Chapter 312: The Second Brother 02

Chapter 312

The simpler the child, the more sensitive their nature. Who likes her and who doesn't, one can easily find out.

Old Lady Jiang sighed, "Back then, Imperial Consort Yang was infatuated with lychees, making it known throughout the world. Since then, lychees have been exclusively supplied to the imperial family. It was not until the establishment of Dayu that prestigious families got the chance to have some, with demand increasing daily, making the transporting of lychees a lucrative business."

"The Liao family was originally in the escort business, having some experience traveling south and north. Lady Liao then asked the Jiang family as well as the Tian family to put in a good word and nominated them for this lychee transporting business."

Anyone can transport and sell lychees, but being nominated means supplying the imperial family, which also means prestigious families are willing to trust them.

In short, although the lychees were transported by the Liao family, were gifted by the Jiang and Liao families, they were essentially deserved by the Jiang family.

Only then did Jiang Sheng let down her guard and carefully picked up a large fruit.

The skin was rough and prickly, colored greenish-red. Breaking it open revealed the white, slightly transparent flesh. Taking a bite, a sweet aroma filled the mouth, wrapped in soft and tender texture that lingered on the tongue.

The sweetness was very refreshing, not cloying at all. Especially after being chilled, like sudden ice and snow appearing amidst a heat wave, and the ice and snow was exceptionally sweet.

"Is it tasty?" Tan Yue asked with a smile.

Jiang Sheng nodded, but soon knitted her brows again. Under the concerned gazes of the old and the young, she spat out a half-eaten pit.

Old Lady Jiang laughed.

Tan Yue tried hard not to grin. "I forgot to tell Miss that lychees have pits. You can only eat the thin layer of flesh in the middle."

No wonder it's a bit transparent. No wonder it’s so expensive.

Removing the skin and pit, the edible flesh is just a small portion.

Jiang Sheng felt distressed while peeling a bigger, redder fruit. Carefully removing the pit, she fed the flesh to Old Lady Jiang, "Have some, Grandmother." Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

Tan Yue’s motions paused for a second before silently putting the fruit down.

"Oh, alright." Old Lady Jiang elegantly accepted it.

The grandmother and granddaughter worked together enthusiastically and soon finished most of the plate of lychees.

Tan Yue adamantly refused to let them eat the rest. "Lychees are delicious but also make people have too much internal heat. Last year the Eldest Young Master craved them and had two plates, resulting in bad canker sores."

Old Lady Jiang deeply agreed. "Then let’s put them away for tonight."

Jiang Sheng could only watch the mouthwatering big fruits being taken away.

To be sent to Fengjing government offices means losing half a life.

The two maids finally became afraid, presenting the big red fruits in their arms pleading for mercy and kowtowing, “Tan Yue Miss please spare us. We didn’t steal Young Miss’ lychees. These were given to Little Qiao Miss because the Third Young Miss didn’t like them and was afraid they would spoil if left overnight.”

They were just rather close with Little Qiao so they got a few. Not daring to openly eat them, they hid in the depths of the garden to taste them.

The plan was to bury the shells and pits in the soil after eating everything clean and walk away fair and square.

Originally this wasn’t that big of a deal.

The Third Young Miss has a delicate constitution and often gives away food she doesn’t like. She gave them to her so whoever she wanted to handle them was fine.

Tan Yue sighed, just about to turn away when from the corner of her eye the fruits in the maid’s hands shocked her into staring blankly for a few moments.

The lychees she tried at noon left her with a deep impression of greenish-red shells, but the ones the maids held were deep red throughout with shallower grains, seeming about two sizes bigger as well.

If there were grades amongst the fruit, the green-red ones were apparently inferior to the pure large red ones.

Tan Yue dared not think further and hurriedly confiscated all of the lychees before rushing back to Old Lady Jiang to stiffly report the matter.

"Maybe they were just different varieties that can't be readily distinguished apart... " She still wanted to find some excuse.

Lady Jiang said not a word, leading Jiang Sheng by the hand and walking away.

Just at noon she still thought Lady Liao had some bearing as the lady of the household. By nightfall, they encountered this.

She really didn't know if it was Heaven helping them see things clearly, or secretly hinting at something.

But this time Old Lady Jiang did not get angry, didn't even go to Lady Liao to reason things out, only gazed out the window silently for a long time before instructing Tan Yue to spread this news to the young masters in the second courtyard.

The next day.

A sweat-drenched Zheng Ruqian's eyes bulged wide as he roared till the heavens shook, "What? Are you saying the Jiang family differentiates treatment, giving the adopted daughter the best lychees while only giving my sister middle-grade ones?"

The gossipy little maid reporting nervously nodded.

"Good, very good of the Jiang family." Zheng Ruqian fumed with rage until he finally cried towards the sky. "It's just some damned lychees! Jiang San, immediately get me half a sack! I’m sending them to my sister!"

Who doesn't have some lychees!

Do they really think he just idly went to Lingnan!