Chapter 204: Mooncakes

Chapter 204: Mooncakes

A busy day passed. Fortunately, there were many servants at home now, and Manager Tang acted as the steward, so Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou didn't need to worry much.

Early the next morning, Clerk Chen indeed brought his elder sister to the house. The woman had completely changed her previous arrogant attitude, bowing and scraping to flatter Song Tingzhou.

"Sir, I am completely illiterate and truly did not know you were the newly appointed Assistant Prefect," she fawned over Song Tingzhou, while also apologizing to Meng Wan. "Master Meng, I am truly sorry. I was blind and offended you. Please don't hold it against me." Perhaps Clerk Chen had specifically instructed her, and she had practiced this line at home countless times, for it came out smoother than a tongue twister. But in her heart, she was probably not convinced.

Meng Wan wouldn't waste his time on such a small fry. Without even glancing at her, he straightened his light blue outer robe and said to Song Tingzhou, "The real estate broker found a few shops. I'll go take a look and see which one is suitable."

"Take Xue Sheng with you," Song Tingzhou reminded him, seeing him to the door before returning. Ignoring Clerk Chen's sister's stiff expression, he said to Clerk Chen, "I've looked at the documents and case files you copied at the prefectural office. You've been doing your job well enough. I will let this slide once, but if you fail to keep your family in line again, I will not be lenient!"

Clerk Chen was overjoyed. "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

He pulled his sister to bow and thank Song Tingzhou. Since it was still early and Song Tingzhou had to go to the prefectural office for duty soon, he let them leave.

"I heard your family is in financial difficulty. We've got plenty—take them back." Song Tingzhou pointed at the pastries and fruits Clerk Chen had brought. There was no emotion in his tone; he was simply stating a fact.

Meng Wan was cautious. He only ate food made by people he trusted. The family's cook was a woman with a stable family who wasn't likely to flee. If anyone dared to cause trouble, they would be dealt with on the spot. The pastries Clerk Chen brought were not something his family lacked, so there was no need to accept them.

Clerk Chen carried the pastries and left the Song residence with his sister. Passing the gatekeeper's room, he saw Qiuse drinking tea inside. He had an idea, and he handed the pastries and fruits over.

"Young man, thank you for your advice that day. These packages of pastries are for you to have with tea."

Although it was said that Clerk Chen's family was financially strained, this was only in comparison to his superiors. In reality, someone working at the prefectural yamen was not as hard up as others imagined. When he came to the Song house, the pastries and fruits he brought were not the best, but they were still presentable.

Qiuse took the things and hid them in the lowest cabinet in the gatekeeper's room. "Don't mention it. Take care, Clerk Chen."

After seeing off the Chen siblings, he turned around and saw Zhu Yan standing right behind him, scaring him half to death. "Little Zhu Yan, what are you doing in the front courtyard?"

"Ah? Oh, Manager Tang said you should take Gui Cheng and Gui Qian to return the tables and chairs rented yesterday."

The names of the household's maids and servants were all given by Meng Wan. The eight bought in Xiwu were all under fifteen years old. The girls' names started with Zhu, and the boys' names started with Gui.

"Alright, I'll go call them right away." A flicker passed through Qiuse's eyes. After speaking, he called out to Zhu Yan, who was about to leave, "I just went to see Clerk Chen off. After all, he is a minor official under our master, so I couldn't be discourteous."

Zhu Yan said politely, "I understand, Brother Qiuse."

Having delivered the message, Zhu Yan quickly walked back to the rear residence. After passing through the second inner gate, she leaned against the wall and patted her chest. Her expression was conflicted.

Master Song and his husband were extremely kind to them, never scolding or beating them. Not to mention the old lady, who would do many tasks herself rather than call on them, seeing how young they were.

The Song family treated their servants generously, but they were not without rules. Especially Master Meng—he could make people cry with a smile.

Regardless, secretly accepting gifts behind the master's back was wrong. But Qiuse and Huang Ye were old servants who had followed the Song family for a long time. If she spoke out, would Qiuse make things difficult for her in the future?

Should she tell Master Meng?

Meng Wan did not yet know about Zhu Yan's internal struggle. Even after arriving in Xiwu, handling the officials' wives was just a side task. He had many important matters to attend to and was no less busy than Song Tingzhou.

"Qing Xing, take a look at this one. Does it work?" Meng Wan first took Qing Xing to look at some clinic spaces. This time, he only helped find a place; the Miaos said they would cover the rent themselves.

The Miao family had a good reputation in Heshan. They didn't overprescribe medicine, charged low consultation fees and cheap medicine, and most importantly, they had excellent medical skills.

Over three years, they had saved some money, but the Miao family had been poor too long to be wasteful. Looking at the spacious shop before her, Qing Xing said shyly, "Master Meng, this one is a bit too big. A smaller one would be fine."

"There are a few more. Let's take another look," Meng Wan said agreeably, then turned to the broker. "Let's go to the next one."

The second shop was moderate in size and very close to the Miao family's new home. Qing Xing quickly finalized the deal with the broker.

The Miao family's new house had been renovated, and Qing Xing's family had moved in two days earlier.

A Yan had been playing with Bai Wei for the past few days. When their family moved away, A Yan got a bit sentimental and cried, but later found out that the two families were still on the same lane, so he cheered up.

But now he had a new playmate. Master Du had bought a house through the broker Meng Wan recommended. It was on the west side of the lane, separated by one street in another alley, just a few steps away.

"Yesterday, at your banquet, that pine nut mooncake was really good. My mother likes it. Was it bought from a pastry shop, or made by your cook?"

Meng Wan had taken Chang Jinhua to Vice-Prefect Du's house for a feast yesterday. They didn't host a large event; more country gentry and merchants came than officials from the Xiwu officialdom.

The gentry maintained some dignity, but the merchants were all shrewd. They wouldn't miss any opportunity to suck up to officials, shamelessly elbowing in to offer gifts. Master Du had brought his son to the Song residence early this morning to lay low.

"It was made by my cook. The pine nuts were brought from Lingnan. Since the old lady likes them, I'll ask the cook to make more and send them over tomorrow."

Meng Wan rubbed his chin. "No need to send them. Ask her if she's willing to teach someone else. If it's convenient, I'll come to your house one day when I'm free and learn."

"What's the trouble? Just come over."

Master Du looked a bit envious. "You have such a good relationship with your mother-in-law. I can see that she truly cares for you."

"I think Madam Du is very amiable too?" Meng Wan fingered his paired-fish jade pendant and said casually.

Master Du gave a bitter smile. "You don't know my family. After all these years, I only have Kang'er. My mother-in-law and husband both want to have more children."

It's not easy for a man who can bear children to conceive. Usually, they only had one son in their lifetime, and as they aged, it became even less likely. Master Du was already thirty-two this year. The two concubines in the household had only given birth to daughters, and his mother-in-law still wanted him to have another son.

Meng Wan almost said, "Why bother with an old hag who's halfway to the grave?" But they weren't close enough for that, so he could only offer a weak consolation. "Kang'er is very well brought up by you. Don't I also only have A Yan?"

Master Du had actually come to terms with it over the years, but seeing the way Meng Wan and Chang Jinhua interacted had made him brood. "What you say is true. For a man who bears children like us, we've done well enough to have a son to rely on. That Xiao Qin Shi, who gave you a hard time at your housewarming banquet, is truly..."

He searched for a suitable adjective and finally came up with, "in hot water."

Meng Wan became interested. "Oh, how so?"

"Do you know the two dyeing workshops in the city? One belongs to Xiao Qin Shi's natal family, Master Tan, and the other to the Yu family." Master Du spoke in the roundabout way typical of this era's married couples, never jumping straight to the conclusion but rambling through the backstory.

Meng Wan said patiently, "I've heard of them. They say both families made their fortunes in the cloth business, and now these two own most of the city's businesses."

Meng Wan was planning to open a canning factory, which didn't involve either family, but he had still inquired about them in advance.

Master Du glanced at his son playing with A Yan in the distance and lowered his voice. "These two families have always been at odds. But this year, because the Zeng family was promoted to Prefect, the Yu family has also been trying to win over us officials' families."

No matter how shrewd merchants were, they couldn't understand the political winds at court. So currently, the Tan family couldn't see that Prefect Zeng was only a stepping stone. They only thought that marrying their daughters into the Zeng family was a glory and could be used to suppress their rivals.

The Yu family, having achieved such success, had also maintained connections with local officials in Xiwu. But unfortunately, no one could surpass a Prefect. The Tan family could send women, and so could the Yu family. However, none of them understood that a merchant's daughter didn't have an easy time marrying into official circles.

Prefect Zeng and his wife had only one son. In the early years when they first came to Xiwu, they had no backing in the court and no local connections, making their situation difficult. It wasn't until their only son married a Tan family daughter that things improved.

On one side was the daughter of a wealthy gentry family, on the other the only son of a low-ranking official with no relatives in the area. The match was considered suitable at the time.

Unfortunately, the young couple died in an accident, leaving only one son, Zeng Hengshu, who was Xiao Qin Shi's husband.

Zeng Hengshu had a refined name, but after losing her only son, the old lady Zeng spoiled her grandson into idleness. He spent his days frequenting brothels and pleasure houses, and living for nothing but pleasure. Even after marrying Xiao Qin Shi, he didn't settle down. And yet, the old lady Zeng kept pushing Xiao Qin Shi to produce a son quickly.

"...That day, I was walking past the Zeng mansion and saw that they'd called in Taoist priests and Buddhist monks." After talking with Meng Wan for so long, Master Du was thirsty and poured himself a cup of tea.

Meng Wan was puzzled. "Inviting Taoist priests and monks? Are they doing a ceremony?"

Du Fulang laughed. "What kind of ritual? Of course they invited them to set up an altar, draw talismans, and pray for a child."

Draw talismans? Pray for a child?

Was it what he thought?

The shock on Meng Wan's face was not feigned. He still knew too little about the underhanded affairs of the inner chambers.

In the days that followed, Du Fulang often visited the Song family. Sometimes Meng Wan was busy and had no time to accompany him, so Chang Jinhua would chat with him instead.

The summer in Lingnan was extremely hot, and this year it was at its peak. Meng Wan told her to wait till autumn to plan a new shop. Chang Jinhua was bored anyway, so she was glad when Du Fulang came by.

Meng Wan went out every day carrying an umbrella, taking Tang Jinshuang with him to scout for locations. Before the Guanyu Bureau's craftsmen showed up, he needed to have the factory built. That way, by winter, they could produce the first batch of canned lychees so that Third Uncle, who will come next early spring, can take them to Shengjing.

Xiwu Prefecture was, after all, a prefectural seat, not like Leizhou Prefecture, which only had two counties under its jurisdiction. Xiwu had four counties and three stockades within its borders, and the city itself, unlike Heshan, had no large empty plots.

Meng Wan wanted to build a cannery, which required two sections: a kiln and a factory, and it would be even larger than the sugar workshop. Therefore, it couldn't be built within the city; he would have to secure a site outside the city walls and build there.

Having connections in officialdom made things easier—no wonder the merchants tried so hard to curry favor. Song Tingzhou quickly approved a large plot of land for him.

The rest was old hat: drawing plans, hiring workers, and building the enclosing walls and factory.

Both tasks proceeded simultaneously. Meng Wan worked on the blueprints at home, while having Xue Sheng follow Tang Jinshuang to find reliable craftsmen. Since Tang Jinshuang was a young man, it was inconvenient for him to go out alone, so Xue Sheng accompanying him was ideal.

Both tasks were time-consuming. Before Meng Wan had finished his blueprints, the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of the eighth lunar month was already approaching. Meng Wan remembered that Chang Jinhua loved the nut mooncakes the Du family made, so he set aside time a day in advance to visit the Du household and learn from their cook how to make them.

He was pretty good at cooking, so he learned quickly and soon got the hang of it.

"Pine nuts, walnuts, melon seeds, peanuts, flour, sugar, oil... Mm, I understand." Meng Wan rolled up his sleeves and used tongs to pick out the mooncakes from the griddle one by one. Half of them were made by the cook, half by himself.

After the mooncakes had cooled, he tasted one of each. "Not bad, the flavor is about the same. Aunt Feng, would you like to try?"

Meng Wan handed his mooncake to the Du family cook, who praised it effusively. "Yes, that's exactly the taste. Meng Fulang is truly skilled. My daughter-in-law can't learn it no matter how many times I teach her." Her whole family had been sold to the Du household, so her children were all bondservants of the Du family.

"Aunt Feng! Aunt Feng! Is the bird's nest for my concubine ready?" At that moment, a maidservant of about fifteen or sixteen burst into the kitchen. She was wearing a pink dress, hands on her hips, and asking without any courtesy.

Aunt Feng quickly begged off. "Miss Yuehong, I'm really tied up right now. I'll start on the bird's nest right away. Just wait another fifteen minutes, please."

Yuehong looked suspiciously at Meng Wan, and her face ran through a series of expressions. "Who is this man? Is it because of him that you've made our concubine wait?"

"Miss Yuehong, please offer my apologies to Concubine Lan. It's true that the master ordered me to teach Meng Fulang how to make mooncakes. I've just finished. Once I give a few more instructions, I'll prepare the bird's nest for Concubine Lan."

Du Fulang was at that moment in Madam Du's courtyard with Kang'er. Aunt Feng only knew that Du Fulang had said this was a relative of an official, to be treated with respect; she didn't know Meng Wan's exact identity.

She had been polite the whole time, and Meng Wan had stood quietly to the side without speaking. Unexpectedly, this maid named Yuehong was relentless and began to speak rudely. "What 'this fulang, that fulang'? How dare you come to someone else's house and throw your weight around! Delaying my concubine's bird's nest today, affecting the baby in her belly—let's see who can bear the blame!"

Too many merchants came to the Du household to curry favor, and Yuehong assumed Meng Wan was just another one. She thought the excuse of learning to make mooncakes was fake, that he was really there to ingratiate himself with the Vice-Prefect. Seeing Meng Wan's striking features and slender figure, she figured he was some smooth-talking charmer trying to seduce someone by taking a different route.