Chapter 789: Chapter 789: Busy as a Little Bee
A total of four thousand mooncakes had been made, of which Fan Linong claimed four hundred and ninety-eight. Qiao Xiaomai unfolded clean parchment paper and let Fan Linong wrap them himself, as she was too busy to do it.
Seeing this, other guards came over to help.
As they worked, they thought of their families and couldn’t help but start making purchases of their own.
These men from the Royal Guard received a salary of four taels of silver each month, making them among the wealthiest soldiers in Daqi.
Pastries costing just two pennies were certainly affordable for them, and they bought anything they could have sent home.
And they were starting from one hundred pieces each. Any less than that wouldn’t be worth the trouble of having it delivered from such a distance. Although all of them were from Changyi Prefecture, some lived far away.
As a result, the four thousand mooncakes were completely bought up by the Royal Guard. And this was just from these two groups; a third group on patrol was expected to make purchases too when they returned.
This would probably delay the promise to deliver mooncakes to the residents of Anping Village.
Zhu Cuiying stood to the side, watching as Qiao Xiaomai filled her money basket to overflowing with just a few words. Her envy thickened.
Indeed, calling Qiao Xiaomai the God of Wealth was no exaggeration.
Finally, Qiao Xiaomai had time to acknowledge Zhu Cuiying. Learning the purpose of her visit, Qiao Xiaomai nodded and said, “Don’t worry, Dazhu brother and I will be there on your wedding day.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cuiying’s smile could hardly contain her joy.
A god of wealth and a scholar. What high status!
“Take these things back home,” said Qiao Xiaomai, placing thirty mooncakes into Zhu Cuiying’s basket.
Zhu Cuiying’s family consisted of five people, so normally they would have gotten twenty. But considering the relationship with Dazhu, a few extra were given.
In addition, there were ten jin of dried sweet potatoes and ten jin of pork. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
When Zhu Cuiying saw that Qiao Xiaomai had given her half more of everything, her smile almost reached her ears, “Hey Xiaomai, you guys are so busy. How about I stay and give you a hand?”
Earlier, she had tasted a mooncake which was indeed incredibly delicious.
She hadn’t thought about stealing the recipe or anything. Qiao Xiaomai was generous, and even if she just did some chores, Qiao Xiaomai would definitely give her more.
Despite her hopeful thoughts, Qiao Xiaomai refused, “No, it’s alright, we can handle it. It’s a long way home for you, so you should go back.”
The road home was more than ten miles long, and with a basket weighing tens of jin, by the time Zhu Cuiying arrived home, it would likely be evening.
Now that it was approaching late autumn, the days were getting shorter, and the sun set earlier. Qiao Xiaomai didn’t want to have to escort Zhu Cuiying home after dark.
Zhu Cuiying heaved a sigh of disappointment.
Still, she thought about the upcoming wedding and felt relieved.
Well, well, it was time to focus on Dazhu’s wedding!
Zhu Cuiying, carrying a large basket, set off homewards in high spirits.
Along the way, she met villagers also heading towards the manor. She praised Qiao Xiaomai profusely, igniting anticipation among the villagers listening.
As a result, Qiao Xiaomai spent the entire afternoon as busy as a bee, without a moment’s rest. The mooncakes they had prepared over two days were all bought by the Royal Guards, so when other villagers arrived, she could only ask them to wait.
However, mooncakes fresh out of the oven had an even better taste, and the villagers were willing to wait for a while.
She continued working until late at night, too exhausted even to bathe.
Tong Sanlang had heated bath water in the small courtyard’s kitchen, holding Qiao Xiaomai as she bathed.
In the evening, the chief cook of Jiwei House had returned to town to recruit more people. They were too busy there, and they would need to work in two shifts, around the clock, with no rest.
Under these circumstances, after Tong Sanlang had helped Qiao Xiaomai bathe, he carried her back to their quarters next to the warehouse to sleep.