Chapter 89: Chapter 76, Enter Space !
The responsibilities for the manor were thus distributed, and while most accepted their lot, knowing the chances of getting their own courtyard were slim, Yan Yishuang couldn’t help but lament the stark difference before and after, frequently seeking out Auntie Lin’s comfort with her tears.
This situation could also be blamed on Auntie Lin herself, who had overestimated her importance. Indeed, in Yan Zhigao’s eyes, she held a certain status and was indeed favored by him.
However, she forgot that she was but a concubine, one who had made no contributions to the Yan Family.
She wished for her children to enjoy the same treatment as the legitimate eldest son and daughter of the Yan Family. Not to mention whether Madam Li would agree to such a thing, the second branch would vehemently oppose it.
The children of the second and third branches, after all, were legitimate descendants of the Yan Family and surely deserved more nobility than those bom of a concubine?
Yan Wenjie and his siblings didn’t even have their own courtyards, so it was even less likely for Yan Yishuang and her siblings.
“Mother, as the older sister, it is only right for me to dwell in the mam house.
Why should we yield it to Yan Yishuang?”
In the second branch’s courtyard, Yan Yile was packing her belongings and complaining to Sun Family with dissatisfaction.
Madam Li had allocated a large courtyard to Yan Yihuan, Yan Yishuang, and Yan Yile. It had three main rooms and three rooms each on the left and right wings, providing exactly three rooms for each of them.
But the three of them disagreed on who should reside in the main house and who in the wing rooms.
In truth, only Yan Yile was dissatisfied, as Yan Yihuan, who was always disinclined to compete, had no particular opinion on where to live.
Sun Family tapped her youngest daughter’s head and said, “Keep these thoughts to yourself. Right now, your eldest uncle and his wife are in charge of the Yan Family. We from the second and third branches are dependent on the main branch for a living, and in some matters, we inevitably have to give way to them.”
Hearing this, Yan Yile became sullen and sighed an aged sigh, “Why isn’t it my father who is the Lord Prefecture Governor?”
Sun Family also sighed, “Isn’t that the truth!” Over the years, she had often envied her sister-in-law, the wife of an official; alas, her fate was not as fortunate as hers.
Yan Yile snorted, “Here we are, squabbling over the main house, while that Yishuang looks down on it!”
Sun Family gave a mocking smile, “Auntie Lin is getting more and more oblivious to her true weight these days. Not even my son has his own private courtyard, yet she, a mere concubine, dares to demand one!”
Yan Yile said, “At least my elder brother and sister have it good. They got their own courtyards without lifting a finger. Why couldn’t I have been born a few years earlier?”
Looking at her daughter, Sun Family thought to herself that even if you were born earlier, you likely wouldn’t have had a part in this, for who could you blame for not having a father who was an official?
During this period, Yan Zhigao was busy familiarizing himself with the workings of the Prefectural Governor’s Office and taking over the affairs of Xingzhou; Madam Li, while managing the domestic matters, also needed to make connections with the wives of officials in Xingzhou. Both were so preoccupied that they had no time to deal with the ruckus caused by Auntie Lin and her daughter, even if they wanted to.
In the end, Auntie Lin and her daughter compromised and obediently moved into their new quarters.
Daohua didn’t know and didn’t care how it went for the others. Once she had her own courtyard, her attention was fully devoted to arranging it, particularly the trellised corridor and flower garden on the east side.
“Manman, go ask your third brother if he has found the climbing plants I asked him to look for?”
“Right away, I’ll go now.”
Watching Wang Manman leave the courtyard, Daohua immediately turned and entered her room, closing the door behind her. Then, she vanished into thin air within the room.
Where did she go?
She entered the space!
Daohua’s space was not large, with three plots of land arranged in a character shape, each measuring one acre in size, and were made up of loam, red soil, and black soil, respectively.
There were no earth-shattering capabilities to the space; it simply had fertile soil that could grow anything. The produce grown in this soil had higher nutritional value and was richer overall.
Of the three, the black soil was the most fertile, while the loam was the least. In the black soil, Daohua had planted a variety of commonly used medicinal herbs that she had purchased as seeds from a pharmacy.
In the best growing section, she had planted nothing but ginseng. Having been cultivated for five to six years, and considering the quality of the space’s soil, she felt that this ginseng, if brought to the outside world, might not compare to Hundred-Year Ginseng, but its medicinal effects would at least be on par with ginseng that had aged for several decades.
When she had previously received the jade pendant from Xiao Yeyang, she had thought about finding an opportunity to give him a ginseng root, but unfortunately, she didn’t know if she would ever have the chance to see him again.
In the red soil, Daohua had planted a tree of every type of fruit she could find, including apple, pear, peach, persimmon, orange, apricot, cherry, plum, and jujube trees.
These types of fruit trees were common in the countryside and not difficult to find.
She loved drinking tea and had also planted more than ten jasmine tea trees.
The loam was planted with a wider variety of crops. She had cultivated almost every common vegetable and cereal, such as corn, red beans, mung beans, wheat, rice, sweet potatoes, and chili peppers, to name a few.
Because of the diversity, the quantities of each were relatively small. Ever since leaving her old home, her opportunities to enter the space had decreased, but now that she had her own courtyard, her chances had increased. This time, she entered to check if the flower seeds planted in the red soil had sprouted, considering an empty flowerbed in the courtyard was a waste. Planting more flowers would not only allow for future enjoyment but also afford the opportunity to sell them after being transplanted into pots.
Having seen that the flower seeds had germinated, Daohua ate an apple and left the space. She came to the front of the flowerbed, and with a thought, the germinated flower seeds appeared in her hand out of nowhere.
After Daohua had planted the flowerbed with the seeds, Wang Manman returned with a basket full of climbing vines, followed by Wentao who was carrying a basket as well.
“What kind of climbing vine is this?”
Daohua took the basket and examined the climbing vines inside.
Wentao said with a smile, “These are climbing rose vines that I had the servant inquire about for a long time before selecting. It’s said that once the rose vines cover a wall, they look very beautiful. There are several varieties; I picked a few of each for you to plant as you see fit.”
“However, you should be prepared beforehand, the old man who sold me the climbing vines said that some varieties of roses are not so easy to grow.” Daohua laughed and didn’t mind; with her space, what couldn’t she grow? Wentao glanced at the flower trellis corridor and asked, “Your corridor is quite tall, would you like me to help you plant them there?”
Daohua shook her head, “Not for now. I’ll try planting them in the flowerbed first. If they can thrive, I’ll ask for your help then.”
Wentao nodded, “Alright, just call me whenever you’re ready to plant.”
That evening, the whole Yan Family dined in the old lady’s courtyard. After the meal, Madam Li spoke, “We’ve been in Xingzhou for more than a month now, and according to custom, we should hold a banquet to invite the local officials and gentry.”
Yan Zhiyuan said with a smile, “That is only proper. Sister-in-law, just let me know whatever assistance you need.”
Madam Li smiled and nodded, “I’ll certainly need your help in the future.” Then, looking at the others, she continued, “The master and I have discussed it and plan to hold the banquet at the end of this month. Everyone should be aware so that we do not lose face on our first occasion hosting others.”