“Wei Youshan came from a poor farming family. Though his family was impoverished, he was naturally intelligent. After working during the day, he would secretly attend classes to listen and learn. At a young age, he passed the preliminary imperial exam and became a tongsheng. Wei Youshan hoped his clan would support him in studying for the xiucai exam, but the clan leader said they could only afford to provide travel expenses for the exam itself; daily study expenses were beyond their means.”

“Wei Youshan had no money to support his daily studies, so he left Wei family village and went to Jiangnian County to find a job copying books. He barely made ends meet to support his studies. Two years ago, Wei Youshan came to Hedong Prefecture to take the academy exam. He arrived six months early and, while copying books and selling poetry here, he continued studying. Eventually, he passed the xiucai exam and entered the Jiangnian County school to continue his studies.”

“Because Wei Youshan passed the imperial examination and was still young and unmarried, many people came to propose marriage to him. The woman he finally decided to marry was the daughter of a wealthy businessman named Qiao in Jiangnian County. The two of them had gone through the formalities of marriage, with three matchmakers and six engagements. A few days before the wedding, the Qiao family discussed with Wei Youshan the carriage and gifts for the wedding day, but they discovered that Wei Youshan was not in the small courtyard that the Qiao family had bought for him.”

“At first, the Qiao family thought Wei Youshan had gone out for something, but they hadn’t seen him for two consecutive days. When they went to the county school to inquire, neither the teachers nor the classmates had seen him. Only the neighbors said that they heard what seemed to be an argument in Wei Youshan’s courtyard that morning, and then there was no movement. But they didn’t worry about who had come or when Wei Youshan had left.”

“After hearing about this, the Qiao family feared Wei Youshan had been murdered by a villain, so they searched everywhere for him. They found nothing, so they reported his disappearance to the county government and even posted a reward notice at the gate of the county town, hoping to find him. Over a month later, Wei Youshan’s body was found in a well in Hedong Prefecture.”

After listening to Xing’an’s story, He Yanxiu nodded. “I remember hearing Magistrate Qu mention something about clothes. Was there anything unusual?”

He Yanxiu was busy keeping an eye on the Mint and didn’t worry about anything else. He only overheard a few words, but didn’t take them seriously.

As a personal servant, Xing’an naturally served as He Yanxiu’s eyes and ears, so he kept an eye on these matters and inquired thoroughly.

“The clothes were ordinary, but they didn’t seem to fit well; they seemed a bit too long,” Xing’an said. “But speaking of the clothes, the material seemed good, and the workmanship was quite exquisite. Wei Youshan, poor as he was, couldn’t afford such fine clothes. I wonder if the Qiao family bought them for him…”

“I see,” He Yanxiu nodded slightly.

Seeing He Yanxiu’s reaction, Xing’an was puzzled. “What do you mean, Second Master?”

“Go and do something,”

He Yanxiu instructed.

—

Su Yujin’s suan luobo lao ya tang was quickly served.

During the stew, she suddenly changed her mind and decided to use the soup as a base for a vegetable hot pot.

The duck meat was slightly cool. In spring, drinking duck soup could reduce internal heat and soothe irritation. Adding some vegetables cooked by dipping them in the broth made the flavor light and the taste pleasant.

Su Yujin asked Ai Cao and Qing Kui to prepare tofu, spring bamboo shoots, spinach, lotus root slices, and other vegetables suitable for hot pot.

Ai Cao hesitated for a moment and then spoke, “Miss, just now, when you were busy in the kitchen, the Second Master came over. Seeing that these two clothes were made for him, he asked Xing’an to take the clothes back first.”

“Ok.” Su Yujin nodded.

It saved her from having to go there again.

“Did the Second Master say whether the clothes were suitable?”

“No…”

But his face didn’t look good when he left.

When Ai Cao hesitated to tell Su Yujin about He Yanxiu’s serious expression when he saw the mandarin duck purse, He Yanxiu and Xing’an had already entered the house.

“I made the soup base out of suan luobo lao ya tang and prepared to eat it as a dipping sauce. I was wondering if the Second Master would like it and was thinking about whether to ask him to come over for lunch.”

Su Yujin smiled very flatteringly.

“What a coincidence! I was just wondering what you were making for dinner tonight, and I wanted to try some.” He Yanxiu sniffed the aroma emanating from the pot. “It seems quite good.”

The sour aroma of pickled radish and the delicate fragrance of duck lingered in his nostrils, making his mouth water.

He Yanxiu suddenly felt hungry, and he was eager for dinner. He sat down and, before Su Yujin had even lifted the lid of the clay pot, he eagerly picked up his chopsticks, ready to dig in.

Seeing He Yanxiu’s faint smile, his eyes filled with his usual gentleness, Ai Cao blinked.

Why did the Second Master not look unhappy at all, but rather… happy?

Could it be that the Second Master’s unhappy expression earlier was simply a misunderstanding?

Ai Cao scratched her ear and went back to preparing tofu skin, white jade mushrooms, and other food, while also rolling out some noodles.

Finishing off a hot pot with some noodles was the most satisfying experience.

The fourth month’s beauty had faded, especially after last night’s light rain, leaving the ground covered in a blanket of colorful flower petals.

The fifth month’s heat set in, and people switched to lighter summer clothes. Many people pre-order summer clothes at this time, keeping Linglong Pavilion bustling with activity.

They needed to stock up on cloth and various silk threads, take orders, take measurements, return to cut, embroider, and sew, then wash, iron, and deliver to customers.

The busiest workers at this time were the embroiderers.

Dozens of them bustled in the embroidery room, their delicate, smooth needles threading long strands of silk, bringing a variety of designs to life across the smooth, stretched fabric.

Only Madam Fang, lost in thought, stared at the petals falling outside.

Madam Yun, standing by, patted her. “Why are you still daydreaming? If you don’t finish this work, I’m afraid you won’t even have time for dinner.”

She added, “You seem lost in thought these past few days, and your work is slow. You can still catch up by staying up late at night, but embroidering under an oil lamp like this is really bad for your eyes. Even if you don’t make much money, your eyes will be ruined in a few years.”

So be it. After all, she didn’t want to be an embroiderer anymore, embroidering clothes for others.

Seeing that Madam Fang was unmoved by her pleas, Madam Yun grew increasingly worried. “You used to be so diligent, refusing even a break for tea. You’d take on more work after finishing your own. Why have you been so lazy lately?”

“Could it be that the money isn’t tempting you anymore, that it’s no longer enough to motivate you to earn more?” Madam Yun quipped.

Yes.

The money really wasn’t tempting enough anymore.

This silver was smelly, and anyone who touched it became fetid.

Madam Fang bit her lower lip, and a few blood beads came out.

(End of this chapter)

---