Chapter 542: Well-Prepared

awful! It's like pig slop!"Jiang Cheng said, "Fortunately, it's not tasty. If it were delicious, the monthly military rations would probably have to be doubled!"While they were talking, the Lord took..."Old Li pricked her scalp a few times with a needle, then said, “When Jiahuan got married, she gave him a lot of things. I reckon that for the other sons, she's already prepared and won't treat them differently."

"Everyone thinks this girl is greedy, but actually, she's a big giver. She takes a lot, but gives even more, almost like a prodigal."

Then she remembered the events of the day and quickly took out two flower hairpins and gave them to Liu Saozi and Huiniang. "These were bestowed by the Empress in the palace, a set of twelve. These two are for you."

"No, Auntie, this is a gift from the palace. We can't pass it on to us, can we" Hui Niang quickly declined. She was from an official family and knew some etiquette.

But Old Madam Li waved her hand and laughed, "Just take it. There's no need for so many rules. Before in Kyoto, we followed many rules, but now that we're here, the rules are more relaxed."

“Previously, the national treasury had very little money. It was said that even the year-end rewards for civil and military officials were changed into objects, all from the inner treasury, with the mark of the inner treasury. If they weren't allowed to be resold or transferred, they would all be kept at home for display, fearing that people would starve...

Besides, the jade gourds and golden fruits are what our whole village planted together. They were presented to the palace and received as gifts from the Empress, so they naturally belong to the entire village.

"Besides, we have plenty of good quality fabric at home, silk and all. I've already sent them to the Hou Mansion for the embroiderer to help cut and sew clothes. The rest, like finer fabrics, I've mostly distributed to the villagers, including a few pieces for you. I've already wrapped them up, just grab them when we move around later."

Then Hui Niang and Sister Liu stopped refusing, helping each other put on the flower hairpins. They were both beaming with joy.

Jiao Yin instructed Shui Ling to stay in the living room, then she went into her room and entered the space.

Two pots of peonies had almost lost all their leaves, and the flower branches were withered.

Jia Yin cut the flower stems cleanly at the base and then directly planted the roots in the nursery.

Two peony roots, as soon as they were seen, began to sprout new buds. They quickly grew branches and leaves, and finally produced flower buds. Just before they were about to open, Jia Yin struck them out with a iron trowel, sending soil flying everywhere.

The newly reborn peonies, still basking in the nourishing spiritual energy, were suddenly interrupted and wilted.

Three little foxes ran over, not showing any mercy and even whipped the poor creature with their tails a couple of times.

Jia Yin quickly drove away three of them, found a new flowerpot, mixed some nursery black soil into the ordinary soil, and finally carried the peony in, watered it a little, then patted her butt and left.

Two peony plants, with their breathtaking beauty, were not only unappreciated but carelessly discarded under a tree. They stared at each other with the small green snake caught in the awkward silence...

On the second day, just as Li La'er was about to take a carriage into town, he saw two pots of peonies and seven or eight jade gourds in the carriage, along with a basket of golden fruits.

He turned to look back at the courtyard, and sure enough, his little niece was smiling brightly and waving at him with all her might.

Li Lao Er also laughed, waved a few times with his niece then got into the carriage.

After entering the city, they arrived at Baihuayuan. The four members of the Cao family were very busy.

Tomorrow is the grand opening, so we need to clean the front and back yards, and wipe down the tables, chairs, and benches.

Then, the displayed potted flowers should also be categorized by importance and variety!

Some items are for sale on-site, while others are to be kept as prized possessions. They need to be clearly distinguished from each other.

Li La Er carried a pot of peonies into the room with both hands, just about to call Lao Cao Tou over, but Lao Cao Tou, sharp-eyed as he was, saw the master first.

He still wanted to speak, but soon his eyes were glued to the potted flower, unable to tear themselves away!

"Master! Where did you get these peonies Oh dear, oh dear, why have you watered them so much Peonies can't be watered this frequently!" Lao Cao rushed forward a few steps, carefully snatched the two pots of flowers, and then quickly placed them in the shade under the wall.

Little Cao also ran to help, shouting, "Dad, these leaves need trimming! Tomorrow, it might just bloom, and it'll definitely be a spectacular show!"

"You brat, do I need to tell you Hurry up and find some scissors! Put these two pots here for now. In two hours, they absolutely must be moved inside. No direct sunlight!" Old Cao fussed, looking after the two potted plants like children.

But in a few moments, he had already moved the flower pot three different places, diligently adjusting the angle to let the peonies receive the sun's afterglow without being directly exposed.

Li Lao Er, the host, was once again ignored by this group of infatuated girls.

However, he didn't get angry. He walked around the front and back yards, saw Zheng Feng and Zheng He had put the jade gourd and golden fruit at the bottom of the well, so he went to look for Mr. Wen.

Mr. Wen asked his boss for a day off and casually gave him a flyer, inviting him to admire the flowers at Baihuayuan Garden tomorrow.

The boss had heard about the Hundred Gardens' reputation for a while and was quite curious.

After all, the Li family had sent many orchids to the academy, as well as the prized table flowers of Cypripedium, which appeared every five days. They were being coveted by all the flower lovers in Kyoto.

At this moment, having received the invitation, he readily agreed and happily let Mr. Wen leave early. He quickly went fishing.

Mr. Wen and Lao Er Li met up and then went to visit two well-known figures who loved flowers.

Of course, everyone would be happy to have this chance to satisfy their curiosity without spending any money.

So, both dignitaries agreed.

Li Lao'er went to Jiulian Zhai and bought several boxes of sweets, keeping them to entertain guests tomorrow.

As the saying goes, "Don't let good fortune slip through your fingers." Jia Yin has a bakery, and Li Lao Er should go there to buy some snacks.

But Jia Yin was playful at heart and didn't take her snack shop too seriously after she got it.

The traditional dim sum at the teahouse really isn't as good as Jiulian Vegetarian Restaurant, and the newly introduced items are too novel.

And the guests attending the flower viewing party tomorrow are all elderly people, whose tastes may not be suitable.

So, I could only afford to give Jiulian Vegetarian Restaurant a discount, and four boxes of snacks cost ten taels of silver!

However, Jia Yin just robbed the imperial pastry shop's recipes. As long as she puts her mind to it and carefully considers them, the pastry shop's business will definitely boom...

That night, Lao Li and Mr. Wen both stayed in the backyard of Baihua Garden.

After a long day, the Cao family of four went to bed early.

Li Lao Er poured Mr. Wen a lot of tea, but Mr. Wen was afraid of getting sleepy if he drank more, so he refused. Li Lao Er then laughed and said: "There might be some good drama tonight. If you fall asleep, you'll miss it."

Mr. Wen, naturally curious, blew out the lamp after, and the two of them continued to speak in hushed tones.

In the dead of night, Mr. Wen could no longer hold on and said, “I can’t do this anymore, I need to sleep.”

Resulting in, before his words were even finished, there was commotion outside the courtyard. Mr. Wen was so startled he jumped straight up.

Li Laer didn't seem worried. He slowly got up, put on his long robe, and walked out leisurely.

Cao Lao Tou and his son stood back-to-back in the middle of the courtyard, each holding a pair of flower shears. They clearly wanted to leave, but hesitated.

Seeing their master come out, they cried anxiously, "Master, hurry back! There's a thief!"

Li Lao Er waved his hand and then asked outside the courtyard, "Have you caught anyone"

Someone replied, "Master, don't worry, we caught all four of them."

"Bring it in!" Li Lao Er commanded.

Cao Lao and his son understood now, realizing that their employer had already made arrangements. So, they bravely rushed to open the door.

Soon, six guards came in from outside, escorting four men in black.known to everyone.Formerly, there were rumors in the city that the county princess was blessed with great fortune. When the county princess feigned illness, the rumors subsided.They whispered that the...