She acted on her words.
It would only alert the person concerned if she sent a name card and then visited.
Song Jiyun went to inform Madam Qian.
Madam Qian, full of emotion, repackaged the health supplements that Madam Wang had sent and had Song Jiyun carry them as gifts.
Song Jiyun then returned to her own courtyard, changed her clothes, and accompanied by Nanny Zheng, went to the palanquin hall.
To her surprise, she saw a tall and upright figure in the palanquin hall.
With his hands behind his back, he wore a robe of moon-white brocade adorned with light purple auspicious clouds and flowers, standing indifferently under the eaves.
Outside the hall, the sunlight slanted across his robe, making the silver threads of the brocade shimmer brilliantly, yet they did not compare to even half of his jade-like, impeccably fair complexion under the dense shade.
"Young Master Yuan!" Song Jiyun couldn’t help but halt in her steps, her low exclamation betraying her surprise.
Hadn’t they said he hadn’t returned all night?
When had he come back?
Yuan Yunzhong slightly lifted his chin. His clear jawline looked exceedingly graceful, and his restrained expression faintly displayed a hint of pride, stunningly beautiful and breathtaking.
Song Jiyun inwardly praised him, smiled, and holding up her skirt, quickly stepped up the stairs of the palanquin hall.
"Why are you here?" she asked, puzzled.
Yuan Yunzhong answered indifferently, "I just came back."
Song Jiyun blinked.
There was not a single attendant by Yuan Yunzhong’s side.
She also didn’t notice any unfamiliar palanquin or mule carriage.
She had no idea how he had come back.
But she didn’t think much of it.
Since he could come and go freely, who was she to interfere?
Smiling, she looked behind him and asked, "How come I don’t see Young Master Shao?"
Yuan Yunzhong’s eyes and brow grew gradually colder, his voice somewhat harsh, "He still has matters to attend to."
Song Jiyun really wanted to ask "What matters," but seeing his expression, she curbed her curiosity and politely made small talk, "You shouldn’t get too absorbed in your own concerns. Even though it’s already the season of autumn, and the mornings and evenings are cool, the noonday sun is still quite fierce. You should be careful not to get sunburnt while you’re out."
Yuan Yunzhong made no comment, but warmth returned to the depths of his eyes, and his mood visibly improved.
His effort to intercept her was not in vain. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Seeing this, Song Jiyun’s mood also lifted, and she said, "Then I won’t bother you anymore. I’m just about to go out. If you need anything, you can instruct Steward Wu."
Yuan Yunzhong hesitated slightly.
Song Jiyun had already waved cheerfully at him and taken her leave, "I’ll go ahead!"
Laughing, she led Nanny Zheng away from the palanquin hall.
Yuan Yunzhong remained standing with his hands behind his back, motionless for a long while.
A breeze blew by, causing a half-yellow leaf to flutter and drift, finally landing on the smooth bluestone ground at his feet.
Yuan Yunzhong looked down, eyes fixed on the leaf twirling in the wind, then suddenly kicked the spinning leaf away and walked away from the palanquin hall with long, brisk strides.
These are things Song Jiyun didn’t notice.
Her whole mind was on Great Madam and Song Tao.
She gently tapped her left palm with her right hand, pondering what she should do if the problem lay with the Great Madam, and what to do if it arose with Song Tao.
Fortunately, Song Daliang’s home wasn’t far from hers, and she quickly arrived at the Weeping Flower Gate.
Possibly not expecting Song Jiyun’s visit, the Nanny who was closest to Great Madam came out to greet her.
Her expression somewhat panicked, her voice dry, she said, "I didn’t expect the young miss to come. Please come in! Our Great Madam and the third young miss are by the Great Master’s side. For any rudeness, I hope the young miss can forgive us."
"Nanny, don’t be silly!" Song Jiyun dismissed lightly, accompanying her to the main house, she asked with concern, "Has Old Master Song not awakened yet?"
The Nanny, clearly under instructions, replied awkwardly, "Not yet. The Great Master drank too much yesterday and stumbled, hitting his head on a pillar."
Song Jiyun pretended not to know and proceeded with the Nanny towards the main hall.
The Great Madam, her face haggard and eyes swollen, lifted the curtain and walked out from the inner chamber.
"You’re here to see your great-uncle!" she said weakly, only glancing behind her, and did not lift the curtain, nor did she invite her inside, "He is still unconscious, and several doctors are by his bedside. You need not worry too much."
Song Jiyun sighed, took Great Madam’s arm and walked towards the Arhat bed in the hall, gently saying, "I’ve come to see you—not Old Master Song. He has severed ties with our family, and we can’t afford to lose face completely. Old Master Song might not remember how my father treated him, but I sure do remember how every time we visited here, you would give us some Osmanthus Crispy Sugar to eat."
Great Madam paused, then with tears in her eyes, said, "Good child, it’s rare you are so kind-hearted, still thinking of me."
Song Jiyun helped her sit on the Arhat bed, adding, "Don’t be too anxious, the most important thing is to take care of your health; otherwise, if you run yourself down, who will manage the affairs of this house?"
After finishing, she instructed the servants to bring in hot water for the Great Madam to wash her face, "You look so weary, apply a hot handkerchief to your face, it might make you feel better."
And added, "My mother was so worried when she heard, fearing that there was no one here to help you but couldn’t come personally due to her widowhood, so she hurried me over."
Done speaking, she looked around, "Why haven’t I seen Tianbao and Sister Tao?"
Great Madam’s gaze flickered slightly, responding, "They watched over your great-uncle all night yesterday, so I asked them to rest."
Song Jiyun strongly agreed, saying, "Old Master Song doesn’t know when he will wake either; we can’t keep everyone dragged here."
Great Madam’s personal maid assisted her with a face mask and also brought bird’s nest for Great Madam and Song Jiyun.
While eating the bird’s nest, Song Jiyun offered advice to Great Madam, "Should we invite a master from Dragon Tiger Mountain to take a look? My father kept a name card from the Celestial Master Zhang of Dragon Tiger Mountain."
"No need!" Great Madam replied hastily, her voice sharp, strangely piercing in the quiet hall.
Taken aback, Song Jiyun looked startled.
Great Madam’s eyes showed regret, quickly trying to cover up, "A name card from Celestial Master Zhang is hard to come by, and it’s better not to use it unless absolutely necessary."
Hearing this, Song Jiyun slowly put down the small blue and white porcelain bowl, thoughtfully saying, "Well, whenever you need it, just send someone to take it."
Great Madam relaxed, thanking her repeatedly.
Song Jiyun hesitated, her face full of difficulty.
Unable to hold back, Great Madam asked, "What is it?"
With careful consideration, Song Jiyun said, "I’m a bit worried about the Kiln Factory dragging you down."
Caught off guard, Great Madam’s hand, holding the bowl of bird’s nest, tightened.
"Not being able to produce porcelain is a disastrous loss, but delaying the opening of the kiln likewise incurs heavy losses," Song Jiyun stated earnestly. "Not to mention anything else, just take the master craftsman; his experience comes from day after day, year after year of firing. Delaying the kiln opening, his control over the fire gradually loses precision."
She offered an example that Great Madam could understand, "Like those embroideresses, no matter how skilled, a long period without handling a needle and not practicing for a few days to get the feel back, makes it hard to return to their former level. An embroideress spoiling her work merely wastes some silk fabric and embroidery thread, but a master craftsman making mistakes ruins batch after batch of kiln loads!"
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