Immediately broke into a broad smile, bowed to the group, and said with delight, “So it’s the young miss. I am Cao Wanrong, the owner of this place.”
He Wulang hurriedly returned the bow, looking puzzled at Mudan, wondering how she knew this person.
Before Mudan could answer, Cao Wanrong was already apologizing, “I’m truly sorry for what happened last time. Please forgive my uncouth behavior.”
“It’s fine, really,” Mudan said, somewhat confused. Cao Wanrong had been so fierce, unpleasant, and unreasonable last time. Why was he being so polite now?
Cao Wanrong had already turned his attention to Madam Zhang: “This lady seems unwell, and you’re far from the city. There’s a good doctor nearby. Why don’t you rest in a nearby pavilion while I send someone to fetch the doctor?”
Seeing Madam Zhang’s face as pale as gold paper, leaning weakly in his arms with a dim look in her eyes, He Wulang felt a pang of concern. Noting that it was still early, he agreed, “We’ll trouble you, then.”
“It’s no trouble at all. I hope you’ll come back to enjoy the gardens again,” Cao Wanrong said. He called over a young servant to accompany He’s family to fetch the doctor, while he eagerly led the way, guiding everyone to a nearby waterside pavilion. He ordered tea and fruit to be served, being exceptionally hospitable.
He Wulang, being wealthy, didn’t find his hospitality excessive, assuming it was just good business practice and that he’d pay for these expenses later. Shortly after, the doctor indeed arrived. After taking Madam Zhang’s pulse, he congratulated He Wulang profusely – it turned out Madam Zhang was with child and there was nothing seriously wrong.
He Wulang was elated and gave the doctor an especially generous reward. They had come on horseback, but now Madam Zhang couldn’t ride. Cao Wanrong, standing at a distance, seized the opportunity to say, “We have sedan chairs available. You’re welcome to borrow them.”
He Wulang thanked him with a smile and took out money to pay for the tea, fruit, and sedan chair rental. But Cao Wanrong waved his hand, firmly refusing: “I see the young master as a man of talent and wish to make your acquaintance. How could I charge a friend for a cup of tea and help his family home? That would be insulting!”
Mudan remembered how this man had once waited by the release pool for days just to buy a flower from Old Seven Zou, disregarding propriety to compete for it, and even daring to bid against Liu Chang. When outbid, he had threatened Old Seven Zou. Such a person was not to be trusted. Now, with his generous gestures, she wondered what scheme he was plotting. Mudan kept signaling to He Silang with her eyes, indicating that they shouldn’t accept this favor. He Silang understood and insisted on paying.
Cao Wanrong said, “Why are you being so fussy? Do you think Cao Wanrong is short of money? If you look down on me, that’s one thing, but why insult me like this? If you insist on paying, I won’t lend you the sedan chair.”
At that time, men feared being called fussy more than anything. He Silang’s face showed discomfort, and he said straightforwardly, “Brother, we appreciate your kindness, but we can’t accept favors without reason. Moreover, you run this garden as a business, and setting such a precedent wouldn’t be appropriate. Is there any way we can be of service to you?”
Cao Wanrong glanced at Mudan, his face showing extreme difficulty. After a while, he said, “To be honest with you all, I’m from Lingnan. I heard that people everywhere love peonies, and of all flowers in the world, only peonies are considered true flowers. Drawn by their reputation, I came to the capital and spent six or seven years building this garden. My greatest wish is to collect all the famous flowers of the world in this garden. However, many rare varieties are impossible to find no matter how hard I try. I’ve heard that your household has many rare species. Could you possibly spare a couple of plants for me…”
By this point, Mudan fully understood what he was after, though she didn’t know where he had gotten his information. She politely declined, “As it happens, I’m also a flower enthusiast. Those flowers were part of my dowry from my parents, and I don’t intend to sell them.”
Cao Wanrong looked deeply disappointed but persisted, “In autumn, could you perhaps sell me a few flower buds? I’ll certainly pay above market price.”
Mudan thought to herself that while she would eventually sell flower buds, this man was her strongest competitor. Her conditions weren’t yet mature, and selling to him prematurely would leave her with nothing to maintain her peony garden’s expenses or establish her reputation. Unable to sell, she simply shook her head.
Cao Wanrong was extremely disappointed but wanted to say more. He Wulang interjected, “Don’t push it. My sister loves flowers like her own life. She can’t bear to part with them.”
Cao Wanrong’s eyes darted around, and he tried again, “Since you love flowers, I happen to have a few peonies here that are quite exceptional. I guarantee they’re far superior to that Da Hu Hong from the other day. Would the young miss like to take a look? We could make an exchange?”
Mudan was somewhat tempted but remembered that the most important thing now was to get Madam Zhang home. She declined, “We have matters to attend to today. Perhaps another time.”
Cao Wanrong urged, “They’re truly exceptional. Being late-blooming varieties, they haven’t withered yet. If you come in a few days, you might miss the flowers altogether. If you’re worried about the patient, you could leave a few people here and go back first.”
Was the flower more important, or family? Besides, this was on the outskirts of the city, and knowing this man wasn’t trustworthy, how could she stay here alone? Mudan firmly rejected Cao Wanrong’s suggestion: “There’s no rush. We can discuss it another time.”
Seeing that Mudan wouldn’t budge, Cao Wanrong’s face turned ugly, though he barely managed to contain his anger. Noticing his sudden change of expression, Mudan inwardly sighed. She took the money from He Wulang’s hand, gently placed it on the table, thanked him, and turned to leave. This time, Cao Wanrong didn’t refuse, though his face remained extremely unpleasant. Nevertheless, he still provided the sedan chair.
After leaving Cao’s peony garden, He Wulang sighed, “This man has such a strange temper. Turning hostile at the slightest disagreement. It’s rare to see a businessman like this.”
Mudan said, “He’s the one who tried to outbid us for the flower when we went to buy flowers last time.”
Hearing this, He Wulang pursed his lips and said, “No wonder.” He then went ahead to tip the sedan chair bearers and inquire about Cao Wanrong’s background. A moment later, he rode his horse back to Mudan’s side, smiling, “Guess what he used to do?”
Seeing the young man’s eyes full of mirth, Mudan felt curious, “What did he do? Tell me quickly, Fifth Brother!”
He Wulang made a cheerful duck call and laughed, “This man is quite formidable. In the rivers and streams of Lingnan, there are alluvial gold and gold pools. Some people, when butchering geese and ducks, find gold in their stomachs. He raised countless geese and ducks, specifically to collect their droppings. Then he would pan them carefully. On a good day, he could get two taels of gold, and even on a bad day, he’d get half a tael. He raised geese and ducks there for over ten years, becoming a famous local wealthy man. Later, probably envying the refined lifestyle of the capital, he came here and switched to growing flowers. Don’t underestimate him – this year he presented four pots of peonies to the palace, one red, one white, one purple, and one yellow, all thousand-petal peonies. While others present flowers to make money, he spent considerable effort and money to make this tribute. Afterward, many nobles came to tour his garden and buy flowers, earning him quite a profit.”
Mudan listened with a serious expression, realizing that everyone had their methods. For her to cultivate flowers and open up the market in the future would still be a long and arduous process.
The news of Madam Zhang’s pregnancy greatly delighted He Zhizhong and Madam Cen. Others also congratulated Madam Zhang, but Madam Yang and Madam Sun were visibly downcast. Madam Sun had been married for over a year but still showed no signs of pregnancy. Seeing Madam Sun’s distress, Mudan actively engaged her in conversation. She also realized that recently, Madam Cen had been intentionally cold towards her and Aunt Yang, which wasn’t good. An unintentional comment had led to family discord. So, she invited Madam Sun to her quarters to play, using pine nuts to entertain Shuai Shuai and tell jokes.
Shuai Shuai, usually an attention-seeker, had been displeased lately because Mudan was busy with external affairs and spent less time with it than before. This led to an instinctive hostility towards unfamiliar people close to Mudan. When Madam Sun greeted it, it simply squawked and turned its head away haughtily. Mudan scolded it, but it ignored her, turning its back to show its bottom to Mudan.
Knowing it was jealous again, Mudan ignored it and started eating pine nuts in front of it, commenting on how delicious they were. Shuai Shuai gradually couldn’t resist. It lowered its noble head, tilted to look at Mudan, anxiously pacing back and forth on its perch, fawning, “Mudan is the cutest, Mudan is the cutest.” Then it boasted about itself, “Shuai Shuai is so handsome.”
Seeing this, Madam Sun couldn’t help but laugh. She took the pine nuts from Mudan’s hand and fed them to Shuai Shuai. Looking at Mudan, she said softly, “Mudan, I was genuinely concerned about you last time. I had no other intentions.”
Mudan blinked, “I’ve always known that Sixth Sister-in-law cares about me.”
Madam Sun sighed and smiled bitterly, “After you left that day, I was scolded harshly by the concubine, saying I was eyeing your dowry. When your Sixth Brother came home that night, he also gave me a severe scolding.”
As she spoke, Madam Sun carefully observed Mudan’s expression. Seeing Mudan’s innocent look, she bit her lip and continued, “Actually, I had just heard that the Liu family wanted to keep your dowry without returning it. I was worried you might be short of funds in the future. I was concerned for you and at the same time… I wanted to please my in-laws. You know, I’ve been married for so long without showing any signs of pregnancy. I feel very insecure and always try to maintain good relationships with everyone. Do you understand what I mean?”
What she thought would be a way to curry favor turned out to be a trap. Madam Yang’s scolding words still rang in her ears: “If it was such a good thing, allowing you to stand out and show the whole family how much you care for Mudan, why didn’t that person ask herself? Why leave this opportunity to you? To let you take the spotlight? Can’t you use your brain?” Thinking of this, Madam Sun felt her teeth itch with hatred.
Mudan, however, didn’t dwell on these matters. She simply held Madam Sun’s hand gently and said, “Sixth Sister-in-law, you’re all overthinking this. I know you care about me. Don’t worry, you’ll have a child eventually. You’re only a year older than me, still in your prime years.”