Yu Tang stood there alone letting her imagination run wild for quite a while, until Chen Shi called her to learn how to make Double Ninth cakes.

Glutinous rice and japonica rice that had been soaked overnight were ground into paste, red and green preserved fruits were cut into strips, brown sugar, chestnut powder, and lard were combined into a sweet mixture, layered in steamer baskets… The Double Ninth cakes her mother made were a bit different from other families’. Other families used red sugar, red beans, and lard for their mixture, but their family’s Double Ninth cakes used brown sugar and chestnut powder. This made the cakes white as snow, with the distinctive fragrance of chestnuts, and they weren’t greasy—especially favored by Yu Wen’s classmates and friends. Therefore, every Double Ninth Festival their family would make many to give as gifts.

This year they were also sending some to Ma Xiuniang’s household.

Chen Shi instructed Yu Tang: “Go quickly and come back soon. Later we still need to go to your Uncle Wu’s house for dinner.”

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Yu family had invited the Wu family over for a crab feast. For the Double Ninth Festival, the Wu family was inviting the Yu family for a crab feast.

Even Yu Bo’s family had been invited.

“Alright.” Yu Tang responded loudly, went to change clothes, and took the freshly steamed, still-hot Double Ninth cakes to the Zhang household.

Ma Xiuniang still hadn’t been able to recover her former slender figure, while Qing’er was getting fatter and fatter, like a glutinous rice dumpling. Her neck still couldn’t hold itself up, yet she refused to lie in anyone’s arms—she insisted people support her little head while holding her, and wanted to be carried around everywhere so she could look at everything. Otherwise, she would cry loudly.

“You must have spoiled her during her first month!” Ma Xiuniang complained to Yu Tang with feigned displeasure while carrying her daughter around the room. “This is all trouble. Just you wait.”

Yu Tang gave Ma Xiuniang an embarrassed, sheepish smile.

Ma Xiuniang finally managed to coax her daughter to sleep and handed her to the wet nurse to take away, only then having time to sit down and have a private conversation with Yu Tang.

“Has your marriage still not been settled?” She was very concerned about this matter. “Why not just get married? I think your cousin is really quite good. With him managing the household, and you helping out from the side, your father and mother won’t lack someone to care for them.”

Yu Tang currently had no desire to marry. She responded listlessly with a few casual words, then shifted the topic to the Zhang family’s affairs: “I heard Young Master Zhang has gone to teach at a school. Will he continue taking the examinations in the future?”

Ma Xiuniang was also worried about this matter. She said: “Qing’er’s father is meant for studying. If he doesn’t take the examinations, wouldn’t that be a waste? But he’s also stubborn. After Qing’er was born, there were too many places at home that needed money. I wanted to use my dowry to help subsidize, but he wouldn’t agree no matter what. Our family’s younger sister is about to marry soon too…”

She sighed.

Only then did Yu Tang lay out her earlier idea: “…Could Young Master Zhang help paint some designs for our family’s lacquerware? Without putting his name on them—if anyone asks, we’ll say my brother painted them. What do you think?”

Many scholars were ashamed to bow to money. Young Master Zhang was currently just an ordinary scholar, but if he entered government service in the future, copying books for bookshops would be an elegant pursuit, but painting designs for merchants for money would be considered artisan-like, competing with craftsmen for profit, an insult to refined learning that would affect Young Master Zhang’s reputation.

If someone else had proposed this, Ma Xiuniang would have chased them out without a second thought. But since it was Yu Tang saying this, and she understood Yu Tang’s character very well—discreet and having her own ideas, someone trustworthy—she couldn’t be sure whether Young Master Zhang would be willing or not.

“Let me ask him for you!” Ma Xiuniang didn’t dare speak too definitively. “If he’s willing, why would I have any concerns?”

Yu Tang breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the Yu family’s lacquerware shop had been rebuilt, business wasn’t as good as before. The main reason was that during the time when Changxing Street had the fire, many families in Lin’an City who needed lacquerware had to go to Hangzhou City to buy. After going there, they discovered that the lacquerware shops in Hangzhou City not only sold more complete items than the Yu family shop, but also had more novel styles. Some wealthy families in Lin’an City began going to Hangzhou City to buy lacquerware, and merchants always earned money from that portion of wealthy people, so naturally their family’s shop wasn’t as good as before.

After the Double Ninth Festival passed, the Pei family sent someone to fetch Yu Tang to visit the manor. This time Yu Tang was prepared—she not only brought several silk flowers she had made in recent days, but also brought osmanthus cakes that Chen Shi had made.

Made with this year’s newly preserved osmanthus sugar, the fragrance was rich and the taste fresh. When made into osmanthus cakes, they looked like white snow sprinkled with gold leaf, making one feel appetite just by looking at them.

The Old Madam ate two pieces in succession, and Nanny Chen didn’t dare let her eat more: “You should at least leave a few pieces for us who are watching enviously to taste.”

The Old Madam laughed heartily and bestowed the remaining pastries on them.

Yu Tang was very happy and said: “If you like them, I’ll bring more next time I come.”

“Mainly this osmanthus sugar is well made.” The Old Madam praised. “This is also your mother’s handiwork? It seems her pastries are quite good.”

Yu Tang smiled with pressed lips.

Nanny Ji saw this and went to call in the tailor who had been waiting in the covered corridor.

The tailor was a woman in her forties, accompanied by two women in their mid-twenties. The tailor was plump, like a soft steamed bun, and when she smiled her eyes nearly disappeared. Of the two women, one was small and silent, the other slender and sharp.

The three entered and performed grand bows to the Old Madam and Yu Tang.

The Old Madam had Nanny Ji help the tailor up, accepted the bows from the two women, pointed to Yu Tang and said to the tailor: “This is a niece of mine, surnamed Yu.” Then she pointed to the tailor and said to Yu Tang: “This is the proprietress of Jinlou Building in Hangzhou City, her husband’s family name is Wang, you can call her Madam Wang.” As for the two women, the Old Madam just pointed at them without explaining how to address them, clearly not remembering their names.

Madam Wang immediately said attentively: “These are my two apprentices, one’s husband’s family name is Li, the other’s is Zhou.”

Yu Tang stepped forward to greet them.

Madam Wang repeatedly said she didn’t dare, while the two women turned aside, not daring to accept her courtesy.

The Old Madam paid no mind and asked Madam Wang: “I heard you brought new fabrics from Suzhou this time. Let me see them.”

Madam Wang immediately responded and with her two apprentices carried in seven or eight bolts of fabric, unrolling them one by one to display to the Old Madam and Yu Tang: “Look at this moon-white damask silk with medallion patterns. In previous years they wove either broken branch flowers or water grass patterns, but this year they’re using the Eight Buddhist Treasures. Because silver thread is used, from a distance it looks like plain damask silk, but up close you can see the medallion patterns… And this bolt, ink-green damask embroidered with small white chrysanthemums, so plain and elegant—perfect for making an outer vest. Then there’s this bolt, stone-blue kesi with cranes holding lingzhi mushrooms—with winter coming, it’s just right for making a cloak. I also brought some sable fur, though the quality is good, it still can’t compare to the grandeur of the Old Madam’s manor. Mine can at most make a forehead band, fortunately it’s white and can be used both large and small…”

She chattered on. Yu Tang didn’t know if the fabric styles were new, but the colors were either black, white, or ink-green—all colors that could be worn during mourning, showing careful consideration.

But the Old Madam said critically: “Didn’t I tell you I have a niece here? Why is it all plain fabric?”

Both Madam Wang and Yu Tang were startled.

The Old Madam had already pulled at the stone-blue kesi with cranes holding lingzhi mushrooms and said with distaste: “This pattern is too mature. Don’t you have anything woven with the Four Noble Plants or cherry and plum patterns?”

Madam Wang reacted quickly and hurried to say: “Yes, yes, yes! I just wasn’t sure of Miss Yu’s preferences at the moment, so I didn’t dare bring too many styles. I’ll have someone fetch them right away. They’ll arrive first thing tomorrow morning.”

The Old Madam pursed her lips and said: “If I wait for you, the day lilies will be cold. Nanny Chen, take my keys and open the storehouse, select a few bolts of fabric suitable for young ladies for Miss Yu to choose from.”

Nanny Chen went off with a smile.

But Yu Tang drew in a sharp breath.

This was no ordinary bestowal.

She was about to decline when the Old Madam had already spoken: “I just love dressing up young ladies. Nanny Ji, go invite the eldest young lady and several cousin young ladies as well. Make everyone a few outfits.”

Yu Tang couldn’t decline further. Smiling, she thanked the Old Madam and even teased her to keep her happy: “Thanks to your blessing, being able to wear clothes made by masters from Hangzhou City, I can show off a bit this New Year too.”

The Old Madam chuckled, waved her hand dismissively, called Yu Tang over, and began discussing clothing styles: “I remember last year twelve-panel horse-face skirts were fashionable. Is it still twelve panels this year?”

Madam Wang smiled and said: “This year moon flower skirts are fashionable—pleated like picked-thread skirts, yet spread out like scattered skirts. This summer, nearly every woman in Hangzhou City had one. Old Madam, with your slender figure, you’d definitely look beautiful in one.”

As she spoke, she took out a skirt to show the Old Madam, while the corner of her eye observed Yu Tang.

She didn’t know what relation this Miss Yu was to the Old Madam. She had been making clothes for the Old Madam for seven or eight years, and this was the first time she’d seen this young lady. However, she was truly beautiful! Just that the relatives on the Old Madam’s maternal side were all tall, and this Miss Yu was neither tall nor short, not quite like relatives from the Old Madam’s side. But for the Old Madam to help make her clothes showed she was quite favored.

Thinking of this, she gave her apprentice, Madam Zhou, a meaningful look, indicating she should note Yu Tang’s preferences so that next time they came, they could recommend fabrics and styles according to Yu Tang’s tastes.

Madam Zhou nodded and placed her attention on Yu Tang.

Yu Tang paid no mind, thinking that since it was the Old Madam’s bestowal, there was no need to be coy. When Nanny Chen opened the Old Madam’s storehouse and brought over a pile of colorful fabrics, she selected a water-green plain damask silk so pale it almost looked washed out, and smiled: “This bolt of fabric looks nice.”

Nanny Chen glanced at Yu Tang imperceptibly, thinking to herself that no wonder Third Master thought highly of this Miss Yu. Although the Old Madam had her fetch some bright fabrics for the young ladies’ clothes, they were still in the Old Master’s mourning period, so even when choosing, they shouldn’t select fabrics that were too bright. Therefore, she had still brought several bolts of water-green and water-blue plain fabrics. She hadn’t expected this Miss Yu to also be considerate, not choosing the Shu brocades or kesi, but selecting this bolt of Hangzhou silk called Clear Blue Water.

The Old Madam clearly noticed this too and smiled: “This bolt of fabric is too plain, not suitable for wearing during New Year. I think that bright blue bolt is very good.”