Pei Yan’s words made Yu Tang’s heart pound like a drum.

What did he mean by saying this?

If the Yu family had difficulties, for the sake of being neighbors and fellow townspeople, no matter what condition that forest land was in, he would step in to buy the forest land and rescue the Yu family from their temporary difficulties.

Was this the meaning she understood?

Thinking of matters from her previous life, her heart beat even more fiercely.

In her previous life, the Yu family had sold their forest land and fields to the Pei family, not only because the Pei family was the wealthiest household in Lin’an City, but also because Pei Yan had offered the highest price.

At that time, she hadn’t understood Pei Yan.

She had thought the Pei family had so much money they didn’t care about such small amounts.

But looking at it now, although the Pei family had abundant wealth, they still had principles about what to acquire and what not to acquire.

Very clearly, in her previous life, the Pei family buying the Yu family’s ancestral property had been an indirect way of helping the Yu family, and indeed had truly helped the Yu family—without the money from the Pei family buying the land, she wouldn’t have had money to hire people to salvage her parents’ bodies, nor money to buy a burial plot for her parents, allowing them to rest in peace.

So it turned out that when she hadn’t known it, Pei Yan had already shown her great kindness!

Yu Tang thought of the loneliness and helplessness of her previous life, thought of how at that time there had actually been someone who had given her help and warmth, and her eyes suddenly moistened.

Pei Yan looked at her dazed appearance, not coming back to her senses for quite a while, and couldn’t help but feel suspicious. He waved his hand in front of her eyes and said, “Hey, have you figured it out yet or not? Is there anything you need my help with? If not, or if you haven’t decided, then let’s talk about it after the tenth.”

Yu Tang gave a start and her mind began spinning rapidly.

She said, “I want to continue planting sea buckthorn, then make the sea buckthorn into candied preserves to sell for money. Do you think that’s feasible?”

Pei Yan hadn’t expected Yu Tang to be so stubborn.

But this was her choice. Even if it was a solid wall, she would have to hit it until her head hurt before she’d turn back.

He reminded Yu Tang, “Sea buckthorn trees need at least three years before they bear fruit. Have you really thought this through?”

“I’ve thought it through!” Yu Tang took a deep breath.

In her previous life, regardless of what reasons Pei Yan had for planting sea buckthorn trees, she felt that as long as she followed his path, she would definitely succeed.

Pei Yan stopped trying to dissuade her and said, “If you’ve truly decided, then work hard at it. I hate people who give up halfway the most.”

“Rest assured!” Yu Tang promised him, “I will definitely work hard at it.”

Pei Yan thought, consider it tuition paid.

Who learns anything without paying some silver?

“My family still has several sea buckthorn plants,” he said. “After the tenth passes, send someone over to dig them up and plant them in your family’s forest first. If they survive, they can bear fruit this autumn. When the time comes, taste the flavor of that fruit and you’ll know.”

Bland and tasteless—without making candied preserves, it really had no use.

Yu Tang hadn’t expected there would be such an unexpected harvest.

In her previous life, she had heard this tree was recommended to him by his friend who served as an official in the Northwest. In this life, it was Zhou Zijin who had dug them over from the Northwest. She didn’t know whether the information from her previous life was correct or the information from this life was correct. But no matter what, she decided that after they bore fruit, she would make a batch of candied preserves in advance for Pei Yan and Master Shen who had helped find the saplings to taste.

These two people had both helped her greatly.

Yu Tang respectfully saw Pei Yan off.

When Pei Yan returned home and hadn’t yet settled into his seat, Pei Man came looking for him, bringing him news that was rather unexpected: “The Wu family has been lobbying everywhere. The Tao family, Yin family, Li family, Sheng family and others have all decided that during the auction, everyone will keep the price around five thousand taels of silver. Whichever family wins the bid for this map will take it out to share with everyone.”

There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.

Pei Yan casually poured himself a cup of tea and leisurely took a sip before saying, “You don’t need to worry. I’m not planning to let any single family win the bid. If they’ve all agreed, then I’ll sell the map to them for five thousand taels of silver. Adding the two thousand taels of silver deposit from each family, no matter what, the Yu family will end up with twenty thousand taels of silver. Having these twenty thousand taels of silver, while not excessive, is enough for several generations of their family to spend. Besides, what use is having lots of money? If descendants are incompetent, they’ll squander any amount just the same.”

Pei Man said in astonishment, “Isn’t it supposed to go to the highest bidder?”

Pei Yan burst out laughing, looking at him as if at a fool, and said, “Highest bidder wins—do you think that’s possible? How much would count as highest? From the beginning, I never planned for that to work. I just didn’t want them to obtain it so easily, otherwise they’d think our Pei family harbored evil intentions and that the map was fake.”

Indeed, there were many who judged a gentleman’s heart by a petty person’s measure.

Pei Man said, “Then we’re really not keeping a copy of the map either?”

The Yu family had said they would give one to Pei Yan. Keeping one wouldn’t count as breaking the agreement, would it?

Pei Yan shook his head and said, “I understand this second senior brother of mine. For the sake of his official career, he’ll do anything. Now that Chief Grand Secretary Shen is advanced in years, he’ll retire in two years at most. He’s competing with Li Xun for the position of chief in the Grand Secretariat. With his temperament, he’ll definitely make an example of the Maritime Trade Office, and conveniently reshuffle the wealthy households of Jiangnan. Anyone who doesn’t support him will all be trampled into the mud. He and I were never on good terms to begin with. If it weren’t for our teacher still being alive, and having to rely on Senior Brother’s guidance, he probably would have long since disowned me as his junior brother. It’s better we don’t get involved in this matter.”

Pei Man’s expression changed drastically, and he nodded repeatedly.

Pei Yan then stood up and stretched lazily, yawning as he said, “I slept too late yesterday. Today I need to take an afternoon nap. This afternoon I still have to hold a welcoming banquet for the Peng family people. Tell A’Ming to remember to wake me when the time comes.”

Pei Man acknowledged and directed a young maid to make Pei Yan’s bed.

Yu Tang, who had returned home, was somewhat dazed in spirit, constantly thinking about certain details from her previous life. When the day of the auction on the tenth arrived, Yu Yuan came to Yu Tang’s home early and nervously waited for news together with Yu Wen.

Although Yu Tang sat in the study, she was somewhat distracted.

She was thinking about those rumors concerning Pei Yan from her previous life.

Everyone knew very little about his situation, didn’t even know which family’s young lady he had married. They hadn’t heard he had children either—she didn’t know if it was because he was unwilling to let others know or because he hadn’t had any after marriage?

She had been too foolish in her previous life. How had she not thought about why the Pei family would offer a higher price than other families to buy their family’s forest land? However, even if she had known, with her former personality and courage, she probably wouldn’t have dared to go thank the Pei family. And there was the Li family—in her previous life, they had obtained the map and colluded with the Peng family, becoming in Lin’an a great household second only to the Pei family. She didn’t know how much impact this had on the Pei family. Also, Pei Yan had said the court wanted to abolish the Maritime Trade Offices in Ningbo and Quanzhou, but in her memory, right up until she died, the Maritime Trade Offices in Ningbo and Quanzhou seemed to still be there…

Thinking of this, Yu Tang almost jumped up.

That’s right—how had she not thought of using the information she knew from her previous life to repay the Pei family?

In her previous life, whether the Maritime Trade Offices in Ningbo and Quanzhou were abolished or not had little relation to her, but the Pei family was different. Their family did big business. Even if he didn’t want to do maritime trade, he surely knew people, or had relatives doing maritime business. She could reveal this information to Pei Yan, and then Pei Yan could use this information to make deals with others, or let his friends and family reduce their losses!

The more Yu Tang thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

She paced circles in the room, her desire to see Pei Yan like sparks starting a prairie fire, burning more and more vigorously.

Yu Wen watched her and said quietly to Yu Yuan, “Look at A’Tang. We say she’s grown up and has her own ideas, but her age is still what it is. When encountering matters, she still can’t quite keep her composure.”

Having worked hard for so long and finally managed to get rid of that map, Yu Yuan was also genuinely happy in his heart.

He couldn’t help but smile and say, “Isn’t it just family here? If there were outsiders present, she’d definitely hold it in. If you saw that, wouldn’t you praise her as dignified, composed, and responsible? Uncle, don’t be so nitpicky!”

Yu Wen smiled silently and said to Yu Tang, “Stop spinning around—you’re making my head dizzy. The Pei family is a reputable household. They’ll deliver the auction proceeds to our family intact. With you turning around and around like this, you’re making my heart anxious too.”

Yu Tang chuckled but didn’t explain why she was pacing around. Instead, she steadied her mind, sat down to drink two cups of tea, then returned to her room to make two silk flowers before finally waiting for the person the Pei family sent to bring news.

“The deposit and auction proceeds together total twenty-seven thousand taels of silver.” The person who came was a man around thirty years old with a very ordinary appearance, wearing a very common blue coarse cloth straight robe. He spoke in a measured, unhurried way, calling himself Chen Qi, the Pei family’s accounting manager. “As previously agreed, it’s all been deposited in the Pei family’s silver house. These are the banknotes. Please have Master Yu count them once so I can return and settle accounts.” After finishing, he took out a box. “Inside are all banknotes of one thousand taels each. These are also the largest denomination banknotes from the Pei family’s silver house.”

Twenty-seven thousand taels?!

Everyone in the Yu family was stunned for a moment.

Yu Yuan even more couldn’t conceal the joy and excitement in his heart. He glanced at Yu Tang and quietly clenched his fist.

Yu Wen was also very happy. He coughed lightly, took the box and without even looking at it handed it to Yu Yuan, stood up and bowed to Chen Qi, saying, “Manager Chen has worked hard. The family has prepared wine and food. Please don’t disdain it, Manager Chen. Have a cup of modest wine at our home before returning.”

Who would have thought Chen Qi would say methodically, “Master Yu, the banknotes were personally handed over by the Third Master. Several people from the accounting office watched as they were placed in the box, and it was I alone who brought them here. Please still count them once. If there are no errors, then we can discuss other matters.”

Yu Wen smiled unconcernedly and said, “Since Manager Chen is the Pei family’s accounting manager, what is there not to trust? There definitely won’t be any errors…”

“Please still have Master Yu count them once.” Chen Qi simply wouldn’t discuss sentiments with Yu Wen and insisted that the money be counted clearly face to face.

Yu Wen was somewhat displeased, feeling that Chen Qi didn’t trust his character.

Yu Tang sighed inwardly and could only persuade her father, “Father, you trust the Pei family—that’s your trust in the Pei family. But Manager Chen is an accountant and has his own set of professional requirements. With such a large sum of silver, if you don’t count it clearly in his presence, how can he return to settle accounts? You should still listen to Manager Chen and count the banknotes clearly in person!”

Only then did Yu Wen, together with Yu Yuan, count the banknotes together with Chen Qi.

What the Pei family had sent over, and what Pei Yan had personally handed to Chen Qi, would naturally have no errors.

Yu Wen thought, now Chen Qi should be able to rest assured and have a cup of modest wine at his place, right?

Chen Qi still refused: “I came in the Third Master’s carriage and still need to hurry back to report. If you want to give thanks, thank our Third Master! I’m just a servant on duty.”

Not giving Yu Wen any face at all, this angered Yu Wen considerably. He didn’t personally see Chen Qi out but had Yu Yuan see the guest out on his behalf.

Chen Qi didn’t feel he had been slighted. He bowed to Yu Wen and followed Yu Yuan out of the study.