Hearing Mudan’s call and seeing Wu San quickly approaching to catch it with clearly ill intentions, Shuaishuai looked arrogantly at Wu San. It flapped its wings, took a couple of threatening steps on Jiang Changyang’s head, and before Mudan could get angry, flew off to land on her arm. It cackled twice, then tilted its head to look at Mudan’s face endearingly and said, “Mudan is so cute.”
Seeing its small, bean-like eyes, Mudan couldn’t harden her heart. She could only smile sheepishly and look apologetically at Jiang Changyang, saying, “It has never done such a rude thing before. I guess it must be like you.”
Jiang Changyang smiled slightly, “I think so too.” He took a grape from the table and placed it in his palm, offering it to Shuaishuai. The parrot cautiously observed his expression, then swiftly snatched the grape and flew to what it deemed a safe place. There, it skillfully grasped the grape with one claw, called out loudly, “Hello, Uncle Jiang,” and then lowered its head to concentrate on eating the grape.
Jiang Changyang couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and seeing that he wasn’t angry at all, the others joined in the laughter. Mudan knew that from now on, in Shuaishuai’s eyes, Jiang Changyang would always be “Uncle Jiang.”
Jiang Changyang stayed at Fang Garden until it was almost time for dinner. Mudan believed that if it weren’t for Lin Mama’s indirect hints – asking about his estate’s business, who managed it in his absence, and whether the roads were safe after dark – he would surely have stayed until after dinner. But Lin Mama thought he had stayed too long, which wasn’t appropriate. Under these circumstances, even with his thick skin, he couldn’t comfortably continue to stay and had to bid farewell.
Ying Niang and Rong Niang were quite disappointed. Jiang Changyang was an excellent conversationalist, knowledgeable about the customs and lifestyles of many places outside the capital that they didn’t know about, such as the sea and the desert. He even enthusiastically told them how to prospect for minerals: “Where there are scallions on the mountain, there’s silver beneath; where there’s Chinese chives, there’s gold; where there’s ginger, there’s copper and tin; where there are precious stones, the tree branches all droop.”
Mudan didn’t believe he had gone prospecting or could identify mineral deposits at a glance. Most of this knowledge probably came from miscellaneous books or his friends. But she was certain that Jiang Changyang was wracking his brains and putting in great effort to please her family and her pet. Compared to Shuaishuai, who would pretend to be deaf and mute and invisible whenever it saw Liu Chang, this Shuaishuai that dared to jump on Jiang Changyang’s head to cause mischief made Mudan feel more at ease.
She believed that animals had an innate instinct to see through to the essence of things. For instance, when she had first awakened in this body, what she feared most was making eye contact with Shuaishuai, who hung not far from her bed. Shuaishuai would often maintain one posture for a long time, staring at her motionlessly with its small, dark eyes barely moving. She felt those eyes could see into her heart, penetrate her soul, and uncover her true identity. This thought made her shudder. But she persevered, not letting anyone remove it, and learned to make friendly eye contact and talk to it. At first, it was arrogant and ignored her, even pecking her hand rudely, but gradually, it became her Shuaishuai, learning to call out “Mudan is so cute” whenever it saw her. It was her first friend since coming here, and no one else could accompany her lonely self like it did.
Mudan gently stroked Shuaishuai’s head, whispering words only they could hear: “Shuaishuai, you’ve had enough snacks today. You can’t have any more for the next couple of days.” Shuaishuai half-closed its eyes, motionless, clearly enjoying her gentle caress.
Mudan softly asked, “What do you think of him? You still like him, right?”
Shuaishuai tilted its head and lightly pecked her palm.
“Good Shuaishuai, do you understand what ‘like’ means this time?” Mudan remembered reading that large parrots had intelligence equivalent to a five-year-old child, becoming smarter with more training and age. Shuaishuai usually showed more self-awareness rather than simply repeating a few basic words.
This time, Shuaishuai didn’t answer her; he was almost asleep.
Mudan smiled slightly, talking to herself, “Actually, I think I’m quite lucky. Although there were some troubles before, everything worked out in the end. It will be the same in the future, won’t it?” Perhaps he would be the one she was waiting for. Mudan suddenly shook her head, deciding not to think about it for now. There was plenty of time ahead; things would naturally develop.
Lin Mama entered with clean clothes, just in time to hear Mudan’s words. She smiled and said, “It’s best that you can think this way, Dan Niang. Only with an open mind can your body stay healthy.” Lowering her voice, she added, “Mama is still waiting for the day you get married. You must live well and show those petty people.”
Mudan smiled, “I know.”
Lin Mama immediately said, “Young Master Jiang is a good person, but you must be reserved when you should be, and cordial when you should be. Some things shouldn’t be said carelessly, like today…”
Mudan quickly pushed Lin Mama out, saying, “I know, I know. You’ve been busy all day and must be tired. Go to sleep quickly.”
Lin Mama had no choice but to leave, turning back as she walked, “You must listen to Mama this time. Next time he comes, you should be more reserved than today…”
Mudan puffed her cheeks, thinking about playing hard to get. That night, Mudan had a beautiful dream. In the dream, she was alone, surrounded by magnificent peonies, including black varieties not found here, too numerous to count. As a result, she woke up automatically before dawn, with a smile still on her face. Kuan’er, who had been on night duty, was exhausted from yesterday’s work and sleeping soundly. Mudan quietly avoided her, gently opened the door, and went out.
The early morning Fang Garden was shrouded in a thin white mist. There was no wind, and it was unclear if the weather would be fine, but the air was very fresh, carrying a damp scent of earth and grass. This was the smell of life. Mudan reached out to catch a crystal-clear dewdrop from a blade of grass and put it in her mouth. After tasting it for a moment, she detected a faint dusty flavor and spat it out, laughing like a child.
She looked at the sky, estimating that others wouldn’t wake up for at least another quarter of an hour, and headed towards the seedling garden. Along the way, she fully appreciated her Fang Garden. Some of the transplanted flowers and trees were thriving, while others looked wilted. However, the stones bought from Yuan Shijiu were truly beautiful and very suitable. Mudan thought that if the peonies and plants she had carefully planted were like a gorgeous garment, then Yuan Shijiu’s stones were the bones supporting this beautiful dress. Now with flesh and bones in harmony, she only needed to manage it well, keep it alive, make it vibrant and full of vitality, and it would become a rare beauty with the power to captivate at first sight.
Thinking of this, she was reminded of Jiang Changyang, that young, strong man who blushed easily, had white teeth, and smelled of grass rather than perfume. She couldn’t help but start predicting when he would next visit and what excuse he would use. She guessed that he would certainly come again within three days at most, and his excuse would be the gardener she had asked him to find. Perhaps the gardener wouldn’t be so easy to find, but he would surely come midway to report what his friend had said, asking her to wait a bit longer, and so on. Mudan couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.
As she approached the seedling garden, she heard voices coming from not far ahead. It was Gardener Zheng’s voice: “Xilang, work hard. Madam, He is kind-hearted and understands peonies well. If you can gain her recognition and she teaches you a trick or two, it’ll be enough for you to live on for a lifetime.”
Xilang replied in a low voice, “I know. Uncle Nine, what have you learned from her?”
Gardener Zheng sighed softly, “She’s guarding against me. Most of the time, she doesn’t want me around. But I always hope that one day, she’ll teach me something, seeing how diligent and honest I am.”
“Uncle Nine, are there many, many peonies in that small garden? I heard that this year, Cao Wanrong bought almost all the grafting heads from the Taoist and Buddhist temples in the city. Where did she get hers from?”
Gardener Zheng said, “Actually, some are inferior peonies and peonies, but there are quite a few grafted flowers too. I don’t know where they came from. Madam, He has her ways. You saw that gentleman today; she has quite a few friends like him. Perhaps they were given to her from their estates.”
Xilang made a sound of understanding and said quietly, “This year, Cao Wanrong spent a lot of money buying grafting heads and bought up all the surrounding land at high prices. He’s also inviting famous designers everywhere. If he builds it, it will only be bigger than this one. And that’s not all; he plans to secure next year’s grafting heads from all the temples and Taoist shrines at high prices. He’s telling everyone that Fang Garden is empty, with pitifully few peonies, not worth visiting. He says that with so many stones bought, it might as well be renamed Shi Garden. I plan to tell Madam He about this. Do you think she’ll be so happy that she’ll let me into the garden?”
Gardener Zheng was heard saying, “Don’t you dare mention that person again. Be careful not to be overheard and raise suspicions, or be accused of betraying your former master as soon as you arrive. You might be driven out, wasting all my efforts. I warn you again, keep your hands clean. Don’t steal any more grafting heads from this Fang Garden, or I’ll be the first not to spare you.”
Xilang said dejectedly, “Uncle Nine, I’ve told you so many times, I had no choice then. My father needed medicine, and Cao Wanrong wouldn’t lend me money or give me an advance on my wages. What could I do? I didn’t want to be a thief.”
Mudan sighed inwardly. Cao Wanrong again. Had Gardener Zheng introduced a little thief to her, counting on her kindness? With deception in his heart, yet considering himself diligent and honest, still wanting her to teach him techniques – how should she deal with him?
And Cao Wanrong, did he think that by buying up all the grafting heads, he could put her in a desperate situation? No, she had new peony propagation techniques that the gardeners of this era hadn’t mastered yet. That was the young bud grafting method. In traditional peony grafting methods, hardwood grafting was always the main approach, which required a large number of peony scions. However, if she used the dozens, even hundreds of young buds from the peony’s root collar that would otherwise be discarded – the basal buds – and grafted them onto herbaceous peony roots, it would be different. The survival rate would be higher, and it would be conducive to dwarfing peonies, making them suitable for potting. At most, she would just have to wait two more years.
So no matter how many peony-grafting heads Cao Wanrong bought, no matter how big a garden he built, she wasn’t afraid. Since he had so much money and liked to attack others, she wanted to see just how much money he had to buy up all the peony grafting heads in the entire capital. If he could think of controlling her peony scale from the source, couldn’t she drain his funds? In a few years, how would he compete with her?
Mudan took a few quiet steps forward, rounding a clump of Arhat bamboo, and saw Uncle and Nephew Zheng crouching beside a Taihu rock. The two were tending to a light green peony, with Xilang looking very focused, his movements gentle as he cared for the flower, appearing like a true flower enthusiast.
Mudan pondered for a moment and decided not to “disturb” the two. Whether Xilang was genuine or not, she planned to let him stay for now. She knew Cao Wanrong’s cunning and vicious nature. If Xilang was indeed sent by Cao Wanrong, even if she sent him away, someone else would come. It was better to keep him where she could see him.
Mudan quietly turned and made her way to the seedling garden. She asked the gatekeeper for the key, unlocked the tightly closed gate, and walked along the narrow paths between the rows, inspecting her treasures one by one. The more she looked, the more she loved them. After examining all the newly grafted flowers, Yuhe came looking for her.
Mudan told Yuhe about Xilang and her plans. “When I return to the city, I’ll go around saying I want to pre-order peony grafts for next year.”
Yuhe frowned, “But what if Xilang is lying? Can we handle so many grafts? Peonies are expensive, and not many people can afford them. Maybe he bought too many this year and wants us to suffer losses too so he’ll feel better.”
Mudan smiled, “I’m not going to buy them, just saying I plan to.” Whether Cao Wanrong truly wanted to pre-order next year’s grafts or was trying to deceive her, she would fan the flames. With two major gardens “competing” for grafts, next year’s peony prices would likely be very good.
Although Fangyuan was still a work in progress, Yingniang and Rongniang loved it there. They followed Mudan’s example, changing into coarse cotton dresses and exploring the area. In the evening, they joined Zhengniang and others for a walk in the fields, watching children catch crickets on the ridges between paddy fields, thoroughly enjoying themselves. That night, they snuck away from Da Niang and Lin Mama to drink with Mudan and her nieces, savoring the quail prepared by Zhou Ba Niang until midnight, experiencing a leisure and freedom they never had in their city home.
Early on the third morning, Mudan was making her usual rounds in the seedling garden, inspecting her treasures. As expected, Jiang Changyang arrived. He entered the garden with familiarity, finding Mudan examining the healing wounds on the peonies. He smiled, “How’s that Shiyangji growing?” as if he had come specifically to check on that flower.
Mudan suppressed a smile, her hands continuing their work. She casually pointed in a direction, “It’s over there. Go look for yourself.”
Jiang Changyang stood silently behind her for a moment, then walked over quietly. However, he stopped at the thatched shed to dip his hands in water, then quickly returned, not disturbing her but waiting patiently nearby. Mudan ignored him, focusing on her task until she had observed all the flowers and plants, which took about half an hour. When she turned back, Jiang Changyang was still standing there. Seeing her look at him, he immediately broke into a smile.
Yuhe, waiting nearby, secretly winked at Mudan, gesturing for her to look at Jiang Changyang’s clothes. Mudan noticed he was wearing a new jade-colored robe today, without his sword. A translucent jade pendant hung from his waist. His black gauze headwear, though not new, was well-arranged, and his boots were spotless. This was indeed rare.
Noticing Mudan observing his attire, Jiang Changyang smiled, slightly uncomfortable. He straightened his clothes and said, “I had this robe made before the New Year. I don’t particularly like the color, but Wu San said it was fine. I don’t trust his judgment much, so I thought I’d wear it for your evaluation.”
Mudan and Yuhe almost burst out laughing. Wearing something he didn’t like? It was obvious he was fishing for compliments. Mudan held back her laughter and said seriously, “Actually, it looks quite good. Very spirited.”
Jiang Changyang couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows.
Mudan looked around, not seeing Wu San, and asked, “Where’s Steward Wu?”
Jiang Changyang casually replied, “He had other matters to attend to.” As he followed Mudan out, he continued, “I inquired, and my friend has similar gardeners. He’s willing to spare one for you. I chose a mute one for you. What do you think?”
Mudan was startled. What kind of person was this friend, keeping multiple similar gardeners? And able to choose a mute one at will? Were there all sorts of varieties?
Seeing Mudan’s hesitation, Jiang Changyang seemed more relaxed. He urged her to accept the gardener: “He’s an old man without children. As long as you’re willing to care for him in his old age, he won’t do anything to betray you. Just get through these few years, and by then, your own trained staff will be ready.”
Mudan couldn’t help but ask, “May I know who this friend of yours is?”
Jiang Changyang hesitated for a moment, then said, “Have you heard of Prince Jing?”
Mudan shook her head blankly, “I’m not familiar with such important figures.”
Jiang Changyang smiled gently, “He’s not an important figure, nor is he famous. Among the Emperor’s dozen or so sons, he’s the least known, practically a nobody. It’s no wonder you don’t know him. This gardener belongs to him. Do you dare to take him?”
Mudan frowned, “Is he your good friend?”
Jiang Changyang seriously corrected her, “He’s a friend.” A friend, not a good friend.
Mudan was silent for a moment, then said, “If you think he’s trustworthy, I’m willing to give it a try.”
Jiang Changyang’s smile grew warmer, and he said with unusual confidence, “You can trust my choice completely. His price is a bit high, 100,000 cash, but he’s worth it. I heard that over a decade ago, he managed the Furong Garden. You’ll understand when you meet him.”
Mudan saw a glint of cunning and satisfaction in his eyes, which made her look forward to meeting this mute gardener. She smiled, “If he’s as capable as you say, the price isn’t high at all. Even more wouldn’t be an issue.”
Jiang Changyang smiled, and they walked on in silence. After a while, he suddenly called out softly, “Dan Niang.”
His slightly deep voice was like fine silk, gently sliding past Mudan’s ear, leaving an unusual sensation. Mudan’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt her smile stiffen slightly. She quietly responded, “What is it?”
Jiang Changyang looked up at Mudan, catching a fleeting blush on her jade-like earlobe. Though it disappeared quickly, he still managed to capture this subtle change. His eyes sparkled as he cheerfully said, “I’m inviting the Pan Rong couple to stay at my estate for a few days. Would you like to come and keep Lady Bai company?” Without waiting for Mudan’s answer, he quickly added, “It’s mainly to thank Lady Bai for her help last time.”
The answer was obvious, so why even ask if she was willing? Mudan sighed slightly, feeling a bit helpless, “Then I must go, I suppose.” Although she didn’t particularly like Pan Rong, she did like Lady Bai.
Jiang Changyang smiled joyfully and said in a low voice, “I just built a waterside pavilion and some rockeries. They’re finished now, and you can come take a look. I’ve planted double-petaled lotus and white lotus. It will be beautiful next summer. You can bring Yingniang and Rongniang to play then.”
Mudan teased, “Will you charge for that?”
Jiang Changyang quickly retorted, “What do you think? Should I charge?”
Mudan suddenly felt his gaze was too intense. She inelegantly rolled her eyes at him, “How would I know if you’ll charge or not?” Then she couldn’t help but turn her face away and smile.
Jiang Changyang was silent for a moment, then chuckled. This was the first time she had rolled her eyes at him, and he had also received a blush and a shy smile. Wearing this new outfit was worth it after all, and it wasn’t in vain that he had pestered Prince Jing for half a day to get that gardener.
Hearing his laughter, Mudan felt even more uncomfortable, especially seeing Yuhe’s perpetually upturned lips. She felt increasingly embarrassed and pretended to look around, “What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?”
Jiang Changyang saw through her little trick and laughed even louder.
Shuangshuang was still playing with Yingniang and Rongniang in the grass pavilion, but today it was gnawing on a tree branch. Seeing Mudan and Jiang Changyang approach, it dropped the branch and flew towards Jiang Changyang’s head as usual. Jiang Changyang stood still, and just as it was about to land, his arm shot out swiftly, grabbing its neck.
Shuangshuang’s small, black bean-like eyes widened in shock as they stared at Jiang Changyang, not understanding how this man, who had been smiling foolishly yesterday, had suddenly changed. He held its neck, not tightly, but still held it… It scratched at his hand several times, but he showed no reaction, neither tightening nor loosening his grip. It looked frantically at Mudan, who stood by without any apparent intention of rescuing it. After a moment of silence, it mustered all its strength and shouted, “Hello, Uncle Jiang!”
With a “dong,” Jiang Changyang’s free hand flicked its beak hard, making it dizzy. Not only did it hurt, but it was also frightening. Its high-pitched voice weakened, “Mudan, Mudan, Shuangshuang, Shuangshuang.”
It was calling for help. Mudan’s heart softened, but Jiang Changyang showed no intention of letting go. So Shuangshuang changed its tune, “Hello, Uncle Jiang, Hello, Uncle Jiang.” Only then did Jiang Changyang release it, placing it on his arm. “Little one, this is where you should be.” Shuangshuang drooped its head, not moving for a long time.t