Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Shen Linfeng had gone to bed late last night and had to wake up early in the morning, which was truly unbearable. Yao Niang felt quite sympathetic towards him; who knew how comfortable it was for her to sleep in every day.

But this man, despite being so exhausted yesterday, they still talked a lot as a couple. After finally drying his hair, he still had the energy to think about that sort of thing, not showing any sign of fatigue at all. It was really hard to guess what Shen Furen ate while she was pregnant with him, giving birth to such a robust child.

Waking up at noon, the servants each performed their duties without any complaints. However, Rong An returned and informed her that Shen Linfeng wanted to invite her to have dinner at the Spring Moon Tower that evening.

Yao Niang was delighted and quickly instructed the maids to prepare new jewelry and clothes for her.

In the past, when she accompanied her mother on store inspections, they always came and went in a hurry. At that time, Jie Shi told her that once she was in charge, everything would be different. Now, just a few days after her marriage, it had come true.

After reporting back today, Shen Linfeng could hardly contain himself. As soon as he left the office, he seemed to fly out like an arrow. The chief scholar behind him pointed at the lingering shadow and asked someone beside him, "Who was that?"

"It seems to be Shen Bianxiu," someone replied.

The chief scholar said, "Young people are extraordinary. He just returned from Jiangxi yesterday, and today he's already running so fast, very agile."

"That's true. Shen Bianxiu is also skilled in writing imperial edicts. Among the new generation, his edicts are the best," Huang Shijiang smiled.

Huang Shijiang was a classmate of Shen Er's father. Shen Er's father had asked him to take care of Shen Linfeng more often. Huang Shijiang was quite adept at doing favors, especially since the chief scholar seemed to appreciate him greatly.

It was difficult to endure the poverty of being a Hanlin scholar in the capital. If one did not have a solid family background, life would be tough. However, someone like Shen Linfeng, who passed the imperial examination at nineteen and the special examination at twenty, was different. His future was truly promising.

Speaking of Shen Linfeng, he specially went home to pick up Yao Niang. At the door, he encountered Shen Bangyan, who hurriedly called out, "Brother."

Shen Linfeng recalled what Yao Niang had said yesterday and naturally felt wary of the second house. However, on the surface, he remained as usual, even showing concern, "Isn't my second brother studying at the Imperial Academy? Why are you back?"

"Everything is fine. Recently, Father has hired a famous teacher to help me study better. I also need to return to seek advice. Brother, you must have had a tiring journey. Where are you going?" Shen Bangyan saw that Shen Linfeng's expression did not change and felt relieved.

Shen Linfeng smiled, "I'm picking up my sister-in-law. I've been away for months, and it's thanks to her that things at home have been managed well."

Shen Bangyan was taken aback and then said, "Yes, many things happened during this period. Fortunately, my sister-in-law managed to turn them around."

"Hmm, go back then." Shen Linfeng nodded.

Upon hearing that Shen Linfeng was waiting outside, Yao Niang quickly came out. Shen Linfeng, as usual, extended his arms, and she ran over hastily. Shen Linfeng quickly supported her, "Be careful, are you very hungry?"

Yao Niang nodded vigorously, "Since I heard you were taking me to the Spring Moon Tower tonight, I only had a bowl of porridge for lunch."

"You really..." Shen Linfeng wanted to feel her stomach to see if it was empty.

She wouldn't be so polite with Shen Linfeng, immediately swatting his hand away. Shen Linfeng got into the carriage behind her and noticed her drinking some red sugar water. He quickly asked, "Is it your time today?"

"Yes, it just started before we left. It used to be irregular, but now it's much better. In the past, I liked staying up late reading books, but now, with you, I go to bed at the same time every day, and it has become more regular," Yao Niang reflected deeply.

Shen Linfeng roughly knew what dishes to order later. Thinking of this, he began to play with her hand.

Yao Niang leaned against him, always feeling that he smelled good. Even the clothes he changed into hastily after work had a clean and fresh scent. Shen Linfeng was afraid she might get jostled in the carriage, so he kept his arm around her protectively.

When they got off the carriage, they continued holding hands. Yao Niang felt it wasn't quite proper and said to him, "Let's not hold hands outside. What if we're seen by acquaintances?"

"I was worried that letting go of your hand would make you sad, but I didn't expect you to be more composed than me," Shen Linfeng also found it awkward to hold hands in public, but he thought letting go might upset Yao Niang, not realizing she would let go first.

Yao Niang covered her mouth and laughed.

The waiter at the entrance was quick-eyed and immediately came forward upon seeing Shen Linfeng, "Master Shen, the private room is ready."

"Thank you." Shen Linfeng led Yao Niang upstairs and introduced, "There will be dances and wrestling matches here later, all quite entertaining."

"Uh-huh." Yao Niang, if asked why she liked Shen Linfeng, would likely say it was because he was truly handsome like a celestial being, yet not someone who was aloof or self-important. He really found the small things around him as interesting as she did.

The two ordered a large table of dishes, and Shen Linfeng specially ordered a bowl of wolfberry chicken soup for Yao Niang. Worried about the cleanliness of the restaurant's bowls and chopsticks, he even had hot water brought to wash them again for her.

Drinking a warm bowl of soup in late autumn warmed the heart. The Spring Breeze Full Moon Tower, indeed the finest building in the capital, offered a variety of fresh dishes, some of which she had never tasted at home.

This dish of drunken fish, for example, was better than what they made at home, with a subtle fermented aroma rather than a strong alcohol flavor, making it uniquely delicious.

"You should eat too." Seeing that he only served her, Yao Niang also ladled a bowl of soup for him.

Shen Linfeng shook his head: "I'm fine."

As they were eating, they saw someone dancing gracefully in the hall. Yao Niang watched intently, feeling like a little monkey from the mountains, finding everything new and exciting.

Seeing her expression, Shen Linfeng knew she must have been severely restricted at home. Her mother-in-law's status was not legitimate, and she rarely appeared in social circles, despite her talents surpassing those of her elder sister. He decided to take her out more often in the future; seeing her happy made him happy too.

After their meal, Shen Linfeng, noticing it was getting late, thought about how they had been intimate for a long time the previous day, and today was her period, so she needed to stay warm and rest early.

However, on their way down, they encountered Zhou Lingguang. Shen Linfeng nodded slightly to him before taking Yao Niang back.

Zhou Lingguang, looking at Shen Linfeng's confident demeanor, thought to himself that if his father hadn't been framed, he would be just like Shen Linfeng. Unfortunately, there were no ifs, and Grand Censor Shen had already resigned, having learned his lesson. It was said that the current Sacrificial Wine Official Shen had gathered evidence and reported it to the censors, who then presented it, leading to the disaster.

After years of lying low, Zhou Lingguang knew that without sufficient resources, any rash move would lead to failure.

His elder brother, exiled in place of their father, had died from the hardships, and their father passed away two years ago. The once-prosperous Zhou family was almost completely ruined, and even his nephew died due to lack of medical funds.

He must succeed in the imperial examinations to avenge the Zhou family.

Before that, he needed to remain patient and find an excellent family to marry into after passing the exams. He realized that one didn't need to be overly rigid in life. Seeing how Miss Yan, the third daughter, married Shen Linfeng and lived happily, without feeling guilty towards her elder sister, and how Shen Linfeng seemed indifferent to which Miss Yan he married, he understood that life required sacrifices and gains.

When Yao Niang's period ended after seven days, she felt much better. Since returning, Shen Linfeng had personally visited Yan Mai and others, learning that Attendant Li planned to move to Luoyang due to setbacks in his career, and he sent a gift along.

**

This made Yao Niang realize that marriage alliances ultimately couldn't be judged solely by lineage and official rank. The Li family, for instance, was still a Minister of Revenue when the marriage was arranged, but now Attendant Li had left the capital in disgrace. Her brother's reliance on connections and the Li family's hope for a noble son-in-law had both failed.

What was once towering could become flat, nothing remained unchanged, and only by relying on oneself could one carve out a path.

In autumn, her dowry estate sent many fruits, grains, free-range chickens, and a few pigs.

Yao Niang, of course, couldn't finish all of it herself, so she discussed with Shen Linfeng: "Should I open a grocery store and sell these items?"

Shen Linfeng, who was drinking water, nearly choked: "My dear, cough, your idea is good, but have you considered that your estate's production isn't very high? A grocery store sells more than just one type of grain, and you'd need to hire a knowledgeable manager. If you just want to dispose of the surplus, it might be better to store them in a warehouse."

"Do you also store your surplus in warehouses?" Yao Niang asked.

Shen Linfeng waved his hand: "Our household has hundreds of people, and sometimes we barely have enough for ourselves. If there's extra, I keep it in reserve in case of a famine."

Yao Niang hadn't thought about this. She considered the hassle of moving the grains to and from the warehouse and realized she hadn't thought about what to do during a famine.

"I'll keep them in reserve too, and sell them if we leave the capital," Yao Niang said.

Shen Linfeng nodded: "That works."

Yao Niang looked at Shen Linfeng with admiration: "You really know so much, and I know so little."

Shen Linfeng smiled: "It's nothing, I can't afford to be idle and ignorant either."

"But you really do know a lot," and he taught her, Yao Niang thought. She had married young and had to learn many things through trial and error. Shen Linfeng often gave her advice and always made time to talk with her, no matter how busy he was. She became increasingly dependent on him.

Shen Linfeng thought to himself that as a man, he naturally had to protect his wife.

That night, after their intimate moment, Yao Niang remembered that firewood and rice flour were expensive in winter, so she wanted to discuss with Shen Linfeng buying them in advance. This year, the elders were not around, but as the head of the main house, Yao Niang still needed to invite relatives and friends for the New Year's feast.

Shen Linfeng propped up his head and listened for a while before burying his head in the pillow: "My dear, I'm sleepy, I really want to sleep."

Yao Niang laughed; she had forgotten that her husband would fall asleep at this time. So she said with a smile, "Go to sleep then."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Shen Linfeng lay down to rest.

The next day, Shen Linjiang specially came to see Shen Linfeng to apologize for what had happened a few months ago: "It was all because she was pregnant and didn't know the rules at the time, which offended my sister-in-law. Eldest Brother, it was our fault. My wife and I have prepared a small gift to seek your sister-in-law's forgiveness."

Shen Linfeng smiled, "Such a trivial matter is not worth mentioning. Second Brother, bringing gifts makes us seem distant. My wife has a broad mind and never holds grudges."

In fact, from Shen Linfeng's perspective, Yao Niang was setting rules, not targeting anyone. Besides, he was there at the time, why wasn't he included? It seemed as if only his wife was deliberately targeting others, which made it sound like she was petty.

Shen Linjiang naturally knew that giving gifts to someone, no matter what, meant that they accepted your sincerity. If they refused, it meant they did not forgive you. He felt that Shen Linfeng was different from before. In the past, Shen Linfeng was like a hanging portrait, known for his elegance, excellent archery, and musical talent, almost carefree like a child, rarely showing such subtle emotions. Now, however, he seemed different.

His words and actions now had a certain sharpness and calculation, and Shen Linjiang could even hear Shen Linfeng defending his wife.

But Shen Linjiang was patient: "If you don't accept it, your sister-in-law will certainly blame me. Moreover, when your sister-in-law sent many tonics when my wife was unwell, it was normal for relatives to exchange gifts. If you don't accept it, it would mean you harbor resentment against us."

Seeing that Shen Linjiang mentioned resentment, not towards Yao Niang, Shen Linfeng smiled, "Since Second Cousin has said so much, not accepting it would be impolite. Let's put this matter behind us today and not mention it again."

Shen Linjiang breathed a sigh of relief and, citing the need to take care of Lady Shao, left first.

After he left, Shen Linfeng took out a box and gave it to Yao Niang. It turned out that Shen Linfeng, seeing how Yao Niang was truly afraid of having children, had asked a friend to buy these contraceptives. They needed to be soaked during the day to be used at night. This way, both of them could be comfortable without suffering the pain of childbirth immediately. Shen Linfeng also felt that they were in a precarious situation, with the person behind everything yet to be uncovered, and they couldn't afford to be separated.

Seeing the box, Yao Niang couldn't help but smile, "I can hardly keep up."

"If you can't keep up, we won't use it, and we'll go to bed early."

"That's not possible."

...

This year was the first time Yao Niang was in charge of the household, and she had to prepare sacrificial items. She wrote down on paper how to store the latest glutinous rice and how to prepare it.

This was the daily routine of a mistress of the household, mundane and ordinary. The death of Xu Han, one of Grandfather's subordinates, was ultimately ruled a suicide. This Mr. Xu had originally been loyal to Grandfather, but those people had his son under their control. He neither wanted to betray Grandfather nor let those people harm his son, so he deliberately committed suicide when the persuader left.

Only then did Yao Niang understand what Shen Linfeng had once told her: sweeping reforms were actually very difficult. This gave her a warning in investigating the second house. Without solid evidence, it could harm innocent people.

She didn't believe that the second house had never made any mistakes. Both she and Shen Linfeng were vigilant, and sooner or later, they would find clues.

Lady Shen of the second house was completely unaware, still waiting to see the joke. This year, Lady Shen had returned to her hometown, and the main house had to oversee the sacrifices, which was no easy task.

As for Lu Shaner of the third house, she had come up with several ways to save money, but unfortunately, the main house of the Shen family was distributing porridge, and the clear-eyed lady of the third house couldn't help but say, "Third Madam, in the past, our eldest aunt distributed porridge and medicine on behalf of all three houses. This year, the main house is setting up its own porridge tent, with the banner of the Shen Biexiu residence. Shouldn't our residence also set up a separate porridge distribution or medicine giveaway?"

Lu Shaner frowned, "What does the second house say?"

"The second house hasn't decided yet. Madam, do you want to discuss it with the second aunt?" the clear-eyed lady asked.

Lu Shaner replied, "We should ask Second Sister-in-law's opinion first. If she agrees, it would be good to do it together."

Lady Shen of the second house was willing to work with them but had a request: "We have set up several porridge tents. One of them could be managed by Qing's wife. You can join us, and it would be good for you to meet several ladies from official families."

"Alright," Lu Shaner agreed.

Despite working together, Lady Shen of the second house required a significant amount of grain—fifty stones of rice and two hundred bags of flour, which was reportedly still less than usual.

Thus, Lu Shaner came to visit Yao Niang for information.

Yao Niang managed the internal accounts, while Shen Linfeng, as the head of the family, handled the external accounts. He was quite adept at managing various affairs, especially in business, where he could come up with ideas effortlessly. Last time, when he saw Yao Niang reviewing the accounts, he even gave her a challenge by creating false entries, which she failed to detect.

A true expert in falsifying accounts is hard to catch. The problems with the kitchen and stewardess' account books were usually easy to spot because they themselves only knew a few characters and were not skilled in accounting.

Shen Linfeng, on the other hand, was truly very professional. He regretted not being assigned to the Ministry of Revenue but instead found himself in the Imperial Academy, which he found rather frustrating.

So she was studying "The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art," and every day Shen Linfeng would give her a few problems. She had always handled accounts at home, but she never realized how difficult it was to delve deeper into the subject.

Just as she yawned, she heard that Lu Shaner was coming, so Yao Niang got up to greet her.

Seeing the pile of account books in front of Yao Niang, Lu Shaner also knew that the eldest branch had the most money. Otherwise, the third branch wouldn't have been divided, though they hadn't separated from the main household yet.

"Niece, I'll be straightforward. I heard you've been distributing porridge recently? How many days have you been doing this, and how much rice did you prepare?" Lu Shaner asked directly without beating around the bush.

Yao Niang countered, "Are you planning to distribute porridge as well?"

She deliberately didn't collaborate with the other two branches. She had long noticed that no matter how successful or wealthy these two branches were, the main branch always ended up at a disadvantage. So after discussing with Shen Linfeng, they set up a porridge stand under the name of Shen Biangxiu's residence, and both of them personally served the porridge to the disaster victims.

Lu Shaner said, "Yes, I just got married and don't know how to handle this, so I wanted to ask for your advice first."

Yao Niang smiled, "There are many wealthy households in the capital. To be honest, my husband is just a seventh-rank editor. We distributed porridge for three days, about three shi per day, twice a day, morning and noon, all thick porridge. We also prepared pickled vegetables, steamed buns, and baked cakes. In total, we used about ten shi over three days."

"Only ten shi?" Lu Shaner suddenly felt that her fifty shi was too much.

Yao Niang smiled, "We only have a small porridge stand, mainly serving children and women."

Actually, distributing porridge involves many considerations, such as choosing the right location. It shouldn't be in a place with mixed elements or too remote, but preferably near temples or along major roads. The stoves should be brick stoves, which are durable and produce less dust. Most importantly, children are the hardest to manage, so they are usually given porridge in groups of five. As for beggars, they are organized by their leaders to avoid disrupting other famine victims.

The Yan family had only been in the capital for a short time, and Lady Yan often went out without taking Jie Shi and Yao Niang. Yao Niang learned about these matters from Shen Linfeng.

Moreover, they also contributed to the Five City Military Command to help maintain order, which added to the expenses.

But she wouldn't casually share these details with others.

Lu Shaner herself had once been poor and was naturally willing to distribute porridge, but fifty shi was indeed too much. Normally, one shi of rice costs about one tael, but during a famine, it could cost four to five taels per shi in the capital, meaning at least fifteen taels per day. This doesn't include the cost of flour and side dishes, which would add up to more than twenty taels per day. They planned to distribute porridge for ten days, which would cost about two hundred taels in total.

With less than two months until the twelfth lunar month, there would be more expenses for the New Year.

Therefore, Lu Shaner directly told Shen Er's wife, "You and Lady Zhao are distributing porridge together, but I'm not used to such grand occasions. Perhaps I should handle it myself."

Among her three daughters-in-law, Lu Shaner found that Qing Damao was not pretentious and was quite capable, unlike Lady Shao, who was always delicate, and Han Ruohua, who was clueless.

So she called Qing Damao, who indeed had the skills and suggested, "We don't necessarily have to use our own money. I remember some merchants' wives who were previously ignored. If we let them donate some, Madam only needs to invite them to sit in the outer hall during the New Year, and they will be very willing."

"Is that possible?" Lu Shaner suddenly felt that the inner quarters were full of hidden talents, though everyone seemed similar on the surface.

Qing Damao smiled, "If Madam trusts me, I can take care of it without spending the family's money."

Lu Shaner breathed a sigh of relief.

Qing Damao indeed handled the matter beautifully. Yao Niang told Shen Linfeng, "She is indeed a capable person. I heard she even had some neatly dressed disaster victims help cook the porridge, making good use of resources without spending a single coin."

"Do you want to seek donations from merchants as well?" Shen Linfeng probed, knowing that Yao Niang was quite proud.

Yao Niang replied, "I just mean that if someone can come up with such an idea, it's not a bad method. However, now that you are part of the clean officials, you must be cautious about your reputation. Spending some money is like a leaf falling from a large tree for us, but if people know we invited merchants' wives into our home and accepted their money, we might not know their backgrounds. Taking their money means owing them favors, and how will you repay them in the future?"

Hearing this, Shen Linfeng genuinely smiled, "You truly understand me, my lady."

At the same time, Yao Niang also mentioned, "The third branch didn't collaborate with the second branch. I heard that Second Aunt and the third branch have a somewhat strained relationship."