Chapter 414: 410: Clear Eyebrows and Bright Eyes_1

Yingbao Jiang Jie and Ajie’s mother followed Wu Jiang into the room, paying respects to the elderly Madam Luo and Madam Wu of the Luo Family: “Greetings to you, old madam.”

“Very good, come and sit.” Madam Wu and Madam Luo smiled and waved their hands, signaling Chunniang and Yingbao to sit by their side.

Everyone took their seats one by one. Old Lady Wu, holding Yingbao’s hand, laughed and said, “We haven’t seen each other for over a decade, and you have grown so much. Yingbao, do you still remember me?”

Yingbao smiled and replied, “Of course, old madam is looking younger and younger.”

“Laughter filled the room as old Madam Wu patted Yingbao’s hand: “That’s all thanks to the health pills you sent me. Now, my back doesn’t ache, my legs don’t hurt, and even my headaches are gone.”

Yingbao smiled.

The health pills she sent to old Mr Wu had been enhanced with Five Tripod Ganoderma and brewed using Pupil Spring water. Together with some nourishing medicinal ingredients, the pills were excellent for the health of the elderly.

Meanwhile, Madam Luo was talking to Chunniang and Jiang Jie about farming and sericulture, demonstrating her knowledge and experience on the topic.

Wu Jiang went out to instruct the steward to prepare a banquet, asking a maid to bring her daughters back from the Jingsi House. “Jin Chan, go and fetch your sisters. We have guests at home; bring them here so they can chat.”

“Yes.” Jin Chan agreed and ran off, lifting her skirt as she went.

Soon, two girls around the age of thirteen or fourteen slowly walked in.

The maid at the door announced loudly, “The eldest and second young ladies are back!”

Yingbao, who was seated next to Madam Wu, turned towards the sound and saw two graceful young girls stepping over the threshold, paying their respects to the two old ladies.

Wu Jiang, standing nearby, laughed and said, “Zhao’er, Yue’er, come and meet Jiang Jie’s mother and elder sister.”

The two young girls immediately greeted Chunniang and Yingbao Jiang Jie, “Good day, Mrs. Jiang, and Sister Jiang. Hello, Brother Ajie.”

Chunniang and Yingbao quickly returned the courtesy.

Wu Jiang added, “These are my two daughters, the eldest is Luo Zhao, who is fourteen this year, and the younger one is Luo Yue, who is thirteen.”

“Miss Zhao, Miss Yue.” Yingbao called out their names.

Luo Zhao went to Yingbao right away, saying, “Sister Yingbao, you can call me Zhao’er from now on. There’s no need for formality, Brother Ajie calls me that as well.”

Luo Yue was a bit shy, but she still said to Yingbao, “Sister Yingbao, you can call me Yue’er.”

Yingbao chuckled, “Then from now on, I’ll call you Sister Zhao’er and Sister Yue’er.”

The two girls were delighted and started chatting with Yingbao.

Observing how harmoniously the children were getting along, Wu Jiang and her mother-in-law could not help but smile contentedly, their hearts silently agreeing with each other.

Seeing Yingbao occupied by the two girls, Madam Wu turned to Jiang Jie and said, “Ajie, next time when you are off duty, we should take your mother and sister to visit the Ling Mountain Temple. The weather right now is not too hot and is perfect for travelling.”

To Madam Wu, Jiang Jie, who had been raised almost single-handedly by the elderly man, is like her own grandson and naturally part of the family.

Wu Jiang added, “Yes, my mother-in-law made a promise to the gods, we should all go.”

Jiang Jie simply agreed, “Yes.”

Lunch time came quickly. The Luo family held a banquet to entertain Chunniang and her two children.

After the banquet, the three guests said goodbye and left for home.

Luo Zhao was reluctant to part, gripping Yingbao’s hand, “Sister Yingbao, what do you do at home all day? Can…can I come and see?”

Yingbao smiled, “Sure, once our home renovations are complete in a few days, I will invite you and the old Madam and Madam Wu to visit.”

“Great.” Luo Zhao was overjoyed and whispered, “I will bring you some rouge when that time comes.”

“Okay.”

Yingbao climbed into the carriage, gave a wave to the two young girls, and lowered the carriage curtain. She then turned to check on her younger brother.

Her younger brother was already fourteen years old, handsome and charming in appearance. Truly a graceful young man.

“What are you looking at?” Jiang Jie shot a disgruntled look at his sister. “Don’t get any weird ideas!”

Yingbao: “Who’s getting weird ideas? I was just thinking how you’ve grown up, and it’s about time we find you a wife.” She turned to Chunniang and added, “Isn’t that right, mother?”

Chunniang laughed: “Yes.”

Jiang Jie made a face and huffed, “You haven’t even gotten married yet, why are we talking about me?”

Yingbao blinked her eyes: “Because I have to provide for our parents in their old age.”

Jiang Jie: “Xiaowu and I will take care of that! Women should get married early, to take care of their husbands and teach their children…”

Yingbao reached out to pinch his ear: “What did you say?”

Jiang Jie held his ear and cried out in pain, “Just because you can’t make a point, you resort to this? Don’t you have any conscience?”

Looking at her children’s antics, Chunniang’s heart pounded with anxiety.

Her daughter was indeed not young anymore. Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Wen had both brought up the topic of marriage before, but her daughter kept insisting that she was still young and didn’t want to discuss marriage so early.

And Jiang Sanlang also said that there would be no shortage of good matches for his daughter. He suggested to wait until Xiaojie had a stable occupation before finding a better family for his daughter to marry into.

But the sons of those good families might not wait forever, with many young girls competing for their attention.

What if her daughter got older and the young men suitable for her age were all taken away? Then wouldn’t her daughter have to accept a less desirable match?

The thought of this made Chunniang very uneasy.

But her daughter seemed determined to stay single, leaving her with no option but to worry.

When they got home, Yingbao went to check the situation by the pond.

Tens of laborers were digging out the pond mud and cleaning the dirty water. It would probably take another month to finish.

Jiang Quan came back from outside saying, “I’ve ordered bricks and tiles from the kilns outside the city. The wood will be delivered in half a month.”

His younger cousin planned to build several rooms and a few corridors by the pond, and also planned to enclose the entire pond area, requiring a lot of bricks and tiles.

In order to save money, Jiang Quan made an effort to find a brick kiln outside the city and placed an order directly with them.

“You’ve worked hard.” Yingbao poured him a cup of water, “I’ve decided what kind of shop we will open in Beijing.”

Jiang Quan lifted the tea and took a sip, then asked, “What kind of shop?”

“A four-season bonsai shop.” The secret cavern allowed Yingbao to quickly grow many plants and flowers without consuming other resources, making this the most cost-effective business plan.

Besides, many officials’ families in Beijing loved to decorate their homes with unique mountains, peculiar stones, and exotic plants.

Just like the Luo Family, despite their congested living quarters, they still liked to place various peculiar stones in the courtyard and raise many potted plants.

Jiang Quan: “But we don’t know how to make bonsai, and we don’t even know where to source the stones used in the bonsai.”

“That’s not a problem, we don’t need to sell the peculiar stones initially. We just need to sell plants in autumn and winter.” It was almost autumn, and if she sold flowers like peonies, peach blossoms, and crabapples that bloomed in the spring, she was sure there would be buyers.

Jiang Quan scratched his head: “Alright.”

He didn’t think much of this business venture.

Being a fruit vendor for so long, he felt uncomfortable changing directions now.

However, since his cousin suggested it, he thought he might as well give it a try.

What if it turned out to be successful? In that case, he could settle in Beijing and buy his own house there.

After buying a house, he could bring his parents to enjoy their retirement in Beijing.

Indeed, he could also bring his grandparents; they had never been to Beijing in their entire lives, and this could be an opportunity for them to broaden their horizons.