Let’s leave aside Old Shopkeeper Li’s trip to the ink workshop for now.
A few days later, news of Luo Longwen’s imprisonment spread far and wide. The Luo family was once again thrust into the spotlight. The entire Huizhou ink industry’s atmosphere had taken on a strange tenor.
There was a sense that a storm was brewing.
The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month was the day to send off the Kitchen God.
“A cup of clear tea and a wisp of smoke, sending the Kitchen God up to the heavenly realm. If the Jade Emperor asks about mortal affairs, tell him life down here is truly pitiful…” Early in the morning, Old Shopkeeper Li led the Li family in setting up an altar to send off the Kitchen God.
“Grandfather is lying, life isn’t pitiful at all,” Little Xiaoguan, bundled up in thick clothes and looking quite round, declared as he bowed alongside everyone else at the altar.
The boy had only recently started speaking clearly and now chattered endlessly. Upon hearing his great-grandfather’s words, he immediately objected. He had no memory of the family’s previous hardships. Now, with their coal stove business, the family had solved their basic needs and was steadily moving toward prosperity. Therefore, the little one felt life wasn’t pitiful at all—compared to most households around the city gate, the Li family was now quite well-off.
“What do you know, little one? Grandfather is telling the Kitchen God to cry poverty before the Jade Emperor so that we’ll have an even better year ahead. Otherwise, if the Jade Emperor thinks mortal life is too comfortable, he might stop paying attention. What then if disasters and illnesses come? There’s no harm in crying a bit of poverty,” Xige lectured his nephew with a serious face and elderly manner.
The uncle and nephew’s exchange brought knowing smiles to everyone’s faces.
This was another manifestation of the saying that the crying child gets the candy.
After sending off the Kitchen God, the family busied themselves with cleaning.
Zhenniang gathered all the replaced curtains and clothes from the house into a large bamboo basket and headed to the Xihe Bridge outside the city gate to wash them.
On the twenty-fourth, every household would be doing laundry, making the Xihe Bridge area extremely lively.
Just as Zhenniang reached the bridge, a horse suddenly galloped past, nearly hitting her. Though she managed to dodge quickly, the racing horse still gave her quite a shock.
“What kind of riding is that?” Zhenniang grumbled angrily.
The rider stopped some distance away, pulled the reins to make the horse rear up, turned around, and galloped back to Zhenniang before dismounting.
Only then did Zhenniang see it was the Luo family’s young master, Luo Wenqian. The current Luo Wenqian no longer had his previous young master’s debonair appearance. Stubble covered his chin, and he looked quite haggard. His eyes were bloodshot.
“My apologies, Miss Li. I was in too much of a hurry,” Luo Wenqian cupped his hands in greeting.
“No need for formalities, Young Master Luo. It’s fine,” seeing Luo Wenqian’s state, Zhenniang couldn’t bring herself to complain further and politely replied.
“That’s good, that’s good.” Luo Wenqian had something on his mind, repeating “That’s good” twice. Though it seemed like a response to Zhenniang, she felt he was talking to himself.
Having no real connection to the situation, Zhenniang prepared to head down the riverbank with her basket.
“Do you think my Luo family can survive this crisis?” Luo Wenqian asked from behind… Was he asking her? Zhenniang turned back in surprise. Logically, she shouldn’t have any answer to such a question, yet she did know. But why would Luo Wenqian ask her of all people?
“Ah, never mind.” Seeing Zhenniang’s surprised expression, Luo Wenqian realized his impropriety. The question had been weighing heavily on his mind, and since Zhenniang had previously predicted his family’s troubles, he had unconsciously voiced it.
“Oh.” Zhenniang nodded and turned to continue walking. After a few steps, she stopped and turned back: “My grandfather once said that before planning for victory, one should plan for defeat. In any case, imagine the worst scenario and prepare for it—then things can’t get much worse than what you’ve prepared for.”
Zhenniang ultimately decided to give this warning.
Truthfully, when reading historical materials before, the life and death of historical figures hadn’t seemed significant. But now, living in this era, she realized these historical figures were all living, breathing people.
Maintaining complete detachment and indifference was difficult.
So, she gave what warning she could, if only for peace of mind.
“Zhenniang, are you alright?” As Zhenniang carried her basket down the riverbank, Madam Huaide from across the street, who was washing bedding, called out. Everyone had witnessed the incident on the riverbank, so she asked with concern.
“I’m fine,” Zhenniang replied, squatting next to Madam Huaide and taking out her curtains and clothes to wash.
“By the way, that was the Luo family’s young master, right? I heard his family’s in trouble,” another woman said mysteriously.
“Sister Damin, who doesn’t know about that? Why are you being so mysterious?” Madam Ma chimed in from another spot. Then she pursed her lips: “Don’t make a fuss about it. This isn’t the Luo family’s first crisis. With the Yan family’s influence, who knows? In a few days, Master Luo might be released, and nothing will happen to the Luo family.”
“Madam Ma, this time seems different. These days, the Luo family’s young master has been going back and forth through the city gate, moving things out of their house. I suspect the Luo family is in real danger this time,” Madam Huaide said.
“Ah, forget it, who can tell how these things will turn out until the end?” Madam Ma waved her hand, then smiled at Zhenniang: “Zhenniang, you’re the farsighted one. You presented medicinal ink and connected with Lord Yan. Once the Luo family falls, the tribute ink business will surely go to the Li family.”
“Auntie, I can’t accept what you’re saying. What do you mean by ‘connecting with Lord Yan’? That doesn’t sound right at all. Lord Yan heard about my medicinal ink and summoned me to present it—could I refuse? As for the tribute ink business, with or without the Luo family, the Li family will compete in every selection. Whether we succeed or not is another matter, but we rely on the Li family’s centuries of ink-making reputation and skill, not on ‘connecting’ with anyone.”
Zhenniang replied. Although the Luo family’s troubles might increase the Li family’s chances of getting the tribute ink business, success would still depend on the true capability of Li ink.
Madam Ma’s words made it sound as if any future success of the Li Ink Workshop would be entirely due to Zhenniang’s efforts. Her words carried dangerous implications.
This needed to be clarified.
The relationship between the Li family’s eighth and seventh branches had only recently improved slightly. If such talk spreads, it could stir up more gossip.
One must remember that idle talk cuts like a knife.
“Alright, alright, let’s not discuss such matters,” Madam Huaide intervened, seeing the conversation growing tense.
Madam Ma grumbled discontentedly: “Young girls these days, all of them with sharp tongues.” She then went back to beating her laundry.
The atmosphere remained uncomfortable.
“By the way, have you heard about the Sun family?” Sister Damin changed the subject.
Madam Huaide quickly responded: “Which Sun family?”
“The Sun family that used to live next door to Zhenniang’s house,” Sister Damin explained.
“What happened to them?” Madam Ma immediately asked with interest. Zhenniang also turned to listen. Sister Yuejuan had been her good friend, but since her mother’s failed matchmaking attempt, their relationship had grown as distant as strangers. Now she was curious about what had happened to the Sun family. She recalled how half a year ago, Sun Yuejuan had followed her brother.
“People change when they get money. When the Sun family lived here by the city gate, though times were tight, their two sons were hardworking. But after moving away from the city gate and gaining some wealth, their eldest son went bad. I heard he became involved with a woman of questionable reputation, and recently he even openly married her. Sun Dahe was so angry he nearly beat him to death…”
Sister Damin’s face reddened as she spoke.
Her husband, Cheng Damin, had been quite close with the Sun family’s sons and knew the details well.
“What do you know? I know about this matter. The Sun family’s eldest son calculated quite well. As soon as this wife entered the household, he set up a separate residence outside. Though Sun’s eldest might wear a green hat, he’s gained some benefits. In life, that’s what’s most important,” Madam Ma said.
Hearing this kind of matter, Zhenniang remained indifferent. One gets what one deserves—nothing more to say.
Just then, urgent calls came from the riverbank: “Zhenniang, Zhenniang…”
Zhenniang stood up and looked—speak of the devil, just as they were discussing the Sun family, Sun Yuejuan appeared.
“Yuejuan? I’m here,” Zhenniang responded.
The gossiping women stopped talking when they saw Sun Yuejuan arrive.
“Come up here, it’s urgent, a matter of life and death!” Sun Yuejuan called, jumping up and down.
Hearing the words “life and death,” Zhenniang knew it was serious. She asked Madam Huaide to watch her things and ran up the riverbank: “Yuejuan, what’s happened?”
“The Li family’s Old Madam wants to break my elder brother’s legs and send him to the authorities. Zhenniang, my father, and my second brother are still being held at the ink workshop. My mother and I have tried everything we can think of, but we’re out of options. We had no choice but to come find you. Please speak to Old Madam on our behalf.”
The Old Madam Sun Yuejuan mentioned was naturally Zhenniang’s seventh grandmother.
“Why?” Zhenniang asked. She had some understanding of her seventh grandmother’s character by now—this must have happened for a reason.
“They say my elder brother stole the formula for the superior lacquer smoke ink.” Sun Yuejuan said, then quickly added: “I think there must be some misunderstanding…”
Zhenniang fell silent. The formula was the lifeblood of an ink workshop. If it truly involved the formula, forget outsiders like the Sun family—even if family members were involved, they’d be lucky to escape with their skin intact.
“Yuejuan, I’ll be straight with you. If this involves the formula, there are both national laws and family rules. Moreover, I’m just a junior—you should know how much weight my words carry. So, I can’t make any promises. I’ll first find out the specific situation. If I can speak up for you, I will, but if I can’t, you’ll have to understand,” Zhenniang said.
In her mind, she pondered the matter of Li’s eldest son. He had married a woman of questionable reputation—such women usually valued money above all else. Would she marry Li’s eldest without compensation?
Moreover, such women wouldn’t necessarily marry a man without family assets. Looking at it this way, the source of the money for the residence Li’s eldest son had set up became rather suspicious.
“Ah!” Sun Yuejuan responded with a sigh, stamped her foot, and hurriedly left.