Chapter 56: Dragon Boat Festival Gifts

Until two days before the Dragon Boat Festival, the price of pepper still hadn’t risen.

Pear Moon felt somewhat disheartened, thinking that after the festival, she would find an opportunity to sell the pepper.

If she didn’t sell it soon, Autumn Abundance was going to turn into a money-grubber, her pupils already turning into coin-shaped eyes.

The Dragon Boat Festival was a major holiday, and official households in the capital would exchange festival gifts, with zongzi being indispensable.

Pear Moon inquired and learned that the maids and grannies in the Main Kitchen had long started wrapping zongzi.

Not only were there over twenty types of fillings, but the variety of shapes had also increased compared to previous years.

Common shapes like triangular, conical, and rhombus zongzi were not worth mentioning; there were also tube-shaped, brush-shaped, and weight-shaped zongzi that Pear Moon had never seen before.

There were even zongzi wrapped with mugwort leaves, cattails, and multicolored threads, shaped into pavilions, houses, carriages, and painted boats, so lifelike they dazzled the eyes.

These elaborately shaped zongzi were called “artful zongzi,” specifically used for gifting during the festival.

The artful zongzi from Ningguo Mansion had always been the top choice among festival gifts in the capital’s households.

Besides artful zongzi, the gift boxes inevitably included homemade realgar wine, multicolored sachets, gold-threaded green fans, pearl-adorned silk cords, and various spring silk fabrics.

Madam Ning, in charge of household affairs, had arranged everything perfectly.

In previous years, Aunt Cao would also soak rice and wrap zongzi in the small kitchen of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard in preparation.

She didn’t need to prepare gifts for major exchanges between mansions, but she never neglected the artful zongzi for Old Madam Ning’s Crane Longevity Hall, Madam Ning’s Brocade Prosperity Hall, and the second and third branches, as well as the young masters and misses of each courtyard.

Gifts within the inner household weren’t limited to zongzi; there were also fabrics, jewelry, sachets, and spices.

These gifts were all managed by Granny Zhao, so Shen Shi didn’t need to worry about them, only waiting to receive return gifts.

During those three years when Ning Yuanjun was away, the etiquette from Phoenix Ripple Courtyard had never been lacking.

But this year, with the young lord inheriting the title, Shen Shi had forgotten about the festival and hadn’t prepared anything.

With only a few days left until the Dragon Boat Festival, festival gifts from other courtyards had already arrived.

Second Madam Ning and Third Madam Ning sent a box of artful zongzi, a gold-dusted fan, and two gold-embroidered handkerchiefs.

First Miss Ning and Second Miss Ning sent a pair of embroidered five-poison sachets and a mugwort flower basket.

Old Madam Ning bestowed two boxes of artful zongzi, a pair of gold nugget sachets, and a pair of jade-handled kesi round fans.

Madam Ning bestowed a box of artful zongzi and two bolts of silk satin.

These were just gifts from the family. There were also private gifts from Shen Shi’s maternal family and separate gifts from the Tan family’s sisters-in-law.

A pile of gold-painted lacquer boxes piled up under the corridor. Granny Zhao went in and out, pretending not to see them.

Shen Shi was too lazy to look at them and didn’t mention a single word.

Zhi Qing was the only one anxiously worrying. She ran to the small kitchen to find Granny Fan and asked if she had wrapped any zongzi.

Zongzi had been wrapped—two kinds: one with sweet dates and one with white sugar.

It wasn’t that Granny Fan was deliberately cutting corners; she simply didn’t know how to make other varieties.

“When Aunt Cao was here, there were at least ten kinds, sweet and savory. Did you not learn a single one?”

Granny Fan blushed, awkwardly forcing a smile, too embarrassed to explain.

Zhi Qing stamped her feet, on the verge of tears, then turned and ran toward the Small Tea Room.

The weather was gradually warming in May. Pear Moon cleaned the outer room of the tea room and set up a table and a few stools.

Maids in the courtyard who wanted water could fetch it themselves and let it cool before drinking, each receiving a pinch of loose tea.

The inner room stored the premium tea leaves and preserved fruits for Shen Shi’s use, and no idlers were allowed inside.

From then on, no one could sneak food anymore; everyone had to restrain themselves.

The maids now had a place to drink water, rest their feet, and chat after coming out from the Main Chamber.

Zhi Qing sat down and poured herself a cup of tea, but the water was too hot to drink, steaming her eyes until they turned red.

The inner room had its windows open and the door curtain lifted. Pear Moon was holding flower threads, wrapping zongzi.

“Xiao Yue, you know how to wrap zongzi?”

Zhi Qing leaned against the windowsill and couldn’t help but smile through her tears.

“Sister Zhi Qing, what’s wrong? The management office distributed zongzi leaves and various beans and grains. It’s almost the Dragon Boat Festival—we should at least wrap a couple of zongzi to eat!”

Pear Moon pursed her lips in a smile, her hands never stopping their work.

White rice, sugar, and candied fruits filled the emerald-green zongzi leaves. With a deft flip of her fingers, the colorful strings were tied into knots.

How could one not wrap zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival?

Even though no one had reminded her, as long as there were ingredients, Pear Moon wanted to make them.

She prepared four types of sweet zongzi: candied loquats, sugar-preserved Plum Preserves, sugar-dusted dried persimmons, and red bean paste with sugar.

She specifically asked her godmother, Madam Liu, to teach her how to make salted pork, fresh pork, and fish zongzi, and prepared these three savory varieties.

As for shapes, she didn’t go for anything particularly fancy, sticking to the usual triangular and conical zongzi.

For decorative zongzi, she only made three types: ingots, sachets, and flower boats.

“Xiao Yue, I have nothing else to give you, but this gold-embroidered handkerchief is something I brought from the Shen family. The fabric is genuine Songjiang patterned silk. Take it…”

Zhi Qing pulled a brand-new purple grape-colored handkerchief from her sleeve, tied with a mugwort sachet.

She had just stuffed it into Pear Moon’s arms when she lowered her head and began to cry.

“Sister Zhi Qing, what’s wrong?”

Pear Moon hurriedly put down the zongzi leaves and wiped her wet hands dry on her apron.

“No one in this courtyard cares about anything. Even if I had twenty times the devotion to do good for her, I…”

Zhi Qing had already started crying, but when she looked up at Pear Moon, she swallowed both her tears and her words.

“…Make more of these zongzi. If you run out of ingredients, go to the kitchen courtyard and ask Granny Fan in charge. Just say I told you to—I doubt she’d dare refuse you. I’ll send someone over tonight to help you pack the food boxes so we can send back the festival gifts.”

After saying this, she wiped her tears and left. Pear Moon held the handkerchief, feeling a pang of sympathy for her.

With a muddle-headed mistress like Shen Shi, her loyalty might as well be fed to the dogs.

Originally, Pear Moon had planned to make thirty zongzi, but she ended up making sixty, steaming them all afternoon.

Zhi Qing had worn out her lips pleading in the upper room before Shen Shi finally called Granny Zhao inside.

For sending Dragon Boat Festival gifts, Shen Shi didn’t want to handle it herself, and Zhi Qing didn’t dare take charge, so it still fell to Granny Zhao to oversee.

Pear Moon arranged the finished zongzi into six food boxes and carried them into the main hall.

Outside the mansion, two boxes were sent to the Shen family and one to the Qin family. Within the inner residence, two boxes went to Crane Longevity Hall, one each to Brocade Prosperity Hall, the second branch, and the third branch, with a pair of decorative zongzi sent to each young lady.

Shen Shi glanced at the zongzi Pear Moon had made and was about to make a few sarcastic remarks.

But seeing Granny Zhao’s expression, she thought better of it and quietly swallowed her words.

Although the Dragon Boat Festival gifts were meager, they had finally been delivered to her.

If she still refused to send gifts back in a fit of pique and muddled through the Dragon Boat Festival banquet on the actual day, she would have to wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival for another chance to stand out.

Having been depressed and unhappy for the past month or two, Shen Shi was on the verge of breaking down. She couldn’t endure any more torment.

It was only when Zhi Qing tearfully pleaded for Granny Zhao to come in and handle the Dragon Boat Festival gifts that Shen Shi reluctantly agreed, swallowing her grievances.

She felt she had no choice but to lower her head.

Pear Moon left the zongzi boxes and returned, only to see Autumn Abundance drinking water in the tea room. With a dark expression, she spat out a rebuke for her laziness.

“Disappearing for half a day, not returning until it’s time to light the lamps—you’re busier than the young duke!”

Autumn Abundance heard her speak, spilling tea all over the floor, and couldn’t help but blurt out urgently:

“It’s gone up! Pepper has gone up in price! Six qian of silver per jin now!”