After dinner, it was still early, so Yaelle decided to visit Uncle George and ask him about things to watch out for in this era. She didn't expect his explanation to be exactly the same as what Xavier had told her before. It turned out that in this place, men were expected to be strong and dependable outside, but at home, they had to listen to women.
Their status in the household seemed even lower than that of women in ancient times. They had to take good care of the women around them. If they made a mistake, they were punished, and if the women around them made a mistake, they were punished for that too.
This way of thinking made Yaelle feel very surprised and confused. After all, in modern society, the education she received always emphasized gender equality. Now, she had to face a completely different reality.
She couldn't help but fall into deep thought. She realized the values and morals of this era were completely different from those in modern society. Although she could understand the development of history and cultural differences, she still couldn't accept it all at once.
Still, as someone who had traveled here, she had to adapt quickly in order to survive. While thinking, Yaelle returned to her room. With Attendant Sean and the others attending to her, she went to bed early.
Because she had promised Xavier, she woke up early the next day, got ready, and went to the place they had agreed on, Yaoxiang Studio. When she arrived, Xavier had already been waiting for a while. They got on his carriage, while another carriage was left in the back courtyard of the shop with someone assigned to look after it.
Inside Xavier's carriage, there were all kinds of snacks and pastries. Since she hadn't had breakfast, she tried a few with his encouragement. The manor was located in a small hilly area to the south.
The carriage traveled for about an hour before reaching the destination. The carriage stopped at the manor's main gate. As soon as they got off, they could see a golden scene, visible even from behind the courtyard wall in the distance.
That golden color came from lemon trees. As they walked closer, it really was lemons. Just the sight made her mouth water.
These lemons were quite useful too. She could take some back, slice them thinly, and preserve them with honey and rock sugar in small jars for drinking. It was good for beauty and had a sweet and sour taste.
They could also be dried and stored for use in teahouses. After passing through the lemon grove, they came upon a kiwi orchard. The kiwi varieties here had already been improved, but the fruits were fewer and smaller.
Now that it was harvest time, Xavier carefully picked a ripe kiwi and peeled it, then took the small basket carried by Jason. The basket had a small knife, plates, and bamboo picks, clearly well-prepared. He gently cut the fruit into small pieces and placed them on the plate.
Then he thoughtfully stuck a few bamboo picks in the slices. This made it very easy to eat. They could just pick it up and enjoy.
This kind of service was truly rare. Yaelle felt a bit embarrassed to eat alone, especially since the fruit came from someone else's hard work. So, she picked up a piece with a bamboo pick and held it out to Xavier.
"Here, you try it first and see how it tastes." Xavier didn't expect Yaelle to feed him first. He was pleasantly surprised and quickly opened his mouth to eat it.
His heart was filled with joy. "Thank you, Yaelle. You're so kind," Xavier said gratefully.
"Don't thank me. You did all the work yourself. I just helped deliver it." Yaelle replied with a smile.
What's there to be happy about? Did he forget that this is his own orchard? He was the one who harvested the fruit in the first place.
Actually, Yaelle didn't really like kiwifruit because she felt that eating too many made her tongue feel a little sore. So they didn't stay in the kiwi section for long. They left soon after.
Next, they went to the areas where hawthorns, oranges, and grapefruits were growing. These fruits were also in season. The red hawthorns hanging from the branches looked very tempting.
They picked some to use later and planned to make delicious candied hawthorn and snowy hawthorn balls. Even though they tasted good, they couldn't eat too much. Otherwise, it would upset their stomachs.
Compared to that, oranges and grapefruits kept better. They picked a lot, planning to take some to the teahouse and hot pot restaurant to make fruit platters to attract customers. This not only increased their income, it also gave customers some extra treats.
After spending most of the day in the orchard, Yaelle felt much more relaxed. Seeing the trees full of fruit and the clean, green plants while breathing in the fresh air, her whole body started to unwind. For Yaelle, who lived in a fast-paced society, moments like this felt especially precious.
Yaelle and Xavier had the harvested fruit loaded onto the vehicle and returned to the city with their full load. On the way back, the two of them chatted casually. The atmosphere was light and cheerful.
Back in the city, Yaelle delivered the fruit to the teahouse and hot pot restaurant. The fresh fruit platters were warmly welcomed by the customers. Business at both places became even better.
After a long and tiring day, Yaelle dragged her exhausted body home. Lying on the bed, she thought back to her day in the orchard. Her heart was full of emotion.
Even though the values and ethics of this era were different from the modern world she knew, she was gradually adapting and blending in. She understood that only through constant effort could she find her place in this unfamiliar world. That thought gave her motivation.
In the days that followed, the two continued to work together often. They became more and more familiar with each other. Their cooperation grew smoother.
The kudzu roots they had dug from the mountain were also bought by the Xu family's medicine shop. That large area, a few acres in total, had yielded over ten thousand jin. They kept a few jin for themselves and sold the rest, which made them a decent amount of money.
Without realizing it, it was already mid-November. Maxim had been gone for nearly a month. She missed him quite a bit.
So Yaelle set off again to look for her husband. This time the journey was quicker than before. There were no delays along the way.
She arrived before lunchtime. She had a simple meal at the inn and rested early. She knew there might be a tough fight tonight and couldn't afford to be tired.
When it was time for the academy to let out, Yaelle had Attendant Sam wait at the entrance. She ordered a table of dishes at the inn. Then she had them delivered to her room to wait for him.
When Maxim saw Attendant Sam, he was overjoyed. He kept glancing behind her. This made Attendant Sam laugh.
"My Lord, Miss is waiting for you at the inn. She ordered all your favorite dishes." Maxim gave a little cough to hide his awkwardness. Then he said, "I know."
His steps became noticeably faster.