Blossom

Jiang Yan, upon hearing this, clasped her hands together and murmured, "Amitabha Buddha," then said, "It's better to earn a living honestly than to wander far from home. Even if it's hard work, at least it's stable and secure!"

This response not only left Chen Jia dumbfounded but also took Jiang Lizhu by surprise.

It seemed Li Liang was beyond saving!

Suppressing a smile, Jiang Lizhu coughed lightly to remind Jiang Yan that it was time to return to their room.

But Jiang Yan hesitated, then removed a pair of gold bracelets from her wrists and the ruby earrings from her ears. Softly, she said to Chen Jia, "This is all I can do to help them. Please give these to Li Liang as a token of my gratitude for his past kindness. If they ever face hardships, they can send word to me. I can't promise much, but I can offer some financial support to help them through tough times."

Chen Jia stared at the gleaming jewelry, his brows furrowing deeply into a frown.

He said gravely, "These are personal items you wear daily. How can you casually give them to an unrelated man? If someone with ill intentions exploits this, how will you ever establish yourself in the Duke of England's Mansion? Put them away at once! If you wish to repay Li Liang's kindness, I have some spare silver here—I'll cover it for you. You must never act so thoughtlessly again!"

Jiang Yan's face flushed crimson with embarrassment.

Jiang Lizhu, however, nodded subtly in approval.

Chen Jia then pulled out a money pouch and said, "These pieces of jewelry are of excellent quality and must be worth at least three to four hundred taels of silver. I'll arrange for five hundred taels to be sent to him. Does that sound acceptable?"

Jiang Yan had no idea of their value. In the past, the most she'd ever spent was two taels on hair ornaments. After marrying Wei Quan, she was never in charge of household finances—everything was managed by an old servant of the Wei Family, who occasionally gave her a few taels for small expenses. Her jewelry had all been provided by Dou Zhao. Hearing that these few items were worth hundreds of taels, she felt even more indebted to Dou Zhao and Song Mo, unable to meet Chen Jia's gaze. She murmured, "No, it doesn’t need to be that much. Just enough to help them get by... Two hundred taels—no, one hundred taels will do."

She recalled how Li Tiaoniang had once demanded a hundred taels from a former lover as compensation, claiming it was enough to marry her off.

She also remembered how everything had been prepared for her own wedding.

Surely a hundred taels would be enough for Li Liang to start a new life!

Understanding her nature, Chen Jia swiftly pulled out several silver notes. "I'll have someone deliver them to Tianjin tomorrow," he said.

Jiang Yan sighed in relief, thanking Chen Jia repeatedly and adding, "I'll repay you in a few days."

Chen Jia was no longer the man he once was.

If he wished, wealth could pour in like water.

But he exercised restraint—partly to protect his reputation and future career, and partly to avoid envy and potential schemes.

A hundred taels of silver meant nothing to him now.

He nodded indifferently.

Jiang Yan and Jiang Lizhu returned to the guest quarters arranged for them.

After freshening up, Jiang Lizhu lay down to rest. But Jiang Yan, now burdened with a debt of a hundred taels, felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles. She longed to rush back to Green Water Residence immediately to tally up her belongings and see how much they were worth.The result was that everyone's spirits remained low the entire afternoon—Dou Zhao was worried about Yuan Ge'er, wondering if he might go hungry; Jiang Yan was thinking about how to repay Chen Jia's silver; Miao Ansu pondered what exactly had happened to Song Han that made him so disliked; while Jiang Lizhu thought of her fifth uncle far away in Liaodong, unsure if Eldest Aunt could persuade him this time not to compete with Cousin Song Mo over these superficial matters.

Before dusk, they headed back.

Dou Zhao went first to Jing'an Temple Alley.

Dou Shiying was waving a rattle around, making Yuan Ge'er giggle with delight.

"You're back so early!" he exclaimed upon seeing his daughter, awkwardly putting the rattle away.

Yuan Ge'er, who had been happily playing, suddenly burst into loud wails.

Dou Zhao quickly gathered her son into her arms.

Yuan Ge'er nuzzled eagerly against her chest.

Knowing the child had missed her, she stepped behind a screen to nurse him.

Dou Shiying muttered, "He just ate a little while ago."

But Yuan Ge'er seemed determined to contradict his grandfather, gulping down milk ravenously.

Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile.

Gently stroking the baby’s soft black hair, she felt as though she had a piece of candy melting in her mouth, sweetness spreading all the way to her heart.

Meanwhile, Miao Ansu surveyed the Dou family’s Small Flower Hall.

The lattice panels on all sides were inlaid with cloisonné glass. The tables and chairs were uniformly made of huanghuali wood, while the curio shelves displayed an array of antiques, including a potted magnolia in full bloom carved from a single piece of Shoushan stone. The maids serving tea wore spun silk-lined jackets, brewed freshly harvested Xinyang Maojian tea, and presented it in modern famille rose porcelain cups—every detail exuded sophistication, wealth, and trendiness.

Miao Ansu’s mood turned subtly complicated.

It was like a country squire visiting the city. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford or acquire such things, but even if she brought them all home, she could never recreate this atmosphere.

She glanced at Jiang Yan and Jiang Lizhu, only to find them chatting softly with smiles, appearing perfectly at ease.

Bored, Miao Ansu sipped her tea a few times before Dou Zhao emerged with Yuan Ge'er.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she apologized with a smile.

She didn’t explain why no elder female relatives were present to receive them.

Neither Jiang Yan nor Jiang Lizhu gave it much thought, while Miao Ansu had long heard that Dou Shiying and Wang Yingxue were estranged, with Wang Yingxue staying at her parents’ home indefinitely... She smiled and said, "No trouble at all! The tea and snacks were delicious—we indulged ourselves!" Then she clapped her hands at Yuan Ge'er and teased, "Yuan Ge'er, I’m your auntie! Do you recognize me? Let me hold you!"

Having eaten his fill, Yuan Ge'er nestled contentedly in his mother’s arms, grinning foolishly.

Miao Ansu took him into her arms.

Jiang Lizhu had come along precisely to play with Yuan Ge'er.

She and Jiang Yan made funny faces at him.

Yuan Ge'er giggled nonstop.

Soon, Gaosheng’s wife came to report, "Fourth Paternal Aunt, the carriages are ready."

Dou Zhao smiled at the three of them. "Shall we head back?" Then she took Yuan Ge'er, and they all left the inner courtyard together.

At the Hanging Flower Gate, besides the four carriages they had arrived in, there was now an additional one.

Gaosheng’s wife explained with a smile, "This is from the master for the young master—there’s fur for making winter coats, night pearls for windproof clasps, some toys, and snacks."Miao Ansu was astonished. Gazing at Yuan Ge'er still in swaddling clothes, she couldn't help exclaiming, "So much? When will Yuan Ge'er ever use all this?"

Gaosheng's wife chuckled. "Nothing goes unused. Just look at the fine cloth for undergarments, or the furs for winter coats. The cloaks need sable fur for beauty, the vests require lamb's wool for softness, and the fur coats demand squirrel fur for warmth... each has its purpose. This is merely what the master prepared for the young master's winter. Come spring, new styles of Hangzhou silk and jiao cloth will arrive from the south, and then we'll need to make spring and summer clothes for him."

Miao Ansu fell silent.

Dou Zhao smiled. "Please tell Father not to trouble himself so much. Children grow like weeds—many of these carefully made clothes will become too small before they're even worn. If we need anything, I'll send someone to inform him."

Gaosheng's wife laughed heartily. "If the young master can't use them, they can be saved for his younger siblings!"

Jiang Lizhu chimed in enthusiastically, "Uncle Dou's arrangements are perfect!"

Dou Zhao thought of Song Mo's ardor these past days. Once she stopped breastfeeding, she might soon be expecting again.

Her cheeks flushed slightly. After teasing Jiang Lizhu a bit, she headed home.

Song Mo returned very late.

Dou Zhao was already asleep, but Song Mo was in high spirits. Before she could fully wake, he was already inside her...

Afterward, realizing she'd been exhausted by his "three plum blossoms," Dou Zhao asked, "Did something good happen today?"

Song Mo's hands still lingered on her body as he replied casually, "The Emperor entrusted me with the Golden Guard's seal."

The Golden Guard's seal?

Dou Zhao was instantly wide awake.

She grasped his hand, eyes widening. "What happened?"

Song Mo sighed. "The Emperor was in a good mood today. He awarded Liang Jifen a set of 'Longevity Without End' moonlit cups presented by the Gansu commander during the recent imperial birthday, and gave Yao Shizhong a pair of Ru kiln wine vessels from the Zhejiang governor. But when the two Grand Secretaries went to claim their rewards, both items had vanished. The Emperor immediately had Shao Wenji beaten twenty strokes with the paddle and thrown into the imperial prison, then handed me the Golden Guard's seal."

"What about the Standard Bearer Guard?" Dou Zhao muttered. "Why target your Golden Guard? It's only been days, yet you're already on your third Metropolitan Commander. You'd be better off remaining as Assistant Prefect—at least then the Commander would shield you from direct dealings with Liao Wang."

After all, it was the Metropolitan Commander Liao Wang sought to influence.

"Don't worry," Song Mo laughed. "The Golden Guard's Metropolitan Commander position is desirable enough. Once I make it known I'm not competing for it, others will vie for the spot—they might even try bribing me!"

But Dou Zhao remained uneasy. "Be careful!"

Song Mo simply smiled and pulled her closer.

※※※※※

At Green Water Residence, Jiang Yan was also awake.

Only now had she realized she received a monthly allowance of twenty taels.

Having lived in the manor for three months with all expenses covered by Hall of Cultivating Will—aside from the two tael tips she'd given Yinghong and others—she still had forty-eight taels left from her sixty.

In three more months, she could repay Chen Jia in full.

This thought settled her mind. She decided to send someone to inform Chen Jia.Chen Jia waved his hand impatiently upon receiving the message and said, "Go tell your Cousin that it's not much. She doesn't need to return the silver."

Did Chen Jia think she was trying to avoid repayment by claiming she had no silver?

Jiang Yan felt as if sitting on pins and needles.

She wrapped her only forty-eight taels of silver in a large red silk cloth and had the Pages deliver it to Chen Jia, adding, "I'll repay twenty taels every month from now on."

Chen Jia stared at one of the half-cut snowflake silver pieces, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.