My Stepmother is Soft and Charming

Chapter 89 Building a greenhouse

 The days passed day by day, no different from the past.

It's just that now not only the entrance of the Duke's Mansion, but also the entire Dongyuan are decorated with red and colorful decorations.

The fifty-fifth birthday is not a birthday. If it were placed on a normal day, it would just be a gathering of family members or a few friends.

 But it’s different today.

Since Shang Ji came back, the Duke's Mansion has not held any big banquet to invite his colleagues to gather together.

 First of all, Shang Ji was really busy, training troops in the military camp and had no time to pay attention to them.

Secondly, everyone wants to become a hussar general, so it is most appropriate to hold a birthday banquet at the Duke's Palace.

Therefore, Mrs. Wei sent the news out, and many people who had not had much contact with them before sent messages saying that they were coming.

 This is a good thing for the Duke's government, and naturally Mrs. Wei is also happy to spread the invitations.

 So, everyone at the top and bottom is working hard to get this matter done.

Of course no one cares about the three melons and two dates.

 Taking advantage of this opportunity, Du Jingyi went out twice, each time to the General's Mansion to check on the repairs.

I have to say that this team of bricklayers did a really good job, and the progress was much faster than Du Jingyi expected.

It has been less than a month now, and 7788 have been completed.

 At this rate, I'm afraid it will be completed by mid-October.

This will allow the gardeners to come into the house early and take good care of it.

Although the winter in Sui'an City is harsh, Du Jingyi once followed his father to Mobei, a colder place.

I have seen the greenhouses and gardens built by local wealthy households.

Even in the coldest winter, the flowers are still blooming like a spring breeze.

Mr. Du was happy and took a set of drawings from his old friend for his own use.

 It's just a lot of money.

 But now, the most indispensable thing for Du Jingyi, or the general's mansion, is money.

So Du Jingyi took the drawings needed to build the greenhouse from the Du family, and after returning to Dongyuan, he asked the maid Yingying to invite Aunt Dou.

 Mother Dou has not been very busy these days. She is basically still working as an errand in Dongyuan.

 So, when Cherry went there, we happened to meet him.

 Mother Dou looked happy, took two steps forward and asked.

"Why is Miss Cherry here? But the young lady has something to give you?"

Cherry mouth is sweet, and people look kind.

So he smiled and saluted Grandma Dou, and then said.

"Mother Dou's guess is correct. Madam, please go over and discuss matters at the General's Mansion."

 When she first heard the news, Grandma Dou thought it was better to ask about the progress.

Without doubting his presence, he followed Cherry.

When we entered the door of Xitang Courtyard, we were quite insulated from the cold outside.

It is now the end of September, and after the autumn wind and autumn rain have fallen for a few times, it is getting colder and colder.

In the first half of ten days, I could wear thin shirts for two more days thanks to autumn tigers, but now I have changed into thicker cloth and silk.

 In another month, you will have to change into a winter jacket.

 Therefore, Lu Ju and several embroiderers from Dongyuan were working on it.

When Grandma Dou entered the room, she saw Du Jingyi sitting on the Kang under the bright window. She also put on a goose-yellow embroidered vase-style gown, which looked warm.

 The abacus with white jade beads in a gold frame was placed in front of him. It was obvious at a glance that it was worth a lot of money.

 “This slave has met the young lady.”

"Mother Dou is here, Li Zhu is serving tea." "Yes."

 For Du Jingyi, Butler He and Aunt Dou are not ordinary servants, so they will still be more generous.

Li Zhu brought a round mahogany stool for Aunt Dou to sit on.

 Then he served another cup of tea, which was very polite.

 Mother Dou did not hesitate and asked directly.

“What do you want to tell me, Madam? The General’s Mansion’s purchase list is almost complete. I brought it here to show Madam. Is there anything you want to add?”

After saying that, he handed over a brochure.

Du Jingyi took it, looked at it carefully, and said with a smile.

 “Mother Dou is very experienced in handling affairs and has prepared a complete set of things. Let’s do the same.”

 While speaking, as if he remembered something, he lectured to Aunt Dou.

"After the storehouse of the General's Mansion is repaired, let me have my dowry delivered there. There is a set of rosewood furniture inside that is very good. Let's put it in the front hall to entertain guests."

 “Yes, young lady.”

 The things from the Du family are not only expensive, but also very elegant.

 Mother Dou can tell just by looking at the furnishings in this room.

 Hence, I am happy to save this money and spend it elsewhere.

"By the way, I also brought a set of blueprints from my parents' house. They are the greenhouses built by the Mobei wealthy merchants' association at home. Aunt Dou will take a look at it and discuss it with the masonry team to see if it can be built. "

“If it’s possible, we can build a room in the main courtyard, the sister-in-law’s courtyard, and the eighth sister’s courtyard, so that everyone can have a warm winter.”

 Mother Dou had never heard of it before, so she was a little curious.

But seeing that the drawings handed over by his wife were very detailed, he took a brief look at them and nodded in agreement.

“Okay, I’ll take this to the masonry team to discuss how to build it. If it can be done, that would be a great thing.”

However, Aunt Dou estimated that they were blind, so they could only follow the drawings meticulously.

Seeing this, Du Jingyi also had the idea of ​​​​making money.

“There are many noble and wealthy households in Sui’an City. If we can build this greenhouse this time, we can publicize it. This mud team will become a rare commodity. When the time comes, 30% of the profits will be given to us. It is natural."

After hearing this, Grandma Dou frowned.

She didn't mean that she didn't agree with her wife thinking of some ways to make money, but she always felt that this method would be looked down upon by the ladies in other high-end courtyards.

 So I didn’t dare to accept it directly.

Du Jingyi saw her stop and reacted immediately.

If she were in the Du family, she would naturally get the applause of Du's parents for proposing this method, but this is in the general's house, and face and reputation are more important.

So he turned a corner and said.

“At that time, we can use the money to go to the Enshan Hall to give out porridge, which can also be regarded as accumulating blessings for the general.”

 Shang Ji is a man who fights on the battlefield, so he carries a heavy sin of killing.

 So it is not just them, all the generals are keen on doing good deeds and believing in the blessings of gods and Buddhas.

Hearing this, Grandma Dou relaxed her frown and said to Du Jingyi.

 “The young lady is kind-hearted, I will do it now!”

The two of them chatted for a short while about the placement of the general's mansion, and then Aunt Dou stood up and left.

After she left, Du Jingyi was going to sleep for a while, but he saw Li Zhu running in in a hurry.

 His face is full of excitement and excitement for watching a play.

Said to Du Jingyi.

 “Young Madam, the fight is about to begin, the fight is about to begin!”

 (End of this chapter)