Chapter 169 A Reply from Yan Jiuniang!
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With this first batch of paper, Li's Paper Mill worked tirelessly for the next two days to produce three large boxes of paper for Li Shiyue.
Since this was a project for which their own family had contributed money, and it was also their own property, Li Wangshui and his family went to the fields as soon as it was dawn. After finishing their work in the fields, they hurried home to eat and then went to the paper mill to start working.
Their enthusiasm is incredibly high.
If it weren't for the fact that there are only twelve two-hour periods in a day, Li Shiyue thought they would be very willing to work all twelve hours.
Looking at the paper piled up in the paper mill, Li Shiyue picked out some of the better paper and made two boxes.
After tidying up the paper and writing a letter, she planned to take Li's mother and the others out to make connections.
This relationship naturally involves Liu Tan, the general of the Xuanjia Army, and Yan Jiuniang, the owner of Xingsheng Tower.
Of course, she also wanted to go to Sanshan County, or better yet, to the prefectural city to look at shops. If she could open a paper shop in the prefectural city, that would be even better.
Having a shop provides a foothold, making it easier for merchants selling writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones to place orders.
They could also visit Li Wangming in the prefectural city, whom they hadn't seen for a while. This year, Li Shiyue suggested that they spend the Dragon Boat Festival together in the prefectural city.
Otherwise, she would have to go to the prefectural city to pick up Li Wangming again, which would be quite troublesome.
Without hesitation, the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, around noon, Li Shiyue's carriage arrived in Sanshan County.
She went to Xingsheng Restaurant first. The waiter there already knew her. As soon as she entered with her box, the waiter came to greet her.
"Madam Li, this way please."
The shopkeeper said, "Now that you're here, please come over directly."
The servant wanted to help Li Shiyue carry the wooden box, but Li Shiyue quickly waved his hand to indicate that he could carry it himself.
Upon entering the house, Li Shiyue met the manager of Xingshenglou in Sanshan County and bowed to him.
She stepped forward and opened the unlocked wooden box. Inside were cut pieces of paper, arranged by size, in various shapes. The larger pieces were rolled into straight cylinders, while the smaller pieces were simply laid flat and stacked at the bottom of the box.
"Manager Jin, my family owns a paper mill. This is some newly produced paper. I've selected some of the best quality and would like to send it to Ninth Sister to try it out."
Li Shiyue took out a sealed letter from her bosom and handed it to Manager Jin, saying, "If there's another letter like this, I'll have to trouble Manager Jin to deliver it to Ninth Sister for me."
After saying this, Li Shiyue took out a purse and said, "With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, I have troubled Manager Jin quite a bit lately. I don't know what your preferences are, so I hope you won't find this small token of my appreciation too offensive."
Manager Jin pushed the purse that Li Shiyue had placed on the table back, turned around and took a rather thick envelope from the cabinet next to him and handed it over. He smiled and said to Li Shiyue, "Miss Li, you are being disrespectful to me. You and my master are close friends. I am doing this to help my master."
This is a reply from my master to Lady Li, delivered as soon as the boat set sail after the beginning of spring. I was planning to send someone to Liujiatun to deliver it to you after the Dragon Boat Festival.
"Now that you've come in person, Miss Li, it saves me the trouble of sending someone."
Li Shiyue thought this was the only reply, but to her surprise, Manager Jin clapped his hands, and the servant who had led the way entered. Manager Jin ordered, "Go and bring over all the gifts that the master sent with the letter."
Li Shiyue was genuinely surprised to see the large wooden chest that required two servants to carry it into the house.
"Miss Li, this is a gift that the master sent for you along with a letter."
Manager Jin pointed to the box of paper that Li Shiyue had brought, and said to Li Shiyue with a smile, "Don't worry, Miss Li, this box of paper will definitely be delivered to the master within half a month!"
Although Li Shiyue could lift the large wooden box by herself, she couldn't very well carry it on her shoulders and walk out in front of everyone; that would be too astonishing.
Now, she doesn't want to attract attention; she just wants to leave quietly.
Therefore, the two servants helped carry the wooden box downstairs, and then the Xingsheng Restaurant's carriage delivered it to Li Shiyue at the place where she had agreed to meet her mother before leaving.
After meeting Li's mother and the others, she first went to the most famous tea shop in the county town, Chaxiangji, and bought two jars of peach blossom wine. She then bought a package of good tea and personally delivered it to Xingshenglou.
She told the shopkeeper that it was for Manager Jin, and then she went back and bought another cartload of wine with Li's mother and the others. The whole family drove the cart and the wine delivery cart out of the county town and headed to the garrison.
When they were a short distance from all the other sections of the village, Li Shiyue, carrying the wooden box filled with paper, followed the wine shop assistant's cart as they went inside.
The soldiers standing guard at the gate looked unfamiliar, but Li Shiyue still had the "Xuan" character tag that Liu Tan had given her hanging from her waist, so the soldiers didn't stop her as if she were a bad person.
She gave her name and said that the box of paper was for Ma San, then left a message: "Deputy General Ma, this is paper I made myself, I'm sending it to the General to try."
The cart of liquor couldn't be loaded. After Li Shiyue and the liquor shop assistant unloaded the liquor to the side, they headed back.
After settling the bill with the wine shop clerk, the whole family then drove their carriage onto the official road towards the prefectural city.
They hurried along, and as dusk fell, they followed the same route they had taken when they sent Li Wangming off last time, and went to find a family in a village outside the city to ask for lodging for the night.
The old man remembered Li Shiyue's face, so he let everyone drive the carriage in without worry.
The old man kindly brought out some fodder, saying, "My mule eats this; it's beneath your horse to eat it like this."
After thanking the old man and feeding the horses, the whole family went into the west wing. Tonight, there would be no distinction between men and women. Shitou would sleep with one side against the wall and the other side next to Li's mother, while Li Shiyue would sleep next to Li's mother. This way, they would be separated.
Li Shiyue couldn't wait any longer. By the light of an oil lamp given to her by her father-in-law, and under the hopeful gazes of the whole family, she tore open the envelope of the reply letter from Yan Jiuniang that Manager Jin had given her, and pulled out a rather thick stack of letters, which looked to be about ten sheets.
"Miss Yan Jiu has written quite a lot! Take a look, what has she written?"
Upon seeing the thickness of the letter, Li's mother urged Li Shiyue to read it aloud to everyone, as they had never forgotten that Li Shiyue had asked someone to inquire about her uncle, Li Wangzheng.
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To Li Shiyue (personal note):
A day apart feels like three autumns! I miss October terribly!
Receiving the letter in October filled me with immense joy, as if I were basking in the warm winter sun.
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Li Shiyue was stunned. She had never known that people in ancient times expressed their emotions so openly in their letters.
Yan Jiuniang's words made her teeth ache; they were just too cheesy.
To sum it up in Li Xiatian's words: "In October, the Ninth Daughter of the Yan family really likes you."
Li Shiyue continued reading the letter.
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...After that, I sent out messages and asked someone to go find him...
Looking back over the past few months, only one thing has been useful: your uncle should have entered...
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