Chapter 191 Shock and Confusion

Chapter 191: Shock and Confusion

After Song Tingzhou returned, he couldn't stay at home for many days. Once he settled the yamen affairs, he soon set off for Shengjing again.

"Daddy can't eat the yummy food Grandma makes," A Yan said, resting his chubby face in his hands with a sad look.

This New Year's Eve wasn't as rowdy as last year's. Qin Jiao and Song Tingzhou had to go back to the capital for their year-end reports, and Ge Quan's family, along with Fang Jinrong, also traveled together to Changping to visit their elders.

Song Tingzhou passed the imperial exam in the twenty-fifth year of Qisheng, started his post in Heshan in the twenty-sixth year, and now, after the new year, it would be the twenty-ninth year of Qisheng—a full three years.

His achievements in Heshan were evident: cracking down on the local gentry, encouraging folks to farm unused land, planting sugarcane and making sugar to boost overall income, building cement, paving roads so villages connect, and fixing dams to stop floods...

No matter if you're a man, woman, or xiaoge, everyone was a labor force for family income. With more people earning, the whole city naturally perked up.

If nothing went wrong, his promotion was pretty much a done deal. However, Meng Wan couldn't accompany him because he had to run the lotus root workshop and look after the household.

Amid the nonstop firecrackers, Meng Wan grabbed a mushroom-and-pork dumpling, savoring the rich taste. "Your dad's probably getting close to the capital by now. When the weather starts to warm up, he'll come back."

A Yan didn't quite get it, but mostly just accepted it. Aside from that one sad comment from before, he seemed to take his father's long journey well. "Then I'll eat a bunch for Daddy," he said cheerfully before taking a big bite of his dumpling.

Chang Jinhua lovingly patted his little head. "Take it easy eating. Brother Ye is still cooking the shrimp-stuffed ones. Don't you like those better, A Yan?"

A Yan nodded eagerly. "Love 'em, love 'em! So I won't eat this one anymore."

With a small appetite at his age, A Yan wanted to save room for his favorites.

Chu Ci quietly put his bowl next to A Yan's, and A Yan, sneaking a glance at Meng Wan and Chang Jinhua, used his tiny spoon to push his dumplings over into Chu Ci's bowl when they weren't looking.

Apart from lots of dumplings, there were plenty of meat and veggie dishes. This year it was just the four of them at home—Grandma, Meng Wan, A Yan, and Chu Ci. There was more food than they could finish. Huang Ye stayed in the kitchen cooking the last batch of dumplings. Chang Jinhua invited them to join the table for the meal.

After New Year's, Meng Wan would be busy with the lotus root workshop, and Chang Jinhua's shop was doing surprisingly great. When Chu Ci went to study at the Miao family's, he took A Yan along as his little sidekick.

Three years had passed, and the youngest in the Miao family, Bai Wei, was now seven. Unfortunately, she'd been born intellectually disabled. Even at five, she was about as sharp as A Yan, so during the day, she was the one who played with A Yan the most.

"What herbs nourish the heart meridian? Yuanzhi, Shanyao, with Maidong; Zaoren, Danggui, Tianzhuhuang—six ingredients, great merit. Xuanshen is bitter, Huanglian cold; Muxiang and Beimu strengthen the heart; cooling herbs like Zhuye and Rhinoceros horn, Zhusha, Lianqiao, and Niuhuang..."

Bai Wei's eyes were a bit wide apart and her nose a little flat, but she didn't look bad. Her eyes were clear and innocent, and she talked clearly, especially when reciting—you'd hardly know she had any issues.

A Yan stammered after her, "What herbs nour... nour... no?"

Bai Wei corrected him seriously, "Nourish the heart meridian."

"Nourish the heart meridian."

A Yan's eyes were fixed on A Xun, who was drying medicine. What's that in his hands? Something yummy?

A Xun, now fourteen, looked almost grown-up when he worked seriously. When he turned his head and saw A Yan staring at the kapok flowers on his winnowing basket, drooling, he warned him in an adult tone, "A Yan, don't eat the herbs drying in the yard. Some are poisonous."

A Yan's eyes went wide in shock. "Poison!"

The next day, he flat-out refused to go with Chu Ci. Meng Wan was about to head to the countryside to pick up lotus roots, so he decided to bring A Yan along for the ride.

"Is this the master's son? He looks adorable and smart." Tang Jinshuang, riding in the same carriage as Meng Wan, spoke. Since that incident before the new year, Tang Jinshuang and the others had taken to calling Meng Wan "Master," and the others followed suit.

A Yan sat in Meng Wan's lap, sizing up this stranger, making it impossible for him not to speak.

Even before A Yan came along, Meng Wan wasn't particularly patient with children, so he fully understood Tang Jinshuang's discomfort. "Don't mind him. He'll fall asleep soon. I'm taking you to the countryside to collect lotus roots this time. Next time, you might have to pick two people to accompany you and come on your own."

"Yes, Master." Now, Meng Wan's words meant more to Tang Jinshuang than any imperial decree. Hearing that Meng Wan planned to trust him with more work, he wasn't happy at first—just nervous and scared.

Meng Wan went on, "And about your family—sorry, I still couldn't pry any info out of Chen Chong and Chen Yunmo."

Tang Jinshuang's sister had been captured by them, and he had no idea where she was. He couldn't help feeling disappointed, but this wasn't something to blame Meng Wan for. The fact that the master remembered to help them find their families already moved him deeply.

"Master, don't worry about it. At least Chen Chong and his crew are caught. Maybe they already escaped," Tang Jinshuang consoled himself.

A Yan had already been lulled to sleep by the bouncing carriage. Meng Wan patted his back softly and said, cool as ever, "Wait another two or three months. By then, we might get some information."

Those two are still holding out only because they think someone's gonna save them. Once Song Tingzhou comes back with a promotion, they'll have to face reality.

We're keeping them alive not because Song Tingzhou doesn't dare kill them or fears whoever's behind them, but to play the long game and hook the big fish...

When they arrived at Luqiao Town, the lotus root collection went smoothly. After all, Meng Wan had a good reputation in Heshan. The villages of Hongshan and Hongni had gone from being the poorest to the richest in just two years.

The local villagers treated Meng Wan like a god of wealth, eagerly hoping he would visit their villages.

After Meng Wan talked with a few village chiefs about buying a ton of lotus roots this year, they only hesitated one night before deciding to have the villagers plant more lotus fields in the spring.

Once the lotus fields were well-planted, strictly speaking, lotus roots could be harvested continuously for six months. But Meng Wan collected them to make powder, and the starchier the better, so he decided that starting next year, they would begin harvesting from the end of October. With limited experience now, they might adjust based on the situation later.

For now, Meng Wan needed to pick the varieties with the most starch before spring planting, to use as seed roots.

In addition to local varieties, there were many types of lotus roots in the Jiangnan region. Meng Wan had written to Third Master Zhu back before New Year's, right after he got the idea for lotus fields, but didn't get a reply until after New Year's. The letter said he'd spent the New Year in the capital and would head to Heshan after the holiday, telling Meng Wan not to worry.

Sure enough, in mid-February, Third Master Zhu arrived in Heshan County with his merchant caravan, travel-worn.

"Wan Geer, I hope I haven't held you up?"

Third Master Zhu was an elder and had a fixed residence in Heshan. As soon as Meng Wan heard he had arrived, he set off the next morning with Tang Jinshuang to visit him, not wanting to always make the elder come to call on him.

"No, no. We haven't started planting the lotus fields yet, so there's no rush. The batch of sugar you wanted is all prepared and ready to be picked up at any time," Meng Wan said, sitting in Third Master Zhu's main hall and chatting with him.

Third Master Zhu had come a long way, and the sugar was the most important matter. Hearing this, he finally felt relieved and exchanged some pleasantries with Meng Wan. "Qiongniang is very picky. She only eats rice from Changping. I brought a lot of rice and flour from there for them."

Meng Wan thought of his own son. "A Yan is better, but he only really likes the dishes my mother cooks. Other people's cooking doesn't measure up."

Third Master Zhu's gaze softened. "I'll rest today and go see A Yan tomorrow. By the way, I saw Tingzhou in the capital."

Meng Wan calculated the days. "You saw him before he took the court assessment, right?"

Third Master Zhu told the servants to bring some fruits and snacks for Meng Wan and Tang Jinshuang. "That's right. But I heard from Zhao Yuan that there was a lot of controversy about Heshan in the court last year..."

He paused and glanced meaningfully at Tang Jinshuang, as if unsure whether the next part should be shared.

Tang Jinshuang started to rise, but Meng Wan pressed him down. "Third Uncle, this is my man, reliable enough. If it's just a general secret, it's fine to share; if it's too deep, better not."

Third Master Zhu understood his meaning. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Tingzhou's promotion is almost a done deal. There's even a chance he could be recalled to Shengjing directly."

"Back to Shengjing?" Meng Wan sounded surprised. Neither he nor Song Tingzhou was prepared for that. According to the normal promotion sequence for local officials, even if Song Tingzhou returned to Shengjing now, he wouldn't be promoted quickly or given great responsibility, so it wasn't really a good time.

Third Master Zhu didn't know much about officialdom, but he could read people's faces. "Is there something wrong?"

Meng Wan picked up a piece of mung bean cake and ate it, his tone calm. "Whatever happens, I'll wait until my husband returns from Shengjing to discuss it in detail."

Seeing he didn't want to dwell on the topic, Third Master Zhu switched subjects. "Who is this young friend you've brought along?"

Even though Tang Jinshuang was a xiaoge, since Meng Wan had brought him, he must have some exceptional qualities. Third Master Zhu, out of respect for Meng Wan, was very cordial.

Meng Wan introduced the newcomer, saying, "This is Tang Jinshuang, the manager of my lotus root workshop. I brought him here to meet you, Third Uncle. If my husband's official position changes in the future, we can arrange the handover with you properly."

Tang Jinshuang stood up and bowed slightly to Third Master Zhu, "Third Master."

Once, he had despised merchants the most, but now he spoke to them respectfully without any reluctance, only filled with anticipation.

"Manager Tang, please sit down." Third Master Zhu said politely.

He asked Meng Wan curiously, "Speaking of your lotus root workshop, you only mentioned a few words in the letter. What is this lotus root powder? Just stir it with hot water and drink?"

Even close brothers settle accounts clearly. Even though the Song family and the Zhu family are close, they couldn't let Third Master Zhu sell the lotus root powder on his behalf without knowing anything.

Meng Wan asked Tang Jinshuang to show the small package of lotus root powder they brought to Third Master Zhu, and ordered a servant to bring a pot of boiling water.

Tang Jinshuang put the lotus root powder into a bowl, added half a spoonful of brown sugar, first added some cold water to stir the powder evenly, then slowly poured in boiling water and stirred quickly. In no time, the crystal clear, thick, light red lotus root powder was ready.

Tang Jinshuang set the bowl by Third Master Zhu's hand, "Third Master, please try it."

Third Master Zhu had seen how he prepared the lotus root powder with his own eyes, and was amazed, "It's cooked already? Let me taste it."

Seeing him reach out to take the bowl, Tang Jinshuang quickly placed the bowl on the table and stepped back rapidly. After doing so, he suddenly felt something was wrong, and glanced down at Meng Wan. Seeing no change in his expression, he felt slightly relieved.

Third Master Zhu took a spoonful of lotus root powder and tasted it. It had a faint lotus root fragrance, a delicate and smooth texture, and melted in the mouth. It also had a certain stickiness and elasticity, feeling soft with a slight chewiness. The rich sweetness of brown sugar blended with the natural sweetness of lotus root, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Third Master Zhu's eyes lit up, "Not bad!" The noble ladies in the capital often enjoyed various powders and cakes, all exquisite and beautiful, but he could guarantee that none of them were as crystal clear as lotus root powder when stirred.

Meng Wan explained beforehand, "Uncle, lotus root powder is not easy to produce. Only two jin of powder can be obtained from ten jin of lotus roots. So from the start, I aimed it at families who are at least moderately well-off."

"I understand your meaning. There's a reason for it being more expensive. You haven't seen how those noble families in Shengjing throw money around. Even jewels and jade are not considered rare. Everything they eat and drink is exquisite. An ordinary meal costs dozens or even hundreds of taels." If it weren't for his lack of connections, Third Master Zhu would have been eager to make a killing.

Meng Wan recalled what he had seen at the Earl of Huai'en's mansion that day, with a hundred flowers competing in beauty. He chuckled lightly, "I have seen a little of it, and I understand the fashion in Shengjing."

He opened the lotus root workshop not just to chase after money, but if he could sell to Shengjing, then it would be a waste not to take advantage of the opportunity.

The two discussed some more and agreed to package the lotus root powder well.

After finishing the business, Meng Wan stood up to take his leave with Tang Jinshuang, but Third Master Zhu slapped his forehead, "Look at my memory, Wan Geer, wait a moment. Besides the lotus root seeds, I also brought you other things."

Third Master Zhu ordered an attendant to fetch them, "There are vegetable seeds, and some novel gadgets that were popular in the capital last year. Ze Ning and his wife collected them for you. There are toys for A Yan, and some other odds and ends. Among them, one item is all the rage in Shengjing and hard to buy elsewhere. It was even a gift from an imperial consort when Lan Niang attended a banquet at court."

Hearing this, Meng Wan became truly interested, "What is it that has such an impressive origin?"

The Zhu family servant brought back a cart of things from the back courtyard. Third Master Zhu took out a palm-sized wooden box from a hidden compartment inside and handed it to Meng Wan, "I'll have the servant send this cart of things to your house. Inside the box is what Lan Niang got for you. She received four pieces in total: one for her sister-in-law, one for Zhao Yuan's husband, one for you, and she kept one for herself."

"So rare? Then I..." As soon as Meng Wan opened the box, he was stunned. A faint floral scent greeted him, and inside was a square item wrapped in light pink paper.

He reached out and tore it open. It turned out to be a piece of soap carved into the shape of a peony!

Meng Wan: "...!!!"

He was shocked and utterly confused...