At the Li family ink shop.
Early morning, Zhen Niang rose early. After washing up, she took Little Tou to the back courtyard. Just as she was about to check on the ink workshop, she heard her grandfather coughing from the north room. Concerned, she went to the kitchen first.
Madame Zhao had also risen early and was in the kitchen with Dao Po and Sister Ma. While they were preparing breakfast, Madame Zhao was crouching by a small stove, cooking pear candy syrup.
Zhen Niang poked her head into the kitchen and asked, “Mother, Grandfather is coughing again.” Her grandfather’s cough was a chronic condition that used to be even worse. After the family’s circumstances improved, they consulted doctors and took care of him for a while, and his condition improved considerably. However, recently, due to his involvement in researching the Li family’s Four Harmonies ink, Grandfather had been handling everything personally, even overseeing the burning of the smoke materials himself with several workers.
His cough couldn’t tolerate smoke at all, so his condition worsened during this period.
“Indeed, he coughed all night. This pear candy syrup was brought by Wenqian from the capital. They say it’s good for coughs, so I got up early to cook it,” Madame Zhao said, then turned to Zhen Niang: “Zhen Niang, you should also persuade your grandfather. His body can’t handle smoke—don’t let him enter the ink workshop anymore.”
“Mother, you know grandfather’s temperament. He’s single-mindedly focused on researching this Four Harmonies ink for next year’s tribute ink competition. I’ve tried persuading him countless times without any effect. If I say too much, he just gets angry with me,” Zhen Niang replied helplessly. This was just how her grandfather was.
“Your grandfather is really… The Four Harmonies ink—it’s good if we can make it, but if we can’t, there’s no need to risk his life like this. Even if we want to compete for tribute ink status, don’t we have other good ink products? Why must it be Four Harmonies ink?” Madame Zhao couldn’t help but grumble.
“What do you know? The inks Zhen Niang has made aren’t true Li family inks. If our Li family wants to compete for tribute ink status, we must use our signature ink product,” Old Master Li said sternly as he walked out wearing his outer clothes.
Hearing the old master’s words, Madame Zhao dared not say more.
“This time your Third Master Cheng has created a good opportunity for the Li family. We absolutely cannot miss it,” Old Master Li then turned to tell Zhen Niang.
“I understand, Grandfather,” Zhen Niang nodded quickly, though she had made up her mind that no matter what, she would need to watch over her grandfather during this period and take care of his health. If grandfather still wouldn’t listen, she would have grandmother keep an eye on him back in Huizhou.
Then Zhen Niang helped her grandfather sit down and assisted him with washing up.
At this time, Little Ya led Sister Ping’an from the Luo family. As soon as she entered, Sister Ping’an placed two still-warm eggs in Madame Zhao’s hands: “Sister-in-law, these are fresh eggs from our reed chicken—they’re still warm. They’ll be good nourishment for the old master.”
Sister Ping’an was following Luo Wenqian’s instructions to visit the Li family frequently. Additionally, she had her motives—her son would need to rely on Wenqian in the future, and Zhen Niang was Wenqian’s future wife. Since she couldn’t speak directly with Wenqian, she thought of building relationships with Zhen Niang’s family instead.
Madame Zhao, thinking about how her daughter would marry into the Luo family and would need support from these sisters-in-law, was happy to interact with Sister Ping’an. At least she could learn more about the Luo family.
Over time, Sister Ping’an and Madame Zhao had grown quite close.
Therefore, Madame Zhao didn’t stand on ceremony about accepting the eggs. Sister Ping’an pulled up a stool to sit beside Madame Zhao, took out a fan to help fan the stove, and then said mysteriously: “Sister-in-law, have you heard? The Tian family’s daughter is engaged to Third Young Master Xu.”
“Is that true? How come there wasn’t any news before?” Madame Zhao asked in surprise. When the Xu family had shown interest in Zhen Niang previously, rumors had spread before anything was settled. How could there be no word of this engagement?
Madame Zhao didn’t understand that previously, the Xu family had shown interest in Zhen Niang first, but given their social status, they couldn’t appear to be lowering themselves. Thus they had spread rumors to get the Li family to make the first move.
Now, with the Tian family making the first approach, the Xu family naturally kept things quiet until the engagement was settled. In a few days, everyone would know.
“It’s true. Aunt Wang from the Wang family helped arrange it. I heard the Tian family gave Aunt Wang quite a generous gift. The news hasn’t spread yet, but everyone should know in a few days,” Sister Ping’an said. Aunt Wang was now one of Luo Wenqian’s closer relatives. Although things had become awkward when Aunt Wang had spoken up for Tian Ronghua previously, Luo Wenqian still respected her. However, due to poor relations with the Wang family, he wouldn’t visit them directly, so he had Sister Ping’an check on Aunt Wang occasionally.
Sister Ping’an had heard this news yesterday while visiting Aunt Wang, so she came early to share the gossip with Madame Zhao.
“Oh, then congratulations to the Tian family,” Madame Zhao said. Although the Xu family wasn’t what they wanted anymore, in anyone’s eyes, this was still a very advantageous marriage for the Tian family. When word reached Huizhou, many would be envious.
Zhen Niang listened from the side. Though the news was surprising, it made sense. The Xu family had initially been interested in Li ink, and when the Li family didn’t pursue it, it was natural for them to turn to Tian ink. The Tian family must have paid dearly for this match.
However, thinking about the Xu family’s eventual fate, the Tian family would likely be implicated. It seemed the Tian family had been heading straight down a dead end since their internal conflicts began.
Of course, how the Tian family conducted their affairs was their business, and Zhen Niang wouldn’t concern herself with it. However, with the Tian family now having the Xu family’s support, next year’s tribute ink competition will surely be intense. She would need to stay completely alert.
Still, with Third Master Cheng’s recent complaint, she wasn’t worried about what tactics the Tian family might try regarding the tribute ink.
Old Master Li, who couldn’t stand such gossip, noticed breakfast was almost ready but hadn’t seen Li Jingfu. He asked somewhat unhappily, “Jingfu’s wife, why isn’t Jingfu up yet? Is he being lazy again? Go wake him up.”
“Father, Jingfu isn’t in his room. He’s at Yi Hou Sheng. Last night, Wenqian came by to say he was leaving for Shi Prefecture in Shanxi today on business. Since Jingfu knows the roads to Shanxi, he invited him over to discuss the route over drinks. They talked late, so he didn’t come back,” Madame Zhao explained.
Sister Ping’an added, “Yes when I came by, Uncle Jingfu was already up. Old Master, I’ll go call him now.” With that, she took her leave.
When Zhen Niang heard that Luo Wenqian was going to Shanxi, she felt somewhat unsettled.
In these times, during the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, except for the prosperous Jiangnan region and the capital, many places were unstable. However, looking at the broader timeline, this period during the Longqing and early Wanli eras was relatively peaceful, which is why later generations spoke of the “Wanli Renaissance.”
“Grandfather, there shouldn’t be any Tartars in the Shanxi region, right?” Zhen Niang asked her grandfather. Previously, when Luo Wenqian traveled for business, she hadn’t thought much of it—what merchant didn’t travel? But now that they were engaged, it felt different. Just hearing that Wenqian was going to Shanxi made her immediately want to know about the conditions there.
It was like in her previous life when her mother never cared about the local weather forecast but checked the weather daily for the city where her daughter was studying.
It was the kind of concern one has for family.
“I’ve heard that Tartars frequently appear around Xuanfu and Datong, but Shi Prefecture is far from there—the Tartars basically won’t come there. However, it’s in the Lüliang region, which has many bandits,” Old Master Li said after some thought.
Zhen Niang breathed a sigh of relief. No Tartars was good news. As for bandits, merchants had their ways—at most, they would pay protection money. Moreover, Luo Wenqian’s caravan guards were mostly his former gold mining companions, their skills no worse than ordinary bandits, so there was no need to worry too much about that.
What Zhen Niang didn’t know, having paid little attention to military affairs in her previous life was that in the coming September, An Da’s forces would raid a thousand li into Ming territory and slaughter fifty thousand men and women in Shi Prefecture. The Ming border defenses at this time were truly precarious.
“By the way, Jingfu’s wife, didn’t Jingfu say someone from the Qin family would come this year? Why haven’t they arrived?” Speaking of Shanxi reminded Old Master Li to ask about the Shanxi Qin family, after all, they had saved Li Jingfu’s life—that was a debt of gratitude to remember.
“Yes, the Qin family hasn’t come. Jingfu wrote to ask about it—seems they have some family matters keeping them busy,” Madame Zhao replied.
Old Master Li nodded.
Just then, Li Jingfu arrived with Luo Wenqian. Knowing he was about to travel far, the Li family naturally had some words of advice. Luo Wenqian accepted them all.
Finally, Old Master Li asked, “When are you departing?”
“I’ll be leaving shortly. I came to say goodbye,” Luo Wenqian replied, then turned to Zhen Niang and said naturally, “Don’t worry, I’m familiar with all the checkpoints and connections along the way.”
“Oh.” Zhen Niang nodded, squinting with a slight smile, her heart inexplicably at peace.
Luo Wenqian had come to bid farewell, and after doing so, prepared to leave.
“Wait a moment,” Zhen Niang called out as she saw him preparing to leave, remembering something. She ran back to her room and took out a pair of newly made shoes from under her pillow.
She had sewn these shoes, with their carefully crafted thousand-layer soles, at the urging of Hua’er and Little Ya right after their engagement. It had taken considerable effort, and they had been sitting in her room for several days as she waited for the right moment to give them to him. This was the perfect opportunity.
Thinking this, Zhen Niang brought out the shoes and placed them in Luo Wenqian’s hands.
Luo Wenqian’s eyes brightened, and he grinned, tucking the shoes into his jacket and patting them to show he would treasure them. Then he bowed once more to Old Master Li and the others before turning to leave.