Lady Wang was so angry that she fell ill and lay in bed for half a month before recovering. Zhao Changyu initially tried to console her, "Why be so upset? It's just a plum tree."
But seeing her cry at the mere mention of the plum tree, he changed his tone, "The tree's been cut down, but if you really love eating plums, the stump is still there. I'll think of a way to see if it can be salvaged. If it grows back, you'll have plums to eat again in a few years."
Lady Wang cried even more sorrowfully.
She knew how much her husband loved that plum tree. He was a miserly man who loved making money. The entire garden was filled with peonies and peach blossoms in spring, roses and lotuses in summer, chrysanthemums and various fruits in autumn, and plum blossoms along with lotus roots in winter. Even his mother's favorite orchids were not spared; everything that could be sold was sold, except this plum tree, which he never sold.
