Chapter 25 A Good Beginning

About an incense stick’s worth of time passed, and Nanny Zhang personally brought a bowl of boiled lemon and rock sugar water.

Hearing the Old Lady’s hearty laughter from afar, Nanny Zhang’s eyes welled up.

After coming to Taihe County, the Old Lady had been depressed because of some old matters.

Although the Old Lady didn’t say it out loud, how could she, as someone who had served her for decades, not know?

She hadn’t seen such a lively Old Lady in a long time.

It was rare to have a young person who could chat with the Old Lady, and Nanny Zhang was happy from the bottom of her heart.

Nanny Zhang handed the bowl of medicine to Qiu Yue, who was beside her, took out her handkerchief, and gently pressed it against the corner of her eye.

Only after making sure that there was no sign of anything unusual did she take back the bowl of boiled soup and slowly walked over.

“Old Lady, the lemon water is ready, you try it.”

“Miss Qin, don’t just talk, have some food first, these snacks are all made in the mansion, they’re not greasy.”

Nanny Zhang stepped forward and smiled, interrupting the conversation between the Old Lady and Qin Ruo.

The Old Lady picked up the bowl of soup, and the unique fragrance of lemon leaves wafted into her nostrils.

It was slightly sweet, and her throat, which had been a little dry and itchy, instantly felt comfortable.

“Good! Good!”

The Old Lady said “good” twice, picked up the bowl of soup, and quickly finished it.

“Ah Ruo, your method is really good, thanks to you. It looks like this old bone of mine will be able to sleep well tonight.”

Qin Ruo smiled slightly, her expression humble, “Old Lady, you’re flattering me, it’s just a small folk remedy, nothing to brag about.”

In modern times, she had dealt with all kinds of people, and she was naturally at ease facing the Old Lady of the Xie Mansion.

Qin Ruo didn’t deny that her initiative today was with a little bit of purpose, quietly cultivating her connections.

In this unfamiliar dynasty, before she became powerful, connections were her backing.

As long as she didn’t intentionally harm others, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with what she was doing.

After putting down the bowl, the Old Lady suddenly felt like she had an appetite.

She ordered a few dishes and asked Nanny Zhang to tell the kitchen to prepare them, and Nanny Zhang was overjoyed.

She responded and hurried towards the kitchen, her gaze towards Qin Ruo became even gentler.

Actually, before the bowl of water was brought out, Nanny Zhang had asked the doctor to take a look.

After confirming that there was no problem, she brought it to the Old Lady.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Qin Ruo, it was just that Nanny Zhang was used to being cautious. When it came to the Old Lady’s health, she didn’t dare to be careless.

A few days ago, Nanny Zhang herself had caught a cold, and her throat had been dry and itchy for a while.

She drank half a bowl herself and found that it was effective, so she couldn’t wait to bring it over.

Actually, even if Qin Ruo knew, it wouldn’t matter, wealthy families had countless rules.

If it were her, facing a stranger with unknown origins, she would also be a little wary.

When Nanny Zhang returned, Qin Ruo took the opportunity to teach Nanny Zhang other uses of lemon leaves.

She told her to wash the picked lemon leaves, dry them, and cut them into thin strips, and drink them with water daily.

She also told Nanny Zhang to add a few fresh lemon leaves to the roe deer meat, which would help to stimulate appetite and reduce greasiness.

The Old Lady had a poor appetite, this method was worth a try.

Lemon leaves boiled in water, besides clearing phlegm, relieving cough and asthma, also had the effect of stimulating appetite and calming the mind.

Nanny Zhang listened carefully, and the Old Lady was also very interested, the three of them chatted happily in the backyard.

But neither of them asked how a country girl like Qin Ruo knew all this, or who her teacher was.

In this world, there were many talented people.

Some people didn’t like to ask about origins, and they didn’t ask either.

The Old Lady’s health was still a little weak, after half an hour, her eyes gradually showed signs of fatigue.

Qin Ruo was very perceptive and offered to leave.

The Old Lady wanted to keep Qin Ruo for lunch at the Xie Mansion, but Qin Ruo declined.

There was plenty of time for that.

“There will be many more opportunities to interact with the Xie Mansion in the future.”

The Old Lady didn’t insist any further, she gave Nanny Zhang a few instructions, then returned to her room to rest under Qiu Yue’s care.

On the other side, Qin Zimu and Zhou Dazhu, who were waiting in the side hall, were already on pins and needles.

Although they were the only two in the side hall, they didn’t dare to move around, they could only talk to each other in hushed tones from time to time.

Even when sitting on the chairs, they only lightly touched the chairs.

As for the few plates of exquisite snacks that the maid brought, they didn’t dare to touch them at all.

Later, they were so thirsty that they finally drank a cup of tea.

When they found that as soon as they finished their tea, a maid would come forward to refill it, they were completely uncomfortable.

Later, even though their throats were dry as smoke, they didn’t dare to drink the tea anymore.

Since they were young, they had never been served by servants.

Not to mention themselves, even Wang Lizheng, the headman of the village, probably didn’t have such good fortune.

When Qin Zimu and Zhou Dazhu saw Qin Ruo come out, they both stood up in surprise, relieved as if they had found a savior.

Nanny Zhang personally escorted Qin Ruo and her group to the gate of the Xie Mansion, and invited Qin Ruo to visit the Xie Mansion whenever she had time.

Qin Ruo smiled and agreed.

As they were leaving, Nanny Zhang handed Qin Ruo a large food box.

She smiled, “The snacks in the mansion are homemade, they’re not worth much, Miss Qin, you can eat them on the road.”

Finally, she took out a few exquisite purses and asked Qin Ruo and her group to take them.

These were all ordered by the Old Lady, and she even extended her kindness to Qin Zimu and Zhou Dazhu, preparing small gifts for them.

“This is a small token of the Old Lady’s affection, Miss Qin, please don’t refuse.”

“Thank you, Nanny Zhang, no, no, no need…”

Looking at the purses in front of them, Qin Zimu and Zhou Dazhu waved their hands repeatedly, hurriedly dodging them.

You don’t get something for nothing, they both understood this principle.

They hadn’t done anything, how could they accept things from others?

“Miss Qin, this is just a small token of the Old Lady’s affection, you’re being too polite.”

Nanny Zhang was helpless, she could only turn her gaze to Qin Ruo and pretend to be angry.

She could see that the two children were led by Qin Ruo.

“Thank the Old Lady for me, then we’ll accept your kindness.”

“Dazhu, Erlang, come over and thank Nanny Zhang.”

Qin Ruo smiled, accepted the food box and the purses that Nanny Zhang gave her, and thanked her generously.

Seeing that Qin Ruo had spoken, Qin Zimu didn’t dare to refuse anymore, he blushed and accepted it.

Remembering how he had seen his teacher and others bow when he was in school, Qin Zimu bowed respectfully to Nanny Zhang.

“Thank you, Nanny Zhang.”

Zhou Dazhu followed Qin Zimu’s example and stepped forward to bow and thank her.

Nanny Zhang looked at the two honest and simple young boys, their somewhat inaccurate bowing movements, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

When they left the Xie Mansion, a carriage with the Xie Mansion’s emblem was already waiting outside.

The driver, sitting on the driver’s seat, was Ren Ping, the steward of the Xie Mansion.