Chaрtеr 22: Тhе Сhili Pepреrs Ripen
Wоuld she be willing tо mаrrу Реi Zhаo?
Сhаng Lin wаs dumbfоunded.
Why wоuld the Third Mastеr аsk him such а quеstiоn? Соuld it be thаt hе hаd suffered а sеtbaсk with Miss Xi and wаnted tо make up fоr it through him?
Вut if he wеrе a womаn, he would alsо саrе deeрlу аbоut marital hаrmonу. The Тhird Mastеr was indeеd of noble stаtus аnd hаndsomе in аppeаranсе, but if that pаrt wasn’t functiоnal, it still wоuldn’t bе а goоd match.
Сhang Lin pоndеrеd this seriously, completelу unаware that Pеi Zhаo’s facе hаd darkened like charcoal.
“Deduct half a month’s wages.”
“Third Master…”
Chang Lin was on the verge of tears. He hadn’t said or done anything, so why was the Third Master docking his wages? He still needed to save up to marry a wife!
Pei Zhao remained cold and unmoved, directly closing the door and shooing him out.
For the first time, the ever-proud and noble Third Master of the Pei family felt a lack of confidence.
Were all those women who had wanted to marry him in the past just pretending? Otherwise, why would both Xi Ning and Chang Lin look down on him?
Pei Zhao frowned, encountering the first real dilemma of his life.
……
Because of Princess Chang Le’s disturbance, Xi’s Shop’s business had also been affected.
Especially those who had sided with Princess Chang Le and slandered Xi Ning were afraid of incurring Pei Zhao’s wrath and dared not return.
Nanny Su looked at the empty shop, her face etched with worry, as if a few more wrinkles had appeared.
“Miss, what should we do? If no one comes, our business won’t survive.”
Aside from a few regular customers, hardly anyone dared to step inside.
Compared to Nanny Su’s anxiety, Xi Ning remained calm.
She flipped through the account book. Over the past two months, Xi’s Shop had earned thirty taels of silver. After deducting costs, the net profit was around twenty taels.
No wonder they said the food industry was highly profitable. With recipes far surpassing those of this era, she had no worries about making money.
As long as she continued to offer novel and delicious foods, the lost customers would eventually return.
Moreover, Xi Ning now had more important matters to attend to.
The vegetables she had planted had ripened.
Nanny Su and Rendong had already tasted spinach and lettuce, but they had never tried tomatoes or chili peppers.
No, it wasn’t just that they hadn’t tried them—they had never even seen them before.
In the vegetable patch in the courtyard, the branches of the tomato and chili pepper plants were laden with green and red fruits.
Xi Ning’s seeds had been specially improved. Without fertilizers or pesticides, each fruit grew plump and vibrant.
Rendong watched as her mistress picked a few, washed them in well water, and handed them over.
“Try them.”
Xi Ning took a bite first. The tomato was fleshy and juicy, with a sweet and tangy flavor that accidentally dripped onto her hand.
She squinted her eyes, savoring the taste as if it were a heavenly delicacy.
Seeing her like this, Rendong couldn’t resist her craving and quickly took one, putting it in her mouth.
“Mmm! So delicious, even better than the fruits Third Master sent over before.”
She took a big bite and was instantly won over by the tomato’s texture.
The best fruits Rendong had ever tasted were the loquats and cherries Pei Zhao had sent over with Chang Lin last time, but these tomatoes were even better than those.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something and hesitated, unsure whether to swallow the tomato or not.
“Miss, I didn’t… I didn’t mean to bring up Third Master on purpose…”
Last time, when Pei Zhao had stood up for Xi Ning, she and Nanny Su had thought he had fallen for their mistress and would take her into his household.
But who would have thought the two of them would fall out?
Xi Ning had told them that Pei Zhao wouldn’t be coming again. They didn’t know what had happened, but they knew their mistress had been sad for many days.Finally, the tomatoes and chili peppers had ripened, and Miss Xi’s mood had lightened a bit. But then Rendong couldn’t help but foolishly bring up Pei Zhao again.
Rendong wore a pained expression, wishing she could slap herself.
Seeing her trembling and fearful appearance, Xi Ning found it amusing. It seemed her sulking over the past few days had frightened them.
“It’s fine. He’s not some ferocious beast—what’s wrong with mentioning him a couple of times?”
Xi Ning took a resentful bite of the tomato, clearly imagining it was Pei Zhao.
With no hope of obtaining her deed of sale, she feared she would remain a servant or an unofficial concubine for the rest of her life. She had cursed Pei Zhao for days, and now she finally felt a little better.
Still, life had to go on. Even without the deed, she needed to save more silver for herself.
Xi Ning instructed Rendong and Nanny Su to pick all the ripe tomatoes and chili peppers—she was planning to introduce new dishes.
Besides those in the courtyard, the vegetables and crops planted on the estate had also matured.
When she bought the estate, it was already March, too late to plant wheat, and there wasn’t much extra land available anyway.
But even if she couldn’t plant wheat, she could still grow corn and vegetables.
Corn was a crop that could yield two harvests a year—it could be planted in spring or after the wheat harvest. Moreover, corn was high-yielding, serving both as a staple food and providing stalks to feed livestock. In times of famine, it could be life-saving.
She left plenty of seeds with Old Man Liu, instructing him to plant more on the estate.
Besides corn, she also had Old Man Liu plant sweet potatoes and potatoes—crops that didn’t exist in the Zhou Dynasty. Old Man Liu didn’t know where his mistress had obtained the seeds, but he wisely refrained from asking.
These noble folk all had their own secrets. Miss Xi had kindly bought them all, and their duty was to remain loyal to her.
By the end of June, the estate had delivered ripe corn and chili peppers, and Xi Ning had finalized her new dishes.
…
Eastern Palace.
Crown Prince Zhou Yi summoned his trusted aides to the main hall. Pei Zhao and Shen Ji stood together, with Shen Ji leaning close to Pei Zhao, using his wide sleeve to cover his face as he whispered.
“Third Brother, why has the Crown Prince called us here? Has the Eighth Prince caused trouble again?”
These days, Shen Ji had been focused solely on eating, drinking, and having fun, paying no attention to court affairs. He was, after all, a playboy. If not for his father aligning with the Crown Prince and the Shen family lacking anyone else to support the heir apparent, he wouldn’t have been thrust into such matters.
Shen Ji had no patience for these affairs and usually relied on Pei Zhao for explanations.
Pei Zhao had some idea of what was going on, but with many people in the hall, even their whispers could be overheard.
Pei Zhao’s expression darkened as he pushed Shen Ji aside to stand properly.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“…Alright then.”
Shen Ji looked resigned as he straightened his robes and returned to his designated spot.
The Crown Prince soon emerged.
He was slightly older than the Eighth Prince, with a scholarly yet regal appearance.
Seeing that his trusted aides had all gathered, he smiled warmly and said, “My esteemed ministers, please be seated. I have called you here today to discuss the floods in the south.”
“Floods in the south?”
As soon as the Crown Prince spoke, a small commotion broke out in the hall.
Some were well-informed, while others, like Shen Ji, were only learning of it now.
In recent years, natural and man-made disasters had plagued the Zhou Dynasty, making life difficult for the people. Now, with floods in the south, the ministers dared not imagine the consequences.
If the floods were severe and the people displaced, the empire might descend into chaos.
“My esteemed ministers, do you have any solutions?”
The Crown Prince was wholeheartedly devoted to the people. Though he contended with the Eighth Prince for the throne, he was clearly a benevolent ruler who cared deeply for his subjects.