A Good Country Wife
Chapter 399 - 393_1

Chapter 399: Chapter 393_1

Lin Yue was pondering over what gifts to present to Old Master Jiang and Master Jiang, and such timely news should not be passed up. Now that she had a gift for Master Jiang, there was still the matter of Old Master Jiang’s share. After giving it some thought, Lin Yue decided it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

"Big Brother Jiang, I know Master Jiang favors snuff bottles, but what about Old Master Jiang?"

Jiang Ziqi didn’t question why Lin Yue was asking this, but simply replied that Old Master Jiang didn’t have any particular preferences that came to mind immediately. "My grandfather doesn’t have any specific likes. If I must say something, he does enjoy drinking tea. Oh, do you still have any of your homemade tea leaves? I brought some back last time, and unexpectedly, the old man took a liking to them. It’s just that I don’t have much left, and there’s nowhere to buy more. If you have some, I’d like to ask for some more."

"I’ve brought some with me this time and will send it over later. As for Old Master Jiang’s gift, I’ll send something else separately." Having learned about Old Master Jiang’s preferences from Jiang Ziqi, Lin Yue was clear on what to do. She had been prepared this year and harvested the tea leaves when they were ready, picking several batches, thus yielding much more than the previous year. With last year’s experience, this year’s tea was even better.

Lin Yue didn’t sell the dozens of pounds of tea leaves she had, among which ten pounds were top-grade, "one bud, one leaf". This time she had brought more than twenty pounds to the Capital City, prepared as gifts, including five pounds of top-grade leaves for Jiang Ziqi as well as Old Master Jiang and Master Jiang, one pound each.

As for the other gift, Lin Yue decided after consulting with Zhao Erhu to choose a bamboo folding fan with double-sided embroidery, handmade by Lady Xiangyi. Lin Yue had personally embroidered it, which ensured its quality and class.

Having chosen her gifts, Lin Yue learned from the butler that neither Old Master Jiang nor Master Jiang intended to meet with her. Thus, she had the butler deliver the gifts instead. Lin Yue wasn’t particularly eager to face those two paramount figures; preserving decorum and her rapport with Ziqi was enough.

Old Master Jiang and Master Jiang were figures the Jiang Family had always revered. Moreover, since Lin Yue wanted to keep her identity concealed and had Ziqi cover for her after embroidering a double-sided, different colored embroidery for the Empress Dowager, Old Master Jiang and Master Jiang were oblivious to the full story. They only knew recently that Ziqi’s new business ventures were somehow related to Zhao Erhu and his wife.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, merchants were always seen as inferior. Many scholars and people of standing looked down upon them. Naturally, Old Master Jiang and Master Jiang wouldn’t regard Zhao Erhu and his wife differently, thus a meeting was unnecessary. Besides, there was discontent regarding Ziqi lending Qiwu Courtyard to Zhao Erhu and his wife. However, since Ziqi had recently assumed the role of Family Head, and given his exemplary performance at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, he had established his authority and stabilized his position, but was still considered young and inexperienced. In order not to undermine Ziqi’s dignity, neither Old Master Jiang nor Master Jiang voiced their disagreement, but that didn’t mean they approved of Ziqi’s actions.

"Old Master, this is a gift from Zhao Erhu and his wife. Would you like to take a look?" the butler tentatively asked. Normally, he would’ve directly stored such items in Old Master Jiang’s private treasury, but since Zhao Erhu and his wife were under Ziqi’s special care—and also because he had accepted a favor from them—he felt compelled to look out for them.

"Oh, what are the gifts? Open them up and let me see." Old Master Jiang didn’t really care for Zhao Erhu and his wife, but he was somewhat curious about what sort of gifts these rural people from a small area would bring. In all honesty, he had been surprised when he heard that Zhao Erhu and his wife wanted to visit; although their status was a bit unrefined, it was rare they knew some manners and were worth considering.

Old Master Jiang first took out the bamboo fan with double-sided embroidery from its box and inspected it, revealing a trace of pleasure. "This fan is exquisite; although the embroidery doesn’t compare to the one made for the Empress Dowager, it is still a rarity. For such humble small-time merchants to present gifts of this caliber is indeed commendable," he remarked.

Seeing Old Master Jiang in a good mood, the butler took the opportunity to speak well of Zhao Erhu and his wife. "In my opinion, Zhao Erhu and his wife’s demeanor is quite dignified, and one wouldn’t guess their humble background. It’s no wonder our young master holds this couple in high regard. They must possess some exceptional talent to offer such gifts without surprise."

Listening to the butler, Old Master Jiang’s disdain for Zhao Erhu and his wife faded a bit. "That’s true, Ziqi is a judicious boy and wouldn’t act recklessly. There must be good reasons why he values the couple."

After appreciating the fan from Zhao Erhu and his wife, Old Master Jiang became interested in the other gifts. He picked up an intricately carved wooden box that looked impressive from the outside but left him curious about the contents. Upon opening it, he could vaguely smell the fragrance of tea leaves, leading him to suddenly remember the tea Ziqi brought back last year. It was tea he had enjoyed in his grandson’s courtyard by chance, and it had won his favor. He took advantage of his seniority to "rob" the remaining half packet of tea from his grandson.

Unfortunately, the half packet of tea didn’t last long; even consumed sparingly, it was gone in a month. Old Master Jiang had wanted to ask his grandson to procure some more, but upon learning that it wasn’t for sale and was instead a gift from a friend, he had no choice but to abandon the idea. The aroma of today’s gift from Zhao Erhu and his wife was almost identical to that tea, prompting Old Master Jiang to instantly recall it. A connoisseur’s sensitivity to the scent of tea leaves is especially keen.

Upon unwrapping the innermost layer, Old Master Jiang’s face broke into a smile, and his lingering doubts turned into affirmation. "This is the scent, exactly. It turns out my grandson’s tea came from Zhao Erhu and his wife. This tea seems even better than what my grandson had last year. Butler, quickly set up the tea set in the courtyard. I want to taste this tea."

As for Master Jiang, he too was very satisfied with the gifts from Zhao Erhu and his wife. Although he liked the tea leaves, his favorite was a delicate snuff bottle. He examined it closely, revealing his fondness for it. As the saying goes, one’s own pleasure cannot be bought with riches; although the snuff bottle wasn’t particularly precious compared to the rarities he had seen, it was the perfect gift, and he gladly accepted the heartfelt gesture.

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