Chapter 40 Rouge 2

After returning from the market, Aman went straight to his room.

They finally came out after a cup of tea.

He held a piece of paper in his hand, hiding it behind his back, looking all mysterious.

Inside the pavilion, Fu Yunxiu didn't even look up, busy with his work. Hearing Aman's footsteps, he asked, "You're back?"

"Mmm," Aman responded, sounding somewhat hesitant.

Mantou was practicing calligraphy with great resentment when she saw Aman come in. She quickly looked up at her, her tone full of complaint, and wailed, "You still know to come back? I thought you got lost while buying groceries."

He usually practiced calligraphy with Aman, and knowing his temperament, the young master usually turned a blind eye to his shortcomings. But today, with Aman not around, the young master could only criticize him. He had been writing these few characters all morning, and if Aman didn't come back soon, he was going to break down.

Aman knew he had indeed been delayed for a while, and said somewhat apologetically, "Something came up and I was held up."

"Hey, what are you holding in your hand?"

Before Aman could finish speaking, Mantou spotted the paper Aman had hidden behind her back and snatched it away while Aman was off guard.

"Give it back to me."

Seeing the prescription being snatched away, Aman panicked and reached out to grab it back.

But Mantou was tall and strong, with long arms that reached over his head, so no matter how much Aman jumped around, he couldn't reach him.

"Give it back to me." Unable to get it back, Aman glared at him angrily.

"Don't rush, let me see." Mantou leaned back and carefully examined the paper, but still couldn't make heads or tails of it. "What is this writing? It's all crooked and messy."

"This is my treasure, give it back to me!" Seeing that she couldn't get it back, Aman could only complain to Fu Yunxiu, "Young Master, look at him?"

Seeing that Aman was genuinely anxious, Fu Yunxiu knew that this thing was indeed very important to her, and couldn't help but support her, "Steamed bun—"

"Ouch—" Mantou was a little unwilling, but since the young master had spoken, he didn't dare to disobey. He could only wrinkle his nose and return the paper to Aman. "Here you go, you stingy person. It's just a piece of tattered paper, and you're complaining to the young master."

"What a piece of trash! This is a treasure I finally got from Hongxing." Aman took the paper, held it in her arms, and examined it carefully. Seeing that it was undamaged, she breathed a sigh of relief.

But Mantou sensed something amiss in her words, "It came from Hongxing, that miser would give you such a treasure?"

The steamed bun didn't believe it.

He had known Hongxing for quite some time. She was only fourteen when she entered the Marquis's mansion. Because of her family's poverty, she was very frugal with her food, clothing, and daily necessities, trying to stretch every penny to two. Anyone who could take advantage of her must have been someone she was very close to.

Ah Man and she were just acquaintances; how could he possibly give away someone else's precious possession?

"Don't let her fool you," Mantou scoffed.

"How could that be?" Hearing Mantou's utter disdain, Aman had no choice but to explain the whole story to him.

When Mantou heard Aman threatening Hongxing, he was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth for a long time before finally uttering a few words, "Aman, you've gone bad!"

They've become a threat.

I remember when she first arrived, she was so timid and hesitant, like a little rabbit.

"No way, I was just teasing her, I didn't mean to actually report her." Aman hurriedly defended herself, subconsciously glancing at Fu Yunxiu out of the corner of her eye, afraid that he might think the same thing.

But Fu Yunxiu just watched him quietly, his expression calm and composed.

Aman was a little confused and stopped arguing with Mantou. She quickly went up to Fu Yunxiu and said, "Young Master, I really just wanted to try it out. Don't listen to Mantou's nonsense."

Seeing Ah Man's flustered and anxious expression, her big, bright eyes blinking, Fu Yunxiu couldn't help but find it amusing. He said softly, "I didn't say anything."

He looked at him knowingly. "So, the reason you've been so absent-minded these past few days is because you've been thinking about this?"

Aman thought she had concealed it well enough, but she didn't expect that the young master would still see through her. She could only obediently nod and admit, "Yes, I want to find a way to make money."

"Aren't you afraid Hongxing will deceive you?" Fu Yunxiu asked. A prescription obtained through improper means could be deliberately concealed or altered by the other party!

It's something you have to wear on your face, after all.

Hearing Fu Yunxiu say the same thing, Aman, who had been full of confidence, became somewhat uncertain. "I... I don't know either. She probably wouldn't dare!"

"Let me see," Fu Yunxiu said.

"Oh." Aman handed the prescription to Fu Yunxiu.

Fu Yunxiu carefully examined it for a moment. Although Aman's writing was crooked and he even used misspelled words or drawings to replace some parts he didn't know how to write, it was still not difficult to recognize.

Moreover, each step was written in great detail, and he read through them one by one without finding any mistakes.

“On the surface, it seems there’s nothing wrong,” Fu Yunxiu said. But Fu Yunxiu only had a superficial understanding of women’s products like rouge and face powder, let alone how to make rouge.

“It’s worth a try, but these fresh flowers…” Fu Yunxiu looked at the steps on the paper. The first step was to need a large number of fresh flowers of suitable color.

Finding fresh flowers is easy; in the height of summer, wildflowers bloom all over the mountains in the suburbs. However, finding the right colors is quite difficult.

Putting aside other factors, wildflowers come in many shades of yellow and white, but crimson is extremely rare.

Where can I find so many fresh flowers suitable for making rouge?

Hongxing was able to do it because each courtyard in the Marquis's mansion had a garden filled with countless exotic flowers and rare herbs; there was bound to be something suitable, but Aman...

Fu Yunxiu's hesitation was clearly also Aman's difficulty.

After she returned and finished writing the prescription, she also looked for suitable flowers at the market while shopping for groceries.

Not to mention that there are very few flower shops in the Changqing Street area, even if there are, the suitable flowers that you can name will easily cost more than ten taels of silver.

She needs a lot of flowers to make rouge, and she can't just buy them all. How much money would that cost!

But if she doesn't buy them, she'll lack the raw materials, and how will she make rouge?

No wonder Hongxing gave in to her so easily later; she was certain that Hongxing couldn't make the rouge.

It had only just begun when she encountered an insurmountable obstacle. Aman couldn't help but feel discouraged and sighed with her head down.

Mantou, who had been waiting to see a good show, finally stopped playing around when he saw Aman looking so dejected, like a wilted eggplant. He comforted her, saying, "Hey, don't sigh. Let's think of another way."

But what can we do?

Aman has already thought of all the possible solutions.

Aman looked up and gave him a grateful smile.

But Fu Yunxiu felt a little sorry for her, seeing her so full of sorrow.

"Actually, it's not entirely hopeless?" Fu Yunxiu suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Aman's eyes lit up instantly, and she looked up at him.

A pair of clear, bright eyes, as if washed with water, suddenly came into view, causing Fu Yunxiu's heart to race for a moment.

Fu Yunxiu looked away and pretended to be calm, saying, "There is an old master gardener in the Marquis's mansion who is in charge of pruning and gardening. His surname is He. He lives in the east of the city. Go to him and you may be able to get what you want."

The Marquis's mansion is a large and prosperous family, with more than ten gardens of various sizes (including those belonging to the clan elders and the yet-to-be-disappeared second branch of the family), all of which are managed by Master He.

To keep the flowers in the garden in their best condition at all times, they need to be pruned frequently. Although the pruned flowers may not be very ornamental, they would be fine for making rouge.

When he was in the Marquis's mansion, he often saw the maids asking him for flowers to make sachets and incense.

Hearing this, Aman, who had been feeling listless, instantly perked up again. "Then I'll go to the east of the city to visit him. Does the young master know exactly where Elder He lives?"

“There’s no need for that,” Fu Yunxiu said. “Tomorrow, around noon, go to the back gate of the Marquis’s residence. You’ll definitely be able to catch him there.”

As for why tomorrow, it's because today is already past that time; by this time, Old He would have already gone home.

Aman had originally planned to start preparing to make rouge today, but now it seems that won't be possible.

But at least the raw materials for the flowers were secured, which relieved her of a major worry.

Aman looked at the sky outside and saw that it was getting late, so he said, "It seems that's the only way. It's getting late, so I'll go prepare lunch."

Nowadays, Fu Yunxiu and the others eat whatever Aman gives them, without being picky or demanding, so Aman doesn't need to ask for their opinions.

Of course, she also tried her best to satisfy their appetites, and didn't just do whatever she wanted.

After Aman walked away, Mantou, who had been playing a supporting role and hadn't uttered a single word for a long time, finally spoke up, "Young master, will this work?"

Not to mention that Master He was only responsible for pruning; tidying up the flowers was the job of the servants in the Marquis's mansion, and it wasn't his responsibility at all. Even if he were in charge, Aman was a stranger, and Master He didn't know her, so why would he agree to her request and give her all the pruned flowers?

Fu Yunxiu naturally understood his meaning, glanced at him indifferently, and said, "I know it won't work, so I'll need you to make the trip."

"Huh?" Mantou never expected that something like this would fall into his lap while he was sitting at home.

The implication was clear: he was to go to the Marquis's residence, find Steward Xu, and have him communicate with Master He.

"Alright!" He knew that as long as it was Aman's business, the young master would definitely try his best to pave the way for her; he was already used to it.

"By the way, you don't need to tell Aman about this," Fu Yunxiu instructed. "Go quietly and don't let her find out."

"Why can't Aman know?" Mantou asked, puzzled. "It's not like it's anything shameful, why are you keeping it from her?"

Moreover, if Aman knew that everything she did was with the help of the young master, wouldn't she be even more grateful to him?

But seeing his young master's tight-lipped demeanor, Mantou knew he probably wouldn't get any information out of him.

The last time he taught Ding Li a lesson, he really couldn't understand the young master anymore.

"Young Master, if you keep going like this, you'll spoil Aman badly sooner or later." Mantou muttered under his breath. Fu Yunxiu looked up at him but didn't say anything.

It was like punching cotton; the steamed bun could only sigh and resign itself to its fate as it went to run errands.

Inside the Marquis's residence, after hearing Mantou explain the young master's request, Steward Xu nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Don't worry, leave this to me. I'll get it done."

Old He has been in the Marquis's residence for many years and is very familiar with him. For this little thing, he only needs to say a word.

However, since the young master moved out of the Marquis's mansion, the only two times he sought him out, both seemed to be related to this Miss Aman.

It seems that this Miss Aman holds a significant place in the young master's heart!

Thinking that his aloof and cold eldest son would one day bow down to another, Steward Xu felt a sense of pride, like a son growing up.

In this way, the young master's life can be more interesting.

Back in the main courtyard, Steward Xu instructed his servants to inform Master He when he arrived the next day and to invite him to come see him.

Steward Xu is the head steward of the Marquis's mansion. All matters, big and small, in the mansion must pass through his hands.

When Master He learned that Steward Xu was looking for him, he thought it was because he had done something wrong recently, and he was nervous for a long time.

When she arrived, she discovered that Steward Xu had only asked her to select some of the best flower branches from the pruned branches and send them to Miss Aman in Wutong Garden.

"Then I'll have Qingshan deliver it." Master He breathed a sigh of relief and said readily.

"There's no rush. Miss Aman should come to see you around noon today. Just agree to her request. As for anything else, as long as it's not too outrageous, just grant it," said Steward Xu.

"Why go through all this trouble? I can just have Qingshan deliver it directly." Master He didn't understand the intricacies of the situation.

Qingshan is Master He's son and the one who will inherit his mantle.

If Wutong Garden wants it, then it must be the eldest young master who wants it. Since it's the eldest young master, why don't we servants just deliver it to his door? Why go through all this trouble?

"This is also the young master's wish, so let's do as he says. Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask," said Steward Xu.

Since the young master has made this arrangement, he must have his reasons. He should just do as he is told. Forcing things to be better would only backfire.

Master He still had some doubts, but he nodded nonetheless.

Strong winds have been blowing every night for the past few days, and quite a few flower branches have been broken or snapped.

The maids in the manor, who used to eagerly beg him for things, no longer want them. After pruning the main garden alone, the mess of branches and vines filled at least two sacks.

Although Steward Xu said that it didn't need to be too meticulous and that it would be fine to just send it over in its current state, otherwise it would seem deliberate and would be obvious, Master He felt that since it was something for the eldest young master, it was still necessary to pick and choose a little.

So they asked Aoyama to pick out the flower branches that were of good quality and set them aside.

The sun was high in the sky, and the weather was getting hotter and hotter.

Master He wiped the sweat from his brow after seeing that the flower branches were almost trimmed.

"Father, it's time to go back," Qingshan reminded him.

Master He picked up the water gourd from his waist, opened it, took a sip of water, and then spoke, "Then I'll be back. I guess that Miss Aman is already waiting."

The two packed their things and came out. Sure enough, Aman was already waiting for them at the corner of the only way to get to the back gate of the Marquis's mansion.

Because the young master had mentioned that the old gentleman was a small, spirited old man with a white beard, Aman recognized him at a glance.

Aman was a little reserved when facing strangers. She thought it might take some effort, but the other person turned out to be quite easy to talk to.

After she explained her purpose, he immediately agreed.

"...?" Aman was completely bewildered.

Is it that easy?

"Oh, it's just that the wind has been strong these past few days, and a lot of flower branches have broken off. I thought it would be a waste to just throw them away." Remembering Steward Xu's instructions, Master He hurriedly defended his actions.

I see.

Hearing this, Aman immediately felt relieved.

The two exchanged a few more words, and then He Qingshan returned to the Marquis's residence and brought out the sacks he had prepared earlier.

"That's all for now, see if it's okay," He Qingshan said.

Aman opened the bag and looked inside. There were all kinds of flowers, still attached to their stems, with rich and vibrant colors, clearly fresh.

"That's great, that's already very good." Aman looked at the huge flower, her heart filled with joy.

Although the sack looked big, it was actually not heavy, and Aman could carry it without any problem.

In Wutong Garden, Mantou saw Aman carrying a bag into the house and hurriedly went to help.

"Why are there so many? I should have gone with you."

"It's alright, it won't work anyway." Aman handed the sack to Mantou and rubbed his sore wrists.

Mantou carried the sack into the pavilion and found a shady spot to put it down.

"I originally thought this matter wouldn't work out, but I didn't expect that this Master He was so easy to talk to, and his son was the same. Seeing that I was a woman, he insisted on helping me carry the sack back. He's good-looking and kind-hearted."

"Then why didn't you ask him for help?" Fu Yunxiu asked, his tone a little strange, which made Mantou look at him.

However, since his young master never showed his emotions, Mantou stared at him for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

“I don’t know him well, so how could I ask him for help? Besides, I could have brought this back myself.” Aman didn’t seem to notice anything amiss and continued talking to himself as he lifted the sack to look inside.

"These flowers look quite fresh and have a nice color. They'd be perfect for making rouge, but I guess I'll have to pick through them."

Since these are things that others don't want, their quality is bound to vary.

Aman reached out and poured out the top layer of flowers, but unexpectedly, the flowers on the bottom layer looked even more beautiful than those on the top layer.

"Huh?" Aman finally realized something was wrong, and reached out to take out another part, but the result was still the same.

"Is this mansion so extravagant? Such beautiful flowers, and they don't even want them? They would have been fine just for putting in a vase!" Aman said with some regret.

Fu Yunxiu and Mantou exchanged a glance, both of them clearly relieved.

I thought Ah Man was about to find out.

Didn't Butler Xu tell us not to make it too obvious?

"Perhaps the wind was strong yesterday. These better flowers are heavy, so it's possible they were broken by the wind," Fu Yunxiu tried to cover up and dispel Aman's doubts.

“That’s certainly possible.” Aman nodded, not giving it much thought.

After all, it was her first time meeting Master He, so there was no possibility that he was deliberately giving her the best things.