Chapter 52: Tending The Flower Field
After school, standing in front of the quiet mansion gate, Xilutiya took out the key, opened the side door, and slowly walked in. When she stood in front of the grand and elegant western-style building, she still found it somewhat unbelievable that she actually lived in such a place.
As she entered, before she could return to the bedroom to change clothes, the mysterious maid called out to her.
“Miss Tiya.”
With seemingly leisurely but actually not slow footwork, the maid came before Xilutiya.
She looked about 19 years old in appearance, with light golden hair, wearing a delicate maid headpiece, and the black-and-white maid uniform fit her perfectly and appropriately. Upon closer inspection, the cloth had an exceptionally good texture.
“What is it, Lining.” Xilutiya tilted her head curiously.
“From now on at home, you cannot wear such plain skirts.” She pointed out the maiden’s clothing issue.
“This…”
The maiden blinked, and aside from that plain white dress, all her other clothes would be considered ‘plain’ in front of this maid.
“Whether at home or when going out, for ease of movement, I can prepare special clothes for you.” She continued to tell the maiden.
“Ordinary cloth hinders movement due to friction and texture, but some specially made cloth does not.” Lining seemed slightly disappointed that Xilutiya did not understand these things.
“Please come with me.” Then, the maid led Xilutiya to a building on the rear side of the mansion, where she retrieved a stack of overall smooth cloth from a sealed metal box.
【Fine Chiffon Cloth】（Excellent）: Exceptionally smooth, soft cloth that does not hinder movement and is extremely resistant to pilling and fuzzing, a fine product among cloths.
“Additionally, if you need tailoring for combat clothes, there is this kind of cloth.” Next, she brought out a stack of snow-white silvery cloth.
【Silver Chiffon Cloth】（First Order·Emerald Honey）: Professional tailors use ‘Emerald Honey’ Nature Power, select cotton of extraordinary quality, extract its fiber, comb and spin it into cloth with excellent toughness, smooth and unstainable, able to deflect arrows and not sharp enough weapons, resisting penetration.
“Viscount Xue Feng probably hasn’t worn cloth like this either.” Xilutiya was somewhat surprised.
“No, Viscount Xue Feng definitely has it at home, but he is usually reluctant to take it out and wear it, only using it on formal occasions.” Lining refuted Xilutiya’s guess.
“After all, tailoring a single piece costs nearly 20-30 gold coins, and Viscount Xue Feng, with low taxes, naturally feels heartbroken.” It seemed she was very clear about Viscount Xue Feng’s financial situation.
“Although Viscount Xue Feng’s territory has considerable income, his various expenditures are also high.” Lining explained briefly.
“But you don’t need to worry on Madam’s side; her pocket money is always more than she can spend.”
“If you become a gardener like Madam in the future, you will probably have more money than you can spend too.”
“Compared to other classes, gardeners skilled in cultivation are always popular, and the various things they produce are always in demand.”
“These exquisite cotton cloths were gifted by Madam’s other gardener friend.”
No wonder Madam Fran was so generous to her, and this mansion was so luxurious, Xilutiya thought.
In the evening, Lining prepared hot water for Xilutiya, letting the maiden try the mansion’s luxurious bathtub for the first time.
Bathing, soaking in the warm water, Xilutiya felt the minor wounds from the day slowly healing, probably due to the water being rich in ‘Blazing Sun’ Nature vitality. She looked at the pale golden flower petals on the water surface; these petals were given to her by Lining before bathing.
Soaking in the water not only released ‘Blazing Sun’ Nature vitality but also maintained the water temperature, preventing it from cooling too quickly.
After bathing, Xilutiya changed into the snow gauze nightgown prepared by Lining, walking in the mansion’s corridor. Gusts of evening wind blew, making the nightgown’s fabric flutter slightly, bringing a gentle and comfortable sensation.
There was still a long time before bedtime. Xilutiya saw the candle lamps lit in the dining room and walked in. Dinner was already set for her, but what made her slightly uncomfortable was that in the vast dining room, beside the long table that could seat nearly twenty people, there was only her seat, and it was at the head position.
Lining was already waiting in the dining room. When Xilutiya walked past her, the maid respectfully bowed, then followed, coming to the side of the maiden’s seat to introduce today’s dinner.
“The main dish is summer wind grilled steak, side dishes are onion soup and stewed potatoes, beverage is red chrysanthemum rum.”
After the introduction, Xilutiya began to enjoy it. The taste of these dishes was no worse than what she ate at Glia Restaurant, and the ingredients were even slightly better.
“Is Madam Fran not coming back for dinner today?” She had seen Madam Fran yesterday.
“No, Madam has gone on a long trip today. She asked me to relay to Miss Tiya that she probably won’t return for about a week.”
“That long?” The maiden thought the madam would only be out for a day or two, but on second thought, this was not traffic-convenient Earth; being out for a week was actually quite short.
She had originally wanted to discuss advancement with Madam Fran today, but the madam had left.
However, a week was not too long; she could wait.
“Tomorrow, Lining, accompany me to inspect and tend the flower field once.” The maiden remembered her duties.
“Yes, Miss Tiya.” Lining slightly bowed in acknowledgment. Though her tone was occasionally cold, her demeanor was always respectful.
……
The next afternoon, Xilutiya and Lining walked in that tender yellow and golden sunflower sea of flowers. Accompanied by the autumn breeze, the large expanses of flower leaves undulated like waves, giving a magnificent sense of beauty.
“For such a large field, how do you usually irrigate it?” Xilutiya asked curiously.
“Of course with convenient tools.” Lining bent down, parted some soil, revealing tree root-like water pipes below. These strange roots were distributed in the soil. When Lining took out a bell and shook it, a clear pleasant sound rang out, and water dew began to seep from the roots’ surfaces.
“Here, water-absorbing roots have been planted for Madam; they can draw water from deep underground rivers to irrigate the sunflowers.”
“What about Emerald Dew Water?” The maiden asked curiously. No need for Emerald Dew Water assistance?
“No need. Sunflowers are Blazing Sun Nature plants and can directly absorb the faint Nature Power from sunlight.” Lining shook her head.
“However, such absorption, if done spontaneously, is very slow and requires an experienced gardener to stand in the flower field to guide and comb it.” No wonder Madam Fran often walked in this sea of flowers holding a parasol; Xilutiya suddenly understood the reason for the madam’s strolls.
Just like that, Xilutiya checked the sunflowers’ growth while listening to Lining explain, gradually understanding the cultivation details of sunflowers, and thus the afternoon quietly passed.
The next day, after checking the irrigation, she began using the scissors given by Lining to trim the sunflowers in the flower field.
This work took more time and required extra careful completion, but Xilutiya enjoyed it. Through repeated observation and trimming, she grew increasingly familiar with the temperament of these sunflowers.
If given a handful of seeds now, she was confident she could cultivate a sunflower sea of flowers, though making all these sunflowers reach First Order level would take enormous effort, since she was not a ‘Blazing Sun’ Nature practitioner.
In the future, she would probably plant a cornflower sea of flowers too. Standing in the flower field, a gardener’s strength would be maximally exerted.
