Chapter 108: Chapter 107 The Gift for My Family
Mrs. Lai, upon hearing Housekeeper Tang’s words, felt this was a huge joke and laughed lightly, saying,
“Housekeeper Tang, could you have made a mistake? Our family is so poor; where would we find money to buy and give honey away? If we had honey, we would keep it for ourselves, not give it away.”
“Housekeeper Tang, honey is so precious. Our family didn’t buy honey to give to your young master, and as for our village, truly no one keeps bees.”
When Hongji said this, he forgot about that one ti he saw his daughter eating honey.
“Small boss, please don’t deceive your servant. I distinctly rember yesterday, the child in your arms had a pot full of honey, and your servant brought this honey back to the estate.
Everyone who tried it found it delicious, much better than the honey bought from the market. It’s excellent for making honey tea and desserts.”
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“Our Old Master and Madam instructed to find out where to buy the honey and to purchase more of it while I was here handling affairs. I am just trying to complete my duty. I hope the small boss can inform .”
Ye Shiqi, in her father’s arms, heard the housekeeper inquire about the honey. With a cute and curious look in her eyes, she silently blad the housekeeper, wondering why he did not ask about the honey secretly.
In front of her grandparents and the gathered crowd, even if her father knew, he wouldn’t dare to speak, and how could her father possibly know anyway?
Ye Shiqi could only play dumb; after all, she was just a child, and no one would question her.
“Honey, yesterday?” Mrs. Lai jumped at the ntion, not even waiting for her son to speak. She recalled the housekeeper carrying away that box and a pot of pickles.
She rembered that the pickle pot was from their family, marked with their family’s na on the bottom.
“Indeed, our master’s family greatly appreciated using such fine honey. That’s why I have co to ask where it was bought, or if your family keeps bees?”
At the housekeeper’s words, the guard and the driver also chid in:
“We also heard yesterday that our master’s family used this honey for tea and desserts, and it was delicious. We haven’t been fortunate enough to try it.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t have gotten any. Only the old man here got a cup of honey tea and ate a few honey-made pastries. Oh, they were so delicious and fragrant.”
Rembering yesterday’s pastries, the housekeeper’s remark made everyone salivate.
“That was our family’s pickle pot. Where did the honey co from? Hongji, did you secretly buy the honey sowhere else?”
Mrs. Lai had been guarding their house and yard closely. If there had been sothing good, she would have found and consud it much earlier.
“Mother, it was just a pickle pot. There’s no honey, no such thing. Maybe the housekeeper is just joking with us.” As he listened, Hongji rembered indeed there had been such an incident.
Thinking it over, he felt sothing was off. Could it have been his little daughter?
Hongji’s back broke out in a cold sweat in silence, recalling the tis during the busy farming season when his little daughter and Siya ate honey—secrets only he was privy to. He couldn’t ask Siya; he wouldn’t get any sensible answers, and his little daughter wouldn’t speak up, having many secrets too.
If people discovered the honey, his little daughter could be in danger. He couldn’t even tell the rest of his family. If his mother or father, or his two sisters knew about it, it would indeed be a big issue.
At that mont, he could only pretend, suggesting that the housekeeper had made a mistake while he winked at him.
Housekeeper Tang caught Hongji’s discreet look. He thoughtfully stared at the man who wouldn’t admit the truth in front of his family, clearly hiding sothing from them.
Thus, he could only wait for a chance to quietly ask Hongji when no one else was around. The matter had to rest there for now; he would look for another opportunity to find the honey.
“Oh, it doesn’t matter then! I ca today for another significant matter, you have a village chief, right?”
Hongji heard the housekeeper change the subject and hurriedly said, “Yes, yes, in our village the village head also serves as the village chief. What does the housekeeper need from our village chief?”
“Didn’t I ntion it to the small boss before? We want to build a wood factory in your village; we must buy or rent land. Renting is not cost-effective, so we should find your village chief to buy the land by the road at the village entrance near the mountain. It’s so dry land, which might be cheaper.”
“The land at the village entrance? That’s where people cleared the fields, and many people at the end of the village have shares in it, so buying it would be a bit troubleso.”
“Does your family own any land there?”
“No.”
“That’s not a problem, as long as we find your village chief and offer enough money, I believe those villagers will still sell. After all, peasants’ land is still owned by the state; by buying the land, they receive money and don’t have to pay taxes.”
The housekeeper’s words made both Hongji and his father nod in agreent, only Mrs. Lai regretfully said:
“Back in those years, when those people cleared the fields there, there was no water source, and it was difficult to farm there; it’s a pity our family didn’t clear land there, otherwise we would have money from selling the land now.”
“It’s too late to say anything now. How much land could you clear? Your own family earned money to buy those two acres of land; how many tis did you work on them? Before, it was the daughter-in-law who worked, and now it’s the children who work.”
“Old man, I was just expressing regret, can’t you save so face in front of our guest? Must you bring up every sore subject?
Getting a daughter-in-law isn’t about having her enjoy comfort at ho. If young people don’t work, should I, an old woman, be working? As for those kids, if they don’t work, they would just be freeloaders at ho!”
Mrs. Lai said so much at once that her spit flew everywhere, making everyone keep their distance from her.
“Humph, excuses abound, I don’t want to hear you ramble; if there’s nothing else, go back to your room!”
“I don’t want to go back to my room; I want to stay here and watch.”
“I can’t be bothered with you…”
As the couple bickered, the housekeeper had already signaled Hongji to lead the way to the village chief.
Hongji, holding his little daughter, wanted to put her back in the room, but she clung tightly to his neck.
Thinking of going to the village chief, which wasn’t his concern, he continued holding his little girl. Siya, seeing her father holding her little sister, grabbed the hem of his clothes and followed quickly with her short legs.
The housekeeper took a gift box from the cart loaded with wood, and carrying the gift box, prepared to find the village chief.
When the housekeeper stopped, Hongji also stopped. Seeing the housekeeper taking sothing, he guessed that it was a gift for the village chief.
He thought to himself how thoughtful the workers at the wealthy family were, unlike their fellow villagers, who weren’t used to giving gifts when handling matters.
To ask soone for a favor, you don’t just give gifts, you also have to give money, or else how could there be so many debts of gratitude?
“Hey, housekeeper… where are you taking that? Isn’t that supposed to be brought to my house?”
Mrs. Lai had seen the gift in the housekeeper’s hands, her eyes gleaming as she thought it was another gift for their family. But seeing the housekeeper carry the gift and head out the door to hand it over, wasn’t that giving it to soone else?
How could this be? She quickly called out to stop the housekeeper.
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