Chapter 297
Chapter 297
“There’s no need to be afraid, Grandmother.”
Old Madam Ji was startled only briefly before recovering. She patted Ji Yan’an’s hand instead.
“Your grandfather and father both loved raising dogs. It’s not as though I’ve never seen one.”
Dogs were extremely useful on the battlefield, so a fondness for raising them had been passed down through generations of the Ji Family.
The Ji Family had kept dogs in the Capital City too, and she had liked them. She had simply never seen any this large.
The others remained frightened, however. The dogs were simply enormous.
Seeing this, Jiang Yunsui told Zuozuo and Youyou to go to the courtyard next door for the time being.
“Grandmother, this is the younger sister I took in.”
Jiang Yunsui trotted to Ji Yan’an’s side. Tilting her little face up at Old Madam Ji, she obediently greeted her.
“Greetings, Old Madam.”
Looking at Jiang Yunsui’s little face, Old Madam Ji had to admit that the child was naturally endearing, especially to elders.
Her features were as exquisite as a porcelain doll’s. She was plump to exactly the right degree, like a soft little rice cake.
“Good, good…”
Old Madam Ji held Jiang Yunsui’s small hand, affection in her eyes.
Second Aunt rolled her eyes from the side, thinking everyone in the Ji Family must be ill.
Why had she never seen them behave so warmly toward their own flesh and blood?
Upon entering the mansion, Old Madam Ji was thoroughly astonished.
It was peach blossom season. The Ji Mansion had always contained Peach Trees, and when Jiang Yunsui ran out of room in her own courtyard, she had transplanted more Peach Trees, pear trees, and other plants here.
Together with the little wildflowers, and thanks to Jiang Yunsui’s presence, the plants in these two neighboring homes grew better than anywhere else in Beizhen City.
Now the peach and pear blossoms were at their peak. The Peach Trees blazed faintly red, the pear blossoms were flawless white, and little wildflowers of every kind lined the paths.
The buildings were neither as refined nor as imposing as those in the south or the Capital City, but the plants lent the grounds a wealth of natural charm.
“I remember your grandfather lived here back then too. It certainly wasn’t this beautiful.”
“I had no time to tend a garden, and there were no fine flowers to speak of in this region. I never imagined this place would look completely different from the desolation I remember.”
Ji Yan’an’s grandfather had been a rough military man who knew nothing about tending flowers and plants. In his opinion, instead of growing useless things that were merely pretty, they might as well plant vegetables and grain they could eat.
As the daughter of a military commander, Old Madam Ji had also preferred wielding blades and spears. She had reluctantly learned a little of the music, chess, calligraphy, and painting expected of noble ladies in the Capital City, but she too knew nothing about gardening.
In fact, anything she planted tended to die.
Thus, when the couple lived here in the past, their conditions had been as crude as one could imagine.
Ji Yan’an said, “Yunsui planted all of these.”
“The courtyard next door is hers. She planted grapes there too. I remember you like grapes, Grandmother. Once they ripen, you can go next door and pick some.”
Old Madam Ji was surprised. “Oh? Yunsui planted all of this?”
Such a small child had planted so many things, and they had grown remarkably well.
She understood her grandson’s character. He would never lie to his grandmother merely to elevate Jiang Yunsui.
Second Aunt seemed about to say something, but Eldest Aunt, who knew her temperament, quickly tugged her back.
She warned in a low voice, “Don’t upset Mother and Yan’an at a time like this!”
The woman truly was too foolish to read the room.
When they finally reached the sitting room, Nanny Zhou, Uncle Li, and the other longtime servants greeted Old Madam Ji with tears in their eyes.
After her long carriage journey, Ji Yan’an could see that his grandmother was tired, so he urged her to sleep.
Rooms were arranged for the other women as well.
Before retiring, Old Madam Ji gave the string of prayer beads from her wrist to Jiang Yunsui.
Even Ji Yan’an was surprised. Old Madam Ji had worn those beads for many years, and they were said to have been blessed by a great master. Yet now she had given them to Jiang Yunsui.
“Thank you, Old Madam.”
Jiang Yunsui thanked her in a crisp voice, then wound the beads around her wrist. Their vivid jade-green color made her skin appear even fairer.
“This is for you, Old Madam. It’ll help you sleep better. Ji Yan’an used to take these whenever he couldn’t sleep.”
They were medicinal pills made from Sleepy Mushrooms.
At that, a light flashed through Old Madam Ji’s eyes.
“Yan’an, your poison…”
She knew his condition. Sleeplessness had been one of the symptoms of the poison.
Ji Yan’an nodded. “Grandmother, I’m fine now. In fact, I owe that largely to her.”
He stroked Jiang Yunsui’s head.
“Without her, I fear the poison truly could never have been removed.”
Upon hearing that he had been cured, Old Madam Ji finally let go of her last worry and nearly burst into tears.
“That’s good. That’s wonderful.”
Although she still did not know exactly what part Jiang Yunsui had played, this revelation made her gaze toward the child exceptionally gentle.
“Thank you, Little Yunsui.”
Jiang Yunsui shook her head. “Ji Yan’an has helped me lots too.”
Jiang Yunsui and Ji Yan’an accompanied the old woman to the entrance of her room. Nanny Zhou and another nanny assigned to serve Old Madam Ji then took her inside to rest.
“Ji Yan’an, the Old Madam likes me!”
The moment she was gone, Jiang Yunsui raised the prayer beads and skipped happily after Ji Yan’an.
Ji Yan’an smiled. “Feel better now?”
Jiang Yunsui nodded, her eyes curving into crescents. “Mm-hmm! I’m not worried anymore. I’m going to find Fat Chef and make something tasty for the Old Madam.”
The Old Madam had given her prayer beads, so she wanted to give her a present in return.
Elsewhere, Old Madam Ji took out the medicine bottle Jiang Yunsui had given her.
Nanny Li asked, “Old Madam, should we have this medicine examined first?”
It was a habit among the nobility. Anything from outside, especially something meant to be swallowed, was first given to a trusted doctor for examination. Only after confirming it was safe would they dare take it.
Old Madam Ji waved a hand.
“There’s no need. Yan’an trusts her, and if he could take this to sleep even in his condition, the pills must be remarkably effective.”
Nanny Zhou, standing on her other side, said, “Old Madam, there truly is nothing wrong with these pills.”
“They were made by the miracle doctor serving the Young Master, although the ingredients have to come from Little Yunsui because only she possesses them. That miracle doctor is the same man who removed the Young Master’s poison.”
After hearing this, Old Madam Ji had no reason left to worry.
She swallowed a pill without hesitation.
Then she began talking with Nanny Li and Nanny Zhou. In the middle of their conversation, she quickly fell asleep.
The two women settled her comfortably, exchanged a glance, and withdrew from the room.
Meanwhile, after discussing the food preparations with Fat Chef, Jiang Yunsui ran off to gather peach blossoms.
She was going to make peach blossom wine!
The Peach Trees here and those on the estate had all mutated slightly under her influence.
Fortunately, the changes were beneficial.
Their blossoms were larger and redder than those of ordinary Peach Trees.
They also bloomed in tremendous numbers, providing Jiang Yunsui with more than enough flowers to make a great deal of peach blossom wine.
She could not drink much herself, but the wine’s color was so beautiful that Little Mushroom genuinely adored it.
Of course, the most important thing was that it could earn silver!
Ji Yan’an gave her half the profits from the wine alone. She needed only brew it and did not have to manage anything else.
And Little Mushroom certainly would not complain about the silver and gold in her little treasury piling higher and higher~