webnovelfull Chapter 592 These are all my treasures
Chapter 592 These are all my treasures
Jiang Shuying lowered her head, twisted her handkerchief, and said nothing.
The young lady in the scarlet skirt put her hands on her hips and sneered:
"But relying on the support of the eldest princess, do you really think you are so important?
The eldest princess is keeping you here, perhaps because she wants you to be her son's bed-warmer!"
Another girl with a fallen horse bun sneered, "You're just a high-flying climber. You just run after the rich and powerful without even considering your own status!"
Before he finished speaking, Lin Zao Zao squeezed in with Song Niantang.
Lin Zao Zao covered her handkerchief with a sigh, her eyes red as she said:
"Sisters, please don't make things difficult for her...Wanwan grew up in the countryside.
A few years ago, her mother eloped with the general, leaving her uncle alone..."
She suddenly covered her mouth and said, "Look at my memory. I shouldn't talk about these family matters!"
Bai Wanwan sneered and said, "What a great way to confuse right and wrong! Lin Zaozao, try making up stories again!"
Lin Zao Zao's eyes immediately turned red, tears welled up in them, and she bowed aggrievedly: "It was my sister who said the wrong thing, don't be angry, I won't mention it again..."
Su Niantang put his hands on his hips and shouted at the top of his voice:
"Why are you so anxious? If your mother hadn't done those dirty things, why would you feel guilty?
I feel sick just looking at you two! Even if you hook up with General Huo, so what? He will see your true colors sooner or later!"
The people around immediately started to make a fuss. One girl pinched her nose and said, "No wonder he looks so rustic. It turns out his mother abandoned her husband and children. How good can her upbringing be?"
The other one frowned and took two steps away: "Stay away from her, or you'll get into trouble!"
Lin Zaozao leaned against the porch pillar, with a faint sneer on his lips, staring at Bai Wanwan with his eyes, as if he was watching a joke.
Just as everyone was cursing at each other, Jiang Shuying's sister Jiang Mingzhu suddenly walked out of the crowd.
She clapped her hands and raised her voice:
"That's enough! Today is my sister's birthday. What's the point of talking nonsense here?
Since Miss Bai is a guest invited by my sister, she is a guest of honor in the Jiang family.
If you dare to gossip again, don't blame me for being rude!"
Jiang Mingzhu directly pulled Bai Wanwan and said, "Sister, would you like to go for a walk in the garden with me?"
Bai Wanwan smiled slightly, nodded and said, "Thank you, sister."
Jiang Mingzhu held Bai Wanwan's wrist and walked slowly along the gravel path, her fingertips tapping the vermilion lacquer corridor. "This is the Jiang family private school. In its heyday, it had six lecture halls. Even the Grand Tutor taught here."
There was a hint of wistfulness in her voice. "Although it's no longer as lively as it used to be, it's been renovated and has become quiet. Reading in the warm room on a winter day is the most pleasant."
After turning through the moon-shaped door, the rich fragrance of flowers hits you in the face.
Bai Wanwan looked up and saw a nine-curve corridor winding around a pool of clear water. Lotus leaves were floating on the water, and several lotus flowers with two stems poked their heads out from between the leaves, with morning dew still condensed on the pink and white petals.
Vines hang down from the rockery, and a waterfall of wisteria flowers cascades down along the Taihu rocks, contrasting beautifully with the red maples on the opposite bank.
There are exotic flowers planted on both sides of the path, including the Noctilucent Orchid tributed from the Western Regions and the Green-calyx Plum transplanted from the south of the Yangtze River. Silver lanterns are dotted among the flowers. They look elegant in the daytime and must be even more dazzling at night.
Jiang Mingzhu suddenly stopped, turned around, held Bai Wanwan's hand, and looked at her sincerely:
"I'm sorry to have wronged you today. My sister has been spoiled by the elders since she was young. She is straightforward and outspoken, and the people below her treat her with contempt.
Since you are her guest, you are a guest of honor in the Jiang family. If anyone dares to embarrass you again, just tell me."
Bai Wanwan nodded gently in response, feeling warm in her heart.
Jiang Mingzhu's eyes curved as she took her hand and walked towards the inner courtyard:
"Come on, I'll take you to my room to pick out some things you like. I can't bear to see you suffer any injustice.
You look so delightful!"
Pushing open the carved wooden door, Bai Wanwan couldn't help but be stunned. The Jiang Mansion outside was full of exotic flowers and plants, and this place was actually a pastoral paradise in itself.
The corner of the yard is covered with green loofah vines, and loofah strips of varying thickness hang among the golden flowers.
Green tile pottery pots are neatly arranged at the base of the wall, with lush lettuce and leeks, and a few eggplants with purple flowers dotted around.
The most eye-catching thing is the vegetable plots in the center, with tomatoes bearing green fruits and small peppers hanging on the branches.
Even in the corners there were several jars of pickled vegetables, the mouths of the jars covered with lotus leaves and tied tightly with straw ropes.
Jiang Mingzhu squatted down, her fingertips stroking the plump tomatoes, a smile on her face:
"These are all my treasures! I grew up on the farm with my grandmother and learned her gardening skills.
Others love to admire flowers, but I love to watch these fruits grow from seedlings to fruit."
She picked a tomato and gently wiped off the water droplets. "Just tell me what you want to eat. I'll make you a cold vegetable salad. It's guaranteed to be even better than any restaurant meal!"
Bai Wanwan smiled and said, "That's pretty good."
Jiang Mingzhu's voice was a little nervous:
"You really don't find it strange? People in the mansion always say I'm pretentious, saying these vegetable plots and pickling jars are not worthy of a formal occasion...
Even the maids in my room dislike the smell of dirt in this yard and are unwilling to stay any longer."
Bai Wanwan looked around. The palm-sized courtyard was full of vitality.
Newly sprouted garlic sprouts poked their heads out of the clay pots, freshly picked cucumbers were piled in the bamboo baskets, and even the strings of dried chilies drying under the porch were bright red.
A smile appeared on her lips:
"I think this is a good idea. I own a farm, and in my free time I love to go there to watch the rice seedlings grow and the fruits ripen.
The smell of dirt on clothes is much more pleasant than incense."
Jiang Mingzhu suddenly looked up. Although she was only three or four years older than Bai Wanwan, she was jumping for joy like a child who had received candy. She quickly took two steps and grabbed the other's wrist.
"I used to think that young ladies from aristocratic families would be confined to their embroidery rooms all day, embroidering with music sheet music in hand.
It turns out that someone really understands my feelings about guarding this vegetable garden..."
Bai Wanwan nodded and thought that this sister was quite cute.
Jiang Mingzhu said: "Wait for me for a moment..."
Jiang Mingzhu deftly picked a few bright red tomatoes, their green stems and leaves still covered with fresh dew.
In just half a cup of tea, she returned with a celadon plate. Bright red tomato slices were evenly sprinkled with snow-white icing sugar. "There's no need to be so particular about homegrown produce. Try it and see if it tastes okay."
She pushed the plate forward with a hint of anticipation.
Bai Wanwan picked up a piece of tomato coated in sugar granules. The sweet and sour juice mixed with the sweet icing spread on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't help but brighten up. "It's delicious! This tomato has a thin skin and lots of juice. The seeds must be good too."
She put down her chopsticks and moved closer with great interest:
"If you like to grow vegetables, I have a lot of rare seeds.
Are the melons grown from the Hami melon seeds tributed from the Western Regions sweeter than honey?
There are also Japanese cucumbers, which are as thick as a thumb but crispy, tender and refreshing.
The most amazing thing is the chili seeds from Southeast Asia. The fruits they produce are as red as agate. If you stir-fry them with meat, you can eat two more bowls of rice!