when she heard someone knocking on the door outside the space.
With a thought, Yuan Hongqu took the sewn clothes and left the space.
She casually placed the clothes on the table next to her and went to open the door without stopping.
Peach stood outside the door.
"Granny Yuan, someone from the Old Madam's side has come to invite you over."
"I'll just change my clothes and go over. Did you say what it's about?" Yuan Hongqu asked.
"She didn't say what it was about, but looking at Sister Liuli coming over, she seemed a little anxious."
"Okay, I understand. Take a plate of our snacks over there, I'll be right there." Yuan Hongqu had done quite a bit in the space just now, so she still needed to change her clothes before going out.
Xiangtao agreed and went to the kitchen to get a plate of ice flower soy milk cake to serve Liuli, who had come to deliver the message, and also to inquire with her about why the old lady had invited Yuan Mama over.
Liuli had never seen such a pastry before. It was covered with a thin layer of white, like snow, and through the white, you could vaguely see the pine-flower yellow pastry underneath.
"Sister Liuli, it's rare to see someone as busy as you come all the way here. Please try some of our pastries, have some tea and rest for a bit. Granny Yuan will be here soon after changing her clothes." Xiangtao was very attentive, inviting Liuli to taste the pastries and pouring her some tea.
Liuli was thirsty after walking all the way, so she picked up the teacup and drank without hesitation, but she felt something was different after taking a sip.
This wasn't the taste of the tea she usually drank. She often worked in the old lady's tea room and knew all kinds of tea like the back of her hand, but this was the first time she had ever tasted a tea with such a fruity and sweet flavor.
"This is fruit tea, made by brewing tea with various dried fruits and seasonal fresh fruits. Our girls are young and can't handle tea leaves, so we usually drink fruit tea," Xiangtao explained when she saw Liuli's confusion.
After drinking the tea and eating a pastry, Liuli knew she couldn't stay long and quickly said...
"It seems the old lady wants to ask Granny Yuan about something related to coconuts. Didn't you eat coconuts for lunch? I guess that's what she's asking about."
Yuan Hongqu happened to walk to the door and overheard these words.
Since she brought this out openly, she has a reasonable explanation and isn't afraid of being asked.
"Granny Yuan has finished packing. Let's hurry over so the old lady doesn't have to wait." Liuli glanced at the pastries on the table before standing up; serving her duty was paramount.
Xiangtao understood and said,
"Sister Liuli, I'll deliver the pastries to your place in a bit."
Liuli nodded and went to Rongqing Hall with Yuan Hongqu.
As soon as Yuan Hongqu arrived at Rongqing Hall, she sensed that something was amiss.
Grandmother Jia sat in the front, with Lady Wang, Lady Xing, and Wang Xifeng all present. When Wang Xifeng saw her enter, she gave her a guilty look.
After Yuan Hongqu greeted Grandmother Jia, she heard Grandmother Jia say,
"Teacher Yuan, are you familiar with coconuts?"
Yuan Hongqu glanced at Wang Xifeng before speaking.
"Grandma, I made coconut chicken for the girls at noon today, and Second Grandma happened to be there and shared some with her as well."
There's no point in hiding it; many people know that Wang Xifeng ate their coconut chicken.
"Since you know how to cook with coconuts, you must know how to process them," Madam Wang said.
"The young lady is currently facing a problem in the palace. She needs to open a coconut, extract the water, and remove the coconut without damaging its appearance too much. Do you have a solution?"
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