They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 340 Growing Cotton Well
He, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), also felt very sorry for her, as the girl truly had a great talent for martial arts.

Pity.

If he had met her ten years ago, he would have definitely taken her on as a disciple and taught her properly. Now it's too late; it would be good enough if she could learn a few moves and not just know how to use brute force in a chaotic way.

Seeing how diligently He Biao Tou was teaching Chunfen, Xu Zhichun was pleased but also felt a little guilty, so he quickly prepared a generous gift and asked Chunfen to give it to He Biao Tou.

Chunfen, being rather silly, didn't know what to say, so she said to He Biaotou, "Sister-in-law Zhichun is giving this to Uncle He."

He, the镖头 (bodyguard), was both amused and exasperated, and refused to accept the money, wanting to return it to Xu Zhichun.

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "Although Chunfen and He Biao Tou are not in a master-disciple relationship, I have indeed received instruction from He Biao Tou. This is just a token of my appreciation, and I hope He Biao Tou will not refuse it."

Head镖师 He had no choice but to accept it, secretly sighing in his heart, "Madam Xu is such an honest and upright person. It's truly a stroke of good luck for the He family's镖局 (escort agency) to find such a boss under the current circumstances."

Therefore, this escort mission absolutely cannot afford to have any accidents.

Xu Zhichun and his group stayed at the manor for several more days. All the cotton seedlings transplanted in the 340 mu cotton fields had survived, and the shading cloths could be removed. They were rolled up and stored in the warehouse for continued use next year.

The cotton fields are planted in neat rows, with straight lines and precise angles. The tender, emerald-green leaves stretch lightly in the sunlight, providing a wonderful visual experience and pleasing to the eye.

Everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment as they accompanied Xu Zhichun to inspect the cotton fields, praising him highly.

"These cotton fields are planted so neatly. I never thought farming could be so beautiful."

"It's absolutely beautiful! The more you look at it, the more you love it. Madam really knows her stuff."

"Yes, yes, we've farmed all our lives and never thought of doing it this way. It's not only beautiful, but it's also much easier to manage and harvest."

"Yes."

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "It's quite good. I think it's good too."

This is all the empire she built!

Yes, he built his own empire.

The tomato seedlings have grown quite tall. We need to insert a bamboo pole about half a person's height and as thick as a finger, and use soft thatch cores to tie the sturdy main stem of the tomato plant to the bamboo pole. Otherwise, the tomato seedlings will easily fall over as they grow taller.

The fast-growing tomato seedlings are already more than half a meter tall, and have developed many clusters of fuzzy flower buds. In just a few days, they will bloom into small yellow flowers.

After the small flowers wither, they will produce small green pea-like fruits.

Under the caress of sunshine and rain, and nourished by nutrients transported by the roots and stems, the fruit grows rapidly, swells, turns red, and ripens.

The bright red tomatoes and the vibrant green peppers together are a feast for the eyes.

Xu Zhichun instructed Steward Mao to take good care of Tomato.

"When they ripen, pick them and share them with everyone in the village and the tenants. Give them to everyone, adults and children alike, two catties each. Manager Mao, you can try to sell them to the restaurants in the city and see who wants them. The price should be at least twenty coins per catty."

Although a lot of tomato seeds were distributed last year, it was really just a drop in the ocean and had little impact on Xu Zhichun's tomato business.

Manager Mao agreed with a smile.

"Don't worry, Madam, these tomatoes are fresh. Every restaurant would be happy to buy them. These few dozen acres probably won't be enough to sell them all. If no one wants them, this old servant will make a trip to the provincial capital. It's convenient for us to go there from here." Xu Zhichun nodded and smiled, "That's what I was thinking too."

Tomatoes thrive on fertilizer; insufficient fertilizer will affect both yield and quality. Xu Zhichun gave Manager Mao a few more instructions.

She thought to herself, "When I get back, I'll find an excuse to bring over two large truckloads of organic fertilizer."

Forty acres of tomatoes, two large truckloads of organic fertilizer are enough for one application.

After explaining everything clearly, Xu Zhichun and his servant returned to their home in Liangjia Village, Qingshan County.

Back home, Muxiang hurriedly presented a bright red invitation card with gold lettering, "Madam, this was delivered by a nanny from the Qin family in the city three days ago."

Xu Zhichun quickly opened it to see that it was Madam Qin's birthday and she had been invited to a birthday banquet. The date was seven days from now.

Xu Zhichun is now deeply intertwined with the Qin family's business. In the future, the sales of sweet potato starch, potato starch, konjac starch, and even cotton will, if not entirely, follow the Qin family's path, but will certainly be inseparable from the Qin family. Of course, she will attend Madam Qin's birthday banquet.

"Granny Qin Qing, what kind of gift should I prepare for Madam Qin?"

Qin Qing, the old nanny, smiled and said, "Madam, your status is quite extraordinary now. If I may be so bold as to say that, in terms of status alone, even the wife of our county magistrate is inferior to you. The fact that you can attend the banquet is already a great honor for Madam Qin, and she will be overjoyed. So, you don't need to think too much about what gift to give. Anything you give is fine."

"How about two bolts of fine Hangzhou silk, a pair of auspicious vases? Or a pair of fashionable gold hairpins would also be nice."

Xu Zhichun was afraid that she would be out of place because she didn't understand the etiquette of gift-giving in this era. After hearing what Granny Qin Qing said, she felt much more at ease.

She got it.

Whether something is in accordance with the rules or not depends on the person.

For example, for Xu Zhichun now, whatever she gives as a gift is in accordance with the rules.

No one would find fault with her; they would only shower her with praise and compliments in various ways.

Xu Zhichun's heart skipped a beat. "Then let's send two bolts of fine silk. Granny, please go to the city to buy them for me when you have time. Also, please buy me a few small porcelain vases that are about three inches tall, preferably delicate and pretty. And buy a gift box that can hold four small porcelain vases. If you don't have one, please ask a shop to make one."

Granny Qin Qing was taken aback: "Madam, what is this—"

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "Granny, just buy them. I have a ready-made gift here that's quite presentable. Oh, and remember to buy a lot of small porcelain vases."

Qin Qing, the old nanny, was completely bewildered, but still nodded with a smile: "Yes, this old servant will go buy it tomorrow, and take the incense with me while I'm at it."

Xu Zhichun hummed in agreement. He had brought Muxiang along specifically so that he could teach her slowly. Muxiang was at the perfect age to learn various things gradually, so that she could stand on her own in the future.

The next day, Granny Qin Qing handed the purchased items to Xu Zhichun. The small porcelain bottle had an elegant and delicate curve, was pure white, and was decorated with an elegant flower and bird design. It was exquisite and beautiful.

Xu Zhichun was very satisfied.

Her storage space was full of various essential oils, perfumes and the like, so she decided to give Madam Qin four bottles of essential oils this time: one bottle each of rose, jasmine, lavender and orange blossom.

Given her current status, it's not too surprising that she could get a few bottles of essential oils as gifts.

While essential oils are relatively rare in this era, they are not entirely unavailable.