Fast food was actually quite appealing, suitable for the common folk, but just not fitting for the masters of a wealthy family when traveling; it was more appropriate for their followers.
Tang Shunyan saw some people on the street, simply buying some buns to quell their hunger. They were indulging in extravagance, presenting a stark contrast.
Buns worth a few copper coins versus meals costing several taels, their single meal could cost as much as what another family might spend in a whole year.
Tang Shunyan heard that in the countryside, the houses people built, let alone those thatched houses which were worthless, several taels could hardly build a few rooms of blue brick and tile.
However, he did not dwell on it, perhaps after this meal, Meng Zhaojun would travel far away and they might never eat together again.
How could Tang Shunyan have thought that this girl had already imagined the day he could go to study at the academy in Golden City and would later come back to find him?
Ye Shiqi rarely went out in the cold winter. A charcoal basin was placed in the room as the weather grew colder and colder, she always felt chilly.
The clothes prepared for her by her family were a bit thick, and it was not too cold in the room.
As the Spring Festival approached, the weather had reached four or five degrees, of course, it was not like in the North with snow and subzero temperatures.
On this chilly day, Ye Shiqi also traveled to the estate, primarily to check on the medicinal herb Bull Power that was being cultivated.
This herb was suitable for dry land and better cultivated in the Southern regions, and its functions were such that it could be used in soups.
Ye Shiqi’s visit to the estate to check on the herbs was prompted by her mother, who said that her young uncle and mother had noticed the new herbs losing their leaves in the freezing weather.
Mrs. Li went to the estate less during winter, and if there was anything, the junior housekeeper would tell her.
She could also have the staff who went to pick vegetables from the estate every morning convey messages to her.
At home, Mrs. Li stayed busy during winter, needing to make socks, purses for the New Year, and handkerchiefs for children and adults alike.
Some items could also be bought, like ready-made clothes, and home workers could help make only small things.
What was made in abundance were purses, needed for distributing red packets during the New Year.
Ye Shiqi, tightly covered in a beefed-up ox cart designed for the winter, had a blanket placed for her, but the wind blowing in still felt piercingly cold.
This trip to the estate was not made by her alone; besides the ox cart driver, her four elder sisters were also with her.
As Spring Festival neared, Mr. Chen had already given them a holiday, and Mr. Mo had taken an early leave.
When the teachers went on leave, the Ye family would give them New Year gifts.
Mr. Chen received gifts including cured meat, duck, chicken, and eggs, brimming with joy, he carried his load of gifts home for the New Year.
Mr. Mo would receive the same gifts, although he visited less frequently in winter, as he needed to spend time with his pregnant wife.
Mrs. Mo was visibly pregnant by then but her morning sickness was no longer severe. Eating and drinking well, in a good environment, she reduced her teaching hours, her complexion glowed, and she spent her free time making things for the baby, with maids to help her.
She eagerly awaited the arrival of new life.
Ye Shiqi and her four elder sisters together, when they arrived at the estate, saw that even in winter, the estate was lush and green.
The fields that had previously yielded rice were now planted with vegetables. After one or two months, they were harvesting, particularly some cabbage, large radishes, and red radishes among many vegetables right before the New Year.
When Ye Shiqi got off the carriage, she curiously looked at the neighboring estate, only to see that they too were growing vegetables, though certainly not as diverse as their estate’s produce.
Ye Shiqi had heard just the day before, her mother and father casually mentioning that the neighboring estate was for sale, a piece of news that came from her young uncle, initially relayed by the estate’s owner.
The price for the neighboring estate wasn’t very high, just a bit more than what they had previously paid for the land and the mountain, merely because they had built houses on the estate.
Including the cost of the buildings, the Meng family released the news, naturally hoping someone would buy the estate as soon as possible since they were eager to return to the capital with the money.
If it couldn’t be sold quickly, they would have to resort to having someone sell it on their behalf.
Housekeeper Meng, who found the intermediary, first approached the young uncle, not to ask him to buy the estate, but merely to help spread the word.
Certainly, their estate had also been put on the market in the county, but for a moment, people considering the high asking price showed no interest in buying.
There were those who sent people to view their estate; the buildings were fine, but no matter how one looked at it, the high-priced land didn’t seem worth it since their crops were not very productive.
The mountain they had bought had not yet been developed. There was no knowing whether the invested money would see any return, and businessmen did not want their money to go to waste.
If one were to buy land for farming, why would they purchase such non-premier, yet expensive, land?