Chapter 58: When One Side Fails, the Other Succeeds

Chapter 58: When the East Doesn't Shine, the West Will

When Wen Xi and Yan Fengan left the decorated pleasure boat, the night had already grown deep. The lanterns along the shores of Emerald Lake still glowed, but most of the vendors and onlookers had already dispersed.

The night breeze carried moisture from the lake as it swept past them, blowing away the scent of powder and perfume and realgar wine—a traditional festive drink—that clung to their clothes.

Yan Fengan held Wen Xi's hand as they walked slowly along the street, asking him, "Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

"I did." The words had barely left his mouth when Wen Xi suddenly touched his throat—the boat had been so noisy that he hadn't noticed he'd shouted his throat hoarse.

Catching the smile on Yan Fengan's face, he recalled the scenes from aboard the boat and felt embarrassed at the realization.

Yan Fengan kept his eyes on the path ahead while saying, "If there's another gathering like this next time, I'll bring you along again."

Wen Xi nodded with a smile and proactively told Yan Fengan about what had happened in the rear cabin: "The jujube-filled zongzi—sticky rice dumplings—were so sweet. While they were all chatting, I snuck two all by myself."

Yan Fengan could almost picture the adorable way he'd looked while eating, and reached out to pat his stomach, chuckling, "Aren't you feeling stuffed?"

"No." Wen Xi's cheeks flushed slightly, but he answered honestly, "Actually, I wanted to eat more, but I noticed the other young masters only took tiny bites of their zongzi. If I'd kept eating, they'd definitely have made fun of me."

Even though no one had ever taught him these rules of propriety, he constantly reminded himself to observe proper boundaries. He was already a step below the distinguished guests in status, and he absolutely couldn't let crude behavior make them look down on him further.

Yan Fengan said with tender concern, "If you like them, I'll buy some jujubes tomorrow and we can make our own zongzi at home."

Never mind the expensive stuff—he certainly wouldn't let his husband suffer for the sake of a simple craving.

"Mm, and get another serving of cherry compote too." The cherry compote Yan Fengan had bought him at the Qingming Festival (a traditional Chinese holiday) were long finished. Wen Xi loved these sweet-and-sour treats, and since they were in town, he wanted to bring another batch home.

"Alright, whatever you say."

Yan Fengan's smile was warm, and being with him always put Wen Xi at ease. After they finished chatting about these small matters, Wen Xi added, "Madam Lin took a liking to my craftsmanship and ordered a few more pouches from me."

Yan Fengan had brought him to the gathering with the intention of paving the way for him, so this news didn't come as a surprise. He praised him accordingly, "That's wonderful. At this rate, you'll soon become the biggest earner in our household."

Wen Xi knew that the only reason he could sell such expensive pouches was because Yan Fengan had helped pave the way. He wanted to say thank you, but felt that between them, such words would be too stiff and polite.

He leaned his head gently against Yan Fengan's shoulder, thinking about how to express what he was feeling, when the sound of hoofbeats and carriage wheels growing closer from behind interrupted his thoughts.

Wen Xi and Yan Fengan stepped aside, but to their surprise, the carriage stopped right in front of them.

Seeing the small "Lu" character on the carriage curtain, Yan Fengan was just wondering if it belonged to Lu Xiuyuan's family when the man himself threw open the curtain and jumped down, saying, "My mother wants to have a word with your husband. If you two aren't in a hurry to get back, let him come up and sit for a while."

Though his relationship with Yan Fengan had warmed up a bit, he still couldn't bring himself to call him "Brother Yan" left and right like Lin Hongwen did.

Wen Xi glanced at Yan Fengan, who nodded and said, "I'll wait for you here."

Wen Xi had seen Madam Lu on the boat earlier, but aside from exchanging greetings at the start, she hadn't spoken to him at all.

So when Madam Lu suddenly asked to speak with him, Wen Xi was taken aback.

Apart from his embroidery skills, there was nothing particularly special about him. Could Madam Lu also want to commission something from him?

At the thought, Wen Xi's heart thumped a couple of times with excitement.

As soon as he climbed into the carriage, Madam Lu patted the seat beside her and smiled at him, saying, "Come sit for a while."

The dim yellow lamp hanging from the carriage ceiling made Madam Lu look all kind and benevolent, far more approachable than she'd seemed on the boat.

These ladies always kept up their refined manners in public. Not sure what she was getting at, Wen Xi sat down formally, offered his greetings, and then asked, "May I ask what you wished to see me about?"

Madam Lu said amiably, "I've looked carefully at the sachets and pouches you've embroidered. Your needlework is finer than what Hongwen's mother and I have made at the embroidery shops outside. Besides these small items, do you know how to make anything else?"

Wen Xi wasn't sure what she meant by "anything else," so he answered honestly, "I can embroider most small items. As for larger pieces, I'm still slowly learning and don't dare try them yet."

"You're quite straightforward." Madam Lu smiled and asked him, "Do you know how to make scholar's satchels and brush cases?"

"I've seen people use them in the streets, but I've never made one myself." As someone who made a living from embroidery, admitting he couldn't do this or that made him sound like he wasn't very skilled. Afraid Madam Lu would be dissatisfied, he added hastily, "If you need them, I can make a sample with my own fabric first. If you look at it and think it's suitable, then you can decide."

"That's not a bad idea." Madam Lu said, "My nephew from my maiden family just passed the prefectural examination. I want to give him a set of things for his studies—pouches and fan cases go without saying, of course, but scholar's satchels, brush cases, bookmarks, and the like are just as essential. Go back and give it a try. If what you make pleases me, I'll place an order with you."

Wen Xi's heart leaped with joy, but he only smiled slightly on the surface. "Very well. When I deliver the pouches to Young Master Lin, I'll bring yours along as well."

Having said what she needed to say, Madam Lu didn't keep him any longer. "It's getting late. Go back to the inn with your husband and get some rest."

Wen Xi acknowledged her words, rose, and lifted the curtain to step down. Before his foot even hit the ground, Yan Fengan's hand was already there to steady him.

As their hands clasped together, Wen Xi smiled involuntarily. Without a single word, the joy naturally spread to Yan Fengan.

Once Wen Xi was steady on his feet, Yan Fengan clasped his hands toward Lu Xiuyuan and said, "Until we meet again, Brother Lu."

Lu Xiuyuan raised his hand in return.

After the two had walked off, Lu Xiuyuan didn't immediately climb back into the carriage. Instead, he watched their retreating figures for a moment.

That husband of Yan Fengan's looked quiet and refined, but he was surprisingly bold—wrapping his arm around Yan Fengan's right there on the main street, looking as intimate as could be.

In the deep darkness, he couldn't make out Yan Fengan's expression, but he could guess it—a face full of indulgence and doting affection.

Lu Xiuyuan curled his lip. Truly, you can't judge a person by their appearance. Not only was Yan Fengan's husband skilled at embroidery, he was also very good at managing his man.

He wondered what talents this fellow possessed to have shaped such an insufferable person into someone so agreeable.

"Yuan'er, why haven't you come up yet?" Madam Lu's voice came from inside the carriage.

"Coming." Lu Xiuyuan quickly withdrew his gaze and climbed back into the carriage.

His mouth was turned down in a pout, and Madam Lu noticed, frowning slightly. "What are you unhappy about now, for no good reason?"

"I'm not unhappy about anything."

Seeing his mother still staring at him, Lu Xiuyuan said grudgingly, "I'm just a little envious of them."

Madam Lu covered her mouth and laughed. "So my son's heart is stirring with spring feelings."

"Mother!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop." Knowing her son was thin-skinned and couldn't take teasing, she dropped the subject and turned to business. "Your matter with Zhao Ge'er really should be settled soon."

Lu Xiuyuan glanced down at the peach-blossom sachet hanging at his waist and asked his mother, "When are you and Father planning to go to the Lin family to propose?"

"We'll discuss it once your father isn't so busy." Seeing his displeased expression again, Madam Lu sighed. "If you truly want to bring Zhao Ge'er home soon, you need to work harder yourself. Setting everything else aside, at least your monthly examinations at the academy should be presentable. Didn't you say Scholar Yan is willing to teach you? Then study properly under him. Your father and I don't expect you to earn any official rank, but you can't keep scoring at the bottom every time and making us lose face in front of your Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin."

Lu Xiuyuan protested, "I don't score at the bottom every time!"

"Is scoring fourth place any different from last place? Your Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin care greatly about appearances. With grades like yours, how could your father and I have the face to go propose? Never mind first rank—can't you at least aim for second or third?"

At the mention of her son's studies, even the usually even-tempered Madam Lu grew frustrated and reached out to twist Lu Xiuyuan's ear. "All you do is eat, drink, and have fun all day. They'd be mad to marry Zhao Ge'er to you."

Lu Xiuyuan rubbed his ear, and for once, didn't argue back.

After a night's rest at the inn, the next day Yan Fengan accompanied Wen Xi back to Daoxiang Village, where the whole family gathered together to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

The first thing Wen Xi did upon returning home was to give the money earned from selling fans and five-colored silk cords to He Jin. He and Li Wan had made the items, so how to split the money was up to the two of them.

As for the silver Wen Xi had earned, after deducting the ten taels spent on materials earlier, he had twenty-eight taels left.

He Jin and the others had helped make the pouches, so logically, they deserved a share of the silver, but how exactly to divide it had Wen Xi scratching his head.

Fortunately, Yan Fengan was home these days, so the young couple could hash out the money-splitting issue properly.

Wen Xi planned to keep doing embroidery long-term, and he'd definitely need his two sisters-in-law's help down the road. If they didn't agree on the terms upfront, wouldn't they be stuck in this same bind every time they made money?

Selling the goods depended on Yan Fengan's connections and Wen Xi's skills, so the biggest cut naturally should go to the two of them. As for the two sisters-in-law, Yan Fengan found it a real headache too—if they gave too much, Wen Xi would get shortchanged, while giving too little might leave them feeling dissatisfied.

Since this was the first time they'd earned so much silver, it was only fair to let the two sisters-in-law get in on the joy. He had Wen Xi stash away the twenty taels as a lump sum, and take out the remaining eight taels to split fifty-fifty between He Jin and Li Wan.

As for the future, he wasn't sure how to divide things fairly, so he just did what Wen Xi would do, calling the two sisters-in-law over, first handing out this round of silver to them, and while the two were delighted, Yan Fengan laid out his and Wen Xi's thoughts plainly.

He Jin and Li Wan were over the moon, clutching the silver in their hands. When they heard the third brother say he and Wen Xi were stressing over how to split future earnings, He Jin said, "How about we divide by proportion? For small items, you and Wen Xi take sixty percent, and I and the eldest sister-in-law each take twenty percent. For bigger pieces Wen Xi isn't good at yet, he and I each take forty percent, and the eldest sister-in-law takes twenty percent for helping out. What do you all think?"

"I'm fine with that—Xiao Jin could take thirty percent and I ten percent, for all I care." Li Wan knew she was benefiting from the two brothers-in-law in the family; just this Dragon Boat Festival she'd earned more than she normally would in a year, so at this point she'd just go along with whatever Wen Xi and the others decided.

This way of splitting meant nobody got the short end of the stick. Since both sisters-in-law agreed, Wen Xi decided to use this method for all future earnings.

Chen Lanfang stood outside listening for a while, and seeing how considerate they all were with each other, she felt a warm glow inside.

In the hard times before, the family had never quarreled, so it wouldn't be right to start bickering now that they were making money. Fortunately, the three daughters-in-law, each with their own personality, knew what mattered most.

With their wives happy, Yan Wangchun and Yan Fuqiu were naturally happy too. The two brothers had plenty of muscle to spare, and it was no trouble for the wives and brothers-in-law to do a bit less of the field work. As long as the whole family pulled together as one, life would surely get better.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, Wen Xi began working on the pouches and sachets Lin Zhaozhao had ordered, as well as the zhaowen bags and pen curtains that Madam Lu had mentioned.

Wen Xi hadn't seen many zhaowen bags or pen curtains, but Yan Fengan's wardrobe happened to have such items, so he could try making them by following those examples. If that failed, there was always He Jin to help.

The zhaowen bags and pen curtains were from the previous person's belongings—Yan Fengan never went in for such fancy trinkets. Thinking of that person's performance at the academy, he curled his lips in a mocking smile.

That fellow's studies were mediocre, but he certainly knew how to buy all sorts of useless knick-knacks.

When the holiday ended, Yan Fengan returned to the academy, and life went on as usual, no different from before, except that Lu Xiuyuan came to his study more frequently than before.

In the past, he and Lin Hongwen were the type to work in fits and starts, only showing up at his study to cram the two days before exams, rarely setting foot there otherwise.

If people weren't willing to learn, Yan Fengan naturally wouldn't push himself on them. He'd thought the matter would just fizzle out, but then Lu Xiuyuan started seeking him out again.

However, this fellow wasn't as straightforward as Lin Hongwen. Every time he came for lessons, he had an air of "It's not that I don't know, I just don't feel like thinking."

After spending time with him, Yan Fengan could see that he was merely awkward in temperament, not ill-natured. Yan Fengan wouldn't deliberately expose his little pretenses, simply teaching him seriously, and over time, the fellow gradually became more normal.

Fang Mutian would sometimes sit quietly nearby, listening. When he heard Yan Fengan teaching Lu Xiuyuan how to construct arguments and write essays for high marks, he couldn't help but share his own study methods. The three of them discussing together actually had a semblance of genuine scholarly pursuit.

Sometimes Lu Xiuyuan would offer his own ideas. Yan Fengan wasn't like the dean and the instructors, who would criticize him harshly, calling his writing nonsense and occasionally reporting to his father. Instead, he would first acknowledge what Lu Xiuyuan had gotten right, then gradually correct his mistakes.

Lu Xiuyuan wasn't a stupid person; he'd just been worn down by constant criticism, growing weary of studying and even giving up on himself, resigning to being the hopeless case his father called him.

When he saw people like Yan Fengan and Fang Mutian getting first-class marks, he'd silently console himself—what good did their achievements do? As long as they didn't pass the provincial exam and become officials, they weren't all that impressive. His family had more money than they could spend, so why should he work as hard as these poor folks?

He knew such thinking was wrong, but if he didn't think that way, how could he feel any better?

After Yan Fengan broke down his essay-writing approach and taught it to him piece by piece, Lu Xiuyuan finally began to grasp the knack. His writing wasn't anything special, but at least it read smoothly to him.

For his small progress, Yan Fengan offered some encouragement, circling the confusing parts of his essay while praising him a bit.

When Lu Xiuyuan left the study, he wore a smile and walked more briskly than usual.

Once the footsteps outside faded, Fang Mutian lay on the bed and let out a long sigh: "Good heavens, this is more exhausting than babysitting. Brother Yan, you really have the patience of a saint."

"Not too bad—he's not that hard to teach."

Lu Xiuyuan could understand what he said and didn't argue excessively, which was already rare enough.

Even if such a person were rotten wood, Yan Fengan would still take the chisel and carve him into something beautiful.