Chapter 40 Mother-of-Pearl Incense (Part 3) What if Miss Guan takes a liking to you...?
The nine carp seemed oblivious to their conversation, their eyes fixed on the mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer box in the maiden's hand. Though small, the mother-of-pearl inlay was exquisitely crafted, the corner of the palace behind the Moon Goddess shimmering brilliantly, breathtakingly beautiful. Even the dress she wore seemed to shift and change with the light, vibrant and colorful. Gradually, a delicate fragrance wafted through the air, refreshing and intoxicating.
When Youjun noticed her gaze, she took the box from her mother's hands, opened it, and handed it to her and the old lady on the kang table. "When I first met you, Miss, I liked you very much. I promised you that I would prepare a decent gift for you. Luckily, I found these two in our jewelry store. Since I didn't know what kind of jewelry you usually liked, I didn't make a decision on my own and didn't ask them to carve them. If you like something inlaid, please ask another craftsman to carve and inlay it."
The old lady's eyes lit up. Although she had never seen anything like it before, she could tell it was a very fine item. Even she dared not accept it. She quickly shook the fan and said, "I have never seen anything like this before. It's fine if the young lady gives me two fans, but we dare not accept something so valuable!"
"No matter how valuable something is, it's just something, a trinket. If you're going to be so polite, old lady, I won't dare to visit again next time. Besides, I already told Mr. Yu last time that such things are only a perfect match for Miss Yu'er, and I can't bear to see them fall into the hands of those vulgar people."
Jiuli reached out to take it as if possessed, but before she could, she heard Yu Qi cough. Immediately, Youjun closed the lid with a click, and Jiuli came back to her senses, withdrawing her hand and looking up at Yu Qi with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Yu Qi remained calm and polite, saying, "What we said last time was just polite talk, it shouldn't be taken seriously, Miss Guan, you don't need to take it to heart. As for the ginseng, forget about it, but these two gems are quite valuable, Yu'er absolutely cannot accept them."
Seeing that his family was adamant in refusing, Youjun could only smile and nod. Seeing that Jiuli was still staring at the box, she took out the two gems and handed them to Niangzhuang, while handing the box back to Jiuli. "I'll take the things inside back with me. You can keep the box for the young lady to play with. I think the young lady likes this little box."
He chuckled as he spoke, “This box is exquisite, but it’s not worth much. It was pawned by someone and no one has redeemed it for years. I just took it because it looked nice and used it to store these two stones. Mr. Yu, please don’t say anything about how precious it is that you can’t accept it.”
Seeing that Jiuli really liked it, and considering that the item wasn't particularly valuable, Yu Qi didn't say anything. He glanced at Jiuli and said, "Then you thank Aunt Guan."
Jiuli took the box and bowed before it.
Youjun held her arm, "No need, no need, I can't accept any more bowing."
Du Zhong came in and greeted her, calling her "Auntie." Youjun looked at his face and smiled, but a pang of sadness rose in her heart.
After a short while, she blinked sharply, snapping out of her reverie, and took something out of her sleeve and handed it to him. Du Zhong looked down and saw it was a gold pendant depicting two fish playing with lotus flowers.
Jiuli also had the eyes to look closely. She recognized the pendant; it originally belonged to Guan Zhan, but she only had half of it. Later, Yu Qi returned it to her, so she figured the other half was in her possession. Now, she had fused the two halves back into one and given it to Du Zhong. She wondered what the meaning of this was. Even Niangzhuang's eyes flashed with surprise.
She had been being polite here for half a day, but now her feigned politeness had vanished, replaced by a warm gaze as she looked at Du Zhong. "I really can't guess what a young man your age would like, so I can only give you this."
As if tired of refusing, she pulled Du Zhong's hand in an unyielding manner and placed the fish pendant in his hand, saying, "My brother died young, so you will inherit his lifespan and live to be a hundred years old." She then glanced at Jiu Li, "You and your sister should support each other and advance and retreat together."
This blessing left Yu Qi speechless, so he could only instruct Du Zhong to accept it and express his gratitude.
After sitting for a while, Youjun got up to take her leave. The old lady wanted to see her off, but she said that the sun was too strong outside and there was no need to see her off. The old lady had no choice but to ask Yuqi to see her off.
Yu Qi and the two women, mistress and servant, slowly walked out in silence. Upon reaching the shop, Youjun said she needed some medicine. Yu Qi glanced at the prescription and recognized it as the medicine for Madam Guan. He casually asked, "Is your mother still not feeling better?"
"Everything else is a little better, but her spirits are still low. Her brother's death was a huge blow to her, and her emotional distress is hard to cure."
Seeing that Fengqiao was getting medicine for someone else, Yu Qi had no choice but to go around to the back of the counter to get it himself. "I wonder if, even now, you've ever regretted it?"
Youjun smiled faintly in front of the counter, "Does Mr. Yu often have things he regrets?"
Yu Qi glanced back at her while holding up the small scale. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes seemingly hiding a cold, defiant glint.
Yu Qi smiled and turned his head to grab the medicine. One by one, the small drawers containing the medicine were pulled out, emitting various medicinal fragrances, with a unique ancient and mysterious charm.
“I really like this smell,” Jiu Li said.
Seeing her lean in to smell the mother-of-pearl box again, Du Zhong laughed contemptuously, "Isn't this just ordinary agarwood? What's so special about it? You're such a loser, giving up two valuable gems for an empty box. Humph, if it were me, I'd take it. Aunt Guan has plenty of money anyway."
"Didn't you already get a golden fish pendant? It looks like it weighs quite a bit, aren't you satisfied?"
Du Zhong came over and lay down on her bed. "That fish pendant is hollow."
"Even a hollow one weighs three or four ounces! You're just greedy."
"Me, greedy? You're heartless. I was even thinking of splitting that thing in two, so we could each keep half. That would be more like siblings. Looks like I don't need to give it to you."
Jiuli glanced at her and said, "Who said we're siblings? We're clearly brothers and sisters. Why are you arguing with me about who's older or younger?"
She sat down at her dressing table, opened her dressing case, and rummaged through it until she finally found a red agate bracelet. The box was so small that it couldn't hold ordinary hairpins and ornaments, but the box had a cotton pad inside, which was perfect for holding the bracelet. The black box and the red bracelet complemented each other perfectly.
She closed the lid, turned her waist and gestured to Du Zhongyang, saying, "I'm just looking for a decent box to put this bracelet in."
Du Zhong sat up, snatched the item, and opened it. "Isn't this the gift your master gave you when you were fourteen? You never wear it, so I thought you didn't like it."
It's not that I don't like it, it's that I like it too much. I'm afraid that if I wear it, I'll get it damaged. Even when I put it in my dressing case, I'm afraid that other hairpins and hair ornaments will scratch it. Finally, today I got such a delicate box to put it in.
"Don't break it!" She snatched it back, sniffed the box again, and stroked the Chang'e on it. "Look at the mother-of-pearl inlay on the box. There's a jade rabbit on it, which is perfect since I was born in the Year of the Rabbit."
Du Zhong laughed at her, "Look at you, so naive and unsophisticated!"
Jiuli glared at him, then turned back to face the mirror. It was a square, carved glass mirror, clearer than a regular bronze mirror. When she looked up, she vaguely saw a corner of the green gauze cabinet reflected in the mirror, and there stood a woman in that corner!
She turned around abruptly, but there was no one under the green gauze curtain, only a tall table with a pot of bright red roses on it. Du Zhong, seeing her staring intently at that corner, also looked in that direction. "What are you looking at?"
There are only a few people in the family, so there wouldn't be any strange woman. She must be seeing things. She shook her head and said, "It's nothing."
Du Zhong then lay down again. Just then, the old lady came in and saw him sleeping on Jiu Li's bed. She hurriedly went into the bedroom and slapped his leg hard. "You're so old, and you still can't tell where to lie down! Get up and go back to your room to sleep. Your sister and I have something to say."
He sat up with a chuckle. "What can't I hear about?"
The old lady slapped him again, scolding him, "Why do men like to listen to these trivial family matters? Go back to your room and sleep. If you can't sleep, go to the front and watch the shop."
Du Zhong had no choice but to let her go. The old lady laughed at him for a moment, then pulled Jiu Li to sit on the couch in the outer room. "I heard that Miss Guan who just arrived is the one who knows your uncle because her brother was killed? I don't want to ask her what happened, so tell me."
Jiuli then told her about Guan Zhan's case, but didn't mention Guan Youjun's suspicions at all, only stating what was in the closed case file.
After hearing this, the old lady sighed, "So that's how it happened. It's really pitiful that she died so young. But that Miss Guan was truly remarkable. As a woman, she single-handedly carried such a large family business. Even many men can't compare to her."
“That’s right, she’s one of the top business people in Nanjing.” Jiuli put her hands under her legs, looked up and laughed foolishly, “I wish I were as capable as her.”
"Yuqing said she's never been married?"
She shook her head. "I didn't get married so as to protect the family business."
"Then why not find a son-in-law to live with you?"
She shook her head again, "I don't know, it's not appropriate to ask others."
The old lady nodded with a smile. "I asked her age, and she said she was the same age as your uncle. She's such a polite person, much more generous than those women who are always confined to the house."
Jiuli's heart tightened. She sensed something else lurking in her smiling face. She wanted to ask, but dared not, and finally couldn't resist asking, "You like her? Do you want to arrange a marriage for your uncle?"
"What good is my liking? It's unclear whether she even has feelings for your uncle," the old lady said with a helpless smile, placing her hands on her stomach. "But I think she and your uncle are a very well-matched couple. They're about the same age, their looks and figures are compatible, and she's kind and generous to you younger generations. It's rare to find someone her age who's never been married; you'd need a lantern to find one. It's just that her family must be very wealthy, while we're from a humble background—"
Jiuli hadn't seriously heard about finding her an aunt for a long time, and hearing it suddenly now felt very strange, like being back in those anxious years. It was strange, even now that she was all grown up, she was still afraid that Yu Qi would marry an aunt to control her.
She lowered her head and chuckled awkwardly. The sun shone on the back of her neck, making it feel like a hand was encircling her from behind and squeezing her, making it a little hard to breathe.
The old lady shook her hand, "Forget it, I was just saying it casually. How could your uncle listen to me? I can't talk to him about it either. In the past, whenever this topic came up, he would always keep quiet."
Keeping quiet is Yu Qi's usual style. Jiu Li never knew what his attitude was towards getting married. She always waited anxiously until the matter was over and never asked him what he thought. Besides, how could a junior ask an elder about his private affairs?
At this moment, I suddenly wondered what his true attitude was towards this matter. Was it because he didn't have time to plan, or because he didn't want to plan? Or had he never met a woman who would even consider this idea of his?
She thought to herself that this was a rare opportunity, so she smiled and said, "Then I'll go and ask your uncle what he thinks."
The old lady thought for a moment and then nodded, "Alright, anyway, you've always been a bit disrespectful, so he won't blame you for being nosy."
So Jiuli wandered into the shop and looked around. Guan Youjun had already left, Yu Qi was seeing patients in a private room, Du Zhong and Feng Qiao were busy dispensing medicine behind the counter, and several customers were sitting by the side wall waiting to get their medicine.
She then went around to the back of the long counter and looked at the customers. One of them was a thin man with short, unkempt clothes. Although he sat obediently on the stool, his eyes were darting around, looking here and there.
Seeing that he looked a bit shifty, she patted the cabinet and called out to him, "Hey, you there, bring me the prescription, I'll get it for you."
The man's eyes lit up, and he walked up to the counter with a grin. "You? Do you recognize the medicine?"
"Why would I run a pharmacy if I don't recognize the medicine? Stop arguing, just bring it to me."
He leered at her and smiled, "I don't have a prescription."
"No prescription? Do you want to see a doctor first?"
"I'm not going to see a doctor. Hmm—I don't have any serious illness, I'm just a little irritable. Just pick out some medicine to clear up the heat for me, something cheap."
Jiuli sized him up, noting he didn't seem to be carrying much money, so she casually prepared three kinds of medicine for him, wrapped them up, and tossed them in front of him—it cost only thirty-odd coins. The man actually took out the money and counted it on the counter, but didn't leave immediately; his eyes kept scanning his surroundings.
Jiuli glanced around at him a few times, then put on a stern face and said, "What are you looking at?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing." He chuckled and walked away with the medicine bag.
Just then, the proprietress of the tavern across the street walked by, passed by the man, glanced at him twice, and went straight to the counter to say to Jiuli, "Miss, you shouldn't pay attention to him. He's a scoundrel on this street."
The proprietress's surname was Zhou, and Jiuli called her "Sister Zhou." He said, "Don't worry, Sister Zhou, I won't let him fool me. He just paid me."
Shopkeeper Zhou leaned against the counter and smiled, "That's not what I meant. This man usually does petty theft. I think he's just pretending to come to get medicine. Who knows what bad things he's up to behind the scenes? We have to be careful."
Jiuli agreed, but before they could exchange more than a few words, Fengqiao approached the shopkeeper and struck up a conversation, "What brings you here? Are you here to get medicine or something? Are you perhaps sick?"
She smiled, flicking her handkerchief, "I want to get some rat poison."
Seeing the guests coming out of the cubicle, Jiu Li took the opportunity to step aside and entered the cubicle. She plopped down on a chair and tilted her head to watch Yu Qi tidying up the wrist pillows at the table. "When did Aunt Guan leave?"
Yu Qi glanced at her but didn't reply.
Why didn't you invite your guests to stay?
"If you wanted to keep your guests, why didn't you ask them to stay inside?"
“It was the old lady who wanted us to stay.” She looked away, her feet bobbing up and down playfully. “The old lady asked me about your relationship with Guan Youjun.”
Yu Qi glanced down and noticed that her cheeks were slightly puffed out, and she was stubbornly refusing to look at him. He smiled casually and said, "What relationship could I possibly have with her?"
She nodded casually. "I know, but the old lady doesn't know. She really likes Miss Guan and said that someone like her is hard to find even with a lantern. She wanted to test your opinion, but she didn't want to ask directly, so I had to ask her."
"What could I possibly mean?" He sat down on the chair next to him, straightening his clothes. "Your affairs are always causing people endless worry, so why would she worry about me?"
"What if Miss Guan takes a liking to you?"
He smiled wearily, "Which eye of yours saw that?"
“Otherwise, why would she be so attentive? You only met her because of Guan Zhan’s case, and you’re just casual acquaintances. Yet she came to our house and brought so many valuable gifts.” She had a feeling that although Guan Youjun often socialized, she didn’t seem to be the kind of person who made friends easily. Guan Zhan’s death was already over, and there was no need for her to associate with Yu Qi anymore.
He remained unconcerned, saying, "We're running a business with our doors open, so we can't stop people from coming. Go tell the old lady that the Guan family is extremely wealthy, and not an ordinary family can afford to associate with them. We must not have any improper thoughts."
Jiuli silently observed him. He kept his face lowered, his hands busy picking at the dregs of medicine that had fallen onto his clothes, his expression completely unchanged, his eyes as cold as ever. She gradually felt relieved, a slight smile appearing on her face as she looked towards the door beside her.
Korean paper was pasted on the door panel, letting in a slant of light that shone on the ground. The air was filled with the aroma of medicine, and people were coming and going to get medicine. There were also some quiet murmurs outside the street. All the movement and stillness made people feel that time was long and stable.
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard. Before even entering the door, the voice greeted Fengqiao with a smile. Jiuli peeked out and saw Zhang Da entering the shop, dressed in the clothes of a constable. He glanced at the green gauze shop and then walked towards it with a smile.
"Brother Zhang, are you here to get medicine or to see a doctor?" Jiu Li stood up to greet him.
Zhang Da shook his head and bowed to Yu Qi. "I was on official business in the nearby streets when Lord Wang asked me to bring someone for you to take a look at. Did you mention yesterday that you wanted to find a clean and well-mannered woman to serve the young lady? Coincidentally, there is such a person."
Speaking of her, he called a woman into the shop. This woman wore a long, crab-shell-green robe and a moon-white pleated skirt, with a blue headscarf wrapped around her head. She was slender and very polite, her head bowed. The sunlight shone on her smooth, full forehead, making her two crescent-shaped eyebrows appear exceptionally gentle. Du Zhong was getting medicine behind the counter when he turned around and saw her. A strange light flashed in his eyes, and he craned his neck to watch her walk into the inner room.
Jiuli looked at her twice and suddenly remembered that this was Aunt Guo, who had applied medicine for her at the yamen last time. She was originally reluctant to be served, but now that she saw an acquaintance, she didn't complain anymore. Instead, she greeted her with a smile, "Aunt Guo, it's you! Why aren't you doing your job at the yamen anymore?"
Aunt Guo smiled and curtsied to the two men, "The yamen is nice, but most of the people coming and going are men. It's not easy for a widow like me. Yesterday, I heard Lord Wang mention that your family wanted to find someone to serve your young lady, so I asked Constable Zhang to speak to Lord Wang on my behalf. I'd like to give it a try."
Yu Qi asked, "What's your name? What kind of work can you do?"
"My surname is Guo, and my given name is Xiuzhi. I can do all the everyday chores."
"Can you read?"
"I don't recognize many of them."
It's rare for someone to be able to read. Yu Qi looked her up and down and noticed that although her clothes were old, they were surprisingly clean. In some places, the fabric had been washed thin and thoroughly, but there wasn't a single stain. This showed that she was quite diligent.
"How old are you? Where do you live? Who else lives in your family?"
Xiuzhi said, “I’m exactly thirty this year. I live in Chunshan Lane. My mother-in-law and young son are the only ones at home. They all depend on me for food. So when I heard that you were willing to pay three taels of silver a month, I came here. You can rest assured, sir. Although I have never worked for a wealthy family before, I have done some odd jobs. I know the rules of working for a wealthy family. Being diligent and keeping a tight tongue is the most important thing. I also need to be able to persuade my master at all times.”
Jiuli smiled and pulled Xiuzhi to sit down on the chair next to her. Zhang Da came over to Yu Qi's side and chimed in, "Speaking of Guo Sao, being clean and diligent is secondary. The important thing is that she knows the rules. In the few months she has worked in the yamen, she has never asked about things that she shouldn't have."
Seeing Jiuli and Xiuzhi whispering to each other, Yu Qilai thought that since they knew each other, they would get along better in the future. So he said to Xiuzhi, "I originally wanted to find someone to serve Miss, but our Miss is quite self-reliant and doesn't need anyone to serve her tea and water all the time. So you only need to teach her some manners. In addition, we also have a young master, who is about the same age as her. He doesn't need anyone to serve him, but we will need to do some sewing and washing for him. I know that managing two people will be a bit troublesome. I will give you a monthly salary of four taels. What do you think?"
Xiuzhi hurriedly curtsied, "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Yu!"
"Alright, go back and pack your valuables, and come home tomorrow. Yu'er, take her to the back to show the old lady, and then see her out."
Jiuli first led Xiuzhi into the backyard, and after a short while, he led her out again and saw her off at the door.
Turning around at the door, she saw Du Zhong waving at her from behind the cabinet. Seeing Yu Qi still talking to Zhang Da in the inner room, she dragged herself over, rolling her eyes dismissively. "What are you doing?"
"Is Aunt Guo here for a medical checkup?"
"you guess."
Du Zhong gritted his teeth and leaned against the counter, saying, "Tell me if you want! I'm not going to waste my time on you."
"What's the rush? Didn't Master say earlier that he wanted to find someone to serve me? Brother Zhang, bring her to see her."
"What about her job at the government office?"
Jiuli laughed and said, "She works in the yamen and earns only one tael of silver a month, but she comes to our house and earns four taels a month. Which one do you think you should choose?"
He laughed, his eyes gleaming. "Did Master keep her?"
"The old lady also wants her to come to work tomorrow." Jiuli glanced at him, noticing his sly smile, and Dengsheng asked in confusion, "Why are you so happy? Oh, are you thinking that someone will be washing your clothes and cleaning your house for you from now on?"
He immediately stopped smiling. "Go, go, go! Hurry up and come in to help get the medicine!"
It was almost dinnertime, but people were still coming in droves to get medicine. This was all thanks to the reputation Yu Qi had built up in Liyuan. Many of his cured patients came out to spread the word for him. After a while, his reputation as a miracle doctor was known throughout the city. In addition, his medicine prices were fair, so business was naturally good.
Zhang Da craned his neck to look and offered his congratulations repeatedly, "You just opened yesterday, and your business is already booming today. You are destined to become very wealthy and powerful in the future."
"Thank you for your kind words." Yu Qi glanced at him, picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. "I passed by Liyuan this morning and saw that the garden was under renovation. So, it's finally sold? I wonder who it went to?"
Zhang Da frowned and thought for a moment, "It seems to be that out-of-town businessman, Chu Fengchun."
Yu Qi remembered that it was this man who had caused Lin Mo's murder. He put down his teacup and asked, "I heard he's from Sichuan? Is he still in Nanjing?"
"I don't know." Zhang Da shook his head with a smile. "Does the gentleman need to see him? I can inquire for him."
"No need, I was just asking casually." Yu Qi looked at him and, seeing that he was sitting there without any intention of leaving, reminded him, "Didn't you say you had official business to attend to?"
Zhang Da, still unaware of the situation, waved his hand with a smile, "Hey, it's nothing important. It's just that next month is Chen Guojiu's birthday, and Lord Wang wants to find a reliable person to escort the birthday tribute. I remembered a centurion who was demoted and returned to his hometown a couple of years ago. He's an old acquaintance of mine, so I asked him for help, and we've already made an agreement."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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