After the first raid by the Japanese pirates, the entire coastal defense line was on alert.
Unfortunately, the coastline was too long, and many small fishing villages had loopholes. Gu Yan Chen had no choice but to recruit new soldiers while sending people to search every village.
For villages where the Japanese pirates could land, they had to find ways to plug the leaks. If they could, they would seal them. If not, they had to persuade people to relocate. The imperial court had not yet approved the allocation of funds, so the work progressed with considerable difficulty. At the same time, he could not let his subordinates intensify their training, and he was as busy as could be.
When Lu Nian Fu woke up in the morning, he had already left, and when she went to sleep at night, he often had not yet returned.
With Lu Fei also staying at Mr. Yan's house, Lu Nian Fu felt like the only idle person in the world. She listlessly flipped through the account books. Yan Qing was too capable; there was no room for her to intervene in the existing businesses.
It seemed it was time to expand into new markets, otherwise, she would bore herself to death day after day.
Qing Ya entered from outside, proudly holding a branch of red plum blossoms. "Miss, look, how beautifully these plum blossoms have bloomed? I spent a long time choosing this one from the garden."
"Which garden?"
"Our own garden. If the son-in-law wasn't so busy lately, you two would have seen them all during your strolls. It wouldn't have been my turn to offer flowers."
Lu Nian Fu looked at the vibrant red petals, and an ancient recipe for rouge flashed in her mind. That recipe belonged to a century-old shop. Unfortunately, the family had a prodigal son, and she got her hands on the recipe before it was sold off cheaply. With this recipe, she had improved and developed many new varieties, making the rouge from Xiang Dai Ge a coveted item among the noble ladies of the capital, earning her a fortune.
Alas, Xiang Dai Ge eventually fell into Situ Jue's hands.
She couldn't dwell on this matter. Lu Nian Fu quickly stopped her thoughts. "Let's go to the garden and enjoy the flowers."
Qing Ya had just placed the branch into a blue and white porcelain vase with entwined branches. Hearing Lu Nian Fu, she quickly grabbed a cloak and followed. "Miss, it's cold outside. You mustn't catch a chill."
What cold was this in Yangzhou? There wasn't even any snow.
Having experienced the biting winter in the capital, Lu Nian Fu didn't take this chill seriously. However, she didn't reject Qing Ya's kindness, pulled her cloak tighter, and walked out.
The ancient recipe was flower-based and had high requirements for the petals.
Lu Nian Fu looked at the red plum blossoms filling the garden, and she could already see the money rolling in. Qing Ya saw her eyes light up and thought that the young lady naturally loved the full garden of flowers. She racked her brain and recited, "Scattered and fallen into mud, crushed into dust, yet their fragrance remains."
Lu Nian Fu's steps halted, and she slowly turned her head.
Qing Ya gave an awkward smile. "Well, Miss, you used to have to compose poems at flower viewing banquets. I can't compose poems, so I just recited one. Hehe, it's not quite fitting, as the flowers have just bloomed, and it's still a long way from them falling."
"It's not that far. Find a few people to pluck all these petals."
Qing Ya stumbled, almost falling. "Pluck, pluck them down?"
"Mhm."
"Wh-why? Aren't these flowers blooming well?" Even if one wasn't a flower lover, one didn't need to be so ruthless.
Lu Nian Fu walked forward. "I have great use for these petals. Tell them to be careful not to damage or dirty them."
Qing Ya: "......Miss, you really want them?"
Lu Nian Fu ignored her.
She hadn't paid close attention to the distillation method for white wine, only remembering the general idea. However, she had led the improvement of these rouge recipes herself, so she naturally knew them by heart. Rouge that was so sought after in the capital would surely captivate the young ladies of Yangzhou. It was time to find a shop and reopen Xiang Dai Ge.
While Qing Ya was leading people to ruthlessly pluck flowers in the garden, Lu Nian Fu returned to her room and wrote a shopping list. As soon as the ink dried, Mian Er came in and said, "Miss, that wet nurse called Su Yue is here again."
"Again? How many times has it been?"
"The eighth time. She comes every day."
"Then please invite her to the flower hall." This constant visiting was not feasible. Lu Nian Fu decided to make things clear once and for all.
Su Yue claimed to be a wet nurse, but she looked no older than twenty-five or twenty-six. Her face and figure were well-maintained. While not stunningly beautiful, she had her own charm, and her demeanor was not that of an ordinary wet nurse. Just as Lu Nian Fu was wondering which influential family she belonged to, she knelt down.
"Your servant Su Yue pays her respects to the eldest young lady."