Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

With Xiao Su following her, she made her way to the side room and squatted by the potted plants. Stroking the bright red petals of the Jixiang flowers, she found that they were still as withered as they were yesterday. 

These flowers were supposed to grow in an aquatic environment, but being buried in soil made it difficult for them to thrive.

Standing up, Ye Jiao, looked around, and pointed to the large fish tank, “Can I use that?”

Xiao Su was about to ask what she needed it for but suddenly remembered how Qi Yun had flattened all the flower beds in the garden for Ye Jiao not long ago. She immediately nodded repeatedly, “Second Young Madam, you can use it for anything you want. Should I empty the fish tank for you?”

Momentarily taken aback by the inquiry, Ye Jiao smiled, “No need to empty it. What’s the point of throwing them away? They might freeze to death in this weather. Just leave the fish in there. Later, you can take these two plants out, be gentle with the roots, shake off the soil, and put them in the fish tank. Also, don’t leave the tank outside; if the water freezes, it won’t be good. Keep it inside the house.”

In the times when Ye Jiao was still a little ginseng spirit, Jixiang flowers were widely termed “Fengyuan Flower”. They could thrive in water all by themselves without much effort. Just some sunlight and warm ambient temperature were enough for them to grow and reproduce wildly. Dong-shi failed to cultivate them because she had planted them in soil, similar to the previous stone sprout grass, which never survived for long when buried in the ground.

Mentally taking note of Ye Jiao’s instructions, Xiao Su nodded in agreement. Lest she made Fang-shi wait for her long, after reminding her a couple of times, Ye Jiao quickly took out a dark violet cloak with a fur collar to wrap around herself and went out to find Fang-shi 

However, Fang-shi was not waiting in the small room; she was strolling around Ye Jiao’s courtyard, but as she strolled further in, she became more and more anxious.

Fang-shi had been to this courtyard before. She might not be a scholarly woman, but she enjoyed appreciating flowers and elegant scenery. Even though she feared Qi Yun greatly, she was certain of his aesthetic taste in garden arrangements.

In particular, there were two precious chrysanthemum flowers in Qi Yun’s courtyard that were poetically touted as One side of these petals had a reddish-orange tint, while the other had bright yellow

One side of the petals was orange-red, while the other side was bright yellow, leaving a lasting impression on the awed spectators. particularly luxurious and beautiful. This day, while coming to pick up Ye Jiao before meeting Liu-shi, she was intending to feast her eyes with the elegance of their flowers before they withered. 

To her surprise, she found that the courtyard had undergone a drastic transformation!

Not just the “Purple Dragon Rests on Snow,” but all the other flowers were gone, replaced by some wildflowers that Fang-shi found peculiar. They had small blossoms and grew in strange shapes, hardly suitable for an elegant setting.

Gradually, Fang-shi’s eyes became dull with distress. As soon as she saw Ye Jiao approaching she couldn’t help but ask, “Jiao Niang, why has the style of the courtyard been changed?”

Stroking the hand warmer in hands, Ye Jiao replied gently, “When I said that I wanted to plant a few medicinal plants, xianggong had all the previous plants removed. “

“Removed?” Fang-shi’s eyes widened as she gaped at Ye Jiao in astonishment, wondering why this well-behaved girl was being so squandering!

Ye Jiao continued, “Medicinal herbs have their benefits. Those flowers and plants might look nice, but they can’t do much for Xianggong's health. It’s better to grow something beneficial.”

Overwhelmed with immense distress at the loss, Fang-shi’s lost the usual restraint as she disapproved, “Erdi can just buy medicinal herbs from a medicinal store. Why go through all this trouble? Those flowers… were such valuable things, ah! It’s a shame to have them removed.”

If it was in the past, Ye Jiao would have simply brushed off her remarks with a smile. She never paid much attention to anyone other than Qi Yun. However, after witnessing the altercation in front of the liquor shop yesterday and hearing many things from Qi Yun at night, she had a renewed understanding of some matters.

She was fortunate to have a good husband. As for the others, the young ginseng spirit became cognizant that it was just like when encountering different spirits. A few might devour people, while others may save them. Not everyone could be wholeheartedly trusted!

Some things needed to be clearly stated.

Directly gazing into Fang-shi’s eyes, Ye Jiao spoke in her usual gentle tone, “Dasao, this is Xianggong's courtyard and can rearrange it however he wants it to be. If Dasao is fond of looking at flowers, you can go to the garden; there are also beautiful flowers there.”

The Young Ginseng Spirit was immensely baffled.  According to Xianggong’s words previously, all the affairs in their own courtyard were their personal business. She couldn’t help but wonder why Dasao was feeling distressed and upset over this?!

However, Fang-shi, having been accustomed to Ye Jiao’s gentle demeanor, didn’t pay too much heed to her words. Coincidentally, just then, Shitaou, awed by the beauty of nearby plum blossoms, exclaimed that they were so pretty and insisted that he wanted to pick them and gift them to his mother and aunt. 

His playful mischief made the two women break into chuckles, distracting them completely and soon made them forget about the earlier conflict regarding the courtyard style. The two sisters-in-law leisurely and harmoniously ambled toward Liu-shi’s courtyard.

Liu-shi had invited her two daughters-in-law to discuss upcoming new year’s preparations. 

With the new year gradually approaching, many things needed to be prepared in the household. 

Not to mention, the year-end bonus for the tenants, just the expenses for organizing a banquet, buying fireworks and firecrackers, and having new clothes made for everyone among many others demands a constant flow of silver.

The Qi family was undoubtedly a rich household. However, they had always been kind-hearted and never treated their tenants harshly. They rewarded the employees generously as well. As a rich household, inevitably there will be many areas that need to be organized from top to bottom.  All the expenses were usually taken from the accounts. 

Usually, they were never stingy with their own people, providing them with everything they required. Even though there is a constant influx of silver, with all the expenses, the outflow is also quite big. 

Liu-shi twirled the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, her eyes shifting between Ye Jiao and Fang-shi. Gently, she began speaking, “This year we witnessed many happy occasions. Erlang has married a wife, Shitou also growing healthily, and both our fields and liquor store are thriving.“

Ye Jiao had a smile on her face, while Fang-shi was inwardly contemplating trying to figure out her mother-in-law’s words. She was certain that her mother-in-law wouldn’t have called them just to say these good words to them without any reason. Thus, she pretended to be teasing Shitou with the served light refreshments. However, her ears were wide open, carefully listening to what Liu-shi was about to say. 

Liu-shi continued, “However, next year, we are planning to expand both the farms and liquor shops. The silver in the accounts might not be enough. Yesterday, your father-in-law and I discussed it. Since the situation at home has improved and is better, we should organize a bigger banquet for this new year. Nevertheless, we will be needing more silver to add a few more tables. Apart from the money taken from the accounts, will your two branches be willing to contribute extra? We can split the amount based on the year-end income, with each branch contributing a portion of the amount. For every twenty units of the income earned, you can contribute one unit. How does that sound?”

As it was about household matters, Liu-shi first sought the opinion of the two daughters-in-law.

Ye Jiao thought the suggestion made sense. Over the past couple of days, Qi Yun had gradually shared the family’s situation with her. Moreover, they were all living together, and as Liu-shi had, the family was planning to upscale the liquor business in the upcoming year. Thus, Young Ginseng Spirit thought contributing a portion of funds for the new year celebration would be good.  

However, Fang-shi, on the other hand, had a different standpoint. If put in simpler terms, her personality was that of a typical penny-pitcher. She wasn’t malicious, just extremely stingy, and was full of calculations on how to benefit from every possible financial gain. 

In her eyes, Qi Yun’s shop and Qi Zhao’s estate were on an entirely different scale. As for the Liquor shop’s unusually high gains witnessed last time, Fang-shi merely attributed the incident to unforeseen circumstances, for any business would employ some tactics to keep it running. The shop had been dormant for a long time, so an occasional surge was natural.

Overall, the estate was the main source of income. If they were to contribute money based on Liu-shi’s suggestion, she dreaded that they would have to be the ones to contribute a large amount of silver.  

In the past, when it was nearing the end of the year, Liu-shi had sometimes asked the same question. Back then, Fang-shi would fix her eyes on Qi Yun, who at that time was just mechanically waiting to succumb to his illness. He had no intentions of managing the store, thus profits were always subpar.  Qi Ming had set on a path to become a scholar and didn’t have any money to spare either. Consequently, for the sake of maintaining fairness among the three, Liu-shi would not let just Qi Zhao bear the entire amount. 

However, now that the shop was making money, her mother-in-law had brought up this topic again and suggested the proportional method. Considering the high amount of profits gained from the farms in the past years, if the amount of contributions were based upon the 1:20, wouldn’t they end up giving more?

Actually speaking, that amount of silver still wouldn’t be high. Nonetheless, Fang Shi wasn’t comfortable with the idea of contributing more than the others. It made her feel as if she was gravely losing out, making her uncomfortable from the inside out. 

Thereupon, Fang-shi anxiously asked Liu-shi in a low voice, “Mother, can we change the terms?”

Glancing at her, Liu-shi asked, “How do you want to change them?” 

In her heart, Fang-shi’s small abacus was rapidly clicking and clacking, as she opened her mouth, “Rather than following the one suggested by mother, how about two branches contributing the same amount and offering equal filial piety? It wouldn’t be good for one to outdo the other.” With a pause, she continued, “Once I go back, I will let Dalang know that we will be contributing the same amount as the Erdi. We won’t contribute any less than them.”

Though her choice of words might give an impression that she was trying to favor her Erdi, she was actually helping herself from losing out more than the other. 

Fangi-shi’s idea was strongly based on her belief that Qi Yun’s annual income wouldn’t be huge, reducing the amount of contribution and also satisfying Liu-shi’s desire for fairness — hitting two birds with one stone! 

Among the numerous thoughts that rapidly ran through Liu-shi’s mind, the possibility of the profits from Qi Yun’s liquor business surpassing the estate’s farms never crossed her mind. 

Liu-shi was acutely aware of the financial situation of both branches. However, she chose not to speak at that moment and turned her head towards Ye Jiao. “Jiao Niang, do you agree with this?”

In front of Liu Shi, Ye Jiao was always docile and replied, “Xiangoing had asked me to obey mother’s words. If you agree to it, I will also agree to it.”

Hearing her reply, Liu-shi nodded before turning towards Fang-shi again. With a deep gaze, she softly stated without further explanation, “In that case, we’ll do as you suggested.”

Fang-shi’s round face broke into a brilliant smile, feeling great for having saved some money.