Chapter 1478: Chapter 1478: Miss Zhou 4
The Zhou family, prompted by Zhulan’s organization of the painting appreciation banquet, spurred donations of grain and clothing. Several families sent old clothes and food to the Zhou Residence—just from two Ning Duke Residences, there were three cartloads of old clothes and four cartloads of grain.
This was not the entire Ning clan, merely the contributions of two Hou Residences.
The Wang family sent comparatively less, and there weren’t many old clothes from their servants either. Servants’ old clothes had to be kept for their younger siblings to wear. Of course, to maintain appearances, clothing generally wasn’t worn within the residence once it reached 50% wear.
Servants’ old clothes weren’t provided for free; they were exchanged for silver coins. However, the masters’ clothing couldn’t be donated due to fabric hierarchy, and even if donated, it wouldn’t be wearable for others’ children.
As the number of masters in the Zhou family increased, so did the servants. They now had some servants born within the household. Over the years, the Zhou family frequently experienced joyous occasions, and there were many opportunities for doubling servants’ monthly wages, giving them ample savings.
After Zhulan inspected the donations from various families, the Zhou family’s servants’ clothing turned out to be the best, with at least 70% new. Next came the Ning Duke Residence’s contributions at roughly 65%, followed by the Wang family.
Zhulan’s focus was on the Yu family. The Yu family suffered great difficulties during the previous dynasty, and rumors suggested their wealth was confiscated before they returned to Dingzhou Province to live humbly. It’s likely they had hidden reserves, or else the Yu family wouldn’t have developed so well.
The old clothes of the Yu family’s servants were around 50% new, but the quantity was small. Since the Yu family had only recently arrived in the capital, they didn’t bring many servants with them. However, they donated five cartloads of grain, including two containing fine-grain rice.
Eldest Zhou reached out to touch the fine rice and remarked, "New rice."
It was fresh, unblended with old rice—rare in the market nowadays. The Yu family’s generosity was evident.
Zhulan said, "The Yu family is using this opportunity to express their gratitude toward ours."
"Gratitude toward ours?"
"Yes. If I hadn’t invited them, the Yu family wouldn’t have been able to participate in charitable causes and earn a good reputation. Bringing them into the event allowed Lady Yu to quickly integrate into the capital’s women’s social circle."
Her guest list was carefully chosen: the Ning family was the Empress Dowager’s maternal clan, the Wang family was a reputable noble family, the Ran family was Consort Ran’s maternal clan, and the Eldest Princess’ kin. By establishing connections with these families, the Yu family gained favor, which would ensure goodwill during future events.
The Yu family naturally wanted to extend their gratitude by donating extra grain, hoping to improve the Zhou family’s standing as the leader of the effort.
Eldest Zhou mused, "The Yu family is insightful."
"The Yu family understands their situation well, especially since they’ve been allowed back into the capital. Alright, record everything and deliver it to the Ministry of Revenue; Mr. Zhang will handle the rest."
Eldest Zhou said, "Mother, you’ve been outside for a while. The weather is biting cold; please rest indoors."
Zhulan didn’t immediately return but continued delegating, "Send someone to gather vegetables from the estate and catch some geese to gift to the other families. Since they’ve allowed us to take the lead and build a reputation, we should reciprocate with small tokens. These gifts are not about value but rather the sentiment behind them."
Eldest Zhou understood but hesitated, "Mother, I’ve kept breeding geese for their eggs. There aren’t many left to catch and eat."
Zhulan sighed, "I know, but geese have become rare delicacies. Do your best."
Most of the families with estates owned sheep, pigs, and other livestock, but might not necessarily keep geese—or if they did, they would have already consumed them. Unlike the Zhou family, where Zhou Shuren had a penchant for eating goose, so their estate raised a good number, and they still had some reserves.
Eldest Zhou cherished the family’s geese, "Mother, I’ll go inspect personally later."
He deeply valued the estate’s livestock. The sheep couldn’t be touched—they needed to remain for breeding. There were still a few pigs left for slaughter. Chickens and ducks were abundant, and, indeed, there was the estate’s prized ox. But cows couldn’t be slaughtered.
Eldest Zhou pursed his lips, lamenting that it had been a while since he’d tasted fresh beef. Yet his family had already contributed much to the Imperial court’s livestock breeding initiatives.
At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Jinghong greeted Eldest Zhou, "Why has the Princely Heir come in person?"
"I’m the most idle at home, so I came myself. Is my father present?"
Zhang Jinghong glanced at the carts and remarked, "Oh my, quite a lot. The Grand Master of Writing stayed in the palace after court and hasn’t returned yet."
Upon hearing that his father wasn’t there, Eldest Zhou quickly prepared to return to the estate and asked, "Mr. Zhang, here’s the list; where should we unload the carts?"
Zhang Jinghong had already cleared out several rooms, "This way, Princely Heir."
Eldest Zhou gestured to the young servants to follow, and after everything was unloaded, he said, "I’ll head back then."
Zhang Jinghong personally escorted him out of the main gate of the Ministry of Revenue, "Safe travels, Princely Heir."
The sight of Eldest Zhou and his large convoy of carts heading to the Ministry of Revenue turned many heads in the capital. News of the Zhou family’s clothing donation traveled fast even before Eldest Zhou arrived back home.
During the morning court session, Zhou Shuren proposed the initiative. Some mocked him for being falsely compassionate, others admired the Zhou family’s generosity. Ultimately, there was no tangible follow-up—no one else made donations.
Zhou Shuren returned from the palace in the afternoon, having had lunch shared with the Retired Emperor. At the Ministry of Revenue, he saw rooms full of donated old clothes. It was indeed a substantial quantity. He instructed Zhang Jinghong to categorize the garments by gender and size, ensuring proper organization for winter and summer clothing. Yet most donated items were summer garments, with few winter coats.
Zhou Shuren had already calculated—since the Emperor had taken out funds from the private treasury to establish an orphanage, leaving it under his name, it would reflect poorly if he didn’t contribute. The Emperor directly allocated twenty thousand taels of silver, which was a significant amount that could accomplish much.
At the Yu family estate, Lady Yu Liu received the Zhou family’s gifts and smiled with deeper gratitude. The Zhou family’s willingness to involve the Yu family was evident, and their reciprocation confirmed it. "Tonight, let’s have a taste of the Zhou Residence’s estate-produced vegetables."
The Yu family had just entered the capital. Last year’s war left estates near the capital unavailable for sale, and the prices for existing ones skyrocketed. The Yu family had not yet acquired their own estate near the capital and still relied on their roots in Dingzhou Province.
This year’s grain shortage made purchasing vegetables in the capital even tougher. Despite the Yu family’s substantial wealth, few vegetables were purchasable, which made them delight in the sight of fresh greens. Winter without greens was exceedingly difficult, especially for the Yu family, who were accustomed to living in the south.
Yu eldest son’s wife, Lady Bai, remarked, "Mother, has the Marquis Zhou’s granddaughter been considered for marriage arrangements?"
Lady Liu looked at her daughter-in-law, "Are you referring to Fourth Miss Zhou?"
Lady Bai nodded, "Yes, Fourth Miss Zhou. What do you think of her?"
Lady Liu was naturally satisfied. Fourth Miss Zhou was both virtuous and lovely. However, she had never considered her own son marrying her—not because of any shortcomings of Fourth Miss Zhou, but rather because she was too exceptional. The Empress herself had praised her, and her father was extremely capable, highly commended even last year by Lady Liu’s husband.
But Lady Liu, despite her motherly bias, acknowledged that her son’s temperament was overly simple—he didn’t seem to match such an extraordinary young woman. Fourth Miss Zhou, as the eldest daughter of the Zhou family’s third house, was more suited to being a housewife of great stature.
Lady Bai herself felt conflicted. She didn’t want a powerful sister-in-law joining their family, but the Yu family had been absent from the capital for many years. In Dingzhou Province, while they weren’t omnipotent, they wielded significant influence. Yet in the capital, they constantly faced difficulties.
Lady Bai recalled her husband mentioning that the Yu family avoided falling into traps due to Marquis Zhou’s intervention. Was there a more suitable alliance than the Zhou family?
After pondering, Lady Bai said, "Mother, second brother’s temperament requires a capable wife to manage him."
Lady Liu sighed deeply, "You make it sound so easy. That’s the Zhou Residence—still a hereditary marquisate with considerable authority. The Marquis is influential, and his children are accomplished. Many noble families are eyeing Fourth Miss Zhou. The Yu family simply doesn’t stand out."
Lady Bai felt deflated. True, the Zhou Residence might not even consider the Yu family. Feeling frustrated, she dropped the topic.