Chapter 371 Old Friend

Chapter 371: Old Friends

Meng Wan, having eaten his fill, started getting all serious. His tone grew heavy as he said, "This is just how it is for folks who've got nothing and no one. You can't just run from it. Only when the status of all *xiaoge* in Yu is elevated can the two of us live out our remaining years here in peace."

Luo Jining suddenly lost his appetite for the wontons. He set down his chopsticks, his pale, handsome face all serious. Meng Wan figured he was gonna drop some wisdom, only to hear the man curse: "What the hell kinda luck is this!"

Meng Wan was so done he almost had the guy kicked out.

"So what can you actually do?" Meng Wan smiled.

Luo Jining opened his mouth to say "eating," but then reconsidered—he'd been shipped off abroad right after high school, and all he ate was white-people food, day in and day out. Yeah, right, like he knew anything about eating.

"Um... I can speak English."

Meng Wan's smile froze. Great. Just drag him out and chop his head off. He pressed on, unwilling to give up: "Didn't you say you were good at making soap? What about other things?"

Luo Jining explained sheepishly, "Back in middle school, this kid I knew had a family soap factory. I went over to his place once." He'd been shipped abroad by his parents to study finance and buff up his résumé—what the hell did they expect him to know!

Meng Wan wasn't expecting much anyway, but he hadn't anticipated Luo Jining being this useless either. After mulling it over, he figured he couldn't let that whole pep talk go to waste. He patted Luo Jining on the shoulder. "Bro, aren't you heading to the southeast border? Why not just be General Yi's military advisor? Help the locals get by, you know, work on the day-to-day stuff. The Emperor wants to build a gray powder workshop at the border—the southwest border's right on the coast, and those Fusang bastards are always scheming. Even if you can't think of anything off the top of your head, you've got the big-picture view. And you've read your share of historical dramas, right? Yu's future's counting on you to make us proud!"

"Am I really that useful?" Luo Jining was getting all fired up.

They shot the breeze for ages, talking about everything under the sun, and didn't even hear the night watchman's four "bang bang" claps.

"Fulang, General Yi's husband is calling for him to come home—he says he's waiting in the front courtyard," Zhifan came to announce from outside the door.

Luo Jining's smile slowly faded. He stood up, throwing on the cloak that was draped over the chair. His voice was low, a little sad. "Guess I'm heading out, huh? Who knows when we'll see each other again."

He knew most of what Meng Wan said was bull, but besides Meng Wan, maybe no one would ever call him "bro" like that again.

Meng Wan also put on his outer robe. "Shoot me a note before you head out, and I'll see you off outside the city walls. The southeast border is near the sea—I know some folks who run stuff on the sea. The head guy's named Fan Er—he's a buddy of mine. If you run into him, he might be able to give you a hand."

Luo Jining hung his head and muttered, sounding down, "Meng Wan, I want to go home."

Meng Wan was caught off guard and went quiet for a long moment.

Luo Jining had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, unlike him. He was clever in his own small way, but he never felt like he belonged anywhere. His real home would always be that peaceful, equal-opportunity world he came from.

As they walked through the covered walkways and arches, getting close to the front yard, Meng Wan said quietly, "Luo Jining, there's no other choice. Live right, really live, and you'll find your home."

Luo Jining's face was lost in the dark, so you couldn't tell what he was thinking. After a long beat, he just gave a quiet "Mm."

After seeing Luo Jining off, Meng Wan felt a little down. Song Tingzhou noticed and was about to say something comforting, but Meng Wan already talked himself out of it.

"Yi Hongfei's a single guy with no family ties, and he and the Emperor go way back, since they were kids. Unless he's just asking to die, he can keep Luo Jining safe and sound for the rest of his life." If the Emperor didn't really trust him, he wouldn't have let Yi Hongfei pack up his whole family and go.

The Emperor wasn't afraid to use people, and he knew how to use 'em right.

After the new year, the Song family got some familiar faces for neighbors. Last year, the disgraced Count Chengen had died and his household was confiscated. His mansion had conveniently been vacated and bestowed upon Lezheng Qi.

The plaque on the mansion was changed from Count Chengen to Count Huien, much to the delight of Meng Wan and Nie Zhiyao.

Nie Zhiyao was someone who knew how to enjoy life, while Meng Wan valued practicality more—he wanted comfort in what he wore and slept on, but wasn't particularly interested in the elaborate garden landscapes that other wealthy families liked to cultivate.

"In this freezing weather, where did you haul these flowers and trees from? Are these willows? They look half-dead, don't they?" Meng Wan stood in the familiar yet unfamiliar courtyard, marveling at the carts of strange rocks and plants.

Nie Zhiyao chided him for making a fuss. "These are called silver willows. I bought them at a high price from someone else's place. The ones from farther away are hard to transport right now, but once it warms up, I'm determined to ship some yellow stones, purple stones, and magnolias from Suzhou."

Meng Wan laughed. "You might as well just tear the whole house down and rebuild it!"

"Actually, some of these buildings do need to be torn down and rebuilt." Nie Zhiyao apparently genuinely had that thought.

Meng Wan was dumbfounded. "Is it really that serious?"

Nie Zhiyao countered, "It's a place I'll live in for the rest of my life—what do you think?"

Meng Wan mulled it over, then thought of the courtyard prepared for his Xiao Ci's wedding. Afraid he might have missed something, he dragged Nie Zhiyao along with him.

"Help me check if anything's missing. If something is and your household doesn't need it urgently, lend me your craftsmen first."

Nie Zhiyao was bewildered as he was pulled from his own home to the Song residence. The second courtyard had a small yard on each side, east and west. The east one was the bridal chamber prepared for Chu Ci and A Xun.

It had already been completely redone—the roof tiles were all new. Stepping through the courtyard gate, there were two inverted-seat rooms, side rooms on both left and right, a row of main rooms with two ear rooms, one of which had been converted into a small kitchen—a neat, square siheyuan.

"Your household doesn't have many servants. Even if they have children later, plus a wet nurse, this courtyard is more than enough for the young couple." Nie Zhiyao stepped into the main hall. To the left was the bedroom; the two rooms on the right were empty, free for them to modify as they wished.

Nie Zhiyao took a rough look around. The room was fully furnished with a canopied bed, wardrobe, paired cabinets, tall vertical cabinets, dressing mirror, washstand, folding screen, kang table, small side table, and a luohan couch. The screen was covered in fine white gauze, painted with two plump magpies perched affectionately on a branch, signed by A Yan.

"Is that canopied bed in the bedroom made of huanghuali wood? How many taels did you order it for?" he asked Meng Wan, who was still behind him, surveying what the room might be missing.

Meng Wan held up his hand, extending his index finger and thumb in a gesture.

Nie Zhiyao raised an eyebrow. "Eight hundred taels? Including the wood and carving, that's about right. But you're really willing to splurge, aren't you? It's not just the bed—this whole room is furnished with huanghuali pieces, isn't it?"

"It's not that bad. Marriage is a big deal—I should set them up properly." Anyway, money was the last thing Meng Wan lacked these days. The bed was finely crafted, the materials were worth it, and the price was fair.

"Tsk, will A Yan's wedding be on this scale too? How about we arrange a betrothal between our children? I'll marry my Fei Geer into your family." Nie Zhiyao said it in a joking tone.

In the past, he wouldn't have dared say such a thing. Song Tingzhou was at the height of his power, and the family had a clean reputation—there were probably countless families in the city hoping to marry into the Song household. But for one thing, A Yan was still young, and for another, no one had been the first to test the waters. The women's side maintained their reserve, all watching and waiting.

Xiaoge always married beneath their station anyway, and Lezheng Qi was only a lowly seventh-rank official. If he brought it up, it might seem presumptuous.

The Song family was simple in structure, and he'd heard Meng Wan mention their clan rules once—upright and clear. Meng Wan was his good friend, and if Fei Geer truly married A Yan, he and Lezheng Qi would never have to worry about anything again. That's why he'd tested the waters.

Meng Wan understood what Nie Zhiyao meant and, for once, replied seriously: "If the children are willing when they grow up, I'll naturally agree. But while they're still young, let's not. We're friends, that's true, but we can't presume to decide their lives for them just because we're their parents, without regard for their wishes."

Nie Zhiyao was taken aback, then smiled. "You and Lord Song are the ones who truly know how to be fathers."

"It's my first time being a dad—I'm just fumbling through it blindly." Meng Wan genuinely didn't think he'd done a particularly good job.

The Count Huien mansion was still being renovated according to Nie Zhiyao's wishes, so they wouldn't be moving just yet. Besides, the Cotton Mill still needed Nie Zhiyao's attention.

Before the new year, the cotton dolls at the mill had sold mediocrely, but surprisingly, they became a hot item after the new year. Many ordinary households in the capital had bought them for their children—the cheap ones cost twenty wen each, and the expensive ones didn't exceed fifty wen. Even if parents wouldn't buy them, the children's New Year's money was enough to cover it.

The mill's laborers who'd been called in to help had all received triple pay during the new year. Nie Zhiyao, as one of the owners, also gave everyone a New Year's gift. Yan Geer received the most—he hadn't rested a single day, working from before the new year to after. Not only did he earn the most, but he also worked the hardest, and Nie Zhiyao promoted him to a minor supervisor at the mill.

Because the workers were all xiaoge and women, living at varying distances, Meng Wan had also specially hired a woman in her forties as a driver, shuttling them back and forth every morning and evening.

On the morning of the eighth day of the new year, the woman picked up her passengers as usual and drove the carriage slowly toward the alley where the mill was located, only to find the entrance blocked.

"Huh? Whose carriages are all these?"

"What's wrong, Aunt Fang? Can't get through?" The workers jumped off the carriage when it stopped.

"Wow, why are there so many carriages?"

"These carriages over here are strange—why are their wheels black?"

Seven or eight carriages were parked in front of the Cotton Mill, blocking the entire alleyway tightly. In fact, half of them didn't have ordinary wooden wheels but oddly shaped black ones instead.

Yingniang heard the noise and came out to open the door. "Come on in, everyone. The carriages will leave shortly. Aunt Fang, if you could come back to pick us up in the afternoon."

Aunt Fang quickly replied, "Of course, Manager Ying, rest assured. I'll be here early."

Once Yan'ge'er and the others entered the mill, he was surprised to find many unfamiliar male and female workers in the courtyard, ranging in age and speaking with different accents.

"Let me introduce everyone—these are workers hired by Master Meng, and a few of them are master craftsmen and managers."

—

Chu Ci and A Xun finally returned from Lingnan, accompanied by a large group of people. Tang Jinshuang, Yu Yandong, Na Tuo, and others arrived earlier than usual as well, all coming to attend Chu Ci's wedding.

Among them was an acquaintance that Meng Wan had nearly forgotten...

"Master Meng, I have finally lived up to your expectations." Chen Zhenlong, with a scruffy beard and tears in his eyes, lifted a basket of carefully selected crops—spindle-shaped, with reddish skin and long roots at both ends.

Meng Wan, rarely showing emotion, exclaimed in shock, "Sweet potatoes!"

Upon hearing these words, Song Tingzhou suddenly recalled a memory from long ago.

The term "sweet potato"—he seemed to have heard Meng Wan mention it before. Yet this basket was brought back by Chen Zhenlong from Luzon. How could Meng Wan have known about it?

Chen Zhenlong became an honored guest of the Song family. Meng Wan first arranged for A Xun to stay at Fang Jinrong's home, as he and Chu Ci had to remain apart before their wedding, then dropped everything else to focus entirely on hosting Chen Zhenlong.

Chen Zhenlong had had a rough couple of years. Ever since returning from Jipo Island, his business had been going badly. He later learned that Meng Wan's husband was a highly regarded official in the Lingnan region, and that the family had been recalled to the capital with his whole family, with great prospects ahead.

Recalling the matter Meng Wan had asked him to do, he held onto a faint hope—if he could somehow connect with Song Tingzhou, even just using his name, his traveling trade would become much easier.

He had originally planned to do business in Luzon, and when he stumbled upon a crop called "batata," he realized it kept well, was easy to transport, had a long shelf life, and was sweet, sticky, and very filling.

However, Luzon strictly forbade taking batata out of the kingdom. Port authorities searched every item on merchant ships, even checking the gaps between planks. Directly smuggling the roots or vines would easily be discovered, and that was a grave crime, punishable by death by iron strangulation.

Chen Zhenlong was indeed shrewd. He disguised himself as a local farmer and paid heavily to learn how to cultivate batata from the natives. He learned that the vines were resilient and flexible, and could survive for short periods even without soil if properly preserved. He cut a section of vine, secretly wound it around the ship's mooring rope, wrapped it in layers of wet burlap, and coated the outside with the sticky tar from the ship's bottom as camouflage. He actually managed to smuggle the batata vine back into the Yu Kingdom!

"Although I brought the batata back, I feared it might not grow in Yu territory, so I waited a year, first cultivating it in my hometown for over a year. The yield was astonishing—it could even rival potatoes—so I immediately came to the capital to find Master Meng." Though Chen Zhenlong recounted this experience in just a few words, outsiders could still sense the immense danger involved.

Meng Wan, with a solemn expression, performed a deep, respectful bow. "Master Chen, your deed is one of great righteousness, benefiting the countless people of the Yu Kingdom. The yield of the batata you brought back is remarkable. If it can be promoted across the nation, the people will never again fear famine."

Chen Zhenlong, flustered by the gravity of the bow, hastily stepped aside. "Master Meng, you flatter me. I merely happened to be in the right place at the right time. I dare not claim such merit."

Meng Wan stared at the sweet potatoes in the basket, his surging emotions gradually settling. His mind was calculating something, and after a long pause, he said, "Master Chen, please stay comfortably at my home. However, tomorrow morning, you may need to accompany my husband to the palace to meet the Emperor."

"Meet the Emperor? This... this... I..." Chen Zhenlong stammered, half excited and half terrified.

Meng Wan smiled and reassured him, "Master Chen, there's no need to fear. We happen to have a former palace attendant in our household. Rest well first, and this afternoon she will teach you court etiquette. Besides, with my husband present, even if you misspeak, there's no need to worry. Simply present everything you saw and heard in Luzon before the throne."

Given the gravity of the matter, all the maidservants had been sent out of the room, leaving only Meng Wan, Song Tingzhou, and Chen Zhenlong.

Meng Wan then added in a low voice, "However, Master Chen, if you wish to remain safe, there's no need to mention to His Majesty that I asked you to search for grain seeds."

Song Tingzhou, upon hearing this, cast a complex glance at Meng Wan.

His expression was dark and inscrutable, concealing a thousand thoughts.