A Blessed Daughter

by Usui Takumii

not mine, Moonlight Teatime until chapter 43, after that is MTL from novel cool. 577 chapters and ongoing.

4. 31 to 40

31 You are clearly at fault

After twenty years of marriage, it was the first time that Wei Mingting said such harsh words to Yun Shi.

Yun Shi's body trembled and her eyes were filled with tears. "Husband, after so many years of marriage, don't you know what kind of person I am? How could I have the heart to plot against your illegitimate son?

I admit that I cannot treat him like my own son. I can be generous with other things, but I cannot be so generous to you."

Yun Shi added: "But so many years have passed, even if I had grievances, those grievances have almost disappeared. So how could I have thought of harming him? Husband, I didn't want to harm him. Believe me, I was deceived by the wicked servant!"

"You… You are so foolish!"

"I know… I know I'm wrong…" Yun Shi replied with a trembling voice.

Wei Mingting's anger slowly extinguished at the sound of Yun Shi's sobs.

Looking at his wife, Wei Mingting sighed, "I am busy with military affairs, so I need you to take care of things at home. And I need you to take care of Jinyi's affairs, he must not be in trouble."

When he thought that he was busy with military affairs all day long, and that all the heavy burdens of his family fell on his wife, he also knew that although his wife had not treated his illegitimate son extremely well for so many years, she had given Jinyi everything that he needed. So Wei Mingting couldn't bear to scold his wife severely anymore.

Yun Shi sobbed and nodded.

"That's all for today, please look after Jinyi for me. I still have things to do in the army." Wei Mingting got up and left without waiting for Yun Shi to regain her composure.

He was really busy. After receiving the letter from Jinghu, he asked his subordinates to take over his shift, and rushed back before dawn.

Even so, he must go back immediately.

After Wei Mingting left, Yun Shi gathered her emotions and waited until she had calmed down before calling Mo mo Li again.

At the same time, she also asked Cuiping to go to the woodshed and bring Wei Ruo over.

Mo mo Li was unaware of what was happening at this time and was shocked to see Yun Shi's angry face when she arrived at Cangyun Garden.

Immediately afterwards Wei Ruo also arrived.

Yun Shi looked at Mo mo Li who was brought in, and her voice was as cold as ice: "Mo mo Li, you are an old Mo mo who came from Bo Zhongyi's Mansion. No matter in terms of qualifications or seniority, you are the highest in the Colonel's Mansion. "

"Madam, this old servant wouldn't dare." Mo mo Li said hastily.

"You wouldn't dare? How can you say you don't dare? You kept telling me that the second young master was not seriously ill and that it was because of Ruo'er's nonsense, and look what happened! As a result, the second young master almost lost his life!"

Hearing this, Mo mo Li froze.

What? Was the second young master really that sick?

After being shocked, Mo mo Li knelt down and kowtowed to admit her mistake: "Forgive me, Madam. I really didn't know that the second young master was so seriously ill! This old servant made a mistake in judgment, this old servant deserves to die!"

"You didn't know? How dare you say you didn't know? You didn't know, but you dared not to call a doctor. You didn't know, but you dared to swear that he is not sick! Who gave you the nerve to make your own decisions?"

"Old servant…Old servant…" Mo mo Li hesitated for a while but couldn't find an excuse.

Wei Ruo was also a bit surprised, Wei Jinyi almost lost his life? If she hadn't treated him last night, it would have been like that. But after the treatment she gave him last night, as long as he did as he was told and rested, he should have woken up this morning, and it was unlikely that he would be in a critical condition.

Yun Shi's eyes fell on Wei Ruo, and her eyes became complicated.

"Ruo'er, what you did last night was also wrong. Even if you were in a hurry to save someone, you shouldn't have pushed Wanwan."

"So I only cleared one accusation, and you still think the other one is my fault, right?" Wei Ruo looked at Yun Shi and smiled instead of being angry.

Yun Shi frowned: "What do you want to say?"

Wei Ruo sneered: "I have already said what I want to say. I'm not at fault at all, and I do not admit either of the two accusations you mentioned.

Since you have learned that my second brother is seriously ill and that you have been deceived by the wicked servant and wronged me, then why don't you think about it again? Is there another thing that you have been deceived about?"

"Is this the attitude you take when you speak to your mother? If you were really not at fault, you should have come to me to deal with this after you failed to find Mo mo Li, instead of making a scene at Wangmei Garden!

If you hadn't been reckless, no one would have been hurt, and you wouldn't have alerted your father to rush over in his busy schedule."

Yun Shi was extremely aggrieved today.

Because of this, she angered her husband and was scolded by him. His husband thought that she had mistreated his illegitimate son badly.

"I am not at fault. It was not me who caused the fuss at Wangmei Garden, it was because Mo mo Li did not do what she was supposed to do;

it was not me who alerted Father to come in his busy schedule, it was Mo mo Li who worsen my second brother's condition, and it was Mother who would not believe me."

Wei Ruo insisted that she was not wrong and had no intention of giving in.

"You!"

Wei Ruo's attitude angered Yun Shi again.

Furious, Yun Shi glared at Wei Ruo, and the words of punishment were about to come out.

"Mother!"

Wei Yichen hurried over and lived in the southwest corner of Wei Mansion, which was secluded and convenient for him to study. However, it also caused him to be unaware of the commotion that occurred last night.

After learning of such a big incident this morning, he rushed over.

Upon entering, Wei Yichen first glanced at the stubborn Wei Ruo next to him, then immediately said to Yun Shi:

"Mother! Sister Ruo'er was not wrong in wanting Mo mo Li to find a doctor for the second brother! If Mo mo Li handled it well, there would have been no need to alert Mother.

That is the rules of this Mansion! You should blame Mo mo Li for not handling the things she should have handled properly! This matter has divided our family!"

"Mother, it has only been a month since sister Ruo'er returned home, and it is already remarkable that she knows how to handle the matter in this way!

As for her accidentally hurting Wanwan, it happened in a moment of desperation, not with her intention. As it was about the life of her second brother, wasn't it not natural for the younger sister to be nervous?"

"The person whose Mother should truly punish is Mo mo Li. As a servant, not reporting a master's serious illness to the Madam in a timely manner is her first sin;

slandering a master and lying is her second sin; failing to protect a master well and causing her to fall and get injured is her third sin!"

Wei Yichen's words made Mo mo Li, who was kneeling on the ground, turned pale, and also calmed Yun Shi's anger a lot.

Yun Shi listened and her expression softened. Her gaze fell on Wei Ruo again, suddenly recalling the sweet days she had with her husband when she was pregnant with her daughter.

At that time, her husband was not so busy and had time for her every day. The couple was very much looking forward to this second child.

Because the first child was a son, the husband said he hoped that this second child would be a daughter, and that the daughter would be considerate and spend more time with her.

Yun Shi turned to ask Mo mo Li: "Do you agree with what the eldest young master said?"

Mo mo Li knelt on the ground and tried to defend herself, but she could not find any words to refute.

"If you don't say anything, you're admitting it. As a servant, you should be beaten to death according to the rules. But since you are an old servant from the Bo Zhongyi's Mansion and have worked hard for the Wei family for many years,

you will be penalized with three months' salary and will go to Zhuangzi to work as a farmer for three months."

Hearing this, Mo mo Li quickly cried out: "Madam, Madam, I'm too old to go to Zhuangzi and do hard labor on the farm for three months!"

32 I will keep your secret

"Mother only gave you mild punishment. What else do you have to complain about?" Wei Yichen interrupted Mo mo Li begging for mercy in a cold voice. Then he ordered the guards outside the door to come in and drag Mo mo Li down forcibly.

"Madam… Madam… Eldest young master…" Mo mo Li kept shouting as she was dragged away.

After Mo mo Li was taken away, the atmosphere inside the room hasn't improved. Wei Ruo did not say a word, her gaze cold as she looked at Yun Shi.

Wei Yichen said: "Mother has been busy all night and tired. Take a rest first, I will take sister back to Tingsong Garden."

Yun Shi waved her hand, signaling that the two could leave.

Wei Yichen walked up to Wei Ruo, took Wei Ruo's hand, and said softly: "Let's go back with eldest brother."

Wei Ruo glanced at Wei Yichen and did not resist.

She followed Wei Yichen out of the gate of Cangyun Garden and walked all the way to the gate of Tingsong Garden.

Xiumei had been up all night and when she saw Wei Ruo returned, she was so emotional that tears were about to fall from her eyes.

"Miss, you are finally back!" Xiumei rushed forward and hugged Wei Ruo.

"I'm fine."

Wei Ruo touched Xiumei's cheek. When she saw her two swollen eyelids, she knew that the girl had secretly shed tears last night.

Wei Ruo turned to Wei Yichen, who had sent her back and said: "Thank you very much, eldest brother, for speaking for me."

"It's okay, this is what I should do. I really think you didn't do anything wrong. Anyone would panic with a matter where people's lives are at stake. You just accidentally pushed Wanwan in a hurry, not intentionally." Wei Yichen said.

"Eldest brother, do you also think that I pushed Wei Qingwan?" Wei Ruo looked at Wei Yichen with a hint of hope in her eyes.

"I know you didn't mean it. Eldest brother didn't think you had any intention to cause trouble like that."

The glimmer of hope in Wei Ruo's eyes disappeared, and she smiled calmly: "I see, thank you anyway, eldest brother."

"En, you should go back and rest. Have a good sleep."

Wei Yichen gave Wei Ruo a few words of advice before leaving Tingsong Garden.

After Wei Yichen left, Wei Ruo didn't go back to the house to rest, but went to the next door, to Yingzhu Garden. She wanted to know how Wei Jinyi's condition was now.

She had given him acupuncture and medicines last night, so it didn't make sense that his condition would get worse in the morning.

When she arrived at Yingzhu Garden, she saw guards guarding the entrance. The yard was filled with the smell of herbs, and there were two maids who were busy decocting herbs.

Wei Ruo walked straight into Wei Jinyi's bedroom.

Seeing Wei Ruo enter the door, Xiaobei, who was guarding the bed, stood up with a slightly excited expression: "Miss, you are back! Are you alright?"

Wei Ruo went to the bed and saw that the person on the bed had his eyes tightly closed, so she reached out to feel his pulse.

Her slender fingers rested on Wei Jinyi's wrist, and soon Wei Ruo's eyebrows furrowed.

What was going on? Why does he have such a dangerous pulse?

Although she had already given him acupuncture and medicines yesterday, it was reasonable that even if Wei Jinyi has not recovered, at least his pulse should have stabilized.

Wei Ruo was puzzled when Wei Jinyi opened his eyes.

At the same time he pulled back his wrist: "I'm fine."

His voice was still a little weak, and his face was still a little pale, but his eyes were clear, and it was obvious that he had recovered a lot.

"You were pretending?" Wei Ruo was surprised for a moment, then immediately thought of something.

They were looking at each other's eyes. Wei Jinyi did not answer, but Wei Ruo had an answer in her mind.

"Thank you." Said Wei Ruo.

"No need." Wei Jinyi replied.

"How did you manage to change your pulse so that the person who checked your pulse mistook your pulse as a dangerous one?" Wei Ruo was curious.

She had been practicing medicine for many years, and it was the first time she had met someone who can turn his good pulse into a terrible one and deceive others.

"I have learned from medical books that pressing on several positions on the arm can affect the pulse." Wei Jinyi replied, looking at Wei Ruo with deep eyes. After a pause, he asked Wei Ruo: "When did you learn medical skills?"

"I learned from an old man when I was in the countryside." Said Wei Ruo, "Then you should rest well. Your body needs to recuperate for a few more days. Don't engage in strenuous exercise these days, rest well, so this won't cause other diseases."

Wei Jinyi was already fine, so Wei Ruo didn't stay long.

As Wei Ruo walked to the door, she heard Wei Jinyi's calm and composed yet convincing voice from behind her: "I will keep your secret."

"En." Wei Ruo agreed, and then walked out of the room.

When she returned to Tingsong Garden, Wei Ruo washed up and fell asleep.

It was already evening when she woke up.

After tidying up, she went to the dining hall.

Just as she entered the door, she felt a different atmosphere.

Wei Qingwan did not come because her feet were injured.

The only four people left were Yun Shi, Wei Yichen, Wei Yilin and Wei Ruo.

Except for Wei Yichen, the other two did not look very well, especially Wei Yilin.

As soon as he saw Wei Ruo, he glared at her with a vicious look as if he wanted to swallow Wei Ruo alive.

Wei Ruo ignored it, and calmly sat down in her seat.

"Hmph!" Wei Yilin deliberately let out a cold snort to convey his dissatisfaction.

"Yilin, don't talk while eating, don't talk when sleeping*." Wei Yichen reminded him solemnly.

*Don't talk while eating, don't talk when sleeping: means that one should not talk during meals to avoid affecting digestion, and one should not communicate with others before going to bed to avoid affecting the quality of sleep.

Wei Yilin pouted, puffed out his cheeks and lowered his head to pick up his food.

After the meal, Yun Shi did not invite everyone to drink tea and chat together as usual, nor did she greet Wei Ruo as before. Instead, she directly asked everyone to go back to rest.

Wei Ruo came out of the dining hall, and within a few steps, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

Wei Yilin caught up with her, approached Wei Ruo and blocked her path.

"Why did you bully my sister?! My sister is so nice! She thinks about you for everything, gives you all the good things, and tells me to treat you well, but you push her down and hurt her! You are so bad!" Wei Yilin questioned Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo did not want to talk to Wei Yilin and moved to a different position to continue walking.

Wei Yilin angrily chased after Wei Ruo again and opened his arms to stop her.

"You must speak clearly today!" Wei Yilin's face was stern and intimidating.

"What should I say? How I bullied Wei Qingwan? How could I be so vicious and ruthless that I pushed Wei Qingwan to the ground and hurt her?"

"You admit that you are vicious?"

"It's not that I admit it, but you want me to admit it. You already assume that I'm a bad person. What else can I tell you?" Wei Ruo sneered.

Wei Yichen, who had caught up, pulled Wei Yilin away: "Yilin! Eldest brother has already explained everything to you clearly. It was just an accident that Ruo'er pushed Wanwan down!"

"Sister is bleeding! And what if it leaves a scar?"

"Ruo'er is so anxious because your second brother has fallen ill! In the face of life threatening matters, it would be strange for Ruo'er to be calm. Do you understand?" Wei Yichen explained.

"He's not my second brother, he's not my mother's son!" Wei Yilin also disapproved of Wei Jinyi, as he saw him as a freak.

"Then I also didn't see you approve of me as a sister born to the same mother as you." Wei Ruo said.

"You!" Wei Yilin wanted to refute Wei Ruo, but couldn't find any words to refute.

Author's Notes:

Xiaobei: I suspect that neither of you is telling the truth!

33 A very clear boundary

"To put it bluntly, everything you said was excuses. You judged things only through your own preferences. So don't make too many high-sounding justifications, because they sound ridiculous." Wei Ruo commented.

Wei Yilin's face turned red from Wei Ruo's comment.

Wei Yichen pulled Wei Yilin: "Apologize to Ruo'er."

Wei Yilin stiffened his small face and angrily said: "I don't wanna! Eldest brother, you're helping her now and not protecting Sister Wanwan. If I don't protect Sister Wanwan, she will be bullied even more! She's my sister, the one who loves me the most! I won't let anyone bully her!"

After speaking, Wei Yilin broke free from Wei Yichen and quickly ran away with red eyes.

Wei Yichen frowned slightly and explained helplessly to Wei Ruo: "Not long after Yilin was born, Father went to Xingshan County to work. He was busy with his official duties, and Mother became particularly busy because of the relocation.

However, I was too busy with my studies to take care of him, which is why he has developed such a personality. So, please don't argue with him, I will teach him well in the future."

"What could I do to him even if I wanted to? Eldest brother, what do you think I can do to him? If I really do something to him, do you think it's him or me who will be punished in the end?" Wei Ruo asked back, with a sarcastic expression in her eyes.

Wei Yichen looked solemn: "Ruo'er, I know that yesterday Mother locked you in the woodshed and hurt you. It's also eldest brother's fault for not knowing sooner and making you suffer. Eldest brother is really sorry."

"Eldest brother could say that now. But if something did happen and there were more intense conflicts, eldest brother might not speak up for me as much as you do now."

"Ruo'er…"

Wei Ruo interrupted Wei Yichen's words: "Let's not talk about this. I have something for eldest brother. Please wait for a moment while you pass Tingsong Garden by."

"Something?" Wei Yichen looked at Wei Ruo in surprise.

"Yes."

Wei Ruo did not say much, and when she waited until he reached the gate of Tingsong Garden, Wei Ruo trotted into the house and returned with a roll in her hand.

"This is for you." Wei Ruo handed Wei Yichen a roll of paper.

"Paper? From Sibaozhai?" Wei Yichen took a few glances in his hand and recognized that it was paper from Sibaozhai.

Looking at the paper, Wei Yichen's face couldn't help but show a joyful expression.

Wei Ruo: "Well, I brought some by the way when I came from Huzhou Prefecture."

Wei Yichen: "These papers are not cheap, how much is it? Eldest brother will pay you."

Wei Ruo: "No need, eldest brother could consider it as a thank you gift for helping me out."

Wei Yichen: "That's what I should do. You don't need to thank me specifically."

Wei Ruo: "For me, that's something to be grateful for. Anyway, you can keep it, eldest brother."

It was better to have clear boundaries about some things. She didn't like to owe Wei Yichen favors, even if it was just a little, she didn't want to.

Wei Yichen looked at the paper in his hand and thought for a moment, "Okay, then I'll accept it. Next time, I'll bring you something delicious."

Wei Yichen didn't want to treat Wei Ruo like a stranger, plus he did like these papers, and the ones his father gave him last time soon ran out. He wanted to buy more, but they were only available in Huzhou Prefecture, which was too far away and cost too much, so he had to give up.

His younger sister gave him such a valuable gift, so he must return the gift properly next time.

###

The next day, Wei Ruo went to Yingzhu Garden to visit Wei Jinyi again to see how he was recovering.

Wei Jinyi was still pretending to be sick in the Wei mansion, and nobody knew what method he used. The doctor who was invited back by the Wei mansion determined that he was in critical condition.

Once Wei Ruo had entered the room, Xiaobei went to the door to keep watch, and if anyone else came in, he would raise his voice to alert the people in the room.

Wei Jinyi also got up from the bed, and when he saw Wei Ruo, his expression was not as cold and repulsive as before.

"This is for you." Wei Ruo took out a white porcelain bottle and put it on top of Wei Jinyi's bedside cabinet.

"The medicine you prescribed?" Wei Jinyi asked.

"En. You have been physically weak since you were in your mother's womb. This medicine can help you nourish your body when consumed for a long time. If you had a better physical condition, your health wouldn't have deteriorated like this after being exposed to cold weather."

Wei Ruo didn't hide it anymore because he already knew about her medical skills.

Wei Ruo did not notice that when she said 'since you were in your mother's womb', Wei Jinyi's expression changed, and a hint of chill appeared in his cold eyes, but it quickly dissipated.

After Wei Ruo finished speaking, Wei Jinyi picked up the medicine bottle, carefully examined it, opened the bottle lid, placed it in front of his nose and sniffed it carefully.

Wei Ruo flattened her mouth: "You need to drink it well, don't waste it. I have spent a lot of effort making this, and many of the medicinal ingredients are not easy to find."

If he dared to waste her hard-earned medicine pills, she'd kill him! Humph!

Wei Jinyi also stared at Wei Ruo, observing closely her small expression and gaze.

After a while, he said: "Thank you."

It was the first time he had said that word to Wei Ruo in all the time they had known each other.

"Didn't you say you don't need a 'thank you' yesterday? Why did you say it yourself today?"

"It's nothing." Wei Jinyi averted his gaze, and put the medicine bottle under the pillow. Someone would come to his room in a while, so he couldn't let others see the medicine bottle.

Then he took a book from the bedside table and started reading it.

It was good to see him back to his old self, looking down and reading or writing, which were his two major hobbies in life anyway.

After Wei Ruo left, Wei Jinyi once again called Xiaobei and gave him an envelope.

"Deliver this letter to Shiji Bakery in the east of the city."

Hearing this, Xiaobei was startled. It was no ordinary bakery! In public it sold cakes, but in fact it was a contact station*…

*Contact station: Business letters and telegrams are letters and telecommunication instruments used to convey information, deal with business matters and communicate with each other in daily business transactions. Commonly used business letters include negotiation letters, enquiry letters, reply letters, request letters, information letters and contact letters.

"Young master, do you want to…"

"En." Wei Jinyi didn't say anything more, as long as Xiaobei did what he was told to do.

"Okay, young master. You get some rest, I'll be on my way."

Xiaobei remembered that the young master had not been in contact with those people for a long time.

He didn't know why, but today he suddenly decided to reconnect with that side.

Maybe it was due to his previous serious illness.

Xiaobei left with Wei Jinyi's letter.

Wei Jinyi was also a man, so it was much easier for him and his attendants to enter and leave the mansion than the female family members.

After more than an hour, Xiaobei returned smoothly and brought back a lot of things.

After Wei Jinyi looked at the things, he took out one of the wooden boxes and asked Xiaobei to take it to the next door Tingsong Garden to give to Wei Ruo.

She saw Xiaobei bring something over, he said it was a thank you gift from his young master.

Wei Ruo was naturally not courteous towards Wei Jinyi, and when she took it and opened it, she was surprised.

It was an old wild ginseng, it looked at least a hundred years old!

Wei Ruo quickly closed the wooden box, and after making sure that there was no one else around, Wei Ruo opened it again. After carefully examining it and confirmed that it was a hundred year old wild ginseng, Wei Ruo asked Xiaobei who came to deliver it:

"Is this what your young master asked you to give me?"

34 Braised Spring Bamboo Shoots

"Yes, the young master gave it to the eldest young lady." Xiaobei replied.

"Where did your young master get this ginseng?" Wei Ruo asked.

"This… I don't know either…" said Xiaobei vaguely.

"Is your young master in the yard?" Wei Ruo asked.

"Yes, he is."

"I'll go find him!"

Since she couldn't get a clear answer from Xiaobei, she would better ask Wei Jinyi herself.

In the bedroom, Wei Jinyi's lower half body was covered by bedding, the upper half leaning against a cushion, and his hand was holding a book.

He was wearing a white unlined garment. His face was still haggard, and his sickly beautiful face looked like an Iceberg rose that had been beaten by rain.

Wei Ruo walked over, and Wei Jinyi looked up at her.

"You want to give me such a valuable old wild ginseng?" Wei Ruo asked, pointing to the wooden box in her hand.

"Yes."

"Where did you get this valuable ginseng?" Wei Ruo was curious.

"Some years ago, I saved an old man and he gave it to me." Wei Jinyi replied.

Xiaobei heard Wei Jinyi's answer next to him and muttered to himself, 'Young master lied without blushing!' Where did he come up with 'saved an old man'? This old wild ginseng was clearly…

"Are you sure you want to give me such a valuable old wild ginseng? It's worth a lot of silver to sell it! It could be one to two hundred taels." Wei Ruo reminded him.

"You have saved my life. It was worth more and cannot be compared to this old wild ginseng."

The medicine Wei Ruo gave him was a precious item that could not be bought anywhere else, and could not be sought after.

That was true, but Wei Ruo looked at Wei Jin Yi's shabby appearance and guessed that the old wild ginseng was worth all his entire fortune.

He was so poor, yet he could still give her such a valuable thing. It showed that he was really a person who knew how to repay kindness. She did not make a mistake in her decision to save him at the risk of being exposed that day.

"Alright then, I'll take the old wild ginseng. The next time I make it into supplement pills, I'll give you a few." Wei Ruo said.

"Yes." Wei Jinyi agreed, but didn't really expect Wei Ruo to give him any supplement pills.

###

After two more days, Wei Jinyi's illness finally "healed".

He could eat, drink, and walk out of bed now.

Everyone in the Wei residence heaved a sigh of relief, finally they didn't have to worry about being punished by Wei Mingting.

Wei Ruo came to see Wei Jinyi again, and dug up the bamboo shoots in his yard.

These bamboo shoots would get completely old if she didn't eat them, so rather than wasting it, she should sacrifice it to her five fiscera temple*.

*five fiscera temple: heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys. It conveys the significant role that the body plays in a person's life. So some people jokingly call it the largest temple in the world.

Just in time, Xiaobei cooked a meal and brought it into the room for Wei Jinyi.

Seeing those meals, Wei Ruo showed a surprised expression. There was nothing wrong with the porridge he drank, it was good for the stomach and intestines to absorb some easily digestible meals after a serious illness.

The problem was that there were two dishes: one was some yellowed green vegetables, and a plate of radish that was seriously suspected of being burnt.

Although it was said that people recovering from a serious illness should eat lightly. What happened to this meal, with these yellowed vegetables and burnt radish?

"Are the vegetables brought to you by the main kitchen wilted?" Wei Ruo asked.

"No, the vegetables provided by the main kitchen are quite fresh." Xiaobei explained.

In the past, they might have been given dishes that were not fresh. But recently, the servants in the mansion did not dare to deduct their expenses anymore.

"So it was the main kitchen's chef who burnt it?" Wei Ruo asked.

Hearing this, Xiaobei scratched his head in embarrassment: "That… Miss, I burnt it…I'm not very good at cooking…"

After thinking about it, Xiaobei immediately added an explanation: "Usually my skill was better than this, I rarely burnt food anymore. But today was an accident. I was thinking about the young master's medicine and that's why it got burnt!"

There were only two people in Yingzhu Garden. Although there was a small kitchen with a small stove, there was no cook.

Wei Ruo turned her head and exchanged glances with Xiumei.

Without Wei Ruo having to say anything, Xiumei already understood what she meant.

"Miss, how about I cook braised spring bamboo shoots using these?" Xiumei suggested.

-This is an old-world dishes from Shanghai, called Braised Spring Bamboo Shoots or yóu mèn sun (油焖笋). The season for spring bamboo shoots are soy sauce and sugar. Bamboo shoot is a magic ingredient that can be used in soups, stir-fries, stews, hot pots, salads, and pickles.

"Okay, you peel the bamboo shoots first, and I'll go back and bring you some sweet potato starch." Wei Ruo said.

The master and servant started to take action separately. They were so excited that Xiaobei was very worried.

Thinking of the spicy dish that the eldest young lady cooked last time, Xiaobei didn't dare to have any hope.

"Young master, should I stop them?"

"Let them be."

Unlike the previous rejection and impatience, Wei Jinyi did not refuse them this time.

Not long after, Wei Ruo came back with Xiumei, who was holding a pot of braised spring bamboo shoots that was steaming hot.

Xiumei placed the plate on Wei Jinyi's bedside table and said: "Second young master, please try these braised spring bamboo shoots. It's not spicy this time, so it won't choke you."

Wei Jinyi looked over at the tender yellow bamboo shoots wrapped in a thick brown sauce, glistening with oil, and garnished with green onions.

Compared to the two yellowed green vegetables and burnt radishes made by Xiaobei, this was more tempting.

With the mindset of giving it a try, Wei Jinyi took a piece into his mouth and chewed it carefully.

This time there was no coughing or choking. He had always been rather reserved and didn't show his happiness straight away. So for a while, it was impossible to tell by his expression what he thought of the braised spring bamboo shoots.

"It tastes rich, fresh and delicious, with the sweetness of spring bamboo shoots and a complex aroma of the sauce. What is this sauce?"

Wei Jinyi looked up at Wei Ruo.

"It was soy sauce, didn't I give you a jar of it?"

It was indeed given to him, but Wei Jinyi had never tasted it. He let Xiaobei handle it, and he didn't know where Xiaobei put it.

Xiaobei looked down at the ground guiltily, afraid that Wei Ruo would find out that he had left the gift from her lying around.

He didn't know that the eldest young lady said that with sincerity. Her soy sauce was really a secret soy sauce, and it seemed that what the eldest young lady said about the soy sauce being added with medicinal herbs is also true.

"How is it? It's more delicious than those green vegetables and radishes, right?" Wei Ruo laughed.

"En." Wei Jinyi replied in a low voice, there was no emotion heard in his voice.

Wei Ruo watched Wei Jinyi finish a whole bowl of porridge and a whole plate of braised spring bamboo shoots, and then went back with Xiumei to Tingsong Garden, smiling all the way.

As soon as Wei Ruo left, Wei Jinyi asked Xiaobei where he put the jar of soy sauce.

"I'll go find it!" Xiaobei quickly ran into the small kitchen and rummaged, finally found the dusty jar in the corner.

Although there was dust on the surface, the jar was well sealed and there shouldn't be any problems with the contents inside.

Xiaobei excitedly carried the jar of soy sauce back to Wei Jinyi's bedroom.

"Young master, look, the jar is still here. It is still sealed well."

"En, keep it well."

"Understood, young master! I will put it in the safest place!"

Whether the soy sauce was delicious or not, it was a gesture of appreciation from the eldest young lady and they must treat it well.

The relationship between the young master and the eldest young lady was different now. They could be considered 'friends of life and death'!

Author's Notes:

Don't worry, everyone. The female lead is about to start her first shop in Xingshan County

35 Selling sweet potato leaves

In the next few days, the Colonel's Mansion regained its usual calm. But Wei Ruo's relationship with her family became even colder than when she first arrived.

Especially with Yun Shi. Initially when Yun Shi was warm to Wei Ruo, Wei Ruo was not very enthusiastic, but now that Yun Shi was cold to her, Wei Ruo was even colder.

Wei Yichen was a bit worried about this, but Wei Ruo didn't care.

She didn't care about the attitude of the others in her family towards her, she had several things to do.

Firstly, the sweet potatoes on Xiaoyang Mountain had already grown vine leaves.

Sweet potato vine leaves (sweet potato leaves) were also a good food that could be picked and eaten as green vegetables, which was another benefit before the sweet potato ripened.

And these leaves also had an advantage. You could pick as much as you wanted to sell. If it was not sold out, you could leave it in the ground. The leaves could provide nutrients for the sweet potato tubers* inside the ground.

*sweet potato tubers: The thickened and swollen stem or root of a plant that stores food and is present underground is called a tuber.

It was the first time she picked sweet potato vine leaves, and Wei Ruo's nanny got a little uncertain. So Wei Ruo sent Xiumei over because it was inconvenient for herself to go in and out.

After Xiumei and the nanny met, the two commanded the long-term workers to select a part of the sweet potato field for picking. The sweet potato vines that were picked, were divided, tied with straw, packed in baskets, and placed on a cart.

For the first batch, considering that the people did not have enough understanding about sweet potato vine leaves, Xiumei and the nanny only picked two baskets according to Wei Ruo's instructions.

Then the carts were transported to the market for sale, and a piece cost two cents.

This price was set by Wei Ruo, which was not expensive and would be sold quickly with small profits.

Wei Ruo's prices of agricultural products were generally not too high, and she focused on quantity to win over common people; on the contrary, Wei Ruo would try to set high prices for things that could only be used by the high-ranked officials or rich families.

Moreover, by selling these leaves, she wanted to promote sweet potatoes that would be sold in large quantities in the future.

On the way to the market, the nanny even went home to stir-fry a large plate of sweet potato vine leaves and brought it to the market.

After taking it to the market, she rolled small bamboo leaves into a funnel shape, and divided the fried sweet potato vine leaves into it, each containing only a bite-sized amount.

Then the long-term workers who helped to transport it, yelled: "Two cents a piece, free to try."

Due to limited arable land, vegetables in Xingshan County were already more expensive than those from other places. In addition, the poor weather in recent years has led to a decrease in vegetable production.

And the disturbances caused by the Pirates Invaders resulted in a decrease in the number of carts and vegetables transported from other places. As a result, the prices of vegetables in Xingshan County re several times higher than elsewhere.

A handful of green fresh vegetables for two cents really attracted a lot of people to come and look.

Although they had never seen it before, they could try the products for free.

The nanny enthusiastically handed the bamboo leaves containing stir-fried sweet potato vine leaves to the onlookers.

After learning that it was an edible vegetable with a refreshing and delicious taste, with a very affordable price too, some people began to buy it to give it a try.

In a moment, two baskets of sweet potato vine leaves were sold out.

After leaving the market, Xiumei followed the nanny to their current residence.

There was a shop in front and a small house in the back, which was not very big, but the nanny's family of three was very satisfied.

Especially in this well chosen location. It was close to the Colonel's Mansion, and near a bustling neighborhood. When the shop opened, you didn't need to worry about the flow of customers.

Xiumei and the three members of the Xu family had lunch together in the small house before she returned to the Colonel's Mansion.

When Xiumei came back, he also brought Wei Ruo sweet potato vine leaves and some mushrooms. All of them were prepared by the nanny's family for Wei Ruo, they were afraid that Wei Ruo might not be accustomed to the food in the Colonel's Mansion.

Afterwards, Wei Ruo asked Xiumei to guard outside her room and not let anyone in.

Then she went into 'space' and collected the sweet potatoes planted on both pieces of the land.

The speed of growing plants in the outside land and in space was different. The sweet potatoes on Xiaoyang Mountain in the north of the city had just grown full of sweet potato leaves, and the ones in her space were ready to be harvested.

After collecting two baskets of sweet potatoes, the experience value of the space had increased significantly, leaving less than 100 experience points from the 1000 experience points that was required for upgrade.

With the upgrade in sight, Wei Ruo was looking forward to the new seeds that would be informed after the upgrade.

Wei Ruo didn't move the harvested sweet potatoes out of the space, because it would be too suspicious to have two baskets of sweet potatoes out of thin air.

Wei Ruo stored the sweet potatoes in the space after harvesting them. As long as the storage environment was dry, they wouldn't go bad in a short period of time.

It was inconvenient to transport it out of the space for sale now, so she kept it in the space and kept it as her food reserve.

If at any time there was a crisis or a shortage of food and water, she has available food and water supply in the space, which could at least ensure that you would not starve to death.

The next day, Wei Ruo went personally to the south of the city, and with the document Wei Mingting gave her, she successfully passed the guards at the south gate.

In the south of the city, Wei Ruo selected a flat land which was accessible by transportation and close to the water source as her experimental field.

She let the two long-term workers assigned to her by Yun Shi carried out the weeding and digging the land.

Afterwards, they were asked to transport water from nearby small rivers to irrigate the land every day.

It was indeed puzzling to have people water every day even though there was nothing planted on the ground.

Moreover, Wei Ruo requested the long-term workers to turn the land into a rice seedling field that could grow rice. It was almost the Dragon Boat Festival, and other people's rice had already grown over the knee.

Wei Ruo now wanted to grow rice in a whole seedling field, her decision really made people wonder if she really knew how to grow rice.

Both Mo mo Zhang and the two long-term workers had the same opinions on this, thinking that Wei Ruo's operation was strange.

After two days of work, Mo mo Zhang couldn't help but mention to Wei Ruo: "Miss, why don't you plant other crops? Although I haven't farmed for many years, when I was in my hometown,

I often heard that all things come at a certain season, and there is a certain season for growing crops, melons, fruits and vegetables. After this season passes, rice will not be able to grow well!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, and I promise that it's not too late to sow rice after you've cleared the land." Obviously, Wei Ruo knew the importance of time.

It was almost June, and regular rice definitely couldn't be grown.

But the rice seeds in her space were of the variety that could be used for both early season and late season.

Early season rice would bloom next month, while late season rice would not be sown until June or July of the lunar calendar, so she could fully catch up.

In this way, she could also experiment with the development of saline-alkali land and late season rice planting.

If it succeeded, not only could the arable area of Xingshan County be greatly increased, but it could also realize the possibility of planting two crops of rice per year, increasing food production.

"Then what about those melons, fruits and vegetables and whatever straws and rice bran that Miss asked us to collect before?" Mo mo Zhang asked again.

"Those will continue to be stored. It will take some time, but when the time comes, I will tell you how to use them." Wei Ruo said.

Mo mo Zhang looked at Wei Ruo's confident face and wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.

Forget it, it was useless to talk about it. The eldest young lady didn't seem to be able to listen to people's advice.

Moreover, the eldest young lady also said that If she failed this, it would be her own responsibility. So when the time came, the one who would be punished would be her, which had nothing to do with Mo mo Zhang.

36 Dragon Boat Festival trip

Meanwhile, at Wangmei Garden.

After a few days of recuperation, Wei Qingwan finally got out of bed.

But her complexion did not look too good, and her face was even worse than of Wei Jinyi at the same time.

These days she had been confined in Wangmei Garden, listening to Cuiping telling her about Wei Ruo's affairs. She knew that Wei Ruo had been very active these days and went out frequently.

Wei Qingwan then went to the kitchen, made some osmanthus cake and delivered it to Wei Yichen personally, regardless of her servant's dissuasion.

Wei Yichen had been buried in his studies these days, and paid little attention to external affairs.

It was only when Wei Qingwan came to see him that he would take a break.

"Why did Wanwan personally come over today?" As soon as he saw his sister, Wei Yichen couldn't help but show a gentle and doting smile on his face.

"I came to see my eldest brother. I am afraid that my eldest brother has worked himself too hard. I am also afraid that my eldest brother has starved himself by just focusing on studying and forgetting to eat.

I don't care whether my eldest brother can pass Juren* Jinshi* or not, I just want my eldest brother to be healthy and alive."

*Juren: : In the ancient Chinese imperial examination system, candidates that were talented and recommended to take imperial examinations were called Juren.

*Jinshi: those who passed the final level of the central court examination were called Jinshi.

"It won't happen. I can take care of my own health, I will eat well, and I will never starve myself. Don't worry, sister."

"So does eldest brother don't want to eat my osmanthus cake anymore?"

"Of course I want to eat." Wei Yichen hurriedly reached for the osmanthus cake brought by Wei Qingwan. "My sister makes delicious food. How can ordinary food compare with it?"

"Eldest brother, I heard that sister has been going out frequently in the past few days and even went to the wasteland in the south of the city, is that true?"

"It is true."

"Isn't it difficult to grow crops on the land over there?" Wei Qingwan looked puzzled and curious.

"It's quite difficult to grow crops, but it doesn't matter. Ruo'er said she has a method, so let her give it a try. If she succeeds, it's a great achievement. If she doesn't succeed, there's not much to lose."

Wei Yichen had the same opinion as Wei Mingting.

"It was nice to be sister, she can go out and do what she wants freely." Wei Qingwan couldn't help but let out a sigh, her expression was thick with envy.

Wei Yichen smiled and said: "Why? Does Wanwan want to go out too? Could it be that you also want to learn farming from Ruo'er? Then you can't, our Wanwan can't withstand the wind and sun."

"Eldest brother, you're teasing me again."

"Eldest brother didn't tease you, eldest brother loves you. It's because Ruo'er likes and used to doing these things, otherwise I wouldn't want her to go outside all the time." Wei Yichen said with a smile.

"That's right… Doing farm work is very hard, I don't know how Mo mo Li is doing now…" Wei Qingwan's expression became sad.

Seeing her like this, Wei Yichen comforted her: "Wanwan, Mo mo Li did something wrong and should be punished. Eldest brother knows that you have a good relationship with her,

but if Mo mo Li is not severely punished, it will inevitably breed a rebellious and unruly servitude in our family, so it must be prevented."

"I know, it's just.. Mo mo Li is already so old. She has to be in Zhuangzi for three months, but she has not been there for a long time. I'm afraid she won't be able to hold on…"

Wei Qingwan looked worried, and when she mentioned that Mo mo Li might not be able to hold on, her eyes couldn't help but turn red.

Wei Yichen furrowed his eyebrows and said: "Eldest brother knows that you and Mo mo Li have a good relationship, and also understands your worries. How about this, I'll talk to the butler of the mansion and ask him to help take care of some things, and arrange relatively lighter work for Mo mo Li."

Wei Qingwan pursed her lips: "Thank you, eldest brother."

"Silly girl, don't say such things. Eldest brother knows you. You are the most soft and kind-hearted person, but a disobedient servant should be punished. Being too kind to others may harm yourself." Wei Yichen said.

"Yes." Wei Qingwan whispered in agreement.

In the blink of an eye, the Dragon Boat Festival had arrived.

The custom of celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival in Xingshan County was relatively simple. Each household put mugwort leaves and calamus on the doors and ate Zongzi.

Colonel's Mansion was no exception.

The only thing to be happy about was that Wei Mingting got a day off.

It was rare to stay at home with the children, and it was the first Dragon Boat Festival after Wei Ruo came to the Wei family, so Wei Mingting wanted to take the children out on the street.

The Dragon Boat Festival in Xingshan County was not a big event, but at least it was more lively than usual.

Wei Ruo was excited and asked Xiumei to help her dress up early in the morning.

"Miss, you weren't this happy the last time you went with Madam to burn incense and pray for blessings."

"That's different. Today I'm going to the street."

It was not easy to go out now because the young ladies of the mansion stayed in the inner chambers.

Although the wasteland in the south of the city was under her control, Yun Shi instructed her that if she had anything to do, she would instruct the servants to do it. If she could go out less, she would go out less, and if others can do it for her, then she would not personally do it.

In summary, there were no opportunities to go out!

When she passed by the Yingzhu Garden, Wei Ruo stopped and looked into the courtyard gate to see that Wei Jinyi was still sitting in the octagonal pavilion, reading and writing.

It seems that he won't be going out today.

Didn't Wei Mingting treat Wei Jinyi pretty well? Why did Wei Mingting leave Wei Jinyi behind when everyone celebrated together?

Could it be that Wei Mingting, as mentioned in the original book, arranged a small kitchen for Wei Jinyi and gave him the same monthly allowance like a legitimate son, but in reality, he did not care so much about his concubine son?

Wei Ruo didn't think too much about it, it was useless for her to think too much about such things.

Just as she was about to leave, Wei Jinyi also spotted her.

"You can come in if you want to." Wei Jinyi said to Wei Ruo.

"No, I want to go out now." Wei Ruo waved her hand.

"En."

"Don't be sad, Father probably wants you to rest because you have just recovered from serious illness."

Having said all this, Wei Ruo wanted to comfort him with a few words, otherwise it would look like she was cursing him, knowing that Wei Jinyi was not going to the street and still told him that she wanted to go out.

"You don't have to worry about me so much, I'm fine. It's me who doesn't want to go out." Wei Jinyi also replied.

"Oh, it's good if you're fine with it!"

"Well, you have fun." Wei Jinyi reminded.

"Then I'm leaving." Wei Ruo waved her hand, turned and left.

Wei Jinyi also gazed at the direction of Wei Ruo. The thirteen year old girl was delicate and agile, like a free bird or a blooming spring flower.

Wei Jinyi didn't look away until she was completely out of sight.

When Wei Ruo arrived at the doorstep, everyone in the family was present except Wei Jinyi. Wei Ruo was the last one to arrive.

For this trip, the family prepared a carriage and two horses.

Wei Mingting and Wei Yichen rode on horses, while the women and the young Wei Yilin rode in the carriage.

Compared to before, the streets of Xingshan County today were indeed much more lively than in the past.

After walking for a while, a large crowd of people appeared in front of the road, blocking the road. The carriage of the Wei family was forced to stop.

From a distance, it was the entrance of a shop, with several tables arranged and a group of people surrounding it.

Next to them were several shelves supported by bamboo poles, and a row of calligraphy works were hung on top of them.

Yun Shi lifted the curtain of the carriage by a slit and asked: "What is happening there? Why are these people gathering?"

37 The original male lead

"Mother, wait a moment, I'll go and find out." Wei Yichen replied, and immediately got off his horse and walked into the crowd.

After waiting for a while, Wei Yichen returned with an excited expression.

"Mother, it's a newly opened store that is holding a competition."

"What store, what competition?" Yun Shi's curiosity grew even stronger when she saw his son's enthusiasm.

It was rare to see her son so excited about something.

"It's Sibaozhai. They just opened a branch in Xingshan County and hold a calligraphy and writing competition. The winner can get the treasured calligraphy of a Tibetan Buddhist monk."

"Sibaozhai? The paper your father brought back last time seems to have come from Sibaozhai."

"Yes, it's precisely the same Sibaozhai! "Wei Yichen said excitedly.

"And the Tibetan Buddhist monk, is he the prominent gentleman from Huzhou Prefecture? I heard your father mention him last time, and his writing is very good. He once served as an academician of the Imperial Academy.

After he retired, he lived in seclusion in Huzhou Prefecture, planted bamboo forests in front of his house, and regarded himself as a Tibetan Buddhist monk*."

*Tibetan Buddhist monk here is just a title. It means monks that lead a simple and fairly peaceful life. By all means, they are dedicated to prayer and serving others and they will feel content and pleasure. They would never pursue the material comforts.

"He's exactly this person!"

That was why Wei Yichen is so excited right now.

Whether it was the paper from Sibaozhai or the treasured calligraphy from the Tibetan Buddhist monk, Wei Yichen was very interested in both of them.

Seeing her son's intention, Yun Shi said: "Then what are you still waiting for? In terms of calligraphy and writing, my son is one of the best in Xingshan County."

Hearing this, Wei Yichen looked at his father at the side.

Wei Mingting agreed: "Go, as a father, I also want to see my son's literary talent."

"Then this son will go."

Wei Yichen walked into the crowd excitedly.

Wei Mingting then said to the people in the carriage: "Everyone can get out of the carriage and take a walk."

After Wei Mingting had spoken, Yun Shi no longer held the three children back, asked Wei Qingwan and Wei Ruo to put on the veiled hats, and told their servants to follow them closely.

As for Wei Yilin, she personally watched over him, in case that boy went wild somewhere.

After getting out of the carriage, Wei Ruo and Xiumei squeezed into the crowd to watch the competition for the treasured calligraphy of the Tibetan Buddhist monk.

Both of them felt excited as well. Although they were not as good as Wei Yichen, they were obviously interested in this, especially Wei Ruo.

The content of the competition was very simple. The participants would create a short writing on the spot based on the given topic and write it on paper.

The final judgment was based on the content of the writing and the quality of the calligraphy.

The shopkeeper of Sibaozhai, who was holding this competition, was a middle-aged man with a beard and a chubby figure. He gave away a simple and honest smile.

He warmly greeted every scholar who was attracted, explained the rules of the competition to them, and invited them to participate.

The writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and inkstones used in the competition were all provided by Sibaozhai.

After Wei Yichen squeezed into the crowd, the shopkeeper explained the rules to him with a smile.

"Young master, you only need to write some thoughts according to the topic. We don't judge the content of the writing, only the calligraphy."

"Okay, I'll give it a try. Could the shopkeeper please give me a brush and paper?"

The shopkeeper hurriedly asked the shop assistant to prepare new paper and writing brush for Wei Yichen.

Under the gaze of everyone, Wei Yichen picked up his brush and wrote about a hundred words eloquently.

The vigorous and powerful writing style, with solid and elegant handwriting, immediately aroused a round of applause from the crowd.

After he finished writing, the shopkeeper did not make any comments, but only asked the shop assistant to carefully hang Wei Yichen's work.

At this time, there were already many pieces of work hanging on the shelf next to it, all written by the participants of today's competition. All of them were hung side by side so that people passing by could appreciate and judge them.

In the distance, a luxuriously decorated carriage had been parked in one place for a while.

The people inside the carriage were also looking at the competition.

"Brother Yu is also interested?" Chu Lan asked Lu Yuhong who had been watching the excitement beside him.

Lu Yuhong quickly shook his head: "Your Highness, don't make fun of me. I can compete in martial arts in the martial arts arena, ride horses, shoot arrows, play football, and go to battle to kill enemies. But I'm definitely not good at calligraphy and literature.

I just think this shop is interesting. When it just opened, the shopkeeper could come up with these new tricks. Moreover, he even used the treasured calligraphy of the Tibetan Buddhist monk as a prize. I don't know if it's true or not."

"Indeed, they have more methods than ordinary shops." Chu Lan commented, his tone was rather dull, not as eager as Lu Yuhong.

"By the way, are those people riding on horses from the Bo Zhongyi's Mansion in the capital? They look familiar." Lu Yuhong asked.

Following the direction pointed by Lu Yuhong's fingers, Chu Lan saw Wei Mingting.

"It's him, the third son of Bo Zhongyi, Wei Mingting, who is currently serving as the sixth rank Colonel."

"Your Highness still remembers clearly. I can't remember these well. I can't even remember the ones that live in the capital, let alone the ones live outside the capital."

Bo Zhongyi's Mansion, along with Bo Zhongyi himself, was a group of mediocre people without ambitions, except for Wei Mingting. Unfortunately, he was reckless and didn't know how to adapt. If he hadn't been like that, he would have left this place long ago." Chu Lan commented.

"No wonder the Bo Zhongyi's Mansion has been in a state of decline in recent years, without any successors. It's a pity, I heard my father say that Grand Uncle Zhongyi was a renowned founding general!"

Although Lu Yuhong came from a scholarly family, he inexplicably admired those who practiced martial arts, especially those famous generals who had done heroic deeds.

"Let's go." Chu Lan suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and got up.

"Where to?"

"To see the competition."

"Eh? Your Highness, are you interested?" Lu Yuhong curiously chased after him.

Chu Lan did not answer and walked straight towards the crowd.

The competition was still ongoing, and almost everyone had already tried it. The works had been hung up and could be seen by everyone.

Among those works, Wei Yichen's work was clearly the most eye-catching one.

It was also the one that drew the most crowds.

Yun Shi's words were right. When it comes to calligraphy and writing, Wei Yichen was definitely one of the best in Xingshan County.

After he participated in the competition, the work of others was directly compared to his.

With victory in sight, Wei Qingwan was very happy for Wei Yichen.

At this moment, a man in brocade* clothes walked over.

*brocade clothes: exquisite and gorgeous clothing. Used to refer to the clothing of royals.

"I want to try it too."

Everyone consciously made way for the man in the brocade clothes.

It was not difficult to guess from the man's clothing and the attendant following him that his identity was not ordinary.

Wei Mingting also looked over and was startled.

He couldn't determine the identity of the person in front of him, but he could tell from the accessories of the man's attendant.

Wei Ruo recognized the man's identity at a glance—the Seventh Prince, Chu Lan.

He was the male lead of the original book and also the one who executed her in the original book.

Thinking of this, Wei Ruo instinctively walked towards the periphery of the crowd, widening the distance between herself and these two people.

Though she wasn't sure how that would help, she just instinctively wanted to keep a distance from what she thought was a dangerous risk.

Wei Ruo looked at Wei Qingwan, and saw that Wei Qingwan was looking at Chu Lan.

Chu Lan should have met Wei Qingwan at Fahua Temple, but missed it because of her absence as a supporting role.

Could it be that this late encounter was about to happen today?

38 The competition's result

Wei Qingwan's eyes focused on Chu Lan through the veiled hat, and she didn't look away for a long time.

With a tall and slender figure, distinguished appearance, and powerful aura, it was difficult not to pay attention to him.

Wei Qingwan was very certain that this person was not from Xingshan County, and his attire was definitely not from a commoner. If he was a nobleman in Xingshan County, the Wei family would definitely know.

"Please, young master." The shopkeeper smiled and asked the shop assistant to put on new paper.

Chu Lan walked forward. When he saw the paper in front of him, a hint of surprise appeared on his cold and stern face.

Reaching out and gently stroking the paper, his surprise grew more intensified.

This paper was different from the one he used in the past. Why would there be good paper in such a remote place that was not even available in the capital?

"Where did you get this paper from?" Chu Lan asked the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper replied with a smile: "This paper is exclusively sold by our shop, Sibaozhai. If you like it, you can buy some after our shop opens. After today's competition, our shop will officially open."

Chu Lan looked up at the shop behind the shopkeeper, with large characters written on the plaque: "Sibaozhai".

Chu Lan said "interesting", then picked up a brush and paper, and started writing.

The title given by the shopkeeper was Food is the God of the People.

Chu Lan also wrote about a hundred words or so.

The handwriting was magnificent and powerful, with a powerful, wide-open stroke.

The crowd immediately applauded and said several "good" words.

The shop assistant also hung up Chu Lan's writing, right next to Wei Yichen's.

The contrast between the two pieces of writing when being put together was very obvious. Wei Yichen's handwriting was much gentler.

The shopkeeper then asked everyone if there was anyone else who wanted to participate in the competition. After asking three times to make sure there were no more people, he handed a wooden sign to everyone present.

The wooden sign was engraved with simple words of "Sibaozhai", and was tied with a red string.

"Today's judges are everyone who are present here. You can choose whose handwriting you think is good, and hang the wooden sign on the hook of that person's work. In the end, the person with the most wooden signs will win the first prize."

Lu Yuhong looked at the wooden sign in his hand and laughed, whispering to Chu Lan: "It's really interesting to have the crowd to vote for the winner."

"It's a smart choice." Chu Lan said.

This kind of evaluation method allowed the person who hosted the competition not to offend anyone, and as a newly opened shop, the last thing you could do was to offend others.

Lu Yuhong smiled and asked Chu Lan: "If I don't vote for you, will I be able to return tonight?"

Chu Lan: "Then you have to think carefully."

Lu Yuhong: "No way, I thought you were just having fun. Why do you have the intention to win?"

Chu Lan: "It's actually more interesting than I thought."

Lu Yuhong: "I told you this shop was interesting!"

Voting began.

The spectators who received the wooden sign cast their votes one after another.

Not surprisingly, Wei Yichen and Chu Lan had the highest number of wooden signs hanging above their works, far ahead of the others.

Wei Qingwan also received a wooden sign. She knew that her wooden sign was definitely going to be cast for her eldest brother, but before hanging it, she couldn't help but glance at the young man in brocade clothes.

She didn't know who would win, this young master or her eldest brother.

Wei Ruo also received a sign. She quickly hung the wooden sign on the hook above Wei Yichen's work before running away at the speed of light.

After the voting was over, the shopkeeper counted all the wooden signs in front of everyone.

The others only had three or five votes, not much to look at. The most popular ones were Wei Yichen's and Chu Lan's.

Twenty wooden signs were counted on the hook above Chu Lan's work.

Twenty-one wooden plaques were counted on the hook above Wei Yichen's work.

Wei Yichen narrowly won by just one vote.

The shopkeeper said to Chu Lan with a smile: "Young master, I'm sorry, but you are lacking one vote. I'm going to decide that you have lost. Do you have any objections?"

"No." Chu Lan replied, "Since we are participating in your competition, we must abide by your rules. I have no problem with the result.

"Alright, then I will announce that the one who won the first place today is this young man in white."

The shopkeeper looked at Wei Yichen with a smile.

Wei Yichen walked up to Chu Lan and made a bow: "Thank you, young master. The reason why I narrowly beat you today is most likely because my two younger sisters were also voters. Otherwise, the winner should be the young master."

"Losing is losing. You have sisters and I have a close friend here, there's nothing to say." Not only did Chu Lan not get angry, he seemed to be in a good mood, with a shallow smile at the corner of his mouth.

There was something more interesting to him than the treasured calligraphy of a Tibetan Buddhist monk.

Wei Yichen nodded and didn't say anything.

The shopkeeper put the scroll containing the calligraphy of a Tibetan Buddhist monk into a wooden box and handed it to Wei Yichen.

Then he announced: "The paper you used just now is available in the shop. If you need it, you can buy it in the shop. Each person is limited to 50 sheets per day. The quantity is limited while stocks last."

The scholars who just participated in the competition had already used Sibaozhai's writing brush and paper. The brush and ink were average, and not much different from other places, but this paper was different.

Although it was a bit more expensive than anywhere else, the quality was much better.

And that was a price that's acceptable to people who were well-off.

As soon as they heard that the purchase was limited and the quantity was limited, people immediately crowded into the shop. They were afraid that they would not be able to buy it if they were late.

In a moment, a long queue formed at the entrance of Sibaozhai, and the shop was bustling.

This was a rare scene in Xingshan County, where the economic situation was not very prosperous.

It could be seen that the people at the bottom still had a difficult time. Families who could support scholars could still afford to spend money to buy good brushes, inks, papers and inkstones.

Wei Yichen also asked his servant to queue up to buy him some more.

Not long after, the shopkeeper announced that the paper for today had been sold out, and if they still needed it, they could only come back tomorrow.

Knowing that it was sold out, those who couldn't buy it showed disappointment.

The crowd dispersed, but Wei Qingwan was still in the midst, looking around, subconsciously searching for the figure of the noble young master just now.

Wei Yichen pulled her back: "Wanwan, what are you looking for?"

"I… I'm looking for sister…"

Wei Yichen looked around and couldn't find Wei Ruo's figure.

Wei Ruo had already walked away by the end of the competition and wandered around other nearby shops.

Wei Yichen found Wei Ruo in a candied fruit shop on the street.

Wei Ruo had just bought a few large bags of candied fruits and was ready to return.

Looking at the things Wei Ruo bought, Wei Yichen glanced at them and felt she bought too much, but instead of criticizing Wei Ruo, he said: "My sister likes to eat candied fruits. Next time I'll bring them to you, you don't have to stock up so much at once. It's not fresh after quite some time."

Wei Yichen thought it was because Wei Ruo seldom had the opportunity to go out, so she bought so many because she was afraid that she would not have the opportunity to buy later.

Wei Ruo smiled, neither agreeing nor refuting, and followed Wei Yichen back home.

After returning, Wei Yichen asked Wei Mingting: "Father, the young master just now seems to have an extraordinary identity. Does Father know who he is?"

39 A mysterious nobleman

Xingshan County was not big. If there was such a powerful figure, they would have known about it.

"He shouldn't be from Xingshan County, but I can't figure out who he is at the moment." Wei Mingting was observing that young man with an unfamiliar face, but he didn't remember who it was.

Yun Shi guessed: "He shouldn't be the nobleman who lives in the meditation room of Fahua Temple, would he?"

There were very few important people coming to Xingshan County, so it was impossible to have two at once.

"It's possible." Wei Mingting felt the same way.

"Then Husband, will this nobleman get offended with our family because of what happened on that day and because Yichen won the competition today?" Yun Shi's worries intensified.

"Don't think too much, if he really gets angry because of those trivial matters, we can't do anything about that. But, judging from the young master's behavior just now, he doesn't seem like a narrow-minded person." Wei Mingting said.

Wei Mingting was an upright person and did his job well. If the Imperial Court wanted to punish him for his crimes against the Pirates, he would accept it. But if he was punished for such a trivial matter, he would feel really unfair.

After discussing the nobleman's identity with no avail, Wei Yichen handed over the treasured calligraphy of the Tibetan Buddhist monk that he had won to Wei Mingting.

Wei Mingting refused: "You can keep it yourself. Father knows you really like this Tibetan monk, and have always thought of him as a master."

Wei Ruo, who was about to get on the carriage, turned her head to look at Wei Yichen when she heard these words, but soon she turned back and got inside the carriage, hugging the dried fruits and nibbling on it.

Sitting opposite Wei Ruo, Wei Qingwan Ruo thoughtfully looked out through the gap in the carriage window, constantly recalling the appearance of the young master just now.

Thinking back to what her parents just said, the young master was probably the nobleman in the Fahua Temple that day, and she was worried if she left a bad impression on him that day.

If he was really a nobleman in Fahua Temple, then he was a member of the royal family. Why did the royal family come to a small place like Xingshan County?

###

After the competition, Chu Lan did not immediately leave, he asked his attendants to queue up and buy papers.

Holding the paper in his hands, Chu Lan was more and more certain that these papers were much better than those sold in the capital.

Lu Yuhong also noticed that the paper Chu Lan bought was different from what they usually used. It was thicker, whiter, more delicate, and smooth.

"I really can't understand. This shop is famous, it not only attracts customers with various tricks, but also sells better products than other places. Opening a shop here seems like a bit of a waste. It should be opened in the capital! Then its business would definitely be a hundred times better than this!" Lu Yuhong commented.

"Brother Yu, opening a shop in the capital is not that easy." Said Chu Lan.

"Oh, that's right, the capital is different from this small place." Lu Yuhong nodded.

Lu Yuhong jokingly said to Chu Lan: "Your Highness, since their paper is so good and so popular with scholars, if I talk to their boss to see if they can provide me with supplies, I will help him open a shop in the capital. Then, I can earn some silver!"

No one would mind having a lot of silver, even a young master from an aristocratic family like Lu Yuhong.

"You can try. But don't use force, so you won't be seen as someone who abuses his authority."

"That's impossible, do I look like that kind of scoundrel? If I were to oppress people, my grandfather would be the first to whip me to death!"

###

The competition was over, and today's paper had also been sold out.

The shopkeeper closed the shop, and then entered the small courtyard behind the shop, where stood a burly and modest farmer.

When the shopkeeper came in, the farmer was chopping firewood.

The shopkeeper walked over to him and reported on the competition held today and the sales situation of the shop.

Overall, it was very successful. With just one pair of Tibetan Buddhist calligraphy and a small competition, Sibaozhai was promoted in Xingshan County and successfully sold 7200 pieces of paper.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Xu Zhushan responded with a giggle.

Looking at Xu Zhushan's simple and modest appearance, the shopkeeper was blown away multiple times. Although he looked quite dull, he had so many ideas.

For example, the method of soliciting business today was taught by Xu Zhushan, and he, the shopkeeper, just followed his suit.

The shopkeeper was not sure whether his boss was truly wise or pretentious.

After a brief moment of inner turmoil, the shopkeeper continued to say to Xu Zhushan: "Just now, a young master came to the shop and asked to meet the boss. I answered according to what you told me before, saying that our boss doesn't see customers."

"Oh, good."

"The young master also said that he is here to cooperate with the boss and wants to get goods from you to open a store in the capital. I remember the boss mentioned that because the daily stock is limited, you will never cooperate or supply papers to anyone. So I repeated the boss' wish to that person."

"That's right, just say it like that." Xu Zhushan nodded.

"Boss, forgive my curiosity. We only sell this much paper daily, is it really because of tight supply?" The shopkeeper really couldn't hold back his curiosity.

"Yes." Xu Zhushan replied.

Then Xu Zhushan thought of an important thing: "By the way, starting tomorrow, we can't sell paper alone, we need to…to…"

In the middle of the sentence, Xu Zhushan got stuck and thought carefully for a while before continuing, "We need to sell it bundled together with the brushes, ink, and inkstones before the customer can buy it. The specifics were written on a piece of paper, I'll show it to you!"

Xu Zhushan ran back into the house, and when he came back, he held a piece of paper in his hand. There was a page of characters that were densely written on it. The handwriting was not very good, like a seven or eight year old child's handwriting.

The shopkeeper took a look at the paper and was surprised!

Among the Four Treasures of the Study* that was sold in their shop, only paper was special. The other three were ordinary goods that were also sold in other shops.

*Four Treasures of the Study: essentials of calligraphy, commonly refers to brush, ink, paper, inkstone.

This also led to the fact that only paper was the best seller item in the shop, and other things were rarely sold.

Today, the paper was sold out, while the brush, ink, and inkstone together were only sold out in four pieces.

Then Xu Zhushan wrote on the paper he gave him that the purchasing rules for the store in the future should be implemented through a "distribution system", where a person could only buy up to twenty sheets of paper directly. However, if the person bought the papers together with other items in the store, the person could buy fifty or even eighty sheets of paper.

After reading it, the shopkeeper still had doubts: "Boss, if we sell it like this, will those people refuse to buy it?"

"It's fine. Just sell it like this, we won't force them. If they don't want to, they can still buy twenty sheets." Xu Zhushan said.

The shopkeeper nodded, "Then I'll sell it like this tomorrow. I'll take my leave for today and come back tomorrow." The shopkeeper said goodbye to Xu Zhushan.

"Okay, you've worked hard." Xu Zhushan nodded.

After collecting the account books, Xu Zhushan is ready to pick up his wife. She had been busy with her work at the mountain for the past few days and had lost weight. He had to kill a chicken to make up for it at night.

Xu Zhushan smiled foolishly while carrying a bamboo basket in the yard. The bamboo basket could help his wife carry things, and if there was pigweed* on the roadside, he could also cut some pigweed to bring home.

*pigweed: grass to feed pigs.

40 Father teaches horse riding and archery

After the Wei family finished sight-seeing in the street, Wei Mingting led everyone to the training ground*.

*training ground: In ancient times, it was a place for practicing or competing in martial arts.

The training ground was where the soldiers train, and in the past, outsiders were not allowed to come in here, not even the family members of the Colonel's Mansion.

But recently, the soldiers had been holding onto the front line, so the training area had been moved closer to the east city gate. Therefore, this training ground was now unused, with only a few guards guarding the gate.

Wei Mingting brought his children here because he wanted to use this rare vacation time to teach them how to ride horses.

Except for his eldest son, he hadn't had the time to teach everyone else.

Wei Mingting planned to have his two daughters try horse riding. He and his eldest son would teach one each. Wei Mingting chose to teach Wei Ruo and left the task of teaching Wei Qingwan to his eldest son.

As for the youngest son, Wei Yilin, he was watched by Yun Shi as he practiced riding a pony cub.

Wei Yilin usually behaves like a monkey at home, but today when Wei Mingting was present, he was more behaved and did not have any bad or childish temper.

Wei Mingting led his own horse "Lian Dao*" to Wei Ruo and asked Wei Ruo: "Ruo'er, do you dare to give it a try?"

*Lian Dao 镰刀: sickle / curved blade. The name that Wei Mingting gave to his horse.

Wei Ruo nodded. It had been so long since she had time-traveled, so she had not ridden a horse yet!

"Let Father teach you. This is the stirrup, you need to step on it, this is the saddle, this is the reins…" Wei Mingting explained the precautions for riding horses to Wei Ruo in detail.

Wei Ruo listened attentively, and when Wei Mingting finished his explanation and asked her to try it, Wei Ruo didn't hesitate, stepped on the stirrup with one foot, and sat on it with a flip.

Her movements were agile and natural, done in one go, without the slightest hesitation or fear.

Wei Mingting was still wondering if he should find a stool for his daughter to place her feet on, when Wei Ruo had already ridden up.

Wei Mingting smiled and said: "Ruo'er, you are braver than your eldest brother. When your eldest brother first learned to ride a horse, he hesitated for a long time."

Wei Yichen, who was in charge of teaching Wei Qingwan next to him, heard his father's words and protested with a smile: "Father, why do you even tell my sister about this matter? As the eldest brother, how can I keep my dignity?"

Wei Mingting replied: "Your dignity is earned by yourself. It's not something that Father can cover up for you."

Wei Yichen hurriedly said: "Okay, okay, okay, it's this son who is useless, not as valiant as my sister, Ruo'er! Our Ruo'er is a heroine among women, a woman is not inferior to a man!"

Listening to Wei Yichen's praise, Wei Ruo, who was praised, didn't feel anything. Instead, Wei Qingwan, who was beside Wei Yichen, lowered her head in disappointment.

As soon as Wei Yichen turned his head, he saw Wei Qingwan's sorrowful expression with her head down.

"Wanwan, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?" Wei Yichen hurriedly asked.

"It's fine… It's just that I'm a little too stupid to quickly grasp the essentials of riding a horse like my sister does…"

"Wanwan, do not think of yourself like that. Wanwan has things that Wanwan is good at. Wanwan also has many strong points. There are a lot of things that you are good at that Ruo'er isn't. For example, Wanwan's pastries are very delicious, and your embroidery, calligraphy, and poetry are excellent.

These are things that Ruo'er can't compare to. So Wanwan doesn't need to be the best at everything, because that would be too tiring." said Wei Yichen.

"Yes." Wei Qingwan agreed in a low voice.

"Alright, eldest brother will continue to teach you." Wei Yichen patiently explained the essentials of horseback riding to Wei Qingwan.

Wei Yichen had just said no more than a couple of sentences to Wei Qing Wan when he saw Wei Ruo riding a horse and running, circling around the grass of the training ground again and again.

Wei Ruo on the horse's back laughed naturally and freely. There was no timidity shown, even if she was riding a horse for the first time.

Watching his daughter's carefree and unrestrained appearance, Wei Mingting sighed with some relief: "I didn't expect Ruo'er to be the person who resembles me the most. If she were a man, she might be able to fight with me like father and son on the battlefield."

Yun Shi also noticed the pleased expression on her husband's face when he looked at his daughter, and couldn't help being happy.

After all, Ruo'er was the biological daughter of them, so there was her husband's resemblance in her.

Thinking of this, Yun Shi felt a lot more ease towards Wei Ruo. Since the last incident, Yun Shi's attitude towards Wei Ruo had been a lot colder, but today, this experience had created some changes in her.

After riding for a while, Wei Mingting brought a bow and arrow to let Wei Ruo try.

"Archery is different from horse riding, it will be a bit more difficult. You can give it a try, but you don't have to force yourself if you can't." Wei Mingting said in advance.

Wei Mingting originally planned to teach his two daughters to ride horses today, and didn't intend to let them try archery. After all, archery was still too difficult for girls.

But Wei Ruo's horse riding performance just now made Wei Mingting change his mind.

Wei Mingting gave Wei Ruo a demonstration, setting up an arrow, opening the bow, and shooting the arrow.

Wei Mingting seemed to be a born warrior, a born soldier. As soon as he grabbed the bow and arrow, his entire aura changed, with an indescribable sense of dignity and courage. His tense muscles seemed to unleash infinite power.

And the arrow he shot also confirmed this. The arrow hit the bull's eye.

Wei Mingting handed the bow to Wei Ruo's hand and said: "Ruo'er, come and give it a try."

"Okay." Wei Ruo took the bow and followed Wei Mingting's movement just now. She took an arrow from the quiver and placed it on the bow string.

Wei Ruo was quick to catch on, and soon mastered the basics of archery. She was able to successfully shoot the arrow.

But her strength and accuracy were very limited:

In terms of strength, Wei Mingting could pull the bow into a "full moon", but Wei Ruo can only achieve a "gibbous moon*";

As for accuracy, let alone the bull's-eye, it was good enough not to miss the target. Out of ten arrows fired, only two fell on the target.

*gibbous moon: when the bow is pulled more than half-full.

When watching Wei Mingting shoot an arrow, she didn't think it was very difficult. It was only after she tried that she realized that it's not something that anyone can do.

Wei Ruo looked at the bow and arrow in her hand with some annoyance. Why was this lousy arrow so disobedient?

Wei Mingting looked at his daughter's expression and smiled: "Ruo'er, don't worry, take your time. It's only your first day of trying today, to be able to do something like this is already considered very good."

Wei Mingting wasn't trying to comfort Wei Ruo, she was really good. Let alone a girl, even a man, his first archery's progress might not be as fast as Wei Ruo's.

Not far away, Wei Qingwan, who was still learning horse riding with Wei Yichen, saw Wei Mingting's kind expression towards Wei Ruo.

After thinking for a while, Wei Qingwan said to Wei Yichen: "Eldest brother, I also want to try archery."

"Sure, I'll take you there." Wei Yichen didn't know what Wei Qingwan was thinking. She said she wanted to try archery, so he took her there.

The reason behind today's trip to the training ground was to play. So it doesn't matter if they can learn it well or not, as long as they had fun.

Wei Yichen and Wei Qingwan came to Wei Mingting and explained the situation to him. Wei Mingting then asked his subordinates to bring another bow over.

After receiving the bow, Wei Qingwan followed Wei Mingting's demonstration and prepared to draw it.

Author's Notes:

In the original book, Wei Mingting died in battle shortly after, so the death of Wei Ruo has nothing to do with him.

The setting of Wei Qingwan is a tragic and pitiful character that needs the protection of the male lead.