Zhenniang pondered over Sister Ge Qiu’s thoughts, concluding it was mere curiosity, and decided not to dwell on it further.
Before they knew it, the twelfth lunar month had arrived. All purchases had been made, and everything was packed and organized.
On the fifth day of the twelfth month, though the boat was scheduled for the dawn watch, Zhenniang rose during the ox hour. In the kitchen, the elderly maid had already prepared a savory porridge using preserved vegetables, mung beans, red beans, dates, dried tofu, and lean meat—essentially making Laba porridge. Since they would be on the boat during the actual Laba Festival and unable to enjoy the traditional porridge then, they decided to have it early.
The elderly maid had stayed up all night preparing this porridge, carefully cooking it for over four hours until it reached the perfect consistency. Each person received a large bowl, its warmth spreading through their bodies.
After all preparations were complete, Zhenniang and her group bid farewell to those staying behind. Chou Po and Ergou would remain, as would Master Ma and his wife’s family who would stay with Li Zhengping. This arrangement left them with no worries about the Nanjing residence.
Everyone exchanged sincere farewells and early New Year’s greetings. By the time the sky showed its first light, the Li family group had set out in their horse-drawn carriages.
There were few people on the streets at this hour.
Passing by the Yihoucheng Money Exchange, they saw Luo Wenqian standing at the entrance, cupping his hands in farewell and wishing them a safe journey.
Zhenniang lifted the curtain and asked, “Brother Luo, aren’t you going home?”
“I will, but I still have matters to attend to here that will take some time. I’ll take the boat on the fifteenth, though I’ll likely reach Huizhou by New Year’s Eve,” Luo Wenqian replied, maintaining his formal gesture.
“Oh.” Zhenniang nodded and wished him well, understanding that Huizhou held painful memories for Luo Wenqian. His main reason for returning was to pay respects to his ancestors, as he no longer had a home there. Hence, there was no rush for him to leave early.
Lowering the curtain and drawing back, Zhenniang met her Second Aunt’s meaningful smile, which carried a hint of something more.
“What is it, Second Aunt?” Zhenniang asked.
Madam Huang shook her head, saying nothing, though she was thinking about how Elder Master Cheng had recently mentioned Luo Wenqian to her, suggesting that he would make a good match for Zhenniang.
She reflected on the natural rapport between Zhenniang and Luo Wenqian in their brief exchange. Considering Luo Wenqian’s situation—his parents’ disappearance and likely fate in these troubled times—she admired how he had built himself up to his current position, showing true capability. He needed someone who could understand both his struggles and triumphs.
More importantly, everyone knew Luo Wenqian’s background, and he was in the same ink-making trade. If nothing else, he would better understand Zhenniang’s world. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that the young master Luo would make an excellent match for Zhenniang. However, she hadn’t discussed this with Zhenniang, her parents, or her grandparents yet, so she kept these thoughts to herself. Once they returned to Huizhou, they could discuss it as a family, and if favorable, they could have Elder Master Cheng make the formal introduction.
At the dawn watch, they boarded the boat right on schedule.
The journey was smooth, and after fifteen days of sailing, they reached Huizhou during the monkey-ram hours. They disembarked at Yuliang Dock, hired carriages, and, urged by their eagerness, the drivers whipped their horses to make haste, quickly reaching the city gates.
“Second Madam, Elder Sister, Great-Grandmother is waiting for us at the city gate!” Hua’er, who had never been to Huizhou before, had been sitting at the front of the carriage taking in the sights. Now she excitedly called out upon spotting a group of people at the gate, with Seventh Great-Grandmother at the front.
Hearing that Seventh Great-Grandmother had come to welcome them at the city gate, both Madam Huang and Zhenniang gasped in surprise, deeply moved by this honor.
“Stop the carriage!” Zhenniang quickly called to the driver. They couldn’t possibly ride up to their elders—that would be too disrespectful.
The driver brought the carriage to an immediate halt, and everyone dismounted to walk the remaining distance. As they approached Seventh Great-Grandmother and saw Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, and others beside her, Zhenniang’s eyes suddenly welled with tears. She dropped to her knees: “Seventh Great-Grandmother, Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, Uncle Jingdong, Uncle Shao, you shouldn’t have—this is too great an honor for Zhenniang.”
“It’s entirely appropriate. You’ve brought great merit to the Li family,” the Seventh Great-Grandmother said with a smile, stepping forward to help Zhenniang up. She held her hand, patting it repeatedly with evident emotion.
Zhenniang had secured the position of ink maker for the Princess’s Manor primarily to produce birthday ink and to prove herself capable of managing the Nanjing ink shop, silencing any doubters. However, she didn’t fully grasp how significant this appointment was for the Li family—it essentially provided them with another layer of protection.
In this era, merchants had wealth but no status. Without powerful backing, they were vulnerable to exploitation. This explained why families competed so fiercely for the right to make tribute ink. Though the profit from making imperial tribute ink was limited and sometimes carried great risks, everyone still fought for it because it meant having the court’s protection.
Now, as the Princess’s Manor’s ink maker, even though princesses and their consorts held no official positions in the Ming court, their status alone commanded respect—few would dare to cross them.
Zhenniang’s appointment was comparable to a Li family member achieving success in the imperial examinations. The Seventh Great-Grandmother’s welcome was meant to show the family’s recognition, especially important given the previous gossip when Li Jingming’s family had returned to Huizhou. Though the Seventh Great-Grandmother had personally brought them back then, there had been considerable whispered criticism, which was difficult to prevent.
This was why the Seventh Great-Grandmother made today’s gesture—to formally acknowledge Li Zhenniang’s achievements.
Indeed, Li Zhenniang was returning home in glory.
“Well then, let’s head home,” Elder Master Li said, collecting himself and beckoning everyone to return to the Li family’s ancestral residence. By the time Zhenniang and her group arrived home, night had fallen. After briefly completing the necessary ceremonial greetings, they shared a reunion dinner before retiring to rest.
Though tired from their journey, it was still early, and the excitement of being home kept them awake. Zhenniang sat in her grandparents’ room, keeping them company and talking.
She detailed everything that had happened in Nanjing to her grandfather—from the unexpectedly successful shop opening to the liquid ink incident, and finally to the ink competition at the Princess’s Manor. She particularly elaborated on Elder Master Qi’s matter. Finally, she presented her grandfather with the Four Harmonies ink that Elder Master Qi had left for her.
Elder Master Li held the Four Harmonies ink with great emotion. The formula for Li family’s Four Harmonies ink had been lost—now, with this piece of ink, the possibility of recovering the formula rested upon it.
“Let grandfather keep this ink. While these old bones still have some use, I’ll study it carefully.”
“Yes.” Zhenniang nodded. This had been her intention all along. Having learned various ink-making methods from different sources, she knew her grandfather would make better use of it than she could.
Beside them, Madam Wu paid no attention to the ink matters. She only knew that Zhenniang had achieved great things in Nanjing, and as her granddaughter, she couldn’t help but beam with pride.
Zhenniang then spoke about reaching a reconciliation with the Tian family, explaining how the three Hui ink makers would now develop together.
“Good, very good. As Hui merchants, fighting among ourselves at home is one thing, but fighting outside would benefit none of us,” Elder Master Li nodded approvingly.
At this point, Madam Zhao snorted, “The Tian family had no choice but to reconcile—they’re in complete chaos now.”
“What happened?” Zhenniang asked curiously.
“You don’t know? Some time ago, when Tian’s second son returned, he brought back a courtesan named Xiangzhi and gave her to Elder Master Tian. The old man became completely besotted with her. Madam Tian was so furious she caused several scenes, trying multiple times to sell Xiangzhi off. But Elder Master Tian protected her fiercely, even threatening divorce. Madam Tian became so angry she coughed up blood. I recently ran into your Third Aunt Tian, who said Madam Tian is very ill—they’re not sure if she’ll make it to the New Year.”
Madam Zhao spoke with evident anger. Though she had always harbored resentment toward Madam Tian, especially since Zhenniang’s current unmarried status could be traced back to Madam Tian’s breaking of the engagement, in matters of wives versus concubines, Madam Zhao naturally sided with Madam Tian. After all, no proper woman would ever take a concubine’s side in such disputes.
Hearing her mother’s words, Zhenniang finally understood why Young Master Tian had been so agitated upon learning that his second brother had redeemed Xiangzhi and brought her home.
“Tian Huai’an has lost his mind. This is a sign of family ruin,” Madam Wu snorted from the side.
“Enough, let’s not discuss other families’ affairs,” Elder Master Li intervened.
At this moment, Madam Du brought in the newly awakened Young Master Hui. Zhenniang looked at her little nephew, only two months old, with his chubby pink face. Having just eaten, he lay contentedly in Madam Du’s arms, his bright black eyes scanning around, particularly studying Zhenniang with curiosity, clearly finding her unfamiliar.
“Say ‘Aunt,'” Zhenniang approached, shaking a rattle drum to amuse him.
“Silly girl, he’s too young to speak yet,” Madam Zhao chided.
Zhenniang chuckled, then turned to her unusually quiet elder brother: “Brother, how are things at the inkstone quarry?”
At the mention of the quarry, Li Dalang’s expression darkened with shame. “Sister, I’m sorry, we couldn’t hold onto the quarry.”
“What happened?” Zhenniang asked, her heart skipping a beat.
Li Dalang explained that Wuyuan was ultimately not Li family territory. Despite having Madam Zhao’s family watching over it, the two quarries Zhenniang had shown her brother were too conspicuous—wealth attracts attention. After the first and second batches of inkstones were extracted, they caught the eye of the Wuyuan County Magistrate and several local wealthy households.
Since the quarries had been originally excavated under the previous dynasty’s administration, the County Magistrate found an excuse to claim they were being reclaimed by the court. However, considering the influence of Madam Zhao’s mountain clan and the Li family’s connections in Huizhou, they didn’t force the issue. Instead, the county office purchased half the shares for joint operation—they couldn’t fight against such authority.
The Li family’s eighth branch had to consider that Li Dalang needed to focus on the oil press. The quarry had been mainly managed by Li Zhengsheng from the ninth branch and Zhenniang’s younger maternal uncle. Therefore, Elder Master Li had Li Dalang withdraw completely, hoping to help Li Zhengsheng and Zhenniang’s uncle retain more shares. Even so, they each only managed to keep twenty percent, while the remaining sixty percent was divided between the county office and several wealthy households.
“Last time, Grandfather didn’t want you to worry, so he told us not to tell you yet,” Li Dalang concluded.
“It’s fine, this works out well. Brother can focus on the oil press now,” Zhenniang said after some thought. Though somewhat disappointed, she understood that in this era, without power, one couldn’t protect wealth.
Suddenly, she understood why her Seventh Great-Grandmother had come to welcome her at the city gate. The position of ink maker for the Princess’s Manor was crucial not only for her but for the entire Li ink business.
She realized that when she returned to Nanjing next year, she would need to maintain good relations with both the Princess’s Manor and Li Fuquan at the Fuxian Pavilion. Some social conventions couldn’t be avoided—as long as one’s heart was sincere, it was acceptable.
After chatting a while longer, as the night grew deep, everyone retired to their rooms. Outside in the small alley, firecrackers occasionally burst into the night…