A Blessed Daughter

by Usui Takumii

not mine, Moonlight Teatime until chapter 43, after that is MTL from novel cool. 615 chapters and ongoing.

2. 11 to 20

11 – A Gift from the family's elder

For a moment, the two of them didn't know how to answer.

Wei Ruo continued to help the two of them analyze, earnestly urging them to relax:

"Look on the bright side of everything and think differently. Mother said that the two of us are equally important. Since we are the same, it doesn't matter who is older and who is younger. Who suffers losses? And Qingwan has also achieved what you requested that day. So there is no need for either of you to be sad."

Yun Shi and Wei Qingwan were both choked, and their words were all spoken by themselves and Wei Ruo only repeated them.

Wei Ruo said to Wei Qingwan again: "Actually, the first time you saw me, you called me sister. I think you also recognize me as your elder sister deep in your heart, so I think you must be looking forward to me being your elder sister."

"Yes…yes…sister is right…" Wei Qingwan responded a little reluctantly.

Wei Ruo had already talked to this point, and even if Wei Qingwan's tears were in her eyes, they couldn't fall down.

Then Wei Ruo handed a handkerchief to Wei Qingwan: "Wipe your tears."

Wei Qingwan took the handkerchief handed to her by Wei Ruo and held it in her hand, but didn't dare to use it.

It was clean, but the material was a bit rough and had been washed until it turned white. No one knew how long it had been used.

After everything that Wei Ruo said, Yun Shi and Wei Qingwan stopped their tears. Then Yun Shi spoke to them for a little longer before letting them go back to rest.

After Wei Ruo and Wei Qingwan left, the eldest maid, Cuiping, presented a gift list to Yun Shi.

Along with Wei Ruo's elder's reply, there were also some gifts from the family's elder to Wei Ruo.

The letter said it is to compensate Wei Ruo for the hardships she had suffered these years.

Upon receiving the item list, Yun Shi thought of Wei Qingwan who had just cried unbearably. Then Yun Shi made the decision after thinking for a while, divided the gifts into two parts; one was sent to Wei Ruo's Tingsong Garden, and the other was sent to Wei Qingwan's Wangmei Garden.

She also gave special instructions to Cuiping to tell them that their family's elder had given it to both of them, without mentioning the reason for it.

Cuiping did as she was instructed, and not long after, Wei Ruo's Tingsong Garden and Wei Qingwan's Wangmei Garden both received two large boxes of gifts.

Cuiping followed Yun Shi's instruction and simply said that it was a gift from the family's elder to his granddaughter, without saying much else.

And not long after, Wei Ruo received several large wooden boxes sent by Yun Shi.

The box was quite big and heavy. But when opened, there were mostly copper wares*, which occupied a considerable amount of space, but were not that valuable.

*Copper wares were called "gold" in ancient times. It is an alloy of red copper and other chemical elements such as tin and lead. The copper wares that have just been cast are golden, but because the unearthed bronze has been lost due to time loss, it turns turquoise after rusting and is called bronze.

According to Wei Ruo's instructions, Xiumei put the gifts into Wei Ruo's room one by one to show her respect for the family's elders.

When arranging things, Xiumei was curious: "Miss, didn't you say that our family is an incredible family; a family of meritorious service, the one that is very powerful. So why do I think these things are not as good as your own, Miss?"

"Because everything cannot be seen only on the surface. In the eyes of the He family, the Wei family is unattainable, but in reality, only by being in it can one know how rich and noble they are. The so-called meritorious family cannot always be prosperous and prominent; no matter how rich the family is, there will be times when it will fall."

"En." Xiumei nodded.

"So we need to have a long-term perspective, and do not worry about the limited resources and wealth in the Colonel's Mansion. There is a wider world outside, and more wealth is waiting for me." Wei Ruo said.

"Yes! Miss is right!" Xiumei, who had been under the influence of Wei Ruo for so many years, had already fully accepted Wei Ruo's idea of self-improvement and self-reliance.

At this point, Xiumei muttered: "I wonder when Mama Xu will arrive."

Mama Xu was Wei Ruo's nanny, who was so kind to Wei Ruo. In the original book, she was the only one who protected Wei Ruo until the end, and ultimately lost her life for the sake of the original protagonist.

In this life, Wei Ruo had terminated her employment with the He family early on and let her go out to do business with her husband. Wei Ruo provided her with advice behind the scenes.

Wei Ruo's initial idea was to repay the nanny and let the couple live a good life together.

But the couple insisted on leaving all these properties to Wei Ruo, insisting that they were only temporarily taking care of Wei Ruo.

The couple gave all the money they earned to Wei Ruo and took only some for themselves.

When leaving Mojiazha, Wei Ruo left a letter to this old couple at the village entrance. Considering the timeline, if the nanny saw the letter, she should have been on her way to Taizhou Prefecture.

Like Wei Ruo, Wei Qingwan also received several large wooden boxes.

After opening it and seeing that the copper wares inside were not very valuable, Wei Qingwan could not help but feel disappointed.

Mo mo Li, beside Wei Qingwan, helped Wei Qingwan count the things that Yun Shi sent over, then frowned and said:

"Miss, the things sent from Beijing seem to be much worse than those sent on previous New Year's festivals. In previous years, they were all good gifts like silk and satin, but this year I did not see a single piece of those."

Wei Qingwan lowered her head with a desolate expression and murmured: "I am not the Wei family's direct granddaughter after all. The elder's willingness to keep me in the family tree is already a grace. Those silks, satins, pearls and jades are naturally going to be sent to the direct granddaughter of the Wei family, so there is nothing for an outsider like me."

"Miss, what nonsense are you talking about? Master, Madam, and Young Masters, who in this mansion do not recognize you as a Miss? You are not an outsider!"

"What is the use of that? The family elder's meaning is very clear. I am not worthy to be the daughter of Wei's family…"

Wei Qingwan's eyes were red, and the tears that she had not finished crying in Yun Shi's room couldn't stop flowing now.

Mo mo Li looked around and saw no one around, so she approached Wei Qingwan and whispered in her ear:

"Miss, please don't be discouraged. You see, nowadays, the master is the only one of the three lords who has a promising future. And among the few young masters, our young master is the most promising. At the age of twelve, he became a scholar, and in two years, he will become a successful candidate in the imperial provincial examination. His future is limitless!"

"Miss, you have the favor of the master and the young master, and in the future, you will live a life that ordinary people cannot compare to! The recognition of your grand-uncle is not so important to you!"

Mo mo Li's analysis was clear and reasonable, and Wei Qingwan also listened a bit, but she still felt uneasy. She lowered her head and murmured about her confusion and helplessness in the past few days:

"But the love of my father, mother and elder brother is going to be shared with my elder sister now… I don't want my elder sister to share the love that my father, mother, and elder brother have for me. It is just that with my current status, in the Colonel's Mansion, the only thing I can rely on is the love my parents and elder brother have for me…"

"These days, I constantly tell myself not to resent the unfairness of heaven to let me encounter such things; not to resent others, and let me fall from the clouds into the mud. After Wei Qingruo entered the mansion, I often went to see her, expressing my goodwill and hoping to get along well in the future."

"But when I learned about the family elder's arrangement, I was scared as I thought about the kind elder who had treated me so nicely. If Wei Qingruo had begged for the position of eldest daughter, I would not have felt so uncomfortable. But this was given by the elder without Wei Qingruo making any fuss or begging, which shows how much the elder values her."

12 – Want to go out

"I am afraid that one day my father, mother, and elder brother will abandon me like the elder did. The thought of that day coming makes my heart feel like it is being scorched by fire."

After hearing the words, Mo mo Li quickly comforted: "Miss, you don't have to worry about this. They love the eldest young lady because of the blood relationship. But they love you, Miss, because of the mutual affection you have had for more than ten years. That is real, and no one can erase it."

"The eldest young lady has been living in the countryside for more than ten years, without any knowledge or cultivation. She has been concealing herself well in the past few days when she first entered the mansion, but she doesn't have the fundamental knowledge, sooner or later, she will show her true nature. Due to the debt, the madam and young master naturally have a lot of tolerance towards the eldest young lady. After a long time, their tolerance will be worn out."

Mo mo Li analyzed the pros and cons to Wei Qingwan.

Wei Qingwan shook her head: "If she were as vulgar and rude as you say, I would not be so worried. But I saw how Wei Qingruo behaved at the dinner table, and she wasn't as vulgar as a mountain woman. The situation you mentioned may not happen…"

Mo mo Li had a worried look on her face: "Miss, don't always think negatively. Don't worry, I have been teaching the eldest young lady the rules these days, and I have seen her true nature. I am sure that her clever appearance in front of the master and madam is all fake."

"Really?" Wei Qingwan couldn't help but feel a joy in her heart.

"It's true!"

"Mo mo, I know I should not wish ill on my sister, but I'm just too scared… I am now like a floating duckweed in the middle of a pond. If I am not careful, I don't know where I will drift to…"

"The old servant knows, Miss. You are kind-hearted. If it weren't for the recent grievances recently, Miss would not have thought of others like this. Don't worry, Miss. I will handle some things for you, so you don't have to worry or feel sad."

"Yes…"

With Mo mo Li's comfort, Wei Qingwan's mood was slightly better.

And then she fell asleep under the care of Mo mo Li and Cuihe.

###

Early the next morning, Wei Ruo went to see Yun Shi and told her that she wanted to go out.

Just planting some crops in the yard was not enough for Wei Ruo.

For one thing, the space upgrade required more experience; for another thing, she needed to earn more profits for her own life to ensure she had the ability to survive after she left the Wei family.

Therefore Wei Ruo needed to find a way to expand her property now. First of all, she needed to go out.

As a young lady of a noble family, she could not easily go out. If she wanted to go out, she must obtain permission from the head of the household.

"Where does Ruo'er want to go? "Yun Shi asked patiently without getting angry.

"I want to take a look around the county town, see the villages and fields there. I wonder if that is convenient?"

"There is no problem going to the surrounding mountain villages, but you can only go to the northwest, you can not go outside the southeast city, and you can not go to the seaside. Those heartless Japanese pirates, I don't know when they will come out and cause trouble. How about this, our family has terraced a mountain in the north of the city, you can go there and have a look." Yun explained.

"Yes." Exactly just like she wanted.

"I will accompany you after I finish reading the account book, okay?"

"It's okay, I can just go by myself."

"That won't work. Ruo'er, you are a young lady of a noble family now, you can't just wander off as you like anymore. The city is not as dangerous as the outside, but it is still not safe enough for a girl like you."

"Then, mother can just find someone to follow me, there is no need to personally accompany me. Mother has to be busy with the affairs of our entire family, and I cannot hinder and tire you with my trivial matters."

It would be inconvenient for her to try to do her business if Yun Shi went along.

Yun Shi: "Ruo'er is really sensible and care about mother."

Uh… That was not what she actually meant.

"Mother, please let me go on my own." Wei Ruo said.

"Okay, I know you still have not gotten used to life at the mansion yet. It is okay to go and sightsee, but don't go to unsafe places, okay?"

"Okay."

Having received Yun Shi's approval, Wei Ruo quickly prepared to go out.

Yun Shi sent a carriage, a Mo mo and a guard to accompany Wei Ruo.

That Mo mo was one of the two Mo mo who had gone to pick up Wei Ruo – Mo mo Zhang.

When she found out that Wei Ruo was going to the countryside again, Mo mo Zhang was straightly complaining in her heart.

Why did this eldest young lady still keep her old habit? Wasn't it enough to stay in the countryside for so many years? Why did you still think about the countryside when you had gone back to the Mansion and become a young lady?

If she continued being like this, not to mention being laughed at in the capital, she would become the laughing stock of all government officials' madams and ladies in Xingshan County!

Although she was very reluctant, Mo mo Zhang had no choice but to comply with Madam's request. She had a smile on her face when she saw Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo rode out of the city in a carriage. When she left the north city gate, she could see rolling hills in the distance, almost all of which had been cultivated into terraced fields.

Xingshan County faced the sea to the southeast, and the wasteland outside of the city was mostly saline-alkali land*, which was not suitable for cultivation. The residents who lived there rely on fishing for a living. Nowadays, the Pirates were rampant, and fishermen had fled into the city one after another.

*Saline-alkali land, also known as brine land, refers to soil with high salt content and a pH greater than 8.5 [1], which is difficult to grow plants, especially crops.

In the northwest, there were hills with many mountains and slopes, and less arable land*. The hardworking people then cultivated terraced fields and planted rice on the hills.

*Arable land is any land capable of being cultivated and used to grow crops.

However, terraced fields required more manpower than arable land, and were considerably more difficult to cultivate.

Therefore, even if many terraced fields had been cultivated, there was still not enough food.

The carriage turned to a small hill and stopped. Xiumei helped Wei Ruo out of the carriage.

Mo mo Zhang pointed to the small hill in front of her and said to Wei Ruo: "Miss, this is the Mantou mountain, which is the property of our Colonel's Mansion."

"Is this all?"

"Yes."

"Are there any other mountains?"

"No, the Colonel's Mansion has been in Xingshan County for only five years, and the foundation here is a little weak. But your elder was a Bo Zhongyi* in the capital, and his family fortune is much more than that." Mo mo Zhang replied.

*Bo Zhongyi: loyal and righteous Earl.

The Mo mo spoke with excitement, but in fact Wei Ruo knew in her heart that the Wei family's fortune had long been depleted, leaving only the empty shell of the Earl's Mansion.

Wei Mingting was quite capable. As a colonel in the sixth rank, his family could still buy some property, unlike his two brothers, who could only spend the inheritance left by their ancestors.

"I'm going to go for a walk around." Wei Ruo said and walked along the path at the bottom of the hill.

Mo mo Zhang had no choice but to follow behind.

After walking for a while, Mo mo Zhang felt exhausted and could not help but mutter in her heart.

What the hell was going on here? How long did she need to walk?

Oh, these old bones of hers!

Seeing Mo mo Zhang's struggle, Wei Ruo asked her to go back to the carriage to rest first, but Mo mo Zhang refused. She was worried about Wei Ruo.

She did not know what this rural girl would do, and she did not want to be dragged into trouble Wei Ruo caused.

After walking for a while, Wei Ruo stopped in front of an uncultivated barren mountain.

13 – The suffering of the people

"Xiumei, go find out which village this mountain belongs to." Wei Ruo ordered.

"Yes."

Xiumei trotted towards the direction of the people. Most of the people working in the nearby fields were locals. Just asking them would give Wei Ruo the answer she wanted.

In a short time, Xiumei returned and told Wei Ruo that the mountain was called Xiaoyang Mountain, and that it was the property of a village called Yueying not far away. Due to the steep terrain and the high cost of cultivating terraced fields, they had been left uncultivated, and the villagers were cutting firewood on the mountain.

"Did you ask them if they are willing to sell?" Wei Ruo asked.

"Of course I did."

Xiumei had been by Wei Ruo's side for so many years, how could she not know Wei Ruo's thoughts.

"The person I asked is not from Yueying Village, but he said that as long as the price is suitable, the villagers will definitely agree to sell it. In recent years, because of the Pirates Invaders, the people of Xingshan County have had a difficult time, and Yueying Village has suffered even more. While other villages have a few hectares of cultivable fields, Yueying Village is full of barren hills that are not easy to cultivate."

"En, I see."

Mo mo Zhang listened to the conversation between the master and the servant, and couldn't help laughing.

"Miss, you would not want to buy this Xiaoyang Mountain, would you?"

"I'm just asking to understand the situation." Wei Ruo said casually.

"It's okay to ask, but the idea of buying a mountain should be kept to yourself, Miss. We, Colonel's Mansion, bought Mantou Mountain three years after we came to Xingshan County. Even if the people of Xingshan County are having a difficult time now, the price of that mountain cannot be too low. If it is less than a thousand taels of silver, do not even think about having it."

"A thousand taels… that is indeed a lot of silver." Wei Ruo murmured, looking thoughtful.

"I wish you knew. If you miss your days in the countryside, you can go to Mantou Mountain and look at our family's fields. But don't try to do it yourself like before, those farm laborers will mock you when they see you!"

Growing vegetables in the mansion was only known to the people who lived in the mansion, so they kept the embarrassment inside.

If she couldn't resist but do the same outside, it would be a disgrace to the whole of Xingshan County.

"Okay."

Wei Ruo did not confront the Mo mo this time and really turned around and went back to Mantou Mountain.

After wandering a few laps near the foot of the mountain, she went back.

###

In the Colonel's mansion, Wei Qingwan was supervising Wei Yilin to copy "Xue Er"*.

*"Xue Er" is the title of the first chapter of the Analects of Confucius. '"Xue Er" includes 16 chapters, covering various aspects. The aspects are etiquette, harmony is precious, as well as moral categories such as benevolence, filial piety, and trustworthiness.

From a young age Wei Yilin was active and playful, he was not the type to study.

Today, he was sent back by his teacher for playing around in the school. Upon learning this, Yun Shi was very angry and punished him by copying "Xue Er". Wei Qingwan was responsible for supervising.

Wei Yilin pursed his mouth, very reluctantly, and didn't write a few words. His eyes occasionally looked around.

"Yilin, write quickly, otherwise you won't be able to finish it by the time it gets dark, and then you won't be able to eat dinner and you'll be hungry." Wei Qingwan said with a distressed look on her face.

"Three times are too many! Sister, my good sister, help me copy it. You can imitate it. If you imitate my handwriting, Mother won't be able to recognize it." Wei Yilin acted like a baby and begged Wei Qingwan to help him.

"No…" Wei Qingwan looked troubled.

"Sister! My good sister! You are my only good sister!"

Hearing this "only", Wei Qingwan was moved.

Nowadays at home, her little brother was the only one who was devoted to her, and she did not want to lose his fondness and trust in her.

"Then… okay." Wei Qingwan said, "But I will only copy it for you once, and you still have to copy the remaining two times by yourself."

"No problem!" Wei Yilin immediately became happy, "I knew that my sister loves me the most. Unlike that new person, I don't know what she does every day, and today she even begged mother to let her go out."

"She has already gone out? Where did she go?" Wei Qingwan asked in surprise.

"She went to the north of the city and went to see the farm. Isn't she very strange? If she likes farming so much, she can just stay in the countryside, why does she need to come back?" Wei Yilin said disgustedly.

"Did Mother accompany her there?" Wei Qingwan continued to ask.

"She went on her own. Mother is so busy, she has to worry about so many things at home, and she doesn't have time to accompany her to do that kind of thing!"

"So it's like that…" Wei Qingwan pondered, with a slightly downcast expression.

Seeing Wei Qingwan's sad expression, Wei Yilin quickly comforted her: "Sister, do not worry, although Mother is very good to her, but I'm sure, Mother's heart is the same as mine, she definitely likes you far more than Wei Qingruo!"

Wei Qingwan shook her head: "It is okay. She has suffered in the countryside all these years, so it is only right for father and mother to treat her better. It is me who owes her, how can I still ask Father and Mother to treat me better than they treat her?"

"Sister, you think too much and think of other people too much." Wei Yilin flattened his mouth and said helplessly.

"We are a family, it is appropriate for me to think of everyone. Yilin, you are not a child anymore, you have to think more of your parents and stop causing trouble."

"I get it, I get it." He promised, but did not take it to heart at all.

###

On the way back from the north of the city, Wei Ruo looked at the scenery along the way through the window of the carriage.

She saw many beggars begging along the streets, more than anywhere else she had been.

The streets were not as bustling as she had imagined for a county town, nor as lively as in Huaibei Town.

She asked Mo mo Zhang and learned that many of them were local fishermen, who were unable to fish and had no livelihood due to the troubles caused by the Japanese pirates. That was why they fell to this point.

In addition, the weather had been bad over the years, it was windy and rainy, so the rice production had fallen sharply and the farmers had not been able to harvest. Some of them even had deteriorated to begging for a living.

Knowing the reason, Wei Ruo looked at those ragged and skinny beggars again, feeling a little depressed.

Especially when their gaze met her, a rich young lady dressed gorgeously sitting in a carriage accompanied by servants. Wei Ruo, a soul from modern times, could not help but tremble slightly.

There was no light in their eyes, and when they looked at Wei Ruo, their eyes were empty and numb, without jealousy or hate, as if they had accepted this suffering life.

After riding for a while, Wei Ruo saw a peddler selling seafood.

After asking, she learned that he was a fisherman that went out to fish in the middle of the night at the risk of being killed by Japanese pirates.

But because everyone's living conditions were not very good, the seafood remained unsold and there was still a large basket left.

Seeing that the seafood was very fresh, Wei Ruo asked Xiumei to buy them all.

When she heard Wei Ruo say that she would buy them all, Mo mo Zhang, who was accompanying her, immediately widened her eyes and then said to Wei Ruo as politely as possible: "Miss, seafood is not cheap. Nowadays there are fewer seafood sellers and the price is too high, this big basket will cost at least two taels of silver!"

Where did Wei Ruo get the money to buy so many things? Do not take things and not be able to pay for them, it would disgrace the Colonel's Mansion.

Otherwise, she would have to take credit first and have someone collect the money from the Colonel's Mansion. Then the Colonel Mansion had to pay for her impulsive actions.

"Well, I know, I use my own private money." Wei Ruo could see what Mo mo Zhang was worried about.

Her own money? Where did she get it?

14 – Seafood hotpot

Mo mo Zhang had a disbelieving look on her face, but she saw Xiumei, who was getting out of the carriage to buy something, had already handed out two taels of silver to the old man selling seafood.

Then, without the help from the accompanying guards, Xiumei carried the basket of seafood to the carriage all by herself.

After being lost in thought for a while, Mo mo Zhang guessed that Wei Ruo's money probably came from the gifts that the elder in the capital gave two days ago.

She muttered in her heart that even if she gets personal money from the elder, she could not spend it like this. Wei Ruo really did not understand how to manage a household.

After returning to Tingsong Garden, Xiumei carried the basket of seafood into Tingsong Garden again.

"Meimei, how about…" Wei Ruo's eyes lit up as she looked at the basket of seafood.

"Miss, you want to eat hot pot, don't you?" Xiumei immediately saw through Wei Ruo's thoughts.

"Mmhm, Meimei, you really understand me!" She had not even spoken yet! Meimei guessed everything right!

"Miss, I can't really guess what's on your mind in other things, but only in this matter, by only a glance, I immediately know what you want to do."

"Well, pick some out for a seafood hotpot, then we will dry the rest to make dried seafood."

Seafood in a spicy hotpot. Just thinking about this made Wei Ruo's index finger move*.

*Index finger move/ 食指大动 shí zhǐ dà dòng: premonition of delicious food. It also refers to a situation where there is some delicious food in front of you and you are preparing to enjoy it well.

"But haven't you forgotten, Miss, that we don't have a kitchen or a pot now to make a hot pot?

"Isn't there a small kitchen next door in Yingzhu Garden? Maybe we can borrow it." Wei Ruo said.

"That's right! There's a small kitchen next door!" Xiumei suddenly realized something after she finished speaking. "Miss, Is this your true intention why you are so eager to send soy sauce to the second young master, so you can build a good relationship?"

"Ah? Really? No way, am I such a person?" Wei Ruo felt guilty.

Xiumei nodded.

Miss, you were definitely that kind of person!

"Ahem, that's not important. What's important is that there is a place to cook hotpot. Meimei, please prepare the ingredients and we will go next door to eat hotpot."

"Then I'll look around the room and see how many spices we had left, Miss."

Xiumei turned around and went into the side room that Wei Ruo used as a warehouse.

In this era, there were no chili peppers, and many spices were not available. Wei Ruo's taste buds, nourished by spices, occasionally missed those stimulating flavors. So she collected various spices that could be collected in this era.

Sichuan pepper, Cornus officinalis, Fuliu vine, cinnamon, and hot mustard were mixed together, and the ratio was repeatedly tested to obtain the most suitable spicy seasoning for Wei Ruo's taste.

After Wei Ruo mixed them, they were packed in cloth bags. So when needed, she could just take out a bag.

"This is the last of the spice packets. If you want to eat it again next time, you'll have to find a way to collect all those spices again."

Xiumei brought back the spice bag with some bad news.

The spices were not that easy to get, and it took Wei Ruo a lot of effort to get them before.

Wei Ruo nodded: "When the condition is more stable, I will not only get spices, but also herbs."

Then Wei Ruo asked Xiumei to stay in Tingsong Garden to handle the ingredients, and went to knock on the door of Yingzhu Garden by herself.

The courtyard door was opened and the servant, Xiaobei, asked in surprise: "Miss, what is the matter?"

"I want to borrow your small kitchen. In return, I will treat you to a seafood hot pot! My Meimei's cooking skills are very good, I guarantee you will like it!"

"Miss, this… this would not be up to me, I will have to ask the young master.

"Then go ask your young master."

"Okay, Miss, please wait a moment, I will go and ask."

Xiaobei turned around and went to the courtyard.

Wei Ruo poked her head to look inside and, like last time, Wei Jinyi was still sitting in the octagonal pavilion reading. He seemed to enjoy sitting in the courtyard reading.

At some distance, Wei Ruo could not hear his conversation with Xiaobei, but she could see his face darken after Xiaobei said something. Then he raised his head and looked towards the door, his gaze aligning with Wei Ruo's.

Wei Ruo grinned back and even held out her hand to greet Wei Jinyi.

When she smiled, Wei Jinyi's complexion darkened a bit.

What was wrong with his expression, is she not smiling kindly enough? She thought she looks nice when she smiles, and Meimei said she looks good when she smiles!

She did not know what Wei Jinyi said to Xiaobei, but Xiaobei came over with a reluctant face and said: "Miss, the young master said that if you want to eat anything, just let the big kitchen make it for you. Our kitchen is small and we don't have any good ingredients, so it is really not suitable for you to cook here."

"I bring my own ingredients and seasonings. I don't need yours. You just need to provide me with a place to cook. The big kitchen is inconvenient. It will take a long time for me to cook."

Xiaobei had a difficult face: "But Miss…"

"Please, please."

"But the young master, he… " Xiaobei turned his head and looked in the direction of Wei Jinyi. He could not make a decision. The young master asked him to refuse, but he dared not offend the eldest young lady.

"I'll talk to your young master myself!"

Seeing the problem, Wei Ruo bypassed Xiaobei and headed straight to the Octagonal Pavilion.

"Second brother!"

Wei Jinyi immediately frowned at the sound of "Second brother".

"Second brother, let me borrow your small kitchen. We are going to cook seafood hotpot and you can join us, I promise it will taste delicious!"

Wei Jinyi also looked at Wei Ruo, her eyes flickering with anticipation.

After a moment, Wei Jinyi also compromised and said: "Up to you."

"Thank you!" Wei Ruo thanked happily, and then ran back to Tingsong Garden.

Xiaobei walked back to Wei Jinyi and whispered: "Young master, the eldest Miss is really different from the others in the mansion."

Everyone else in the house was afraid and avoided the young master, but the eldest young lady was nice. Last time she gave soy sauce, and this time it was even more strange. She said she would come to their small kitchen to cook hot pot…

"Let her do whatever she wants to do. If she is a person like this, then it would be a waste of energy to argue with her."

Wei Jinyi also did not like to speak unnecessarily with people. And Wei Ruo had just come to the Wei family, she did not understand many things, and did not follow the common rules. There were many things that she could not understand in a short period of time.

Not long after, Wei Jinyi saw Wei Ruo entering his courtyard with her maid.

The master and servant carried large and small bags, big and small plates into the small kitchen.

In the small kitchen, Xiumei was in charge of cooking, and Wei Ruo was helping to light the fire.

When the pot was hot, add lard and wait for the milky white lard to melt. Then pour in the spices packets prepared by Wei Ruo.

The flavor of spices were very strong. After being stimulated by hot oil, it immediately filled the whole small kitchen and drifted into the courtyard.

"Young master, what is this smell, why does it smell so good?" Xiaobei sniffed and sniffed. It was a flavor that he had not smelt before.

"Grind the ink."

Wei Jinyi's face remained expressionless.

Xiaobei hurriedly returned to his senses and continued to grind for Wei Jinyi.

Wei Ruo ran out of the kitchen and ran to Wei Jin Yi, asking: "Second brother, I see that the bamboo shoots in your yard are growing quite well. Can I break a few, cut them up, and cook them in a hotpot?"

15 – The situation is a bit awkward

Wei Ruo had seen the young bamboo the first time she entered Yingzhu Garden. At that time, the young bamboo shoots had not yet sprouted.

When she arrived today, the young bamboo shoots were already as long as her arm, and if she didn't eat them, they would be getting old.

Wei Jinyi was once again forced to stop writing and looked up at Wei Ruo: "Up to you."

His expression was completely detached and indifferent, and he agreed entirely because he didn't want to talk to Wei Ruo too much.

"Okay, thank you, second brother. I'll give you a plate of delicious bamboo shoots later!"

Wei Ruo said thank you and then ran towards the young bamboo, breaking off all the perfectly grown bamboo shoots.

Then she ran back to the small kitchen.

The aroma was constantly coming out of the small kitchen, and Xiaobei, who was not very focused, gulped while grinding the ink.

Ah, the young master's composure was really good. Such a strong aroma could not affect him, and his writing was still so steady.

Unlike him, who was not hungry at first, smelling this aroma, he felt that his Wuzhang Temple* had raised the white flag first.

*The "Wuzhang Temple" is often used to refer to one's own body. It also conveys that the body plays a significant role in a person's life, so some people jokingly call the largest temple in the world the "Wuzhang Temple".

After a while, Wei Ruo and Xiumei came out.

Wei Ruo carried a tray, on which were several dishes with unknown seasonings. Xiumei carried a large steaming pot, from which the aroma emanated.

When the two of them entered the pavilion, Xiaobei was stunned and said: "Miss, what are you doing?"

"Eat hot pot with you! First, take away the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the table." Wei Ruo aimed at the only stone table inside the pavilion.

That stone table was now filled with Wei Jinyi's four treasures of the study*.

*Four treasures of the study: the essentials of calligraphy; commonly refers to pen, ink, paper, inkstone.

"You can take it back and eat it yourself, I don't want it." Wei Jinyi coldly refused.

"No, I said I would give you a share, and I keep my word. Otherwise wouldn't I be taking advantage of you for nothing? I don't like to take advantage of people."

As the saying goes, it was not difficult to borrow and return. Then it would not be difficult to borrow again. She would have to borrow the small kitchen of Yingzhu Garden in the future. So if she did not start today, it will be difficult to do so later.

"Besides, I cooked four servings, so if you don't eat it, the rest will go to waste! These are seafood that the fishermen risked their lives to catch, and the only way to do them justice is to eat these properly."

For four servings? Xiaobei was surprised, how could he still have his share? He was a servant…

Wei Jinyi also looked at Wei Ruo, but didn't know what he was thinking. It seemed like he wanted to refute Wei Ruo, but he didn't say anything.

After a while, he chose to compromise and got up to tidy up the books, pens, ink, paper, and inkstones on the table; made room on the stone table.

Xiumei immediately put the pot on the table. Seeing the layer of bright red oil on it, Wei Jinyi also frowned.

Then Wei Ruo set out bowls and plates: "My secret dipping sauce, second brother must try it."

The main ingredient in the dipping sauce was her secret soy sauce, with a little chopped spring onion and a bit of garlic paste for a fresh, sweet flavor. It was perfect for dipping seafood.

Wei Jinyi looked at the small plate with, who knows what, in front of him and his brow furrowed even tighter.

Seeing that Wei Jinyi was hesitant to move his chopsticks, Wei Ruo used clean chopsticks to take out a piece of fish and put it on the plate in front of Wei Jinyi, wrapped it in dipping sauce and then asked Wei Jinyi to try it.

"Second brother, try it, it is really good. I will not lie to you."

Under Wei Ruo's repeated urging and expectant gaze, Wei Jinyi, who was trying to cope with Wei Ruo, finally moved his chopsticks.

After taking a small piece and putting it into the mouth, he tentatively and slowly chewed twice.

A few moments later, Wei Jinyi suddenly coughed violently.

Wei Ruo quickly poured water: "Slow down, drink some water."

Wei Jinyi drank a glass of water. He still could not stop coughing, and Wei Ruo helped pat his back.

After a while, Wei Jinyi finally recovered.

His face was flushed from the cough, and two flushes fell on his fair skin, making him look a little more refreshed.

Wei Jinyi put down his chopsticks: "You guys can eat."

This… was awkward…

"Why don't you try it again? The choking earlier should just be an accident, you'll find out how wonderful it is if you try it a few more times."

"No need." Wei Jinyi also refused sternly, this time in a very firm manner, without any hesitation.

The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward.

Without further ado, Wei Jinyi stood up and returned to the house expressionlessly, leaving Wei Ruo, Xiumei, and Xiaobei behind.

Xiaobei explained awkwardly to Wei Ruo: "Miss, don't worry. My young master usually eats rather lightly seasoned food and cannot eat a lot."

"It's because I didn't think carefully, next time I'll get him something else delicious." Wei Ruo said.

Would there be a next time? Xiaobei's eyes widened.

In the end, it was Wei Ruo and Xiumei who ate most of the pot. They were so full that they could not eat any more, so they had to leave some leftovers.

Wei Ruo rubbed her belly and left Xiumei to clean up the mess after the meal. She then went back to Tingsong Garden and brought a roll of paper, and put it in Wei Jinyi's pile of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Only after Wei Ruo had returned, Wei Jinyi came out of his room again, put his books, ink, paper and inkstone back on the stone table and resumed reading and writing.

After everything was put back on the stone table, Wei Jinyi also saw a roll of paper inside that did not belong to him.

After unfolding, the cold white, smooth and delicate paper was obviously different from the other papers on Wei Jinyi's desk.

"Where did this paper come from?

"Oh, it seems that the eldest young lady brought this over. She said it was an apology gift for you."

"This is a paper from Sibaozhai." Wei Jinyi's gaze at the paper also deepened.

"Sibaozhai? Isn't that the same paper that the master had given to the young master before? I remember the master saying that it was a gift from a colleague, and that there were only ten sheets of paper in total. He gave you and the eldest young master five sheets each.

I also heard that the eldest young master used the paper and thought it was particularly good, so he wanted to ask someone to buy it. But the Sibaozhai was in Huzhou Prefecture, so it was too far away to buy it. Then how did the eldest young lady get this paper?" Xiaobei was amazed.

16 – Nanny is here

"Huaibei Town is located in Huzhou Prefecture." Wei Jinyi also said.

"That's right, the eldest young lady is from Huaibei Town, no wonder she has this paper!"

"This paper is not cheap." Wei Jin also said in a deep voice.

Ten sheets of regular paper cost one penny, but the paper from Sibaozhai costs five pennies per sheet, which was fifty times the price of regular paper.

The most crucial thing was that the paper of Sibaozhai was not easy to buy; it was expensive, but because of the exceptionally good quality, many noble sons and daughters were competing to buy it.

As a result, Sibaozhai was sold in limited quantities daily, while stocks lasted.

And Wei Ruo casually gave him twenty of them.

Where did she get the money? And why was she treating him so well? What exactly was her purpose?

###

After returning to Tingsong Garden, Wei Ruo lazily laid on the bed.

When you have eaten and drunk enough, the blood goes to your digestive system, leaving your brain empty, and making it suitable for dazing.

"Miss, why do I feel that you treat the second young master better than the Master, Madam and the eldest young master? I think the eldest young master treats the Miss better than the second young master. The second young master is cold and unwilling to talk to Miss. On the contrary, the eldest young master is more gentle and considerate, and even vacates his own courtyard to give to the Miss." Xiumei was curious.

"Because I don't have any pressure to get along with the second young master."

"Do you have pressure with the eldest young master?"

"Yes, if I treat the eldest young master well, people will think that I am competing for favor. But the second young master is a transparent person. I don't need to be pressured to treat him well or badly. I can come as I like."

"Okay, although I don't quite understand these things, I know that Miss must be right."

Wei Ruo smiled lightly, but in fact, it wasn't just about not wanting to compete for favor.

She had inherited the memories of the original protagonist. And because she was a time traveler, whether she was willing or not, she carried some emotions when facing the family who hurt and abandoned her in her previous life.

It was not something she could control just by trying to. It was something that could not simply be suppressed with rational thought.

She also knew that the original protagonist's final death was inseparable from her own actions. But the original protagonist's longing for the family's love and the despair of being abandoned by the family had been deeply engraved in Wei Ruo's heart.

So even if Yun Shi and Wei Yichen treated her very well now, she could not open her heart to them.

On the other hand, Wei Jinyi did not leave any trace in the original protagonist's memory and was also an insignificant presence in the original book. So she did not have any grudges and did not need to have extra worries when facing him.

Just like when facing neighbors at Mojiazha, as long as the other person has no bad intentions towards her, she could openly get along with them and provide them with some help wherever she could.

The comfort and freedom that Yun Shi and Wei Yichen could not give.

Of course, his small kitchen was part of the reason. It was important for her to be able to make something delicious every now and then to satisfy her cravings!

###

The next day, Wei Ruo was cutting off the vines from sweet potatoes that were being harvested.

Xiumei returned from outside with an anxious expression on her face and said, "Miss, it's Brother Xiao Yong*! The person who's arguing with the guards of the Colonel's Mansion outside is Brother Zhengyong!"

*Brother here means someone that is close to them, not a real brother.

Xiao Yong means 'little Yong', which is Zhengyong's nickname.

The brother Zhengyong that Xiumei was talking about was Xu Zhengyong; the son of Wei Ruo's nanny, Nanny Xu.

"What is the fuss about?"

"I heard voices inside the door. Mama Xu has been delivering letters to the guard at the door for the past two days, wanting to see the Miss, but she was stopped and driven away by the guard.

Brother Zhengyong was furious and came over on behalf of Mama Xu today. As a result, he had a quarrel with the guard and said that he had delivered the letters according to the rules of the Colonel's Mansion. Why didn't they deliver them?"

Xiumei was so anxious that her head was sweating: "I said that according to the schedule, Mama Xu should have arrived. It turns out that the letter couldn't be delivered!"

"Don't worry, let's go to the door."

Wei Ruo put down the sweet potato vines in her hands, tidied herself up a bit, and led Xiumei towards the door.

When she came to the door, she saw Xu Zhengyong who was arguing with the guards of the Colonel's Mansion.

A fourteen year old boy with bronze skin that had been sun-tanned all year round, dressed in the attire of a farmer.

Because of the quarrel, the teenager blushed from face to neck.

Seeing Wei Ruo come out, the eyes of the teenager who had just been disheartened suddenly lit up. He was about to call out to Wei Ruo when his mother's advice immediately came to mind.

His mother said that now that Miss Ruo'er was a young lady of the Colonel's Mansion, she was different from the old days. Her mother asked him to be more careful in what he said, and must not cause trouble to the Miss.

So Xu Zhengyong held back his words.

When Wei Ruo arrived, Wei Yichen was already at the door.

Seeing Wei Ruo coming, Wei Yichen said to her: "Don't go over there. When an outsider is making trouble at the door of the house, don't go out to watch the commotion."

"He is my nanny's son." Wei Ruo said.

Hearing this, Wei Yichen frowned, then looked at the young man at the door, and immediately understood.

"You cannot meet him. But if you want to see your nanny, I'll help you arrange it."

"Okay, then please don't let the guards make things difficult for him." Wei Ruo said.

"Well, okay." Wei Yichen agreed, then turned around and walked outside the door.

He explained a few words to the guards, and they let go of Xu Zhengyong.

Wei Yichen returned to the door and informed Wei Ruo, "I spoke to that person and asked his mother to come tomorrow. That teenager is not young anymore. So he cannot go in and out of the women's place in the backyard easily. You should also pay attention when you meet with him in the future."

"Okay."

"Go and tell Mother about this matter. Mother won't stop you from getting in touch with your nanny, but you still need to inform Mother in advance about the family matters." Wei Yichen said earnestly.

"Okay."

Wei Yichen looked at Wei Ruo's bright face and hesitated to speak.

"Anything else?"

Wei Yichen thought for a moment before saying: "When you have free time, go and spend more time with Mother. Don't always stay in your own courtyard. Mother has spared you from the rule of inviting her, but you can take the initiative to get closer to her, she will like it."

"Well, it depends on the situation."

"Keep it in your mind."

"Oh."

Wei Ruo neither refuted nor agreed, and returned to Tingsong Garden with Xiumei.

###

The next day, when Mama Xu came to Colonel's Mansion again, the guards stopped her and led her to Tingsong Garden.

"Miss!"

Seeing Wei Ruo, Mama Xu looked excited.

After carefully studying Wei Ruo for a while, her eyes turned red.

"Nanny, why are you crying? Isn't it a pleasure to see me?" Wei Ruo came up and wiped the nany's tears with a handkerchief.

"I'm happy, very happy! I thought that the He family was so mean and ungrateful, it turns out they are not Miss' real parents! Now the Miss has found her real parents, and they are also government officials' family. They all love the Miss! I'm happy that Miss's suffering has come to an end!"

"Laugh when you're happy, but don't cry." Wei Ruo said.

"Okay, I won't cry, I won't cry."

Wei Ruo helped the nanny wipe away her tears and soothe her emotions.

"Look at me, I'm so busy crying, I've forgotten the reason why I came here!"

Mama Xu quickly opened the package and took out a small wooden box. Inside, there were neatly arranged small silver ingots.

17 Buy land to grow sweet potatoes

Five taels in one small silver ingot*. Five in a row. There were two rows on one layer, placed in two layers. Totaling one hundred taels of silver* (sixteen taels per kilogram, weighing over six kilograms).

*Silver ingot: Ancient Chinese currency. Silver that is melted into ingots.

"These are the profits of the past six months. According to the Miss' wishes, the whole sums were changed into whole silver ingots, and the rest were deposited in the accounts first."

Wei Ruo liked heavy silver and did not like the light silver banknote. So every time the nanny gave Wei Ruo the profits from the shop, she always came with heavy silver ingots.

-Silver banknote with a value in silver (in former times). The silver banknote is the earliest banknote in China and the world.

In addition to silver, the nanny also brought the store's account books for the past six months.

There were also baskets of dried mushrooms.

"Xiao Yong is afraid that Miss is not used to eating here. Before coming, he specially made some mushrooms that Miss likes and dried them all. Some of them were fried in oil and sealed in jars according to the way the Miss taught before."

"Nanny, thank you so much for your hard work. And Uncle Xu and Brother Xiao Yong, for having to follow me this far."

"It was nothing, It was barely hard work!" Mama Xu repeatedly said. "I didn't work hard for this, I had a carriage to ride in on the way, so I did not need to walk with my legs. I didn't even take anything important, it was all Dazhuang and Zhengyong who were busy."

Mama Xu's face was beaming with happiness.

Mama Xu continued: "It's the happiest thing to be able to help you, Miss. If it weren't for helping Miss do things, I don't know how Dazhuang, Zhengyong, and I would have to live our lives! I would never have dreamed that I could live like this!"

"Have you arranged everything properly in Huaibei Town?"

"Don't worry, Miss. I have entrusted the village over there to Lao Qian. He has been working in the village for many years, so you can rest assured. I have also arranged for someone to watch over the mansion."

"Have you shipped everything I asked you to deliver here?" Wei Ruo asked.

"All of them have been shipped, three whole wagons of sweet potatoes!"

"Okay, let me tell you about the next arrangements. I have taken a fancy on Xiaoyang Mountain in the north of the city. You and Uncle Xu should go and see. If the price is suitable, buy it and plant sweet potatoes;

there are many fishermen in the city who have lost their livelihoods due to the Pirates, as well as farmers who are forced to beg on the street due to poor food harvests. You and Uncle Xu can go to investigate, and if they have good character and are willing to work hard, they will be hired as long-term workers."

"Okay, I will take my family to the north of the city for a thorough investigation."

"Then settle yourselves down and find a better house in the city. When you are settled, come back to the Colonel's Mansion and give me the address so that I can contact you afterwards."

"Okay, okay, I understand, I'll do it after I get back." Mama Xu replied repeatedly.

Mama Xu stayed in the Tingsong Garden for over an hour before leaving.

As the nanny walked past Wei Qingwan's Wangmei Garden, Mo mo Li who saw the vulgar woman who left in a hurry, happily said to Wei Qingwan:

"Miss, the woman who just passed by is the eldest young lady's nanny. I heard that the nanny's son was making a commotion at the entrance of the Colonel's Mansion yesterday. But fortunately the eldest young master stopped it, otherwise there might have been some kind of gossip."

"Is that so… It's good that nothing happened…" Wei Qingwan murmured.

###

After discussing with Li Zheng of Yueying Village and the village elders, Mama Xu negotiated a price of 1000 taels of silver.

Then the nanny reported the result to Wei Ruo and let Wei Ruo make the decision.

One thousand taels of silver was not a small sum to Wei Ruo.

A few years ago, she wanted to start a business, but she was too young. So she had no choice but to rely on her cleverness to earn some extra money to improve her life in the countryside.

It was only at the age of ten that the shop was officially started. But it was difficult to get started, and in a society like that, with no connections and no one to rely on, it was a struggle to get a foothold.

By now, she had only saved a total of 2000 taels of silver. A thousand taels of silver was half of Wei Ruo's fortune, and if it failed, Wei Ruo's financial situation would regress by another two years.

Wei Ruo felt that there was no problem and she could take it directly. So the nanny and Uncle Xu came forward and bought Xiaoyang Mountain for 1000 taels of silver. This silver would be given to Li Zheng of Yueying Village to be distributed according to each family's respective shares.

Xu Zhengyong also spent a few days in the city, selecting a few unemployed fishermen who fit Wei Ruo's description and hiring them as long-term workers.

It was the first time for the hired long-term workers to see sweet potatoes as a crop.

It was only through the explanation of the Xu family's father and son that they learned that this crop had been widely planted in Huaibei Town and had achieved good harvests.

Regarding the origin of this crop, the father and son jointly stated to the public that a ship from Nanyang accidentally brought back a piece of sweet potato vine, which was discovered to be useful after being cultivated.

Immediately afterwards, the Xu family's father and son, who already had a rich experience in planting the sweet potatoes on a large scale in Huaibei Town, personally took the lead and led the long-term workers to carry out the planting.

The sweet potatoes need to be buried in the soil first. Wait for the vine to grow, then cut the sweet potato vines for plant cuttings*.

*Plant cuttings: new plants that are created by cutting off a portion of an established plant. This "cutting" is placed in an environment that encourages it to produce new roots and/or stems, thus forming a new, independent plant. Make cuttings with a sharp blade to reduce injury to the parent plant.

The three wagons of sweet potatoes they transported from Huaibei Town could produce enough sweet potato vines for plant cuttings.

The long-term workers quickly mastered the essentials of planting and began to get busy.

The maintenance cost of planting sweet potatoes on hillsides was much lower than that of cultivating rice in terraced fields.

The long-term workers couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They had thought that the employer would only hire a few of them to manage the whole mountain of rice, and just thinking about it would make them tired.

In the meantime, Mama Xu had also found a house to settle in, which was not too far from the Colonel's Mansion. So it was easy to come and go.

After making these arrangements, Mama Xu went to the Colonel's Mansion again, handed over the contracts signed with the long-term workers and the deed of the house she bought to Wei Ruo.

No matter what Wei Ruo said, the nanny would dutifully carry it out. These industries belong to Wei Ruo. They helped Wei Ruo with work, and they earned some wages without any extra money.

Wei Ruo had another task for Mama Xu.

"Nanny, help me find out about the wasteland in the south of the city. I heard that the Japanese pirates are mainly fleeing in the east of the city, and the south of the city is relatively safe."

"The wasteland in the south of the city? It's a very barren land, right? The land near the sea can't grow crops. What you plant will die."

"Well, it should be, if the land is not barren, I don't think it would have become a wasteland." This was within Wei Ruo's expectation.

"Miss, why are you asking about that wasteland?" Mama Xu asked, puzzled.

"Help me to inquire about some information first, I might have a way of turning waste into treasure. If I can plant plants on saline-alkali land, it would give me lower costs of buying things and hire more long-term workers. The plants grown can also solve the problem of the need to buy a lot of stuff from other places and insufficient food supply in Xingshan County, allowing more people to eat."

"Okay, I'll go ask around when I get back." Although Mama Xu also felt that planting crops on saline-alkali land was somewhat ridiculous, she believed in Wei Ruo unconditionally.

Over the years, the young lady had repeatedly broken their perception, making many things they thought were impossible to be possible.

18 – Have to go

Did not know if it was because Wei Ruo and her nanny were seeing each other too often, Yun Shi called her and said: "Ruo'er, it's good that you and your nanny have a good relationship, but you need to be more careful. It's not good for your reputation if you communicate with her too frequently."

"Understood, I will keep it in mind."

Wei Ruo did not argue, she had guessed that something like this would happen.

As a young lady from an official family, it would be disrespectful to have close contact with her former nanny all day long.

Fortunately, the carrier pigeon had already been arranged properly, and most of the future matters could be communicated through the carrier pigeon. So there was no need for the nanny to personally go to the Colonel's Mansion.

Yun Shi nodded in satisfaction, then said to Wei Ruo: "Ruo'er, the war has been getting very serious recently. The County head magistrate's wife organized all the ladies to go to Huafa Temple in the north of the city tomorrow to pray for the soldiers. You will go with me."

"Do we have to go? Is it okay not to go?" Wei Ruo asked.

"Doesn't Ruo'er like to go out a lot? Why don't you want to go?"

"I like to go out, but I do not like to socialize, and I'm not skilled in those things." Wei Ruo did not hide what she really thinks.

It was exhausting to think of having her mediating with such a large group of madams and young ladies.

Yun Shi said earnestly: "Ruo'er, you are not the same you used to be, so these social exchanges are essential. What's more, I have been talking to the County head magistrate's wife recently about wanting you to go to the County head magistrate's residence to study with the young lady there, just like Wanwan.

This time you will go with me so that the County head magistrate's wife can meet you, to show them what kind of person you are, and dispel their doubts about you."

Yun Shi didn't say what their specific doubts were, but Wei Ruo knew about it. Naturally, she was worried that she was too vulgar and not qualified to go to school with other young ladies.

"Does Mother think that I can dispel their doubts about me? Are you not afraid that I will behave badly?" Wei Ruo asked.

"Ruo'er has been performing very well these days. Although you are still not close to being well-educated and sensible, you already behaved well. Mother is very satisfied. One thing you need to pay attention to is not to mention about you and Wanwan's switched matters to others. Just say that you have been raised in the countryside due to your weak health and recently returned to your parents. This will be good for you and Wanwan." Yun sighed.

"Do I have to go?"

"You have to go." Yun Shi's attitude was firm. "Ruo'er, be obedient. You will have to get used to these things sooner or later."

Wei Ruo sighed and reluctantly accepted the arrangement: " I understand."

In the original book, Yun Shi did not want the original protagonist to go at first. It was the original protagonist who insisted on going and Yun Shi could not help but take her there because she was too loud.

Now it was the other way around. She did not want to go, but Yun Shi wanted her to go.

Wei Ruo found it a bit funny. What exactly was the problem? Why did the final result still develop in the direction of the original plot?

Wei Ruo remembered that in the original book, the prayer this time was a huge drama.

First of all, as the female supporting role, during this trip, due to her poor behavior and demeanor, she became a laughingstock for the madams and young ladies, which also made Yun Shi lose face.

Secondly, Wei Qingwan, as the female lead, met the male lead for the first time at the Fahua Temple where she prayed.

Wei Ruo pondered and went back to Tingsong Garden.

"Xiumei, go and look in the luggage we brought and see if there are any dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips left."

Xiumei immediately went to the side room and brought out dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips, each in a small pouch.

"Miss, are you hungry?"

"No, Mother asked me to go out with her tomorrow to burn incense and pray at Fahua Temple. I'm going to take some with me. Help me find two brocade bags with satin, with a drawstring."

"Miss, are you afraid that you will be hungry on the way?" Xiumei asked curiously.

"No, I have other plans."

Wei Ruo smiled slyly.

Since she could not avoid going out, she will go. But this trip could not be in vain, she had to get something.

###

Soon Wei Qingwan from Wangmei Garden heard that Wei Ruo was also going to Fahua Temple with Yun Shi.

"Did Mother take the initiative to take sister there?" Wei Qingwan asked Mo mo Li.

"Yes, Madam took the initiative to mention it, saying that sooner or later the eldest young lady would have to go out and tomorrow would be a good time."

"So soon…" Wei Qingwan murmured and lowered her head.

"Miss, don't be sad. It's only a matter of time." Mo mo Li persuaded.

"I knew it would be sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to be so early…" Wei Qingwan looked disappointed.

There was a difference between Mother asking Wei Ruo to go on her own initiative and Wei Ruo begging her to go; Mother's initiative meant that she has approved of Wei Ruo and feels that Wei Ruo meets the standard of a young lady.

"Don't worry, Miss. This may not be a good thing for the eldest young lady. In front of so many madams and young ladies, if the eldest young lady makes a mistake and makes a fool of herself, she will become a joke for the entire Xingshan County."

"It's not that I want my sister to make a fool of herself, I just don't want…" Wei Qingwan murmured.

"I understand the Miss' thoughts, but whether the eldest young lady will make mistakes in front of everyone is not up to you, Miss. It is her own quality that determines it. Some things would still happen whether the eldest young lady wants it or not."

"If it is possible, I still hope she does well tomorrow, does not make a mistake and makes the Colonel's Mansion lose face." Wei Qingwan murmured.

"Miss, you are still too kind-hearted." Mo mo Li said helplessly.

"As long as my mother doesn't hate me, I don't mind what my sister does."

"No, Madam still loves you the most, Miss."

After some comfort from Mo mo Li, Wei Qingwan's mood improved a lot.

After drinking a calming tea, she fell asleep.

###

The following day, Wei Ruo dressed up at Yun Shi's request.

A pale yellow top with an aqua-green tunic and a dark green jacket. And a bun, the most fashionable hairdo of the moment. She looked like a delicate and smart lady.

It had been a long time since she had been in Colonel's Mansion, and this was the first time Wei Ruo dressed up. She was wearing clothes that she thinks are more lightweight, and her hair was also tied into a bun that is easy for countryside women to work in.

Yun Shi asked her several times to change into the clothes that were prepared for her, but Wei Ruo refused on the excuse that the linen clothes were light and easy to move around in.

Yun Shi looked at Wei Ruo, who was dressed up well, and gave a satisfied smile: "Ruo'er looks really nice in this dress."

Yun Shi also noticed the exquisite food box in Wei Ruo's hand, and asked: "What is Ruo'er holding?"

19 Take her out for the first time

"I'm afraid I will be hungry, so I'll bring some food." Wei Ruo replied.

Hearing this, Yun Shi frowned slightly, and explained to Wei Ruo: "Ruo'er, today we will have a vegetarian meal in the Fahua Temple after praying, so we won't be hungry."

"It's only a snack, it won't affect the main meal. In case any of the other madams and young ladies are hungry, I can share some with them."

Yun Shi stopped saying anything after listening to Wei Ruo's explanation and seeing that Wei Ruo had prepared a delicate and beautiful food box. So even if the box was seen by others, it wouldn't be embarrassing. She instructed her maid Cuiping to hold the food box when she went up the mountain.

In order to limit the number of people on this trip, apart from the carriage drivers and guards, Yun Shi only brought Cuiping, while Wei Ruo and Wei Qingwan did not bring their maids.

Wei Qingwan also arrived at the gate. At a glance, she saw Wei Ruo who had been well-dressed. A surprise flashed in her eyes at that moment, but she quickly looked away.

Wei Ruo didn't pay attention to Wei Qingwan, all she had in mind was farming to make money.

Absent-mindedly, she followed Yun Shi into the carriage and sat there. Wei Ruo looked out through the window, her thoughts flying far away.

Seeing her absent-minded expression, Yun Shi didn't say anything.

Turning to Wei Qingwan, she said: "Wanwan, today we have to go uphill to the Fahua Temple to offer incense and pray. Mother is worried that you will not be able to bear it."

"Don't worry, Mother. Whether I can finish the walk or not, I will work hard. One step of a time. And I also want to pray for Father and all the soldiers. I hope they can achieve a complete victory and be safe every time they fight against the Pirates. I also hope that the Pirates Invaders can be repelled as soon as possible and peace will be restored in Xingshan County."

"Well, your father will be very happy to know that you have this intention."

"Father and the soldiers defend our country, fighting with blood and sweat, while all I can do is go up the mountain to pray. What's the big deal of being a little tired? It is nothing compared to Father and them."

Seeing Wei Qingwan's grateful and thoughtful look, Yun Shi couldn't help showing a kind smile, with unusually gentle eyes.

This daughter was well-educated, gentle and amiable, filial and sensible. She really could not find any faults in her.

When she was thinking of meeting the ladies again, Yun Shi was in a particularly good mood. Because on such occasions, Wanwan would be the one who receives the most compliments.

Everyone had vanity, and Yun Shi was no exception. It was undoubtedly a pleasant thing for her daughter whom she raised, to be praised by others.

But the situation might be a bit different today…

Yun Shi looked at Wei Ruo, who was lying on the window, with a worried expression. She did not ask Ruo'er to be praised for being as excellent as Wanwan, she just asked her not to be criticized.

Although she said firmly that she believed in Wei Ruo when she asked her yesterday, she couldn't help but worry when it was the time to take her out.

The carriage departed from Colonel's Mansion and headed straight to the north of the city. Most of the road ahead was the old road that Wei Ruo took when she went out of the city to inspect last time.

After leaving the city, the carriage went to a rural path and headed towards Xianlao Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, the carriage stopped. Both Yun Shi and Wei Qingwan got off the carriage, and Wei Ruo slowly got down.

By the time they arrived, the County Head Magistrate's wife, the Assistant County Magistrate's wife, the Chief of Record's wife and the ladies from other families had arrived.

Everyone was waiting at the foot of the mountain at this moment.

Seeing the arrival of the Wei family, everyone's gaze turned to them because they heard that the Wei family had recently had another daughter.

Everyone was more or less curious about Wei Ruo, who had just been taken back to the Wei family.

As soon as Wei Ruo got out of the carriage, she felt many eyes glancing at her.

Wei Ruo graciously let them look at her, without shyness or hiding.

Because she knew that this is unavoidable, and their curiosity must be satisfied.

The ladies who were looking at Wei Ruo, found that Wei Ruo was not quite what they had expected. Her slender figure, delicate and smooth skin were not even comparable to the young ladies who had been nursed in their deep chambers for many years.

If the Wei family did not tell them, they would never have thought that Wei Ruo had been living in the countryside before.

She stood there with Wei Qingwan; one was gentle and beautiful, and the other one was lovely and pretty. In terms of physical appearance alone, they really outshined the other young ladies who have come today.

Some were surprised and some were disappointed.

The idea of making jokes of the Wei family seemed to be in vain.

The County Head Magistrate's wife came over with her daughter Qian Zhilan to greet Yun Shi: "Mrs. Wei, you are really enviable, your two daughters are so outstanding. Is there any way for others to survive?"

"Mrs. Qian, please don't blame me. How can my two daughters compare to your daughter? I heard Wanwan say that even Mr. Fu praised your daughter's poetry. Mr. Fu* rarely praises people for their good poetry, but Miss Qian is the only one!"

*Mr in this case is addressed to a 'teacher'. So even though the teacher is a female, she will be called by Mr.

Mr. Fu was the most prestigious female teacher in Xingshan County and now teaches several young ladies in the County head magistrate's residence.

Mrs. Qian smiled all over her face and said: "She is just a little clever!"

She said that her daughter was just a little clever, but the smile on her face was genuine, indicating that Yun Shi's words had touched her heart.

Immediately afterwards, both the Assistant County Magistrate's wife and the Chief of Record's wife also came up and greeted Yun.

Yun Shi looked around and saw several familiar madams were there.

So she asked the County Head Magistrate's wife, who was in charge of today's event: "Mrs. Qian, who are we waiting for?"

"The madam and daughter of the Xie family in the north of the city." Mrs. Qian replied.

The Xie family was known as a family of farmers and scholars in Taizhou Prefecture, and the family had produced two scholars in the last twenty years.

Mrs. Xie's father-in-law was one of them. He was now serving in the capital and a fifth-ranked official. Recently he had been highly appreciated by the Emperor and was likely to be promoted to a fourth-ranked senior official (in imperial China).

As soon as they heard that they were waiting for Xie's family, everyone had no objections.

Not long after, the Xie family's carriage also arrived, and two people got out of it. The Xie family's madam, Mrs. Xie and the Xie family's young lady, Xie Ying.

Unlike other young ladies who got out of the car with the help of their maids, Xie Ying jumped down directly.

Such a bold move was unique among many young ladies who gathered today.

"Be careful." said Mrs Xie, dotingly and helplessly. Her daughter had really been spoiled by her father-in-law and husband.

Xie Ying had already run up.

Mrs. Xie came forward and said hello to Yun Shi and the County Head Magistrate's wife: "We kept you waiting for a long time. My Ying'er has been acting a little too mischievous. She was dazzled by a juggler on the way and refused to leave."

"It's okay. The child is still young, it's normal to have some curiosity." Mrs. Qian said with a smile.

Mrs. Xie looked at Wei Ruo. The others were all familiar faces and they had met countless times. But Wei Ruo was the only one that she saw for the first time today.

Mrs. Xie smiled and said: "The eldest young lady of the Wei family was born so lovely and pretty. As expected of Mrs. Wei's daughter, she has taken after Mr and Mrs. Wei."

20 – Dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips

Yun Shi said with a smile: "Mrs. Xie praised her too much. This child has suffered a lot in recent years. I don't ask her to be excellent, I just hope that she can live a safe and stable life in the future."

After a few courtesies, and seeing that everyone had arrived, the County Head Magistrate's wife announced the departure.

There was also an order of position at the departure. At the beginning were Mrs. Xie and Miss Xie, followed by Yun Shi, Wei Ruo, and Wei Qingwan, then Mrs. Qian and Miss Qian. Behind them were the Assistant County Head Magistrate's wife, Chief of Record's wife, and the wives of some famous families in Xingshan County.

Among the several wives, Yun Shi's was the highest in terms of her husband's rank. The County Head Magistrate was a seventh-ranked official, and Wei Mingting was a sixth-ranked official. As for Mrs Xie's husband, he was only a scholar who had not yet held a specific position.

But Wei Mingting's current situation was well-known to everyone, and the Xie family was thriving. So Mrs. Xie was at the front instead.

Because the purpose of today's trip was to pray for blessings, and sincerity was the most important thing, so on the suggestion of the County Head Magistrate's wife, everyone walked up the mountain and completed the 999 steps from the foot of the mountain to the front of the temple.

Wei Ruo followed behind Yun Shi's, neither too fast nor too slow. She would go as fast as the others, and when the others stopped to rest, she also stopped to rest.

Try not to stand out and not to cause any trouble.

The fastest walking person was Xie Ying, who strode at the front with large steps. She was at least 20 or 30 steps away from the others, Mrs. Xie's shouting could not even reach her.

The rest of the people were not walking fast. They had to stop and take a rest after walking for a while.

It took more than half an hour to walk in this way, and they finally arrived at the temple gate of Fahua Temple.

The head monk was already at the gate with a group of disciples to greet them.

After exchanging greetings with the head monk, everyone entered the temple.

As the County Head Magistrate's wife had already agreed with the presiding head monk that the temple would not receive any other pilgrims* today, but only accepted them. So the temple was very empty and no one else disturbed them.

*Pilgrims: a person who goes to a temple to burn incense.

After entering the main hall, everyone began to burn incense and kneel down.

Wei Ruo also mingled in the crowd and lit a stick of incense.

After kneeling on the futon and listening to the scriptures, half a day has passed.

At noon, everyone needed to stay in the temple to eat a vegetarian meal.

While waiting for the vegetarian meal, everyone sat in the dining hall and drank the tea provided by the temple.

Due to walking 999 steps and exhausting physical energy, coupled with the fact that it was already noon, everyone was feeling a bit hungry.

However, the Fahua Temple had a strict fasting time, and food would not be served until noon. Naturally, everyone could not break the rules and could only wait in the dining hall.

At this moment, Wei Ruo took out the dried sweet potatoes she had prepared and shared them with everyone to try.

Seeing what Wei Ruo had brought out, all the ladies showed a curious and puzzled expression, as they had never seen it before.

After seeing what Wei Ruo had brought out, Yun couldn't help but become nervous.

She originally thought that Wei Ruo brought common pastries. Everyone was really hungry now, so it was okay for her to share the pastries with everyone.

It turned out that the things she took out were unknown to everyone, and Yun Shi couldn't help but to worry.

It was too late for Yun Shi to stop Wei Ruo at this moment, everything was in the hands of the madams and young ladies.

Wei Qingwan looked at Wei Ruo and then at the thing that she had brought out, feeling puzzled just like everyone else. But she remained silent and sat beside Yun Shi, quietly watching the reactions of the crowd.

"Miss Wei, what is this?" Mrs. Qian was the first to ask.

"This is called dried sweet potatoes, and it is made from a plant called sweet potato." Wei Ruo explained patiently.

"Sweet potato? What kind of crop is that?"

"That is a new crop that was accidentally brought by a merchant ship from Nanyang. It has already been planted in Huzhou Prefecture, and many farmers there have already started planting it."

"There's such a thing?" Mrs. Qian looked at the red brick-colored, crystal clear dried sweet potatoes in her hand, surprised and puzzled.

The other ladies were curious too.

In front of everyone, Wei Ruo took a piece of dried sweet potato and ate it.

With Wei Ruo taking the lead, Mrs. Qian also took a piece.

The dried sweet potatoes were refined, soft and sweet, and although there were no complex cooking methods, they retained the unique flavor of sweet potatoes.

Seeing this, everyone else started to try the new "pastries" that Wei Ruo had brought.

"It tastes good." Mrs. Qian praised.

Immediately afterwards, other ladies also gave the same praise.

"I have another snack made from sweet potatoes here, you can try it too."

Wei Ruo took out another brocade bag from the food box and opened the drawstring on it, so the ladies could clearly see what was inside.

This was sweet potato chips. After peeling and steaming the sweet potatoes, mash them into mashed potatoes, add cooked sesame seeds and mix them well. Then spread it on the mold with a thin layer, and put it under the sun for a few days. After being dried in the sun, cut it into small pieces to obtain sweet potato chips that resemble the shape and taste of potato chips.

Before, it was soft, sticky, and sweet. While the latter was very fragrant and crispy, crumbling at the slightest touch of the teeth, but with a much stronger flavor.

"Is this also made from the sweet potato you just mentioned?" Mrs. Xie asked curiously.

"Yes, it is made from sweet potatoes, but the method is different." Wei Ruo explained.

After the introduction, Wei Ruo shared the sweet potato chips for everyone to taste.

With the experience of dried sweet potatoes, everyone didn't hesitate this time and tasted them after getting it.

"This one tastes pretty good too." Mrs. Qian commented.

"I prefer this one, it's fragrant and crunchy." Xie Ying, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, expressing her love for sweet potato chips.

Mrs. Xie smiled: "My Yingying rarely talks about what kind of food she likes. Ms. Wei's sweet potato chips really suit Yingying's appetite."

With Mrs. Qian and Mrs. Xie's words, other ladies also began to praise Wei Ruo's two sweet potato products.

And their acknowledgement was exactly what Wei Ruo wanted.

Her sweet potatoes had been planted and would be sold locally after they were ripe.

To sell something you haven't seen before in one place, you must first do a good job in marketing and establish a solid market foundation.

Wei Ruo brought dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato chips for everyone today, for this purpose.

As long as these ladies, who represented the influential class of Xingshan County, approve of this food, then when her sweet potatoes go on sale, she would not have to worry about having no market.

Yun Shi's worries also dissipate along with the praise of everyone.

Wei Qingwan felt a little uncomfortable, and she didn't know how to describe this feeling, she just felt something stuck in her chest, making her a little out of breath.

While chatting and laughing, the monks from the temple brought the vegetarian meal. After everyone had the meal together, several ladies would go to the hall to recite scriptures and pray for blessings with the head monk.

Because the recitation process was very boring, only the madams were arranged to go, and the ladies could walk around the temple on their own.

After being very cautious for half a day, it was finally time to move around freely. The few people who knew each other well, went off in groups to find another place to enjoy themselves.

Wei Ruo intended to find a corner by herself when Wei Qingwan followed her, "Where does sister want to go?"

Author's Notes:

Sweet potato(ganshu) is another name for sweet potato(hongshu).

I used to make sweet potato chips at home when I was a child, but I seldom make them now.