Chapter 250: Popularity

Chapter 250: Booming

The gathering on the tenth day of the tenth month was truly lively. Even though everyone went back to their normal lives the next day—students going to school, shopkeepers opening for business—the previous day's festivities remained the talk of the town over tea and meals.

"Old Li, why was a matchmaker at your door before dawn this morning?" Several familiar vendors chatted while tidying their stalls.

The tofu seller's expression was a mix of joy and worry. "Yesterday, the Chen family's second grandson went to the wishing tree and happened to pick up the plaque my third daughter hung. Today, he came bustling over with the matchmaker."

Others comforted him, "Isn't that a good thing? Why the sighs? The Chen boy is promising—he works at the Glaze Workshop outside the city, learning a craft that can be passed down!"

"Exactly, Old Li, your standards are too high. Why aren't you satisfied with such a son-in-law?"

Old Li hesitated. "The young man is decent and knows how to handle things, but he's not very tall. Enough talk—I need to deliver tofu to the prefect's residence." Seeing his demeanor, it seemed he was softening, especially since the Chen family was genuinely well-off.

After Old Li left, the others continued chatting.

"The Lis are honest folks, but the Chens are full of schemes! I saw it yesterday—as soon as Third Ya hung her bamboo plaque on the tree, that Liu boy snatched it down after she left."

"Good lad, I think he's had his eye on Third Ya for a while."

"Third Ya is so pretty and capable—who wouldn't praise her?"

"Well, it's fate."

"Speaking of which, my Er Lang also picked a slip from the tree yesterday. But there was no writing on it, just some flower drawn. No idea whose child it is."

"I heard it's from the Zhuang people—they like painting flowers and grass."

"The Zhuang girls and *xiaoge* are lovely too. I hear they all know how to weave cloth, and their fabric is expensive."

"Who knows if they'd even consider our family?"

...

After the autumn harvest is always a good time for matchmaking. Many young people who met during the gathering successfully found matches.

Every person is a different individual—whether they become bitter lovers or loving partners is hard to tell. But as long as both are down-to-earth people who work hard, even if they quarrel sometimes, their lives won't turn out too badly.

"Wan Geer, have you seen your teacher and her husband off?" Chang Jinhua was about to leave home when she ran into Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou, who had just returned from seeing them off.

Meng Wan's mood was somewhat subdued. "Yes, I asked Na Tuo to lead a team to escort them personally back to Yangzhou."

Chang Jinhua comforted him. "When the weather is good next year, invite them to stay longer in Xiwu Prefecture."

Meng Wan said nothing. He and Song Tingzhou had a faint premonition that this might be the last time they would see them.

From late autumn to the New Year, the workshops under Meng Wan's management operated non-stop. The enormous profits were unimaginable. Even Meng Wan felt a bit dizzy. But since he had already made the commitment, he gritted his teeth and used two-thirds of the earnings for road repairs.

He consoled himself: if the roads were built well, he would earn even more. What he took from himself, he used for himself—perfectly fair.

Their family was ordinary at heart. Even though they now had wealth and power, aside from buying better fabrics for clothing, not much else had changed.

"Come, come, come! This year your master's business is thriving—everyone's bonus is double last year's."

On the morning of New Year's Day, Meng Wan held a small basket filled with silver peanuts crafted by a silversmith. After breakfast with Song Tingzhou, they stayed in Chang Jinhua's courtyard. The whole family gathered in the main hall.

The servants of the Song family came to pay New Year's respects to Chang Jinhua and the couple. Meng Wan had them line up in front of him, and one by one, they came forward for their rewards.

"Start with Huang Ye—one handful each." Meng Wan placed the basket on a side table and let Huang Ye go first.

Huang Ye stepped forward and only took two silver peanuts. "Thank you for your generosity, lord. May you enjoy peace and prosperity year after year, and may all your wishes come true."

Meng Wan directly grabbed two handfuls and pressed them into his hands. "Don't spare my money. You've worked hard these past few years—you deserve every bit."

If Huang Ye hadn't refused to leave the Song household, Meng Wan would have arranged a managerial position for him. Now, wherever work was needed at home or outside, he went. He had become one of Meng Wan's most capable assistants, second only to Tang Jinshuang.

Next came Zhu Yan, Zhusha, Gui Cheng, Gui Qian, Gui Fang, and Gui Yuan. Among them, Zhusha and Gui Yuan were the youngest—Zhusha had just turned eight after the New Year, and Gui Yuan was seven.

Each took a polite handful of silver peanuts, not daring to complain in front of Meng Wan, no matter how much or little they got.

Meng Wan gave the remaining silver peanuts in the basket, along with the basket itself, to Xue Sheng. Song Tingzhou added a pouch containing a small handful of gold nuggets. "I've set aside some New Year's money for A Yan and Chu Ci; keep the rest."

Xue Sheng twitched his mouth. "Thank you, my lord, but isn't this unnecessary for me?" He was over thirty—why would he need New Year's money?

Chang Jinhua happened to pass by. "Back in our hometown, anyone unmarried still receives New Year's money. When Wan Geer and Da Lang weren't married, I also wrapped some for them."

Xue Sheng accepted it with a straight face. As he turned to leave, he handed half the gold nuggets to Huang Ye. "Keep this—consider it your big brother's New Year's money. The master said tomorrow morning I'm to take the family carriage to take you to Shakeng County."

Jin Gu's service period had ended. Huang Ye would soon be reunited with her. His heart was a mix of bitterness and excitement.

He knew the kindness of the master and Brother Xuesheng. Filled with gratitude, he barely slept on the first night of the New Year. Before dawn on the second day, he got up, hid his savings, brought a few taels of loose silver and copper coins, and boarded the carriage driven by Xue Sheng to Shakeng County to pick up Jin Gu.

Starting on the second day, guests began arriving one after another with gifts. Most were Song Tingzhou's subordinates. To everyone's relief, no one tried to be clever—the gifts were all appropriately modest, neither too outstanding nor offensive.

Meng Wan estimated the approximate value and sent return gifts as usual. Among the merchants, with Yu the eldest brother setting the example, no one dared to step out of line. Everyone spent a relatively peaceful New Year's.

On the eleventh day of the first month, Huang Ye brought Jin Gu back to the Song residence. Despite their travel-worn appearance, mother and son knelt down and kowtowed earnestly to Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou.

"Back then, the master saved my life, and the lord took in Ye Geer for so many years. My son and I will never forget your kindness." After years of labor in the mines, Jin Gu looked older than her age, more weathered than ordinary women. In truth, she was just over thirty.

A flicker of pity passed through Meng Wan's eyes. "Huang Ye, get up. Help your mother up too."

"Yes, my lord."

Huang Ye wiped his eyes and helped the frail Jin Gu to her feet. "My lord, my mother said she wants to stay and work as a servant. She can do all kinds of rough work and doesn't ask for any wages, only that you give her a place to eat."

Meng Wan sighed helplessly. "I offered to release you from your slave status, but you refused. Wouldn't it be better to buy a small courtyard outside and live with your mother? You're still young now; you don't yet understand what slave status really means."

Huang Ye pressed his lips together. "My lord, I understand everything. But I'd rather stay by your side for the rest of my life. Now that my mother is here too, I have no more complaints."

Meng Wan looked at their resolute faces and realized where Huang Ye got his stubbornness. He came up with a compromise. "Let's do this: Jin Gu doesn't need to sell herself into slavery to the Song family. I'll hire her to work here instead. There's no shortage of hands at home right now. After the New Year, you can help at my mother-in-law's shop and come back to rest in the evening."

"Huang Ye, I'll have someone knock through the wall between your room and the storage room next door. Xue Sheng can help move a bed in, so you and your mother can share the space. Is that okay?" Meng Wan asked for their input.

Huang Ye currently lived in the gatekeeper's room of Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou's courtyard. There was a small storage room next to it. After knocking through the wall, it would be enough for mother and son.

This was far better than Jin Gu had ever imagined. She quickly said, "There's no need to trouble yourself, my lord. Ye Geer and I can share a bed."

Unlike his mother, Huang Ye knew Meng Wan better. He didn't argue further. Sure enough, Meng Wan immediately called for Xue Sheng. Without needing outsiders, he, Gui Cheng, and Gui Qian knocked through the wall in no time. They moved the storage items to the warehouse and retrieved a wooden bed from there to set up for Jin Gu.

They were all young lads, just having received their bonuses and new clothes, full of energy for work.

After settling Jin Gu, Meng Wan went

This year, West Wu Prefecture settled its accounts with the Ministry of Revenue, and Minister Kou Wen of the Ministry of Revenue was grinning so wide his face nearly twisted. When his wife asked, he couldn't help throwing in a few words of praise for Song Tingzhou.

"At the end of the year, the city saw a craze for these Lingnan fruit preserve jars. I think they're from Lingnan. Guess what's in those precious glazed jars?"

Kou Wen was too busy thinking about which prefecture still owed the ministry money to pay attention, so he brushed his wife off. "What?"

Madam Kou dropped a bombshell: "It's lychee!"

"What? Lychee? How can lychee possibly make it all the way to the capital? That's over four thousand li. Don't be ridiculous." Kou Wen didn't believe it at all.

"Why not? The merchants from West Wu Prefecture peel the lychees, remove the pits, keep the flesh, and place the flesh and syrup in glazed bottles. They can last six months without spoiling!" Madam Kou was so animated she could slap her thigh. Kou Wen came from a humble background and had struggled to reach this position. Being in such a critical role at the Ministry of Revenue, he was stingy with his colleagues at the office, but even stingier with his family at home.

Madam Kou was often ridiculed by other officials' wives and husbands for being too frugal in her lifestyle.

The fruit preserve jars were first presented to the emperor by the West Wu Prefecture government, and then merchants from West Wu Prefecture transported large quantities of them to Shengjing City, sparking a frenzy.

Currently, among the powerful circles in Shengjing City, only the Kou Family hadn't bought these expensive fruit preserve jars. After seeing them in other households, Madam Kou brought up the topic with her husband, a hint of resentment in her tone.

"Although that fruit preserve jar costs four hundred taels of silver per jar, it's not like our family doesn't have the money. What's the big deal about buying one? That vice minister of yours is just a deputy minister, and he bought three jars home. His wife boasted about them at the Earl's mansion banquet. I was the only one at the table who hadn't seen one. How embarrassing is that..."

"How much?" Kou Wen's voice shot up high.

Madam Kou was furious and sprayed spittle in his face, "Four hundred taels!"

"Four hundred taels for a single fruit????" Kou Wen couldn't believe it. He thought he was already shady enough; how dare someone make such dirty money in front of him?

Madam Kou rolled her eyes. "Not a single fruit, a jar. That's lychee, how can you compare it to ordinary fruit? A meal at Imperial Summit Tower costs a hundred or so taels of silver. Lychee is worth a thousand gold. That big jar for only four hundred taels is an absolute bargain!"

Kou Wen was so angry he nearly choked on his own spit. "Imperial Summit Tower is a restaurant run by the Prince of Huainan, personally named and inscribed by the late emperor. It's not something ordinary people can eat even if they want to spend the money!"

Seeing his face turning red, Madam Kou couldn't be bothered to argue further and stormed out. Kou Wen could still hear her muttering, not ready to give up, "I heard this year's batch of fruit preserve jars is limited. If we miss it, who knows if we can get any later. Tomorrow, I'm definitely going to buy a jar no matter what."

Shengjing City, Prince Lian's Mansion—

"What is so magical about this liquid that it can keep lychee fresh for six months?" Prince Lian sat in a chair, carefully examining a jar of the fruit preserves that had recently become all the rage in Shengjing.

A young man of about seventeen stood to one side, his expression complicated. "In my humble opinion, the jar—" He paused abruptly, then after a moment's thought said, "The material of the jar might be a factor."

At first, Prince Lian was slightly displeased by the interruption, but the displeasure quickly faded. He rubbed the young man's lower back in a suggestive manner and said, "It's just an ordinary glazed bottle. I already sent someone to the Guanyu Workshop to have a few made, but they couldn't preserve the fruit."

The young man was tall and graceful. A red mole near his ear marked him as a gege. Wearing a simple brocade robe, he took a step back, avoiding Prince Lian's groping hand.

"Brother-in-law, since the Crown Prince is staying in Qinzhou to suppress the rebellion, why don't we go and take a look too?"

Prince Lian snorted. "Qinzhou's terrain is complex, on the border. Not only do foreigners harass it from time to time, but local bandits are also restless. It'll take at least two or three years to stabilize the situation. Let the Crown Prince earn that credit."

He meant he didn't want to wade into this thankless mess.

The young man's hand behind his back clenched and unclenched. This fool, if he could compete with the Crown Prince, then the heavens would be blind. Useless piece of crap! Damn it !

He cursed a torrent of swear words in his heart before suppressing the urge to kill the idiot in front of him. Calmly, he continued his persuasion.

"Qinzhou is indeed chaotic. Your Highness's precious self is indeed unsuited for such danger. But since the Luo family affair went wrong, and the person died in West Wu Prefecture, it's hard to avoid implicating Your Highness."

"I already know about the Luo family affair. I've also seen Heshan County Magistrate... oh, now he's the Prefect of West Wu Prefecture. Song Tingzhou is indeed a capable man, but unfortunately, he's too close to the Crown Prince and cannot be used by me. If he stays as an official in the outer regions, fine. If he's unlucky enough to make it back to the capital, that will be his death!" Prince Lian had his own reasons for not wanting to leave Shengjing. With the Crown Prince absent, it was a good opportunity for him to develop his influence at court. Thus, the Luo family matter became insignificant.

The young man, seeing he couldn't persuade him, wasn't worried. He played his trump card. "Your Highness must know that the fruit preserve jars making a splash in Shengjing came from West Wu Prefecture, right? Our soap business has stopped making money. If we can get our hands on the recipe for these jars..."

Prince Lian's normally calm expression suddenly brightened. A jar of fruit preserves for four hundred taels of silver!