She just wanted to stir up some ideas, but without lifting a finger or worrying about the details. Speaking up was already Yue Fuguang's limit.
The moment her grandmother heard that her granddaughter needed her help, Old Madam Yu immediately brightened up, easily coaxed. With just one sentence from Yue Fuguang, she eagerly pulled her granddaughter close, affectionately asking, "Fuguang wants to plant flowers and fruit trees?"
Yue Fuguang nodded. "Mother mentioned there’s a small hill in the estate. I’d like to plant fruit trees on the hill and flowers near the foot."
She lowered her voice and added, "We can turn the fruits into wine, and the flowers into perfume and essential oils."
Madam Zhang chimed in, "Fruit wine is easy enough—I have a winery among my dowry that I’ll give to you. But what are perfume and essential oils? I’ve never heard of such things."
Old Madam Yu also admitted, "In all my years, I’ve seen many fine things. I’ve used floral waters in my youth, but never perfume or essential oils."
Yue Fuguang explained, "The floral waters Grandmother mentioned are somewhat similar to what I’m talking about. But perfume has a stronger scent and lasts longer. Essential oils can be used for skincare or to make scented soap."
Hearing that perfume was more potent and long-lasting than the exorbitantly priced floral waters, both women grew intrigued. And when they learned that essential oils could be used to make the same kind of fragrant soap Yue Fuguang had given them, their excitement soared.
One look at their expressions, and Yue Fuguang knew they were fond of scents and floral concoctions.
In ancient times, people loved burning incense in their rooms, and ladies of noble households often took pleasure in making their own fragrances.
Clothes were often perfumed before wearing, and it was common to carry a scented sachet daily.
For instance, today, Madam Zhang wore an osmanthus-scented sachet, while Old Madam Yu carried one with a blend of lotus and faint chrysanthemum.
Madam Zhang couldn’t help but confirm, "Fuguang, the scented soap you mentioned—is it the same kind you gave me?"
Yue Fuguang thought for a moment. She had the knowledge to make soap suitable for this era, but whether it could match the quality was uncertain.
However, in terms of being purely natural, it would far surpass the soaps sold in later generations.
So she replied, "If the craftsmen are skilled, they should be able to make something similar."
Old Madam Yu was even more direct. "Even though we won’t plant until next spring and the flowers won’t be harvested until summer, we should prepare the workers in advance."
She turned to Madam Zhang. "You should also take this seriously. These days, keep an eye out for loyal and capable servants with lifelong contracts to send to Fuguang."
"We’ll pay them generously—just to ensure their loyalty!"
She added, "This old woman will also look for experienced gardeners and orchard keepers for my dear granddaughter."
Patting the small box in front of her, she smiled. "See? The shops your grandfather and I picked out for you will come in handy."
"Those fine things of yours are too much for just our family. Why not sell them and fill your coffers?"
"Grandmother, are these shops for me?" Yue Fuguang asked.
"Yes. Your grandfather and I thought that lately, you’ve only been receiving fabrics, jewelry, and decorative items—things that are fleeting."
"A young lady needs estates and shops as assets—they’re her foundation and confidence."
"Since your father and mother gave you an estate, we old folks prepared shops and a three-courtyard residence for you."
"One shop sells fabrics, the other cosmetics. You can visit them when you have time."
Madam Zhang joined in cheerfully. "Earlier, didn’t we say your Elder Brother’s broken engagement was thanks to you? This is his thank-you gift—a hot spring estate."
"It’s called an estate, but it’s really just a twenty-acre property on a hot spring mountain. The hot spring inside makes it rare and valuable."
Yue Fuguang was delighted to receive so many fixed assets, even though she knew she couldn’t take them with her.
"Thank you, Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, and Elder Brother."
She expressed her gratitude to everyone, sounding almost like she was giving an acceptance speech!
[Host, with all these gifts plus what you’ve received recently, isn’t your wealth almost comparable to your previous life’s?]
How can they compare? No matter how much money I have here, the era limits what I can enjoy. Besides, I can’t take any of this with me. Isn’t this just like my last life—dying with money left unspent?
System: Fine, forget it asked. It had only spoken up because the host seemed happy, never expecting such a unique perspective. Now that it thought about it, the host was right—having wealth but nowhere to spend it was indeed frustrating!
System, I’m not blaming you. Without you, I’d truly be done for! So, thank you, System!
Caught off guard by her sudden gratitude, the system flustered. In its pure white system space, the little system turned pink again.
[No need for thanks!] it stammered.
It had inexplicably transformed from a gossip system to a merit system. After being reformatted, it was lucky to have found such a suitable host so quickly.
Host and system—they were helping each other, that was all!
Seeing Yue Fuguang’s joy, Madam Zhang smiled and steered the conversation back. "Your Elder Brother should be the one thanking you. The estate is nothing—he’ll find more treasures for you later."
Yue Fuguang, noticing the topic finally circling back, feigned curiosity. "Mother keeps saying Elder Brother’s smooth engagement annulment was thanks to me, but I don’t recall doing anything!"
"You being adopted into our family was help enough. It all traces back to the banquet held for your adoption."
"That day, the Wei Family—our would-be in-laws—were among the guests. At first, everything went well. Madam Wei, especially, seemed very pleased with your Elder Brother, praising him endlessly to me."
Madam Zhang had already known about her daughter’s misdeeds by then, barely keeping her smile intact. She’d wanted nothing more than to shake off the woman’s hand and throw the whole family out.
But to avoid tipping off her daughter, she’d had to grit her teeth and compliment Wei Shujun in return—how infuriating!
Thinking of Madam Wei’s awkward expression during the annulment, Madam Zhang felt a surge of satisfaction.
"Madam Wei even suggested that the heads of both families meet before the new year to set a wedding date."
"Who knew… who knew she was sweet on the outside but rotten inside? She was fully aware her daughter was involved with her husband’s disciple, yet she still agreed to our marriage arrangement!"
"How did Mother learn such a private matter? If the Wei Family intended to deceive, they wouldn’t have confessed," Yue Fuguang asked.
Old Madam Yu sighed. "We owe it to one of your grandfather’s students. He was acquainted with Wei Jin, Wei Shujun’s brother, and overheard the truth during a visit to the Wei Family. That’s how we learned the real reason after the annulment."
Madam Zhang’s eyes burned with anger. "Exactly! At first, when the Wei Family cited Wei Shujun’s hidden illness as the reason, we pitied the girl. Who could imagine the truth was so disgraceful?"
"That day at your adoption banquet, when Madam Wei saw that even the Emperor and Crown Prince attended, she assumed our men had gained imperial favor."
