Chapter 208: Business Dealings
Fu Tingyun was momentarily taken aback.
Shopkeeper Ye San smiled and said, "I happen to know a few good families. Would you like me to act as a go-between?"
Fu Tingyun glanced at A Sen and noticed his face had turned slightly pale.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Wang Furen had decided to keep her eldest daughter Jing Tong at home. Just as Fu Tingyun was considering whether to send word to Wang Furen through an intermediary, news arrived that Lord Wang wished to take his nephew as a son-in-law... Since then, the second daughter of the Wang family often accompanied Wang Furen on visits, while Eldest Miss Wang remained at home to embroider her dowry.
Whenever the Wang mother and daughter visited, A Sen would find excuses to avoid them.
Fu Tingyun wondered to herself: Could Wang Furen have known about A Sen's feelings for Eldest Miss Wang? Perhaps fearing it would be awkward to refuse if Fu Tingyun proposed a match on A Sen's behalf, she deliberately spread this news...
Before she could dwell further, A Sen forced a smile and said softly, "I... I'm still young and about to take the Prefectural Examination..." His tone carried clear refusal.
Shopkeeper Ye San wasn't offended and chuckled, "That was thoughtless of me... We can discuss marriage after our Second Master passes the imperial examination!"
Seeing A Sen's state pained Fu Tingyun, who smoothly changed the subject: "Ninth Master also believes it's better to be cautious about such matters."
At this, A Sen looked toward Fu Tingyun.
Unaware that his eyes betrayed traces of gratitude.
This made Fu Tingyun even more wistful. She shifted the conversation: "Your third son is also of marriageable age. Have you set a wedding date with the in-laws?"
Shopkeeper Ye San shook his head with a bitter smile: "My son's future mother-in-law suddenly passed away in March!"
Fu Tingyun exclaimed, "How unfortunate..." then added, "She couldn't have been very old?"
"Just turned thirty-two," sighed Shopkeeper Ye San. "Her youngest was only four—utterly unaware. When I went to pay respects, the child had just woken up, rubbing his eyes and asking the wet nurse where his mother had gone..."
This brought tears to Fu Tingyun's eyes: "Children who've experienced hardship learn compassion. Marrying later might be better."
"That's what I think too," agreed Shopkeeper Ye San. "I've told my boy to visit his in-laws often, help with errands, and look after his young brothers-in-law..."
Their casual conversation moved past the earlier topic.
The accounts showed over seven thousand taels in congratulatory gifts received, but only two hundred taels remained after expenses, along with some longevity locks and similar items.
Shopkeeper Ye San looked somewhat uncomfortable as he explained to Fu Tingyun: "Most was spent on the banquet arrangements..."
He had helped book the restaurant for the feast.
Fu Tingyun quickly reassured him: "All guests must be properly received—being too frugal would reflect poorly on Ninth Master. With today's chaos, I feared we might have to cover losses. That we broke even is entirely thanks to your assistance... I'm truly grateful!"
Seeing her sincerity, Shopkeeper Ye San relaxed, secretly admiring Fu Tingyun's forthrightness. Suddenly an idea struck him: "Madam, have you considered engaging in business to supplement household income?"
Fu Tingyun looked surprised.
This was the second time Shopkeeper Ye San had suggested she go into trade.She declined, saying, "With Ninth Master away, it's really not appropriate for a woman like me to be out in public..."
In the past, Shopkeeper Ye San would have simply laughed it off, but this time he had other intentions. He smiled and said, "This particular deal doesn't require you to show your face at all."
Fu Tingyun chuckled, "I don't lend money at high interest."
"With Ninth Master's current influence, how could I suggest such a business to you?" Shopkeeper Ye San replied. "It's a friend of mine who wants to open a restaurant in the capital. He doesn't have enough funds and doesn't want to borrow at high interest, so he's looking for a partner. He used to run a restaurant in Jiangnan with a partner, but after the business took off, they often clashed over minor issues and eventually parted ways. Now he wants someone who will invest and handle the accounts but not interfere with the daily operations..."
Thinking of the villa at Yuming Mountain, Fu Tingyun felt tempted and asked, "What kind of issues did they clash over?"
"Just small matters like procurement and discounts," Shopkeeper Ye San said with a smile. "I got to know him when I managed a silver shop. Though his transactions weren't large, he was very trustworthy. This time, he came to the capital to open a restaurant and initially asked me to help him borrow from the silver shop, but the interest was too high for him..."
Fu Tingyun asked, "How much capital does he need in total?"
"One hundred thousand taels!" Shopkeeper Ye said. "Ten thousand taels per share, and he wants to hold six shares."
"That much?" Fu Tingyun was surprised. "But I don't have that kind of money."
Shopkeeper Ye San said, "I also think this is a good opportunity. I originally planned to take the remaining four shares, but the capital required is more than I can handle alone. So I thought we could split the remaining four shares—three for me and one for you. What do you think?"
So it turned out that Shopkeeper Ye San was the one being approached for investment, and he was including her out of consideration.
Since Shopkeeper Ye San himself was optimistic about the venture, Fu Tingyun felt more confident.
Still, ten thousand taels was a significant sum, and parting with it would leave her without ready cash.
She hesitated, "I'll need to discuss this with Ninth Master first."
"Of course," Shopkeeper Ye San smiled. "I'll wait for your final decision after Ninth Master returns."
With that settled, they wrapped up the remaining details, and Shopkeeper Ye San stood to leave.
Fu Tingyun instructed A Sen, "It's getting late. Accompany Shopkeeper Ye San for supper and then see him home."
"No need, no need," Shopkeeper Ye San quickly declined with a smile. "I brought my own carriage, and there's a cook at the shop..."
"It's our way of showing appreciation," A Sen, now back to his cheerful self, took Shopkeeper Ye San by the arm and led him out. "Don't worry, I won't drag you to some shady place just to appease my sister-in-law..."
Unable to refuse, Shopkeeper Ye San left with A Sen.
Zheng San remarked, "Madam, I think Shopkeeper Ye San's proposal is quite reliable. Maybe you should consider it carefully?"
"Let's wait until Ninth Master returns," Fu Tingyun mused.
Seeing this, Zheng San gathered the abacus and other items and withdrew.
That night, Fu Tingyun tossed and turned, calculating the household finances to see if she could scrape together the funds.
The sound of a door opening and closing, along with Kou'er's soft voice, came from outside.
Fu Tingyun knew A Sen had returned.
She threw on a robe and pushed open the window.She saw Kou'er supporting A Sen towards the side room.
A Sen waved Kou'er away, muttering, "I can go back myself," but then stumbled and nearly fell.
Kou'er quickly stepped forward to support him again, whispering, "Madam just fell asleep. Be careful not to wake her."
Only then did A Sen stop struggling and allowed Kou'er to help him into the side room.
Fu Tingyun gazed at the light in the western side room for a long time before finally closing the window.
Early the next morning, A Sen came to pay his respects to Fu Tingyun before heading to school.
Noticing the red streaks in his eyes, Fu Tingyun asked thoughtfully, "Did you drink too much yesterday?"
A Sen nodded immediately and explained, "Shopkeeper Ye San kept talking about his past merchant adventures and I ended up drinking more than I intended."
Fu Tingyun sighed inwardly. After a moment's consideration, she took A Sen to the study in the western wing.
"Do you like Eldest Miss Wang?" she asked bluntly.
A Sen was startled and instinctively denied it, "N-no!" But when he met Fu Tingyun's concerned gaze, he regretted his denial and lowered his head, whispering, "Yes... I do... but she's the commander's daughter..."
"Then do you know the Wang family intends to take in a son-in-law?" Fu Tingyun pressed directly.
"I know," A Sen replied, his voice even quieter, his face showing shame. "I just... just like her in my heart... quietly..."
"Are you afraid the Wang family will look down on you? Or do you not want to marry into their family?" Fu Tingyun's questions were straightforward.
A Sen peeked at Fu Tingyun and, seeing her calm expression, gritted his teeth and whispered, "I'm afraid the Wang family..."
"Good!" Fu Tingyun said. "I'll visit Chen Shi and ask her to sound out Wang Furen."
A Sen stared at Fu Tingyun in shock. "But the Wang family... hasn't it already..."
"A real man should stand by his words—'yes' means 'yes,' 'no' means 'no,'" Fu Tingyun said sternly. "If you like her, do what you should. Even if it doesn't work out, you won't regret it later."
A Sen's eyes brightened, and he straightened his posture, answering loudly, "Yes!"
A hint of satisfaction flickered in Fu Tingyun's eyes as she smiled slightly. "If Eldest Miss Wang's marriage is already settled, remember my words: you've done what you could. Man proposes, God disposes. Don't regret it, and don't cling to it."
"Yes!" A Sen's voice grew even louder. "Ninth Master taught me that in all things, one must be able to take them up and put them down."
Fu Tingyun nodded with a smile. "Go to school now. We've done our best. Go take the Prefectural Examination with peace of mind."
A Sen nodded deeply and said loudly, "Sister-in-law, I'm off to school now." He strode out of the hall with his back straight.
Yu Wei hesitated. "Are you really going to propose to the Wang family?"
"Yes," Fu Tingyun replied. "If only to give A Sen closure."
Yu Wei said nothing more. After breakfast, she accompanied Fu Tingyun to Commander Chen's residence.
Upon hearing of Fu Tingyun's arrival, Commander Chen's wife came out to greet her at the moon gate with her three daughters-in-law.
Fu Tingyun repeatedly expressed her humility and exchanged polite words with Chen Furen before being led to her main quarters.
After some pleasantries, Fu Tingyun stated her purpose.
Chen Shi was surprised.
But Chen Furen was straightforward. "It's just a matter of speaking up. Whether it works out or not depends on fate."Chen Shi found this reasonable and went to see Wang Furen the next day.
Wang Furen was utterly astonished upon hearing it: "I truly had no idea Quan Hui harbored such thoughts." As she spoke, she collected herself, though her tone couldn't help but grow flustered. "I merely thought she had A Sen take the Zhao surname because she felt the Zhao family was too small and wanted to keep A Sen with them... Who would have imagined she intended to have A Sen marry into their family? I had no idea... This matter must be discussed with my husband..." She then added reproachfully, "She should have told me earlier if she had such intentions. Now that my husband has already spoken, how can we take it back?"
Chen Shi could only smile helplessly and went back to report to Fu Tingyun.
Fu Tingyun was so anxious she nearly jumped in frustration: "This is all my fault! What should we do now?"
"Don't panic," Chen Shi tried to console her. "From the tone of Wang Furen's words, there still seems to be room for negotiation. Why not wait patiently for a couple of days and see what the Wang family decides?"
※
Dear sisters and brothers, please vote with your pink tickets at the start of the month... O(∩_∩)O~...
※
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel