Pei Yan, however, thought that Chen's refusal was a good one.

When Yu Tang stayed at Pei's house, this and that wanted to ask her out, so he had to think of many ways to go out with Yu Tang alone. It was different when Yu Tang returned to her parents' home, as long as she got the consent of Chen and Yu Wen, it would be fine.

Instead, he advised Pei Laoan: "This is not a one-time thing. Let her spend a few solar terms in the Yu family this year."

Next year, we will celebrate the festival at Pei’s house.

Old Man Pei heard what his son had not finished saying and laughed. On the day when they went down the mountain to return to Pei Mansion to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, he gave Yu Tang many holiday gifts and medicinal herbs. The people in Pei Mansion went directly back to the Pei family, while Yu Tang returned to Qingzhu Lane.

Chen had prepared a lot of food for her daughter to come back. When she saw Yu Tang, she hugged her daughter tightly and refused to let go. Yu Wen couldn't stand it anymore and said, "It's not like you won't see her anymore. Is there any need to be like this?"

"Am I wrong to miss my daughter?" Chen murmured softly, rolled her eyes at her husband, and pulled Yu Tang back to her inner room to talk, "Is Mrs. Pei unhappy that you're back?"

"No!" Yu Tang comforted Chen with kind words for a long time. Only then did Chen feel relieved. She happily waited for Yu Tang to change her clothes, had dinner with her, and then went to greet Wang together.

Wang was doing needlework beside her sleeping grandson. When she knew they were coming, she put down her work and went out to greet them.

Yu Tang bowed respectfully to Wang. Wang smiled and took Yu Tang's hand and looked her up and down for a long time. Seeing that her face was rosy and her eyes were sparkling and bright, she couldn't help but smile and said, "Your mother said that Pei Laoan called you to teach you some housekeeping skills. Your mother and I were afraid that you couldn't do it well, so we kept nagging at home. Now that I see how you look, I am relieved. It shows that our Atang and the Pei family are still destined to be together."

The last sentence was addressed to Chen.

Chen pursed her lips and smiled.

Yu Tang asked about Xiang Shi and learned that she had gone to the shop to deliver food to Yu Yuan. He and Chen Shi went into the house to see their little nephew and talked for a while. Then Xiang Shi came back.

Wang invited Yu Tang and her daughter to have dinner at her home, and asked the servant to inform Yu Bo and Yu Yuan in the shop to come back early for dinner.

Yu Tang hadn't seen Xiang Shi for some time, so the two of them sat in the yard and talked for a long time. When the sun set, Yu Bo and Yu Yuan came back, and the house became lively again.

When Yu Wen came over, the two brothers had to talk about the Dragon Boat Festival. Yu Yuan quietly pulled Yu Tang's sleeve, and the brother and sister stood under the eaves and talked in private.

"The shop received a big order yesterday," he winked at Yu Tang, "It was from a pen and ink shop in Hangzhou, ordering one thousand small boxes for ink tablets, and asked for patterns like step-by-step promotion to be carved on them. Father was very happy, but I asked Yao San to inquire about it, and he said it was introduced by Tong Er, the shopkeeper of Pei's pawnshop. Otherwise, you can ask the third master to draw a few patterns for us! This is the first time we have received such an order. If we do a good job, we can do work for those pen and ink shops in the future."

Only the rich could afford to read, so the things in the pen and ink shop were expensive. And if a box like this one was carved with red lacquer for decoration, it would be one of the very high-end four treasures of the study.

Such a box must not only be well made, but also have elegant designs.

Not all lacquer shops can do this.

If the Yu family can get this business, it will open up the door to the pen and ink shop, and the Yu family's lacquerware shop will reach a new level in terms of reputation and business.

Maybe it will become a tribute someday.

But Yu Tang looked at her eldest cousin's teasing eyes and couldn't help blushing. She said angrily, "Only our family can make such a box!"

Yu Yuan chuckled.

But Yu Tang knew the ability of the Yu family lacquerware shop. Seeing Yu Yuan being so heartless, she became a little worried and couldn't help but say, "Brother, can we make a thousand boxes in time? Otherwise, I'd better ask Master Pei San to draw some patterns for us. He has high standards. If he is willing to nominate, the things he draws will definitely be good."

Yu Yuan does have such thoughts, but his sister hasn't married yet. Will Master Pei San agree?

Yu Tang didn't think too much about it and said, "I'll go and try it."

If he doesn't agree, she will keep pestering him until he agrees.

Who suggested that their shop feature flowers?

This really proves that whoever comes up with the idea has to do the running.

Pei Yan would definitely complain if he knew about this.

But he just complains, which is also very interesting...

Yu Tang thought about it and was a little impatient to meet Pei Yan.

Pei Yan was also a little uncomfortable.

When he lived in the villa a few days ago, he would have lunch with Yu Tang every morning after finishing his work, and then go for a walk together, or go to see flowers, or go to see birds. Sometimes when the weather was too hot, the days passed quickly just sitting under the shade of the trees and chatting about family matters. Now that Yu Tang has gone home, he seems to have nothing to do all of a sudden.

After lunch, Pei Yan was thinking about whether he should find an excuse to meet Yu Tang, but before he could move, Yu Tang came to see him first.

He was delighted in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He asked Ah Ming to take her to the study to talk, then turned around and told Qing Yuan: "Bring some fruit to Miss Yu. She likes sweet food, so you can choose the sweet ones."

Qing Yuan smiled and agreed. When he washed the fruit and brought it over, Yu Tang and Pei Yan were already sitting on the bamboo chairs under the eaves and talking.

"What pattern do you think is good?" Yu Tang said, "I got a few patterns from my home, can you help me take a look?"

Pei Yan curled his lips in his heart.

I don't know if he is using this as an excuse or if he really has something to ask him?

But no matter whether it was the former or the latter, Pei Yan took the drawings from Yu Tang with a cold expression, looked at them casually, and threw them all aside.

Yu Tang was very surprised and asked, "Nothing works?"

"It's hundreds of years old." Pei Yan did not hide his contempt and said, "This is the same pattern I saw when I was a child." At this point, he had an idea.

No matter why Yu Tang came to him, he could just take advantage of this matter.

"How about this," he stood up and said, "I'll draw a few patterns for you, and you can take them back and discuss with your brother which one is better. You go and grind the ink."

Grinding ink? !

Yu Tang couldn't believe what he heard.

But Pei Yan had already strode into the study.

Yu Tang had no choice but to follow and confirmed, "Where's Ah Ming? He was here just now?"

How come it's her turn to grind ink?

Pei Yan suddenly stopped and turned around, and Yu Tang, who was following behind him, almost bumped into him.

"Can you stay at home for a few more days?" Pei Yan asked.

It took Yu Tang a while to realize that Pei Yan was asking her to seize the time.

What else can she say?

He rolled up his sleeves and stood obediently in front of the large desk to grind ink for Pei Yan.

Ah Ming, who ran to the kitchen to bring snacks to Yu Tang, was stopped outside the study by Qing Yuan, and the snacks were taken over by Qing Yuan.

Yu Tang had only ground ink for Yu Wen, but the ink tablets Pei Yan used were heavy and astringent. Yu Tang felt her wrists a little sore after grinding for a while. Pei Yan went to get a box of pigments and wanted to paint in fine brushwork. He explained to her, "I have carefully studied your red lacquer. It all depends on the deep and shallow red to outline. I use fine brushwork, so you know which places should be light and which places should be dark, so it is easier to proof."

What else can Yu Tang say?

It turns out that those pigments are harder to grind apart than ink.

Yu Tang couldn't help but mutter, "What kind of ink tablets are you using? What kind of pigments? Why are they so hard to grind apart? Aren't they inferior products?"

Pei Yan raised his eyebrows and said, "I used only the rosin ink that was donated by the emperor, and I also added various precious stones into the pigments. Otherwise, how could the color be so beautiful? And it won't fade for a long time."

Such a bad temper!

Yu Tang retorted unhappily: "I haven't seen them before, how do I know what they are? It's true that they are not easy to grind."

"You don't know how to grind it, right?" Pei Yan said coldly, "Except for you, I haven't heard anyone else say that it's hard to grind it."

That's because those people are just your servants, who dares to say such things?

Yu Tang felt that Pei Yan had no self-awareness and was unwilling to do it. She called Qing Yuan in and asked if Ah Ming had returned, as she wanted to switch shifts with Ah Ming.

Seeing Pei Yan's face was about to turn black, Qing Yuan dared not reveal Ah Ming's whereabouts, so he hurriedly brought in some snacks and said with a smile: "Why don't you take a rest, Miss?"

Yu Tang immediately asked for a break.

Pei Yan had no choice but to watch her sit beside him drinking tea and eating snacks while he started grinding the pigment.

Yu Tang felt even more justified in stealing because he was lazy.

By the time Pei Yan finished drawing a picture, sunset glow had already appeared in the sky.

Pei Yan handed the pattern to Yu Tang and reminded her: "Remember to come back tomorrow."

Yu Tang looked at the picture and saw a magpie resting on a plum branch.

The plum blossoms are sparse and proud, and the magpies are lively and playful, jumping vividly on the paper, making people unable to put them down.

Yu Tang decided to collect the painting.

She thanked him with a smile and left with the painting.

Pei Yan looked at the remaining painting tools on the large drawing table and suddenly felt a little pitiful for them being left there alone.

Yu Yuan had never thought that Yu Tang could actually ask for Pei Yan's painting samples. He was once again amazed by Pei Yan's painting skills and hesitated, "Is this okay? Didn't you say that you only use flowers?"

Yu Tang pointed at the plum blossom and asked hesitantly, "Isn't there a flower here?"

She had completely forgotten about it.

Thinking of Pei Yan's instructions, he hurriedly said, "He asked me to go again tomorrow. I guess he has some drawings for us, right?"

Yu Yuan did not ask any more questions, but carefully studied Pei Yan's painting and said, "The Third Elder told us to make a copy according to the depth of his painting. I have to discuss it with the master, and I don't know if I can do it."

Yu Tang was also a little worried, so Yu Yuan went to the shop overnight.

The next morning, Yu Tang also went to Pei's house early.

The maid at the side gate of Pei's mansion was already accustomed to Yu Tang's visits, so when she saw Qing Yuan coming, she let Yu Tang in.

Pei Yan said: "Let me give you a pair of matching cards!"

Yu Tang thought that there was no need to go through so much trouble and should wait until she could marry him. Otherwise, she might never be able to use the Pei family's opponent.

This time Pei Yan did not ask Yu Tang to grind ink for him, but asked Yu Tang to fan him instead.

Yu Tang had given up trying to reason with him and obediently took a Sichuan fan and fanned him from behind.