At first hearing, these words seemed fine, but what kind of person was Pei Yan? How could he hesitate when answering her question?

Yu Tang grew suspicious, feeling his words seemed to be said merely to appease her and her father.

But before she could think more deeply, Pei Yan asked, “What were you doing at the county school?”

Yu Tang’s surprise deepened.

Pei Yan didn’t seem like someone who concerned himself with such trivial details.

Asking this instead seemed like he was changing the subject.

So what was wrong with Gu Chang visiting Shen Shanyan?

Yu Tang was very curious. However, thinking that Pei Yan was unlikely to answer her confusion, Yu Tang didn’t ask. She explained why she had gone to the county school, specifically mentioning Li Jun: “I didn’t expect he’d returned to Lin’an City too.”

Rizhao was quite far from Lin’an—a round trip would take at least three months. Few people returned as quickly as Li Jun, especially since he had used the excuse of going to study when telling outsiders.

Pei Yan was clearly taken aback.

This made Yu Tang even more curious.

The Gu family had summoned Li Duan to lecture him, and Gu Chang and Li Jun had appeared in Lin’an City one after the other. To say there was no connection between these events seemed impossible to Yu Tang. Looking at Pei Yan’s reaction, there was clearly something suspicious going on.

She thought about how Pei Yan liked people to speak directly and was considering whether to ask Pei Yan now or ask him privately without her father present when A’Ming came running in, saying, “Third Master, Master Gu and Master Shen have come together to visit you!”

They had come so quickly!

Not only Yu Tang but even Yu Wen was somewhat bewildered.

Pei Yan, however, seemed to have anticipated this. He nodded calmly and said apologetically to the Yu father and daughter, “I’m sorry, let me go see them and then come back.”

Yu Wen and Yu Tang quickly rose to take their leave: “Master Gu rarely comes to Lin’an City, and we don’t have any urgent matters. We’ll visit you again after you’ve finished your business.”

Pei Yan didn’t insist they stay. He called Pei Man to see them out while he went to meet Gu Chang and Shen Shanyan.

On the way back, Yu Wen quietly discussed with Yu Tang, “Why do I feel that Third Master Pei and that Young Master Gu aren’t merely casual acquaintances? What do you think? Am I being overly suspicious?”

Yu Tang couldn’t help but mentally give her father a thumbs up.

Not only did she have this feeling, but she also felt Pei Yan seemed to have something weighing on his mind.

However, she felt that at the Pei family’s level, Pei Yan’s difficulties and troubles weren’t something people at their level could share. Rather than prying from the sidelines and inviting unnecessary trouble, it was better not to know.

“I didn’t sense that,” Yu Tang smiled and reassured her father. “Perhaps because both are accomplished at a young age, they’re always being compared by others, so although they’re not familiar and have no real relationship, they know of each other?”

She guessed irresponsibly, never imagining she would actually convince her father.

Yu Wen nodded and said, “What you say makes sense.” Then he put the matter aside and asked Yu Tang about when she and Yu Yuan planned to return to the Yu family’s old estate: “The weather is getting hotter. You might as well stay at the old estate for a few days. As for farm matters, we don’t expect you to know everything, but at least you should know what things affect the harvest in the fields, so that when it’s handed over to you in the future, no one will be able to deceive you!”

Yu Tang smiled with pressed lips and said, “We’ll go in the next couple of days.”

As for staying at the old estate for a few days, that also depended on whether her brother was willing!

Yu Yuan had just married, so of course he was unwilling to leave Miss Xiang at home alone while he ran off to the old estate for several days. Yu Tang urged him to bring Miss Xiang along: “Sister-in-law grew up on a farm estate. Perhaps she’s even more familiar with these matters than we are, and we can learn a thing or two from her.”

Yu Yuan’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He immediately used this as an excuse to secure the opportunity to bring Miss Xiang when returning to the old estate.

Although Wang Shi was shrewd, her shrewdness was mostly directed at outsiders, while she was quite lenient with family members. Yu Yuan’s excuse full of holes actually got Wang Shi’s agreement without any suspicion. Not only that, she also instructed Miss Xiang to take good care of Yu Tang: “You’re her sister-in-law!”

Miss Xiang naturally knew why she was going out with Yu Yuan. While finding it both amusing and exasperating, her heart was also sweet. She not only respectfully agreed to her mother-in-law’s words but also prepared plenty of food early on and kept urging Yu Tang to eat things during the journey.

Yu Tang cheerfully hooked her arm through Miss Xiang’s and sincerely consulted her about farm estate matters.

Miss Xiang didn’t hold anything back and told her everything, even saying, “You don’t need to worry too much. If you encounter any problems in the future, you can come directly and ask me.”

Yu Tang nodded repeatedly. After settling Miss Xiang at the Yu family’s old estate, she went with Yu Yuan to the mountain forest to see the several sea buckthorn trees transplanted from the Pei family.

The trees were growing lushly and seemed to have survived, but although they were originally expected to bear fruit, there wasn’t even a flower bud. The old man watching the forest muttered there, “How does this look like it can bear fruit? I think the young master and miss have been deceived!”

Although Yu Tang wasn’t certain either, she had made this decision entirely because Pei Yan had succeeded in her previous life, so even now when she heard someone grumbling, she wasn’t discouraged. After touring the mountain with Yu Yuan, they went to look at the fields and spoke with some experienced old farmers before returning to the old estate.

Miss Xiang had already directed the accompanying servants to prepare lunch. After eating, Yu Yuan took them fishing in the small stream… The several days at the Yu family’s old estate didn’t seem like going there to work but rather like going to play. When returning to the city, they even loaded half a cart with wild cherries, wild ducks, wild rice stems, and other things.

Chen Shi laughed and scolded them for being “mischievous” while having Nanny Chen help them unload the cart.

Yu Tang pointed to one of the bamboo baskets and said, “This is to send to the Pei family. Don’t put it all in the kitchen together.”

Chen Shi lifted the blue printed coarse cloth covering the bamboo basket to look, saying, “These are wild duck eggs, right? It would be wasteful to send them over like this. Better to pickle them into salted eggs first before sending them—with this kind of wild duck eggs, the yolks will definitely have that sandy texture when pickled.”

Yu Tang didn’t understand such things very well, so naturally she let Chen Shi handle it.

Miss Xiang had married in less than three months ago and was at the stage where she needed to make a good impression on her parents-in-law. Smiling, she offered to stay and help Chen Shi: “Aunt’s family also raises many ducks, and we often pickle salted eggs.”

Chen Shi was happy to give face to the new daughter-in-law. She not only agreed with a smile but also praised Miss Xiang thoroughly: “It’s good of you to be so enthusiastic. I’ll have Nanny Chen tell your mother-in-law, and you can have lunch here before going back.”

Yu Yuan felt sorry for his wife and wanted Miss Xiang to go back and rest quickly, but Yu Tang kept giving him meaningful looks. He could only squeeze Miss Xiang’s hand reassuringly and followed Yu Tang to the study. As soon as he stepped through the door, he asked Yu Tang, “What do you want to say? Why didn’t you say it on the road earlier?”

Having a wife really means losing a sister!

Yu Tang made a face at Yu Yuan and said in a low voice, “Brother, let’s find an opportunity to go to Suzhou City! I want to inquire about maritime trade business.”

For some reason, Suzhou had more people doing maritime trade than Hangzhou.

Yu Yuan’s heart jumped. He felt his sister was about to stir up trouble again, and his voice became somewhat tense: “Wh-why are you inquiring about this? Didn’t we agree before that our family wouldn’t do this business? Back then, Third Master even introduced us to the Song family! Didn’t you refuse?”

Yu Tang wanted to take this opportunity to board the Jiang family’s ship.

She said in a low voice, “I don’t want to do maritime trade business. I just want to invest a small share to earn a little money, using only our own private savings. I feel that to properly develop our family’s mountain forest will require quite a bit of silver.”

If they took silver directly from Yu Bo’s hands, how would that count as being self-reliant?

Most importantly, after the map auction, Yu Wen had treated them equally and given both her and Yu Yuan two thousand taels of silver each as pocket money.

This argument moved Yu Yuan.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “Let me go back and discuss it with your sister-in-law first.”

He needed to discuss this with Miss Xiang too?

Yu Tang was dumbfounded.

Yu Yuan said sheepishly, “Since we’re finally going to Suzhou City, let your sister-in-law go see the world too.”

Fine!

In her brother’s heart, her sister-in-law was most important.

Yu Tang glared at Yu Yuan, but in her heart, envy slowly spread.

In the afternoon, Miss Xiang helped Chen Shi pickle salted eggs, and Wang Shi, having nothing to do, also came over to join the fun.

Everyone mixed the plant ash in the courtyard.

Wang Shi chatted idly with Chen Shi: “Tell me, will Master Li be transferred laterally or promoted this time? The Li family main branch separated Li Duan’s family—I wonder if they regret it?”

Only then did Yu Tang learn that Li Duan’s father, Li Yi’s three-year term had ended and he had returned to the Ministry of Personnel in the capital to report on his work. The new Rizhao Prefect had already assumed office. Whether Li Yi would stay in the capital or continue to be posted elsewhere, whether he would be promoted or transferred laterally—these past few days, Lin’an City had been full of discussion, with everyone watching the Li residence. As for why Li Jun had returned, it was to transport back some of Li Yi’s belongings from his posting in Rizhao.

Everyone was saying, “What belongings? It’s probably silver he embezzled while in office! Isn’t there a saying—three years as a county magistrate brings a hundred thousand taels of silver? Master Li was a prefect, and he’s been prefect in several places!”

Chen Shi wasn’t very concerned about these matters, but if the Li family could maintain their current status, it would be more advantageous for the Yu family.

She casually mixed the plant ash, laughing, “Anyway, I think the Li family does things improperly. Look at Lin’an City—it’s not like no one else has served as an official, but has any family been like theirs, with rumors spreading about transporting silver back?”

Li Duan was currently in a rage over these rumors.

He raged at Li Jun, “I told you to send things back and you just send things back—how did rumors spread that our family transported a hundred thousand taels of silver back from Rizhao? Who spread these words? What kind of people are serving under you?”

Li Jun kept his head lowered without saying a word.

He was clearly three years younger than Li Duan, yet his demeanor at this moment was wooden, making him look two or three years more weathered than Li Duan. Those who didn’t know would think Li Jun was the older brother and Li Duan the younger.

Watching him, Li Duan couldn’t help but curse silently in his heart.

Ever since the incident with Wei Xiaoshan, Li Jun had been like someone deeply traumatized who had never recovered, lacking all vitality and spirit.

He paced irritably around the room several times, feeling his anger suppressed in his chest. He had just stopped and was about to have a proper talk with Li Jun when Lin Jue burst in.

Li Duan was very displeased.

This was the Li family, not the Lin family, yet Lin Jue entered their inner residence as if walking on level ground, as if no one ever stopped him.

But before he could show his displeasure on his face, Lin Jue had already said in a grave voice, “Duan, I’ve investigated the matter clearly. It was Peng Shiyi who spread the rumors.”