Chapter 91: Chapter 90 Honey Temptation
“There’s no need to think too ill of people,” the Young Madam said as she asked her maid to bring out a silver needle to test for poison. “Won’t we know if there’s any poison if we test it with a silver needle?”
The food that these wealthy families consume is always chosen with great care. Life is most precious in a wealthy family, and the food and items they use are selected with particular attention, naturally, they also fear that their adversaries might poison them.
They are even more afraid of bandits infiltrating or some other human-caused calamities; every day, the food that the master’s family eats is tested for poison before consumption.
Especially the Madam, who wields the authority of a housekeeper over a family; she is very cautious with the food of her husband and son. It’s not unheard of for there to be strife within large families, and their family has its share as well.
As the Madam said this, everyone waited quietly, testing for poison out of caution, feeling in their hearts that the idea of the Li Family sending poisoned goods was simply preposterous.
The maid took out the silver needle from the box and tested it in the honey jar, then picked up the silver needle.
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“Madam, the honey is not poisoned.”
The Young Madam, having heard and seen this, asked Jufeng, the maid by her side, to prepare some honey water for her to drink.
Jufeng, still not reassured, whispered in her ear, “We don’t know if that honey might contain something that could cause a miscarriage. It’s better if Young Madam remains cautious.”
“Well… all right!” Lady Tang felt a little unsure and resisted the tempting sweetness of the honey water, choosing not to drink it.
The Madam ordered her maid to prepare some honey water for her husband and son, as well as for herself, to add some chrysanthemum to make chrysanthemum tea with honey.
Upon hearing this, the maid went to do as instructed, and of course, the housekeeper was also entitled to this treatment; chrysanthemum mixed with honey offered an even richer floral fragrance.
Not wanting to resist the aroma, Lady Tang thought she might as well drink it too.
“Such a delightful fragrance…” Mr. Tang took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea sweetened with honey, finding it to be an exquisite taste of the mortal world.
He had never tasted such flavor in chrysanthemum tea before; it must be because the honey was so pure.
“Jinhua, take some honey and have the kitchen make some pastries with it, quickly…” the Madam felt a strong therapeutic effect after drinking this chrysanthemum tea, as if the previous fog in her eyes had lifted.
After drinking the chrysanthemum tea, she felt as though it really did “produce saliva and brighten the eyes,” just as the doctor had said.
She had been feeling quite fatigued, and the woman’s chronic ailments that she had been suffering from, which the doctor had been unable to cure, seemed to ease after drinking the chrysanthemum tea, leaving a comfortable sensation throughout her body.
She knew that it wasn’t just the chrysanthemum that deserved the credit, but rather the honey.
The whole jar of honey felt like a treasure; not only could it be used to make tea, but it could also be used to make nourishing pastries.
The maid brought a clean bowl, poured a little honey from it, and instructed someone to take this bowl of honey to the kitchen to make pastries.
Of course, the pastries made with this bowl of honey were not for everyone to taste.
With so many people in the Tang Mansion, how could everyone have a share?
The masters also had their rankings, and besides, the servants certainly couldn’t eat the fine things intended for the masters.
After drinking a cup of chrysanthemum tea, Old Master Tang felt some of his chronic ailments ease. Having had one cup, he wanted another and asked the maid to brew him more chrysanthemum tea.
The Eldest Young Master Tang, having had a cup of chrysanthemum tea, also asked the maid to brew him another. Glancing at his wife, he thought she had too many fears, finding her hesitation to drink because of fear utterly unnecessary.
Lady Tang, after seeing everyone enjoying the chrysanthemum tea and feeling as if nothing was wrong, had a craving as if she had tasted something delicious and wanted more.
She couldn’t help but swallow her saliva, reproachfully glaring at Jufeng.
Jufeng felt wronged by the young madam’s glare; she was, after all, doing this for the young madam’s sake. Wasn’t it normal to prevent poisoning with the things sent from the Li Family?
At this moment, Lady Tang felt too embarrassed to ask the maid to brew tea for her and sat there, stewing in her frustration.
After Mr. Tang had two cups of tea, he remembered his son’s toys and stood up to open the box of toys.
Upon seeing the wooden toys inside, his eyes lit up, and he said, “Housekeeper, are these toys truly carved by that baby who’s only a few months old?”
“Some of the smaller toys are, while others are carved by the Li Family’s husband. They’re all gifts from the daughter who’s just over four months old to the young Master,” the housekeeper answered.
No sooner had the housekeeper finished speaking than Mr. Tang, unable to contain his curiosity, stood up, joined his son, and examined the toys.
“How unique! Such designs! These carvings are like real animals, and what about these little wooden figures? Are these the Heavenly God statues? And this one, a fairy statue?”
As Mr. Tang was folding the items, he picked each one up for a closer look, so everyone else could see the wooden toys in his hands.
“To report back to the Old Master, the Li Family’s husband has been carving for some time now, even carving wooden Bodhisattvas. Recently, people from his own village and neighboring villages have been buying them. His wooden Bodhisattva carvings are very lifelike and exquisite. It’s a pity they’re just ordinary wood carvings, selling for quite cheap,” said the housekeeper.
These words made the father-and-son duo, who were shrewd in business, see an opportunity. Even though selling these items wouldn’t fetch high prices, they could still make a profit. They didn’t only sell the items produced in the county; they also transported them across the country via water and land routes.
They also imported goods from across the nation, selling them locally, and even had business extending to neighboring countries, transporting local products there and bringing foreign goods back. They organized a few caravans that would only make a few trips per year.
Water routes too were limited to two journeys a year, transporting their industry’s silk and various other products overseas.
“Hmm, if we find some high-quality wood for the Li Family’s husband to carve, there will be a market for sure. Housekeeper, invite the Li Family’s husband to come work in the county tomorrow. With the New Year approaching, there will be a market for selling wooden Bodhisattvas,” said Mr. Tang, considering the potential profit and immediately deciding to hire someone.
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“Housekeeper, when we invite the Li Family’s husband to work in the county, offer him a higher pay. Calculate his wages based on how many he can carve in a day, plus a little extra,” Mr. Tang added.
“Old Master, Eldest Young Master, seeing these toys, I thought of inviting the man with the surname Ye to our woodworking factory, but he refused, saying his children are too young and no one else in the family cares for them. He’s raised the youngest himself, and if he comes to the county, he wouldn’t feel at ease leaving his children at home,” the housekeeper conveyed.
“This is a difficult situation… His family’s circumstances are quite special,” said Mr. Tang and his son, hesitating.
“Husband, how about bringing his children to the factory? While he works at the woodworking factory, his children could stay in his single accommodation,” Madam proposed her solution.
“That might not work either. I’ve heard his sister is getting married soon, and the New Year is almost upon us,” the housekeeper added.
“I, however, have a perfect solution. Let’s first send some good wood to his home. We’ll provide the wood and then pay him for the finished products,” said Mr. Tang.
Mr. Tang understood how hard it was for a man to raise children alone. Since Mrs. Li was working at Tang Mansion, it was only fitting to show some care where possible. Before becoming a father, he had not thought about it much, but now, as a father himself, he understood the heart of a father.