Chapter 234.2: Sky-High Betrothal Gift
These materials, although a great majority of the Luo family all used before, it was still in small amounts. To see this many all at once really was the firs time. “These are all top-quality good materials. For third younger sister to give them away like nothing, it can be seen that the amount Jin Qinw.a.n.g sent over was extremely vast.” Little w.a.n.g-s.h.i.+ lovingly stroked the material, “Afraid she still has even better ones on her side.”
“Enough, having obtained a benefit, don’t be too greedy and unsatisfied. Of these materials, there’s a few kind we haven’t used before, and the best ones, in the entire Qi Yuan, in the entire year, only that tiny bit is produced, not something we can have delusions about.”
“Look at what mother is saying, would I not know this, I was just casually saying.”
“En, leave them to slowly use then, don’t take them all out to waste. Sixth girl has her own, so don’t worry about her. Later, I’ll let someone have eldest girl’s share sent over. Once third girl marries, take some materials from my place to send back to the maiden family. These things, if properly stored, can last for several years. In the future, when your two younger sister-in-laws marry in, giving them some is also very good.”
(T/N: IIRC sixth young miss is the first branch’s shu daughter.)
Little w.a.n.g-s.h.i.+ nodded her head and didn’t express anything.
As the saying goes, ‘one sheng of rice births grat.i.tude, one dou of rices births grudge’[1]. Luo Old Madam however didn’t say anything, and further didn’t stop Jing Wan. She knew what Jing Wan was thinking, and also never thought of warning anyone. In the Luo family, the truly stupid ones, there really weren’t that many. That kind of person, who after obtaining one, just want two, after obtaining two, just want three, and after obtaining three, just wish that others give everything to them, were in the minority after all. And if someone really is being ungrateful, probably just won’t have a share next time. No one was that foolish.
The closer ones more, the more estranged ones less, the elders more, the younger generations less, for instance, for eldest paternal aunt’s family, that was two shares, while second paternal aunt’s family didn’t get a single share, telling you with reality, Jing Wan also very much bears grudges.
When having those pearls sorted out, Jing Wan directly collapsed next to the chest in a daze.
The chests’ sizes were all the same, more than half a person tall, and one of the chests was entirely filled with fingertip sized white pearls, smooth and beautiful. The second chest and the third chest were all different colored pearls divided up using small boxes, there were green, blue, purple, brown, gray, and also pink, light yellow, light gold, gold pink, and light purple, in fact, Jing Wan even saw rose pink, lavender purple, and also a small box of black pearls. Previously, when he sent Yu Yao a small box of gold pink pearls, Jing Wan even sighed at his generous hand, but comparing this, Jin Qinw.a.n.g, towards your younger cousin, aren’t you too stingy?
And the fourth chest, on the surface, there were three relatively small embroidered cases. Jing Wan opened them, and was momentarily left speechless. Each embroidered case just had a pair of round pearls, respectively a pair of southern pearl, a pair of northern pearl, their sizes even, and their diameter surpa.s.sing two centimeters, and also a pair of slightly smaller black pearls. Six pearls, not one wasn’t l.u.s.trous and radiant. Even if praised as the country’s gem, it was also proper and to be expected.
“Quickly put them away, if I keep looking, even I will want to steal.” Sun Yi Jia said with a look of envy and jealousy.
Jing Wan laughed, but still solemnly put them away. If not stored away properly, holding in hand, she worried her hand would shake.
The remaining ones weren’t round pearls, but rather other shapes, divided according to color and shape, for instance, pear shape, teardrop shape, oblate shape, oval shape, cookie shape, rhombus shape, square shape, and so on. However, it was very obvious, these also went through meticulous selection, the color and l.u.s.ter well-distributed, all the same color and same shape, and their size all very close. This was even more difficult than picking the round pearls. Under the circ.u.mstances of where majority were all round pearls, these seemingly appeared even more precious.
Towards the near one hundred valuable calligraphy paintings handed down through history, Jing Wan just took out two, as such each one was separately stored. The rest, Jing Wan didn’t want to look at. She was afraid she would be unable to withstand.
Also, those several dozen chests of antiques, Jing Wan didn’t even dare to touch.
Regardless whether it’s calligraphy paintings or antiques, these can’t be reproduced. Damaging one will just result in one less. What they shouldered wasn’t just history, but also culture. Speaking from a certain perspective, there was nothing that can compare to their worth.
That one large chest of gemstones, when Jing Wan opened one of the small boxes inside, and after getting blinded by the sapphire inside, just decided she no longer wanted to look. She worried that it would take her little life. Without even thinking, one just knew, red, green, yellow, purple, black, definitely all present.
Jing Wan discovered in hindsight, she seemingly hugged onto a super ultra rich wealthy person, and even the kind where they were very very generous and loose with their money. However, they were going to be together legitimately, so saying it like this, it seemingly was a bit inappropriate?
In the end, that one chest of white pearls, Jing Wan divided more than half out. The rest, she didn’t touch anymore. After all, the amount was much smaller, so dividing out, each person would only get a few. It was better to just slowly make them into accessories in the future and then give away.
Fortunately, there weren’t properties and farmland, and also there weren’t any medicinal ingredients either, else, perhaps it’ll really be as Luo Old Madam said, aside from the furnitures and dowry servants, the rest, all don’t need to prepare.
Those treasures, after storing them all away, looking at them as a whole, actually didn’t appear to be that much, and can ‘not be bothered by what one can’t see’, deceiving oneself that it’s just some chests. As for rest, what Jing Wan was the most worried about was just those ready-made clothes.
Several thousand ones, even if she wore one every day and then throw it away afterwards, it would still take three years. But the problem was, those clothes for the most part were all her current measurements. Right now, she was currently growing rapidly. A lot of clothes, at most after three month, just won’t fit her anymore.
Jing Wan wanted to grab Li Hong Yuan’s collar and ask, whether or not water entered his brains, to be able to do this kind of unreliable thing. Those clothes, each and every one were all exquisitely made. How much manpower did this need to waste? How much time? Those definitely couldn’t have been prepared recently, yet the measurements were just that accurate.
However, when preparing to close the chest with the gemstones, Jing Wan noticed a very different box inside. Picking it up, she opened it, and immediately after, slammed it shut again. Heavens, inside, was all ten thousand taels sheet of banknotes. Compared to the three hundred thousand taels on the surface, this was definitely just more and not less, and most likely not just a bit more. As expected of a super super super wealthy person!
When Jing Wan saw Luo Old Madam at night, she was a bit listless and worried.
After Luo Old Madam learned of Jing Wan’s thoughts, she directly called her stupid, “Just give them away like before.”
“But………..” Towards other people’s clothes, Jing Wan was actually somewhat unable to accept, even if it’s new clothes. Unless it was a special circ.u.mstance, then she would rather wear her own inferior clothes than to wear other people’s good clothes. This has nothing to do with being proud and haughty.
“There’s no buts, you just thought too much, not that many people would care about this. Just leave half for yourself, and even if you won’t be able to wear them again shortly after, as dowry, they are still needed. Those that aren’t suitable to give away, and also those that can still be worn later, have them all picked out. The rest, just send them to me, I’ll take care of them. The things Jin Qinw.a.n.g has given to you, not a single one has been inferior. There are plenty of people that will fight over for it.”
With someone helping, Jing Wan naturally was happy.
[1] 升米恩，斗米仇 – Story time, once upon a time, there were two families that were neighbors who normally had a good relations.h.i.+p. One of the family is much more prosperous and well-off because they’re more capable. One day natural disaster and s.h.i.+t happened, and the fields were ruined. The poorer family lost their harvest and could only wait to starve to death. At this time, the wealthier family managed to buy a lot of foodstuff, and thinking that since everyone’s neighbors, just gave the poorer family one sheng (ancient unit of measurement for grains; one-tenth of a dou) of rice, which saved their whole family from starving to death. The poor family was very grateful towards the wealthier family for this, believing they were their benefactors.
After getting by the most difficult period the poor person went to go thank the wealthy family, and inadvertently mentioned that next year’s harvest hasn’t been planted yet. The wealthy family then gave the poor person another dou of rice since they have a lot. But when the poor person went home his family felt that the wealthy person is being stingy and should have given them more since they have a lot anyways, so they start resenting the wealthy family. When the wealthy family heard, they were unhappy, and so thus the two families became enemies.
This story teaches us, not to be ungrateful, but also if you help someone too much that they become reliant on you, they might come to hate you if you stop helping them, because they will take you for granted.