Chapter 32: New Year's Gifts - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter
Chapter 32: New Year's Gifts
Feng Jinyao glanced at her shy demeanor and suddenly remembered that Wang, mentioned by Yunxu, seemed to be the cousin of Xiuqiu.
Despite being young, he became the manager of the Feng family's Yiyuan Pawnshop. His eyes were particularly discerning, and the profits of the pawnshop this time were the highest among many shops, mostly due to his efforts.
They could find their own happiness, which was a good thing.
Thinking of this, Feng Jinyao was also happy to see them settled.
"Don't worry, when the time comes, I'll do your makeup and make sure that Wang won't dare to underestimate you."
"Miss..." Xiuqiu coquettishly called out, her appearance very charming. Seeing her almost blushing and shy, Yunxu, who was beside her, came out to change the subject.
"This year's snow came really late. It's already the twelfth month of winter, and it's just starting to snow. I'm afraid there will be continuous rain next spring."
This remark reminded Feng Jinyao that Yunxu was right. The twelfth year of Tianqi had indeed been rainy throughout the year, affecting the harvest and causing grain prices to soar. If that's the case, they needed to prepare early.
After pondering for a moment with narrowed eyes, she immediately instructed, "Go tell Uncle Fu to allocate one-tenth of this year's profits from the shop to buy grain and store it. Leave it at the estate that my mother brought as her dowry and have Bai Mama's son take care of it."
"One-tenth? Isn't that too much?" Yunxu had been helping Feng Jinyao with the accounts these days and naturally knew how much one-tenth was.
Nowadays, the price of grain was only seven to eight wen, so they would probably need to store half of the estate to have enough.
"It's okay. Just do as I say. Also, ask the estate manager to find a few skilled farmers and divide the existing farmland in half. Use half to plant lotus roots. That way, even if it rains heavily, we won't have to worry about not having a harvest."
Lotus roots?
Yunxu remembered seeing them grown by the villagers when she was young. They were indeed resistant to flooding, so she immediately nodded and made a note to arrange it later.
After a busy morning, everything was finally arranged.
On a warmer afternoon, Feng Jinyao, with the New Year's gifts already prepared, went to the Bai family to pay a New Year's visit.
In previous years, it was usually Madam Feng who brought gifts back to her maternal family, and occasionally she would accompany her. This year was different. Madam Feng was bedridden, and the responsibility of visiting relatives and friends fell on her since she was now in charge of the household.
The servant at the gate of the Bai family saw the Feng family's carriage and immediately came forward to invite them in, speaking excitedly.
"Third Miss has finally arrived. Madam has been waiting for you here for a long time, just waiting for you to arrive."
"Aunt-in-law, please lead the way."
Returning to the familiar Bai family, memories of the birthday banquet for her grandmother seemed like yesterday. Thinking of her cousin's lovely face, she couldn't help but feel happy.
I wonder how she's been these past few days?
Just as she was thinking about it, she arrived at the courtyard of her uncle's residence.
Loyal Aunt Lin, her trusted maid, was already waiting at the courtyard gate to welcome her. When they met, her face was filled with several lines of smiles.
"Miss has finally arrived. Everyone has been waiting for you for a long time."
"Oh? Aunt, is everything okay today?"
"Princess Wen Yi came to see Madam, and when she heard that you were coming, she stayed here to wait as well. Miss sent word early on, asking you to wait for her a while longer. She will come as soon as she finishes her needlework."
Needlework?
Feng Jinyao couldn't help but remember her angry expression and couldn't help but feel sorry for the silk that she had 'mistreated'.
As soon as she entered the courtyard gate, she saw the pond in the corridor, which was filled with hot spring water, so even in the dead of winter, there were still a few koi fish swimming leisurely inside.
"Respects to Aunt, respects to Fourth Aunt."
"Here she is!" Bai Lin saw her and was so happy, welcoming her to sit down beside her.
It was freezing in winter, so both aunts were snuggled under the warm sunlight by the bright window. They were covered with lambskin blankets, which were very warm.
Today, Bai Lin was dressed plainly, with a goose-yellow jacket that was both warm and flattering to her complexion. If someone who didn't know her saw her, they would probably think she was a newlywed bride.
Fourth Aunt, on the other hand, was festive, wearing a crimson jacket woven with peony patterns. Her hairpin and jade bracelet were adorned with round pearls, and her wrists were adorned with a pair of excellent-quality sheep-fat jade bracelets. Her gaze was lively, indicating that she was in a very good mood.
Even the way she looked at Feng Jinyao was affectionate.
"It's snowing outside, did you feel cold on the way here?"
As she spoke, she handed over a gold-plated hand warmer with entwined branches and peonies.
The warmth started from the palm of her hand, spreading out, and soon, her whole body felt warm.
"My mother is not suitable for going out, so I came to give New Year's gifts today. There's nothing much, just a few good pieces of leather that I recently acquired. I brought them over to make jackets for Grandma and a few aunts, they are very comfortable."
"You little girl, always thinking of us. Just in time, my family sent over several baskets of snow pears and green dates from Jiangnan. They are very nourishing. Take some back to let Eldest Sister try them, they might help with her cough."
Feng Jinyao agreed with a smile.
"Eldest Sister, is there any happy event in the capital recently? I saw you preparing some gifts the other day. Who were they for?"
Princess Wen Yi suddenly asked. She was quite astute, not as good as Bai Lin, but still capable of effortlessly bringing up a topic.
Feng Jinyao was going to be married next year, so she would have to start preparing for her engagement soon and then integrate into the circles of the aristocrats in the capital. Therefore, the two aunts' discussion of recent happy events also provided her with some ideas for future connections.
"It was for the Liang family's engagement."
"Oh, did they arrange the engagement for the granddaughter of Mr. Xu? I've met her a few times with Siruo. She's a well-mannered and sensible girl, and she's also generous and beautiful."
Bai Lin, who came from a prestigious family, had admired her, and if she had a son, marrying her into the family would certainly make her a model daughter-in-law.
"Who says she isn't? I heard that the Liang family spent a lot of money on the engagement. The dowry was like a river of gold, flowing into the Xu family. My family's sister-in-law was invited to witness the ceremony. They said they prepared twenty-eight pairs of gold bracelets, not to mention several large boxes of silk, top-grade seafood, and seasonal tea and sweets. She looked very envious when she saw them."
Bai Lin, coming from the prestigious Lin family, was quite popular in the aristocratic circles of the capital, so she was always well-informed about any developments.
"The person from the Liang family is just a grand secretary of the Ministry of Justice, and he doesn't make much money on weekdays. It seems that he has emptied half of the Liang family's mansion this time."
"Yes, but there's only one son in their family. If they don't curry favor with him, who else can they curry favor with?"
The two sisters-in-law burst into laughter. Feng Jinyao listened to their casual banter but had other calculations in her mind.
Princess Wen Yi didn't know her thoughts but mentioned another happy event.
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