Chapter 51 Chapter 51 While riding in the car...
While riding in the car, Jiang Wan opened the system mall and bought two books, "Introduction to Textile Technology" and "Embroidery Master", spending a total of 120 points.
The remaining points decreased from 262 to 142, and Jiang Wan had two more printed books with yellow covers in his hand.
She ordered the driver to take a detour to Chen Xi's home and personally hand over the two books from another world to her young apprentice.
Seeing her disciple's delight, she gently pinched his pigtail and said, "Master may be a little busy lately. Study hard at home. I'll come check on your progress soon."
Chen Xi nodded obediently, and Jiang Wan got on the carriage with peace of mind and headed towards the Jiang family courtyard.
It was already late at night. After a busy day, Jiang Wan felt a little tired. He had been sitting in the carriage for a long time, so he couldn't help yawning.
Seeing that they had reached the entrance of the alley, Jiang Wan said, "Master, let's go here. The road is narrow and dark, so it's not easy for a carriage to go. I can just walk back."
She gave the driver a tip of ten copper coins, got off the carriage, stretched with her eyes half closed, and walked into the alley.
The road was silent. Across the narrow alley stood a stout old poplar tree, its bare branches swaying slightly in the night breeze.
There was a man standing under the tree. Jiang Wan recognized him just by looking at his back, and his sleepiness instantly disappeared.
Zi Yan turned around and strode towards her: "You're back so late?"
Jiang Wan steeled herself and forced a smile, "I have something to do. Sorry to have kept you waiting. What's the matter with you coming so late?"
"Nothing, I just heard that you redeemed your family, and I wanted to say congratulations to you, and also..."
"Anything else?" Jiang Wan looked at him with clear eyes.
He lowered his eyes uncomfortably, his long eyelashes trembling. The cool moonlight illuminated one side of his cheek, outlining an almost perfect curve.
After waiting for a long while without any further comments, Jiang Wan tilted his head in confusion and said without asking any more questions: "Oh, thank you for coming to congratulate me. I'm a little sleepy, so I'll go back and rest first. You should go back early too."
"Wait!" His sleeve was pulled, and Zi Yan's voice behind him was urgent, "I, I want to apologize to you."
After the first sentence was out, the rest flowed much more smoothly. Zi Yan took a deep breath and said, "I shouldn't have pinched you that day. I was so nervous at the time that I reflexively thought you had other intentions... I'm sorry."
Jiang Wan stopped but didn't look back.
"Miss Jiang, my biological mother is a taboo. If I mention her or commemorate her, I will be punished. Everyone treats her as if she doesn't exist, but I miss her very much."
"Every year on her death anniversary, I would secretly pay my respects to her and talk to her. I never allowed anyone else to follow me, and I killed anyone who happened to see me doing so." Zi Yan's voice was low, with a faint hint of tears in it. "You are the only exception."
"Let's start from the beginning, clean up the old mountains and rivers, and face the heavens." He slowly recited what Jiang Wan had said to him, as if he was recalling that night, or as if his thoughts flew back to twenty years ago. "My mother also recited this poem before she died."
"Miss Jiang, can you forgive me?"
With his back to Zi Yan, Jiang Wan exhaled silently.
These days, whether it was redeeming her family, bringing down corrupt officials, or opening a new store, he had helped her a lot, which was more than enough to offset the hurt she had suffered that night.
To be fair, the man in front of her had no intention of hurting her. Moreover, after that night, he gradually let down his guard against her and began to care about her affairs.
In Jiang Wan's understanding, this was a sign that he treated her as a friend.
She turned around, and the masked smile she wore towards her clients disappeared, replaced by a gentle smile towards her friends.
Her delicate eyebrows curved into a beautiful arc, and the moonlight fell into her eyes, bright and gentle, reflecting her delicate and charming beauty.
Jiang Wan stuck out her tongue: "Okay, I'll forgive you this time."
Then she noticed a suspicious blush on the other person's face.
Zi Yan still held onto her sleeve, his voice sounding aggrieved. "Well, don't say those polite yet cold words to me anymore. It makes me uncomfortable."
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Jiang Wan patted his shoulder and felt a lot more relieved.
She pulled Ziyan to sit under the old poplar tree. "I didn't expect you, with your stubborn temper, to actually apologize to me. Is it because you're leaving Xiaofangpan City?"
"Yes." Zi Yan said slowly, his peach blossom eyes, which could show affection even to a dog, stared at her intently, as if he was reluctant to let her go.
As expected. Shen Jianqing had stayed in Dunhuang County for quite some time, and the county magistrate's wife told him he would be returning to Beijing the next day. So, as a good friend, Zi Yan would naturally return to Beijing with him to recuperate—after all, his family was in Lin'an, and they would have to return sooner or later.
Jiang Wan had been mentally prepared for this, but when the time came to leave, her heart was overwhelmed with inexplicable emotions, so much so that she couldn't even utter a few polite words of farewell and could only bow her head in silence.
Zi Yan reached into his sleeve with his right hand, fumbled around, pulled out a golden hairpin, and carefully held it in front of Jiang Wan.
It was the same golden hairpin she had pawned when she first crossed over. The emerald green gem shone brightly in the moonlight, and Jiang Wan was lost in thought as she stared at it.
"I saw it at Xu's pawnshop and bought it because I thought it looked nice. Last time you repaired my broken sword, this hairpin is my thank you gift to you." Zi Yan stared at Jiang Wan with his bright black eyes while speaking, a strand of black hair falling over his left shoulder to the side of his cheek.
It's like a nervous big dog that wants to take credit for its owner but is afraid that its owner will dislike it.
Jiang Wan stared at the familiar hairpin before her. Her grandmother's dying words, the struggles she'd endured since her exile, the helplessness she felt when the hairpin was sold... Scenes flashed through her mind, some from the original owner's memories, some from her own. For both the original owner and herself, each held immense significance.
She had vowed to get the hairpin back, but she had never imagined that it would be handed to her by the man before her. Even more complicated was the fact that, although Zi Yan hadn't said anything, looking into his eyes, Jiang Wan had the feeling that he understood everything.
She had previously guessed that Zi Yan must be the illegitimate son of an official in Lin'an.
But the Duke's Mansion still had old subordinates in the capital, and no one in the capital had lost a son. In other words, either Zi Yan was so unwelcome at home that no one paid attention to him for a month, or she had misjudged his identity.
Who is he, and why is his mother taboo?
Even though he repeatedly warned himself not to pry into other people's private affairs, Jiang Wan couldn't help but be curious.
After silently repeating the words "Life is important, don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask" three times, she barely suppressed her curiosity and solemnly took the hairpin: "Thank you."
After thinking for a while, he said, "When you arrive in Lin'an, remember to write me a letter to let me know you're safe."
Zi Yan paused and asked, "Who said I was going to Lin'an?"
"Ah? Commander Shen is about to leave for Beijing, aren't you going with him?" Jiang Wan asked in confusion.
"So that's how you surmised," Zi Yan rolled his eyes, his lips curling up as he smiled softly. When that almost expressionless face smiled, it was like the snow on the mountaintop melting, transforming into a trickle of water that cleansed the soul, stirring one's heart, yet preventing the slightest evil thought.
Jiang Wan stared blankly at the other man's mouth opening and closing, and then finished speaking: "I'm not going with him. I'm going to Wusun."
"Hello, Miss Jiang?" Zi Yan waved in front of her. "Are you daydreaming?"
"Oh, oh, you're going to Wusun... Wait!" Jiang Wan said, "I'm planning to go to Wusun too."
Zi Yan's eyes lit up: "What are you going to do?"
Jiang Wan and Zi Yan sat side by side, leaning against the trunk of the old poplar tree. "Delivery, I'm a big businessman now."
She patted the man next to her on the shoulder and said, "Our caravan is in need of a guard. Would you like to join? The wages will be doubled."
"Okay," Zi Yan said with a smile on his face. "My sword hasn't seen blood for a long time, so I'll give it a try to see if your repair is strong enough."
There was a chill in his tone as he spoke, and Jiang Wan shivered from the cold. "You, what are you going to do in Wusun? Let me tell you, if you provoke someone important, I can't protect you."
The coldness he had just exuded vanished, as if it were just an illusion on Jiang Wan's part. When she turned her head to look at him again, he was leaning comfortably against a tree stump, saying lazily, "Don't worry, Boss Jiang. I'll listen to you and promise not to cause any trouble."
After sitting for a while, Jiang Wan's tiredness dissipated considerably. Her habit of staying up late in her previous life had taken its toll on her, and she felt rather excited. She simply turned back and followed the address given to her by Mrs. Wusun You to find her sister, Yili.
Madam You had mentioned that she should be assigned to deliver porcelain to her family, earning her eight thousand taels of silver for two trips a year. But she also had a requirement: she had to find a way to evade inspection in the Wusun capital and smuggle the herb red aconite into the city.
Jiang Wan had not agreed at first. On the one hand, the journey to the Western Regions was dangerous, and she wanted to spend more time with her family. On the other hand, Madam You wanted red aconite for use in palace fighting, and she had no relationship with Madam You, so she didn't want to cause trouble or damage her karma.
But things were different now. After redeeming her mother and brother, she had very little silver left. And the Dunhuang branch, the factory, the workers' wages, and the cost of lodging and lunch all required silver. Furthermore, she had been promised an average daily income of 300 taels of silver for the month. If she could gain some fame from this trip to the Western Regions and bring in some Wusun specialties to sell, that would also help boost her income.
She had to expand her business as quickly as possible to support He Wanrong's road to overturning the verdict. Moreover, Princess Qingrong's illness required the silver bush to heal. If she could help Madam You this time, then with Madam You's help, getting the silver bush would be easy.
After agreeing with Yili on the type and quantity of porcelain to be shipped and confirming the delivery deadline, Jiang Wan had a rough plan. Yili required the goods to be delivered before March 15th. The journey from Xiaofangpancheng to Wusun took about 20 days, and Jiang Wan needed seven days to recruit a caravan and guides and make preparations.
There were a total of 400 pieces of goods being transported this time. Since they were all high-quality goods used by the nobility and were being transported over long distances, each piece cost two taels of silver, for a total price of eight thousand taels of silver.
After the factory is built, it will only take one day to fire 400 pieces of porcelain, which can be carried out at the same time as other preparatory work. Therefore, Jiang Wan plans to set off in seven days and arrive at the Wusun Royal City before the first day of March.
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