The gifts were all of a standard specification. For the men, it was a sweat towel and a packet of dried cakes; for the women, a high-grade silk headscarf and a packet of cakes; and for the children, a set of short cotton cloth and a packet of cakes.
Red Tree Village had over two hundred people, and these gifts cost Bai Sheng more than two hundred taels of silver.
Lu Huo felt a pang of heartache when she went to buy the gifts.
She felt it was understandable to buy gifts for her own family, but buying for so many villagers seemed like an excessive expense for their Madam. Moreover, if they bought gifts this time but not in the future, some people would surely voice their opinions.
However, Bai Sheng believed that this was the first time Red Tree Village was returning from the capital since its establishment, so it was only reasonable to bring some gifts for the villagers.
More importantly, her skincare product workshop, sanitary napkin workshop, and cactus and aloe vera garden all required the villagers' help. Sand control and tree planting, as well as farming, also needed to hire villagers. Therefore, giving them a small gift could help foster good relations and encourage them to be more dedicated when helping her with her work.
Although the gifts appeared to cost over two hundred taels of silver, as long as they worked diligently, her workshops, orchards, and farmland would earn countless times this amount.
In addition to this, buying gifts could also give the villagers a sense of belonging, strengthen their cohesion, and create a harmonious and pleasant village atmosphere throughout the community.
Thus, spending a little money to win people's hearts was actually a very cost-effective strategy.
Lu Huo finally understood. So, there were so many nuances to spending money, and her own knowledge was too limited.
Lu Yin nudged Lu Huo with her elbow and chided, "Huo, we really need to learn more from Madam in the future. I'm realizing now that there's knowledge in every place, and nothing is simple."
"Yes, okay. Remind me more often in the future. I'm slow and my mind doesn't always catch up," Lu Huo said earnestly.
Lu Yin patted her flat chest, "Don't worry, I've remembered."
On the other side, while the gifts were being distributed with great enthusiasm, Bai Sheng finally had some peace.
After more than three months apart, Du Min and Madam Liu had both given birth. Du Min had a daughter, and Madam Liu had a son. Neither had been named yet, as they were waiting for Bai Sheng to return and bestow names.
Upon seeing Bai Sheng descend from the carriage, the two women immediately handed their newborns to their respective husbands and rushed over, hugging Bai Sheng's waist and shouting excitedly, "Madam, you're back!"
Tian Guihua, still holding a spatula, threw it aside and also rushed over.
Several women embraced Bai Sheng, their warmth almost overwhelming her.
Grandma Zhong, not as spry as the younger ones, ran with labored breaths. When she reached Bai Sheng, she was so out of breath that she couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Seeing her anxiously patting her own thighs, Bai Sheng smiled and stepped forward to embrace her.
The little old lady was so delighted that tears welled up, stating that being embraced by Madam was worth living to this age.
Granny Wu was in the medical hall refining medicine. Upon hearing of Bai Sheng's return, she immediately extinguished the fire, abandoned the medicine pot, and ran out.
However, as a master, she had to maintain a certain composure in front of Bai Sheng. Although she was eager to see her beloved disciple, she couldn't run around wildly like Sister Zhong; it didn't suit her demeanor.
So, when others couldn't see her, she would quicken her pace a bit, and when she was seen, she would immediately stop, slowly and gracefully straighten her back, and walk towards her disciple's carriage with the air of a distinguished master.
By the time she reached her disciple from the medical hall, her disciple had already arrived at the doorstep of her home.
Seeing everyone surrounding her disciple and the four little grand-disciples, chattering away, she stood to the side and cleared her throat forcefully.
She had to cough forcefully, otherwise, with the loud voices of Tian Guihua and the other women, her cough would be quickly drowned out.
Bai Sheng was naturally very familiar with this cough. She saw her master through the heads that were encircling her.
"Master!" Bai Sheng rushed towards Granny Wu and hugged her. Her innocent and cute demeanor was entirely unlike that of a mother who had already given birth to four children.
Granny Wu smiled and gently patted Bai Sheng's back, indicating her satisfaction with her disciple's behavior.
Bai Sheng received a warm welcome from all the women in the household. Lu Ye was no exception. All the men and boys gathered around him, eagerly asking him about the capital.
Lu Ye maintained a smile and patiently answered everyone's questions.
Ma San, having recently become a father, felt he had more common ground with Elder Ye, so he occasionally discussed childcare experiences and the feelings of being a father with Lu Ye.
Feng Pingyuan, also a father again, was equally excited and naturally joined the conversation smoothly.
Zhao Dazhuang felt a bit anxious. Should he have another child? For some reason, he cast his gaze towards Tian Guihua.
The single man, Huang Gousheng, watched the men discuss their experiences as fathers and changing diapers, feeling as restless as a cat.
Alas, when would he have his own wife?
Yang Ming just realized his sister and brother-in-law's family were nowhere to be seen. He turned to Huang Gousheng and asked, "Gou, where are my sister and brother-in-law?"
Gou Sheng slung an arm around Yang Ming's shoulders and chuckled, "They went to help Prince Yu and Lord Ji. Prince Yu and Lord Ji are planting trees and controlling sand in Tianshui Town, and they need them to guide the villagers."
"Oh," Yang Ming nodded. He missed his niece, Xiao Xue En. After asking for permission from Lu Ye and Bai Sheng, he immediately mounted his horse and galloped towards where Prince Yu and the others were planting trees.
After seeing Madam and the four little masters, Tian Guihua and Madam Mi and Madam Mian immediately got busy in the kitchen to prepare a welcome dinner for Madam and the others.
Yang Ming had gone to the village where Prince Yu was managing the sand control. If everything went as expected tonight, Prince Yu and Lord Ji would definitely come, and with Fire Girl back, Tian Guihua decided to double the amount of food for tonight's meal.
The four cubs were nearing seven months old and were at a fun age. Everyone in the house ran to play with them. Du Min and Madam Liu immediately brought their own babies over to get acquainted with the four cubs.
The thought that their babies could be contemporaries with the four little masters and play together excited them immensely.
The four cubs also seemed happy to see the two little babies. In the crib, they would squat to one baby and then the other, their little hands clapping incessantly.
Bai Sheng embraced the two little babies separately and placed the longevity locks she had prepared earlier around their necks. The longevity locks were of the same specification as the one given to Xiao Xue En.
Tired from the journey, Du Min, Madam Liu, Sister Zhong, and Granny Wu helped take care of the four cubs. Bai Sheng, Lu Ye, and Lu Huo, Lu Yin went to bathe and change into fresh clothes first.
Just as everyone had finished washing up, Prince Yu and Ji Chenghe indeed returned, bringing the Yang family, as well as A Qiu, A Bian, and a Lord He whom Bai Sheng had never met.
After more than three months apart, upon their reunion, Bai Sheng and Lu Ye retained their grace and demeanor, but the exceptionally handsome Prince Yu had become a handsome man with a dark complexion.
Ji Chenghe's skin tone had changed even more drastically.