Jiang Family
Jiang Sheng rarely slept in Yunqi Pavilion. Maybe it was the unfamiliar environment, or maybe she was still thinking about yesterday. She did not sleep until the sun was high in the sky.
The chatterbox little maid was not here. Another unfamiliar maid was on night duty outside.
This was also the rule of a wealthy household - when the masters fell asleep, the maids had to wait outside and be ready to serve tea and water at any time, responding to any needs.
When the masters woke up, the maids still had to help them get dressed, wash up, and put on makeup.
Jiang Sheng felt a little uncomfortable as she spit the tea into the cup, letting the little maid wash her face and tie her hair up in a simple and neat double bun.
When selecting the gold hair accessories, she urgently called for a stop, and changed to the bright seasonal flowers outside.
It wasn't that she didn't like gold. On the contrary, Jiang Sheng loved gold very much. It was just that the memories of struggling to make ends meet were too deep. Even as her life gradually improved, she still couldn't get rid of the habit of hiding nice things.
If such an eye-catching treasure was hung on her head, what if someone snatched it away?
Jiang Sheng changed into a lovely pink dress and bounced into De Ren Courtyard.
Old Lady Jiang had already woken up and was taking stock of the dishes to be eaten at noon with Tan Yue - there would be stir fried shrimp with lychees, lychee pancakes, and even lychee fruit tea.
Jiang Sheng was dumbfounded. "Didn't we finish all the lychees yesterday? Why are we still eating so many lychee dishes?"
Old Lady Jiang must have been angered by yesterday's events.
She cleverly went over, half comforting and half coaxing, "Grandmother, don't be angry. Mrs. Liao does not like me. Being able to get some lychees is already quite fair. It's not important whether there were more or less."
"If I get something nice, I would definitely give the best and biggest to Grandmother first before sharing it with others."
It was not wrong for someone to be biased, it was just that Jiang Sheng did not get that favor.
But she had her grandmother!
Her grandmother's treasures were not shared with Jiang Chenghua at all.
Jiang Sheng was really content.
Old Lady Jiang's anger was built on her expectation that Mrs. Liao would treat everyone equally and that Mrs. Liao would make up for Jiang Sheng.
If one looked at it objectively with an open mind, it seemed that Mrs. Liao had not made any mistakes either.
Who wouldn’t give the best things to their most beloved person?
From Jiang Chenghua’s perspective, Mrs. Liao was undoubtedly a good mother.
That was life. Lowering one’s expectations and keeping an open mind, there was nothing too upsetting.
Old Lady Jiang suddenly lowered her head, looking at the calm and composed Jiang Sheng, realizing that she was being paranoid and not as sensible as the 11-year-old girl.
For love, don't yearn for it. What’s meant for you will naturally come to you, and what's not meant for you cannot be sought.
"You little goblin." Old Lady Jiang smiled. "Alright, we won't fuss with her."
Jiang Sheng nodded seriously. "We won't eat so many lychee dishes for lunch. Too much lychee causes soreness. And they're expensive too."
The last sentence was probably the main point.
Old Lady Jiang held in her laugh. "No, we still have to eat them."
Why?
Because...
At the hour of Si (9am-11am), the gates of the Jiang house were knocked.
The gatekeeper carefully opened a slit before poking his head out. He was so shocked by what he saw that he was struck dumb.
It was said that Fengjing lychees were precious, and the Jiang house only got three plates. How could someone be sending them over in basins, and not just one basin either?
The commoners passing by were all gawking, almost crashing into walls.
The gatekeeper shakily asked, "Dare I ask, sir, what business do you have?"
Zheng Ruqian, dressed in a white flowing robe, put away his folding fan and called out in a strange voice, "Paying respects to Old Lady Jiang and Miss Jiang. Jiuzhen Store has come to deliver lychees to you, the sweetest and freshest Lingnan lychees, freshly picked and packed."
As expected of a businessman, never forgetting to call out advertising slogans.
Remembering Tan Yue’s instructions, the gatekeeper quickly opened the main gate and respectfully led the way. "Master Zheng, this way please."
Zheng Ruqian swaggered in without hesitation. Behind him were Jiang San, Jiang Si, Wang Xiaosong and others, each carrying basins filled with lychees with such strange gaits that even their own family would not recognize them.
As they passed the main pathway, the maids on both sides could not help but be shocked. Seeing the large bright red lychees, their faces were filled with admiration, saliva flowing.
Zheng Ruqian acted quickly, snatching up two handfuls of lychees to generously distribute them, "Sisters, go ahead and try them! The fresh lychees from Jiuzhen Store, have a taste!"
Some rejected while others daringly accepted.
Arriving at the door of De Ren Courtyard, the lychees were only slightly depleted from the three big basins.
Zheng Ruqian neatened his clothes and brushed back his sideburns before clearing his throat. Led by Tan Yue, he strode into the front hall, bowed steadily and said, "Ruqian pays respects to Elder Lady, and to... Miss Jiang."
"Second brother!" Jiang Sheng jumped off the stool, her face filled with surprise. "Are you crazy? Where did you rob these lychees from?"
Three whole basins full, how long would the sentence be?
Her worry was so obvious that she almost stopped breathing.
Zheng Ruqian held in his laugh and pinched her round little face. "You silly girl, lychees are abundant native produce of Lingnan. I brought them back personally, not through robbery."
It was also after personally tasting the deliciousness of the lychees in Lingnan that he decided to quickly return to the capital and transport back two full carts of the first harvest.
There was profit to be made from the price difference, business opportunities to be developed, but most importantly, he wanted his siblings to enjoy them too.
Delicacies are meant to be shared with family.
"So, the lychees arrived yesterday but you didn't let me eat them?" Jiang Sheng found the key point precisely.
Zheng Ruqian coughed twice. "It's not that I didn't let you eat them, but unpacking and preparing them is a bit troublesome and takes some time."
These perishable fruits, even with rushed transport, still took ten days. Without proper handling, they simply could not be preserved.
After being prepared, they had to be eaten quickly. Overnight would cause them to go bad and become inedible.
No wonder Old Lady Jiang had planned so many lychee dishes...
Jiang Sheng was dumbfounded and could not speak for a long time.
Three whole basins of lychees. How hard would they have to try to finish them all? Surely they would suffer from the heatiness.
"If there are leftovers, give them to the maids and servants." Zheng Ruqian guessed her thoughts. "Don't fret for Second Brother. Lychees are practically worthless in Lingnan."
What was expensive were the transportation costs, the manpower required, the time, and the vast distance.
"But..." Jiang Sheng still wanted to say something.
Zheng Ruqian put away his fan and bowed again. "I have to thank Elder Lady again for giving me this opportunity. The three basins of lychees are but a modest gift. As long as Elder Lady likes them, Jiuzhen Store will supply plenty from now on."
There were actually three purposes to this matter on the surface and below.
On the surface, it looked like Old Lady Jiang was standing up for Jiang Sheng to get back at Mrs. Liao.
Looking closely, Zheng Ruqian sending lychees to the Jiang house would spread the news and expand the market for his lychees.
The last layer was more covert.
As everyone knew, for years the Fengjing lychees were transported by the Liao family. The elite families were too lazy to send people specially to Lingnan, while common families lacked the means to go to Lingnan. Due to one reason or another, the lychees were practically monopolized by the Liao family, and prices had gradually risen.
Old Lady Jiang wanted to deal with the Liaos. The first step was cutting off their money flow.
It just so happened Zheng Ruqian specialized in this business. Rather than having others profiting, it was better for the benefits to go to him, which would also become Jiang Sheng’s security in the future.
Looking at the resourceful yet unassuming youth, Old Lady Jiang had a meaningful look as she slowly said, "Work hard. Selling to ordinary elite houses is nothing. In the future, selling into the imperial palace will mark sustainable success."
This was her support for him to compete with the Liaos for business.
Zheng Ruqian was both shocked and delighted as he bowed deeply. "I will work hard to live up to Elder Lady’s auspicious words."
