A Good Country Wife
Chapter 509 - 503_1

Chapter 509: 503_1

The servant first opened the two boxes containing eggplants and green beans. In such weather, as long as vegetables are well preserved, they are not likely to spoil, just like how vegetables are stored in cold storage nowadays, which is essentially a freshness conservation technique. Therefore, when they opened the boxes, although the vegetables lacked the dewy freshness they had when Lin Yue had just picked them in the warm greenhouse, they were still very fresh. Haishi had been careful in transporting them without any damage, almost as if they had been just picked from the ground.

The Marchioness of Zhenbei, upon seeing the two large crates of eggplants and green beans, had her look of disdain lessen considerably. However, it also wasn’t considered too rare, as the greenhouses of large households also contained vegetables, mainly greens, with fruit-bearing ones like green beans and eggplants being less common. This was because, even if planted, the seedlings might survive but bearing fruit was difficult. The fact that Lin Yue’s household could produce fruits was due to their use of artificial pollination, a concept and technique not yet present in this era.

Xiaojin, upon seeing the eggplants and green beans in the wooden boxes, felt relieved. Not to mention the other goods, just these eggplants and green beans alone were worth quite a bit of silver in this fruit-scarce winter, not to mention the two large boxes full. Even their own farm might not have half as much as here. Zhao Erhu’s family, being farm owners, certainly had some methods for growing vegetables.

The next box they opened contained cucumbers, followed by a large wooden box of plump lotus roots. Xiaojin’s joy grew as he looked on, not expecting Zhao Erhu to be so generous. These were all fine goods. Putting cucumbers aside, the chunks of plump lotus roots were not even available in his own Marquis of Zhenbei’s household, and he wondered how Zhao Erhu’s family managed to preserve them until this time.

"Princely Heir, look at these. These are big boxes of lotus roots. Didn’t you just say a few days ago you were tired of eating the same old greens? Now, Zhao Erhu’s family has sent them to you. Look at this lotus root, it’s so fresh, and the quality is exceptional. Whether you stir-fry it or use it to make soup, or any other culinary method, you can have it however you want. After all, with so much of it and also these eggplants, green beans, and cucumbers, you’ll have much more variety when you dine, hahaha."

Xiaojin said proudly, and although that was what he thought inwardly, blurting it out so boastfully was nothing short of showing off. The implications of his words were clearly, ’Look at how good these things are, and still, some people dare call them trivial, when you can’t even get your hands on them normally, making you envious, so envious!’

Feng Lingling had a simple mind and didn’t quite catch the meaning behind Xiaojin’s words. Seeing so many fresh fruits and vegetables, she really did become a bit envious and wanted to have someone bring them over so the kitchen could prepare them for her. Meanwhile, the Marchioness of Zhenbei and her son had a somewhat grim expression. They weren’t as shortsighted as Feng Lingling to be dazzled by a few fresh vegetables and fruit, regretting that they hadn’t gotten a clear picture of the situation. They had originally come to ridicule and mock the Princely Heir of the Marquis of Zhenbei, but instead, they had been humiliated themselves. Xiaojin’s openly mocking words seemed so transparent, with every sentence cutting deep, clearly contradicting what they had just said. Such brazen pride was simply intolerable.

However, Feng Lingling paid no mind to what her mother and elder brother were thinking. She looked towards the other two wooden boxes that looked quite the same, "What about the other two similar boxes? Open them quickly and let’s see what’s inside!"

Being a young lady of the Marquis of Zhenbei’s residence, Feng Lingling was quite insistent about opening the boxes. Seeing no objection from the Marquis’ Princely Heir, the servant followed her wishes and opened the other two boxes. This time Feng Lingling couldn’t help but excitedly exclaim, "Ah, what’s this? It’s stored in such delicate bamboo baskets. Bring it here for me to see!"

After Feng Lingling finished speaking, she saw the servant dawdling and didn’t wait for someone to bring it over, but instead she went to the wooden chest and took out a bamboo basket herself. She was overjoyed, "It’s actually mushrooms! Aren’t mushrooms supposed to grow in the mountains? And how could there be mushrooms in this season? What’s more, what’s in the other chest? These greens in the basket, I’ve never seen them before. What vegetable is it?"

Seeing Feng Lingling so completely clueless, both the Marchioness of Zhenbei and her son felt a mix of anger and helplessness. Annoyingly enough, the one with no brains was the biological child of the Marchioness, who couldn’t be simply cast aside. It was a situation that truly caused frustration.

The Princely Heir of Zhenbei let out a sneer at Feng Lingling’s demeanor. His half-sister might be somewhat willful and annoying, but she hadn’t done anything too outrageously evil or harmful. She was just blunt in her speech and never showed him a kind face. However, he found her more bearable compared to his stepmother and her two sons, who were each more venomous and vicious than the other. If she didn’t interfere with him, he might let her be, allowing her to marry into a family of suitable status and live a peaceful life. As for his stepmother and her two sons, he resolved never to let them off the hook. In this way, being foolish sometimes could indeed be a good thing.

"Lingling, shut your mouth and stand aside. If it’s not your concern, don’t speak," the Marchioness of Zhenbei commanded with a cold face, chastising Feng Lingling. Feng Lingling felt wronged by her mother’s sudden change of demeanor and didn’t understand why, but she dared not defy her mother’s stern look and stood aside with her lips pouted.

"Hmph, it’s just some fruits and vegetables. To be so proud of that. I heard that Zhao Erhu comes from a rural background, so naturally he has better skills in growing vegetables. Only those who have never seen the world would find it so impressive," Feng Zhixiao said with a disdainful lift of his head.

The Marchioness of Zhenbei and her son Feng Yinan didn’t bother to acknowledge him. As for his half-brother, Feng Zhixiao, the Princely Heir simply ignored him and signaled the servant with his eyes to continue opening the chests. The next chest contained dried goods, the best selections personally made by Lin Yue. Such quality goods were absolutely not available on the market.

Next to this chest, the other three chests contained jars and bottles neatly packed. The first chest had pickles and salted vegetables created both from Wang Dachuan’s research and from recipes provided by Lin Yue. Each jar was custom made according to Lin Yue’s own designs, with a red paper label on each jar indicating its contents, looking very high-end. The second chest contained secret-recipe candied fruits, and the third held several types of fine alcohol that Lin Yue brewed herself, including low-alcohol rice wine and grape wine, as well as high-proof barley wine and corn liquor, not to mention sweet osmanthus and bayberry wines. There was a jar of each type; though not much, they were all of the finest quality, so much so that even Jiang Ziqi had praised them.

The last big chest belonged to another carriage, one chest contained fabrics and furs. The fabrics were obtained from Commandery Princess Roujia and Princess Yongle, and the furs were the best batch collected this year by Qian Feng from the northern regions, definitely superior to the usual wear of the Marchioness of Zhenbei. The other chest held a four-panel embroidered screen.

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