The windows of that small hut were made of glass.
It was said that the glass was brought from the West by foreigners to be presented as a tribute to Emperor Shunwu, and there were only those two small pieces.
In order to show his filial piety, Emperor Shunwu used those two pieces of glass to build a special small hut for the Empress Dowager.
At that time, many people privately discussed the value of those two pieces of glass. Finally, an old eunuch quietly told everyone that those two pieces of glass were worth 10,000 taels of silver.
Now looking at Madam He's house, every window is made of glass, and the windows are several times larger than those in the Empress Dowager's house.
How...how much silver would that cost?!
As Madam He was still in shock, she had already been invited into the main hall by Old Lady Mo.
At this point, her eyes were even more overwhelmed. Accompanying her, her old maid Aunt Li could not help but say, "Oh my goodness, Madam, isn't the young lady's family residence too luxurious?!"
Indeed, Mo Jiuye had made the main room into a living room. Although the furnishings were from the hands of ancients, they tended towards some modern styles.
Especially conspicuous was the full-length mirror on the left side of the room.
There were also porcelain tiles with light and elegant patterns on the floor that went perfectly with the furnishings, fully deserving of the word “luxurious”.
Although Old Lady Mo had chosen antique-style furniture for her new residence, she was not unfamiliar with the furnishings in her son's home.
She quickly walked over to point to the sofa in the center of the living room and said,
"The mother-in-law has traveled a long way by boat and carriage. Please sit down and rest first. You mother and daughter have not seen each other for a long time and can slowly chat."
After speaking, she turned her head to Mo Hanyue and said, "Hanyue, go notify your brother and sister-in-law that we have an esteemed guest. Ask anyone who's free to come greet them, and also have Yu'er prepare dinner."
"Yes, Mother. I'll go now."
As Mo Hanyue left, Old Lady Mo had already pulled Madam He to sit on the sofa.
Mo Jiuye supported He Zhiran to sit beside Madam He.
Madam He had now recovered from her shock.
She looked at her daughter and asked,
"Ranran, are the windows in this house made of glass?
Is that a mirror?
The furnishings in this room?
...
This is simply more luxurious than the imperial palace. In any case, Madam He did not believe that the Mo family would have such financial resources.
Moreover, when they were exiled, the emperor ordered the confiscation of all assets from the Mo family and did not allow them to bring any valuables.
She and He Yuanming had gone to see them off at the outskirts of the capital. She saw with her own eyes that the most valuable thing was the wooden cart that Mo Jiuye was lying on.
This made Madam He very puzzled about where the Mo family's money was coming from.
Her daughter knew that her mother would have countless questions after seeing all this.
"Mother, what's used for the windows is not glass, but glass brought by foreigners.
As you know, Yancheng is close to the sea. Foreign ships occasionally dock at the pier there. This glass was purchased from the foreigners," He Zhiran explained.
"And these mirrors and tiles are also from the foreigners.”
The excuse of foreigners had been utilized to the fullest extent by Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran. Even they themselves had come to believe it somewhat.
However, Madam He was not clear about the current foundation of the Mo family. No matter how appropriate He Zhiran's explanation was, what she still wondered about in her mind was where the Mo family's money came from.
But she knew better than anyone that even for her own daughter’s in-laws, it would be inappropriate for her to directly inquire about their money.
If she really wanted to understand, she could not ask her daughter about it in front of her mother-in-law.
On the contrary, Old Lady Mo did not feel there was anything about the Mo family's current situation that could not stand the light of day.
She could see Madam He's curiosity underneath.
"If I have to thank the mother-in-law for the good life the Mo family enjoys today, I really should. If it weren't for you marrying such a good daughter to Jiuye, forget about the Mo family today, I'm afraid we would have died on the road to exile."
Old Lady Mo's words made Madam He even more confused.
No one knew her daughter's abilities better than her as the mother.
Even if the mother-in-law wanted to praise her daughter in front of her, there was no need to exaggerate to this extent, right?
At this moment, He Zhiran was indeed a little nervous.
From the memories of the original owner she had received, other than a habitual interest in medical books, there were no other special skills.
But things had already been talked up to this point by the mother-in-law, and she was not lying either.
If it were not for her, not to mention the Mo family living safely in the northwest and reunited, they probably would have died on the road to exile.
As she was thinking about how to smooth things over, Mo Jiuye spoke up.
"Mother-in-law, Ranan is very clever. She told me that since she was young, she liked to read medical books at home, but never had a chance to demonstrate her skills in the capital. On the road to exile, in order to take care of everyone, she finally revealed her true talents.
My mother said that the Mo family today owes much to Ranan. This is not false at all. Not only is her medical skill superb, she also came up with many money-making ideas.
When we were on the road, she utilized furry fabrics bought from foreigners to make stuffed animals very popular with girls, earning silver that not only covered our travel expenses but also left over to invest in industries here."
Mo Jiuye was the only one who knew about He Zhiran's space. He knew that her skills all came from there.
In order not to expose his wife's space, he tried his best to explain.
The original owner was not good at women's needlework. He Zhiran was worried that her mother might be suspicious, so she continued to explain,
"Mother, don't listen to mother-in-law and my husband exaggerating. It was indeed my idea at the time to make money by producing stuffed toys, but as you know, I am not skilled at needlework. It was done by mother-in-law and my sisters-in-law.”
Madam He had been a little doubtful after hearing Mo Jiuye's words. She knew better than anyone that her daughter was not good at women’s needlework.
Now after hearing He Zhiran say this, she understood.
Just as Madam He was about to say something more, the maid Aunt Li standing behind her spoke up.
"Young lady, were the stuffed toys you made brightly colored and fluffy?"
He Zhiran did not dare guarantee that the fluffiness came from the hands of the Mo family. But when it came to bright colors, she certainly did not shy away.
After all, the dyes for the stuffed toys produced by the Mo family came from Taobao Mall, something impossible for the people of this era to imitate even if they wanted to.
He Zhiran nodded, "What Aunt Li said is correct. The colorful stuffed toys on the market are indeed produced by our family.”
Seeing He Zhiran acknowledge it, Aunt Li smiled, her wrinkles able to trap a mosquito.
"That’s right.”
Seeing that Madam He was still confused, Aunt Li explained,
“Madam, you don't know that on our way to the northwest, I saw many shops selling colorful fluffy stuffed toys and ornaments that many young ladies were eagerly buying up. What’s more important is that the asking price for the stuffed toys was actually twenty taels of silver each!"
