The Lucky Heiress

Chapter 490: Chapter 490 Recent Arrangements_1

“Indeed, Qi, there’s nothing else we can do!” affirmed Xing Jiang.

“Fine, if I hear of any method that can cure my son’s leg, you won’t be able to walk away!” Qi Yansong didn’t care for excuses. Incompetence was still a failure in his view.

After some thought, Xing Jiang said: “Sir, if anyone casually claims there’s a way to restore Qi’s leg, I implore you not to believe them. We should only believe in actual results.”

“What do you mean?”

“I met a servant of King Rui’s residence in the Lu family who tried to restore a severed limb using a surgical reconnecting technique. However, we, in the Imperial Institute of Medicine, know that such a method is not possible. Not only does it fail to restore the limb, but it may also lead to the limb rotting and infecting the rest of the body, endangering the patient’s life!”

“These quack doctors are accustomed to deceiving others. They tout unachievable claims, but the reality is quite different. If you believe their words, it could lead to great disaster.”

Xing Jiang said this to prevent Qi Yansong from believing rumors and blaming him and his educated and experienced colleagues in the Imperial Institute of Medicine for the failure.”

“I don’t need you to teach me how to handle these matters,” said Qi Yansong, disinterested in hearing the lengthy explanation.

All he wanted was his son to recover as much as possible. Whoever could help his son, he was willing to reward them generously.

He had risen to a powerful position, worked hard for the prosperity of the Qi Family, but if there was no one to inherit his position and wealth, wouldn’t all his effort be futile?

“You may leave now,” said Qi Yansong. “Continue taking good care of my son. And I will certainly reward you well for your efforts.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Xing Jiang, along with his colleagues, left the room.

###

These days, Wei Ruo visited the Lu Residence to treat Xiu Fengyuan, and spent the rest of her time managing her business and properties.

She had Shi Dayou make three trips to the cotton field, while Xiumei made one.

After Xiumei’s visit, Wei Ruo decided to buy all the land west of Xiandong Village in the Hejian Prefecture.

The flat land, though of lower quality and unsuitable for rice or wheat cultivation, was perfect for cotton due to its accessibility to sunlight and its deep, fertile soil.

Of course, before planting, the soil would still need to be tilled and fertilized. Just because cotton was being grown, they couldn’t skip this crucial step.

As it was late in the season, Wei Ruo quickly arranged for the soil preparation and fertilization to be completed before the seeds were sown.

For regular cotton, sowing seeds in late May or June was somewhat late, as sowing usually occurred in April. However, considering this year’s weather had been cooler than usual, and considering that cotton prefers sunlight and warmth, Wei Ruo believed it was the perfect timing to sow the seeds now, after the period of fluctuating temperatures that could have harmed the seedlings.

Given the premium quality of the cotton seeds from her space, Wei Ruo was confident in their ability to grow well, despite the late planting.

Simultaneously, she was also busy preparing for the opening of the Four Treasure House branch and the marinated food store in the Capital City.

The locations for the stores had been selected, and the renovations were almost complete. As for the supplies, she planned to have Brother Daqiu transport them by water, together with the cloth and ingredients for rouge and powdered makeup.

Now, Wei Ruo needed to find a few reliable and smart people to manage the shops.

Most of the villagers from Stone Village were honest and hardworking, perfect for labor work, but not for handling the stores.

She had other plans for Shi Dayou.

Additionally, she had to deal with the fabric. Recently, Old Tao had sent her a batch of newly woven fabric from Huzhou Prefecture. A portion of which she intended to sell to Madam Sun at the Caiyun Room, leaving the rest in the warehouse for the time being.

Wei Ruo did not increase the price for the fabric she sold to Madam Sun, which surprised the latter. Madam Sun had expected Wei Ruo to raise her prices, but Wei Ruo remained consistently fair despite her initial tough stance during their first negotiation. As a result, Madam Sun found herself appreciating Wei Ruo more, even expressing a desire to befriend her.

Of the quality fabric promised to several noblewomen, around twenty rolls were now ready to sell, though Wei Ruo only intended to sell ten.

The reason the purple fabric was so valuable and popular was its rarity. If she were to sell too much of it, it would no longer hold its value.

While the fabric that Wei Ruo sold to Caiyun Room was all cotton cloth, the purple silk was retained by her to ensure its price stability.

Once the supply of purple fabric was sufficient, she planned to start selling other colors.

In other news, good news came from the south – her new rice variety had been successfully planted throughout the Jiangzhe Region. This success was credited to the local government’s recognition of the high yield of the new variety and Yuan Zhengqin’s successful promotion of it.

Meanwhile, the cultivation of Wei Ruo’s lands continued as per last year’s plan, with the only exception being the fields that previously grew taro were now being used to cultivate rice. This was part of Wei Ruo’s plan to alternate crops to improve soil fertility and reduce the need for artificial fertilization.

As for the newly harvested winter wheat, aside from setting aside some for tax and for rewarding the farmworkers, Wei Ruo did not allow any to be sold. The vast majority were stored in her warehouse, with a part being transported to the Capital City in preparation for a potential famine.

###

June 30th.

After more than a month of recuperation, Xiu Fengyuan’s arm was able to move. While it wasn’t as flexible as before the accident, he could use it now.

Wei Ruo told Xiu Fengyuan that since it was his own arm, as long as he took good care of his recovery, his arm could completely return to its state before the injury. However, she still advised against heavy physical labor.

Xiu Fengyuan was overjoyed. As long as he could write, he was satisfied and did not strive to wield a sword as he had in the past.

He lay in bed, eyeing Wei Ruo sitting beside it, his eyes full of gratitude.

“Doctor Wei, thank you very much. You’re like my second parents!”

Jokingly, Wei Ruo said, “Mr Xiu, I’m younger than you. I couldn’t have a child your size.”

Xiu Fengyuan laughed, then said, “Having a divine doctor like you in the palace is wonderful. Prince Rui is saved.”

“Do you care about Prince Rui?” asked Wei Ruo.

“Actually, I had some resentment towards him.” said Xiu Fengyuan.

“You resent him?” Wei Ruo asked, surprised and confused.