Chapter 80 Mid-Autumn Festival

Chapter 80: Mid-Autumn Festival

After Zhu Zening spoke, Song Tingzhou finally understood the trick. By then, the Zhu family's carriage had already passed that group of people.

Zhu Zening's family were merchants; aside from his eldest uncle, they had all made their mark in the world. He had heard plenty of such stories, and joked, "This time, if Brother Feng makes the list, his family might end up with a few beauties."

Song Tingzhou frowned, "He has a wife."

Zhu Zening chuckled, "Haha, I never expected Brother Song to be so faithful to his wife."

Their life paths were completely different. Even Zhu Zening's father, who cherished his mother, kept a concubine at home.

His eldest uncle, second uncle, and fourth uncle all had many concubines and chambermaids. Among those with wealth and status around him, he had never heard of anyone sticking to one wife for life.

Song Tingzhou fell silent. Among the countless cases in the Kingdom of Yu, the most chaotic were the homicide lawsuits in the inner chambers. When the principal wife held such power, any concubine who could drag a murder case to light was no pushover.

There were also many cases where the wife died early and the concubine was promoted to the main position, and the children of the deceased wife would report to the authorities regardless of family reputation...

So many cases, tangled and complicated.

Song Tingzhou thought of Meng Wan waiting for him at home, and his expression softened for a moment. Between him and Wan'er, there would never be anyone else.

"Wan Geer, just now when I went out, I saw the carpenter's husband. He said our cabinets, tables, and chairs are all finished, and asked when you want them delivered to the new house." Chang Jinhua came back from buying vegetables and asked Meng Wan.

Meng Wan put down his brush and stood up from the desk. "I'll go out now. Once I'm done, I'll take the keys to the new house and tell them to deliver."

Chang Jinhua took out vegetables from her basket. "Then don't go alone. Take Bi Yun with you."

Gou'er was fetching water and washing clothes nearby. He replied, "Yes, I'll accompany the Fulang."

After being bought by Meng Wan, he had explained his background. It turned out that the name "Gou'er" was casually given by the slave dealer.

As a family member of a disgraced official, he couldn't use his former name, so Meng Wan gave him a new name: Bi Yun.

After a few days at the Song household, Bi Yun found that although they were an ordinary family with many chores and few workers, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law got along well, and Chunfang, the sister-in-law staying with them temporarily, was kind. Seeing that he was young, they didn't make him work all the time but rather showed him care.

He felt grateful, so he was eager to work, learning what he didn't know, and worked hard and behaved well.

Meng Wan took the keys and led him out. They first went to the courier station.

"Song Fulang came late today. I thought you weren't coming. Unfortunately, there's still no letter from Fengtian."

Meng Wan couldn't help feeling disappointed. "Then I'll come check again tomorrow."

Song Tingzhou had left Changping half a month ago, and no letter had arrived yet. Meng Wan was uneasy, so he went to the courier station every day to ask, to the point where everyone recognized him.

Holding the keys, he walked out. Bi Yun reminded him from behind, "Fulang, weren't we supposed to go to the carpenter's house first? That direction is wrong."

Meng Wan slapped his forehead. "Right, right, right, I almost forgot. Let's go to the carpenter's shop first."

"Song Fulang! A letter from Fengtian has arrived!" The station courier called out from behind.

Meng Wan turned around abruptly and ran back to the station. Bi Yun chased after him, "Fulang, don't rush! Wait for me!"

Meng Wan received the letter and couldn't wait to open it on the way. It turned out that Song Tingzhou had sent it home only after arriving in Fengtian on the tenth, and five days had passed until today. The courier had experienced no delays; it was normal travel speed. Meng Wan had been worrying needlessly.

After skimming through the letter, Meng Wan's mood brightened. He had arrived safely in Fengtian, and the Zhu family was helping to settle everything in the city. Next, Song Tingzhou should be able to focus on his exam preparation.

The corners of Meng Wan's mouth curved up. "Bi Yun, let's go to the carpenter's house."

After telling the carpenter to deliver, Meng Wan took Bi Yun to the new house, unlocked it, and waited.

It was Bi Yun's first time there, so he couldn't help looking around curiously. Meng Wan was in a good mood and said with a smile, "Our family doesn't have many people. I'll set aside a separate room for you."

"Thank you, Fulang. I'm fine with anything," Bi Yun said shyly.

While Meng Wan was talking with him, a head popped in the doorway. It was a Fulang in his thirties, with a pregnancy mole—a mark of a man capable of bearing children—so faint it was almost invisible. He wore brown robes and held a packet of rice cakes.

Meng Wan went over with Bi Yun. "May I ask whom you seek?"

The Fulang smiled gently at Meng Wan. "My family lives next door. My husband's family name is Jiang. I heard this house had sold, but saw no one around. When I heard noises today, I came out of curiosity to take a look."

Meng Wan noticed his gentle face and warm manner, and spoke more softly. "Pardon me, Jiang Fulang. The house still has many gaps, not yet fully furnished, so we haven't officially moved yet. When we move in, I'll call on the neighbors with my elders."

Jiang Fulang offered the paper packet and said with a smile, "If there's anything I can help with, please feel free to say. I'm idle at home with nothing to do anyway. This is some rice cake I made myself—it's not worth much. Please don't refuse."

Meng Wan took the pastry and thanked him sincerely, "I couldn't possibly refuse. My mother actually likes this kind of rice cake. Thank you very much, Jiang Fulang."

He was well-mannered and polite; not accepting would be too rigid. Moreover, although the Fulang's clothes were not flashy, they were clearly made of jacquard satin. This type of jacquard satin cost at least two silver taels per bolt.

The hairpin he wore was no ordinary silver one, but a gold peony hairpin set with a pearl.

After seeing him off, Meng Wan sighed. Indeed, living in the south part of the city—even if not in the central area like the Zhu family—everyone was well-off.

Their new house still lacked everything and had ordered many large and small items. Only the large pieces had been made and delivered first.

In the main hall: an eight-immortal square table, four chairs, and an altar table.

Beside it stood a display cabinet with a cabinet below, two drawers in the middle, and a fully open shelf above.

This piece was the most expensive furniture in the hall, worth eight taels of silver. It was decorative, meant to impress.

Next was the bedroom, which still had a heated kang as the main bed. There was no help for it; Changping's winters were dry and cold. Even wealthy merchants like the Zhu family slept on a kang too.

In Chang Jinhua's eastern room, besides the kang, there were two double-door wardrobes and two chests with top opening.

Chests from the prefectural city were more compact and delicate than those in the countryside; they could even be used as bedside tables.

Back then, at the Song home in Sanquan Village, there were no wardrobes, only a few large and clumsy chests for storing grain, clothes, and everything.

Then there was the western room, the bedroom of Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou. Some days earlier, Meng Wan had the outside door of the western side room bricked up, sealing it off, and opened a door between the bedroom and the side room.

Now that the furniture was in, they placed a long, wide desk inside, and against the north and west walls, bookcases covering the entire walls. Thus it became their shared study.

Their bedroom also had two double-door wardrobes and two chests.

Xue Sheng's room in the gatehouse also had one set of wardrobe and one chest. When the furniture was made to order, Bi Yun hadn't arrived yet, so there was nothing for him. But Meng Wan had just talked to the carpenter and asked him to add another set of wardrobe and chest, which would be placed in the side room next to the eastern room. Bi Yun would live there.

The eastern wing served as the kitchen. Inside, there were two cupboards and a worktable. The stove had two large burners and one small burner. The iron woks hadn't been bought yet.

Meng Wan planned to have everything in the house ready so that when Song Tingzhou returned to Changping, they could move directly.

All the furniture was set up. Meng Wan calculated what was still missing. Bi Yun checked the doors and windows, locked each room one by one, and finally locked the front courtyard gate.

When the two went out, they happened to bump into Jiang Fulang, who had greeted them earlier. He and his husband were returning from somewhere, with a worried look on their faces.

Meng Wan was heading home with Bi Yun and met them head-on.

"Jiang Fulang, what a coincidence. I was just about to go home."

Jiang Fulang first explained to his husband that Meng Wan was a new neighbor, then said to Meng Wan with concern, "It's getting late, so take care on your way home."

Meng Wan took his leave with Bi Yun, who suddenly remarked, "Jiang Fulang and his husband have such a good relationship."

Even though they were around forty, they still walked hand in hand on the street—truly something to envy.

When they returned home, as soon as they entered the courtyard, the smell of meat hit them. Not just their house, but every house on the street was making a big meal.

"Mother, we're back."

Chang Jinhua, upon hearing this, poured the chopped and washed greens she had on hand into the pot. "Why are you back so late? I didn't dare to fry the vegetables ahead of time for fear they'd get cold."

On the cupboard in the kitchen were two cold dishes. Bi Yun washed his hands and first brought the cold dishes to the stone table in the yard.

The side dishes were all chopped and laid out on plates. The small iron pot was stewing fish, while the large iron pot had been simmering pork hocks and spare ribs since the afternoon—a full pot.

The stove was giving off a fragrance too. Meng Wan wrapped a cloth around the lid of the earthenware pot and lifted it. It revealed a pot of milky-white chicken soup, with golden droplets of fat floating on top. However, the smell was a bit odd—there was a sour and bitter note in the aroma.

Meng Wan put the lid back on the earthenware pot, held his nose, and said to Chang Jinhua, "Mother, the chicken in this soup seems to have been poisoned."

Chang Jinhua scolded him, "Nonsense! Poisoning? That's the medicinal herbs you smell."

She handed the spatula to Lu Chunfang, and Bi Yun took over from Lu Chunfang at the stove.

Chang Jinhua came out with a linen cloth, wrapped it around the handles of the earthenware pot, and lifted the chicken stew pot off the stove.

"You've hardly eaten anything lately and you've been so listless, so I went to Tongshantang to ask the physician. He said it was liver depression and spleen deficiency, and told me to give you herbs with your food. So we'll stew a chicken every couple of days from now on."

A weird chicken every other day?

That'd ruin his appetite even more!

"Mother, I'm like this just because I miss my husband. I don't need medicinal supplements. Oh, and I just picked up his letter at the post station. He said the journey was smooth and that he arrived in Fengtian on the tenth. An elder of the Zhu family rented a big house, and he and another classmate are staying there. Everything is going well."

Hearing her son's news, Chang Jinhua was overjoyed. She clasped her hands and prayed to heaven. "Thank heavens for that! Safe and sound, that's what matters."

But then she turned around and said, "But you still have to drink the chicken soup."

Meng Wan closed his eyes. "Fine, I'll drink it!"

"What are you drinking?"

Huang Zheng walked in carrying two boxes of mooncakes and a bag of preserved fruit. Smiling, he greeted Chang Jinhua and Meng Wan. "Aunt Song, Brother-in-law."

Chang Jinhua quickly invited him in. "Your brother-in-law is about to drink chicken soup. I'll pour him a bowl in a minute. Come in and sit down. Why did you bring things? Next time, don't bring a thing. Auntie's got everything she needs."

Huang Zheng put the preserved fruit on the table and said a little sheepishly, "It's not worth much."

Meng Wan opened it right away—dried apricots—and popped one in his mouth. "Not bad, I like it."

Huang Zheng beamed and quickly said, "Then I'll bring even more next time."

Meng Wan told him to sit down first. "How's work at the Zhujian Bookstore? Anyone giving you trouble?"

Huang Zheng shook his head. "No. Although the Zhujian Bookstore isn't as large as the Baojin Studio, it's still a second-rate bookstore in the prefectural city. Most importantly, our master is kind and soft-hearted. He's always very good to us. Today, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, he even gave each of us fifty wen as a bonus!"

"That's very good." Seeing that Huang Zheng was indeed doing well, the energy about him was different.

Huang Zheng added, "Oh, Brother-in-law, there's something I want to ask you."

Meng Wan took a dish that Chang Jinhua handed him and placed it on the stone table. He said casually, "Go ahead."

Huang Zheng hesitated and said, "About Human-Demon Romance, could it…"

Meng Wan turned back. "Did you tell your master that I am Qingxiao Hermit?"

Huang Zheng hurriedly explained, "No, no, I didn't say that!"

"But our master has also been wanting… wanting to…"

Meng Wan finished his sentence. "The Zhujian Bookstore also wants a piece of the pie? Alright."

Huang Zheng jumped up. "Really, Brother-in-law!"

The master of the Zhujian Bookstore had always wanted to follow the trend and sell these books. But with the top three bookstores suppressing them, and small vendors selling pirated copies without fear, a reputable bookstore like theirs was suppressed and dared not make a move.

If they could invite Qingxiao Hermit and build a connection, even if they couldn't get a share of this book, at least they could get some broth from the next one, right?

Everyone in the store knew his intention. Huang Zheng had been an apprentice in the workshop for at least ten years before he could hope to stand out. To show his face in front of the master, he had to come and beg Meng Wan for a try. He never expected Meng Wan to agree outright!

Meng Wan got up again to take another dish. "Don't be impatient. I'm not saying I agree outright, just giving him a chance."

He stroked his smooth chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Wait until the golden autumn of October. When the time is right, I'll send someone to find you. Don't make any noise about it; just wait."

Although Huang Zheng didn't understand what Meng Wan meant, he always trusted him and nodded hurriedly. "Alright, I'll wait for your news, Brother-in-law."

Chang Jinhua finished frying the dishes and called everyone to eat. Bi Yun brought out a large pot of rice and looked a little embarrassed about sitting down.

"Sit down, little brother. What are you standing there for?" Chang Jinhua called him.

Bi Yun put down the rice and said hesitantly, "I'll just eat in the kitchen." Usually, he ate at the same table as the hosts, but with a guest today, he felt it would be inappropriate to sit.

Meng Wan looked up and said to him, "Huang Zheng is not an outsider. Sit down and eat together."

"Ah? Yes, master." Chang Jinhua's persuasion was ultimately less effective than Meng Wan's single word.

The table was laden with delicious dishes, their aroma tempting. The food Huang Zheng ate at the bookstore was nothing compared to the Song family's meals. He ate with his head down, his lips greasy.

The Song family's life was now comfortable. They made big meat dishes every three to five days. Chang Jinhua had a small appetite, and afraid that the younger ones might hold back, she kept piling food on their plates.

Today, having received Song Tingzhou's letter, Meng Wan felt much more at ease. His appetite improved greatly, and he ate two bowls of rice straight, then had a bowl of chicken soup.

Chang Jinhua attributed this entirely to the chicken soup, so she said she would stew another chicken for him tomorrow. Meng Wan could only nod helplessly.