Yuan Yunzhong was a man of his word, if he said he would not get involved, he truly wouldn’t.
The Xiong Family chose two auspicious days for the Song Family to select from, one being the second day of the second lunar month when the dragon raises its head, and the other being the third day of the third lunar month which marks the Shangsi Festival. Both of these days were perfect for outings, and every year at this time, the city inside and out would be bustling with people. It was quite common for acquaintances to "accidentally run into each other," exchange greetings, chat for a bit or even go to offer incense together.
However, Song Jiyun had previously agreed to go kite flying with Yuan Yunzhong on the second day of the second lunar month, so it would be best to set the matchmaking date on the third day of the third month.
Song Jiyun discussed this with Madam Qian, but she preferred the second day of the second lunar month instead.
She felt that by doing so, they could also reject Yuan Yunzhong’s invitation in a socially acceptable way, and once Yuan Yunzhong left, the Song Family and Song Jiyun could avoid some gossip.
Song Jiyun understood her mother’s feelings well.
She went to consult with Yuan Yunzhong to see if the date could be changed.
Yuan Yunzhong was painting in his study.
On the large date-red writing desk, a bean-green cicada-wing patterned Jade Spring Vase tilted slightly, holding some branches of tender yellow wintersweet flowers that seemed to bring the brightness of spring into the room.
Yuan Yunzhong instructed Liu Zi to make tea for Song Jiyun, continuing to paint until he finished the last few strokes before he took the hot handkerchief handed to him by the servant boy and asked her, "Has the date for the Second Young Miss’s matchmaking been set?"
The term "Second Young Miss", was it a northern term?
Outside the bounds of Liang County, Song Jiyun didn’t really understand.
She nodded with a smile, standing beside the writing desk.
Yuan Yunzhong’s painting was of a palm civet. Its fur was black on the back and white on the belly, looking fluffy and soft as the creature lay beside a peony bush with its round, plump face pulled taut, appearing very majestic. But for its size, it could be mistaken for the king of the mountain.
"This cat is beautiful!" Song Jiyun praised, "What is its name?"
Without a real model, it would be impossible to paint such a lifelike cat.
"Fanhxue," Yuan Yunzhong looked at her, his gaze softening, "is a cat I own."
"It’s very beautiful!" Song Jiyun examined it carefully and praised again, "And the name is well chosen too. When it turns over, it’s so white, just as if it has flipped over the snow itself."
The corners of Yuan Yunzhong’s mouth curled up slightly, and he said, "You’re right to say that. I’m glad you like it!"
"What?" His last sentence was too soft, and Song Jiyun didn’t quite catch it.
"It’s nothing!" Yuan Yunzhong and Song Jiyun sat down at the round table in the hall, and Shao Qing brought in a plate of gleaming oranges.
In the past, this wouldn’t have been anything special. But in these times, when even eating lychees meant exhausting dozens of horses, having such well-preserved oranges in spring was no small feat, and not something that money alone could buy.
She couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Where did these oranges come from?"
Shao Qing replied with a smile, "From Deng Chen!"
"Deng Chen!" Song Jiyun murmured, "The Inspector of Liang County?"
"Yes!" Shao Qing didn’t hold back in her conversation, telling her everything, "He’s a relative of the Duke of Ying’s Mansion. Everyone’s holding their breath over the Prince Ning smuggling case, wanting to tear a piece off him. The inspectors of Liang County all had problems, didn’t they? The Young Master rounded them all up, and the Duke of Ying immediately sent Deng Chen over, hoping to earn some merits from this case and have a smoother path in his career."
Song Jiyun thought of that Commander-in-Chief Xu.
She said with a smile, "Like Lord Xu?"
Yuan Yunzhong gave her a look.
Shao Qing had already taken an orange and handed it to Song Jiyun, smiling as he said, "It’s not the same. Xu Guangzeng had to leave the Capital City because he got himself into trouble and couldn’t stay any longer. Just so happened that the former Commander of Jiangxi was beaten with official rods in broad daylight by Prince Ning for trying to stop him from seizing the commoners’ ancestral graves to build a hunting ground, and in a fit of anger, he resigned from his post. The Emperor then transferred Xu Guangzeng over. There were two reasons, one was to give Duke of Ying some face, and second, it was said that he had quite the reputation as the ’Little Overlord’ in the Capital City, and the Emperor thought he might be able to keep Prince Ning in check."
At this point, he curled his lips and said, "However, in my opinion, rather than saying Xu Guangzeng can control Prince Ning, it’s good enough if he doesn’t join him in his wrongdoings."
Thinking of Xu Guangzeng’s behavior at the Temple of the Wind God, Song Jiyun felt that Shao Qing’s words made a lot of sense.
It was Yuan Yunzhong, however, who lightly exclaimed, "Alright," and sent Shao Qing off to prepare some oranges to bring later for Madam Qian and others to taste, then steered the conversation back to Song Jiyu: "Have you decided on a time? Where will you meet?"
Song Jiyun answered with a smile, "The Xiong Family offered two dates to choose from, the second day of the second lunar month and the third day of the third lunar month. My mother thinks the second day of the second lunar month is better, to get a look at the child from the Xiong Family as soon as possible. If he’s really not suitable, we can reject him early to prevent getting their hopes up and harboring resentments."
"Madam has considered it well," Yuan Yunzhong was without any opposition or displeasure.
She hadn’t anticipated that things would be resolved so smoothly.
Song Jiyun’s smile became somewhat more cheerful: "For now, we’ve tentatively decided on Nameless Temple."
She said, "On the second day of the second lunar month, Gratitude Temple organizes the Taoist priests to provide free medical consultation to the nearby villagers every year. It’s always so crowded that you can’t even squeeze in. The fervor for the Guanyin Bodhisattva at The Eight Immortals Nunnery is still there, and many people from the towns bellow plan to visit in groups, so it’s likely to be crowded too. It’s better to go to Nameless Temple."
"Either is fine with me!" Yuan Yunzhong looked at her, eagerly exclaiming, "Second Young Miss’s marriage is what’s important. Nameless Temple has fewer people, and we’ll have open space to fly kites. And if Third Young Miss and the others don’t feel like flying kites, we can also do what you suggested and dig for bamboo shoots, maybe even bring some back to prepare a dish."
The plans for that day were quickly settled.
Only then did Song Jiyun realize that not only had he not planned on giving up this outing, but he had also counted himself as one of those who would be assisting Jiyu in her match viewing.
She was silent for a moment before saying, "Young Master Yuan, won’t it be too boring? We originally wanted to invite Eleventh Grand Master Song to join us at Nameless Temple for the outing, but he felt that this was a women’s affair, and that it would be enough for Aunt Eleven to go with us."
With a cold laugh, Yuan Yunzhong retorted, "This is a matter of a lifetime, how can I not go because it is boring? Now I understand why several Princesses ended up marrying poorly."
Seeing Yuan Yunzhong’s enthusiasm, Song Jiyun couldn’t bring herself to pour cold water on his excitement and tell him that her mother had never planned on inviting him along.
In her heart, she silently apologized to Eleventh Grand Master Song, who had not mentioned "boredom" as the reason for not wanting to go, and smilingly said to Yuan Yunzhong, "Alright then! I’ll go back and let the Xiong Family know, we’ll meet at Nameless Temple on the second day of the second lunar month."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded his head.
Song Jiyun, carrying the oranges she couldn’t refuse, went to her mother’s place.
Madam Qian didn’t want anything from Yuan Yunzhong, but Song Jixue cheered and called over her personal maids, saying, "Let’s make orange lanterns."
Ever since Yuan Yunzhong had taught her to make kites, she wanted to try her hand at everything she saw.
The other day, when Xiang Yang came with his prized disciple to discuss matters with Song Jiyun, Jixue had even pulled Xiang Yang’s disciple aside to teach her pottery throwing, claiming, "When we were born, Father gave us each a bowl, but Xiao Si didn’t have one, so I’ll make one for her."
It wasn’t that she wanted to make a bowl for Xiao Si; she simply found it fun.
But Song Jiyun, having come from a previous life, felt that this was much better than rigidly forcing Jixue to study.
She supported her strongly and even kept Xiang Yang’s disciple around.
Song Jixue, clutching several oranges, ran off with her maids in tow.
Madam Qian called after her but couldn’t get her to come back.
She even called out loudly, "Brother-in-law said that gifts from others can’t be accepted, but his gifts to me are mine to keep."
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