mtl008 Chapter 221 I'll go see the mountain myself!
Chapter 221 I'll go see the mountain myself!
After this incident, Tian Tian stopped going to the county government office to take care of Ling Yao.
She began to focus on preparing for the New Year holidays.
Last year, their family's life had just begun to improve, so they didn't make any particularly grand preparations for the New Year.
This year is different.
They now own two shops, and have split a portion of the remaining shop.
There's still such a large area of land...
It's time to have a grand and lively New Year celebration.
First, we made new clothes. Everyone in the family went to the fabric shop to order two sets of winter clothes and two sets of spring clothes.
It uses the newest materials and the latest styles from the county town.
This year's fabrics and styles are also very different from last year's.
Because Baishi County has become bustling and prosperous, all kinds of merchants and diners from all over the country have gathered here, and anything new and trendy sells well.
Then I bought a lot of pastries. The pastries of this era were different from the dishes at Baishi Tea House. Most of them were made of steamed rice flour, and they came in various shapes and were all very beautiful, but the taste was pretty much the same.
There are also various kinds of dried fruit.
Fruits were scarce in that era, and most dried fruits were made from wild fruits.
Wild fruits taste the same when eaten raw: sour, so sour they can make your teeth ache.
But after being marinated in honey, it becomes sweet and sour, and appetizing.
As for meat and vegetables... the shop has them, so there's no need to buy them.
Another major task is buying New Year's gifts.
"Li Huaiyuan is one..."
"Instructor Ye Rong counts as one, Jinghe's teacher, Mr. Fan, and now there's Mr. Lin, making a total of four."
"My godfather counts as one, that makes five..."
Tian Tian carefully counted on her fingers; the first tier of New Year's gifts would be for roughly these five people.
Next up is the second gear...
"Uncle Zhang, the shopkeepers, the managers of the shops, the managers of the fields... prepare fifty copies."
The third tier consists of the most basic staff, and there are now a total of eight or nine hundred people.
Their New Year's gifts consist of just some meat, rice, and noodles; they don't need to think too much about it.
Tian Xiang watched from the side...
After a long pause, he asked, "For the first tier... aren't you considering Young Master Ling?"
She didn't realize that she had automatically ignored Wei Shaoyuan.
Without even thinking, Tian Tian shook her head. "Why would I give it to him?"
"Wasn't the gift I gave him big enough?"
She even sent him, the crown prince of a nation, high-yield rice seeds, sweet potato seedlings, potatoes, corn...
From now on, as long as she offers something that benefits the people, he can ask for it, and she will still give it to him.
Isn't that enough?
"If we're talking about giving New Year's gifts, it would be more appropriate for him to give me one."
Tian Xiang nodded thoughtfully, "That's true."
*
Ling Yao looked at the table full of food and slumped his shoulders.
He was surrounded...
There was no one there.
These people are too realistic.
When Miss Tian Er cooked here, everyone fawned over her, just to stay and eat.
Now that's the case, even if he goes to invite them, no one will come!
He counted on his fingers; he hadn't seen Tian Tian for seven or eight days.
In just over a month, it will be the Lunar New Year.
After the New Year holidays, we'll be preparing to go south...
Once they go south, there's no telling when they'll be back.
Thinking about it this way, he realized that the days he would be able to see her were becoming fewer and fewer.
No!
Ling Yao stood up. "If the mountain won't come to see me, I'll go see the mountain myself!"
*
"Young Master Ling, you've arrived." Xiao Si was so frightened when he saw Ling Yao that his legs trembled, but his professionalism made him persevere... and lead Ling Yao upstairs.
Ling Yao, however, remained downstairs watching, but he didn't see Tian Tian...
I didn't see Madam Lu, Madam Liu, Miss Tian, or Miss Qin...
"Is Young Master Ling looking for Miss Tian Er?" Xiao Si asked, secretly glancing at Ling Yao.
He thought to himself, "Heavens! If it weren't for what the magistrate said, I would never have imagined that this young master Ling is actually His Highness."
He, Du Xiaosi, actually managed to meet His Highness and even strike up a conversation with him...
His fate is terrible!
They're just as good as the eunuchs in the palace.
"The second young lady isn't in the shop; the owners have gone out to buy New Year's goods."
"He hasn't been to the shop for several days."
"Young Master Ling, what would you like to eat today?"
"Recently, the second daughter has come up with several new dishes."
"Brown sugar glutinous rice cakes and red bean paste dumplings, would you like to try some, Young Master Ling?"
Ling Yao was very disappointed, but he thought that if he couldn't see anyone, eating anything would be useless.
He waved his hand, no...
He should find a place to wait for her.
Xiao Si stopped walking...
Not eating?
"Your Highness isn't eating? Are you just waiting?"
Ling Yao nodded.
Xiao Si scratched his head. He couldn't very well let a prince huddle at the door waiting...
"Then...why don't you wait on the second floor? I'll let you know when the second young lady returns."
"Please, make yourself at home."
Ling Yao figured that was the only way...
He waited at the Baishi Teahouse for several days, but he didn't see Tian Tian or anyone else.
The more this happened, the more panicked he became...
Is Tian Tian deliberately avoiding him?
Ling Yao couldn't wait any longer at the Baishi Teahouse, so he got up and ran outside...
Xiao Si was outside, and when he looked inside, he saw that His Highness hadn't eaten a single bite.
"Your Highness...?"
Ling Yao handed him a silver ingot, then took out a booklet from his pocket.
This booklet is the same as the previous booklet that recorded rice cultivation, but it's not that one.
He quickly wrote a sentence with a charcoal pencil and gave it to Xiao Si.
"Where does Miss Tian Er live?"
Xiao Si froze, staring at the words on the booklet...
"The second daughter lived in a courtyard next to the county school; the largest courtyard was her home."
Ling Yao immediately ran outside.
Xiao Si followed closely behind...
"Young Master Ling, turn left after you exit the shop, turn right at the second alley, then turn left after two more alleys... and then you'll see it."
"Please don't wander off..."
*
Lu Tao and Liu San Niang sorted out the things they bought today.
"This tea is so expensive..." Lu Tao examined a box of tea.
This box of tea cost five hundred coins.
Liu San Niang covered her mouth and laughed, "Our corn silk tea isn't cheap either."
Lu Tao choked up, "Indeed."
A pound of corn silk tea... can cost two hundred coins.
It's more expensive than tea that requires meticulous care.
"If you ask me, the fabric is still the most expensive, but there's a reason why it's expensive. Good fabric makes a difference when you wear it." Liu San Niang touched the newly made winter clothes, rolled up the sleeves and touched them to her wrists.
Expensive fabrics are both smooth and warm.
"No wonder the Princess Yujin who came last time wasn't cold at all, even though she was dressed so lightly."
"The fabric she's wearing looks similar to what we wear here, but it's not quite the same..."
Tian Xiang held the fabric here, turning it over and over, examining it closely...
At first glance they look the same, but upon closer inspection they look quite different.
When she came to her senses... she looked up...
"Don't mention that person again!" Lu Tao said angrily.
Liu San Niang had the same expression.