Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 431 - 237: Younger Brother and Sister_2

Chapter 431: Chapter 237: Younger Brother and Sister_2

Brother Ming and Sister Jing were truly fortunate to be born during the best of times for the Qian family. Although they each had a wet nurse, Cheng Yue refused to let the children be taken away, insisting that their sole responsibilities were nursing and changing diapers. Both children had their own small beds in Cheng Yue’s bedroom, while Qian Yixiu still shared the large bed with Cheng Yue.

As the two children grew up healthy, the Qian family also accomplished several important feats.

This year, the peach trees on Mountain of Flowers and Fruits that had been growing for several years could finally bear fruit. They selected the top fifty trees with the best growth and grafted them with the branches from the Golden Peach Tree behind the Lianxiang Water Pavilion. This task was completed by February.

As per the initial agreement, in early March, Moonlit Lotus Pond began to sell the seeds of the Gold Lotus Roots. The name of the Gold Lotus Roots was officially decided: those harvested from West Lake were termed Number One Golden Lotus Roots, and those from Moonlit Lotus Pond were called Number Two Golden Lotus Roots. They sold the seeds from the Number Two Golden Lotus Roots, and the resulting produce was known as third-generation Gold Lotus Roots. Although the taste decreased slightly with each generation, it was still much more delicious than the ordinary red and white lotus roots.

This business venture was a joint effort between the Song family, the Liang family, and the Qian family. Even though there were many partners involved, because there was a vast number of buyers and two years’ worth of stock, they made a hefty profit. By now, Fourth Master Song showed the utmost courtesy towards the Qian family; he even personally brought Sister Qing and Lan Jiejie to the Qian family during Brother Ming and Sister Jing’s full moon celebration, presenting his congratulations and gifts.

By the end of last year, Qian Yixiu had ordered Qian Hua to scout everywhere for skilled goldsmiths, carpenters, stonemasons, and any craftsman knowledgeable in casting. They indeed found five people, including an old man who had once made fire muskets at the Ministry of Trades and Crafts but returned to his hometown after an explosive injury to his right hand. These craftsmen stayed in several houses to the west of Moonlit Lotus Pond, and the first product they created was a baby carriage.

Qian Yixiu presented the designs and explanations for the baby carriage. Once produced, it could serve not only her younger brother and sister but also become an item for sale in the future.

Another accomplishment was that this year, the tea trees jointly managed by Jinxiu Embroidery Workshop and Wuxi Tea Building finally yielded tea leaves. Over four hundred pounds of Golden Lady Tea were picked before Qingming Festival, resulting in no more than one hundred pounds of processed tea leaves. After Qingming, as the weather changed, the quality of the freshly-picked tea leaves was not as good. They were named accordingly, with Golden Lady Tea and Golden Lady Peak as the labels.

On April 6, the siblings turned eleven years old. They ate boiled eggs for their birthday and received gifts from Grandfather Sangui, Grandma Wu, and their mother.

After breakfast, as the siblings made their way to school, Yijin, like always, wanted to take his sister’s hand.

Yixiu sidestepped him, saying, "We are already eleven years old. Even if we are siblings, we can’t keep holding hands."

Yijin stiffened, his face turned red, his eyes bulged, and his lips pursed into a tight seam. Using his right hand, he forcefully pulled his sister’s left hand, which was behind her back, gripped it tightly, and then hurried towards Hexi Garden with her in tow.

The little fellow, being tall and strong for his age, caused Yixiu to trot to keep up. After walking a while, Yijin grumbled, "We’re siblings. What’s the harm in holding hands at home? Even Benben and Tiaotiao have become a pair."

Yixiu rolled her eyes. Indeed, Benben lacked ambition, not bothering to find a pretty bride elsewhere but choosing to focus on his sister Tiaotiao. Now, Tiaotiao was even pregnant with puppies.

Yixiu said, "Dogs are animals. How can you compare us to them?"

Yijin replied, "I was just making a comparison," and in a softer tone, he added, "Brother is just used to it. Since we were young, I’ve been holding my sister’s hand. It feels very uncomfortable to suddenly stop. Dear sister, let brother hold your hand for two more years. Once you are betrothed in two years, brother will stop."

In his heart, though, he thought sadly that even wishing to hold hands would not be possible.

Faced with the fiery temper of this bear of a child, Yixiu felt helpless and thought better not to argue with a childish mind. So she resignedly let him lead her into Linhe Garden.

After school, Yixiu had just left Linhe Garden when she saw Cheng Yue leading a group of people strolling by West Lake, with two wet nurses each pushing a beautiful baby carriage.

These two baby carriages had been delivered the day before yesterday, which had amazed everyone for quite some time.

Previously, Yixiu had considered designing a double baby carriage, but thinking of Yijin’s clinginess towards her, she gave up the idea. She could not allow the siblings to be as inseparably close as Yijin and herself had been. She still felt some indignation about how Yijin, as a baby, had "bullied" the younger Yixiu. Although it was important to foster closeness between the siblings, it was better to maintain some distance.