Steward Xu and Boss Xue were both exceptionally swift in their dealings. As soon as Steward Xu learned that Wang Qingchen’s overseas huā had bloomed, even before seeing the actual flowers, he immediately wrote to Boss Xue to inquire about increasing the remuneration.

When Boss Xue received the letter, Steward Xu’s huā had not yet arrived in the capital, but this clearly had no bearing on Xue’s decision. Whether Boss Xue had too much faith in Wang Qingchen’s ability or too much confidence in Steward Xu’s judgment, it didn't matter; shortly after receiving the correspondence, Boss Xue decisively agreed to pay forty taels of silver per pot for all the blooming huā. After sending his reply, Boss Xue settled in to await the arrival of the four pots.

In truth, Boss Xue’s decision to raise the price wasn't solely due to Wang Qingchen and Steward Xu. It was also because the previous batch of overseas huā from Wang Qingchen had been subjected to transplantation by his men, resulting in three deaths. After that failure, he dared not let anyone attempt transplantation again, merely instructing his staff to tend to them with the utmost care. Yet, despite the diligent efforts of the caretakers, not a single one of those huā showed any sign of blooming. But now, Steward Xu was procuring four pots of huā that were already in full bloom directly from Wang Qingchen. How could he not be agitated? Thus, without even laying eyes on the flowers, Boss Xue resolved to double the price.

Upon receiving Boss Xue’s letter, Steward Xu personally visited Wang Youfu’s home again, explained Boss Xue’s revised terms, and promptly handed over an additional eighty taels of silver to Wang Youfu’s household.

Wang Youfu and Yang shi found this extra eighty taels of silver almost too hot to handle. In their estimation, they shouldn't have received this money at all. The price had already been settled at twenty taels per plant; now, simply because the flowers had bloomed, they were being handed an extra twenty taels per plant. This wasn't a price increase; it felt like outright robbery!

It was hardly surprising that Wang Youfu and Yang shi felt this way, for they were completely unaware that not a single one of the overseas huā Boss Xue had previously acquired had ever managed to bloom. Therefore, Boss Xue’s price hike seemed perfectly reasonable from his perspective.

Only after Steward Xu offered a careful explanation did the couple reluctantly agree to accept the supplementary silver.

Consequently, when Wang Qingchen returned home from school that day, he immediately heard his parents discussing the matter. Judging by Wang Youfu and Yang shi’s demeanor, they seemed worried that this sudden influx of money might bring unforeseen trouble, as such an unwarranted bonus was difficult to interpret innocently.

Although Wang Youfu and Yang shi were deeply concerned, Wang Qingchen himself was not overly anxious. He could easily guess the reason for the price adjustment. By merely comparing the huā flourishing within his personal space to those growing outside, the rationale behind Boss Xue’s increase became glaringly obvious. After all, countless flowers had blossomed in his space, while those outside remained completely dormant!

Having grasped the situation, Wang Qingchen refrained from revealing the true cause but offered reassuring words to ease his parents’ worries. Seeing their son speak with such certainty, the couple’s apprehension slightly subsided. Since their son dealt with Boss Xue frequently, they reasoned that if he said it was fine, it must be fine.

And so, the family tentatively let the matter rest.

If one were to ask who in the Wang Youfu household was having the hardest time recently, it would undoubtedly be Caiyun. Her distress, however, stemmed not from scolding or beatings, but because Caiyun had reached the age for losing her baby teeth.

Caiyun first noticed one of her teeth wobbling, which startled her. She panicked, wondering if the tooth would simply fall out on its own one day. If it did, wouldn't she look terrible? Though only six, Caiyun was already quite vain, and the thought of appearing toothless immediately filled her with anxiety.

Yang shi noticed Caiyun’s unusual behavior first, as she spent the most time with her daughter. So, while teaching Caiyun embroidery one afternoon, Yang shi subtly brought up the subject.

“Caiyun, what’s troubling you, dear? You’ve been so down; did you have a quarrel with your little friends?” Yang shi inquired.

Caiyun set down her needlework and sighed. “Oh, Mother, if my tooth falls out, won’t I look dreadful? I’ll have a black gap right in the middle when I talk.” Caiyun voiced her anxiety.

“Oh? Caiyun, are you about to start teething?” Yang shi asked, suddenly delighted.

Caiyun nodded resignedly. “When Dongmei lost her tooth, I teased her about having a black hole in her mouth and talking with a whistle! I never thought mine would have to fall out too.”

“Heh heh… Don’t worry, those teeth will grow back. Which one is wobbly?” Yang shi asked.

“The front one on top. Mother, can’t my tooth just stay put? Won’t it look ugly when it’s gone?” Caiyun asked.

“Heh heh… Caiyun, everyone loses their baby teeth to make way for stronger ones. Besides, even if a tooth falls out, the new one grows back very quickly!” Yang shi chuckled.

“Sigh,” Caiyun sighed again, sounding like a miniature adult.

Despite Caiyun’s profound reluctance toward losing her tooth, her incisor finally did fall out within a couple of days. As predicted, she was mercilessly teased by her playmates, which resulted in Caiyun either refusing to speak or speaking while clutching her mouth, much to the exasperation and amusement of the Wang Youfu family.

Wang Qingchen watched the spectacle with great delight, mentally recalling his own experience losing teeth as a child. He couldn't recall the details, but he suspected his reaction must have been similarly bashful.

Yang shi had intended to have a serious talk with Caiyun about her reluctance to speak after losing the tooth, but since talking achieved nothing and Caiyun continued to either stay silent or cover her mouth, Yang shi eventually gave up. After all, once the new tooth grew in, her daughter would surely return to normal.

Besides, Yang shi now had a far more pressing matter to attend to: Wang Qinghua’s marriage arrangements.

Although Yang shi was pregnant, and according to the doctor, the pregnancy was somewhat unstable, this was the lifelong event for her son, and she could not stand idly by. Therefore, she managed what she could to prepare for the wedding.

Wang Youfu had already considered Yang shi’s delicate condition, recognizing that excessive exertion was unsuitable for her pregnancy, and suggested hiring extra help.

Thus, building upon the existing assistance from Wu shi, Wang Youfu brought in Zhang shi and Auntie Gui, who was a good friend of Yang shi’s, to lend a hand. With these two joining in, Yang shi mostly needed only to give verbal instructions on many matters, requiring far less physical energy, which immediately eased her burden considerably.

Wang Qinghua, too, grew more expectant with each passing day regarding his marriage. Since he was already quite fond of Luo Qing, he was extremely eager to wed her.

After nearly a month of careful arrangements, the Wang Youfu household was nearly prepared. The marriage between Wang Qinghua and Luo Qing was set for the fourth lunar month, which was only about ten days away.

Of course, before the wedding, the Qingming Festival arrived.

Ancient people placed immense value on filial piety. Even officials, and indeed the Emperor himself, treated this virtue with utmost seriousness, terrified of being branded unfilial—a stain that could never be washed away and would ruin one’s reputation for life. Thus, the importance of the Qingming Festival was self-evident.

A few days before Qingming, Wang Youfu purchased large sheets of paper in town, and together with Yang shi and Caiyun, they cut out paper money or folded it into the shape of sycees (ingots). These were all intended for burning at the ancestral graves. Since the Wang family had prospered this year, Wang Youfu attributed it to the ancestors’ blessings, so he decided to burn extra paper currency in hopes of securing their continued protection.

On the day of Qingming, the entire extended Wang family went to pay respects to their ancestors, with only the male descendants participating in the gravesite activities.

Since the academy was closed for Qingming, Wang Qingchen was able to join them. The members of the Second Branch and Third Branch first gathered at the Old House before setting out together from there.

The Third Branch members carried their own family’s paper offerings, as they had already formally separated their households. Wang Youliang glanced at the substantial pile of paper money prepared by Wang Youfu’s family, pursing his lips. He was about to comment, but seeing the Old Master walking ahead, he managed to restrain himself.

Upon reaching the cemetery, Wang Youliang, Wang Youfu, and Wang Youtian, the three brothers, followed the Old Master’s instructions, taking shovels to firm up the soil on the graves and replacing the earth on the mounds.

Once the mounds were properly tended, the group began burning the paper money, followed by kneeling in reverence to their ancestors. After all the paper offerings were consumed by the flames, everyone started their walk back.

Following the tradition after returning from the grave-sweeping, the extended Wang family was meant to dine together at the Old House. This was a long-established custom, but this time, Tian shi’s frame of mind was different. Previously, the First Branch had fared much better than the Second Branch, and not much worse than the Third Branch. But now? The Second and Third Branches were living far more comfortably than their First Branch, yet they still ate at the Old House without offering to contribute for any of the dishes. Adding to this, Tian shi had nearly turned Wang Qingtong’s room inside out over the past two days, failing to locate where Wang Qingtong had hidden his money, which only compounded her distress. Consequently, Tian shi was thoroughly displeased.

The Old Master, having overheard Tian shi’s remarks on a previous occasion, already had some inkling of her thoughts. Perhaps because he had never harbored suspicion before, he had previously considered Tian shi perfectly normal, but now that his perception had shifted, it seemed every aspect of her behavior was questionable.

Thus, when the Old Master noticed Tian shi’s sour expression, he felt a flicker of irritation. It was merely a shared meal, yet she showed such unwillingness, clearly indicating a miserly nature in daily life as well. However, considering the significance of the day, the Old Master managed to suppress his anger.

Meanwhile, the Second and Third Branches also perceived Tian shi’s displeasure, but they were reluctant to spoil the Old Master’s mood and cause an unpleasant scene, so they pretended not to notice, focusing only on their food.

Tian shi’s dissatisfaction was thus bottled up inside, as she dared not create a scene in front of the Old Master. This left her unable to vent her anger or release her frustration, resulting in her barely touching her meal, her mood sinking even lower. (To be continued)