Chapter 304 Small Gathering

Chapter 304: A Small Gathering

Meng Wan wore a simple blue cotton robe, covered with a heavy deep-black outer garment embroidered with golden threads depicting mountains and rivers, sun and moon—done in the Yao embroidery technique.

He sat in the main hall, without ornate jeweled hairpins or crowns to adorn him, and his posture was somewhat relaxed, yet the aura he exuded was sharper than his appearance, making it hard for anyone to look directly at him.

The hall was so silent you could hear a pin drop; the servants below hardly dared to breathe. Huang Ye stood beside Meng Wan, bending to pour him a cup of warm tea, his expression colder and harder than usual.

Meng Wan took a small sip of the tea, feeling the warmth slide down his throat into his stomach.

"If you truly make a mistake, I won't care whether you have excuses or hidden circumstances. I provide your food, drink, and clothes for all seasons, and pay you monthly wages based on how hard you work—not to raise ungrateful wolves."

After speaking, he cast a faint glance over all the servants below. "The Song family is different from other households. The Song family rules are my bottom line. Rather than being your husband, I'd rather do business with you. If you don't want the job, then just pack up and leave—there are plenty who can replace you. Got it?"

No one dared to speak, and even their breathing was pitifully shallow.

Huang Ye pressed his lips together in displeasure, walked over, and snapped, "Didn't you hear the husband? Answer!"

"U-Understood..."

"We understand, husband."

Their voices were barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

"Alright, everyone scatter and get back to work." Meng Wan rubbed his forehead in exasperation, thinking that finding palace attendants to teach etiquette should be moved up on the schedule. Although Li Feifei, Xiang Yun's friend from Songyun Academy, had left Meng Wan some connections, those were meant for when it really mattered—asking them to find palace attendants would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. He'd have to think of another way to find someone else.

The curtain lifted, letting in drafts of cold air. Through the gap in the door curtain, Meng Wan looked at the pristine white snow outside, struck by a sudden idea. He simply had Zhifan and Zhimao set up a table on the kang and fetch his painting tools.

These past two days, every part of the house had been heated up, and Chu Ci and A Yan had each moved into their respective courtyards. The two small courtyards hadn't been named yet, so they were just called the East and West Courtyards. Chu Ci, as the elder, lived in the East Courtyard. A Yan, the younger, lived with Tong'er in the West Courtyard. A Xun stayed in the small courtyard to the east of Chang Jinhua's.

Since the courtyards had been divided, the servants should each serve their own master. Gui Fang and Gui Yuan, the two younger ones, were assigned to attend A Yan and Tong'er. Zhu Yan and Zhu Sha, being older, temporarily managed things in A Yan's courtyard. Not counting the ones who sweep and clean, those were the only people in A Yan's courtyard. When he got a bit older, it wouldn't be appropriate for Zhu Yan and Zhu Sha to remain in his courtyard. By then, Gui Fang and Gui Yuan would have grown up and be up to the task, and two young male servants could be swapped in.

Chu Ci's courtyard was more complicated—ordinary people didn't dare enter. But Meng Wan couldn't rest easy if Chu Ci went into the city without a single person following him. As always, Shengjing was not the same as Xiwu Prefecture.

He personally picked a fairly sharp lad from among the servants, and Chu Ci gave him the name Bie Zhi, following Meng Wan's naming style for Zhifan and Zhimao, both with the character "zhi" in their names. Usually, Chu Ci didn't need him to wait on him—just run errands, sweep the courtyard in the daytime, and follow closely behind when Chu Ci went out.

He had his own room and did light work, the only downside being that he was occasionally scared of the snow wolf. Other than that, there was nothing wrong with it.

Two maidservants were also transferred to Chang Jinhua's courtyard—the most honest and steady of the newly bought servants, mainly because they were quiet. One was called Wei Ying, the other Yunque.

Huang Ye was the head steward of the household and couldn't always attend to Meng Wan, so he arranged for Zhifan and Zhimao to stay in the side rooms of the main courtyard, ready at Meng Wan's call.

With that, the household staffing was temporarily sorted out.

Meng Wan sat on the kang painting, cracking open a small gap in the window. He wanted to paint the snow scene, so the servants couldn't sweep all the snow away. Except for the snowflakes that drifted onto the corridor—which were cleared to prevent the walkway from getting wet—the entire garden in the main courtyard was left covered in snow.

The winding water channel around the courtyard was frozen solid, like a pristine white path threading through the garden. The rocks in the flower garden were scattered haphazardly, all buried under thick snow, while beneath the gray clouds, new snowflakes continued to fall.

It was snowing again.

The room was still, and the falling snow was silent. Zhifan and Zhimao sat on embroidered stools by the fire, a low wooden stand between them holding a plate of lustrous pearls. They were tying knots with colorful threads, occasionally threading pearls through them.

Yue Mei from the front courtyard came running over from the corridor, her footsteps rousing Zhifan and Zhimao near the door. They stood up, and Zhifan set down his work to block the entrance, speaking almost in a whisper, "What's the matter, Sister Yue Mei? The husband is painting—no noise indoors."

Yue Mei's brows showed urgency, but she didn't dare disturb Meng Wan. She pulled Zhifan out to the corridor and whispered back, "The child in my room has gone missing."

Zhifan's eyes widened. "Missing? Where could such a little one go? Did he go looking for his mother?"

At that, Yue Mei grew uncertain too. A six-year-old was neither too young nor too old—wandering around the streets was common. The child had stayed at the Song residence for half a month; the master had cured his illness but neither sent him away nor taken him in as a servant.

The child had been kept in her room, and Liu Da couldn't help complaining a few times. Could it be that the child overheard the adults' words, took offense, and actually ran off?

"He didn't take anything either? He just left like that to find his mother?"

Yue Mei felt uneasy. She'd even been scolded by Meng Wan over this child, and now the boy had left without even saying goodbye.

"Zhifan, who's here?" Meng Wan set down his brush and stretched lazily on the warm kang.

Zhifan and Yue Mei quickly lifted the thick curtain and entered. "Husband, it's Sister Yue Mei from the front courtyard."

Yue Mei bowed. "Husband."

"What's wrong?" Meng Wan was tired of painting and wanted to get off the kang to stretch.

Yue Mei lowered her head, twisting the handkerchief in her hands. "The little boy kept in my room—I don't know when he disappeared yesterday. I thought he'd gone out to play, but he didn't come back to sleep last night, and he still hasn't returned."

Meng Wan got off the kang, about to find his outer cloak, but paused at her words and glanced back at her. "He's been missing since yesterday, and you're only reporting it now?"

Yue Mei's head drooped lower, not daring to speak. Zhifan and Zhimao exchanged a glance; Zhimao silently continued his work, while Zhifan found the cloak Meng Wan usually wore at home and waited nearby.

Meng Wan put on the cloak without another look at Yue Mei. "This is the second time you've acted on your own. Clearly, you're not very sharp. You're done with the kitchen purchasing duties—go back to Shichun Lane with Liu Da to look after the house."

Yue Mei trembled and dropped to her knees on the hard stone floor. Meng Wan didn't like carpets, so the ground beneath was bare brick.

Fortunately, everyone wore thick clothes in winter; otherwise, that fall could have bruised her knees badly.

Meng Wan ignored her, adjusted his clothes, and walked out, with Zhifan following close behind. Zhimao stayed in the room and couldn't help advising, "Sister Yue Mei, get up quickly. Go back and talk things over with Brother Liu. In the future... ah."

The husband didn't hit or scold, but being dismissed outright for a mistake was real—no mercy at all. Wasn't that even more frightening?

Zhimao's eyes held pity. The couple had already been considered old hands in the Song household, and now they'd truly become gatekeepers. Liu Da would probably make a scene with Yue Mei over this.

Song Tingzhou returned after handling the New Year goods, and found only Zhimao working in the room. His expression was colder than the wind and snow outside. "Where's your husband?"

In his panic, Zhimao dropped a pearl on the ground. He watched it roll under the chair, his throat tight as he finally managed to speak, "The husband went to the old lady's courtyard in the back..."

Before he could finish, Song Tingzhou had already turned to leave, saying as he went, "If your husband isn't here, no one needs to be in the room."

Meaning: don't come to the main courtyard unless necessary.

The main building had three doors, with the bedroom at the back. Zhifan and Zhimao usually served in the central hall, and today they'd only entered the outer room, yet the master still wasn't pleased.

Zhimao noted Song Tingzhou's dislike of servants in the main courtyard and planned to tell Zhifan when they went to sleep that night, so he wouldn't unknowingly displease the master.

After Song Tingzhou left, Zhimao quickly picked up the pearl from the floor, slung the embroidery basket he shared with Zhifan over his arm, set it in their small room, and went to find Meng Wan.

Meng Wan was reading a letter in Chang Jinhua's room. He had space of his own, but he liked lounging around at Chang Jinhua's place.

It was lively there too—everyone was present except Chu Ci and A Xun.

Before the move, Meng Wan had had Chang Jinhua's kang rebuilt—wide and long, and once heated, the whole room was toasty.

Meng Wan half-reclined on the kang, a small table set before him, his slender fingers holding the letter paper, occasionally letting out a soft laugh.

"What's up? Good news?" Chang Jinhua came in carrying a plate of cracked walnuts, with the tall Song Tingzhou following behind.

Meng Wan scooted over to make room for them. "Xiao E is pregnant. Huang Zheng said once the baby's born, they want us to come back to Changping for the full-month celebration."

Chang Jinhua had only a faint memory of Huang Zheng's husband. "Xiao E—is that the friend you asked to find things for you?"

Meng Wan took the walnut kernel that Song Tingzhou had peeled for him. "Mm. They've been married for several years now, and now that Xiao E is pregnant, Huang Zheng is over the moon."

Chang Jinhua hadn't seen Huang Zheng in a long time either; her strongest impression of him was still his youthful, dark-skinned, stubborn demeanor. "We have so much fabric at home—should we send some back so they can make little clothes for the baby?"

"Good idea. I'm heading to the jewelry shop in a couple of days anyway—I'll have a longevity lock made for the child too. After the New Year, when we head back to the countryside, we can drop it off to them on the way." Meng Wan had long since agreed to return to the countryside with Chang Jinhua. Shengjing was, after all, not as far from Changping as Lingnan was—at most, it would take two months to get back to their hometown. But many things had delayed them this year, and with the freezing weather now, travel was difficult—they'd have to wait until it warmed up after the New Year.

They spent half the day at Chang Jinhua's place and had dinner there in the evening. Only when they returned home and were alone did Meng Wan tell Song Tingzhou about Bian Erxing and Guo Wanzhen's son going missing.

The two of them sat in the dark in silence for a long while, each letting out a sigh—one long, one short.

Meng Wan had been telling the truth when he told the Count Chengen's household and the Kou Family he wouldn't be hosting banquets, but the Zhu and Wu families, who were close to his household, still arrived bearing gifts.

"Third Uncle! When did you get back? This is Fourth Uncle, right?" Meng Wan went to the door to greet the guests and was surprised to see Third Master Zhu, who had returned to the capital for the New Year. Behind him followed a man a bit taller than him, with fierce features that made him look like someone you wouldn't want to mess with.

The two brothers looked very much alike, though Third Master Zhu, having traveled far and wide for years, carried himself with more composure and worldliness, while Fourth Master Zhu had a more roguish air.

Xue Sheng, who had come out with Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou to greet the guests, instinctively glanced at Fourth Master Zhu, with a complicated look in his eyes. Fourth Master Zhu also practiced martial arts, and he keenly noticed Xue Sheng's gaze, wondering to himself whether he had offended this person at some point.

The entire Zhu Zening family had arrived in full force—from the elder generation with Third Master Zhu down to the younger generation with Qiongniang, who rarely left the house—plus maidservants and servant boys, making for a bustling, sizable household.

By comparison, Wu Zhaoyuan and his husband were much more low-key. The couple had no children, and there were no elders in the Wu family either. Only two or three servants accompanied them, one of whom was Qiu Ying, the servant boy who had been by Wu Zhaoyuan's side for years.

After showing all the guests inside, Meng Wan stepped back a couple of paces and glanced at Xue Sheng. "You alright?"

Xue Sheng felt a warmth in his heart. "That's all behind us now, husband."

Meng Wan's anxiety eased. "Good."

If Xue Sheng couldn't get past that old wound, Meng Wan would have no choice but to offend Third Master Zhu and stop associating with his fourth brother. He knew well in his heart which mattered more.

Everyone first went to pay their respects to Chang Jinhua, then the male guests headed to the front banquet hall while the womenfolk remained in Chang Jinhua's courtyard.

"Brother Xuesheng!" Qiu Ying called out to Xue Sheng, his tone just as it had always been, though having gone through his transformation period, he had matured considerably.

Xue Sheng hadn't seen him in a long while and broke into a smile. "I heard you've married and had a child—why didn't you bring the little one along?"

Qiu Ying waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, just a girl, and she's still so tiny—what would I bring her for?" But even as he said it, the corners of his mouth and brows carried a proud, delighted look, clearly showing how much he adored the child.

Xue Sheng reached into his robes and pulled out a red pouch with gold silk threads, handing it to him. "A first-meeting gift for the child. Since she didn't come, take it back and give it to her."

Qiu Ying was deeply moved. He and Xue Sheng hadn't seen each other in ages, and he hadn't expected Brother Xuesheng to have gone out of his way to ask about his affairs.

The Song household servants delivered tea and refreshments to the front and back courtyards respectively. Chang Jinhua filled the kang table with dried fruits and pastries and beckoned Qiongniang over.

"Qiongniang, come—help yourself to whatever you'd like."

Qiongniang was only a year younger than A Yan, yet she looked thin and small, her face so fair it was almost pale, which made her eyes appear even larger. She had a clean, fragile quality about her that made all the adults' hearts ache.

Lan Niang helped her daughter take off her shoes and let her climb up onto the kang to warm up. "The snow's so thick outside—I didn't really want to bring her, but she insisted on coming, saying she wanted to see the new house."

Meng Wan sent someone to fetch A Xun, then turned back to brew a steaming bowl of brown sugar lotus root starch for Qiongniang. "In a bit, I'll have A Xun check your pulse. I remember he said last time that you could go out for walks now and then—it's good for your health."