Chapter 21 Even the young master and the captain have to return to the temple, so why don't we...
After more than two hours, Rong Jia's eldest son, carrying the unglazed porcelain blank that had been tested in the kiln, walked briskly and happily into the main hall.
By this time, Yu Nie and Madam Rong had grown tired from their stroll and had already returned from the garden.
Rong's eldest son was as excited as a top scholar who had just passed the imperial examination. His face was beaming with joy, and his voice could be heard from afar: "Great news, great news, Mother! It's done! It's done!"
Madam Rong abruptly stood up from her reddish-brown armchair and hurried to the door. Yu Nie, her heart pounding, quickly followed.
In the blink of an eye, Rong Dalang climbed the steps, holding a small unpainted clay figure about half the size of his palm, and presented it to Madam Rong: "It's made into a mother! Our Rong family is saved!"
Gazing at the shimmering porcelain ewer, Madam Rong's fingers trembled slightly as she took the vase and examined it closely. Perhaps overwhelmed with emotion at the weight lifted from her heart, she managed only three utterances: "Good...good...good..."
The peacock blue glaze on the porcelain ewer was flawless and even, without the slightest color difference or crack. As the saying goes, hard work pays off. Gazing at the ewer, Yu Nie's tense nerves finally relaxed, and she breathed a long sigh of relief.
The fatigue of the past few days seemed to dissipate with this breath.
Rong Dalang couldn't hide his excitement: "With the peacock blue indigo concocted by the little fairy, our family no longer needs to worry about being punished by the government, that county..."
Hearing her son speak, Madam Rong suddenly turned her back. Yu Nie saw her covering her face with her sleeve and looked at her with concern. He saw that Madam Rong's eyes were moist, and she raised her hand to wipe away her tears with her fingertips.
“Madam Rong…” Yu Nie said softly.
"Mother." Rong Dalang hurriedly stepped forward upon seeing this, bending down to comfort her: "It's a good thing that our family no longer has to worry about not being able to deliver the porcelain teapot on time. Why are you crying, Mother?"
Madam Rong picked up her handkerchief and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Your mother is crying tears of joy."
After saying that, she turned to look at Yu Nie beside her, grasped her hands tightly, and said with gratitude: "It is all thanks to the fairy. These past few days, my husband and I have been tossing and turning, unable to sleep. We were prepared for our home to be confiscated and our family to be exiled."
"Last night, my husband and I were still planning to send our son and daughter-in-law away quietly as soon as possible. No matter where they escaped, it would be better than them staying with us to face the suffering ahead." Madam Rong's voice choked with sobs, and her eyes were filled with tears. "But we never expected that the fairy would actually concoct this peacock blue, saving our Rong family from dire straits." She knelt down and said, "I will never forget the fairy's great kindness. Please accept my bow."
Yu Nie hurriedly supported her arms: "Madam, such a great courtesy is too much for a junior like me to accept. As the old saying goes, 'If you give me a peach, I will repay you with a precious jade.' You and the Jia family have donated a lot of incense to our temple. This small favor is nothing to mention." She helped Madam Rong up: "Madam, please get up quickly. If you kneel down like this, it will only make me feel bad."
Her arm was strong and firm. Madam Rong had no choice but to give up the idea and get up. She wiped away her tears and said, "Little Fairy is kind-hearted and will surely be blessed by the Three Pure Ones. She will be blessed with great virtue and attain the Great Dao soon." As she spoke, she took off a pair of jade bracelets from her wrist: "These bracelets were my dowry when I got married. I am giving them to you today, Fairy. I hope you will not find them undesirable."
Yu Nie saw that the jade bracelet had excellent translucency and a lustrous sheen, clearly a priceless item. How could she accept it as part of someone's dowry? She quickly declined, saying, "How can I accept this dowry bracelet from Madam? If I do, my martial uncle will surely scold me for being ignorant when he returns."
Now that things have come to this, she can no longer bring herself to say that she once wanted to charge a small fee to help her save money for her trip to Longdao.
Madam Rong, however, was adamant and insisted on giving it to her.
One insisted on giving it as a gift, while the other repeatedly declined. Seeing that the two were deadlocked, Rong Dalang stepped in to break the stalemate: "Since the fairy is unwilling to accept my mother's beloved gift, then allow me to give her another one as a token of my gratitude." He turned to the steward and whispered a few words to him, and the steward nodded repeatedly before hurriedly leaving.
Before half a cup of tea had been brewed, the butler came running over, carrying a six-inch carved wooden box.
Rong Dalang handed the box to Yu Nie and said, "The fairy has done a great favor for my Rong family. The contents of this box are not part of her dowry. The fairy should accept them now."
The moment Yu Nie opened the box, a golden light shone into his eyes, revealing ten gold coin pendants neatly arranged on a velvet background.
"This, this... this is way too much." She had never seen so much gold before; the last time she saw it was in a museum.
"Not much, not much," Rong Dalang said with a smile. "The Fairy Maiden's kindness is priceless, and even a fortune couldn't buy her a fraction of it. I hope the Fairy Maiden will not refuse."
Seeing the resolute expressions on the Rong family members' faces, Yu Nie knew she could no longer refuse. She secretly pondered that the days until the chaos of war were numbered. Going to Longdao to purchase saltpeter would take at least a month round trip. If the time for developing gunpowder were also taken into account, the time would be even more pressing.
Her fingers lingered on the wooden box for a long time before she finally picked up only a single gold coin. This would provide enough for the journey and also put the Rong family at ease.
As dusk settled outside the window, she knew she couldn't linger and had to leave the city before the city gates closed.
Before leaving, she pondered for a moment, then personally wrote down the recipe for peacock blue pigment, folded it up, and handed it to Madam Rong, saying, "Madam, please keep this safe."
"This hard-won prescription, the fairy maiden just handed it over to our Rong family so easily?" Madam Rong looked at the prescription in her hand, her expression and tone filled with shock.
Yu Nie said, "This formula was originally meant for you. From now on, the Rong family will no longer need to spend a lot of money to buy peacock blue from the Tocharians."
Peacock blue is an exotic, mysterious color, always priceless. Now, she's openly and honestly giving away the recipe.
She did more than simply provide a prescription; she practically handed over a mountain of gold to the Rong family.
Madam Rong and her son Rong Dalang were at a loss for words to express their gratitude. After a long while, they finally managed to say, "We, the Rong family, have no way to repay the kindness of the fairy maiden. We can only kneel down and bow to express our gratitude."
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Rong was about to kneel down to express her gratitude, and Rong Dalang beside her also bowed down.
But Yu Nie stopped them all. The peacock blue porcelain ewer was the Rong family's signature item, and the Rong family had done a favor for Lingbao Temple. Even if she was short of money, she would never use this recipe for a transaction. Giving it to the Rong family was something she had planned long ago.
Besides, she's already gotten what she wanted. One shouldn't be too greedy. She won't use this recipe for business or steal the Rong family's livelihood, so keeping it would be useless to her. It's better to do a good deed and give it away.
She said, "It's just a prescription. If you keep being so polite, I'll be too embarrassed to come to your residence again."
“Little Fairy, you may come whenever you wish. Our Rong family has never been able to repay your great kindness. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, please feel free to come to us.”
“Yes, Fairy Maiden.” After Madam Rong finished speaking, Rong Dalang chimed in, “Our Rong family is your strong backing.”
Yu Nie smiled and said, "Then I will remember this."
The three chatted for a few more minutes until they could not linger any longer, at which point the Rong family mother and son escorted her to the gate.
Before Yu Nie bid farewell to the two, Madam Rong had someone pack a lot of fruits and pastries for her, wrapped them in a bundle, and put them on a horse, telling her to take them back to Lang Xi and the others to try.
If she liked it, she would have someone send more.
Yu Nie readily accepted the food and expressed her gratitude.
Seeing her mount her horse, Madam Rong turned to her maid and asked, "Where has the master gone? He hasn't been seen all afternoon, and he didn't even come to see the fairy off."
The "easterner" refers to the wealthy merchant Rong.
The maid stepped forward and lowered her voice: "An hour ago, after the distinguished guests who came to visit the master to discuss business left, two young men came looking for the master, saying that they had important matters to discuss. They are being entertained in the flower hall right now."
Madam Rong asked, "Do you know the names of those two people?"
The maid replied, "The young commander who is leading the troops claims to be a captain of the Xuan Ce Army, surnamed Huan, and given name Zijing."
Upon hearing a familiar name, Yu Nie exclaimed in surprise, "Huan Zijing is here too?"
Knowing that the two knew each other, Madam Rong asked, "Would the fairy wish to go and meet her?"
Yu Nie hesitated. They were discussing important matters, and it wouldn't be appropriate for her to interrupt them abruptly.
She glanced at the sky; it was now completely dark. Lanterns were being lit one by one at the doors of every house along the street. Walking home alone would be a little eerie. Should she wait for him, so they could keep each other company?
It must have been fate. Just as Yu Nie was making up his mind, he suddenly heard the sound of casual conversation coming from inside.
The light and shadow on the floor flickered, illuminating a familiar figure. He had a smile on his face, suggesting they had just had a pleasant conversation.
Turning the corner under the corridor, he saw her sitting on a horse.
Their eyes met, and her image was reflected in his eyes. He said in a slow, gentle voice, "What a coincidence, little Taoist priest. I never expected you to come to the Rong residence as well."
Yu Nie said, "That's right, I came here following the captain's footsteps."
He approached her reddish-brown pony, stroked its head, and looked up at her: "Oh? Following my steps... what are you doing following me?"
She smiled gracefully: "I'm just waiting for my young master to go home together."
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, covered their mouths, and smiled.
Only then did Yu Nie belatedly realize that her words might have been too intimate. But words spoken are like water spilled; they cannot be taken back.
Fortunately, it's not too bad, and there's still room for improvement.
She chuckled and said, "It's dark and windy, and the road back will be deserted. The captain also has to return to the temple, so we might as well go together."
As they were talking, the servant brought over his fine horse. The crowd teased him tacitly, but Zi Jing didn't care much. He took the reins with his left hand, straddled the horse with his right leg, and in the blink of an eye, he was sitting firmly on its back. He turned his gaze to her: "Little Taoist priest is right. I was just worried that it would be so boring to be traveling alone with only Guard Xie and me."
Behind them, Xie Cheng also mounted his horse.
The three of them got ready and were about to set off.
Rong Dajia and his family saw them off at the door: "Fairy Maiden, Captain, Guards, be careful on your journey."
"Don't worry, Master Jia, we will." Yu Nie smiled lightly, "The remaining Peacock Blue can be collected by Master Jia sending someone to the temple in five days."
Upon learning that she had successfully blended peacock blue, Zi Jing still maintained a half-smile on her face.
After chatting for a while, the three of them set off on their journey.
I walked through the streets and alleys and out of the city gate. The moonlight was as clear as if it had been washed, shining on the official road.
The sound of horses' hooves clattered, occasionally punctuated by the chirping of insects.
The three of them sat on their horses, swaying slowly in the moonlight.
Yu Nie reached behind her and pulled out three plump, juicy pears from her bundle, tossing them to Zi Jing and Xie Cheng beside her.
Zijing caught the fruit from mid-air, and it landed steadily in his palm. He glanced down and saw that it was a clean pear before taking a bite.
Yu Nie recalled what Madam Yuanpu Rong had mentioned during the day.
She glanced sideways at Zijing, looking him over repeatedly, and finally couldn't resist. She leaned closer and asked mysteriously, "Little Captain, I heard that Magistrate He has been arrested for committing a crime. Is that... true?"
A note from the author:
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