Pastoral Splendor

The streets of the capital were bustling with people, and carriages occasionally rumbled by, their drivers constantly shouting, "Make way! Make way!"

Yudao Street was the most bustling street in the capital, home to many high-ranking officials and nobles. A row of shops lined the street entrance, each packed with people, business booming. Yan Ying, sitting on her cart, looked at the densely packed shops and couldn't help but sigh. If her Baixiang Garden could have this many customers, she'd be rolling in money.

The driver stopped the carriage and looked back at Yan Ying: "Master, this is the most prosperous area in the capital."

Yan Ying nodded, jumped out of the car, set up the advertising board on the car, and then threw a few pieces of charcoal into the small red clay stove: "Light it."

People walking on the street couldn't help but be curious about Yan Ying's actions, and they all stopped to look at the two carts. Yan Ying was not shy at all, but poised and generous, and instructed Xiu Wen and Xiu Zhu who were with her: "Set up the cutting board and take out the prepared roast duck."

The knife moved swiftly, turning the golden-brown roast duck into thin slices. Yan Ying arranged the duck slices on a plate in the shape of a flower, garnishing the rim with a few peach blossoms. Then she placed the plate on the iron rack of the small stove and loudly proclaimed, "Everyone, come and try this peach blossom roast duck! Bai Xiang Yuan's peach blossom roast duck is so delicious, I guarantee you'll want more after you try it!"

Yan Ying's voice was loud, attracting the attention of passersby. Many people stopped to look at her stall, pointing at the signboard and saying, "Bai Xiang Yuan? I've never heard of it before?"

"Bai Xiang Yuan has branches all over the Great Zhou Dynasty, but we only came to the capital this year. We hope that all the folks in the capital will do us the honor of visiting!" Even though there is only one branch of Bai Xiang Yuan in Yuzhou City at the moment, Yan Ying is not embarrassed at all. She generously packages Bai Xiang Yuan as a "well-known" brand: "You will know once you try it!"

The roast duck was already steaming slightly. Yan Ying asked Xiu Wen and Xiu Zhu to move the plate aside and put slices of roast duck meat on it with bamboo skewers: "Everyone, try it! There are five different seasonings, so there's all kinds of flavors. Try it, try it!"

The people of Da Zhou had never seen anyone selling things on the street like this before. An old woman dressed in silk stood in front of the stall and asked with a smile, "Really, it's free? I can try as many as I want?"

Yan Ying nodded: "Auntie, of course it's true, you can try as much as you want, it's free! But you can't try all the roast duck by yourself, you should leave some for others to taste!"

Xiuwen laughed and said, "Auntie, you must be the head housekeeper of Minister Yan's household?"

The old woman asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

"I am a maid in the Prince Yu's mansion. Last time, I went to the banquet at the Yan mansion with the Princess. I saw that the stewards and matrons there all wore clothes of this color and style, so I guessed who you are." Xiuwen said very frankly. Since the Princess sent her to help Miss Xiao, she would do her best to promote the Prince Yu's mansion. She was afraid that someone would be willing to give her face.

"She's actually the personal maid of the Princess Consort of Yu?" The old woman looked at Xiuwen in surprise, puzzled as to why the Princess Consort of Yu's maid was selling roast duck on the street. "Forgive my poor eyesight, I didn't recognize her."

Xiuwen smiled sweetly: "Mom, try this roast duck, I guarantee it will be delicious! Buy a few to take home, it's a novelty, everyone who tries it will say it's good, and the master and madam will definitely reward you handsomely."

The old woman was persuaded by Xiuwen's words, so she stepped forward, picked up a piece of duck meat with a skewer, dipped it in a little spicy sauce, took a bite, and showed a surprised expression: "This roast duck is really good, it's fatty but not greasy, the meat is firm, and it's so fragrant and flavorful!"

Hearing what the old woman said, the people around quickly reached for bamboo skewers to eat the duck meat. After eating, they all said it was delicious. Someone asked, "Young lady, how much is this roast duck?"

"Today's special price is two taels of silver each. After today, it will cost two taels and five mace at the shop." Yan Ying smiled and glanced at the man: "How about it, uncle, would you like to buy one?"

The man touched his purse, thought for a while, and then made a decision: "Give me one, and also pack two kinds of seasonings for me."

Yan Ying deftly pulled a roast duck out of the box, wrapped it in oil paper, and then handed two bundles of seasoning to the man. After taking the money, Yan Ying pointed to the advertising sign: "Uncle, our Bai Xiang Yuan shop is located on Zhuque Street. We also have many fresh and delicious things, such as canned red oil."

Xiuwen quickly took out a delicate white porcelain jar from another box: "Uncle, this is the kind. It's perfect for eating with rice or drinking with wine."

The porcelain jar was exquisitely crafted, its smooth, white exterior flawless, without a single hole. It was decorated with clusters of colorful flowers—pink blossoms, emerald green leaves, and tender yellow stamens—each detail rendered with remarkable realism. The onlookers, gazing at the jar, exclaimed in amazement, "So exquisite!"

"These canned red oil and roast duck are the main products of our Baixiangyuan. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, no other shop besides Baixiangyuan does this business." Yan Ying lifted the lid of the porcelain jar, and instantly a rich aroma spread with the wind, directly into the nostrils of the onlookers.

"Could I have a taste too?" The old woman from Minister Yan's mansion asked Yan Ying with a smile. "If it's good, I'll buy a few jars to take back to our third young lady to eat with her meals. She hasn't had a good appetite lately and doesn't want to eat anything. She looks like she's lost a lot of weight."

Yan Ying nodded, scooped out a little bit with a small spoon and put it in the dish: "Auntie, you can try it."

The old woman took a sip and nodded repeatedly: "Good, good, I'll buy two jars to take home."

Yan Ying breathed a long sigh of relief. It seemed that the on-site advertising had been done well, and finally someone was taking the lead in buying things. She bent down and found two different kinds of porcelain jars: "Auntie, look, there are words on them. This white jar with red flowers says 'Delicious Pickled Bamboo Shoots,' and this yellow jar with red flowers says 'Delicious Mushrooms.'"

The old woman nodded: "I understand. If our young master and young lady like it, I will buy it from your Baixiangyuan again in the future."

Once someone started, the onlookers couldn't help but be tempted. Some people tasted the pickled bamboo shoots in chili oil and quickly shouted, "I want a jar too! It tastes so good!"

After selling on Yudao Street for about two hours, Yan Ying had sold out all thirty roast ducks and thirty jars of red oil. Many people were still standing regretfully beside her cart, constantly asking, "Is what you sell at Baixiangyuan the same as these?"

Yan Ying nodded: "It's the same, and the price is the same too. It's just that today is a special offer. The price will go up when we go to Baixiangyuan tomorrow."

"Let's go, let's go, let's hurry to Zhuque Street to buy some!" Several people shouted, and then disappeared in a flash. Seeing that Yan Ying was about to pack up her stall, the onlookers slowly dispersed.

“Miss Xiao, there must be quite a few people in the capital who know about our Baixiang Garden now.” Xiuwen was very happy and helped Yanying put away the advertising signs. “It’s all thanks to Miss Xiao’s thoughtfulness. She even drew a red bird because she was afraid that they wouldn’t recognize the three characters for Zhuque Street.”

Yan Ying was very proud: "Of course."

Although my feet are a little sore from standing outside for two hours, I still achieved the desired effect. Tomorrow I won't personally go out and will have Xiuwen, Xiuzhu, and the staff go to Jinshui Street to do some promotion. In the next few days, we must visit all the bustling areas of the capital.

After packing up their stall, the group walked back together. Xiuzhu and Xiuwen sat on the cart and whispered to each other, "Is that mother really from Minister Yan's mansion? Have you met her?"

“I really have seen her. I saw her last autumn when I went out with the Princess.” Xiuwen nodded firmly. “Didn’t she herself say that she was the head housekeeper of Minister Yan’s residence?”

Yan Ying sat to the side, listening to their gossip. A familiar feeling stirred within her; the name Minister Yan seemed familiar, as if someone had mentioned it to her before. She tried to recall, but it was vague, and she couldn't quite remember when she had heard the name before. Shaking her head, Yan Ying chuckled. Who cares about a minister? As long as he's willing to spend money on things, that's fine.

Mother Qiu carried two jars of red oil into the main courtyard. There were maids playing shuttlecock in the courtyard. When they saw Mother Qiu coming over, they curiously gathered around: "Mother, you bought two porcelain jars? Oh, they are so exquisite."

"I didn't buy porcelain jars, I bought some good stuff!" Mrs. Qiu walked in excitedly, carrying a can of red oil. "Madam, I went to the market today and bought some good things."

Madam Yan sat there leaning back in her chair, her face full of worry. Hearing what Mama Qiu said, she straightened her posture a little: "What did you buy that makes you so happy, Mama?"

Madam Qiu hurriedly brought the two jars to Madam Yan: "Madam, take a look at this." She lifted the lid of one jar, and a rich aroma wafted out. Madam Yan's eyes widened: "What is this?"

"This is called red oil canned food, it's a great side dish!" Mrs. Qiu said happily, "I noticed that our third young lady hasn't had much of an appetite lately, so I specially went to the market today to find this. It tastes really good, I guarantee our third young lady will be able to eat!"

Madam Yan was overjoyed to hear this: "It's almost lunchtime now, hurry up and call the Third Miss over so she can try the canned red oil you bought."

These days, her most precious daughter has lost her appetite and doesn't eat much. She's getting thinner and thinner, and her face has lost its luster. When asked what's wrong, she just shakes her head and refuses to speak. Madam Yan is getting worried sick.

Chapter 227 Worries

The boudoir curtains hung low, revealing a section of snow-white arm with plump skin beneath the red silk quilt.

"Miss, be careful not to catch a cold." The maid standing by the bed carefully tucked the severed arm back into the blanket: "If you catch a cold, what will happen? You'll have to take medicine every day again."

The person on the bed made a soft sound: "I just feel hot in my heart, and I'm covered in sweat. I want to put my arm out to cool it off." After saying that, the arm stubbornly stretched out again, pressing down on the red silk quilt, looking rather frighteningly white.

The maid standing by the bed sighed and looked at her companions. Both of them looked worried. The Third Miss had been in a daze lately and preferred to stay in bed. When she finally got out of bed to go to the garden to admire the flowers, she was very temperamental and always found fault with them. The maids didn't dare to speak loudly anymore.

Last year, the Third Miss was perfectly fine. How could she have changed so much so quickly after spring? It's really hard to understand. The two women stood by the bed with their hands at their sides, feeling extremely anxious. They hoped that the Third Miss wouldn't catch a cold. If she did, the Madam would surely drag them away and give them a good scolding, and a beating would be inevitable.

"Third Miss, it's time to get up and eat." An old woman came in through the door and called out to the inner room, "Madam said she has something good for the Third Miss to eat."

The two maids breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled up the curtains. They reached out to help Miss Yan out: "Miss, don't keep Madam waiting. Let me help you wash up and get ready so we can go to the main courtyard quickly."

Miss Yan kept a long face and didn't say a word, letting the two maids do her hair and makeup. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw that her face had become much thinner, and her pointed chin looked as if it had been scraped with a knife. She couldn't help but sigh heavily.

Her mother only knew how to buy her delicious food and fun toys, but she didn't know what she truly wanted in her heart. Last year, the young master Jian, who was sent to deliver her coming-of-age gift, had striking features and fell in love with her at first sight. However, her mother was very dismissive. When the topic of young master Jian came up, her mother only hinted at it briefly before frowning and shaking her head: "Yan'er, I've inquired about him. Jian Yifei's family is really too poor. He has no father and only a widowed mother. How can he be worthy of you? Don't mention that name again! I will naturally find a better one for you."