Xu Dashi took out the chess pieces.
Aunt Feng and her husband watched the flying bird chess and listened to how to play it. They all laughed and thought it was beautiful and fun. Not only their own daughter, but any young lady would like it.
Xu gave the brother and sister some more advice.
Xu Lanzhou smiled and said, "Thank you, cousin aunt, for your reminder. We don't dare to embarrass my uncle with this chess set. We just heard that the Min family was looking for things for the young lady to play with, so we thought this chess set might catch her eye. As long as Miss Min likes the chess set we offer, even if we are orphans and widows, no one would dare to bully us."
It turned out that the orphan and his widowed mother were afraid of being bullied, so they wanted to establish a relationship with the county magistrate's family. This is understandable.
Uncle Feng smiled and said, "You're young, but you still know your place. Come on, I'll take you to see Steward Tang. If this chess game really catches Miss Min's eye, Steward Tang will speak up for you if anyone dares to bully you in the future." He then said knowledgeably, "Don't underestimate Steward Tang because he's just a servant. He holds more respect than the county magistrate's advisors. He's like a seventh-rank official in the prime minister's household."
Xu Dashi smiled and complimented Uncle Feng on his broad knowledge.
Xu Lanyin and a few others followed him out the door.
After passing the back street, they arrived at the west corner gate of the county government's backyard. The front was the county government office, the backyard was where the family lived, and the west corner gate was where the servants came and went. Uncle Feng whispered a few words to the gatekeeper, and they entered the gate. It was a small courtyard where several senior officials of the government worked.
Butler Tang was not at home, and the servant said he had gone to see the master.
Uncle Feng was delighted. He'd never dared to see Uncle Min unless it was something important, so this was his chance to show off. He smiled and said, "Wait here. I'll take the chess pieces to Uncle Min. He's been looking for something for the young lady these days, and if he's interested, you guys will definitely be in for a treat."
Xu Dashi and the others hurriedly thanked him and watched Uncle Feng leave with the package containing the chess pieces.
A quarter of an hour later, Uncle Feng came running back, his face flushed. He said with a smile, "Hurry up, Uncle Min really likes that chess set, and he wants to see you."
They followed Uncle Feng eastward, past a moon gate, and the landscape opened up. Beautiful trees shaded the courtyard, and a deep, deep courtyard formed a backdrop. After passing three more moon gates, they arrived at a quiet, secluded courtyard.
Entering a side room, a young man in his twenties, fair-skinned and refined, sat inside. He was playing a game of flying bird chess on the table, smiling broadly. Behind him stood a servant, and next to him stood a lean man in his forties.
Xu Lanyin and a few others went in and paid their respects to Uncle Min, Min Shan.
Min Shan passed the imperial examination two years ago, but the magistrate of Min County felt that he was not yet qualified to take the imperial examination, so he stayed at home to study and take care of some miscellaneous affairs.
Min Shan raised his head and asked, "Where did you buy these chess sets? This is the first time I've seen them." He then said to Butler Tang, "I know where to find them. Let's go buy two more sets."
Xu Lanzhou smiled and said, "Master Min, this chess piece was conceived and made by my sister and I. It's not sold anywhere else." He didn't dare say that it was his sister who came up with it alone.
Min Shan raised his eyebrows, looking extremely surprised. "Did you come up with this on your own?"
He didn't believe it. How could it be possible!
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "It's true. I wouldn't dare lie to Mr. Min. This is something we came up with based on the stone chess game. My brother and I aren't very good at drawing, so we just wrote on the chess pieces. If we had drawn various birds directly on the chess pieces, it would have been more intuitive and beautiful. Also, if the chess pieces were made round and painted in brighter colors, it would have been even more beautiful."
Min Shan looked down at the chess pieces and said with a smile, "That's true."
He asked Xu Lanzhou to play a game with him and laughed, "It's very fun. My little sister will definitely like it."
Steward Tang, stroking his goatee, asked, "Young Master Xu, have you ever given this chess piece to anyone else?"
Xu Lanzhou said quickly, "No, we just made this chess set yesterday and brought it here today."
Butler Tang smiled with wrinkles on his face and whispered a few words to Uncle Min, meaning that his shop could do this business and asked the Xu siblings not to make this kind of chess pieces for others or sell them.
Min Shan shook his head. This chess game wasn't going to make much money. Anyone could figure it out. Why bother competing with the common people for this little bit of money? He said softly, "We can do it, so don't stop them."
Butler Tang nodded in agreement.
Min Shan added, "Butler Tang, take out five taels of silver as a reward for them. It's almost noon now, so let them have lunch."
The Xu family members hurriedly bowed in thanks. Xu Lanzhou and Xu Dashi had expected the Min family to offer a small reward, but they hadn't expected such a large sum. Xu Lanyin secretly lamented that this was an invention.
Min Shan took the chess pieces and went to the backyard. Steward Tang led the Xu family and Uncle Feng back to the courtyard where he worked, and took out five small silver ingots weighing one ounce each and gave them to Xu Lanzhou.
Several people from the Xu family thanked him, and Xu Lanzhou took out one or two taels of silver and presented them.
Butler Tang waved his hand, not wanting to be bothered by such a small amount of money, and asked Uncle Feng to take them to a guest room for dinner.
Xu Lanzhou took out another ingot of silver and stuffed it into Uncle Feng's hand. Uncle Feng declined it for a while but still accepted it.
Uncle Feng's eyes were curved with smiles. Not only did he get one or two taels of silver today, but he was also the one who helped bring the flying bird chess into the mansion. He earned enough face in front of Master Min and Butler Tang.
In a short while, four dishes, one soup, and a small bowl of white rice were served, one of which was a thick and bright red braised pork.
Minshan hurried to his sister Minnan's yard.
Mrs. Min was also here. Lunch was already placed on the table beside the couch. Mrs. Min urged her daughter to eat more.
Min Nan, ten years old, broke her left leg early this month due to mischief. She's usually very active, but these days she's been either confined to her bed or couch, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Madam Min had two legitimate sons, and a concubine had a son from another family, leaving her with only one daughter. Min Nan bore a striking resemblance to the beautiful Madam Min, with bright eyes and white teeth, and a charming appearance. She was adored by everyone in the family, including her parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law. Lord Min, in particular, doted on her to the skies. Unfortunately, a small dark scar on her chin detracted from her overall beauty.
Madam Min asked the maid to scoop a small bowl of bone soup for her, "My dear girl, what you eat is what you need to nourish yourself. Drink more elbow soup, and your leg will heal faster."
Min Nan raised her lips and twisted her body to say, "Eating this every day makes me want to vomit as soon as I smell it."
Mrs. Min was so frightened that she quickly held her down and said, "Don't move, be careful not to hurt your legs."
Min Shan walked in quickly and said with a smile, "I have something fun, my sister will definitely like it."
Min Nan's mouth curled up even higher, "Big brother always says the things he brings are good, but nothing is really good."
Min Shan smiled and said, "This time it's really good, my little sister will definitely like it." He then asked someone to temporarily remove the food on the table and put the flying bird chess on it.
As he wished, he saw the curious look in his little sister's eyes, and after explaining how to play, he called the other two girls, and the four of them played a game.
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