Lu Qianqian smiled.
“It’s still selling whether I sell to outsiders or to family. Selling to our own people is obviously the better choice.”
As for her third sister-in-law, Chen Xin, Lu Qianqian had some understanding of her from the original owner’s memories.
Among everyone in the Lu family, the original Lu Qianqian had always been unusually polite to Chen Xin. It wasn’t because she truly respected her—it was because she wanted to cling to someone powerful.
The original owner hadn’t realized it, but no matter how much she tried to curry favor, Chen Xin had never really thought highly of her.
“Zhengguo, return the ladder to the village chief and see if you can borrow an ox cart afterward,” Old Master Lu instructed.
“Alright.”
Lu Zhengguo stood up and prepared to leave.
“Big Brother, take some fruit with you when you go.”
Lu Qianqian stopped him.
She knew that unless she said something, nobody in the family would dare touch the mangoes or guavas.
“Uh…”
Lu Zhengguo looked surprised and instinctively turned toward his father for guidance.
Old Master Lu was also somewhat surprised.
However, hearing his daughter say such a thing made him feel that she was finally beginning to understand how people and relationships worked.
“Since Qianqian says so, take some with you.”
With his father’s approval, Lu Zhengguo headed to the cellar before leaving.
Even then, he only dared take one mango and two guavas in a basket.
These were precious items, after all.
By the time Lu Zhengguo returned with the ox cart, Old Madam Lu and the others had already prepared lunch.
The meal consisted of:
Looking at the food, Lu Qianqian felt her throat tighten.
She really didn’t want to eat it.
But everyone else ate the same things, and she couldn’t suddenly change everything overnight.
Fortunately, once they sold the fruit, they could buy better food.
The entire family quietly ate lunch, each person occupied with their own thoughts.
“The fact that Qianqian can produce things like this is because my daughter is capable.”
Old Madam Lu looked around the table.
“And let me make something clear. The fact that she’s willing to share these valuable fruits with you is because she treats you as family.”
Her gaze sharpened.
“Don’t say I’m always favoring her.”
She didn’t need to think very hard to know that some people were already starting to have ideas of their own.
“With Qianqian’s abilities, she’ll definitely have access to even more things in the future. If I find out that anyone dares to spread a single word outside this family, don’t blame me if I break your legs.”
Now that her daughter had finally become successful, Old Madam Lu felt more confident than ever.
For years, certain daughters-in-law had complained in private, whispering into their husbands’ ears and trying to create resentment toward her daughter.
She knew all about it.
She simply hadn’t bothered responding.
No one at the table spoke.
Everyone lowered their heads and quietly listened to the old woman’s lecture while eating.
After lunch, Old Master Lu urged everyone to leave.
The sooner they handled their business, the sooner everyone could relax.
The mangoes and guavas were loaded onto the ox cart.
Lu Qianqian kept twelve mangoes and forty-two guavas for herself.
Everything else was sold to Chen Xin.
Of course, she had only agreed because the price was acceptable.
Being family didn’t mean she was willing to sell them at a loss.
It was Lu Qianqian’s first time riding in an ox cart.
At first, it seemed fine.
But the uneven road was full of potholes and bumps.
The cart jolted constantly.
By the time they had traveled for a while, her backside was sore from being bounced around.
Immediately, she added another item to her list of future goals:
Buy a proper carriage.
Otherwise, all this traveling would be unbearable.
“Little Sister, there were some things I couldn’t discuss at home, so I’d like to talk about them now.”
Chen Xin had deliberately avoided discussing the fruit prices in front of the family.
There were several reasons.
First, there were too many people around.
Second, each branch of the family had its own interests and concerns.
Most importantly, while Chen Xin had no intention of taking advantage of the Lu family, she also knew that some people would become jealous if they heard the numbers.
That was why she waited until they were on the road.
“Go ahead, Third Sister-in-law.”
Lu Qianqian nodded.
Chen Xin found herself surprised.
This little sister-in-law seemed different.
The greedy gaze and flattering attitude she used to have were gone.
Talking with her now felt comfortable.
For the first time, Chen Xin didn’t find her annoying.
“I certainly won’t let our family suffer a loss.”
Chen Xin spoke frankly.
“In the capital, fresh fruit usually sells for between one hundred and two hundred copper coins per jin.”
(A jin is roughly half a kilogram or a little over one pound.)
“But your fruit tastes much better than ordinary fruit. So I’ll pay two hundred copper coins per jin. How does that sound?”
She had considered the price carefully.
First, she wanted to build a good relationship with Lu Qianqian.
Second, she was now a member of the Lu family.
Third, these fruits were genuinely excellent quality.
“That works for me.”
Lu Qianqian honestly had no idea what fruit prices were like in this world.
However, considering Chen Xin’s family background, the offer was probably fair.
Even if it wasn’t, she could treat it as a lesson and learn from the experience.
If the price truly was reasonable, then she could continue cooperating with the Chen family in the future.
After that, the ox cart became quiet.
Chen Xin and Lu Qianqian still weren’t particularly close.
There wasn’t much for them to talk about.
As for Lu Zhengjun and Lu Zhenghui, neither of them was likely to start chatting casually with their younger sister.
Thus, the cart continued rolling forward in silence.
Just as Lu Qianqian was about to fall asleep, the city finally came into view.
As expected of a prefectural city located near the imperial capital, Tianyuan Prefecture was bustling and prosperous.
Crowds moved through the streets.
Merchant caravans came and went.
After entering the city, Lu Qianqian finally saw authentic ancient architecture for the first time.
Everywhere she looked, there were blue-brick buildings with red-tiled roofs.
The roads were paved with stone slabs.
The main streets were over two meters wide and looked impressive and orderly.
She hadn’t expected civilization in this era to be so developed.
Or perhaps it was simply because the city was close to the capital.
Either way, there was little sign of poverty or decay.
Tianyuan Prefecture was divided into four districts:
The center of official institutions and organizations.
This included:
The commercial district.
Markets, shops, and businesses operated here.
The wealthy district.
Rich and influential families lived there.
The ordinary residential area.
Most common citizens lived in this section of the city.
Lu Zhengjun drove the ox cart directly toward the East District.
The certification examination for Florists was conducted at the Plant Association.
“Little Sister, Zhenghui and I will accompany you inside. Second Brother can stay here and watch the cart.”
Chen Xin spoke confidently.
She was quite familiar with the Plant Association.
Before getting married, she often visited whenever she had free time.
The Plant Association didn’t only certify Florists.
After all, there were only a little over a thousand Florists in the entire Great Xia Kingdom.
It wasn’t as if people came every day to register.
Naturally, the association needed other sources of income.
Besides certification, monthly stipends, and annual reviews for Florists, the association also purchased all kinds of plants.
Those plants were then displayed inside the association.
Anyone could view them.
If someone liked a particular plant and could afford the price, they were free to buy it.
Money was the only requirement.
“I’ve got no problem with that.”
Lu Zhengjun readily agreed.
Watching an ox cart wasn’t difficult.
Besides, with so much fruit loaded onto it, leaving it unattended would be a bad idea.