The three mother and son each had a bowl of bright red spicy kimchi fried rice.
Madam Yun could not tolerate much spice, but seeing her daughter and son eating non-stop, she also began to eat in small bites. It seemed it wasn't as spicy as it looked. Upon closer tasting, there was a sweet flavor, and the cabbage was crisp and refreshing. Bite after bite, before she knew it, the bowl was empty, and she still felt a lingering desire for more.
Qi Zhenzhen watched Madam Yun put down her chopsticks with a smile, "Mother, was it delicious?"
"It's very appetizing," Madam Yun said earnestly. Normally, she would only eat one bowl of rice. Today, unprecedentedly, she had a second bowl.
"Eat to your heart's content, I could eat three bowls," Qi Zhenzhen wiggled her fingers. "Eating too much at dinner can cause indigestion, so I have to restrain myself. When I first saw the recipe in a book, I thought it would be very delicious. Today, trying it, it really is delicious."
Madam Yun liked looking at her daughter's smiling face. "The book Zhenzhen reads is quite good, does it contain all the delicious foods in the world?"
Qi Zhenzhen nodded, "I think so, more or less. It's a pity I don't know if I'll be able to see this book again in the future."
Madam Yun was taken aback for a moment. "It doesn't matter if you can see it or not, Zhenzhen has already memorized everything in it anyway."
This statement was a small test. Although Madam Yun was momentarily stunned, her expression did not change much, meaning she was not as concerned about the Changping Marquis Manor.
"Mother, let's discuss something. What do you think about us buying that apricot orchard in Xinghua Village?" Qi Zhenzhen voiced the matter she had been pondering.
"The wild apricot orchard?" Madam Yun's brows furrowed slightly, not understanding why her daughter had such an idea.
"We can build a manor next to the apricot orchard later, and then we can live there and enjoy the scenery," Qi Zhenzhen said with some excitement. "Besides that, we can graft sweet apricots onto them, eat them as fruit, make preserves, dried fruit, and even eat the apricot kernels as nuts."
Madam Yun could understand all the ways to eat them, but she couldn't understand why they needed to build a manor. Their home wasn't that far from the apricot orchard. Moreover, apricots could cause harm, eating them was just for a taste, why buy such a large apricot orchard just for the fruit? It was too wasteful!
"If Zhenzhen wants to eat apricots, she can often buy some when she comes down," Madam Yun said gently. "There's really no need to go to such great lengths just to eat apricots."
Did she want to eat apricots? Not at all. She wanted the apricots to turn into money.
"Mother, listen to me. We don't have any businesses to rely on right now. I was thinking of buying this apricot orchard to make a living from the fruit," Qi Zhenzhen said slowly. "By building a manor, if the business is successful, it will be easier to hire people to manage it. When we leave here in the future, it won't cause any trouble. When we have enough money later, we can buy some more fertile land next to the apricot orchard and lease it out, so we'll have an extra source of income."
Manors that generated income. The Yun family had several before, but later, they were no longer theirs.
Her daughter's thoughts were thorough and far-sighted, but Madam Yun did not want her daughter to put so much effort into managing a business. This was different from hunting in the mountains. Business was not something that could be done quietly. On the contrary, it required dealing with all sorts of people with great tact. If a woman appeared too much in public, whether she was a commoner or from an official family, people would dislike it. What about her daughter's marriage then...
"Zhenzhen, we have saved some money now. Later, Mother will embroider more, and we can repay the debt. It will be enough to support Yi Ge'er's studies," Madam Yun said slowly. "Mother doesn't want you to be too tired."
Qi Zhenzhen knew that the ancient etiquette was very harsh on women, and Madam Yun was worried that she might overstep and affect her future marriage prospects.
However, for Qi Zhenzhen, nothing was more important than ensuring Madam Yun and Qi Yi lived a good life.
"Mother, I'm only eleven now, why do I need to worry about so many things?" Qi Zhenzhen pouted. "Yi Ge'er has talent in his studies, but sometimes talent alone is not enough. How many scholars are idle at home because they have no connections? If studying hard is just to be idle at home, then I'd rather Yi Ge'er not study."
Madam Yun did not know about this aspect of becoming an official.
She thought that if one studied well and succeeded in the imperial examinations, one could become an official.
"We don't have to worry about food and drink, but what if Yi Ge'er needs to make connections to become an official?" Qi Zhenzhen added.
"Are there none that don't require connections?" Madam Yun murmured.
"There are, but very few. If we don't encounter them... are we going to gamble with Yi Ge'er's future?" Qi Zhenzhen continued. "How about this, Mother, you make me a set of boy's clothes, and I'll dress as a boy when I go out. That way, no one will gossip."
Madam Yun could not think of a good solution, and knowing that her daughter was a person with a plan, she could only agree.
Madam Yun agreed to this matter, and Qi Zhenzhen was very happy. If it weren't for the darkness of the night, she would have wanted to go to the Song family immediately.
The next morning, after breakfast, Qi Zhenzhen excitedly ran to the Song family, not forgetting to bring a cloth doll rabbit for Song Mingyue.
The Song family had also just finished breakfast and were clearing the dishes. Grandma Song asked Qi Zhenzhen if she had eaten and offered to heat up some food for her.
"Grandma Song, you don't need to bother with me. I have something to tell Grandpa Lizheng."
Song Lizheng led Qi Zhenzhen to the main hall. "You little girl, why are you so eager early in the morning? What important matter is it?"
"Grandpa Lizheng, is the village planning to sell the apricot orchard? I was thinking of buying that apricot orchard, I wonder if it's possible?" Qi Zhenzhen asked with anticipation.
Song Lizheng pondered for a moment before speaking. "By rights, as long as you can afford the money, it's fine. But Zhenzhen, our two families are on good terms, and Grandpa can't cheat you. That's over forty mu of land. Even if I and you calculate it as forty mu, that's eighty taels of silver. Eighty taels is enough to buy more than ten mu of fertile land. It's not advisable, not advisable. Even if all the apricot trees were dug up, that land cannot grow crops. You can't just be tempted by the mention of over forty mu."
"Grandpa Lizheng, I want the apricot trees, why would I dig them up? Don't worry, I made this decision after careful consideration, not on a whim. Grandpa Lizheng, just tell me if you'll sell it or not. Also, I remember there's a large empty plot of land at the foot of the slope, can you also allocate it to me then?" Qi Zhenzhen said earnestly.
"Zhenzhen, are you serious?" Song Lizheng still didn't quite believe it. The matter of selling the apricot orchard was brought up every winter, but no one ever showed interest. It had been a recurring topic for years. Suddenly, someone wanted to buy it, and Lizheng felt something was amiss. Especially since the buyer was Qi Zhenzhen, whom he thought highly of, and he privately did not want her to waste her money.
But Qi Zhenzhen insisted. Song Lizheng had said all he could, and finally agreed.
He called several respected elders from the village, and in their presence, a contract was signed. The apricot orchard of Xinghua Village officially belonged to Qi Zhenzhen, for eighty taels of silver.