Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Home Visit
223 House Call
Especially the eldest brother. He would have Zhao Zhitong give him mental arithmetic problems every day, and in his spare time, he would play number games in his mind.
Zhao Zhitong told him this was called a mental arithmetic game, which one could play alone in their mind during free time to become smarter.
Eventually, even the little cousins at her grandfather’s house began playing this game.
With such training, it was evident that the children in the family had all grown at least a little smarter.
One day, just as Zhao Zhitong returned home from school, she received a letter from Liu Baixue. The person who had always been responsible for delivering the letters was one of Liu Baixue’s bodyguards.
He was a very spirited young man, not at all arrogant, and loved to smile.
When he delivered a letter, he wouldn’t leave immediately. Instead, he would wait for Zhao Zhitong to finish reading it and write her reply before he departed.
This time was no exception. After delivering the letter, he stood by the door of the study, waiting quietly.
Due to his frequent deliveries, the Zhao Family had become familiar with him.
Knowing that his daughter would take some time to write her reply, Zhao Dong invited him to sit, and Sun Mei brought him some snacks.
This was also why he cherished this errand so much. In his words, delivering letters to the young ladies of the Zhao family was a plum assignment.
Some of his brothers always complained that their young lady was being wasteful, letting a highly skilled head bodyguard like him do a mere messenger’s work.
Every time this happened, he would offer a mysterious smile and shake his head, saying, "You don’t understand; this is a great assignment."
Mrs. Zhao was an excellent cook, and every time he delivered a letter, he could taste the delicious food she made. That was truly the best food he had ever eaten.
While the bodyguard was being outwardly modest but already reaching for a pastry, Zhao Zhitong sat down at her desk and opened the letter.
In the letter, Liu Baixue began by asking how Zhao Zhitong was, then briefly recounted some amusing incidents that had happened around her. She also thanked Zhao Zhitong for the vegetables, saying they were delicious.
At the end of the letter, she mentioned her Second Uncle, saying he had seen her father’s three-color peony. She added that it was very likely he would come to buy peony flowers and subtly hinted between the lines for Zhao Zhitong to be wary of him.
After reading the letter, Zhao Zhitong habitually placed it in a wooden box, which already contained a stack of letters, all from Liu Baixue.
After putting the letter away, Zhao Zhitong took out some paper and began her reply.
The two of them always had endless things to talk about when they met, and their letters were no different. This time was no exception; she fluently wrote several lengthy pages before putting the letter into an envelope, sealing it, and handing it to the bodyguard.
After the bodyguard left with the reply, Zhao Zhitong hurried to her grandfather’s house, as he was waiting for her.
When she arrived at her grandfather’s house, she saw her Younger Uncle in the courtyard, acting as happy as a fool.
Zhao Zhitong asked, "Younger Uncle, why are you so happy?"
Seeing Zhao Zhitong arrive, her Younger Uncle became even happier. He rushed over, picked her up, and lifted her high into the air.
Only after her grandmother scolded him, telling him to be careful not to drop Zhao Zhitong, did he put her back on the ground. He said joyfully, "Tongtong, you truly are my Little Lucky Star!"
As Zhao Zhitong looked puzzled, Sun Youcai finally explained what had happened.
It turned out that a visitor had unexpectedly come to her grandfather’s house that day. He claimed to be the younger brother of the Young Master of Lingjian Villa.
He had come specifically to buy the three-colored peony.
When he saw the brightly blooming peony flowers in the courtyard, his eyes lit up. He immediately offered to buy the two three-color peonies for a price of 1,500 taels.
Zhao Zhitong was stunned. Liu Baixue had just mentioned her Second Uncle in today’s letter! Had her Second Uncle arrived before the reply even reached Liu Mansion?
Zhao Zhitong immediately looked towards the spot in the courtyard where the peonies had been. There were no peonies there now.
Clearly, her Younger Uncle had sold them!
Zhao Zhitong immediately asked, "Younger Uncle, when we left Liu Mansion, we promised Master Liu that if we had any more three-colored peonies in the future, we would sell them to him. Why did you sell them to someone else?"
Sun Youcai replied nonchalantly, "Don’t worry, I know what you mean; doing business requires integrity. I asked him. He’s the Second Master of Lingjian Villa, and he came to buy the peony flowers with Master Liu’s approval."
"Besides, the Second Master is quite generous. He even said he wants to cooperate with us long-term, asking us to grow more. He said Lingjian Villa would buy all of them."
Zhao Zhitong asked in a childlike voice, "So, did you agree?"
Her Younger Uncle shook his head. "No, no. I told him that this three-color peony is cultivated only occasionally and we might not have it next year. I said I needed to consider it. Don’t worry, your Younger Uncle isn’t stupid."
Towards the end, Sun Youcai looked quite proud of himself.
Zhao Zhitong finally breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Baixue had warned her to be careful of her Second Uncle. Even though she had never met him, Liu Baixue must have had her reasons for saying so. Therefore, they couldn’t let him discover that they could easily cultivate the three-color peony.
She immediately clapped her little hands and said, "Younger Uncle, you’re so smart!"
Praised by Zhao Zhitong, Sun Youcai straightened his back, puffed out his chest, and laughed. "Of course! Rarity makes things valuable. I understand, I understand."
This was the same reasoning Zhao Zhitong had used when they first cultivated the three-color peony, to dissuade him from converting all their peonies to the three-color variety.
Sun Youcai then said, "However, we can indeed clear a few more mu of wasteland. The ordinary peonies we grow are also extremely beautiful and will definitely fetch a good price."
Grandpa Bai reminded her, "Young girl, that’s a good idea. After all, since you’re claiming they were cultivated by chance, growing more will make your story more believable."
Zhao Zhitong thought Grandpa Bai’s words made a lot of sense and agreed with her Younger Uncle’s idea.
"Doctor Sun! Doctor Sun!"
Just then, anxious shouts came from outside the gate. Sun Youcai hurried to open it.
As soon as the door opened, they saw an anxious-looking woman. Upon seeing Sun Youcai, she hurriedly asked, "Is Doctor Sun at home?"
Then she saw Sun Kang emerge and rushed over to him, saying, "Doctor Sun, please come with me quickly and take a look! My husband, he... he..."
Before she could finish, she burst into tears.
Sun Kang first comforted her, saying, "Don’t panic. Tell me what happened as we walk."
Then he turned and called out to Zhao Zhitong, "Young girl!"
"Yes! Coming, coming!"
Zhao Zhitong responded loudly. This wasn’t the first time she had accompanied Sun Kang on a house call; her skills, so to speak, were already quite polished.
The moment the woman had knocked on the door, she had already run into the house to get the medicine box.
Along with her reply, the small figure rushed out, carrying the large medicine box on her back.
Sun Kang followed the woman, walking briskly outside. Zhao Zhitong, with her short legs, trotted along behind them, clutching the medicine box.
Through Sun Kang’s inquiries as they walked with the woman, the general situation gradually became clear.
The person in trouble was the woman’s husband. She explained that he had gotten into a dispute with someone in the fields. While they were arguing, her husband suddenly collapsed and fell unconscious.
As they talked, they followed the woman and soon arrived at the edge of the fields.