Chapter 269: Thinking Too Much
The moment Wen Yao arrived home, she first delivered the grapes Manager Lu had given her to Old Madam Luo and Old Man Wen.
Upon seeing her, Old Madam Luo immediately asked what Lady Liu had wanted with her. To avoid upsetting the old lady again, Wen Yao had no choice but to tell her that Lady Liu had genuinely just wanted to share a farewell meal with her and pass along a few instructions.
“Is that really all?” Old Madam Luo looked toward Nanny Shi.
Nanny Shi nodded. “Old Mistress, that is indeed all.”
Old Madam Luo remained half-skeptical, but since both Wen Yao and Nanny Shi said so, she couldn’t press further. She simply assumed Lady Liu had truly wanted to see Wen Yao one last time before leaving.
Seeing that the old lady’s health had improved significantly, Wen Yao finally dared to ask about what had piqued her curiosity earlier.
“Grandma, what exactly did my mother do back then? The moment you brought it up that day, she didn’t dare utter another sound.”
The look in Old Madam Luo’s eyes shifted slightly. When all was said and done, Lady Liu was still the mother of Wen Yao and her brothers. Regardless of what she had done, she was ultimately the children’s mother—it was best to leave her that final shred of dignity.
“It’s nothing. Perhaps she simply felt guilty deep down. After all, I treated her so well back then, yet she still acted that way toward you children,” Old Madam Luo said.
Seeing that her grandmother was reluctant to speak, Wen Yao didn’t press the matter any further. In the original novel, there hadn’t been much detail written about Lady Liu’s life prior to marrying Meng De, so Wen Yao genuinely had no idea what Lady Liu had done or what leverage her grandmother held over her.
Since the old lady was unwilling to share, she wouldn’t probe.
“Grandma, rest well. I’m heading back to write a letter to Li Yi,” Wen Yao said, preparing to leave.
Old Madam Luo called her back: “What are you writing a letter to Li Yi for?”
Wen Yao let out a hehe laugh. “Looking for him for something—a good thing.”
Old Madam Luo gave her a reproachful glare. Only now did she properly look at this granddaughter of hers: eleven years old, turning twelve after the New Year, and significantly taller than before. In the blink of an eye, she had grown into a young lady.
After much hesitation, Old Madam Luo still spoke up: “That Li Yi is imperial nobility, an Heir to a princely manor. He isn’t from the same world as our family. You…” You absolutely must not harbour any inappropriate thoughts.
However, Old Madam Luo ultimately swallowed the second half of that sentence. She was unwilling to belittle her own granddaughter, believing her to be the finest girl in the world, yet the chasm of social status remained stark.
Fearing that saying it out loud might hurt the girl’s feelings, Old Madam Luo found herself at a loss for words for a moment.
Wen Yao, on the other hand, waited candidly for her to finish. “Grandma, what about me?”
“Nothing. Go on ahead. Oh, right—send my and your grandfather’s regards to him and Li Fu,” Old Madam Luo said.
Wen Yao gave a cheerful response and left happily.
Nanny Shi remained behind. Seeing Old Madam Luo let out a deep sigh, Nanny Shi easily guessed the old lady’s worries.
“Old Mistress, are you worried about Miss and the Young Master?”
Old Madam Luo cast a glance at her. Toward this woman who was both a servant and an old friend, Old Madam Luo had nothing to hide, offering a subtle nod.
“I’m just worried about this girl… Sigh.”
Nanny Shi, on the other hand, chuckled and said, “This old servant actually feels that Miss has no such thoughts at all. Miss is simple-minded; whatever she feels is written plainly on her face. Back when Prince Fu and the Young Master were staying at our house, Old Mistress also saw how Miss interacted with the Young Master—it was no different from how she treats her brothers at home.”
“Is that so?” Old Madam Luo thought it over carefully. It really did seem that way, didn’t it? Yao’s mind seemed to be born missing a string when it came to romance.
Well, that was fine too. Being a late bloomer meant she wouldn’t easily suffer heartbreak.
“Look at me—I was just thinking too much.” Once Old Madam Luo understood this, a weight lifted from her shoulders. Having been stuck at home every day during her illness without visiting the workshop for days, she called Nanny Shi to head over to the workshop while her spirits were high.
Upon returning home, after only a moment’s hesitation, Wen Yao picked up her brush to write a letter to Li Yi, asking him about the market conditions in the capital and the likelihood of making a profit if a milk tea shop and a roasted duck shop were opened there.
She didn’t explicitly suggest a partnership right away, choosing to test the waters first. What if he truly looked down on their tiny profits?
Xun Feng trotted off eagerly to help send the carrier pigeon. After releasing it, he returned to ask Wen Yao what they were having for dinner.
Wen Yao thought for a moment. She hadn’t actually gotten to eat with Lady Liu today and had caught the aroma of roasted duck at the restaurant’s entrance for quite some time. Besides, they hadn’t eaten roasted duck in a long while themselves.
“Come on, let’s go ask Second Aunt for a duck.” Wen Yao headed outside, with Xun Feng trotting right behind her.
The two strolled leisurely all the way to the duck sheds. Nowadays, the duck sheds and fish ponds were managed by the second and third branches. Lady Li and Lady Cai worked with ever-increasing dedication, and neither held back from spending money to hire extra hands—after all, if people worked themselves to exhaustion, earning more money would be useless.
Thus, seven or eight aunts from the village had been hired to tend to the duck sheds, so things were no longer as chaotic as before.
Neither Lady Li nor Lady Cai put on the airs of business owners, actively working alongside the workers. Catching sight of Wen Yao and Xun Feng, Lady Li paused her work and walked out of the duck shed to greet them.
“Yao Yao, why are you here? The duck sheds are dirty, so don’t come over here. Tell Second Aunt whatever you need. Do you want to eat duck? Second Aunt will catch one for you.” Lady Li babbled.
Before Wen Yao could even open her mouth, Lady Li rambled on, making Wen Yao giggle continuously. “Second Aunt, do I have words written on my face? How do you know what I want to do?”
“Pfft.” Lady Li laughed, looking at her warmly. “Even if you had words on your face, Second Aunt wouldn’t be able to read them! You wait here, Second Aunt will catch a few plump ones for you. How do you plan to cook them? Roast or stew?”
“Roast,” Wen Yao answered.
“Alright, wait here. I’ll catch a few for you.” Lady Li turned to walk back, and Wen Yao shouted from behind, “Second Aunt, just one is enough!”
Without turning her head, Lady Li waved her hand dismissively. By the time she returned, she had bound four ducks, each one plump and meaty.
“Is this enough? If not, Second Aunt can catch more.” Lady Li set the ducks on the ground. The ducks flapped and squawked furiously, kicking up a cloud of dust from the dirt.
“…” The corner of Wen Yao’s mouth twitched. “Second Aunt, I don’t need this many.”
Lady Li waved her hand dismissively. “Look at you, child. Just roast them all! Second Aunt will come by your house later to get some, so your grandparents can have an extra dish for dinner tonight.”
Ever since the new house at the old compound was built and they lived separately once more, Old Madam Luo had forbidden the two households from eating together every day. The old compound ate their own meals, while Wen Yao’s household ate theirs.
Since Lady Li had put it that way, Wen Yao naturally wouldn’t refuse, letting Xun Feng haul the four ducks as they prepared to head home.
“Oh, right! We collected quite a few duck eggs today. Second Aunt will grab a few more for you.” Lady Li turned to head back again as she spoke.
However, Lady Li’s words sparked a sudden bolt of inspiration in Wen Yao’s mind—duck eggs.
She had forgotten her eggs!
Oh no, oh no!
“Oh shoot! Second Aunt, don’t fetch any! I’m heading back first!” With that, Wen Yao called to Xun Feng and sprinted back. Passing by the villagers’ vegetable plots, even when they offered her vegetables, Wen Yao declined.
Together with Xun Feng carrying the four ducks, she sprinted straight for the workshop.
