Pei Yan, however, felt that Chen Shi had refused very well.

If Yu Tang stayed at the Pei family, this person and that person would all want to invite her out, and he would inevitably have to think of many ways to be alone with Yu Tang. If Yu Tang returned to her natal home, it would be different—he only needed to get Chen Shi and Yu Wen’s permission.

He actually advised Old Madam Pei, “This isn’t a matter of just one moment. Let her properly celebrate several festivals at the Yu family this year.”

By next year, she would be celebrating festivals at the Pei family.

Old Madam Pei heard the implication in her son’s words and laughed. On the day they went down the mountain to return to the Pei manor for the Dragon Boat Festival, she bestowed many festival gifts and medicinal herbs on Yu Tang. The Pei manor’s people returned directly to the Pei family, while Yu Tang returned to Green Bamboo Lane.

Chen Shi had long since prepared much food waiting for her daughter to return. Upon seeing Yu Tang, she immediately embraced her daughter and was unwilling to let go. It was Yu Wen who couldn’t stand watching from the side and clicked his tongue, saying, “It’s not like you won’t see her again. Is this necessary?”

“Am I wrong to miss my daughter?” Chen Shi muttered quietly, rolled her eyes at her husband, and pulled Yu Tang back to her inner chamber to talk. “You came back—Old Madam Pei wasn’t unhappy about it, was she?”

“No!” Yu Tang consoled Chen Shi with kind words for a long while before Chen Shi finally felt relieved. Happily, after Yu Tang changed clothes, she accompanied her for a meal, then they went together to pay respects to Wang Shi.

Wang Shi was keeping watch beside her sleeping grandson while doing needlework. Learning they had come, she put down her work and went out to greet them.

Yu Tang respectfully paid her respects to Wang Shi. Wang Shi smiled and held Yu Tang’s hands, examining her up and down for a long while. Seeing her rosy complexion and bright, sparkling eyes full of spirit, she couldn’t help but smile and say, “Your mother said Old Madam Pei called you over wanting to teach you some household management skills. Your mother and I were afraid you wouldn’t do well and chattered about it at home for ages. Now seeing how you look, I can finally set my mind at ease. This shows that our A’Tang and the Pei family truly have an affinity.”

This last sentence she said to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi smiled with pressed lips.

Yu Tang asked about Xiang Shi and learned she had gone to the shop to deliver food to Yu Yuan. She went into the room with Chen Shi to see her little nephew, and after talking for a while, Xiang Shi returned.

Wang Shi kept Yu Tang and her mother for dinner and had a household servant go report to Yu Bo and Yu Yuan at the shop, telling them to return early to eat.

Yu Tang also hadn’t seen Xiang Shi for some days. The sisters-in-law sat in the courtyard talking for a long time. When the sun tilted westward, Yu Bo and Yu Yuan returned home, and the household became lively again.

When Yu Wen came over, the brothers inevitably had to discuss matters about celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival. Yu Yuan quietly tugged on Yu Tang’s sleeve, and the siblings stood under the eaves speaking intimately.

“Yesterday the shop received a big order,” he winked at Yu Tang. “It’s from a brush and ink shop in Hangzhou—they ordered a thousand small boxes for holding ink sticks, requiring carvings of auspicious patterns like ‘rising step by step.’ Father was incredibly happy, but I had Yao San’er go inquire about it, and they said it was introduced by Shopkeeper Tong’er from the Pei family pawnshop. How about you ask Third Master to draw us a few more designs? This is the first time we’ve received such an order. If we do it well, we can work for those brush and ink shops in the future.”

Only wealthy people could afford to study, so everything at brush and ink shops sold expensively. And to have carved red lacquer boxes like these as decorations—these were very high-grade scholarly treasures from the Four Treasures of the Study.

Such boxes not only required excellent workmanship but also elegant designs.

Not all lacquerware shops could make them.

If the Yu family could secure this business, it would open up connections with brush and ink shops. The Yu family’s lacquerware shop would advance to a new level in both reputation and business.

Perhaps one day it might even become tribute goods.

But seeing her eldest cousin’s teasing gaze, Yu Tang couldn’t help but blush and said reproachfully, “That’s also because our family can make such boxes!”

Yu Yuan chuckled.

But Yu Tang knew the capabilities of the Yu family lacquerware shop. Seeing Yu Yuan so carefree, she became somewhat worried and couldn’t help saying, “Elder Brother, a thousand boxes—can our family make them in time? Otherwise, I should still go ask Third Master Pei to help our family draw a few designs. That person has very high standards. If he’s willing to put his name to it, what he draws will definitely be good.”

Yu Yuan indeed had such thoughts, but his sister hadn’t married over yet—would Third Master Pei be willing?

Yu Tang didn’t think so much about it and said, “I’ll just go try.”

If he didn’t agree, she would pester him until he agreed.

Who told him to suggest that their family shop should specialize in floral themes?

This truly proved that whoever came up with the idea should do the running around.

Pei Yan would definitely complain if he knew.

But even if he complained, it would still be interesting…

Thinking about this, Yu Tang felt a bit impatient to see Pei Yan.

Pei Yan also felt somewhat unaccustomed.

In recent days when staying at the villa, every morning after finishing his affairs at hand, he would have lunch together with Yu Tang. Afterward, they would stroll around everywhere together—going to view flowers, or watch birds. Sometimes when the weather was too hot, sitting in the shade of trees chatting about family matters, the days passed very quickly. Now that Yu Tang had returned home, he suddenly seemed to have nothing to do.

After lunch, Pei Yan was considering whether to find an excuse to go see Yu Tang when, before he could even move, Yu Tang came to find him first.

His heart leaped with joy, though his face showed nothing. He had A’Tiao bring her to the study to talk, then turned and instructed Qing Yuan, “Prepare some fruit for Miss Yu. She likes sweet things—pick the sweet ones for her.”

Qing Yuan smiled and agreed. When she washed the fruit and brought it over, Yu Tang and Pei Yan were already sitting in bamboo chairs under the eaves talking.

“What design do you think would be good?” Yu Tang said. “I brought several designs our family has collected. Help me look at them!”

Pei Yan sneered inwardly.

Was she using this as an excuse? Or did she really have business to find him?

But regardless of whether it was the former or latter, Pei Yan’s expression remained cold as he took the designs from Yu Tang’s hands, glanced at them casually, then tossed them all aside.

Yu Tang was very surprised and said, “None of them work?”

“Old patterns from hundreds of years ago.” Pei Yan didn’t conceal his disdain at all. “When I was small, I saw these same designs.” Speaking to this point, he had a flash of inspiration.

No matter why Yu Tang had come to find him, he could make use of this matter, couldn’t he?

“How about this,” he stood up and said, “I’ll draw you a few designs. You can take them back to discuss with your elder brother and see which would be best to use. You grind the ink.”

Grind ink?!

Yu Tang couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

But Pei Yan had already strode into the study.

Yu Tang had no choice but to follow, confirming, “What about A’Tiao? He was just here?”

How did it become her turn to grind ink?

Pei Yan suddenly stopped and turned around. Yu Tang, following behind him, nearly collided with him.

“Can you stay home for several more days?” Pei Yan asked.

It took Yu Tang a moment to react—Pei Yan was telling her to hurry up.

What more could she say?

Rolling up her sleeves, she obediently stood before the large writing desk to grind ink for Pei Yan.

A’Tiao, who had run to the kitchen to get refreshments for Yu Tang, was stopped outside the study by Qing Yuan, who also took the refreshments from him.

Yu Tang had only ground ink for Yu Wen before. But the ink stick Pei Yan used was both heavy and coarse. After grinding for a while, Yu Tang felt her wrist becoming sore. To make matters worse, Pei Yan fetched a box of pigments, intending to paint in fine brushwork style. He even explained to her, “I’ve carefully studied your family’s carved red lacquer—it relies entirely on varying shades of red to outline the design. If I use fine brushwork, you’ll know which areas should be lighter and which deeper, making it easier to create the template.”

What more could Yu Tang say?

As it turned out, those pigments were even harder to grind than ink.

Yu Tang couldn’t help muttering quietly, “What kind of ink sticks are you using? What kind of pigments? Why are they all so difficult to grind? They’re not inferior quality goods, are they?”

Pei Yan raised his eyebrows and said, “I use entirely tribute-quality pine soot ink. The pigments also have various gemstones added—otherwise how would the colors be so beautiful? And endure without fading.”

Such a bad temper!

Yu Tang retorted with dissatisfaction, “I’ve never seen them before—how would I know what these things are? They really are hard to grind.”

“It’s that you don’t know how to grind properly, isn’t it?” Pei Yan said coldly. “Besides you, I haven’t heard anyone else say they’re hard to grind.”

That’s because those people are all your personal servants—who would dare say such things?

Yu Tang felt Pei Yan lacked self-awareness. Unwilling to continue, she called Qing Yuan in and asked if A’Tiao had returned—she wanted to switch shifts with A’Tiao.

Seeing that Pei Yan’s face had darkened considerably, how could Qing Yuan dare reveal A’Tiao’s whereabouts? She quickly brought in the refreshments and smiled, saying, “How about Miss rests for a bit?”

Yu Tang immediately requested to rest.

Pei Yan had no choice but to watch her sit to the side drinking tea and eating refreshments while he began grinding the pigments himself.

Yu Tang felt even more justified in her laziness.

By the time Pei Yan finished painting one design, the evening glow had already appeared at the edge of the sky.

Pei Yan handed the design to Yu Tang and instructed her, “Remember to come again tomorrow.”

Yu Tang looked at the design—it was a magpie perched on a plum blossom branch.

The plum blossoms were sparse and proudly elegant, while the magpie was lively and playful. Lifelike, they leaped from the paper, making one love them too much to put them down.

Yu Tang decided to collect this painting.

She smiled and thanked him, then left with the painting.

Pei Yan looked at the remaining painting tools on the large desk and suddenly felt left alone there, rather pitiable.

Yu Yuan hadn’t expected Yu Tang could actually obtain a design from Pei Yan. He was once again amazed by Pei Yan’s painting skills and said hesitantly, “Will this work? Didn’t he say to only use flowers?”

Yu Tang pointed at the plum blossom branch and said uncertainly, “Aren’t there flowers here?”

She had completely forgotten about this matter before.

Remembering Pei Yan’s instruction, she quickly said, “He told me to go again tomorrow. I estimate he still has designs to give us?”

Yu Yuan didn’t ask further and carefully studied Pei Yan’s painting, saying, “Third Master said to have us create the template according to the light and dark shading he painted. I need to discuss this with the master craftsman—I don’t know if we can make it.”

Yu Tang was also somewhat worried. Yu Yuan went to the shop that very night.

The next morning, Yu Tang went to the Pei family very early.

The servant woman at the side gate of the Pei manor was already accustomed to Yu Tang’s visits. Seeing Qing Yuan come, she let Yu Tang enter.

Pei Yan said, “Let me give you an entry pass token!”

Yu Tang felt it wasn’t necessary to be so troublesome. They could wait until she could marry over—otherwise, she might never use the Pei family’s pass token.

This time, Pei Yan didn’t have Yu Tang grind ink for him. Instead, he had Yu Tang fan him.

Yu Tang had already given up reasoning with him and obediently took a Sichuan fan to fan him from behind.