Chapter 215: Jewelry

Chapter 215: Jewelry

There were all sorts of odds and ends in their storeroom. Usually, Meng Wan didn’t have time to manage household trifles, so Huang Ye led the staff to organize them.

"Go to the old lady’s place and bring me the storeroom ledger to look over." Seeing that the storeroom was fairly clean and tidy, Meng Wan pulled up a stool and sat down, casually instructing the maidservant beside him.

Zhu Tong stood woodenly at his side, slow to realize that Meng Wan was speaking to her. "Yes, master. I’ll go right away."

She didn’t usually handle matters before Meng Wan, always hearing others talk about how formidable her husband was. This made her timid and hesitant, and she nearly tripped on her way out.

Meng Wan silently facepalmed. Clumsy, she was a bit clumsy, but at least she was reliable and hardworking. Being single-minded had its advantages—at the very least, she had no hidden agendas. As the household grew, there would naturally be some as loyal and sharp as Huang Ye, as well as those with ulterior motives. This was unavoidable.

After a while, Zhu Tong trotted back to the storeroom. Back in her old home, her family was dirt poor, with seven or eight children. They didn’t have enough to eat, and their clothes were patched together from rags, barely covering anything. It was the brokering agency that found her a shabby outfit to wear.

Since coming to the Song household, she had meat at every meal and was always well-fed. Now, Zhu Tong’s face had grown rounder, and she had shot up in height. Meng Wan took the ledger and noticed her tight-fitting clothes. "Didn’t I have new clothes made for you for New Year’s? Why aren’t you wearing them?"

Zhu Tong edged closer to him, took a slow breath, and lowered her head, murmuring, "Master, what I’m wearing now is exactly the new clothes made before New Year."

Over the New Year, she feasted on rich food daily and had accidentally gained another ten pounds...

Meng Wan was caught off guard by her words. "Come with me. There’s some peach-pink cotton cloth over here. Take it back and alter it yourself."

The valuable fabrics were all properly stored away in cabinets. Chang Jinhua was frugal, but Meng Wan had no real concept of it. Whatever leftover unused cloth they had, Chang Jinhua would give it to the servants to make clothes. Especially the eight new ones—they were all children around ten years old, growing fast. Every season, each one needed two new outfits, more often than the masters changed theirs.

"Oh, by the way, my master sent me a cartload of cloth from Yangzhou before New Year’s. Where did it all go?" Mentioning cloth, Meng Wan remembered that Xiang Yun sent him a cart of the most fashionable Yangzhou fabrics every year. Probably because when she first met Meng Wan, his coarse cloth clothes left a deep impression on her, giving her the illusion that her little apprentice was living in poverty. No matter how much Meng Wan explained that he ran multiple workshops and was not short of money, she wouldn’t listen.

What good things could one buy in that rundown place of Lingnan, even with money?

Xiang Yun said nothing, just kept stuffing things into Meng Wan’s hands.

"The cloth is in the cabinets over here, master!" Zhu Tong led Meng Wan into a special storeroom for fabrics—the driest and coolest room in the whole main storeroom.

Zhu Tong found two tall wardrobes, opened the doors, and showed them to Meng Wan. "Master, these are all the new materials Xiang Yun sent over in the past two months."

What met his eyes were bolts of cloth tightly wrapped in mulberry paper, with thoughtful drawings of the patterns on the paper for identification. Most of them were in shades of blue and green.

Meng Wan pulled out one bolt and touched it. The texture was supple and silky. "Not bad. Pick out eight bolts in brighter colors and load them onto the cart tomorrow morning to be sent to the Zeng residence."

Zhu Tong noted it down. "Yes, master."

Meng Wan also selected a batch of jade ornaments from the storeroom. Since the main branch of the Zeng family currently had no boys studying, stationery and inkstones couldn’t be sent—that would offend them.

Besides that, he took eight jars of canned goods from his workshop, packed in high-quality wooden crates. Also, six jars of lotus root starch sent from Heshan for New Year’s. Add the jade ornaments and cloth, and that made a complete set.

Not too ostentatious to overstep the bounds, yet valuable enough not to be looked down upon by the Zeng family.

The next day, the Zeng family began preparing return gifts for Prefect Zeng’s subordinates. The old Madam Zeng had stopped going out much since her son’s death, and the household affairs of the Zeng family were managed by Xiao Qin Shi.

Her natal family’s gifts had long been carted away, and now only the return gifts for Prefect Zeng’s officials remained to be packed.

Xiao Qin Shi wore a bright red padded jacket sent by her family, embroidered with vivid mountain birds and flowers. She lounged on a chaise, waving a hand to the senior maid. "Have the gifts from each household been recorded and cataloged?"

"Madam, I've barely slept these past few days, but I have them all cataloged," the senior maid said, fishing for praise as she handed over the gift register, not forgetting to flatter. "I noticed this year’s gifts are thicker than last year’s by more than a little. It shows everyone is trying to curry favor now that our master has been promoted!"

Xiao Qin Shi was pleased, riffling through the gift list with a smirk. "What’s all this? These officials in Xiwu Prefecture have no substance. Look at what that Vice-Prefect Du sent—such shabby stuff! This cartload of junk isn’t worth even one bolt of cloth from my family!"

The senior maid chimed in, "Indeed! An official’s household, yet so petty!"

The two privately scoffed at the Du family. Xiao Qin Shi’s fair fingers slid down the list, driven by an inexplicable feeling, and she looked for the Song family’s entry.

"Bring me everything sent by Assistant Prefect Song’s household. I want to see it myself."

The Zeng servants went back and forth, carrying out the items that had just been stored in the warehouse, laying them before Xiao Qin Shi. No matter how high Xiao Qin Shi’s standards were, her experience was limited. Yangzhou fabrics were far beyond what the Qin family could match.

The jade was mid-grade—neither top-tier nor flawed enough to criticize. If Xiao Qin Shi wanted to find fault, she could only pick on the lotus root starch and canned goods.

She rolled her eyes. "Who knows if these foodstuffs are still edible after sitting in the storeroom for days? Load them onto the carts for Vice-Prefect Du and Magistrate Zhang’s return gifts."

These were the households she had previously scorned for their meager gifts.

The canned goods and lotus root starch were defined by Meng Wan as high-end products, not yet sold locally in Xiwu Prefecture. So most people only knew that Meng Wan ran factories, but few knew exactly what business he was in—only that it involved oranges.

The lotus root starch was just a powder to dissolve in hot water; its use wasn’t obvious. But the glass jars containing the canned fruit were rare items from the capital. Xiao Qin Shi couldn’t help but take a second look. Yet her inexplicable hostility and pride in front of Meng Wan made her unwilling to believe he could produce anything worthwhile with such fanfare. It was just a way to show off.

Her father and the merchants beholden to him had said that Meng Wan didn’t understand business. The combined wages from his three workshops came to nearly ten thousand taels a year. No workshop would be that crazy.

Yes, everyone’s definition of Meng Wan was reckless.

"We sent so much cloth, jade, and food to the Zeng family, and they only gave back half a cartload of rocks?" Even Chang Jinhua, who wasn’t very knowledgeable about jewelry, could tell that the half cart of raw jade they got was pretty ordinary.

Meng Wan folded his arms. Last time he felt Xiao Qin Shi was being snide; this time it was right out in the open. Did she think their family was afraid of the Zeng family?

"Gui Cheng, Gui Qian," Meng Wan called the young servants, pointing to the haphazardly piled jade on the storeroom floor. "Take these to the jade shop and have the craftsmen carve them all into bracelets and pendants."

"Yes, master!"

The two received the order, harnessed the cart, and left. The jade was tossed haphazardly into a basket.

Chang Jinhua was worried. "Wan’er, what are you doing? Don’t offend the Zeng family."

"They’re not afraid of offending us, so why should I be afraid of them?" Meng Wan didn't care. He took her arm and led her out of the storeroom to the main hall, and casually popped open a sealed jar of canned oranges, scooping some into two small bowls. "Mother, don’t take the Zeng family too seriously. The day after tomorrow is the old Madam Zeng’s sixtieth birthday. By then, we’ll have a good look at their spectacle. Try this from our workshop—the cans last a year without going bad."

Chang Jinhua had eaten canned fruit before, but she'd never known it could last that long. "Just this jar, with oranges inside, and it doesn't spoil?"

Meng Wan pointed at the rubber ring on the lid. "The glass is one thing; this rubber ring is the other key."

While he was talking to Chang Jinhua, A Yan came running over cheerfully. "Father, you’re eating goodies behind my back! I want some too!"

Meng Wan refused. He wolfed down the small bowl of oranges and showed him the empty bowl. "See, it’s all gone."

A Yan, apparently used to his behavior, pouted and turned his watery eyes to Chang Jinhua. "Grandmother~"

Chang Jinhua softened for a moment, but then, catching Meng Wan’s hint, she hardened her heart and refused. "A Yan, you already had one jar this morning, didn’t you? Your father says the cans have too much sugar. Too much will give you a toothache."

Meng Wan added, "If your teeth go bad, you won’t be pretty anymore!"

A Yan held his chubby cheeks, frowning at Chang Jinhua’s bowl of canned oranges. He wanted to eat but was scared of ruining his teeth, torn with indecision.

Chu Ci lifted the curtain and came in. He nodded and gestured to Meng Wan and Chang Jinhua, then pointed at A Yan, asking if he wanted to go with him to the Miao family.

During the New Year, children were happiest. A Yan had been playing wild these days. As soon as Chu Ci called, he darted out, nearly colliding with Song Tingzhou, who was coming in.

Facing his father’s stiff expression, A Yan immediately apologized. "Sorry, Father. I ran too fast. I won’t do it again."

Even at three, he already showed the cleverness he'd have as an adult, heading off any lecture Song Tingzhou intended. He simply said offhandedly, "Go on, but don’t be so reckless next time."

"Okay, Father." A Yan put his hands neatly at his sides, but the moment he was out of Song Tingzhou's sight, he took off running. His cheerful voice drifted back, "Brother, can you use your allowance to get me more firecrackers? I want to blow birds out of the trees!"

Song Tingzhou froze, his fists clenching at his sides. The first thing he said upon entering was to Meng Wan, "You’re right. A Yan needs to start school."

——

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, it was Madam Zeng's sixtieth birthday banquet. Meng Wan specially used the cloth Mr. Xiang had sent before the new year to make new clothes for himself and Chang Jinhua.

Huang Ye, Zhu Tong, and Zhu Yan, who were going with them later, also wore new clothes made of fine cotton with raised patterns. Meng Wan told Zhu Tong to move the several chests of jewelry from the storeroom to his courtyard.

Among these four large chests of jewelry, one contained New Year gifts from other officials' wives, gifts from cooperating merchants, as well as pieces Meng Wan and Chang Jinhua had bought earlier or worn before.

Neither Meng Wan nor Chang Jinhua were into dressing up, so most of the jewelry had been stored away. In their own rooms, they kept only a small box each of everyday pieces.

In the capital, Wu Zhaoyuan and his wife were not well-off. In previous years, they had always sent A Yan some rare trinkets, or brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books copied by Wu Zhaoyuan himself. Not much in quantity, but the friendship ran deep.

The Zhu family had shrunk before, and last year, during the court audience, Third Master Zhu had spent a lot using connections to pull strings for Zhu Zening. Though their household was still better off than Wu Zhaoyuan's, it was no longer as prosperous as before.

Moreover, Wu Zhaoyuan, Zhu Zening, and Song Tingzhou were like brothers, so they didn't care about such things. Their exchanges had always been practical items, rarely jewelry.

Lin Congrong's wife came from an upright scholarly family. She valued simplicity and elegance, so she rarely sent Meng Wan jewelry.

Thus, of the remaining three large chests, one was from Nie Zhiyao. Every year, he scoured a small box of jewelry for Meng Wan, slowly accumulating a full chest.

Another chest was from Nie Erfulang. Thanks to a generous dowry and a leisurely life in Changping with Master Nie, he knew how to enjoy life. He was very much like Mr. Xiang in temperament, and he was very fond of Meng Wan. With Song Tingzhou becoming Master Nie's disciple, their families grew even closer. So Nie Erfulang, too, sent Meng Wan a box of fine jewelry every year.

The last chest was naturally from Meng Wan's own teacher, Mr. Xiang. Mr. Xiang was much more casual: she just sent whatever popped into her head, sometimes expensive, sometimes cheap. Last year, it was a small box of gold melon seeds and gold peanuts, which Meng Wan also put into the chest as part of his jewelry stash.

Among these four chests of jewelry, Mr. Xiang's and Nie Erfulang's gifts were the most valuable, while Nie Zhiyao's were the most fashionable in design.

"Call all the maids over. From that chest of jewelry, each of you can pick two pieces of silver and one of gold. Take whichever you like. Wear them today to show off a bit. If you don't like the style in the future, you can have the shop melt them down and make something else." Meng Wan pointed to the wooden chest that held the most jumbled assortment, speaking to Huang Ye and the others.

Except for Huang Ye, whose monthly wage was the highest, the other four maids each earned eight hundred coins a month. They were young and loved to dress up, so they were thrilled by the offer and happily began picking.

Meng Wan, meanwhile, selected one box each from the gifts given by Mr. Xiang, Nie Erfulang, and Nie Zhiyao. He had the maids carry them to Chang Jinhua. "Mother, come take a look. Choose whichever you like, and I'll help you put it on."

Chang Jinhua had just changed her clothes and was surprised. "Why did you pick out so many? Isn't one or two pieces enough after all?"

She knew that wearing ordinary jewelry to the prefect's residence would not do—people might say she and her son were disrespectful to Madam Zeng. She should wear something decent, but did she really need to bring out a whole pile?

Meng Wan kicked off his shoes, hopped onto the couch, and eagerly opened all the boxes to examine them. "Xiao Qin Shi likes to pick fights, doesn't she? This time, I'll give her plenty to nitpick about."

He pushed the largest box in front of Chang Jinhua. "Mother, wear this. It's a full set of kingfisher-feather and jadeite hair ornaments, with pins, earrings, everything. You'll definitely be the classiest woman there at the banquet!"