Chapter 120: Chu Lan's Bestowal

"Indeed. I meant no harm, Mother. I was simply concerned that our distinguished guests might not be accustomed to the fare at the residence, so I wished to add two dishes to the kitchen's offerings. I specifically entrusted the pastries to the cook and instructed her strictly not to mention to anyone that they had come from me," Wei Qingwan explained softly, her composure unshaken.

Having anticipated that Lady Yun would come to question her, she had long since prepared her response.

Lady Yun sighed. "Next time you have such intentions, you should inform me beforehand. To do this privately without consulting me is, to some extent, a breach of propriety."

"It is my fault, Mother. I oversimplified the matter, thinking that preparing two extra pastries would simply be seen as part of the kitchen's service, and I didn't think it through."

Wei Qingwan’s explanation matched exactly what Lady Yun had surmised. Indeed, she had been right; her daughter had merely been acting out of consideration for the family. After all, nobody had known beforehand that the eldest daughter’s maid possessed such remarkable culinary skills; taking extra precautions had seemed perfectly reasonable.

"Very well. Since no harm was done, let it be. However, your father does not entirely approve of such behavior, so do not act on your own initiative like this again," Lady Yun cautioned.

"Is Father... angry?" Wei Qingwan asked with a start.

"It is not so much that he is angry with you, but rather he feels it was inappropriate," replied Lady Yun.

Hearing this, Wei Qingwan lowered her head, looking disheartened, with tears of grievance welling in her eyes. Observing this, Lady Yun added, "Your father meant no further blame; he was merely concerned that you might have had other motives. I have already spoken to him, and he hopes that he was simply overthinking it. I will explain it to him again later."

Wei Qingwan bit her lip. "Mother, please know that I have no other motives. During the days I spent in confinement after my mistake, I have been reflecting deeply. I have been thinking only of how to make amends for my errors; how could I possibly harbor any other intentions?"

"I confined you in the hope that you would reflect and find a better way to handle such matters in the future. Now that you recognize your own faults, I am deeply relieved."

"I understand, Mother, and I do not resent you for it at all."

"Good. I am glad you see it that way," Lady Yun said with a satisfied nod.

"By the way, Mother, how did the distinguished guests rate today’s meal?" Wei Qingwan inquired.

"The feedback was excellent. They were very satisfied," Lady Yun replied.

"Truly? That is wonderful!" Wei Qingwan beamed with joy.

"However, the guests did not eat the two pastries you prepared," Lady Yun added.

"They didn't eat them?" Wei Qingwan’s expression faltered, the joy on her face freezing.

"They were already full from the main courses and had no appetite left when the pastries were served. I heard Young Master Lu tried a bite, but it was not to his taste," Lady Yun said.

Lady Yun was quite surprised by this, as her daughter’s osmanthus cakes and almond crisps were usually exquisite. She had not expected them to be overshadowed by the eldest daughter’s maid.

Wei Qingwan’s smile became somewhat strained, yet she still offered praise: "Then the eldest sister’s maid must be an exceptionally good cook."

"I have not tasted it myself, but it seems that what the Xie siblings said was not just idle talk; there is indeed some truth to it," Lady Yun remarked with a sigh.

"Yes..." Wei Qingwan replied in a low voice, her smile forced.

After chatting a while longer, Lady Yun departed. Once she was gone, the smile on Wei Qingwan’s face vanished completely.

Why had things turned out this way? She had not intended to rely on two plates of pastries to achieve anything grand, but in her plan, she had at least expected to score a point for the family. Instead, the result was the exact opposite, and the crushing disparity left a bitter taste in her heart.

***

That afternoon, while Wei Ruo and Xiumei were resting in the courtyard, word came from the front gate that Nanny Qin had arrived, accompanied by a large number of gifts.

When Wei Ruo and Xiumei reached the front courtyard, several crates were already piled up, with more being carried in. Seeing one of Chu Lan’s subordinates enter carrying a tray of gold, Wei Ruo instantly felt that the meal she had prepared for him at noon was a bit too modest. By this standard, she could have easily prepared sixteen more dishes for him!

Nanny Qin approached Wei Ruo and handed her the list of gifts. "Eldest Miss Wei, I have been instructed by my young master to present these to you."

Since Chu Lan’s identity was not being openly declared, she could only refer to them as gifts, not rewards.

"Please convey my gratitude to Young Master Chu on my behalf," Wei Ruo said.

Nanny Qin continued, "Additionally, the Young Master has instructed me to bring back the planting records for the paddy fields in the south of the city."

"They are already prepared. Xiumei, go and fetch them," Wei Ruo instructed.

"Thank you, Miss Wei," Nanny Qin said.

Lady Yun then walked over and thanked Nanny Qin. "I have troubled you today, Nanny."

Nanny Qin replied courteously, "I am merely following orders. It is my duty to help resolve my master's concerns."

Xiumei brought the planting records, which Wei Ruo had placed in a brocade box. After Nanny Qin inspected them on the spot and found them in order, they were handed over to her.

After Nanny Qin and her party left, Lady Yun looked at the courtyard full of gifts and, after a moment's thought, ordered the servants to move everything to Tingsong Garden.

"You should organize these. Whatever doesn't fit in Tingsong Garden, move to the main storeroom. Make a list and give it to me; I will look after it for you," Lady Yun said.

Wei Ruo nodded and had the items moved to Tingsong Garden. Although the small side room she used as a storeroom in Tingsong Garden had limited space, she possessed a personal storage space, so there was no risk of running out of room.

However, to avoid suspicion, Wei Ruo still planned to move some of the crates to the family's main storeroom. The Xie family had sent a heap of gifts previously, which had already filled her small room to the brim. If she kept all of this new haul there, it would surely invite suspicion, so she had to move some of the bulky, space-consuming items away.

Of course, she would not put anything valuable in the crates sent to the main storeroom; she preferred to keep her valuables close at hand.

Once everything was moved to Tingsong Garden, Xiumei inspected the haul and immediately inventoried the eye-catching tray of gold.

"Miss, there must be at least a hundred taels of gold here!"

"Yes, the list says one hundred taels of gold."

"That’s wonderful, Miss! You have money to buy more fields now!" Xiumei exclaimed with delight.

"Yes, more fields! And more houses!"

She had been short on liquid capital recently, having invested so much silver, and was in dire need of funds. This Chu Lan was quite generous, actually sending her gold and silver; it helped alleviate some of her resentment toward him—though it could only be called an alleviation, not a complete erasure.