Chapter 40 "This old man really is someone who doesn't know the value of food..."
The words were too blunt, even offensive.
But he was the one who said it, and he was the one who did it, so Ji Jinghe had no choice but to admit it, still speaking in the same tone.
"It is impolite to give without receiving, and it is also impolite to receive without giving in return. Since my uncle and aunt are so sincere, we should go out and buy them something."
Yu An gasped, thinking to herself, "Forget it, staying in the same room with him all day is torture. I might as well go out for some fresh air."
Just as she thought, Ji Jinghe was only casual in words. When he was actually on the crowded street, his expression darkened, his jawline tightened, and he exuded a chilling aura. Even the shopkeepers shouting nearby fell silent for a moment when they saw him.
The closer they got to the temple, the more people there were. Ji Jinghe held her hand tightly, trying his best to protect her inside.
Yu An didn't appreciate his protection and walked straight ahead, ignoring him.
"Qingque said you've been making sachets to sell for money."
Yu An looked up and saw him walking quickly towards her. Their eyes met for only a moment before he reached out and straightened the hood of her cloak, which had slightly fallen off.
“You’re in charge of the inner treasury, so the money in the house is your money. If it’s not enough, you can just ask me for it. Why go through all that trouble? It’s bad for your eyes and your mind.”
Yu An smiled bitterly. She still clearly remembered what he said about her bringing her bad habits from before she got married.
She really wanted to ask him: if it really came time for her to spend the family's money, would he take the account book and scold her again, saying that she didn't know how to manage a household?
He always did the talking, leaving her no room to argue.
"I dare not squander the old man's money, I can't pay it back."
Ji Jinghe: ...
The atmosphere of concern that had just been created was ruthlessly shattered by her.
Yu An usually dressed very plainly. Even when she had just gotten married, she didn't dress as extravagantly as other noble ladies in the capital.
Seeing the many jewelry stalls along the roadside, Ji Jinghe spoke up again: "Is there anything you want?"
Yu An was taken aback by the unexpected question before realizing that he was referring to jewelry.
"No need, the old man has already given us a lot."
Ji Jinghe: "I did give you a lot, but didn't you give them all to other people?"
Yu An: "That's enough, no need to spend money."
It's just that she didn't want him to give it to her.
As a result, Ji Jinghe didn't listen at all, picked up a small silver hairpin, and inserted it into Yu An's hair.
He looked at it with satisfaction, picked up the bronze mirror the shopkeeper handed him, and asked, "How is it?"
Those usually sharp eyes and brows now revealed an unfake smile, and even his movements showed a touch of gentleness, making people temporarily forget his original appearance.
Yu An subconsciously reached out to touch it, and then took it off without even taking a closer look before putting it back on the shop.
"If you think it looks nice, sir, you can buy it for Shuer."
Ji Jinghe's smile froze, and the smile in his eyes faded slightly.
Silence fell between the two, and the noise from the street faded away.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Yu'an walked straight ahead.
They bought some things, but Ji Jinghe, who was usually aloof from worldly affairs, had too much money with him, so in the end, Yu An paid for the loose change.
The two followed the crowd in worship, and as they came out, they happened to see the archery stall set up at the temple entrance.
Moved by the scene, Yu An immediately thought of Chu Zhuo'an, recalling how he had disturbed the Xu family's carriage and how he had been punished by Ji Jinghe.
The Ji Jinghe of the past was not like this now.
If it were before, and Ji Jinghe had offered to accompany her out for a stroll, she would probably have been excited from the very beginning of the night.
But things just turned out differently than expected.
Ji Jinghe noticed that she looked unwell and asked if she was feeling unwell. Yu An nodded in agreement, and the two of them walked straight back.
“Let’s go back tomorrow,” she said.
Yu'an said wistfully, "My uncle and aunt have their own lives to live. My presence here is only disturbing them, which is not good."
Besides, there's this young master who's refusing to leave, so why should she stay and make her family serve him for nothing?
Ji Jinghe: "If you want to continue living here, you can buy a house nearby."
Yu An scoffed lightly: "This old man really is someone who doesn't know the value of food..."
For some reason, she blurted out what was on her mind, and even Yu'an was surprised that she had spoken too seriously.
But upon reflection, he had said even more serious things before, and Yu'an felt relieved.
Ji Jinghe turned to look at her, feeling a mix of emotions.
She thought of herself in a way that was far more callous than he had imagined.
He immediately explained, "You've misunderstood me."
Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums rang out beside her, and half of what she was saying was vaguely buried in the sound. Yu An pretended not to hear it and did not give any response.
The silence continued into the bedside. After a night's rest, Ji Jinghe got up early. Yu An had gone to bed late and couldn't wake up in the morning. Hearing the rooster crowing in the yard, she forced herself to get up and go find Li Ji'an.
"Why are you up so early? I was going to ask your aunt to make you breakfast and then wake you up." Li Ji'an knew they were leaving this morning and hadn't even gone to the pharmacy.
Yu An had nothing to say, so he took out a bag of loose silver and stuffed it into Li Ji'an's hand, "Uncle, I'm sorry to have bothered you these past two days, this is a gift from your nephew..."
Li Ji'an quickly stopped him, and Ma Yuwei, who was standing nearby, heard the commotion and took out a large ingot of gold from somewhere.
"Jinghe gave it to me last night, and we're not allowed to tell you." She looked embarrassed, as if she had done something wrong.
Yu An stopped what she was doing and saw the character "纪" on the gold.
Li Ji'an looked troubled: "If he really wants to give it to us, we can't avoid it. He said that if we keep avoiding it, it's like we're treating him like an outsider... Why don't you take it back? Just tell him that we appreciate his kindness, but we don't dare keep such a big ingot of gold at home."
Ma Yuwei nodded in agreement, "Yes, he told us to go buy a nice house, and then he left without saying anything more.
With a breath stuck in her chest, Yu An was momentarily speechless.
In order to make their way, they skipped breakfast. Ji Jinghe got up early and bought some dry food from somewhere, enough to last them until lunchtime.
Because he hadn't slept enough, Yu'an put his head on Baozhu's lap and fell asleep as soon as he got into the carriage. Although the journey was bumpy, he slept soundly until he stopped at an inn at noon to rest.
Baozhu, unable to contain her kindness, worriedly said, "It's so cold outside today. The young master has been riding his horse outside all day. I'm afraid he'll catch a cold."
It would only take half a day to return to the capital on horseback, but Ji Jinghe was unwilling and preferred to leisurely follow beside the carriage.
Wearing only a robe, he might not be able to withstand the cold for long.
Yu An hardened her heart and said, "It should be fine. If something really happens, he will tell me himself."
She felt uneasy and, for some reason, got angry.
By the time they arrived at the mansion, it was completely dark.
Ji Jinghe did not stay, but rode directly to the government office.
His Majesty's time is drawing near, and there are too many people to leave the palace.
Ji Shu didn't expect Yu An to come back so quickly. Even Yu An herself didn't expect it. She had prepared enough clothes for half a month before she left.
During a casual conversation, Ji Shu learned that Ji Jinghe had also gone there halfway, which shocked her so much that her jaw dropped.
"Isn't my brother supposed to be busy? Why did he go too...?"
Yu An shook her head: "He said he was on official business."
Ji Shu looked disgusted; only a child would believe such an excuse.
The following night, the long, deep tolling of the bells signaled the passing of Emperor Hongwen.
During the period of national mourning, music and celebrations were prohibited in the capital, and everyone wore plain clothes.
Aside from daily necessities, almost no one left the mansion.
It wasn't until the new emperor ascended the throne that the capital city underwent a complete transformation.
The former Consort Wang has become the Empress Dowager, and her birthday is coming soon. Yu An thought of presenting another gift as a greeting to open the door to this noble person.
The process is complicated, and we need to start preparing now, but unfortunately, several days have passed and Yu-an still has no ideas.
Baozhu was pleased to see that Yu'an had replaced her embroidery shed with storybooks during this time. "Miss, you've finally learned to rest yourself."
Yu An grumbled as she got up from the tatami mat, "Have we used up all the better materials in our warehouse?"
Baozhu rolled her eyes. "It seems like there's not much left."
All the fabric that Ji Jinghe sent was made into clothes and then returned. The fabric that Yu An had brought as part of her dowry was also made into clothes for Chu Zhuo'an, or some was used to make sachets. In short, there wasn't much left.
The fabric for embroidery has become another major problem. The court will inevitably compete to see who can make the most of what they have for the Empress Dowager's birthday. If she doesn't put effort and money into these things, she might be squeezed out by others.
Baozhu: "If the Empress Dowager still remembers you, she certainly won't care about the quality of the material. Shouldn't the quality of embroidery be judged by how well it's embroidered?"
Yu An sighed: "That's true, but it's still better to cherish it."
They had originally planned to go to the cloth shop, but by chance Ji Shu invited them, so the two sisters-in-law went together by car.
"What do you need the fabric for, sister-in-law? We have so much in our warehouse, good and bad, you name it. Why do you have to pay for it yourself?" Ji Shu asked, puzzled.
Yu An smiled and covered up her embarrassment, saying, "I came out to see how many different kinds of things there are outside."
Ji Shu said frankly, "No matter how many patterns there are in the fabric shops outside, they can't compare to the ones at home. There are so many good things at home... My mother is reluctant to let me use them."
As she spoke, she mischievously turned her attention to Yu An.
"Sister-in-law, Mother used to be in charge of the household, but now you are. Could you please leave some of the best things in the storeroom for me?"
When she asks for favors, she has an indescribable fawning quality, yet it's not annoying; it just makes people laugh.
Yu An chuckled, "Of course, when you get married, your brother will definitely make it all your dowry."
Ji Shu pouted: "But I want it now."
Yu An pretended to think: "That's possible..."
"Sister-in-law, you must keep your word and not lie to the children."
The two joked around and got off at a fabric store.
This is the largest cloth shop in the entire capital. If you can't find a suitable piece of cloth here, then you really have to find a way to pick one in your home warehouse.
As Yu An was thinking, she bumped into Zhang Yanche and his new wife going out to buy things at the door.
Zhang Yanche was surprised: "What a coincidence, Brother Jinghe is also nearby."
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