Yuan Yunzhong lifted his eyelids.
He met a pair of smiling eyes.
As if brimming with a pool of spring water, gentle and causing palpitations.
He was momentarily stunned.
Song Jiyun chuckled lightly, climbed into the carriage, sat against the wall, and asked him again in a teasing voice, "Why have you come?"
The jujube red wall of the carriage reflected her fair skin, tender as the spring bamboo shoots just pealed in spring, and her full head of crow-black hair shone exceptionally bright.
Yuan Yunzhong felt somewhat uneasy and turned his face to look out of the window, with the red mole on his earlobe seeming even more delicate and appealing.
"The mistress sent me to pick you up and take you home!" he said indifferently.
Song Jiyun was puzzled.
Yuan Yunzhong turned back to look at her, the corners of his eyes rising slightly in a half-smile as he said teasingly, "I heard that in the future the Song Family will be managed by women, and men will only be responsible for producing heirs?"
"What nonsense," Song Jiyun flatly denied, feigning slight anger, "Who is spreading these rumors and causing trouble?"
She had never used gender to judge whether one should do something or not. Just as women need not necessarily take care of children, men need not necessarily be the breadwinners. Who should be in which position was never determined by gender but by one’s abilities or talents.
She had said that at the time only to buy the family a chance to breathe.
"Wasn’t it you who said this in the ancestral hall in front of the Song family clan?" Yuan Yunzhong’s gaze flickered, yet his tone was tinged with teasing, "The people of the Song family all heard it with their own ears."
Song Jiyun sighed.
She hadn’t expected the rumor to spread so quickly.
In just the time it took for a meal, not only had everyone known, but the words had been twisted.
She spread her hands helplessly and said, "Do you believe I didn’t say that?"
To her surprise, Yuan Yunzhong nodded earnestly and said, "I believe!"
Song Jiyun was taken aback.
Yuan Yunzhong glanced at her and said, "Even if you thought so, you wouldn’t say it in front of everyone."
Song Jiyun was startled and straightened up.
Yuan Yunzhong adjusted his sleeves and then said calmly, "If you were to say anything, you would only say that the capable should lead, and whoever can do the job should be in charge. As for women being in charge and men only responsible for continuing the lineage, it’s clear those words were twisted by people as they were passed around."
His words landed heavily in Song Jiyun’s heart.
She hadn’t expected Yuan Yunzhong to trust her this much.
She denied it, and he believed her.
Song Jiyun’s heart was suddenly tumultuous as though clouds and waves churned inside.
Was this what being favored felt like?
She stared blankly at the handsome and spirited face of the man before her, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.
*
Madam Qian saw Song Jiyun and hit her shoulder hard, chiding, "How could you, a young lady, say in front of so many clan members that ’men are only responsible for carrying on the lineage’? How will you face people in the future? Thankfully, Young Master Yuan didn’t believe it, otherwise even if this marriage arrangement was false, it’s likely there would have been trouble!"
Yet Song Jiyun only took the words "Thankfully, Young Master Yuan didn’t believe it" to heart, interrupting her mother and asking, "You asked Young Master Yuan about this?"
"Of course!" Madam Qian looked at her unhappily and said, "As soon as I heard that the streets and alleys of Jingde Town were abuzz with your words, my heart sank, fearing Young Master Yuan might misunderstand and join the crowd in making a mockery of our family. So I hurriedly sent Nanny Zheng to invite him over.
"Who knew this child would not only disbelieve herself but also convince us not to believe. She said that although you seem reckless and without method, you know everything in your heart, and you are very delicate in mind. You would never say such words.
"She wanted us to have confidence in you!"
"She feared you might encounter some trouble and said she would go to fetch you."
At this point, Madam Qian was extremely moved, "You are fortunate, child. To have met such a Young Master Yuan, from now on, you should stop having wild thoughts and live a good life with Young Master Yuan!
"With such a person, even the worst of days can’t become too bad!"
Song Jiyun smiled as she held her mother’s hand.
In this vast worldly dust, who doesn’t long for tender affection?
Sometimes one walks alone simply because they’ve not found someone to share in closeness.
If she did find someone, she was not afraid to try.
*
Later that evening, Old Master Yan and Old Master Wu, among others, came to visit her.
Accompanying them was Li Zixiu.
Having not seen him since the Spring Festival, he seemed noticeably older and behaved with much more respect towards Song Jiyun.
Their main reason for visiting was to inquire about Song Jiyun’s trip to Nanjing.
"I hear you sold off a shipload of porcelain? How’s the market over there? Can Old Blue and White porcelain business be done?" Old Master Yan could hardly wait after drinking just a few sips of tea. It was unclear whether they hadn’t heard the rumors Madam Qian mentioned or if they considered their own business matters so much more pressing that they didn’t have the time to bother with them.
Song Jiyun had no intention of keeping secrets and shared the situation in Nanjing, "Mainly because I had friends help me find a Silver House. I sold all the porcelain to them in one go, and then they devised ways to sell it at higher prices. Old Blue and White also sells well of course. It’s just that the Inspection Division’s checkpoints along the way are difficult to pass. If you really take porcelain there to sell, you have to think it through clearly."
Since Old Master Yan had already decided to wash his hands of the business, he wasn’t in a hurry and even took an orange to peel and eat.
Both Old Master Wu and Li Zixiu were in a rush, and Li Zixiu went so far as to say, "Boss Song, we all know you’re capable. Could you possibly help us by making an introduction? We would also like to sell our porcelain further afield."
Song Jiyun asked in surprise, "Has something happened?"
Old Master Wu and Li Zixiu exchanged glances and began to pour out their troubles to Song Jiyun, "You were wise to go to Nanjing. Otherwise, staying in Jingde Town would probably have been the death of us."
Apparently, after her departure, Song Tao had fired the Dragon Kiln twice, producing over ten thousand pieces of porcelain. Eunuch Wan simply called them in once more to reassign the portion of porcelain production.
Not only was the Song Family Kiln Factory’s share completely gone, but the shares of Li Zixiu and others were greatly reduced, all delegated to Liangyu Kiln Factory, under the pretense of "more work for the competent."
Now, more than half the workshops in Jingde Town, struggling to survive, started creating molds, forming porcelain bodies or painting for Liangyu Kiln Factory.
"We’re earning about the same as the kiln workers," Li Zixiu sighed dejectedly, "because of this, many workshops and kiln factories dare not, and also can’t, take on apprentices this spring. If this continues, we kiln factories will have no way out."
He politely added, "That’s why we have the cheek to come to you!"
But according to what Song Jiyun said, going to Nanjing to sell wasn’t an option either. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Both he and Old Master Wu were at a loss.
This was indeed a problem.
If a kiln factory wanted to thrive, the most important thing was its legacy. But there weren’t many talented children. With the rise of one and the decline of another, if everyone ended up in Liangyu Kiln Factory’s hands, what could the other kiln factories and workshops use to compete with Liangyu Kiln Factory in the future?
Song Jiyun reflected, "Why not try to find someone who regularly buys porcelain locally? They usually have their own channels."
That was also no solution.
After all, whether Jingde Town’s Old Blue and White porcelain could be sold was no longer about whether it could be produced, but whether it could compete with Liangyu Kiln Factory on price.
Old Master Wu started to curse Song Tao.
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