Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 158 - 156: Birthday Gifts

Chapter 158: Chapter 156: Birthday Gifts

With Aunt Rong’s help, Xiao’er and her family properly paid their respects to the ladies present, according to the given conventions and social hierarchy.

They also accepted the respects from ladies and young misses of lower social statuses.

If anyone in the room claimed they were not curious about what Marquis Shengping’s family was offering as gifts, they would be lying. Everyone was waiting to see what kind of gifts Marquis Shengping’s family would present.

It was rumored that Marquis Shengping’s mother-in-law and the second wife had recently spent several thousand taels at the cloth shops and Silver Building, and had sent the goods back to Marquis Shengping’s Mansion to settle the bill, which had forced Marquis Shengping to mortgage his imperial gifted mansion. The audacity to mortgage a gift from the Emperor, which should have been treasured, showed a lack of decency; it was extremely disgraceful.

The relatives from Marquis Shengping’s family were also barefaced, charging their purchases to the shop’s account while being guests in the mansion. They were truly peasantry at heart, utterly lacking in respect and dignity!

There was not a noble family in the Imperial Capital that could not afford ten or a few thousand taels. Thus, everyone present knew that Marquis Shengping’s Mansion was in dire straits. How could such a poor mansion afford to offer decent gifts as present - cabbages? eggs? Perhaps they could scrape together the means to give a goat.

At this thought, some people couldn’t resist the urge to laugh softly.

Mrs. Liu took the brocade box from Moli’s hand and personally offered it saying, "We offer this humble gift with great respect, in hope that our esteemed elder will accept it. We wish you a life as vast as the East Sea and longevity comparable to the South Mountain."

The box was rather presentable, but they were uncertain about its content, the crowd thought to themselves.

The older lady knew about her grandson’s connection with Marquis Shengping’s family and didn’t underestimate the gift. Last year, the gift she received from her grandson was bought from them, hence she believed that even if it was a cabbage, it would still be exceptional and possibly unaffordable.

Having tasted the delicacies from Marquis Shengping’s home, she found them truly irresistible. In fact, after eating them, it seemed the old ailments she used to have hadn’t flared up in a while. Therefore, if they had really given her a cabbage, she would be overjoyed.

The old lady happily accepted the gift box and opened it.

A millennium-old ginseng quietly laid on the red velvet cloth inside.

Silent gasps echoed in the room.

The old lady, startled, looked at the large human-shaped wild ginseng.

"How old is this ginseng? It can’t be a thousand years old, can it?" asked the wife of the State Duke, uncertainly.

"It is indeed a millennium-old ginseng! I’ve seen one similar to this in the Empress’s possession!" confidently proclaimed the Prime Minister’s wife, as she gave a jealous glance at Marquis Zhongyong’s mother.

Having regained her composure, the old lady looked at Mrs. Liu and wondered how much millennium-old ginseng they must have.

She had heard from her grandson that the millennium-old ginseng the Sixth Prince had gifted the Empress had also been purchased from them.

"This gift is too valuable."

Is it truly a millennium-old ginseng? Such priceless medicinal herb, treasured by all families, who would be willing to give it away! After all, it’s impossible to buy it when it’s most needed!

Amongst the ladies present, many of them have seen century-old ginseng, but very few had seen millennium-old samples. Unless the stakes were life-and-death, no one would willingly gift such precious medicinal herbs like millennium-old ginseng and reishi mushrooms.

Has Marquis Shengping’s family lost their minds or could they really not afford a decent gift? But no, if they sold this ginseng, they could receive anywhere from eight to ten thousand taels! How could they not afford a decent gift!

"If the Lady isn’t bothered by it, it’s fine. It was merely dug up from the mountains, a bit of hard work, not very valuable. And there are more at home," Mrs. Liu said with a smile.

Mrs. Liu deliberately mentioned that they had more millennium-old ginseng at home, this was something Xiao’er had instructed beforehand. With the number of medicinal herbs in her storage, and the large amount planted at home, she thought of opening up a wholesale medicinal herb store. And she knew that these people would definitely be curious.

Upon hearing this, the ladies in the room had their eyes wide open! They have more at home? Did they perhaps promise to dig up one and ended up digging one? My goodness! Were they treating this like growing radishes at home, digging them up whenever they felt like it?

They have one more at home? Those in the room didn’t dare to believe that there could be more; just one more was enough to amaze them! They wondered if Marquis Shengping would sell it and instantly their minds began to trail off with possibilities.

Where is Marquis Shengping’s hometown again? They must find out and send experienced individuals to dig up ginseng from the mountains. Even though it may not be millennium-old ginseng, century-old ginseng would still be valuable. They began planning in their minds.

"Mrs. Liu, last time I promised Brother Di that I would dig up a ginseng for him next time. I was thinking that if it was for Brother Di, he would certainly offer it to you. Therefore, this can be considered as Brother Di`s gift to you. You must accept it, otherwise, I would be seen as insincere," Xiao’er coaxed when she saw the old lady hesitant over accepting it.

"You are such a sweet talker. With your persuasion, if I don’t accept it, I’ll be the one putting you in a difficult situation," the old lady pretended to scold.

The old lady covered the box and placed it on the table beside her, then she laughed and said, "Marquis Shengping’s hometown must be a land of great spiritual energy."

Only a place imbued with the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth could grow so much millennium-old ginsengs and nurture such excellent individuals. Otherwise, her husband would not spend so much time there every year under the pretext of gardening, claiming that the climate was favorable for growing flowers. She originally thought that his skills were just not up to par.

She had heard quite a bit about their family from her grandson and grandson-in-law, hence she didn’t belittle them at all. How could someone who could raise a daughter as exceptional as her granddaughter-in-law be looked down upon due to their family background.

"Just look at Mrs. Shengping, she’s already the mother of five children. Yet, look at her skin and waistline; it’s even better than when I was a maiden! If not for her married woman hairstyle, I might have mistaken her for a maiden! She must definitely have come from a place blessed with spiritual aura," Di Zhaowei’s mother, Mrs. Lu, who was now the general’s wife, complimented, pleased by the high regard the family had for her son.

"Indeed, only a place of vibrant aura and spectacular landscapes could cultivate millennium-old ginsengs and such radiant individuals! Madam Shengping, do people from your hometown often find ginseng? And does your family sell the ginseng?" echoed the wife of the Secretary.

"If the general’s wife hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have noticed. Mrs. Shengping, your skin is really tender and flawless, isn’t it from eating a lot of millennium-old ginseng? Would your family sell that ginseng? I’ll buy it for eight thousand taels!"

"I’ll bid ten thousand taels!"

Xiao’er didn’t want the banquet to turn into a medicinal shop, so she quickly said, "Honorable ladies, don’t worry. My family plans on opening a medicinal herbs shop. When we have ginseng, we will definitely sell it."

Everyone present realized that they were in the wrong place for conducting business and quickly changed the topic to skincare tips.

Not too long after, news of the Empress’s arrival circulated amongst them.

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