As Luo Wenqian saw Zhen Niang at the door, he turned back to hear Madam Wang say, “You should have less contact with the Li family’s daughter from now on.”
“Why?” Luo Wenqian frowned, feeling that his aunt was overstepping her bounds.
“When hens crow at dawn, it brings ill fortune to the household. The Li family clan is strange—their men have difficult fates, while their women are all exceptionally strong. It’s rather inauspicious. I’m saying this for your good, as you’re the only remaining bloodline of the Luo family now,” Madam Wang explained.
“Aunt, that’s rather alarmist. In the ink-making business, many people died searching for pine soot, not just those from the Li family. Even our Luo family lost two grand-uncles to this pursuit. What does this have to do with fate? It was simply due to the dangers of pine soot collection. Now, the Li family has started focusing on lampblack ink production, and with their existing pine farms, there will be less need for pine soot collection, thus reducing the dangers. Aunt, you should refrain from spreading such talk—it wouldn’t do well for others to hear it.”
Luo Wenqian, displeased with his aunt’s words, responded with a stern expression.
“Better to be overly cautious than regretful. Besides, the Li family’s daughter is simply too strong-willed. You have no elders now, so your aunt must worry about these things for you,” Madam Wang sighed.
“Thank you for your concern, aunt. I know what I’m doing,” Luo Wenqian replied indifferently.
Seeing that Luo Wenqian wasn’t taking her words to heart, Madam Wang waved her hand dismissively. “Ah, those who don’t heed elderly advice will soon face consequences. Never mind, saying more would be pointless.” After considering the strained relationship between the Wang and Luo families, she added, “By the way, Wenqian, come to your uncle’s house for dinner tonight. Your aunt is cooking personally. We’re family after all—let’s have a good talk and clear up any misunderstandings.”
Finally, she revealed her main purpose for visiting today.
“My mother never set foot in the Wang family’s house again, and neither will I in this lifetime. Please understand, aunt,” Luo Wenqian replied coldly.
“You… It seems I don’t have enough face to make this request.” Madam Wang’s expression finally changed. She turned to Wan’er, “Wan’er, let’s go home.”
Wang Wan’er shrunk her neck and secretly waved goodbye to Luo Wenqian, clearly asking him not to be angry, before supporting Madam Wang as they left.
Luo Wenqian silently saw them out. Although his aunt had stood by his mother’s side in the past, she ultimately still sided with the Wang family. Some matters simply couldn’t be left to her discretion.
The parting was decidedly unhappy.
As the sun set, the evening glow reflected off the scattered lights along the Qinhuai River, creating an indescribably beautiful scene. The shops along the official street began closing one by one.
Zhen Niang helped the workers close the shop and returned to the wooden building in the second courtyard.
Madam Huang had just returned from the ink workshop. She now oversaw all the ink mold carving at the workshop. Compared to her days as the second mistress in Huizhou, her life was considerably more demanding now, but it was fulfilling. Working with several apprentices and watching them grow was like a farmer watching crops flourish in the fields—it brought a sense of joy.
Currently, Madam Huang had changed into casual clothes and was drinking white fungus and lotus seed soup in the small hall. Seeing Zhen Niang enter, she quickly asked Ma Sao to fetch another bowl, then beckoned Zhen Niang to sit beside her.
“Did the negotiations with the Zhu family go well?” Madam Huang asked.
“Yes, they did. I sent Er’gou to help them for a while,” Zhen Niang replied. As Ma Sao brought in the white fungus soup, Zhen Niang, who had been busy all day, was quite hungry and quickly finished the soup.
Amused, Madam Huang told Ma Sao, “Tell the kitchen that as the days are getting longer and warmer, they should prepare some soup for everyone in the afternoon to tide them over.”
“No need, Second Miss Zhen already gave those instructions the day before yesterday. We’ve been doing it these past few days, but Miss Zhen was too busy today to have any,” Ma Sao replied before collecting their bowls and leaving.
“Child, you must take care of yourself no matter how busy you are,” Madam Huang pretended to scold. Zhen Niang naturally assumed an obedient expression.
“Zhen Niang, today Madam Gong and Madam Yao from next door came to see me,” Madam Huang said with a smile, seemingly wanting to tease her. Since coming to Nanjing, Madam Huang’s personality has become increasingly vibrant, quite different from her former reserved nature.
Knowing her aunt wanted to see her anxious expression, Zhen Niang remained calm inside. The Li family’s main line, from Seventh Grandmother down, had always been very particular about matches, and wouldn’t easily discuss marriage unless the candidate was truly suitable.
However, willing to play along with her aunt’s expectations, Zhen Niang feigned surprise and anxiety: “How did you respond, Second Aunt?”
But Zhen Niang’s expression was so exaggerated that Madam Huang saw right through it and laughed, giving her a playful punch: “You little rascal…”
Then, assuming a serious expression, she continued, “Zhen Niang, although your marriage situation is somewhat difficult, marriage is a lifelong commitment and shouldn’t be rushed into carelessly. Your Seventh Grandmother specifically told me before leaving that in your situation, the more urgent it seems, the more careful we must be. Of the two proposals, Madam Yao’s candidate wanting to marry into our family is impossible, given that you have both an older brother and a younger brother. As for Madam Gong’s candidate, from what I understand, he’s likely to inherit his father’s position as a legal advisor. While being a legal advisor is a decent profession, it carries significant risks. Moreover, such a position requires following one’s patron, meaning an unstable residence. It’s concerning. Besides, these are all secondhand accounts, and with the family being in Shaoxing, it’s difficult to verify the details. Therefore, being cautious, I declined. After all, you are tied to the prosperity of the Li family’s ink business. We won’t consider anyone unless we’re very confident about them. You don’t blame your Second Aunt, do you?”
“Listen to how Second Aunt speaks—I know clearly what I’m looking for, and they’re simply not suitable,” Zhen Niang replied with a slight smile.
When thinking of suitable candidates, Zhen Niang sometimes thought of Luo Jiu. He was now alone, and with his background in ink-making, he truly understood the business. Their personalities seemed compatible as well, though Zhen Niang’s thoughts on this were more rational than emotional.
“Good, I’m glad you understand,” Madam Huang said, then after glancing at Zhen Niang, continued, “Speaking of which, your First Aunt mentioned again about you and Bai’er. However, precisely because we’re all relatives, we shouldn’t meddle too much, lest we end up creating enemies instead of forming marriage ties. Since you’re in Nanjing now, you might as well spend more time with your uncle’s family. If you find it suitable, seize the opportunity. If not, we won’t mention it—relatives visiting each other is normal anyway.”
Zhen Niang couldn’t help but pat her forehead, wondering if she should find a fortune teller to see if she was entering a period of romantic fortune. How else could she explain having so many people discussing her marriage prospects in a single day?
She joked, “Since Second Aunt puts it that way, I’ll go visit Second Cousin at Uncle’s house tomorrow for a chat.”
“So eager?” Madam Huang teased.
Zhen Niang rolled her eyes: “Not for that reason. Currently, at the ink shop, our liquid ink sells best, but other varieties aren’t moving well—sales just won’t increase. I was thinking of asking Second Cousin to help me meet with Instructor Zhao. I want to donate a batch of Li ink to the academy.”
“Donate a batch of Li ink? How much would that be? Wouldn’t that increase our costs significantly?” Madam Huang, not being well-versed in business matters, felt that even if they couldn’t sell the ink, keeping it at home meant they still had inventory, as solid ink could be stored for long periods. If they donated it, they’d lose both the goods and potential income—it seemed uneconomical.
“You have to spend money to make money,” Zhen Niang said, her eyes gleaming as she explained to Madam Huang: “Think about it, Second Aunt—what kind of place is an academy? In scholars’ eyes, it’s an authority. If the academy uses our ink, the students there might want to use our ink too. This way, we can create an impression of Li ink being orthodox. Students will influence those around them, and naturally, Li ink will gain recognition. Additionally, I want to set up a donation program to provide writing materials, including brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, to impoverished students. This is a long-term investment—in the future, if even one of these students passes the provincial or imperial examinations, the returns for Li ink would be significant…”
As Madam Huang listened to Zhen Niang’s analysis, she began to understand the strategy.
Tian Ink achieved its current position entirely due to its imperial examination contribution status, so Li Ink taking the academic route could indeed be a shortcut: “Good, go ahead with your plans. Second Aunt supports you. If there’s not enough funding, I’ll speak with your Seventh Grandmother—we’ll sell everything we have if needed to make this work.”
“Don’t worry, with the liquid ink supporting us, plus the profits previously shared from Uncle’s side, we have sufficient funds. If we need more, we can still take loans—we won’t need to rely on Huizhou,” Zhen Niang replied. When they came to Nanjing, they had brought all their assets from Huizhou, so there wasn’t much left there anyway.
After chatting a bit more, they had dinner.
After dinner, while there was still some light in the sky, Zhen Niang took a walk in the back courtyard and saw Ugly Granny sweeping with a broom.
“Good evening, Granny,” Zhen Niang greeted.
“Mm,” Ugly Granny responded with her usual expressionless face.
Ugly Granny was always like this, so Zhen Niang didn’t mind.
She stood by the well, stretching her waist and kicking her legs.
“Did you quarrel with that Luo boy?” Ugly Granny suddenly asked.
“No,” Zhen Niang replied with surprise, wondering why Ugly Granny would suddenly ask this.
“I was sweeping outside this morning and saw that boy leave the ink shop with a dark face. I thought you had quarreled,” Ugly Granny said, maintaining her cold expression.
“It wasn’t a quarrel, just a small disagreement. He wanted to buy the land from my uncle, but my Uncle had already sold it to the Xu family. Young Master Luo might have been a bit upset about that. I went to explain it to him later. Oh, and a Madam Wang from his family’s side came from Huizhou,” Zhen Niang replied.
Zhen Niang was just making casual conversation, feeling that the aunt seemed to dislike her, though she couldn’t understand why, as she hadn’t done anything to offend her.
Ugly Granny continued sweeping, but paused briefly when Zhen Niang mentioned Madam Wang, then gave a cold snort: “That Luo boy is alone now, with both a gold mine and money shop in his hands. Who wouldn’t be eyeing that? The Wang family probably can’t sit still either.”