Chapter 41 Thanks
“It’s not difficult at all,” Yuan Hongqu smiled.
"It's easy to say and not difficult to do. But if I write a letter, I'm afraid the young lady still won't understand. How about I draw a few pictures, so the young lady can understand at a glance?"
"That's wonderful, thank you for your trouble, Steward Yuan." Madam Wang's attitude was very sincere.
While Yuanyang went to fetch the brush and ink, the old lady asked,
"Where did you get this rare stuff? And that tomato from last time, I thought it was pretty good. I heard Lian'er even got some seedlings from you to plant tomatoes?"
“I have a friend who works in the shipping industry. While others are interested in rare gems from overseas, he is interested in strange and unusual plants. He shares some of the good ones with me.” Yuan Hongqu was neither humble nor arrogant. Yuanyang brought her a pen and ink, and she drew several pictures, marking key points with arrows.
After the drawing was completed, it was presented to Grandmother Jia, who immediately smiled upon seeing it.
"This picture is simple yet clear. Even an old woman like me can tell how to open it at a glance, let alone Yuan Chun!"
Lady Wang took a look and said it was good, so she hurriedly sent someone to deliver it to the palace.
That evening, word came from the palace that Consort Zhen had given a reward.
It turns out that this was a contest between several concubines in the palace, who brought out this coconut to make things difficult for each other. Unexpectedly, Yuan Chun, the lady-in-waiting of Consort Zhen, actually managed to open it.
However, no one dared to eat the coconut water and the remaining coconut meat.
One of the rewards given by Consort Zhen was specifically for the person who drew the picture, and it was delivered directly by someone from the Old Madam's side.
Yuan Hongqu thanked the person who had come before and placed the things on the table.
"Sister Yuan, Consort Zhen is known in the palace for her generosity. You've helped her save face today, so come and see what wonderful things she's given you."
Wang Xifeng was itching to make a move.
"First of all, thank you for giving me this opportunity to show my abilities."
“Hehe,” Wang Xifeng chuckled awkwardly.
Yuan Hongqu opened the mahogany box and found a set of dazzling gold jewelry inside, almost blinding anyone.
"Consort Zhen, you are truly unparalleled in wealth and honor!" she couldn't help but exclaim.
Wang Xifeng was also somewhat taken aback. Although she had seen many fine things in the past year, it was truly rare to find a complete set of gold jewelry like this, without even a single gemstone.
Only a nouveau riche could make such jewelry; Consort Zhen shouldn't be such a vulgar person.
Yuan Hongqu really liked this set of jewelry.
Although she usually wears understated jewelry, mostly plain silver pearls, cloisonné enamel, and velvet flowers, she also has quite a few gold pieces, but they are just for embellishment. She finds a full head of gold too heavy.
This set of headdress and accessories includes two gold hairpins, two sideburn ornaments, and a gold comb; two pairs of earrings, one in the style of weeping crabapple blossoms and the other in the style of gold pearl lilacs; a gold necklace made of various flowers connected together, with a gold peony the size of a copper coin hanging in the center; and a pair of gold bracelets.
Apart from the earrings, everything else in the box was quite heavy; this whole box was probably worth more than ten taels of gold.
Jewelry made of pure gold is worth a lot of money even if it's not worn, just by exchanging it. What's more, this comes from the palace and has the words "made in the palace," making it even more valuable than ordinary jewelry.
Consort Zhen is so generous; she only mentioned a method for opening a coconut, and she received such a large tip.
It was only during the day that he told Wang Xifeng he wanted to buy a manor, and the money arrived that very evening. It seems that the manor is rightfully his.
She also had a lot of money in her space, some left behind by the original owner, some of her own wages during this period, and some income from her small shop, so she wasn't short of money.
But is there anyone who would complain about having too much gold and silver?
"I'll go transfer the ownership of that estate tomorrow. I don't even need to go see it. I'll just buy it first." Yuan Hongqu said with a smile.
"Sister Yuan, I'll ask Second Madam for a day off tomorrow and go with you to the estate." Wang Xifeng was also happy for Yuan Hongqu.
“Great! Perfect timing, let’s go see how your tomatoes are growing.” Yuan Hongqu gave Wang Xifeng another excuse.
"That's right!"
"Granny Yuan, the Old Madam and the Second Madam have both sent people over with gifts, saying they are thank-you presents to you," Xiangtao said.
Yuan Hongqu and Wang Xifeng exchanged a smile.
"Second Grandmother, if I draw the method of eating coconuts in the picture today, will the reward be even higher?" Yuan Hongqu asked thoughtfully.
“In the palace, getting something to eat involves countless procedures. No one dares to eat something they've never seen before, so even if you write it down, it's all for nothing!” Wang Xifeng knew this quite well.
The old lady's side was still brought by Liuli and her maids. This time, they brought a piece of palace silk in the color of rain-washed sky blue and a piece of solid gauze with a smoky purple lotus pattern.
The last time the old lady sent over the fabric, Yuan Hongqu had the needlework staff make a vest for everyone in Rongyue Courtyard, and the leftover scraps were used to make a lot of hair ornaments.
This time, the old lady sent two bolts of silk directly, asking Yuan Hongqu to make her a few more sets of clothes.
Yuan Hongqu had a fair amount of clothes, but compared to the ladies and wives of the Rongguo Mansion, she had fewer.
Did the old lady think she was too plain?
Even though Yuan Hongqu wasn't very familiar with fabrics, she knew that these two bolts of fabric were no ordinary goods and were much better than the one she had been given as a gift last time.
As for the things sent by the second wife, they were rather simple.
The second wife gifted her a pair of jade bracelets with excellent clarity.
Yuan Hongqu often worked in the kitchen, so she would avoid wearing jewelry, especially bracelets.
Therefore, as soon as she saw the bracelets, she began to estimate their value in her mind.
“Sister Yuan, it’s rare for the Second Madam to be so generous. These bracelets must have cost at least five hundred taels of silver. You’ve really struck it rich this time.” Wang Xifeng fiddled with the bracelets, genuinely happy for Yuan Hongqu.
"Alright, alright, if you like any of them, take them. Consider it a thank you for the introduction." Yuan Hongqu pushed the items in front of Wang Xifeng, letting her choose whatever she wanted.
"Sister Yuan, how could I possibly accept your things? I haven't even sent you my apprenticeship gift yet, how could I possibly accept these!" Although Wang Xifeng was very fond of the bracelet, she still stubbornly refused to admit it.
"This is for you." Yuan Hongqu pushed the box containing the jade bracelet in front of Wang Xifeng.
"Sister Yuan, I cannot accept this reward without having done anything in return."
"I need your help with something, can you accept this?"
"Sister, just tell us what's wrong. There's no need for such formalities between us!"
"After buying the estate, I want to build a greenhouse on it, similar to your greenhouse, but much larger."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng's eyes lit up.
"Sister, are you going to grow out-of-season vegetables?"
In the capital, the dishes served in winter are limited to just a few types of vegetables. Even for families like theirs, it's rare to see a single green vegetable leaf.
If they had a greenhouse, wouldn't they have more variety of vegetables to eat in the winter?
Could she also build a greenhouse in her dowry estate?
"What off-season vegetables? We won't grow those. Vegetables are best eaten in season." Yuan Hongqu's principle is to eat what's in season.
Although this rule was broken after she gained space, she would still adhere to this principle if she were to grow vegetables on the estate.
Wang Xifeng felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.
But the thought of having a relaxing day tomorrow made her excited again.
The two were planning what to do tomorrow when Daiyu returned.
"Granny, we have a day off tomorrow. The weather is perfect for a spring outing. Let's go out for a stroll."
Lin Daiyu returned from Grandmother Jia's place and said excitedly.
"Granny, please promise me! I haven't been out shopping since I came to the capital..." Lin Daiyu's sweet voice carried a hint of grievance.
Under such an offensive, Yuan Hongqu quickly lost her principles and not only agreed to bring Daiyu, but also Baoyu and the three sisters the next day.
What started as a small group of just the two of them going out to buy a estate quickly grew into a grand procession of young masters and ladies from the Rongguo Mansion going out for a spring outing.
Because they hadn't informed the village beforehand, and the village wasn't well-prepared, it was precisely this rustic charm that made it all the more interesting to them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
