Xiao Qi, Xiao Long, and Xiao Hu went to school, Lian Shouxin drank a cup of tea and stood up. The thin morning mist of the autumn day had completely dispersed, and today would be a sunny day. Lian Shouxin first wanted to check the school, then go to the courtyard to oversee the people on the estate drying grains and threshing. Lian Shouxin was not someone who could sit idle.

"The weather is nice today, let’s take out the fall and winter clothes to sun," Lady Zhang said to Lian Manman.

"Mother, I’ll go pick some Rosa rugosa first. We can pickle more green silk roses this year," Lian Manman nodded. "When I come back, I’ll help you with the clothes."

Every year now, many apricots and Rosa rugosa come down from Manman’s family’s estate, many of which Lady Zhang and Lian Manman pickle into green silk roses. Apart from making some snacks for the family and gifting them, a portion is sent to the shop as a local specialty of the estate and sells quite well.

"Alright, go ahead," Lady Zhang nodded with a smile. "Go quickly and return quickly now that the dew has gone and the sun isn’t too harsh yet. But later, the sun will get fierce."

"Okay," Lian Manman agreed and went out.

"Wear a hat," Lady Zhang reminded behind her.

Lian Manman wasn’t like many of the girls from official and wealthy families she now associated with, who never stepped out of their homes. It was Wu Lang who saw the hats worn by young ladies in the capital city to evade gazes, hats with light veils stitched into their brims to shield the face. Wu Lang brought a few back to give as gifts.

After receiving the hat, Lian Manman made some modifications to improve its sun-blocking effect and make it more breathable. She wore it every time she went out, which indeed effectively prevented her skin from tanning.

Lian Manman called this hat a sun hat.

Wearing the sun hat, Lian Manman, with Ji Xiang, Ru Yi, Shan Xi, and Lianghuan carrying baskets and other items, followed her out. Now, Ji Xiang and Ru Yi were the main maids with Lian Manman, and Shan Xi and Lianghuan were bought last year, also serving in Lian Manman’s quarters. As for the previous Xiao Xi and Xiao Qing, they were capable of handling responsibilities independently and were assigned to Wu Lang and Xiao Qi.

These maids, when a few years older, would be paired among the Lian Family’s servants and become the Lian family’s steward’s wives in the future.

Walking west from the door of the side courtyard led to the vegetable garden. At the edge of the vegetable garden, the sound of students reading aloud from the not-so-distant school could be heard. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The morning countryside was calm and peaceful, yet full of vitality. The sound of reading aloud filled one with joy and serenity. Lian Manman paused to listen for a while before smiling and walking along the green stone path beside the vegetable garden northward, where the Lian family estate’s boundary lay.

Now, there’s still no wall on this boundary, only poplar trees with lush branches and leaves, and under the trees, verdant herbs and Rosa rugosa. These plants are looked after with care daily, so they’ve grown exceptionally well over the past couple of years.

Because of these Rosa rugosa, not only do idle people and poultry not intrude into the estate, but the honey produced on the estate is also particularly sweet, with a hint of the sweet scent of Rosa rugosa.

Lian Manman took the flower scissors and chose fresh, clean, and pest-free Rosa rugosa to cut and toss into the basket. After instructing the maids on how to work, Lian Manman left Shan Xi to carry the basket for her and let Ji Xiang and the other three maids go and pick flowers by themselves.

While Lian Manman was cutting flowers, she heard someone call out boisterously from outside the flower bushes.

"Manman, picking flowers!"

Lian Manman quickly raised her head and smiled upon seeing the person.

"Xiao Tanzhi, are you going to my Third Uncle’s Family?"

"Yeah," Xiao Tanzhi was pushing a flatbed cart outside the flower bushes. Seeing Lian Manman ask, he grinned sheepishly while raising a hand to scratch his bald head.

Lian Manman recognized that the flatbed cart was one of the possessions Lian Shouli had acquired in the past couple of years, and on the cart was a full load of sun-dried, half-dried peanut vines, corn stalks, and so on.

When Lian Shouli’s Family first moved out from the old house, they lived where the school is now. That yard was adjacent to the village temple, so Xiao Tanzhi became familiar with Lian Shouli’s Family. From then on, Xiao Tanzhi often helped Lian Shouli’s Family with work.

In recent years, Lian Shouli rented six acres of land for Lady Zhou’s retirement, and the workload for the family of three increased significantly. Seeing that their household only had Lian Shouli as a strong laborer, as Lady Zhao was frail and Lian Yeye was young, Xiao Tanzhi more frequently took time to help Lian Shouli’s Family with chores.