Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Although Song Shi'an argued with Jiang Chun at the dinner table, when they lay down at night, he didn't cause any trouble. He obediently lay in front of her, and before long, his breathing became steady and deep.

Jiang Chun secretly sighed in relief.

People really need to work.

Ever since he resumed his job as a "corporate slave" at the Hanlin Academy, Song Shi'an's energy had obviously waned, and he no longer insisted on daily affection with her.

This was normal.

Who can keep up with such a pace? It was too much to handle.

In her opinion, once every three days was just right.

Just right, neither too frequent nor too scarce.

After a good night's sleep, the next day, after having breakfast in the main courtyard, Jiang Chun returned to Dangui Courtyard and dismissed all the maids.

She opened the large chest which the maids were forbidden to touch and began taking things out of the storage system, placing them into the chest one by one: a gold spittoon, a pair of "Joyful Brows" vases, a jade gourd, three "Ru" famille-rose porcelain cups with the design of the Immortal Maiden Magu, a gold hairpin, a gilded comb, a pair of jade pendants, a gold collar, seven green jade combs, a pair of gold-inlaid jade bracelets, five bolts of silk, five bolts of fine cotton, five bolts of brocade, five bolts of flowered gauze, and a brocade cotton jacket.

The large camphor wood chest was stuffed to the brim, and it took her considerable effort to close the lid.

In fact, there were still many things left in the storage system, especially fabrics, each type having twenty or thirty bolts, but she only had one chest to hide them, so she couldn't fit everything.

She would have to figure out how to handle it later.

Without allowing any maids to accompany her, she carried the chest to the front courtyard by herself, rummaged through her family's belongings, found a pile of agricultural tools, and packed them into a burlap sack.

Then she went to the second gate and asked Mr. Liu, the steward, to arrange a carriage to send her to the West Market, specifically stating that no servants or guards should follow her.

Thinking that Madam was going to personally deliver the items to the Jiang residence, and knowing that Madam was skilled and bold, Mr. Liu did not stop her.

After the carriage left the Song family's estate, Jiang Chun pulled back the carriage curtain a bit and said to the driver, "Uncle Pan, go to the Su family pawnshop in the West Market, the century-old established one. You know it?"

The flattered Pan Erniu hurriedly replied, "Yes, of course, Madam. I, your humble servant, know the way."

*

On this side of the main courtyard, Song Shirui and Zhong Wenjin returned late, causing them to miss the opportunity for the Song family to collectively tailor new clothes. Furthermore, their luggage had been loaded onto the wrong ship, leaving them with only one set of spare clothes.

Madame Zhuang had to summon Lady Xie and Lady Xu, and brought Song Shirui and Zhong Wenjin to the main courtyard to have the two tailors measure them.

After Song Shirui finished his measurements, he handed over the task of selecting the fabric to Zhong Wenjin and rushed out of the estate to handle urgent business.

Zhong Wenjin was perplexed—how would he know about this? Just as he was feeling troubled, Manager Liu rushed in to report to Madame Zhuang, "Madam, Lady Jiang left the estate without bringing any maids or older servants, nor any young servants. She went out in a carriage driven by Pan Erniu."

Madame Zhuang furrowed her brows deeply. She asked hurriedly, "Did she mention where she was going?"

Manager Liu replied, "Lady Jiang didn’t say, but I saw that she carried a large chest and went to the front courtyard before leaving. She probably went to deliver something to the Jiang family residence in the West Market."

Madame Zhuang sighed, "With so many servants available, did she really need to go herself?"

Manager Liu stammered, not daring to respond.

Fortunately, Madame Zhuang maintained her composure and didn’t criticize her daughter-in-law in front of the steward and the tailors.

She gave the order, "I see, you may leave."

Turning around, she saw Zhong Wenjin sitting there, dazed, not having selected a single piece of fabric. Madame Zhuang felt a wave of exasperation.

These two daughters-in-law were truly something else, each more troublesome than the other!

But what could she do?

Both daughters-in-law had saved her sons’ lives, and both sons were firmly under their control. Even if she had wanted to get rid of them, her sons would never allow it.

Madame Zhuang had no choice but to take out the fabric sample book and personally select fabrics for her second son and daughter-in-law.

Meanwhile, Pan Erniu drove the carriage both smoothly and quickly. In just a quarter of an hour, they arrived in front of the Su family pawnshop.

*

Jiang Chun carried the chest down and said to Pan Erniu, "I’m going in to pawn some items for my father. Please do me a favor and wait outside for a moment, Uncle Pan."

Pan Erniu bowed and nodded, "Madam Jiang, please go ahead. This old servant will wait here respectfully."

Jiang Chun smiled, hoisted the large chest again, and quickly walked into the Su family pawnshop.

Coincidentally, inside the main hall, Mr. Su was speaking with the pawnshop manager. Seeing Jiang Chun enter, he was taken aback: "Miss Jiang?"

She was carrying a huge box on her shoulder, a box that was nearly half her height and very wide.

It was a delicately beautiful, well-dressed lady from an official family carrying the box, which made the sight quite astonishing.

Mr. Su quickly called out to a shop assistant: "Someone, quickly take Miss Jiang's box."

"No need," Jiang Chun waved her hand with finality: "Do you have a private room in your pawnshop? Mr. Su, let's have a private conversation."

Mr. Su nodded in understanding and hurriedly said: "Miss Jiang, please follow me."

He led the way to a small door in the corner of the main hall and opened the door, bowing as he gestured for her to enter: "Miss Jiang, please."

Jiang Chun adjusted the angle of the box and entered smoothly, then gently put the large box down on the floor.

This was a reception room, furnished with tables, chairs, tea trays, teapots, and teacups. Several calligraphy paintings hung on the walls, and two pots of orchids were placed on a high table.

Indeed, it was elegantly decorated with a classical charm.

However, Jiang Chun had no time to appreciate these. She removed the lock from the large box and lifted the lid.

She pointed to the items inside and said: "I’ve heard that the Su family pawnshop is a century-old establishment known for its fair prices. I would appreciate it if Mr. Su could help appraise the value."

Mr. Su was almost blinded by the golden gleam from the top item, a gilt spittoon, and couldn't help clicking his tongue: "You're pawning all these?"

Jiang Chun looked helpless: "Mr. Su probably knows that our family has just been exonerated, and the house is in a complete mess. We lack many things, and the Ministry of Revenue hasn't settled the accounts yet. Currently, the family is short on funds, so we have to pawn these items that we don't currently need to get some silver to make ends meet."

Mr. Su had guessed the reason. After all, this Madam Jiang was originally a pig butcher from the countryside. It was unlikely for her to have this many valuable items.

He couldn't help but sympathize with Miss Jiang. Pawning items is such a humiliating task, yet none of the other masters from the Song family came forward. They sent her instead, clearly bullying her.

Yet Miss Jiang seemed oblivious and even took out a bag of old iron farm tools from her own family to cover for her in-laws: "Mr. Su, the Song family is under scrutiny right now. I’m afraid that as soon as I leave, someone will come to inquire about the situation.

When that happens, just show them this bag of farm tools and say I came here secretly to pawn these old tools brought all the way from Qi Prefecture due to financial embarrassment."

What could Mr. Su say? He could only bow and agree: "Miss Jiang has thought of everything. I will do as you suggested."

For a family like the Song family, how could anything they pawn be worthless? This large transaction will certainly bring in a significant profit.

Even if Lady Jiang didn't say anything, he would still remain discreet to avoid drawing unwanted attention.

Jiang Chun smiled and said, "Mr. Su is indeed as trustworthy as the rumors suggest, a man of his word. The next time I need to pawn something, I'll come to your pawnshop again."

"Thank you for your business, Lady Jiang," Mr. Su said with a traditional bow in gratitude, before beginning to evaluate the items in the box one by one.

After the appraisal, he picked up the abacus from the table and began calculating.

Once he finished, he looked up at Jiang Chun and said with a smile, "The total is 863 taels of silver."

He then handed the abacus to her with both hands and asked, "Would you like to verify the calculation yourself, Lady Jiang?"

Addition and subtraction with numbers under a thousand were simple for Jiang Chun to calculate mentally, so she waved her hand and said, "There's no need. Your calculation is accurate."

Mr. Su smiled and said, "Please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch the silver for you."

Before Jiang Chun could respond, he changed his mind and said, "To avoid arousing suspicion, I'll give you banknotes instead of silver. What do you think, Lady Jiang?"

Jiang Chun nodded and said, "Give me three strings of copper coins as change, and the rest in banknotes."

Mr. Su nodded, opened the door, and walked out.

A moment later, according to Jiang Chun's request, he handed her eight hundred-tael notes, six ten-tael notes, and three strings of copper coins.

He personally escorted her out of the pawnshop entrance and said earnestly, "We look forward to your return, Lady Jiang."

"Definitely," Jiang Chun said with a smile and nodded, shouldering the box and holding the three strings of copper coins as she strode confidently towards the carriage.

Seeing the three strings of copper coins in her hand, Pan Erniu couldn't help but smirk.

After all that effort, she only received three strings of copper coins from pawning items. How poor must her family be?

But Lady Jiang was worried about losing face. She carried such a large box through the streets, afraid that others might think her family was poor.

While thinking this, Pan Erniu nodded and bowed with a smile, "Has the Grand Lady finished her errands? Shall we return to the estate?"

Jiang Chun placed the box onto the carriage and climbed up agilely, ordering, "Go to Zhao's Spice Shop."

"Certainly," Pan Erniu responded, driving the carriage towards Zhao's Spice Shop.

After arriving at Zhao's Fragrance Shop, Jiang Chun asked Pan Erniu to wait outside.

She walked into Zhao's Fragrance Shop and, noticing no other customers inside, walked up to the counter and asked the shopkeeper, "Do you purchase ambergris?"

The shopkeeper, who had been rather indifferent—since the last time this lady visited, asked numerous questions but bought nothing—was startled by her question. He eagerly asked, "Do you have ambergris?"

Jiang Chun smiled and said, "I did have some, but if the price you offer isn't reasonable, I'm joking, and actually don't have any."

The shopkeeper quickly replied, "The price of ambergris is determined by its quality. Lower quality ones are worth up to four hundred taels of silver; higher quality ones can be worth over five hundred taels."

Jiang Chun looked at him with a half-smile.

Thinking she might be an expert, the shopkeeper bit his lip and said, "Top-quality ones can fetch up to six hundred taels."

Only then did Jiang Chun take the ambergris from her sleeve, placed it on the counter, and smiled. "I've already had someone who knows about it examine the quality. Don’t try to fool me, Mr. Shopkeeper."

"Our shop operates with honesty and never deceives our customers," the shopkeeper replied defensively, then quickly untied the cloth bag. He took a look inside.

"Oh wow!" he couldn't help exclaiming.

Jiang Chun snorted with a laugh. "Is it worth six hundred taels of silver, then?"

"It definitely is," Shopkeeper Wang replied.

He had been a clerk at this spice shop for five years and its manager for thirty years, but he had never seen such high-quality ambergris before.

Even at seven hundred taels, it would still be a good deal.

He carefully took out the large piece of ambergris and examined it closely for a while, before smiling and saying, "It is indeed worth six hundred taels, but selling it at that price would leave little profit for my humble shop. However, as a new customer, I’ll do you a favor. I hope that if you come across such treasures again, you’ll bring them to our Zhao’s Spice Shop."

Jiang Chun didn’t call him out on his polite talk. She smiled and said, "Deal. If I find another good deal, I’ll come back to you, shopkeeper."

Her target price had been only five hundred taels, so getting six hundred taels was already a pleasant surprise.

Therefore, she didn’t ask for more.

One must always leave some room for profit, right?

Just as before, she didn’t ask for silver; instead, she requested a banknote issued by the Ministry of Revenue, which was valid for deposits and withdrawals throughout the Great Zhou.

After leaving the spice shop, she didn’t go anywhere else but directly asked Pan Erniu to drive her back to the Song residence.

On the way, she didn’t forget to check in at various places to earn some valuable items, replenishing her system storage that was half-empty.

[Ding! Check-in successful at “Yan Imperial City Money House,” received 9 taels of gold.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at “Yan Imperial City Pawn Shop,” received 2 golden bowls, 2 pairs of golden chopsticks, and 1 pair of stone lions.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at “Yan Imperial City Blacksmith’s Shop,” received 4 iron buckets, 8 iron pliers, and 10 iron pipes.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at “Yan Imperial City Medical Hall,” received 3 pounds of ginseng, 3 pounds of wolfberry, and 4 pounds of chrysanthemum.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at “Yan Imperial City Apothecary,” received 2 pounds of bird’s nest, 6 pounds of red dates, and 3 pounds of white芷 (bai zhi).]

[Ding! Check-in successful at “Yan Imperial City Jewelry Shop,” received 2 pairs of golden daisies, 4 jade hairpins, and 20 silk cords.]

[Ding! Successfully checked in at "Yan Imperial City Bookshop," received 7 sheets of gold-sprinkled paper, 20 bamboo pens, and 2 inkstones.]

[Ding! Successfully checked in at "Yan Imperial City Silk Shop," received 16 bolts of silk, 8 bolts of fine cotton, and 6 bolts of woolen cloth.]

[Ding! Successfully checked in at "Yan Imperial City Spice Shop," received 10 boxes of mugwort incense, 2 pounds of musk, and 5 pounds of fragrant leaves.]

In addition, she selected some iron tools from the system warehouse and placed them in a burlap bag used for old farming tools.

One chopping knife, one pair of scissors, one iron sieve, one shovel, one iron kettle, two iron pots, one axe, one pickaxe, one hoe, one spade, and two incense burners.

All these items would be useful in the new house.

After returning to the Song family, she first took the burlap bag of iron tools to Jiang He.

Jiang He was taken aback: "So many iron tools? That must have cost a fortune! You really don't know how to manage a household. Where do you need so many iron tools?"

She smiled and said, "I traded our old farming tools for half the iron, so I only paid for the other half of the iron and the labor costs. It didn’t cost much silver."

Didn’t cost much silver? Jiang He didn’t believe her for a moment.

But since the items were already purchased and her daughter had good intentions, fearing that they might be lacking something in their new residence, she didn’t say much more.

Jiang Chun didn’t rush to leave either, and chatted for a while with Jiang He and Zheng Kun.

Worried that Zheng Kun might overthink things, she specifically explained the situation: “Some of the Song family’s shops have been sold by the Ministry of Revenue, which now needs to buy them back. If the shop owners refuse to sell, the Ministry will have to find similar shops in the nearby area as replacements...

So, it might take some time before those few shops my husband mentioned can be transferred to me.”

Zheng Kun joked, “Are you afraid I’ll idle away and start imagining things? No way, I’d rather stay idle all the time.”

Jiang He laughed and scolded him, “Your father is counting on you to make a name for yourself in Imperial City, but you’re only thinking about slacking off. I’ll go out and find someone to write a letter to your father.”

Jiang Chun joined in, volunteering, “No need to look for anyone else; my husband was just saying he would teach me to read and write. Someone as clever as me will surely learn quickly. Then I can help write the letter to Uncle, reporting on my cousin’s behavior.”

Zheng Kun quickly pleaded, “Dear cousin, spare me! Please don’t tell my father, or he’ll definitely jump to conclusions and have my brother write a scathing letter to me right away.”

Jiang Chun couldn’t help but laugh.

That’s exactly what her uncle would do.

The three of them chatted for a while before Jiang Chun finally hoisted her supposedly "treasure" chest—which was empty—and returned to Dan Gui Courtyard.

*

At noon, everyone gathered in the main courtyard for lunch as usual. As they were having tea after the meal, Coral suddenly came in and said, "Madame, there are visitors from the Li family."

The Second Madame Li was clearly the "Li family" Coral had mentioned, which was Madame Li's natal home.

It was also the maternal family of Song Shiying.

Due to Jiang Chun's influence, upon hearing "Li family," Song Shiying's expression immediately turned grim.

She replied irritably, "What do the Li family people want? If they're here to take me to live at the Li family, I absolutely won't go."

Madame Zhuang gave her a stern look and said, "At your age, you should be more composed. The Li family is still your maternal family, so at least listen to what the visitors have to say."

Madame Zhuang’s words made sense, and Song Shiying fell silent immediately.

Madame Zhuang then said to Coral, "Bring them in."

The two who came from the Li family were two senior maids dressed in pale green jackets (lined robes) and outer green silk vests.

After the two mothers entered, they first respectfully greeted everyone in turn.

Then, the mother with a round and cheerful face smiled at Madame Zhuang and said, "Madame, our old lady has heard that her granddaughter has returned to the capital and misses her dearly. She has sent us to invite Miss Song to stay at the Li residence for a few days. We hope for your kind permission."

In theory, if Old Lady Li wanted to invite her granddaughter, Song Shiyin, to stay at the Li residence, she only needed the agreement of Lady Li, not the approval of Madame Zhuang, who was her distant aunt.

However, since Lady Li had not yet returned to the capital, the household of the Song family was managed by Madame Zhuang.

Madame Zhuang looked up at Song Shiyin and smiled sweetly, "As long as Sister Shiyin is willing, I, as her distant aunt, have no objections."

Song Shiyin, of course, did not want to go. She immediately shook her head and said, "I miss my grandmother too, but Father, Mother, and Brother have not yet returned home. I must stay here and wait for them.

Until they all return, I will not go anywhere."

Madame Zhuang feigned difficulty, "You know Sister Shiyin's character; she is always so stubborn and extremely filial. If she insists on waiting for her parents and brother at home, there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Please convey this clearly to your old lady when you return. Your old lady is always reasonable and will surely understand Sister Shiyin's filial heart."

The mother with the round face tried to persuade Song Shiyin, "The Li residence is only two streets away from the Song residence, making communication very convenient. Miss Song, staying at our residence to wait for Aunt Lady, Uncle Master, and Cousin would be just the same."

Song Shiying complained unwillingly, "The fate of my parents and elder brother is still unknown, and yet I’m supposed to be idly staying at a relative's house. If people outside found out, what would they say about me? Wouldn’t that ruin my reputation?

Go back and tell Grandmother that I will go visit her once they return."

Seeing that Miss Shiying was insistent, the two elder women knew saying more would be pointless and could only choose to withdraw.

After they left, Song Shiying still looked sullen.

Seeing this, Song Shiyue laughed and said, "Third sister, would you like to take a nap in my room? After we wake up, we can practice our handwriting together, and you can check if I’ve improved my Qingzhi script."

Song Shiying shot her a disdainful glance. "Why would I want to share a bed with you? You toss and turn so much in your sleep. I won’t sleep with you.

If I were to share a bed with anyone, it would be with my sweet and gentle elder sister-in-law."

Everyone’s gaze turned to Jiang Chun.

Jiang Chun’s lips twitched, and she laughed, scolding, "I’m not sharing a bed with you. Don’t get too excited, or your elder brother might have something to say about it."

Song Shiying pouted and fiercely said, "My elder brother is so jealous, he’s like a vinegar jar! He even gets jealous of his cousin. He’s so petty."

"One of these days, I'm going to usurp his position and sleep with the soft and sweet big sister-in-law!"

Jiang Chun: “……”

She gave Song Shiying a disdainful glance and said, "You want to sleep with me, but I don't want to sleep with you. You’re not nearly as handsome as your big brother."

Song Shiying covered her heart and wailed, "Ahhh, big sister-in-law, how can you be so superficial? Big Brother is handsome, but beauty fades, and love fades with it. Nothing is more interesting than my soul."

Jiang Chun, not ashamed but rather proud, said, "But I am shallow. I only love pretty faces and..."

Song Shiying curiously asked, "And what?"

Jiang Chun said with a grin, "That’s not something a young, unmarried girl like you should know. You’ll understand after you're married."

Madam Zhuang: “……”

She almost fainted.

This person really knows no bounds, saying whatever she wants!

She even dares to crack dirty jokes with her sister-in-law right in front of her mother-in-law. Was there anything she wouldn’t dare to do?!

If she had heard, she might have replied, "Yes, there is. I wouldn't dare to eat shit."

Madam Zhuang glared at Jiang Chun and scolded, "Shut up."

Before Jiang Chun could respond, Song Shiying hummed and then exclaimed, "Ah, I understand now, big sister-in-law. So, big brother actually..."

"Shut up!" Madam Zhuang hastily threw a cushion at Song Shiying, cutting her off before she could finish.

Song Shiying picked up the cushion and put it back on the daybed, muttering, "Why did you throw it at me, Auntie? Why didn’t you throw it at the real culprit, big sister-in-law?"

Madam Zhuang: “……”

She did want to throw it at Jiang Chun too, but honestly, she didn’t quite dare.