The first batch of watermelons is ripe, and the second batch won't be far behind.
Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and Mu Yi'an needs to start arranging gifts for the festival.
Manager Zhou took away nine thousand watermelons, and Mu Yi'an kept a few dozen, which could be given as Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, saving money and making a good impression.
Mu Yi'an first sent Steward Li (Li Hong) to her parents' home to ask her father when the festival gifts for her third uncle's family would be sent. She could also send some things to Jiang Shuyun, including some watermelons, to give to the teachers at the academy.
Brother Mu said he couldn't go; the watermelons weren't all sold yet, and he couldn't leave. Brother Mu the Second also had a lot of work at the yamen and couldn't go either, so he asked Mu Ziyi to go instead, since he was also going to study in the prefectural city.
Although Mu's mother was eager to arrange a marriage for Mu Ziyi, there wasn't a suitable match available at the moment, and she couldn't keep him at home indefinitely, which would interfere with his studies. So she wrote a letter to Mu's third aunt, asking her to help her find a suitable match.
Mu Yi'an instructed Steward Li to take Jiang Shuyun's visiting card and send the festival gifts from the county town first. Master Wei and Manager He had already prepared them.
Manager Zhou's daughter, Mu Yi'an, also sent two large watermelons and two chicks, which was within their means. Manager Zhou's gifts for the festival were very generous: food, cloth, wine, and books—truly precious.
Mu Yi'an may not know what benefits her watermelons bring to Manager Zhou, but Manager Zhou knows in his heart, so the gifts he gives to Mu Yi'an and Mu Zichen are quite substantial.
Brother Mu also prepared gifts for Manager Zhou and various officials in the county government, and asked Mu Ziwu to deliver them as he saw fit, as he didn't know much about them.
In short, there are just too many red tape and red tape during Chinese New Year and other holidays, which is really troublesome.
After delivering the festival gifts to the county town, Steward Li also brought back return gifts from Master Wei and Manager He.
"Butler Li, these things are all prepared for the master. Give them to him and let him arrange them as he sees fit. Also, ask Sister-in-law Li to prepare some food that can be stored for Li Li. He's been away for so long, he must be missing his mother's cooking."
Although Mu Yi'an gradually accepted the existence of servants in her household, deep down she still couldn't treat them as objects; they were all people with feelings.
"Thank you, Madam, thank you, Madam!"
Butler Li hadn't expected his wife to say that. A surge of indescribable emotion—gratitude, warmth— welled up inside him, and this grown man was on the verge of tears. The anxiety his family had felt since being appraised and put up for sale finally subsided at that moment.
Mu Yi'an was surprised that Manager Li was so agitated, even though she hadn't said anything!
Jiang Shuyun's letter, sent back a few words of reassurance, said he was doing well at the academy, giving him a novel experience of communal living. He shared a room with another scholar, each with a pageboy, and they got along quite well. The academy had a canteen where they ate communal meals, which were quite tasty, and the main advantage was the choice of dishes—the only difference being the price. He thanked Mu Yi'an again for providing him with a relatively comfortable life. Some students in the academy were less fortunate, eating simpler meals, and he felt he might not be able to endure that if he were like them. After all, he had never experienced hardship.
When Mu Yi'an read Jiang Shuyun's letter, he could imagine that Jiang Shuyun's life at the academy must be novel and exciting, especially since there were riding and archery lessons. It's wonderful to be a man; you're not confined to any place and can do what you want without too many restrictions.
After expressing her feelings, Mu Yi'an stopped dwelling on it. Her greatest strength was that she could easily make peace with herself, was good at comforting herself, and didn't suffer from internal conflict.
Butler Li set off with her elder brother, while Mu Yi'an sorted out the holiday gifts sent by Manager Zhou, Master Wei, and Manager He.
"Jiang Qi, can you help me sort these fabrics? Which ones are suitable for children and which ones are suitable for adults? We need to make clothes for our parents for the Mid-Autumn Festival. You can pick some out too, and we can make a set for them together. We don't need the children yet; they don't need new clothes. They're growing a lot right now, so making too many would be a waste."
Mu Yi'an handed the fabric to Jiang Qi and went to find some books, mostly primers, travelogues, and agricultural books, all of which would come in handy. After Mu Yi'an finished organizing, she took them to the study.
There was a good variety of food. The ones that could be kept for a while were taken to the kitchen by Sister Li. The ones that wouldn't last more than a few days were divided up and given as holiday gifts to Third Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Uncle, and the old house.
With the help of Aunt Li, Mu Yi'an prepared quite a few Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. The gifts varied according to social status, but each one was perfectly matched; the ones she had prepared before were simply not in the same league as what others had done. It really is true that professional tasks should be done by professionals; her amateur skills were simply not up to par.
Jiang Shuyun wasn't home, so Mu Yi'an had to take Shao Ming and Shao Yun with her to deliver the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. Although the children were still young, they were the men of their household.
The two little ones were thrilled to be entrusted with such an important task, especially Shao Yun, who tried her best to look like a little adult. Shao Ming, too, stood tall and straight beside his mother.
Mu Yi'an chose a day to deliver holiday gifts, first to her great-grandfather's house, then her third grandfather's house, her uncle's house, and finally the old house. Mu Yi'an and Jiang Qi took the three children with them.
To prepare gifts for the festival, Mu Yi'an, Jiang Qi, and Sister-in-law Li worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk to make clothes for the four elders. Mu Yi'an could have simply donated the fabric, but the thought of who would end up wearing it made her uneasy; she insisted on making clothes. The styles varied according to height and build, and even if she had other ideas, she couldn't change them. At least everyone could see her filial piety. This was Mu Yi'an's little secret, one she couldn't easily express.
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