Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 115 Drought

Unfortunately, the Lady of the Marquis is not very clever. She obviously did not take the advice of the Marquis and Lady Yun to heart. Recently, she has been hoping to attend several banquets for noble ladies, and she is acting as if she wants to find a husband for her eldest daughter.

It was past noon, and the second young lady was copying scriptures for the old lady. After about half an hour, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

The window with its diamond-shaped latticework was half-open, and the sweltering heat outside seemed almost tangible, with waves of heat washing over it. Mengzhu moved a tall table with an ice basin a short distance from the desk and slowly fanned herself with a round fan. "Miss, don't you also find it strange that this summer seems hotter than usual?"

Ruizhu peeked in, carrying a lacquered tray, and only dared to present it to the Second Miss after seeing Huayan nod. "That's right. I thought the North would be cooler, but I didn't expect it to be even more unbearable than our Lin'an."

This year is indeed unusual. Green Willow brought news from the embroidery shop in Jinan that the brokerage firm has been bustling lately. Zhou Ya Po and others don't even need to go out, as many families are bringing their children to the brokerage. Green Willow herself was sold because of a flood, so she is very sensitive to this, especially since the drought in the north is already very serious.

"Miss, this is milk tea that Steward An and Donggua made, inspired by the new cook from the north. They chilled it in well water for half an hour, so it's refreshingly cool to drink now."

I started thinking about this milk tea a few days ago. I tried making it countless times over several days, but I could never get rid of the goaty smell. Later, I tried using the method I used to make tea crisps, but I changed the brick tea to jasmine tea and it worked. I also tried green tea and oolong tea for comparison, and repeatedly adjusted the proportions. Finally, I removed the salt and added sugar, and the taste was settled.

Donggua also heeded Huayan's reminder and only dared to present it to his masters after it had been examined by the Zhen family physician.

After so many visits, the second young lady had grown accustomed to the whimsical ideas of the small kitchen. Gazing at the small bowl of milk tea steaming in front of her, she felt her mouth water. Gently stirring it with a small spoon, she was surprised to see several round little balls floating up and down at the bottom of the bowl.

Hua Yan explained with a smile, "These are miniature glutinous rice balls (ancient tangyuan). They are made by mixing glutinous rice flour with hot water to make brown sugar syrup, kneading it into small balls, cooking them, and then putting them in milk tea. You can both drink and eat them, which is quite interesting."

After tasting it, the second young lady's depression vanished, and she felt only joy in body and mind.

He waved his hand and said, "Reward."

"Mengzhu, take the two bolts of fabric that Manager Qi sent and reward Steward An. Pick out a few pairs of the latest beaded flowers from Yongbaolou for Donggua. The monthly allowance for the people in the small kitchen will be doubled this month. Tell Aunt Mei to use the money from Yunyi Courtyard's private account."

Mengzhu nodded in agreement, handed the fan to Ruizhu, and went to do her errand. Ruizhu beamed with joy. She had been spending a lot of time with Donggua lately. "This servant thanks Miss on behalf of Donggua. Steward An will bring her to kowtow and express her gratitude later."

Steward An was a long-time employee and wouldn't forget the rules. The second young lady didn't mind and instructed Mingyue to have Donggua make more and send some to each courtyard.

"Miss, milk tea is too cold and not suitable for an old lady to drink. However, milk tea can also be made warm, which will make it taste even better," Hua Yan hurriedly reminded her.

Mingyue smiled and accepted the order. She was not one to be restrained, and her heart had already run to the small kitchen. During this time, she had been the first to taste all the snacks and drinks that Donggua was making.

“Miss, warm milk tea is excellent; the old lady will surely enjoy it,” Mingyue said, then bowed and took her leave.

Hua Yan observed the second young lady deep in thought, and after a short while, she heard the second young lady say, "Yesterday, Mother sent a visiting card to the Su family. When we go to visit, we should go to Miss Su's boudoir to meet her. Bringing two pots of milk tea as a gift would be appropriate. What do you think, Hua Yan?"

Su Wanwan and Tang Lin were engaged. Originally, after the Tang family came to the capital, Madam Yun should have visited the Su family's inner residence.

Hua Yan pondered, "This milk tea is made with goat's milk. I wonder if it will suit Miss Su's taste. Why don't we ask Steward An to also make some pastries and dumplings from Lin'an to take with her?"

The masters of the Su family were shrewd and knew that the Tang family had many affairs in the capital. So, they sent someone to deliver a welcome gift and conveyed a message to the old lady and Madam Yun, saying that there was no need to rush to socialize. This was very reasonable and considerate of the Tang family.

The marriage between the Su and Tang families was a step up for the Tang family, so the appropriate gift for their first meeting was not easy to handle.

If the gift is too heavy, it would be inappropriate given the Second Miss's seniority; if it is too light, it would seem as if she doesn't value it. In Hua Yan's opinion, the Second Miss has grown a lot under Madam Yun's guidance over the years, and this time she has considered things very carefully.

Now that the engagement is complete, they should treat each other like family. Sending some of the family's special foods would show genuine affection. As for the gifts that Madam Yun will give to the younger generation of the Su family, the Second Miss need not worry about that; Madam Yun is always very considerate.

Inside the flower hall of Yun Gui Courtyard.

Madam Yun and Mother Wei were checking the gift list.

The marriage process with the Su family has already begun. The betrothal ceremony was held in April, and the betrothal letters were issued. The next steps are the presentation of betrothal gifts and setting the wedding date. However, both families have reached a consensus that the wedding will be held at the end of the year.

Madam Yun estimated that, given the Ninth Prince's actions, there would definitely be changes in the court before September, and things would calm down considerably after another two months. In addition, there were many happy events at the end of the year, so Tang Lin's marriage would not be particularly eye-catching.

This visit to the Su residence was the first meeting since the Tang family arrived in the capital. After checking and finding no problems, Madam Yun suddenly asked, "How is the Zhen family physician's work going?"

Upon hearing this, Wei's mother replied in a low voice, "Zheng Shan has prepared a new identity for Jian Zhi, and he has also smoothed things over to get him registered in advance for the Imperial Medical Academy's assessment at the end of the year. With his abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for him to pass the exam."

"Jian Zhi is currently practicing medicine in Jinzhou in the north, as instructed. Madam, things are alright in Jinnan, but Jinzhou, Fenzhou, and Xingzhou are suffering from a severe drought. News has come that many people have starved to death, and brokerage firms and several merchants from the capital have brought grain to exchange for it..."

"In years of great disaster, there will surely be many people who make a fortune from the people's population. You've been in Lin'an for some time now, so I'm sure that person won't sit idly by and ignore the drought in the north."

In the latter half of the afternoon, a message was sent to Han Jing, instructing the shopkeepers not to do such a thing. The Tang family's businesses in Jinzhou and other places could consider providing relief to disaster victims, but this needed to be done discreetly and not attract too much attention.

Deeply moved, Madam Wei knelt down and said gratefully, "Madam is kind and benevolent. This old servant thanks you on behalf of the disaster victims of Jinzhou." Madam Wei's hometown was in Jinzhou. Her parents had also fled the famine due to drought, and they met Madam Yun's grandfather, who was then only a Vice Minister of Revenue, on their way to escape the famine. Therefore, Madam Wei was also very worried about the drought situation in her hometown of Jinzhou.

Madam Yun personally bent down and helped Wei Mama up, inexplicably feeling that this drought might be a turning point for the Ninth Prince.

At the same time, Hua Yan also sent a letter to Jin Nan, ordering Lv Liu and Ying Chun, who were staying at the Jin Nan Embroidery Shop, to select people from the refugees based on the selection criteria she had previously issued, but this time only women.

In years of great disaster, daughters are often the first to be abandoned on the road to escape famine, like Green Willow. If the drought worsens, cannibalism will inevitably occur, and daughters are usually the first to be sent away as lambs.

At this critical moment, with the Tang family as her backer, Hua Yan also had some ability to help them.