Chapter 29 Gratitude Gift
Inside the room, Hua Zhi lay on the bed, carefully shifting her position to get more comfortable. She pointed at the two basins and said, "Place the smaller basin inside the larger one, then fill them with water."
Shaoyao enthusiastically followed the instructions.
Hua Zhi took out a paper packet and handed it to her. "Put the contents into the larger basin."
Shaoyao took it and sniffed. "Saltpeter?"
"Correct."
Shaoyao crouched down and poured the saltpeter into the larger basin.
No further explanation was needed. Shaoyao watched as the water in the smaller basin turned into ice. She poked it with her finger, feeling the chill penetrate to her fingertips.
"Saltpeter can be used like this?"
Hua Zhi propped her head up and smiled. "Shaoyao, I won't ask who you're working for, but I truly owe him my life. Please pass this method to him and convey my gratitude. Though it might seem vulgar compared to saving a life, this is the most sincere gift I can offer right now."
The weather was particularly stifling, so Shaoyao simply sat beside the basin of water without moving. "Doesn't the Hua family need money more? Why didn't you share this method before the family fell?"
"Back then, the Hua family wasn't short on money, and I didn't want to draw attention." Wealth could sometimes be a burden—before the confiscation of their property, the Hua family's riches were enough to sustain them for generations. "As for now, the Hua family needs to maintain a low profile. It's best if the Emperor forgets our existence for now, rather than reminding him through such means."
Shaoyao nodded in understanding. Knowing the Emperor's temperament, if the Hua family suddenly amassed great wealth right after being punished, it would only provoke his displeasure and possibly further retaliation.
"Do you have any requests?"
"This is just a token of gratitude. The ice I make in the future will only be for personal use, not for others. If I must make a request..." Hua Zhi thought for a moment. "I hope no one knows this method came from me. Also, I'd like to ask you to facilitate sending some ice to me. We need to store some in the underground cellar to create an ice room to keep fruits from spoiling."
"I'll relay your message." Shaoyao sat cross-legged, resting her chin in her hands. "Can we still be friends?"
So she considered them friends? Hua Zhi smiled, her eyes filled with genuine delight. "Of course. That doesn't conflict with anything."
After returning, Shaoyao didn't waste words. In front of the Heir, she demonstrated making a basin of ice. "This is Hua Zhi's gratitude gift."
The method was incredibly simple, the cost almost negligible, yet the potential profits were unimaginable. The Heir stared at the ice basin emitting white vapor for a long moment. "Repeat everything she said, word for word."
Shaoyao recounted every detail without omission, concluding, "I think she doesn't want to owe you anything."
"This gratitude gift carries significant weight." The Heir looked at Shaoyao. "What about you? What's your gratitude gift?"
"She said we're friends." Shaoyao immediately brightened up. Friends! She finally had a friend!
Friends didn't need formal thanks, while he, as an outsider, received an extravagant gift in return. She certainly knew how to draw boundaries.
Since she wanted to settle accounts clearly, he would oblige. "Tell her I accept her gratitude gift. The ice will be delivered soon. Also, inform her that I'll help her once if she encounters difficulties in the future."
"Understood. I'll go now." Without waiting for his response, Shaoyao eagerly rushed out. If she hurried, she could still make it for dinner. Thinking of Fu Dong's culinary skills, Shaoyao swallowed hard and ran even faster.Chen Qing watched her run off at the doorway and entered with a smile already playing on his lips before he even spoke. "It's rare to see Shaoyao so happy."
The Heir lowered his head to look at the basin of ice and remained silent.
Chen Qing followed his gaze. "This is..."
The Heir silently demonstrated the process once for him.
Chen Qing whispered excitedly, "Master, where did you get this method? It's practically a business with no capital!"
"A thank-you gift from the Hua family's eldest young lady."
Chen Qing was taken aback. "Why wouldn't she keep such a profitable business for herself? The Hua family has been confiscated! With this formula in hand, money would come rolling in!"
Precisely because it was too profitable, she couldn't use it herself. The Hua family didn't need something so conspicuous. Most likely, other members of the Hua family didn't even know she possessed such a money-making method—otherwise, no one would have agreed to her giving it away so freely.
The Heir didn't offer further explanation on her behalf and instructed, "Handle this matter personally."
"Yes." Chen Qing even forgot his original purpose for coming, immediately turning to leave—this was money, loads of money! Although his master wasn't short of funds, nobody ever complained about having too much money, right!
The Heir turned around, his gaze falling upon the silver hairpin pressed beneath the scrolls, inevitably recalling its sharp, beautiful owner from that rainy night.
&&&
For many years, only Chen Jin's family had swaggered arrogantly around the estate, but suddenly the place became lively. More and more tenant farmers began passing by the front gate. Ever since they learned that it was Chen Jin's family who had been causing all the trouble all along, and after the Hua family's eldest young lady reduced the rent back to its original rate, they developed unprecedented goodwill toward the Hua family.
Of course, there were still those who harbored resentment. After all, Chen Jin was a servant of the Hua family—wasn't it the Hua family's poor management that had made them suffer those hardships? But these thoughts were only kept to themselves; what they spoke aloud still concerned Liu Juan.
Although the eldest young lady had arrived in time that day, the fact remained that she and Chen Chong had been alone in the same room. Who knew if she had suffered some disadvantage? When something didn't concern them directly, people's words naturally turned harsh. Liu Jiang had already been in several fights these past few days.
His previously firm opposition to his sister becoming someone's maid had wavered considerably, but he still couldn't quite resign himself to it. "Juan'er, no one is forcing you. Think it over carefully—serving others isn't an easy job."
"I've thought it through very clearly." Tucking the last garment into the bundle and tying it securely, Liu Juan turned around with a smile. "Brother, there's nothing I'd rather do more. The eldest young lady is kind, and the people around her are good too. You have no idea how dangerous that night was. Later, I heard from Sister Bao Xia that the young lady deliberately put herself in danger to lure that man out. She was afraid he would do something wicked, like sneak into our rooms and kill us one by one. Have you ever seen, or even heard of, such a master? I certainly haven't. I'd rather follow her for life than endure gossip, only to marry someone who looks down on me and be trampled into the mud forever."
"Juan'er..."
"I know everything. Can you fight off three or five people and also shut all their mouths?" Liu Juan lowered her head. "It's no big deal. I'll serve the eldest young lady well for the rest of my life and spare myself that suffering."
"Juan'er, I won't stop you, I won't stop you anymore. But don't talk like that—what do you mean serving for life? Are you planning to sell yourself?"
"That's exactly what I plan to do."Liu Jiang’s face instantly turned pale. “Nonsense! Do you even know what selling yourself means? It means your life is in someone else’s hands—you won’t even have control over your own life or death. If anything happens to the Hua family again, you’ll be dragged down with them. Juan’er, a lifetime isn’t just something you talk about lightly—it’s decades, day by day. When that time comes, there won’t be any medicine for regret!”
“I’ve thought about all of this, Brother. Trust me, I’ve made this decision after careful consideration. In fact, I already spoke with Sister Fu Dong before this. Sister Fu Dong said the young lady has high standards—all the people around her were personally trained by her, and she won’t be taking anyone else for now. I wanted to go, but they won’t even have me.”
“Then why are you still…”
PS: I heard that monthly votes can only be cast on WAP, and there are no monthly votes on the APP anymore. So, are all the ladies reading on WAP? Just asking—if you recharge on the APP to read, will you get monthly votes when you log in on WAP? Or do you have to recharge on WAP to get monthly votes? So troublesome—those who vote for me are truly my dearest fans!
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