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Liu Chun shook his head and said, “None left.”
Lu Fangrong roared, “How is that possible! What about Mingzhu’s letter?” Feeling uneasy, he continued, “And what about my daughter’s letter?”
Liu Chun replied, “Third Young Madam did not instruct this servant to bring a letter, only Young Master He wrote a letter to General Lu.” Bowing slightly, he added, “Third Young Master is still waiting for this servant.” With that said, he mounted his horse and rode off.
Lu Fangrong wanted to inquire about Mingzhu and Cheng’s well-being, how they were faring at the Princess Changting’s residence, but the lad had already ridden far away.
If that lad wasn’t Jiang Zhanwei’s personal guard, he would have received a good whipping. Without waiting for orders from the superior, he had simply run off.
Lu Fangrong sullenly took out the letter. The handwriting was exceptionally elegant, even better than Chang’s. However, its content left him both bitter and disappointed, it only offered a few casual greetings, ending with wishes for his health and success. The address was “General Lu” and the signature was “Your Junior He Cheng”.
The whole letter was polite yet distant, showing some resentment towards himself.
Lu Fangrong let out a heavy sigh. He hadn’t expected Mingzhu, a kind-hearted person, to hold a grudge and pass it on to their son. He realized he would have to wait until his return to the capital to mend their relationship. Mingzhu was kind-hearted, and with a little coaxing, their son, his own flesh and blood, would come around.
He glanced at the dried beef jerky that his daughter had sent to Jiang Zhanwei, not to him, her own father. Resentment stirred within him. Perhaps Xiao Chen had not raised their daughter well, if she had grown up by his side, next to Bao Qin, maybe she wouldn’t have disregarded him. In hindsight, he should have brought his daughter to live with him.
As a result, his son-in-law enjoyed delicious treats but didn’t offer any to his old father-in-law…
Liu Chun returned to Jiang Zhanwei’s tent, handing over the items and letters.
Jiang Zhanwei didn’t look at the items or letters but asked Liu Chun, “How big is your Third Young Madam’s belly now? Has she gained weight?”
Last time Liu Chun went back to the capital, Jiang Zhanwei had asked the same question. Liu Chun had been too scared to look closely at Third Young Madam, so he hadn’t noticed. This angered Jiang Zhanwei, who had smacked him twice on the head, calling him a fool. This time, Liu Chun discreetly glanced at Third Young Madam’s belly and face several times.
Upon hearing Jiang Zhanwei’s question, he immediately used his hands to gesture the size of the belly and waist, laughing, “Reporting to Master, this time I looked carefully. Third Young Madam’s belly is this big now. She has gained weight, developed a double chin, probably weighing over a hundred catties, hehehe…”
He hadn’t finished laughing when he received four more slaps on the back of his head and two kicks on his legs.
Jiang Zhanwei glared and cursed, “You fool, why were you looking so closely? Get lost!”
Realizing his mistake, Liu Chun ran off with a mournful expression.
Just as he exited the tent, he heard Jiang Zhanwei’s cold voice, “Come back.”
Hastily, Liu Chun reentered the tent.
Jiang Zhanwei asked, “Did you mention my injury?”
Upon hearing this question, Liu Chun laughed again and said, “Oh, I did mention it. I told them that Third Young Master was injured by a sword, nearly died, and Third Young Madam, Princess Changting, and Second Miss all burst into tears. Especially Third Young Madam, she cried so hard that she collapsed on eldest Young Madam and couldn’t get up…”
At first, Jiang Zhanwei’s face lit up, but then he grew worried, giving Liu Chun another kick, scolding, “Stupid fool, Third Young Madam is pregnant, why did you make it sound so serious? Get lost!”
Liu Chun left with a mournful expression once more.
Jiang Zhanwei imagined the image of Lu Man’s round belly and chubby cheeks, feeling happy, and began reading the letter at the desk. Despite the letter’s continued politeness, the thought of her being so upset because of his injury made him content.
Outside, Liu Chun was teased by the other guards, being called a fool with a head full of water and two big holes. He would rather endure slaps and being called a silly pig than scrutinize Third Young Madam. He had gone and examined her carefully, only to foolishly inform Master that he had looked closely, setting himself up for scolding and punishment.
In the Donghui Courtyard, Lu Man stood with Jiang Zhankui and Jiang Jiu in front of six flower pots, unable to tear themselves away. The siblings, knowing these flowers had saved their brother, cherished and tended to them even more now.
Among these flowers, one pot had sprouted half an inch tall seedling, while the other five pots had just sprouted seedlings, tender and green, tinged with a hint of red under the sunset’s glow.
These seedlings were Night Yellow Flowers. Ten days ago, the fruits of three Night Yellow Flowers had fallen, six dark brown fruits, with thick, hard skins and no seams.
After examining them, Mrs. Wei remarked that these fruits were challenging to grow because the seeds were enclosed in a hard, waterproof shell, preventing the fruit from absorbing water and sunlight needed for growth unless the hard shell was broken. The fact that these Night Yellow Flower seeds sprouted suggested they had encountered some external force that cracked open the thick shell…
Lu Man instructed Mrs. Wei to first try using a Night Yellow Flower fruit.
Mrs. Wei cracked open the hard shell, extracted the flesh inside, soaked it in warm water for two days, and then planted it in the flower pot. A few days later, a small seedling indeed sprouted from the pot, tender and green, incredibly adorable.
Lu Man was on the verge of tears from excitement.
Success! The cultivation of Night Yellow Flowers had truly succeeded. Through Jiang Zhanwei and Lu Fangrong’s efforts to turn the situation around, Lu Man now understood the tremendous impact of Huang Ke Lai. If Night Yellow Flowers could be extensively cultivated, it would bring immense benefits to the people of this era.
She rewarded Mrs. Wei with twenty taels of silver and instructed her to handle the remaining seeds. Then, she sent the five guards back to the northwest slope village to find Zheng Qiang, asking them to revisit the place where Night Yellow Flowers had been found before and search for fruits as large as lychees with a dark brown color.
However, those five individuals had been gone for a few days and had not yet returned.
She also shared this development with Princess Changting, who was delighted and instructed a small room to be set up inside the glass greenhouse specifically for nurturing Night Yellow Flowers.
Princess Changting had already witnessed the remarkable medicinal effects of Willow Bark Pills, and knowing that the medicine made from Night Yellow Flowers would have an even greater impact than Willow Bark Pills, she believed it would be a blessing for the people.
Goodness, once these medicines were reported to the Imperial Hospital and widely distributed, this daughter-in-law would surely go down in history.
At this point, Lu Man’s status in her heart soared, surpassing all daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law, ranking just behind her husband, eldest son, third son, eldest grandson, third grandson, and great-grandsons.
The five individuals searching for the medicine returned three days later, led by Zheng Qiang, with a total of thirty-five of those fruits.
Mrs. Wei cracked open the fruits, confirming that twenty-six of them were viable, while the other nine might have dried up and turned black due to age. Without wasting them, Mrs. Wei soaked and planted them in the flower pots. A few days later, twenty-seven seedlings sprouted.