Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 268 - 176 The Same Name and Surname_2

Chapter 268: Chapter 176 The Same Name and Surname_2

No matter how the family tried to persuade her, she just cried and shook her head.

Having no other choice, the whole family had to stay here with her.

The small courtyard they were living in would not be demolished first; other areas would be constructed first.

After planning, a Siheyuan was to be built right in front of the small courtyard, level with it on the east side. It would serve as the front courtyard, where Qian Sangui would handle official affairs, arrange work, and receive guests in the future, and the main entrance would also be located there.

The courtyard they were residing in then would be the place for Qian Sangui and Lady Wu to live, considered the main courtyard.

Between the main courtyard and the front courtyard was a wall, and beyond a narrow strip of flowers and plants were three smaller courtyards.

Inside the middle courtyard, a small building would be erected, which was the Embroidery Building that Qian Yixiu dearly desired to build for her mother. She also made clear that the floors of the Embroidery Building should be slightly higher to facilitate a far-reaching view.

The other two courtyards were not large, with only three main rooms and three side rooms each. These two small courtyards were being built for Qian Manxia and Qian Yixiu.

Qian Yixiu had long chosen the small courtyard next to West Lake, given its proximity to the water. She didn’t like the sense of a deep and enclosed courtyard, but from this courtyard, she could step out and see the vast West Lake and Mountain of Flowers and Fruits in the distance.

Behind the small courtyard was a bamboo forest, and at the end of that, another wall. Outside the wall were two rows of houses, which were the kitchen, storehouse, and the servants’ resting place.

Corridors with handrails connected all around.

In the large open area in front of West Lake, only three courtyards were built: one for Mr. Yu, which also served as a lecture hall, one for Qian Yeejin, and one more for guests. In addition, there were several pavilions for people to rest and enjoy the view.

These areas were surrounded by high, long courtyard walls, creating the expansive home of the Qian’s third wife.

On the open land next to Xishi Mountain, outside the courtyard wall, several rows of houses were built for servants and workers, and in between several houses, a partition was erected to form small courtyards.

These rows of houses were the first to be completed by the artisans, as they needed to live there temporarily.

Lady Wu had also hired Madam Hua and two other women to cook exclusively for them.

Qian Yixiu had already promised Old Lady Zhang and Shopkeeper Cui that once the houses were finished, she would invite their families to stay with her for a while. In fact, life in the countryside is more leisurely. Both families happily accepted the invitation.

To expedite the construction, the artisans truly lived by the sun—working at sunrise and resting at sunset. Except when it was too dark to see, the noise lasted all day long.

By early May, the lotuses in the lake had sprouted buds. The vast majority of lotuses were golden, not entirely golden per se, as the base of the flowers was light pink, gradually shifting to gold towards the top, culminating in pure gold at the tip. A very small number of lotuses were white, but even they had a tinge of gold at the tips.

And the scent was rich.

Qian Yixiu had anticipated this and had already arranged for someone to enclose West Lake citing the disturbance from the construction, with guards watching over by day and night and a dog guarding the place. The other animals, one monkey and two dogs, had to rush back before dark every day.

Because of this, House of Animals had quite a few complaints. To appease them, Qian Yixiu had silver collars made for them in the town, this time made purely of silver. The previous collars featured a plum blossom design, but this time they were custom-made. Monkey Brother’s collar was engraved with a monkey’s head, while Dashan, Benben, and Tiaotiao’s collars were engraved with wolf heads.

When the lotuses bloomed, they began to be picked and handed over to Master Jin of Liancourt Workshop, who used these golden lotuses to make the most premium series of cosmetics.

Qian Sangui, seeing the lake filled with unique and fragrantly voluptuous golden lotuses, was thrilled—his family had struck it rich!

Any frustration over spending extra silver had vanished.

Encouraged by Mr. Yu, Qian Sangui kept increasing the quality of the building materials and the plants. Silver poured out like water, and the initial budget was far from sufficient, which made Qian Sangui and Lady Wu very distressed.

Qian Yixiu had generously told Master Sangui, "Grandfather, don’t worry, we can sell my pearl if it’s necessary. Shopkeeper Zhao of Treasure Silver Building specifically said he wanted to buy such pearls."

Qian Sangui shook his head and said, "That pearl is for your dowry, we can’t touch it. Don’t worry, your grandmother still has four thousand taels of silver for a rainy day. We’ll ask her to take some out when the time comes."

His mouth said so, but his heart was bleeding.

Now, seeing this kind of golden lotus, he could anticipate the huge economic benefits it would bring to his family.

He also said to Lady Wu, "Yixiu said these golden lotuses can be used to make Fragrance Rouge Powder that will sell for a good price. The golden lotus roots we’ll grow later might be even more valuable. Why are you holding on to the silver so tightly? Use it for now, we’ll earn plenty back later on."