When Qing Yuan came in carrying chilled mung bean soup, she found the scene somewhat amusing—Pei Yan was bent over his desk painting, Yu Tang held a Sichuan fan fanning Pei Yan, and behind Yu Tang, two young servants were fanning them both.
Third Master was really determined to torment Miss Yu, wasn’t he?
Qing Yuan didn’t dare say much. After inviting them both to drink the mung bean soup, she withdrew with light steps.
Yu Tang then sprawled in the grand armchair, rubbing her own wrist.
Pei Yan looked at her with disdain and said, “How can you not even fan properly?”
Yu Tang retorted without hesitation, “How about we switch then?”
Pei Yan glanced at the half-finished pomegranate flower painting, raised his eyebrows, and returned Yu Tang’s words to her verbatim: “How about we switch then?”
Yu Tang wasn’t afraid of him at all. Rolling up her sleeves, she said, “Switch then, let’s switch!”
Who’s afraid of whom?
If she painted poorly, wouldn’t Pei Yan still have to come to the rescue?
This fool, thinking he could stump her!
Pei Yan was actually afraid she would ruin his half-finished painting. He quickly stopped her, “Alright, alright, stop being mischievous. You don’t need to fan me anymore. Just stand beside me and hand me painting brushes.” He added, “Look at you—what can you even do!”
So now it was her fault?
Yu Tang sat in the chair unwilling to move and said, “I need to rest!”
Pei Yan wasn’t really demanding she do anything. He just thought that since he was working so hard for the Yu family here, Yu Tang should at least keep him company to feel comfortable. So he didn’t force her—as long as she stayed in the study, that was enough. He quickly finished two paintings, one of pomegranates and one of peonies, and said, “Either of these will work. Have your family make a few samples and let the Hu family choose. Their family started with making rice paper. Besides Jiangsu and Zhejiang, they have branches in Huguang, Guangdong-Guangxi, central Shanxi, and the capital—their business is very large. If your family can secure this order, you won’t have to worry about business in the future.”
Yu Tang sat there eating fruit while watching Pei Yan continue painting a third design, chatting with him about whatever came to mind: “What do you think about our family adding some new business? Making carved red lacquer hairpins? I think women’s items sell very well. Like those selling rouge and powder, or those selling hair ornaments.”
Pei Yan struck her down without mercy: “That’s quite nice. However, have you calculated the costs?”
Yu Tang thought of her family’s mountain forest and immediately deflated. She couldn’t help saying resentfully, “Why is it that when you grow sea buckthorn fruit to sell candied preserves you can make money, but I can’t?”
“Because I know more people than you do!” Pei Yan took it entirely as praise and said nonchalantly, “I have more places where I can sell goods! The way you are, your eyes are fixed on Hangzhou at most—of course that won’t work.”
Yu Tang then provoked him: “Fine then! Our family will open a shop in the capital. There are definitely more opportunities there. But that requires silver! Shops in the capital are so expensive—who wouldn’t want to do business in the capital!”
Pei Yan looked back at Yu Tang as if looking at a “fool” and said, “Master Wu’s family has plenty of silver—why haven’t they thought about opening a shop in the capital?”
That was because opening a shop in the capital also required backing.
Yu Tang became embarrassed and angry: “What’s wrong with you? Whatever I say, you have to retort with two sentences. Can’t you say something nice? Acting like this, who will want to chat with you in the future!”
How could no one chat with him? Everyone quite wanted to extract some words from his mouth.
However, seeing that Yu Tang seemed truly a bit angry, Pei Yan sensibly didn’t continue. Instead, he made a stiff turn and asked Yu Tang, “What do you want to eat later? I’ll have the kitchen make it for you!”
Yu Tang had lunch here at noon, and he wanted to keep her for dinner as well.
Yu Tang said somewhat embarrassedly, “I, I won’t have dinner here. Elder Brother asked me to stop by the shop on my way home. They want to create a template from the painting you gave yesterday today.”
She felt that not only was Pei Yan helping her family, but he was also treating her to good food and drink. For her to just eat and leave like this seemed rather unfair to Pei Yan.
Pei Yan hadn’t thought so much about it. He was also somewhat concerned about keeping Yu Tang here and having people gossip, so he didn’t insist too much. When she was leaving, he instructed her, “Come over early tomorrow too. While I’m free these couple of days, I’ll paint a few more designs for your family.”
How could Yu Tang dare not agree?
That evening, Pei Yan went to have dinner with Old Madam Pei and discussed the Dragon Boat Festival arrangements with his mother.
Old Madam Pei basically didn’t manage these matters anymore now. Whatever Pei Yan arranged was fine. However, after sending Pei Yan off, she immediately pulled Nanny Chen over to ask, “Miss Yu entered the manor again today?”
Nanny Chen’s face was full of smiles as she replied “yes” and said, “On that route, those on duty are all people from our courtyard—no one will gossip.”
Old Madam Pei nodded with satisfaction and said, “What did the two of them do?”
“Third Master seemed to be teaching Miss Yu how to paint.” Nanny Chen said somewhat uncertainly, “As you know, Third Master most dislikes people spying on matters in his courtyard. Our people didn’t dare get too close.”
Old Madam Pei waved her hand dismissively and smiled, “I didn’t expect Xiaguang would have such interest.”
Nanny Chen quickly chimed in from the side, “Who would have thought? This shows that Third Master and Miss Yu truly have an affinity.”
Old Madam Pei nodded and asked about Grand Madam’s affairs: “How does she plan to handle Eldest Young Master’s wedding? Is she still discussing the Yang family? I heard the Gu family sent over a dowry list—what are they including in the dowry?”
Hearing this, Nanny Chen sighed inwardly, feeling that Grand Madam’s marriage alliance with the Gu family was somewhat unwise. She said, “Their dowry is sixty-four palanquin carriers, three thousand taels of silver for the dowry chest, plus fifty mu of mulberry fields, and two shops in Hangzhou city.”
If Yu Tang were here, she would discover that Gu Xi’s dowry included two more shops than in her previous life.
Even so, Nanny Chen still explained, “I heard those two shops are Old Master Gu’s private property.”
Now that Gu Chang had made something of himself, this favor would naturally be repaid by Gu Chang.
Old Madam Pei nodded, noncommittal. Nanny Chen was somewhat worried about Yu Tang and said hesitantly, “About Miss Yu…”
Old Madam Pei said, “She will be an aunt in the future—she definitely can’t just marry in like this. However, you know Yang Shi’s temperament. There’s no need to let her know about these matters yet. We’ll discuss it after the Gu family’s dowry list is finalized.”
Nanny Chen said, “Your meaning is?”
Old Madam Pei said, “Miss Gu’s dowry can be considered quite good in Jiangnan, but compared to families like ours, it’s just breaking even. If Miss Yin knows how to conduct herself, she won’t let her sister-in-law marry in like this. Let’s just wait and see.”
In other words, they wanted to use this matter to observe Gu Chang’s attitude toward Gu Xi and Miss Yin’s capability in handling affairs.
Nanny Chen smiled and agreed, then said no more about the matter.
Yu Tang spent two consecutive days at the Pei family. Until the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, when they had agreed to watch the dragon boat races together the next day, they couldn’t continue painting together.
“Once we’re up the mountain, I’ll paint a few more for you.” After lunch, Pei Yan prepared to send Yu Tang home.
Yu Tang was rather surprised, thinking he should have many things to do tomorrow. Obediently taking the painting he had done that morning, she prepared to leave.
Who would have thought Pei Yan would tell her to wait while he went to change clothes first, looking as if he intended to go out with her.
Yu Tang was somewhat dumbfounded.
Pei Yan said helplessly, “Didn’t you say you were going to check on the shop? If the template they created isn’t satisfactory, what’s the use of me burying my head in painting here? Your family still has to be able to make it! I’ll go with you today to take a look.”
After the Dragon Boat Festival, he still wanted to coax Yu Tang back up the mountain to continue spending the summer together with her. He didn’t want to come down the mountain again because of the Yu family’s business matters.
How could Yu Tang know what schemes Pei Yan was plotting? She looked at him gratefully, wishing she could personally serve him tea and water.
Pei Yan snorted coldly with pride: “Just don’t complain about your wrist being sore when I have you fan me!”
Yu Tang’s face reddened, but her words were righteous: “I just haven’t done it before! Once I go home and practice, it’ll be fine.”
Practice? With whom? Father Yu or Mother Yu?
He could barely accept these two, but what if it was Yu Yuan?
Pei Yan looked at Yu Tang with displeasure and said, “We’ll see when the time comes! The weather is so hot—don’t exhaust yourself into getting heatstroke. Then I’d have to summon a physician for you from Hangzhou—how troublesome that would be!”
Yu Tang felt she might get heatstroke from Pei Yan’s provocation.
She waited indignantly for Pei Yan at the entrance of the sedan hall, but thinking of how Pei Yan became insufferably arrogant after doing just a little thing, she found him particularly indulged, particularly interesting, particularly adorable… so much so that just thinking about it made her want to smile.
Yu Tang couldn’t help but smile with pressed lips.
When Pei Yan came out and didn’t see Yu Tang, he broke out in a cold sweat. Learning she had gone ahead to the sedan hall, he hurried over, only to see her hiding to the side just smiling, like a little cat that had stolen fish. He was both anxious and angry, wanting to scold Yu Tang, but also finding her appearance rather interesting. It seemed not quite right if she got frightened by his scolding.
In this moment of hesitation, Yu Tang saw Pei Yan.
She smiled brilliantly at Pei Yan.
Her bright face was even more dazzling than the summer sun.
Pei Yan felt as if his heart had stopped beating.
He placed his hand on his chest, thinking: Forget it, adults don’t hold grudges against children, and moreover, only petty people and women are difficult to nurture.
The two went together to the Yu family’s lacquerware shop.
Because the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching and there would be dragon boat races tomorrow, there were many people on the street, mainly buying food. At the Yu family’s lacquerware shop, many looked but few bought.
As soon as Pei Yan entered, he attracted everyone’s attention.
He furrowed his brow and quickly walked into the small courtyard at the back.
Yu Yuan hurriedly came out to greet them.
Pei Yan glanced quickly at Yu Tang, who was wearing a veil hat and following behind him, and said in a deep voice, “Let’s talk inside.”
Seeing his somewhat displeased expression, Yu Yuan felt alarmed and quickly led them both to the reception room at the back for distinguished guests.
Yu Tang removed her veil hat and breathed a sigh of relief.
The weather was still too hot.
The master craftsman hired from Jiangxi had brought his entire family over. His two daughters worked as maids and hurriedly brought tea over for them.
Pei Yan’s expression hadn’t improved. He asked Yu Yuan, “Does Miss Yu usually come here like this?”
Yu Yuan didn’t understand what he meant for a moment.
It was the master’s daughter who was quick-witted. She hurriedly said, “Usually when the eldest miss comes, she uses the back door. There aren’t many people there. Young master can also leave with the eldest miss through the back door later. There are just too many people on the street today.”
Pei Yan looked at this young girl with approval and asked, “What’s your name?”