The group left the courtyard, Yun Shang carrying little Qingyu, and they headed together towards the Lotus Courtyard where Xiao’s mother resided. The young servant boy at the door saw them and hurried forward to lead the way. Though small in age, his movements were quite orderly, a stark contrast to how, in modern times, children his age are often unruly, yet in the Great Tang, they seem so cautious. Ah, servants truly have a hard life, Lin Wanwan sighed internally. In the Great Tang, there are even many slaves, with a status lower than servants of later generations. As they entered the room, a maid came up to them and guided Lin Wanwan towards the inner chamber. Xiao’s mother was seated on a long, large bench (similar to a modern-day backless sofa), with her feet naturally hanging down and her body leaning casually against a small table and poufs (similar to cushions), appearing very relaxed, much more private and informal than during Lin Wanwan’s previous visits. In front of Xiao’s mother’s bench were a few small stools, on which sat Xiao Xianghua, the eldest granddaughter, who evidently came earlier than Lin Wanwan to pay respects. Lin Wanwan placed her hands over her abdomen, bent her waist, and performed a courteous bow, saying, "Greetings to Grandmother." Little Qingyu held onto Lin Wanwan’s skirt, imitating the gesture and also said in a soft voice, "Greetings to the Elderly Lady." "Good, good, stand up, good child, come here and sit. Did you sleep well last night?" "It was alright." Lin Wanwan tilted her head and took a plate of red cherries from the basket held by Hong Yan, placing it on the food table beside Xiao’s mother, and said, "Grandmother, I bought these cherries from a foreign goods shop. They have been washed already. Please have a taste; they are very sweet." Xiao’s mother glanced at the purplish-red cherries, slightly opened her mouth, and the maid beside her cleverly used chopsticks to insert one into her mouth. As Xiao’s mother bit into it, the fragrant and sweet flesh and juice filled her palate, brightening her eyes, and after spitting out the pit, she praised, "These cherries are truly sweet, even sweeter than the ones the Lu Family sent a few days ago. It’s remarkable that such good things are available in the markets of Mao County." Lin Wanwan smiled and said, "I was lucky. Being a granddaughter who loves eating, I heard of them immediately when they arrived, and that’s how I managed to buy them." Xiao’s mother said appreciatively, "You are very filial. Come, Xiang’er, you also should taste the cherries your cousin brought. Such a sweet variety is not available in Qiantang or Hangzhou." Xiao Xianghua then smiled, picked up two cherries, and popped them into her mouth. Upon tasting, her eyes lit up: "Truly! Cousin, you are amazing to have managed to buy such sweet cherries. I fear even Lady Lu, who prides herself on being noble, couldn’t have found such good things." "Hmm?" Xiao’s mother murmured softly, "Watch your words." Xiao Xianghua hurriedly stood up and apologized, "Granddaughter misspoke." "Words can bring disaster, Xiang’er, remember this. You are of age to be discussed in marriage now; bear in mind your future husband’s family may not tolerate you like your parental family does." Xiao Xianghua quickly agreed and playfully winked at Lin Wanwan. Lin Wanwan smiled secretly. This girl, on their first meeting, presented herself as a gentle and virtuous young lady, but once relaxed, she revealed her youthful exuberance. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 That’s how it should be; otherwise, she wouldn’t be a true maiden but a puppet taught to conform. This also indicated that Lin Wanwan’s maternal family wasn’t overly patriarchal and didn’t neglect the upbringing of their daughters. Such relatives were not unappealing to Lin Wanwan. As they chatted about family matters, more members of the Xiao Family came to pay their respects and thanked Lin Wanwan for the cherries sent today. Such good cherries are normally hard to come by for the Xiao Family. Evidently, this granddaughter of the elderly lady is far wealthier than they presumed. With daylight fully upon them, Lin Wanwan bid farewell to Xiao’s mother, choosing not to stay for a meal and returning directly to her guest quarters. At the same time, a maid from the elder uncle’s side came in, accompanied by a small maid with a food container, smiling as she entered, "The chicken soup, which Lady wanted, has been boiled and brought from the kitchen, seasoned with the pepper and dried mushrooms sent by Hua Nong to the kitchen. It should be really tasty now; please enjoy." Lin Wanwan glanced at Yun Shang, who stepped forward to give a small reward to the two, substituting Lin Wanwan to say, "Thank you for coming all this way, here is something for you to buy some snacks." The maid and helper thanked her repeatedly, joyfully retreating backward out of the courtyard. Once they stepped outside the gate and looked at the reward in their hands, they found it was indeed three peppercorns per person! Just as they had guessed when it was placed in their hands. They exchanged glances and saw the shock in each other’s eyes. This niece of the Lin Family was remarkably generous, so no wonder they say she was raised by an old immortal; her grandeur is unlike that of ordinary women. Such three peppercorns, full and high-quality which aren’t easy to buy even with money, at least valued at a hundred coins, were given as a casual reward. Delivering things to Lin Wanwan was certainly a good task and one they would vie for in the future. Inside, Yun Shang handed the finished letter and a basin of warm water to Lin Wanwan and little Qingyu respectively, as both were thirsty from talking in Xiao’s mother’s courtyard, and they drank it all in one gulp. "I will take one drumstick for myself and another for little Qingyu; the rest you all may divide amongst yourselves," Lin Wanwan said, handing back the porcelain cup to Yun Shang, then asked, "Did someone buy charcoal yesterday?" Yun Shang replied, "Madam, the charcoal has been bought. Do you want it brought here now?" Lin Wanwan stood up, saying, "No need, let’s first have breakfast, and afterward, let’s do the work after being full." The water quality in Qiantang County City is too bad right now, and Lin Wanwan intends to produce some activated charcoal to filter the water. In truth, this kind of thing is very convenient to buy in the modern world, but Lin Wanwan chooses to make it herself mainly to avoid drawing attention. Right now, the drinking water in Hangzhou City and Qiantang County primarily relies on mountain spring water, which has its limitations. Only the wealthiest families can afford to send people daily to fetch sweet spring water, and most of the ordinary people have to make do with subquality well water. This situation didn’t get resolved until the second year of Jianzhong during the reign of Tang Dezong, when Li Bi came to Hangzhou to serve as Prefect and opened six water wells (not traditional wells, but more akin to water pipelines) to draw water from West Lake into the wells, thereby solving the urban residents’ drinking water problem. Now it’s only the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, with 151 years left until Li Bi comes to solve the people’s drinking water issue, unless a history-altering figure appears. Lin Wanwan expressed she had no desire to be that person, without the position, one should not overstep one’s bounds. Recklessly meddling is risky business; she’d rather take care of her own matters for now. After breakfast, Lin Wanwan deliberately changed into a breezy, practical outfit, set a small stool in the courtyard, and then instructed Hua Nong and Kun Lun to crush all the purchased charcoal into powder. Then, a mixture of one part calcium chloride with three parts water was gradually poured over the charcoal powder to fully cover but not overly dampen it. After finishing this, Lin Wanwan instructed Kun Lun to bring over a large board to cover it and informed everyone in the courtyard not to touch it.