Yuan Yunzhong paced back and forth in the study.
"What does it mean that there’s been no response in just fourteen days?"
"What does it mean that his offense does not warrant such treatment?"
Was he to punish Shao Qing by slashing his stipend?
With the little salary that Shao Qing earned, didn’t he supplement him with a large amount of silver every month!
He was annoyed that Shao Qing hadn’t timely relayed any news of Song Jiyun.
Yuan Yunzhong stopped in his tracks, his gaze settling back on the plum blossoms.
What could Song Jiyun be doing now?
He had arranged everything that could be anticipated along the way; even the residence she would stay in at Nanjing had been meticulously selected.
She should be alright.
But nothing in this world is absolute.
What if she really did encounter some trouble?
Just thinking about it made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles, thorns in his back.
Unable to help himself, Yuan Yunzhong lightly touched the red petals dyed with cinnabar with his fingertips.
He should have stopped her from the start, not let her go to Nanjing!
Wait, why was he so anxious about her, knowing she was going to Nanjing and even preparing everything for her?
Could it be... that he had fallen for Song Jiyun?!
Yuan Yunzhong’s entire body stiffened, his mind went blank, and he couldn’t come back to his senses for a long time.
Impossible!!
He told himself.
Yet Song Jiyun’s radiant smile, her petulant anger, her striking rage, all seemed engraved in the depths of his heart, surfacing one by one in his mind. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
Yuan Yunzhong stood quietly in front of the screen.
*
When Zheng Quan, bubbling with excitement, ran into the study after taking all the measurements, he found that at some point, Yuan Yunzhong had already cut several square pieces of white wax paper, each about a foot in size. He was standing in front of the large desk, bowing his head, flourishing his brush as he wrote the character "Fu" ("fortune").
Didn’t he ask him to cut paper?
Zheng Quan was at a loss.
As he approached for a closer look.
The characters Yuan Yunzhong wrote were in the Han Clerical script.
The writing was square, with a hint of roundness, diverse in stance yet robust and sturdy, bold and unrestrained. It was exceptionally beautiful.
He couldn’t help but dryly praise, "Young Master, your writing is truly excellent!"
Yuan Yunzhong glanced at him.
As if to say: Isn’t excellent writing to be expected?
Zheng Quan gave an embarrassed smile.
Yuan Yunzhong pointed to the stack of white wax paper beside him.
Zheng Quan hurried over and began to cut the paper with a huff and puff.
The main gate needs five feet, the Weeping Flower Gate three feet; the courtyard doors of the inner residence three feet, the Water Pavilion of the back garden four feet...
After he finally cut all the pieces of paper he needed, Yuan Yunzhong stood with his hands behind his back in front of the screen, gazing intently at the plum blossoms on the map of waterways. His demeanor was not as though he was looking at an Illustration of a Winter Holiday, but rather as if admiring a map of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains.
Is Young Master Yuan worried about the eldest miss?
Zheng Quan belatedly pondered.
He couldn’t help but reassure Yuan Yunzhong, "Don’t worry, since our eldest miss has decided to go to Nanjing, she must have everything well thought out. Besides, with Brother Shao Qing accompanying her, she won’t run into any trouble!"
Yuan Yunzhong didn’t speak, just turned around and gave him a deep look.
Zheng Quan awkwardly touched his head.
Ever since Yuan Yunzhong took Song Jiyun’s place in attending the great sacrifice at the Temple of the Wind God, rumors about Song Jiyun going to Nanjing to sell ceramics had been unceasing.
Some said she was brave and wise, some said she was naively fearless like a calf facing a tiger, and some said she was arrogantly overestimating herself.
Especially since Wan Xiaoquan had recovered and started to appear in charge of the Imperial Kiln Factory again, numerous rumors and gossip had spread from who knows where, claiming Song Jiyun was out of her depth, offending Eunuch Wan and still aspiring to make her mark in Nanjing. Not to mention anything else, just the Xiaguan Patrol Inspection Office alone was no small hurdle to clear, let alone that the eunuchs were all in cahoots, Eunuch Wan had connections in Nanjing too, Song Jiyun had better be careful not to go there and not come back.
Furthermore, it had been some days since Yuan Yunzhong had heard any news of Song Jiyun, so Zheng Quan couldn’t help but worry. Just the day before yesterday, he and Liu Zi had been discussing this matter when the unusually quiet Yuan Yunzhong overheard their entire conversation.
Back then, Yuan Yunzhong actually had a rare conversation with him: "These are intentional leaks by someone hoping to take advantage of your eldest miss’s absence to buy up the kiln factory and workshops."
In hindsight, Yuan Yunzhong was right.
Bringing up the topic again, Zheng Quan felt extremely embarrassed.
However, Yuan Yunzhong did not give him a hard time.
Yuan Yunzhong returned to the large desk, pulled out a piece of neatly cut white wax paper, and began preparing to write couplets for the Spring Festival.
Zheng Quan came over and helped him fold the paper neatly, saying, "I’m not worried about others laughing at the eldest miss. She has always been different from the start. If she decides to do something, no matter what others say, she will see it through to completion. If she doesn’t want to do it, no matter what you say, she won’t be swayed.
"She’s particularly decisive.
"Going to Nanjing was her own idea. I’m just worried that if she encounters any difficulties, she’ll be unhappy. With the old master gone and me not by her side, she doesn’t even have anyone to talk to. My heart aches just thinking about it."
Zheng Quan was not a gossipy person, but Yuan Yunzhong was even more reticent. Although he had been a bit wary of Yuan Yunzhong before, he had also felt inexplicably that he was trustworthy.
Yuan Yunzhong, with his head down, began to unfold the folded wax papers, laying them out on the large desk, and said, "Doesn’t she talk to anyone but the Second Old Master and you? Not even Madam?"
Zheng Quan, who was busy hanging up the couplets and the character "Fu" written for him by Yuan Yunzhong, didn’t notice Yuan Yunzhong’s raised eyebrows, which conveyed a sharpness like that of a blade. Instead, he sighed and said vaguely, "In the past, Madam thought that the eldest miss would eventually get married. Being literate and able to manage accounts was enough; making ceramics was too hard."
Implicit in his words, Madam Qian did not approve of Song Jiyun learning to make ceramics with Song Youliang, so Song Jiyun and Song Youliang were closer.
Yuan Yunzhong, after hearing this, actually froze for a long time.
Zheng Quan asked in surprise, "What’s wrong with you?"
It was only after a while that Yuan Yunzhong said, "I thought your eldest miss had no choice!"
Zheng Quan took a while to realize what he was talking about.
He couldn’t help but laugh, saying, "Do you mean our eldest miss taking charge of family affairs? If the old master hadn’t gone, perhaps the eldest miss wouldn’t have needed to take charge. But to say she was forced, that wouldn’t be entirely correct either. When our eldest miss doesn’t want to do something, nobody can force her!"
"Is that so?" Yuan Yunzhong murmured.
In the same room, Zheng Quan couldn’t quite catch what he had said, but no matter how he listened, he felt a sense of melancholy in his tone.
But what could Yuan Yunzhong have to be melancholic about?
He usually seemed even fiercer than their eldest miss!
Zheng Quan doubted whether he had heard correctly when Nanny Zheng, along with a few servant boys, came in with spring clothes for Yuan Yunzhong.
Seven or eight camphor wood chests with copper corners, stuffed full of clothes so tightly that you couldn’t even fit your hand inside. And yet Nanny Zheng still said, "Please forgive the inconvenience, Young Master. We didn’t have time to send someone to Suzhou and Hangzhou to buy new fabric this year. Make do with these for now, and we’ll make several pieces of Lake Silk and Hangzhou silk for you after spring."
Then she took out a smoke-blue, brocade-trimmed fur cloak, "This was just rushed out this morning. Could the Young Master try it on to see if it fits? I need to know so I can alter it in time for the New Year."
Zheng Quan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
This is called inconvenience?
All his clothes combined weren’t as much as Yuan Yunzhong’s for this season.
But before Yuan Yunzhong could try on the cloak, a little maid serving Madam Qian ran in breathlessly and frantically: "Nanny Zheng, Nanny Zheng, come quickly, Madam, Madam is about to give birth!"
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