Ling Manshuang reached out and stroked Qin Junyao’s head. “You, you girl.”
“Zhu Ye, go invite Master Ma, and call a few more stable-tempered servants to move all these to the backyard.”
After Ling Manshuang instructed one of her maids to fetch people, she had another, Zhu Hua, give the coachman two taels of silver and ask him to wait a while longer.
“Sister Junyao, come inside with me. It’s not good to be exposed to the sun outside.”
Qin Junyao followed Ling Manshuang back into the backyard of Tingyin Pavilion and found a new pavilion. The pavilion was decorated with curtains on all sides, and there was a table in the center.
On either side of the pavilion entrance, there was a pot of azaleas. Their colors were not the pink ones Qin Junyao had gifted, and they did not have as many blooms.
“Let’s go sit in that pavilion,” Ling Manshuang said, seeing Qin Junyao’s interest in it. She led her to walk towards the pavilion.
Several maids entered the pavilion before them, laying out cushions and lighting incense burners.
“Sister Manshuang’s maids are all quite good,” Qin Junyao commented, inhaling the aroma of tea and observing the maids waiting not far from the pavilion.
“They’re all rather unremarkable. They do as they’re told, without any thought. When I find better ones, I’ll give you two reliable maids to take with you when you marry.”
Qin Junyao pondered for a moment. “Sister Manshuang, I actually would like you to help me find two maids.”
“For what purpose? Managing accounts? Styling hair? Sewing clothes? Or serving people?”
Ling Manshuang did not look down on Qin Junyao just because she was a farm girl living in the village.
Emerging from the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion unscathed, playing a fine zither, and crafting a twenty-one-stringed guqin – none of these allowed Qin Junyao to be treated as an ordinary farm girl, let alone the flowers outside.
Ling Manshuang’s questions truly stumped Qin Junyao. How could she have all the types of maids Ling Manshuang mentioned?
Seeing Qin Junyao’s hesitant silence, Ling Manshuang smiled and poured tea for her. “Tell me when you need them, and whether they are for your own use or to give away. I’ll help you consider it.”
“Sister Manshuang, I am to be engaged. To a general of the Shouyan Army, Zhao Liangcai.”
“That Zhao Liangcai, the commoner general who kills like he’s mowing grass and has a full beard?”
“Yes.”
Ling Manshuang’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Will you be the main wife, or…?”
Qin Junyao smiled. “The main wife.”
“That’s good. However, I’ve heard some rumors about him. Since you aren’t engaged yet, you might want to reconsider.”
“He is the only commoner to have become a fourth-rank military officer through merit in our Qing Kingdom in the last decade or so. You must understand that stealing credit is most common in the army.”
Qin Junyao listened with surprise and interjected, “Is fourth rank a general?” Sudancn.com
“You, you girl. Our Qing Kingdom divides generals into six ranks, each with its own title, but all are generals.”
“A few years ago, there was a great victory on the border, and the military officers were summoned to the imperial city to receive rewards. Zhao Liangcai should have had a bright future, but because he refused a marriage alliance with a noble earl’s family, he was assigned to guard salt here.”
Ling Manshuang leaned closer to Qin Junyao and whispered in her ear, “Later, I heard that he refused that marriage because he was injured and couldn’t… he was afraid the earl would blame him.”
Qin Junyao instantly understood the meaning of “couldn’t…” Her eyes widened, unsure how to respond to Ling Manshuang.
Fortunately, the arrival of people carrying flowers resolved Qin Junyao’s awkwardness.
“Manshuang, Manshuang, where did you get these treasures?”
“Oh my, slow down, slow down. Not a single leaf can fall off for me.”
“How can such precious items be placed in this basket?”
“Slowly, slowly take them out…”
Ling Manshuang smiled and rose to greet them, stepping out of the pavilion. “Master Ma, are you satisfied this time?”
Master Ma, whose hair and beard were entirely white, clapped his hands with joy. “Satisfied, very satisfied. It was worth the trip, worth the trip.”
After speaking, he went back to watch the servants move the flowers, having forgotten to ask Ling Manshuang where these flowers came from.
Ling Manshuang turned back and smiled as she introduced Qin Junyao to the approaching Master Ma. “This is my maternal grandfather. After my maternal grandmother passed away, he turned white overnight. My mother was his only daughter. After my mother fell ill and passed away, he became like this.”
“He doesn’t recognize people, doesn’t remember things. He used to love tending to flowers and plants. After he fell ill, he insisted he was a gardener and told everyone to call him Master Ma.”
“Last year, there was some unrest in the imperial city, so my uncle sent him to me. It’s a pity that even the vast fields of azaleas cannot bring him joy.”
Ling Manshuang then held Qin Junyao’s hand. “My maternal grandfather loved orchids the most, especially the cold orchids you gave me.”
“Cold orchids?”
“Yes, cold orchids grow in the south and cannot tolerate extreme cold, yet they bloom in the frost and cold, hence their name, cold orchids. A single cold orchid is worth ten gold coins in the imperial city, and one with blooms is worth fifty gold coins. Your pot contained over a dozen plants.”
Qin Junyao silently added to herself: she had sent two pots.
“Manshuang, put this one in my room. A small pot that gathers the colors of spring. I am old and cannot go out, so looking at this is just right,” Master Ma said, pointing to the potted wildflower arrangement.
He then pointed to two pots of cold orchids. “These two are not good-looking. Put them in my room so you don’t have to look at them and be displeased.”
“Put these two large ones by the entrance of my room, where everyone can see them.”
Ling Manshuang stepped forward and linked arms with her grandfather. “Master Ma, these flowers are for my shop, not for you.”
Master Ma sniffed the fragrance of the cold orchid and playfully tapped Ling Manshuang’s nose. “You little girl, trying to snatch things from your grandfather? I’ll have your mother teach you a lesson.”
Ling Manshuang exclaimed in surprise, “Grandfather, you know who I am?”
“Who are you calling grandfather? Call me Master Ma. Let go of me. You, fetch me water, I need to wipe the leaves. If they are clean, Madam will like them…”
Qin Junyao had seen Master Ma smell the flowers. She wondered if her sister Manshuang’s grandfather’s momentary improvement was related to the floral scent.
It seemed she could send some of the grain and vegetables produced in her space to Tingyin Pavilion in the future. If Master Ma truly improved, could she boldly hypothesize that items produced in her space could alleviate aftereffects caused by stimuli?
***
Qin Junyao declined Ling Manshuang’s invitation to stay for a meal. Ling Manshuang promised to find all the servants Qin Junyao needed and told her to wait at home with peace of mind.
Leaving Tingyin Pavilion, Qin Junyao went to the Quibing Hall. She had not taken out the pot of orchids to give to Doctor Sheng. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to part with them. Cold orchids could not adapt to the cold winter of the northwest, and growing them there required a heated greenhouse and specialized care. She wanted to give them to Doctor Sheng purely for decoration. If Doctor Sheng recognized these orchids, it would only add to his burden.
After receiving confirmation that her vinegar production was of good quality and met the acquisition conditions, Qin Junyao resumed her procurement. She first placed an order for rice vinegar, with three hundred jin to be delivered to Yangshu Village the day after tomorrow. The troublesome part of making potent vinegar was the washing, and getting water was inconvenient. Qin Junyao’s spatial water was precious, so she thought about finding someone to dig a well.
She inquired and found a well-digging team. They said they needed to inspect the site to determine if there was a water vein before they could confirm if they could dig. Qin Junyao had to leave her address and wait for them to have free time to go to Yangshu Village.
Having resolved two major matters, Qin Junyao went to the clothing store. She bought ten pairs of socks.