CHAPTER 148: CHAPTER 146 SURPRISE

Old Mrs. Song sat down and looked at the children hiding outside the house.

Old Mrs. Song said, "Let everyone come in, it’s cold outside."

When the Song Family’s carriage arrived at the entrance of Chen Family Village, Chen Yongsheng had already told the villagers, "A Grand Dowager is coming soon. She is the mother of the National Guardian General, General Song Xian’s grandmother. Do not offend her."

The villagers had never seen such a distinguished old lady before and were afraid of saying the wrong thing in front of her, so most of them returned home after welcoming her at the village entrance. Anyway, if there was anything, Miss Xie and the village chief would instruct them.

Chen Yongsheng, Chen Yongyi, and a few others who often followed Xie Liangchen around waited in Old Mrs. Chen’s courtyard.

Mrs. Gao was in the kitchen watching the fire, boiling hot water, and pondering whether she should cook something for Old Mrs. Song. But she didn’t know what to make; she had to wait for Miss Chen’s instructions. She was in a daze when she heard the children, including Hei Dan, coming inside.

Mrs. Gao felt anxious, hoping these kids wouldn’t cause trouble for Miss Chen.

The children entered the house, and the housekeeper beside Old Mrs. Song opened the snack box.

"Eat," Old Mrs. Song said with a smile, "I didn’t know what you would like, so I had a bit of everything made."

Seeing the table full of snacks, the children thanked Old Mrs. Song but did not go forward to take any. Instead, they looked at Xie Liangchen.

Xie Liangchen nodded, and only then did Hei Dan let everyone go take some to eat. Once everyone had snacks, Hei Dan was the last to take a red bean cake.

Old Mrs. Song watched this scene, feeling very moved.

Old Mrs. Chen asked, "Is it tasty?"

"Tasty."

"Mine must be the tastiest."

"Mine is also good, try it."

The room suddenly became lively.

Old Mrs. Song, who was used to quietness, always thought she feared too much noise around her. But sitting here, watching these simple villagers and children, she only felt at ease.

Before long, Xie Liangchen and Chen Yuyu brought in a brazier.

After washing her hands, Xie Liangchen personally brewed tea for Old Mrs. Song.

"This is tea we made ourselves," Xie Liangchen said with a smile.

In front of Old Mrs. Song were tea wares that Xie Liangchen had just bought at the market, items from private kilns, slightly more delicate than the large bowls usually used by people in Chen Family Village, yet still quite coarse.

But as Old Mrs. Song looked at this tea bowl, her heart felt only warmth. She knew the village was giving her the best they had.

Amidst the rising steam was a faint floral fragrance.

Old Mrs. Song said, "Floral tea?"

Xie Liangchen nodded, "Harvested from the mountains."

Old Mrs. Song took a sip of the tea, "Very fragrant and sweet."

Seeing Old Mrs. Song praising her granddaughter, Old Mrs. Chen squinted her eyes in a smile. She was not accustomed to modesty; after all, her granddaughter was indeed excellent.

After speaking, Old Mrs. Song looked at the children sitting in a row on the long bench, "Did you harvest this?"

Hei Dan said, "Sister took us to harvest it together, and we also gather and dig herbs. Not far from our village are two mountains full of medicinal plants.

Now it’s winter, and there’s nothing on the mountains, but in the summer, the mountains are full of colorful flowers..."

Hei Dan opened up, talking about things in the mountains.

During the summer and autumn, everyone collected medicinal herbs. In winter, they weren’t idle either. Chen Yongyi led people in the village to make wheelbarrows to facilitate moving herbs next year.

The weaving room came up with new patterns for woolen fabrics, and many women in the village learned to use the looms.

"By the way," Old Mrs. Song said with a smile, "after Liangchen mentioned it last time, I kept thinking about having a look at the loom."

Xie Liangchen said, "It’s not far from here, do you want to go now?"

Old Mrs. Song was already intrigued by Xie Liangchen’s words last time and now couldn’t help but recall what Xie Liangchen had said.

Xie Liangchen helped Old Mrs. Song move forward, and Old Mrs. Song whispered, "And where is your cousin?"

Xie Liangchen glanced at Chen Yuyu beside her.

Old Mrs. Song nodded, "Seems like an honest child."

Just as she finished speaking, the honest child Chen Yuyu said, "Many people in the village can use the looms now, but my sister uses them the best. She taught everyone."

Old Mrs. Song held back for a moment but couldn’t help laughing, "Your sister being able to teach so many people, that’s not easy."

Hearing Old Mrs. Song praising Xie Liangchen, Chen Yuyu was more delighted than anything, "My sister is skillful; she can do everything."

Old Mrs. Song recited a few scriptures silently in her heart to hold back her laughter, preserving her composure and keeping Liangchen’s secret.

The group reached the door of the weaving room, and the women there came out to greet her.

Old Mrs. Song waved her hand, "No need to be so formal. I’m just here to see if it’s the same as what I used when I was young?"

Upon hearing that Old Mrs. Song also used looms in her youth, the people of Chen Family Village immediately felt closer.

The weaving room was overseen by Chen Yongyi’s sister-in-law, Mrs. Zheng. After bustling at the loom for a while, Old Mrs. Song understood and couldn’t help stepping forward to try. As the shuttle moved, the fabric was woven tightly and neatly.

Old Mrs. Song breathed a sigh of relief, "Looks like I can still do this, though nowhere near your skill level."

The women in the weaving room chatted with Old Mrs. Song, while Xie Liangchen took Chen Yuyu to the kitchen to prepare the meals.

The kitchen was filled with items, all brought by villagers.

Xie Liangchen looked around; even if a dozen people came, they wouldn’t be able to finish all this.

Xie Liangchen rolled up her sleeves, first putting the chicken into a clay pot to stew, then soaking some dried tangerine peel, slicing the pork to stir-fry with the peel.

Then she went to a small stove to cook a soup of Scrophulariaceae and radishes.

The kitchen was bustling with activity. Old Mrs. Chen accompanied Old Mrs. Song to the Familiar Medicine Institute.

Xu Tingzhen came out as soon as he heard the commotion.

Old Mrs. Song didn’t expect the Familiar Medicine Institute in Chen Family Village to be this large, filled with various equipment for processing medicine, with several stoves operating simultaneously, each overseen by women attending the fire.

The processed medicinal materials were neatly arranged aside, waiting to be sent to the Official Medicine Bureau.

This setup was comparable to those old herb shops.

Old Mrs. Song was secretly surprised, realizing Miss Xie was even more astute than she had thought. No wonder her grandson agreed so readily when she mentioned wanting to visit Chen Family Village; he arranged the carriage and escort to bring her over immediately.

Honey was being brewed in a large pot, with Xu Tingzhen constantly stirring it.

Old Mrs. Song asked, "What’s this?"

Xu Tingzhen replied, "We’re using it to make honey pills. It’s convenient to carry them around; these are for the Tian Family Trading Team. In case anyone falls ill on the road, they can take these directly. Liangchen built this Familiar Medicine Institute not only to send to the Official Medicine Bureau but also with the hope of making finished medicines."

Having experienced quite a bit, Old Mrs. Song’s eyes brightened upon hearing this. Miss Xie had insight. The finished medicine, once made, would be far superior to the processed ones sent to the Official Medicine Bureau.

With the Chen Family Village holding a Grade A certification from the Official Medicine Bureau, selling the finished medicine in the future would be considerably easier.

Old Mrs. Song suddenly grew curious; how exactly did her grandson get to know Miss Xie and Chen Family Village?

As Old Mrs. Song was pondering this, the housekeeper hurriedly came forward saying, "The master has arrived."

"So early?" Old Mrs. Song slightly frowned, a bit displeased she had to be taken back before she’d had enough of sitting.