Chapter 312 - 312: Sour Peach, Sweet Peach
Old Madam Wang watched the group of children enter the manor and asked curiously, “Are these children all from the manor?”
Butler Wang went forward and smiled. “I heard that the magistrate’s family adopted some lonely children. It might be these people!” When Madam Lin heard this, she muttered softly, “He’s just fishing for fame.” Old Madam Wang glanced at her and did not speak.
Li Yu received the visiting card that Gu Yu had brought in and thought to herself that it seemed that Wang Zheng had already been captured. They came quite quickly!
“Let Ji Xiang talk to them. I’m still in shock and don’t have the time and energy to see them.
“Yes, Madam.” Gu Yu found Ji Xiang, who was fiddling with the threshing machine. She told Ji Xiang what Li Yu had said. Ji Xiang patted the dust off his body and walked towards the door.
Old Madam Wang saw a festive-looking young man coming out of the manor. Butler Wang went up to him and cupped his hands. “I’m the butler of the Wang residence, Wang Cheng. May I ask if you’re the butler of the Zhou residence?
“Greetings, Butler Wang.” Ji Xiang cupped his hands at Butler Wang and took a few steps forward. He cupped his hands at Old Madam Wang and said, “Old Madam Wang, my Madam was frightened late last night and is still in a daze today. My Old Master said she has to recuperate for a few days.”
Old Madam Wang was a little disappointed. It seemed that she could only come back in two days. She forced a smile and said, “Madam is not feeling well, so I won’t disturb her. I’ll come back in two days. I’ve prepared some small gifts for Madam to comfort her.”
Ji Xiang cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, Old Madam.”
Butler Wang and a few servants carried the gifts out of the carriage and piled a pile of boxes on the ground.
Ji Xiang politely sent Old Madam Wang away and brought people to move the gift boxes into the manor. Li Yu looked at the pile of boxes in front of her and opened them. There was top-grade ginseng, lingzhi, knotweed, dendrobium, a beautiful red coral, a pair of chicken blood-red pendants the size of lotus seeds, a string of bracelet with rubies and diamond stones the size of soybeans, a pearl necklace, a pair of moist and delicate emerald bracelets, two sets of brush, ink, paper, and inkstones… Li Yu was dumbfounded. At a glance, she knew that the pearl necklace was even better and more well-proportioned than the one bestowed by the emperor. No wonder it was said that good things were hidden in the hands of these aristocratic families.
Li Yu put away the things and prepared to make plans when Zhou Jia returned. After class, Yangyang ran back and said to Li Yu, “Mother, Brother Shui Sheng and the others are going to the back mountain to pick peaches. I want to go too.”
Li Yu also wanted to take a walk at the back of the mountain. She held his hand and smiled. “Let’s go! I’ll accompany you.”
“Alright, Mother will accompany me.” Yangyang pulled Li Yu out. When they arrived at the drying field, they saw more than ten children waiting in the drying field. Some were even carrying bamboo baskets. When they saw Li Yu, they all went forward and bowed. Li Yu smiled and said, “Alright, let’s go!” Li Yu asked Yangyang, “Why don’t I see Seven Pounds?”
Yangyang pointed outside the manor and said, “Brother Seven Pounds and
Grandmaster went to pick herbs.”
When the group arrived at the foot of the mountain, they climbed up the excavated ladder. From above, Li Yu saw that the courtyard of the villa at the foot of the mountain had been repaired. The craftsmen were busy inside. The peach trees on the mountain were filled with peaches, and the grass under the trees had been cut clean. However, no one picked the peaches. Perhaps the nearby villagers all knew that the peaches here were sour peaches.
Little Loach picked two green and white peaches that were slightly red and covered in fine fur. He lifted his collar and wiped them a few times before handing one to Yangyang. He took one and took a bite. After chewing a few times, he hurriedly vomited. “Pfft! Why is it so sour!”
Li Yu saw that his nose and eyebrows were furrowed together. She swallowed her saliva and smiled. “Pick a few that look good and bring them back for
Auntie He to eat.”
Yangyang held the peach in his hand and looked at Little Loach, then at Li Yu. Li Yu knew that he wanted to try and ignored him. She watched as he took a tentative bite and immediately frowned. “Ah! It’s really sour.” The children all laughed. Little Loach smiled and said, “Young Master, I wasn’t not lying to you!”o
Yangyang threw away the peaches in his hand and nodded honestly. “Yes!
They’re sour.” Little Loach looked at the mountain of peaches and said fiercely, “I don’t believe they’re all sour. Let’s find a few more to try. There will always be sweet peaches.”
Li Yu thought for a moment and said, “Find the one that is flushed red and pick it to try. If it’s sour, don’t chew it. Otherwise, you won’t be able to eat at night.”
“Got it.” The children swarmed in. Little Loach picked one first and tasted it. “It’s sour.” The children went around tasting peaches in the peach forest.
Li Yu stood there and looked at the rice fields and corn fields at the foot of the mountain. She thought about planting a season of corn after the autumn harvest and spreading the corn seeds early.
Suddenly, a loud cheer sounded. “It’s so sweet! Come to my tree quickly!”
Li Yu turned around and saw Maizi standing on a peach tree in the middle of the peach forest. She was cheering with a peach in her hand. The children surrounded her. Shui Sheng and Little Loach held Yangyang’s hand and ran towards the wheat.
After a while, Shui Sheng held Yangyang’s hand and ran out with a peach. He handed it to Li Yu and said, “Madam, look, the peaches on that peach tree are yellow, but they’re especially sweet.”
“Mother, it’s sweet.” Yangyang also handed the peach he had taken a bite of to
Li Yu. Li Yu took it and took a look. The flesh of this peach was slightly yellow. “It looks like a yellow peach that is not ripe yet. Shuisheng, leave a mark on that tree so that you can look for it next time.”
When Shui Sheng heard this, he said, “Madam, let’s look for more of these yellow peaches. ”
“Okay, don’t go anywhere with too many weeds in case there are snakes and insects.”
Shui Sheng smiled shyly. “Madam, don’t worry. We’re not afraid of snakes. We can even look for snakes to sell to the medical center!”
Li Yu carried Yangyang and smiled. “Yes! You’re all good children.”
When Shui Sheng reached the peach tree, he shouted happily to everyone, “Madam said that this is a yellow peach that hasn’t ripened yet.” As he spoke, he pulled out some grass and tied it to the peach tree.
Maizi jumped down from the peach tree and said to Shui Sheng and the others, “Let’s look for more yellow peaches.”
Li Yu carried Yangyang and watched the children run in all directions. She brought Yangyang, who was about to fall asleep, down the mountain.
Zhou Jia came back from the government office and told Li Yu about Wang
Zheng’s confession. Li Yu also brought him to take a look at the gifts sent by
Old Madam Wang. “Xiao Xi, what do you think we should do with these things?”
Zhou Jia looked at those things and told Li Yu what Wang Zheng had explained. He said indifferently, “The successors raised by the Wang family for a hundred years are only so-so. Yu’er, the Wang family sent these things to apologize.
Just accept them in good conscience. The Wang family just wants us to let them off. Wang Qinghai has been working all afternoon just to save Wang Zheng a few years of jail time. Yo can see them after a couple of days.” o
When Li Yu heard this, she also felt that the Wang family’s education was not like that of an aristocratic family. Wang Zheng was already dozens of years old, but he didn’t think before he acted . He still needed Old Madam Wang to clean up after him and beg others to wipe his butt. “Xiao Xi, the Wang family’s matter gave us a wake-up call. Yang’er has to be strictly disciplined in the future..”