Chapter 58 (This is a proverb about bringing up a sore subject.)
When the reply from the south arrived in Chang'an, the city was already experiencing the chill of autumn.
Yu Dan munched on a corncob, his eyes constantly glancing at the letter. "So? What did He Erlang say?"
Yu Mingshu handed him the letter, saying, "He said he can't come back. I wish you and your sister-in-law a happy marriage and many children."
"Cough cough cough..."
Yu Dan nearly choked to death on a corn kernel, coughing until his face turned red. Seeing this, Yu Mingshu quickly handed him water.
"Do you need first aid?" Her Heimlich maneuver was always ready.
Yu Dan shook his head repeatedly, coughing as he shook, the more he shook, the more he coughed, which made Yu Mingshu laugh.
Yu Dan drank two cups of warm water before he could catch his breath. He patted his heaving chest and glared angrily at the woman beside him who was laughing uncontrollably.
"Sister, you're making fun of me!"
Yu Mingshu gave him face, suppressing her flamboyant laughter, and sighed, "I really can't imagine what it would be like for you to get married and have children."
It feels like watching high school students playing house.
Yu Dan didn't think marriage was some earth-shattering event, and said nonchalantly, "It's just having another person in the family, adding another pair of chopsticks to the meal. What's so unimaginable about that?"
Yu Mingshu thought to herself, "Then you are really too young."
The two sat under the eaves, watching Xia Man sweep up the fallen leaves all over the yard. Qing Que splashed some water on the ground to settle the dust floating in the air.
“The exams are in a few months, don’t let the joy of being newlyweds cloud your judgment,” Yu Mingshu suddenly said seriously.
Yu Dan pursed his lips, "I know, I didn't get below grade B in the ten-day exams this year."
Judging from his tone, there was a hint of pride in his voice.
Yu Mingshu was quite surprised. She hadn't paid much attention to her younger brother's studies since she started working, but she didn't expect him to change his major and become a top student.
Just then, Luo Yan finally conquered the thick and firm skin of the pomelo and handed the pomelo with only a thin membrane remaining to Yu Mingshu.
Yu Mingshu handed a segment to her younger brother, saying, "That's good. Here's a segment of pomelo for you as encouragement."
Yu Dan stared at the extra segment of pomelo in front of him, and asked in surprise, "When did you buy this pomelo?"
“It was sent by He Zheng, along with a letter.”
Yu Dan peeled the pomelo, and just as she brought the fruit to her mouth, she suddenly stopped. "Sister, isn't he being a little too attentive to you?"
Yu Mingshu poked his forehead. "This isn't just for me. You got to eat some too, didn't you?"
Yu Dan took a bite of the pomelo; the flesh was sweet and sour with a slight astringency. He ate half of it and then put it down.
"Anyway, I just feel that even though he's a friend, he treats you and me very differently."
Yu Mingshu gestured with his chin toward the half-eaten pomelo on the table, changing the subject: "Not tasty?"
"It's a bit astringent," Yu Dan said.
Yu Mingshu called out to Luo Yan, who was tidying up the table, "Don't throw away the pomelo peel yet, I'll keep it for later."
Luo Yan paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
Yu Dan asked curiously, "That stuff is bitter and astringent, what can it be used for?"
Yu Mingshu chuckled: "You'll know once you make it."
A few days later, Fengyanglou urgently launched a new product: honey pomelo tea.
Cui Hongli said with some regret, "Your prescription came too late. I bought all the pomelos in Chang'an, and it would only be enough to sell for more than ten days. If you had told me earlier, I would have had the caravan bring back more from the south last month."
In an era where even grain production is a concern, fruit production will only be even scarcer.
Even if Cui Hongli's caravan could transport all the fruits in the world to Fengyang Tower, how long could it supply the high-ranking officials in the capital?
“If the shopkeeper really wants to grow and succeed in the tea beverage industry, simply purchasing ingredients from the market is definitely not enough.”
After she finished speaking, Cui Hongli frowned slightly, already deep in thought. Seeing this, Yu Mingshu swallowed back the half-finished speech he had prepared.
As the saying goes, "every profession has its own secrets," and Yu Mingshu didn't believe that just because she had some experience, she could teach others how to build a business empire. Cui Hongli herself was a business prodigy; with a little inspiration, she could find the right path on her own.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the house became extremely busy.
The relatives of the Yu and Wu families were all far away in Huangzhou, and Yu Mingshu was a girl who had never been married, so Wu Qiuniang had to handle her son's wedding banquet all by herself, with endless lists to prepare from morning till night.
The weather was crisp and clear on the day of the wedding. The temperature was a little lower than expected, but not to the point of freezing.
The wedding procession was scheduled for the evening, but the family had to start preparing for the evening banquet early in the morning. Yu Mingshu originally wanted to take a day off to help at home, but Wu Qiuniang persuaded him not to.
The reason given was that if the elder sister was not yet married and the younger brother got married first, it would easily attract gossip.
This reasoning seemed utterly absurd to Yu Mingshu. What business was it of outsiders whether she got married or not?
But she also knew that her mother's worries were not unfounded. She couldn't silence everyone, so she could only cover her own ears and ignore what she heard.
When Yu Mingshu returned home from work, he happened to arrive just as the bride was entering the house. All the guests' attention was on the newlyweds, so Yu Mingshu found a spot behind the guest seats and quietly tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
Yuan Yi also hid himself in the crowd, but when everyone was looking at the bride, he noticed Yu Mingshu who had slipped in.
"It's late autumn, and it gets light in the morning and evening. Why are you dressed so lightly?"
Yu Mingshu glanced at the man who had suddenly appeared beside her and laughed, "I was wearing a cloak during the day, but I took it off because there were so many people and it was so lively inside."
Yuan Yi didn't ask any more questions, but his gaze was fixed on her cheeks, which were slightly red from the wind.
At this moment, Yu Dan and his bride entered the main hall together. Yu Mingshu stood to the side, and could vaguely see the bride's profile.
Just as Aunt Wang said, she was indeed a round-faced, auspicious-looking girl.
After completing the lengthy procedures and finishing the banquet, Yu Mingshu returned to the west courtyard to rest. The next day was a day off, so he had plenty of time to see his younger siblings.
I slept well all night.
Yu Mingshu casually changed into some casual clothes and was about to go to the front yard when Luo Yan quickly pressed her back to the dressing mirror.
“My dear girl, you are meeting your brother’s wife today. How can you dress so casually? People who don’t know the situation might think that we are neglecting our new bride.”
Yu Mingshu said with amusement, "She's the bride, and I'm dressed up for the occasion. Wouldn't that be stealing her thunder?"
Luo Yan said, "It's not that I'm asking you to compete with her in beauty, but I'm advising you to dress more dignifiedly. As the saying goes, an elder sister is like a mother, and you should act like an elder."
Yu Mingshu gave up resisting and sat up straight in front of the mirror. "Then you go ahead and do your thing. I'm not moving."
It's excessive to dress up in a high bun and adorn yourself with hairpins just to have a meal at home.
Fifteen minutes later, Yu Mingshu and his mother sat together in the main hall, watching Yu Dan and Jiang Ruan enter side by side, offering their greetings and tea.
"Your daughter-in-law, Jiang, greets Mother and Eldest Sister."
Jiang Ru'an looked rather young, with a baby face, but dressed in a dignified woman's dress, she solemnly called her mother-in-law... The scene looked awkward no matter how you looked at it.
Not to mention Yu Dan, who is clearly still a child at heart, standing next to her.
This was the first time Yu Mingshu had ever seen Yu Dan kneel down and kowtow properly. She sat down next to her mother with her lips pursed, almost bursting into laughter.
Wu Qiuniang took Jiang Ruan's hand and stood up. Qingque handed her a brocade box, took out a pair of bracelets from the box, and put them on Jiang Ruan's wrists.
"These bracelets were a gift from Sanlang's grandmother when I married into the Yu family. Today I am giving them to you in the hope that you two will live in harmony and have a peaceful marriage."
Jiang Ruan smiled sweetly and thanked her, "Thank you, Mother. Your daughter-in-law will definitely take good care of my husband's daily life and serve my mother-in-law at home."
After saying that, her gaze turned to Yu Mingshu, her smile faltered slightly, and she quickly continued, "I've long heard that my elder sister is the most talented woman in the Great Liang, but I never imagined that she would be so exceptional in both talent and beauty. No wonder even a prestigious family like the Xie family wanted to marry her..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yu Dan suddenly tugged at her sleeve.
Why bring up something you shouldn't be talking about?
Wu Qiuniang's expression froze, and she subconsciously looked at Yu Mingshu's reaction.
Yu Mingshu didn't react much, but just smiled and asked Luo Yan to give her the prepared gift, and sent her blessings according to her mother's template.
"The material for these gold earrings was a gift from His Majesty at last year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. I searched all over the East Market and asked the goldsmiths at Mingyu Pavilion to make them into earrings. Today, I present them to my brother and sister-in-law, wishing you both a long and happy marriage and unwavering love."
Jiang Ru'an glanced at Yu Dan with a puzzled look. Seeing that he didn't say anything, she accepted the gift with a smile and thanked Yu Mingshu.
The family, who were not very familiar with each other, sat down together for a meal. After finishing his meal, Yu Mingshu took his leave and went to his study.
Wu Qiuniang had been working tirelessly for over a month to prepare for yesterday's wedding, and even if she wanted to put on airs as a mother-in-law and lecture her daughter-in-law, she simply didn't have the energy.
After Qingque and the others cleared away the dishes, she let the young couple go back to their own courtyard.
Back in the East Courtyard, Yu Dan hesitated for a moment, then made a great decision and said to Jiang Ru'an, "From now on, you should not mention the Xie family's marriage proposal to your elder sister."
Jiang Ru'an stared blankly for a moment, then, seeing Yu Dan go inside, she quickly lifted her skirt and chased after her, asking, "I was praising her, what did I do wrong?"
Yu Dan sat down and looked at her, explaining earnestly, "Praising someone is meant to make them happy. My sister doesn't like hearing about the Xie family's marriage proposal, so what's the point of praising her like this?"
Jiang Ru'an sat down close to him, blinked, and asked, "Then, young master, please teach me what kind of things my elder sister likes to hear?"
Yu Dan opened his mouth but found his mind blank. He really couldn't answer what kind of things his elder sister liked to hear.
My older sister seems to enjoy listening to gossip, but can this be spread around?
"Anything is fine with me except for marriage," he said.
Jiang Ruan released his arm. "Okay, I'll remember."
Yu Dan stood up and said, "I'm going to the study. I'll be back later. If you need anything, just ask Xia Man. If it's really urgent, come to the study to find me."
Without waiting for Jiang Ru'an's reply, he strode away from the East Courtyard.
Gu Yu, the maid who accompanied Jiang Ru'an, whispered, "Miss, you and your husband are newlyweds, and this is the time when you should be inseparable. How can you let him go to the study alone?"
"He wants to go to school, can I stop him?"
"The young lady can accompany the young master in his studies!"
Jiang Ru'an seemed to understand something and thought that Gu Yu's words made sense. Accompanying her husband in his studies would not only not interfere with his studies, but also enhance their relationship.
The problem is that she doesn't like reading; she gets dizzy and nauseous when she sees a book.
She removed the heavy hairpins from her head. "I'll take a nap first, and then go over later."
In the study, Yu Mingshu had just sat down and hadn't even sorted through a few pages of manuscript when he heard someone push the door open and come in.
She glanced up and said, "Newlyweds, instead of being with your bride, you're here to meet the beauty in the book?"
Yu Dan slumped down, saying, "I really don't know what I can do with her."
Yu Mingshu said with a laugh, "You were the one who said it didn't matter who I married, we'd all be family once we arrived."
“I didn’t say she was bad!” Yu Dan said. “I’m just not used to her yet. Maybe I’ll get used to her after a while.”
Yu Mingshu shrugged, not bothering to ask any more questions about the two of them. "Go read your book and keep quiet."
Yu Dan pursed his lips, opened the law book he had half-memorized yesterday, read a few words, and suddenly leaned close to Yu Mingshu's face.
"Sister, after I get married, you won't become distant from me, will you?"
Yu Mingshu took a deep breath, rolled the manuscript paper in her hand into a paper stick, and tapped him on the head lightly. "What are you thinking about all day? If you don't want to study, get out."
Yu Dan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more comfortable, and finally sat back down with a smile to bury himself in his books.
In the afternoon, Jiang Ru'an arrived with a bowl of sweet white fungus soup. He noticed Yu Mingshu and Yu Dan sitting face to face and his expression turned slightly strange.
"Eldest sister, you're here too?"
Yu Mingshu was forced to stop what she was doing, looked at her, then at Yu Dan, and after a long while, she managed to stammer out, "I can be absent."
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Yu Dan quickly turned around and asked, "What happened? Why are you here?"
“My lord studies hard, so I’ve made some sweet soup to soothe your lungs and clear away heat,” Jiang Ru’an said, then looked at Yu Mingshu. “Elder sister, please have a bowl too.”
Yu Mingshu just wanted to run away.
"No need, I have something to do, I'm going out for a bit."
Looking up at the sky from his doorstep, Yu Mingshu suddenly felt that the shared study room was a great invention and worth promoting in Daliang.
"Ming Shu, what are you doing standing here?"
Hearing Xie Huaijin's voice, Yu Mingshu tilted her head and looked over, then smiled helplessly, "I came out for some fresh air."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yuan Yi returned from outside.
Yuan Yi got out of the car, glanced at the two of them, and then stared at Yu Mingshu, asking, "What were you two talking about on the street?"
Xie Huaijin said, "I saw that Yu Xiaoshu was standing alone at his door, so I came over to offer my condolences."
Yuan Yi frowned. "Yu Dan just got married, and you're already homeless?"
Yu Mingshu was speechless: "I thank you all, this is how rumors are born."
To dispel the rumor, she briefly explained her family situation and expressed her predicament of being caught in the middle of the young couple.
Yuan Yi understood and said, "If you don't mind, you can come to my study."
Is this appropriate?
"Why didn't you ask if it was appropriate when you and He Zheng met secretly by climbing over the wall?"
Yu Mingshu suddenly opened her eyes wide. No, how did this get out?
Xie Huaijin looked at her in surprise upon hearing this, then raised his hand and said, "I didn't hear anything."
…
Yuan Yi's study was laid out almost exactly the same as Zhishan Hall's, the only difference being that his study had a second floor, which was full of books and had no desk.
When Yu Mingshu entered, he was in a daze, thinking he had returned to Chang'an Academy.
Yuan Yi generously replied, "If you need to consult the books, just put them back where they belong after you're done. You don't need to ask me."
Yu Mingshu followed him upstairs for a tour and became somewhat excited. "Do you have any geography-related books here?"
Yuan Yi looked around the study, his gaze finally settling on a messy corner. "There should be a few scrolls in that box. Take a look for yourself."
He told Yu Mingshu to find it herself, but he still personally swept away the surrounding boxes and helped her pick out the relevant books and put them on the ground.
Yu Mingshu clasped his hands together and said, "I am extremely grateful."
"Why are you suddenly so interested in geography?" Yuan Yi asked.
Yu Mingshu explained, "I was organizing my father's handwritten notes when I passed away. I only had a vague understanding of some of the terminology in them, and I was afraid that I might have misunderstood them, so I thought of consulting some literature to make up for it."
Yuan Yi said no more and waited quietly for her to find the books she needed before taking the others back.
Back on the first floor, Yu Mingshu looked at the spacious desk and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you set up such a large desk if you only have a study for one person?"
Yuan Yi said, "My mother also loves reading, and sometimes she practices calligraphy here."
Yu Mingshu was taken aback. He thought of his superior, Zhang Yaoguang, and Zhang Niangzi, who were sisters. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "The Zhang family produces talented women."
The two of them worked face-to-face, a scene that could be described as peaceful and idyllic.
"Your handwriting has improved a lot."
After a long silence, Yu Mingshu suddenly heard Yuan Yi's voice, paused for a moment before raising her head and smiling at him.
"A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation."
Yuan Yi chuckled, "Who praises themselves like that?"
Yu Mingshu raised an eyebrow. "Then you've met him today, sir."
After a brief silence, Yuan Yi looked at her and said, "We are no longer teacher and student. I am only two years older than you, so you don't have to keep calling me 'sir'."
If we don't call you "sir," then what should we call you?
Everyone else can be addressed by their surname and age order, such as He Erlang and Xie Sanlang, but Yuan Yi's biological father is unknown, so how can he be addressed?
"Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me." Yu Mingshu quickly sorted out his thoughts and said seriously, "Even though I am no longer a student of Chang'an Academy, a teacher will always be a teacher."
Yuan Yi remained silent, his grip on the book tightening.
For two months in a row, Yu Mingshu would borrow Yuan Yi's study whenever he had a ten-day break. He worked very efficiently and finished before the twelfth lunar month. He then delivered the "Notes on Flood Control," which he had sorted out and bound, to his superior, He Wenfang.
She didn't forget Yang Leyi's reminder on the day she joined the company: He Wenfang was aloof and didn't like socializing, so she tried to speak as little as possible when reporting on her work and wrote down what she wanted to say in her report.
"Did you proofread this yourself?" He Wenfang asked, frowning.
The man in front of me was slightly overweight, with longer eyebrows and beard than average, and a melancholy air about him.
Yu Mingshu carefully chose his words and said, "My father passed away many years ago. I was able to compile this manuscript this year thanks to the assistance of my colleagues in the Bureau of Justice, and even more so to the earnest teachings of Xian Ma."
After speaking, he glanced at his superior's expression, only to see He Wenfang purse his lips and remain silent, flipping through the booklet again and again.
After a long pause, he said, "I will submit a memorial to the emperor to request commendation for you. You may go back now."
Yu Mingshu bowed and took his leave. As he turned to leave, he brushed past a familiar figure.
She subconsciously stopped and looked back, only to see Xu Jie kneeling beside He Wenfang with an exaggerated fawning smile, whispering to himself.
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