Chapter 554: Spirit Spring System in Qing Dynasty (5)

"Then this servant will attend to the Gege's washing and grooming."

Shaoyao also came over.

The two maids had a clear division of labor: one worked with nimble hands to tidy the inner chamber, sending the clothes that needed washing to the Laundry Room via a rough-work maid; the other attended to Xie Yang.

Under Shaoyao's service, Xie Yang brushed her teeth with green Salt in turn, rinsed her mouth with tea, and only then picked up a teacup to drink a cup of water.

"Older sister, shall I have the meal served?" Shaoyao asked softly.

Xie Yang flipped through the memories left by the original owner and discovered that in the mansion—no, even in the palace—just like among the common folk, they only ate two meals a day: one in the morning and one in the evening.

But in fact, only the common folk truly ate only two meals.

As for the imperial nobility, it was only two meals in name; in reality, there would be tea and snacks between the two meals. If one really wanted to eat hot food, one could also have the kitchen prepare and send it over; it was nothing more than spending a bit of Silver. In short, one would not go hungry.

But isn't eating breakfast at five in the morning a bit too early?

Xie Yang waved her hand: "No rush, I'll go outside and walk around first."

Getting up so early, wouldn't it be a waste not to practice some cultivation?

Thus, Xie Yang walked out of the room, first circled the small garden, and after deciding how to tidy it up, came to the ancient ginkgo tree in the northeast corner, had Shaoyao bring a meditation cushion, sat cross-legged under the tree, and began to circulate the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden Technique.

Once is a novelty, twice is familiar; this was already the third time, so picking it back up could not have been smoother.

Having received her instructions, Shaoyao stood guard in front with her back to her, coughing once if anyone came.

Of course, early in the morning, who would come to the courtyard of a transparent, low-status concubine's daughter?

Xie Yang was not disturbed at all and practiced cultivation quietly for two hours.

At seven o'clock in the summer, the morning sun had already slowly climbed onto the treetops. Xie Yang felt a bit hot as fine beads of sweat gradually seeped from the tip of her nose, so she opened her eyes and stood up, feeling refreshed.

Returning to the room, Haitang had already brought the meal from the main kitchen.

After washing her face and cleaning her hands, Xie Yang sat down to eat breakfast.

A day's plan starts in the morning; the breakfast at the Beile Mansion was as sumptuous as last night's dinner, only the dishes had changed slightly.

Last night's dinner was braised duck with sauce meat, mushrooms simmered with cabbage, diced chicken stir-fried with shredded pickled melon, five-colored glutinous rice porridge, and three-shred bamboo-joint rolls.

This morning's dishes included osmanthus duck breast, vegetable hearts simmered in three-fresh soup, Nanyang Bird's Nest with assorted shredded chicken, and cold-dressed mushrooms with three shreds; the staple food was rice porridge and White Sugar cake, plus a post-meal dessert of lotus-shaped pastries with bean paste and jujube puree.

Early in the morning, chicken, duck, and Pork were all present; if she hadn't been practicing, and had slept until now to get up and eat, she really might not have been able to finish it.

But on second thought, although the original owner didn't practice, she went to pay her respects every day—first to Li Shi's courtyard, then to the Fujin's courtyard; going back and forth, it wasn't necessarily easier than her practicing.

Thinking again of her cheap father, who had to enter the palace for the morning court before dawn, the Fujin didn't have it any easier, having to endure the annoyance of a room full of Imperial Concubines with a dignified demeanor... no, that is, receiving tea and paying respects.

In short, they could only sit down for breakfast after finishing their busy work.

Thinking of it this way, one really did need a sumptuous breakfast to appease the five internal organs.

Xie Yang thought while feeling happy, eating with great relish.

Once again, she sighed: the cooks in the mansion really have some skills!

After finishing breakfast, she started to get busy.

First, she transplanted a few crape myrtles that were taking up too much space to the northwest corner, where a few small fences had been blocked off, just right for the crape myrtle vines to climb.

Then she transplanted the golden chrysanthemums, soil and all, to the base of the western courtyard wall.

Originally, relatively shade-loving clivias were planted here, but because the weather had been too hot recently, the original owner had transplanted them into flower pots and moved them indoors. The empty ground was originally intended for sowing marigolds, and when they were potted and moved indoors in the golden autumn of September, the whole room would be filled with the fragrance of chrysanthemums.

But Xie Yang did not intend to grow flowers; the existing flowers were enough to decorate the courtyard, and she intended to grow medicinal herbs in the cleared space.

The existing medicinal herbs were grown by the original owner as flowers and plants, and the variety was too small, so she planned to clear some space to supplement them with some common medicinal herbs. In the future, there would be an explanation when she brought out medicinal materials and pills.

After the golden chrysanthemums were transplanted, she poured some diluted Spirit Spring Water to prevent them from withering due to improper transplanting.

The space cleared in the garden was promptly sown with medicinal seeds soaked in the Spirit Spring.

It couldn't be helped; her points were so poor she couldn't even afford Plant Nutrient Solution, so she could only use some Spirit Spring.

Although she was a bit reluctant, after all, if she didn't do Tasks, she could only receive 500 milliliters of Spirit Spring a day.

But if you don't risk the child, you can't catch the Wolf; only by being willing to pay the price now would the quality of the medicinal materials harvested later be better.

Every drink and every peck has its cause.

【Congratulations to the Host for completing the first hidden Task! Reward: Blind Box Treasure Chest *1, remember to collect it! Ga-ga!】

Xie Yang was stunned for a moment, her consciousness entered the Spirit Spring System, and she saw a golden, magnificent little Treasure Chest lying next to the Spirit Spring.

But she was not in a hurry to open the Treasure Chest, instead calling up the Task bar to see what the completed hidden Task actually was.

"Developing the planting function of the Spirit Spring? Is this the so-called hidden Task?"

【That's right! Previous Hosts used the Spirit Spring for drinking, bathing, or healing the sick and saving lives; the Host is the first one to use it for Planting. Ga-ga!】

"..."

This hidden Task was a bit too simple, wasn't it?

But who would refuse a free Treasure Chest?

Xie Yang pretended to rest and sat down at the stone table under the shade of the tree.

Shaoyao and Haitang came over, one carrying a washbasin, the other carrying tea and pastries.

Xie Yang closed her eyes, letting Shaoyao wipe her face and hands, and took the opportunity to open the Blind Box Treasure Chest.

Seeing the contents of the box clearly, she said: "..."

A bag of... seeds?

【That's right! The Blind Box Treasure Chest matches the hidden Task! The Host completed a planting Task, so it's not strange at all to open seeds! Ga-ga!】

"..."

Then why call it a Blind Box Treasure Chest!

【But there are so many seeds, which type of seed you open is random!】

"..."

Looking at the heavy bag of Ice Cream Fruit Radish seeds, Xie Yang had nothing to say.

Ice Cream Radish, isn't it still just a radish?

Forget it, I'd better enjoy my morning tea!

There is nothing that a good meal cannot solve.

She drank a bowl of cool mung bean and lily soup and ate a piece of almond curd.

The pastry chef in the main kitchen is also very skilled!

After finishing her morning tea, Xie Yang planned to sow the soaked seeds, and that would be the end of today's labor. With her ten-year-old frame, she really needed to balance work and rest.

Unexpectedly—

"This servant Shuqin pays her respects to the Eldest Gege! The Fujin personally went into the kitchen to make a seasonal dessert using lotus flowers and invites the Eldest Gege to go and taste it."

"..."

Wasn't it agreed that there was no need to pay respects for these two days?

In this sweltering heat, even if she wanted to reward her, she shouldn't have chosen high noon!

She could not refuse the Fujin's invitation.

But she could choose not to wear flower-pot sole shoes.

High-soled Manchu shoes were also a pass.

In the end, she wore a pair of silk-surfaced embroidered flat shoes that her birth mother had made for her to wear indoors.

Her robe hem was long enough to almost cover the shoe uppers; even if she were discovered, it wouldn't matter, she was still young!

For her clothes, she chose a goose-yellow satin unlined robe with light green trim at the collar and opening, embroidered with cyan bamboo branches and leaves; it was much lighter and cooler than the three-layered Manchu outfit from yesterday.

She didn't change her hairstyle; it was still the small two-bun style she had been given when she got up in the morning.

Haitang actually wanted to take it down and braid her hair into two pigtails, feeling that her Gege looked indescribably playful and cute with them.

Xie Yang: "..."

Could being playful and cute be more important than staying cool?

"Haitang, let's save your skills for winter; I'll definitely satisfy you in winter!"

Xie Yang lifted her skirt and ran decisively, fearing that if she were a step too slow, she would be dragged by Haitang to the vanity mirror to change her hairstyle.