Chapter 243: Disappointment
Seeing her husband's opposition, Fan Shi knew she couldn't press further. She hurried into the inner chamber, retrieved a plain black lacquered box from a hidden compartment in the bed's headboard—carved with a pattern of a shepherd boy playing a flute—and handed the land deed for the mountain property to Yu Jingxiu.
Yu Jingxiu took the deed and went to his study.
Fan Shi sat on the daybed, fanning her daughter, but her mind was in turmoil, preoccupied with the land deed Yu Jingxiu had taken.
When they married, the Yu Family had provided them with private assets worth over eight thousand taels of silver, generating an annual income of more than two thousand taels. Additionally, as she had married into a higher-status family, her father, fearing the Yu Family might look down on her, had matched her dowry to her sister's—thirty-six trunks on the surface—but filled them with far more valuable items, yielding an annual income of eight to nine hundred taels. Daily expenses were covered by the household, and they received a monthly allowance of fifty taels. Yu Jingxiu's official expenses were also covered by his father's accounts, so they rarely needed to dip into their own funds.
Though her husband hadn't said anything, she understood that with such a major incident befalling the Yu Family, money would undoubtedly be needed to smooth things over.
The Yu Family had been established for a century, enjoying wealth and prestige. Madam Yu's maiden family, the Shu Clan, was also a prominent household in Jiangnan, rumored to have provided a dowry worth tens of thousands of taels. How had the family fallen into such dire straits that her husband would rather sell land than let his mother know?
Or perhaps Madam Yu was also financially strained, making him reluctant to ask...
The possibility unsettled her.
Was her husband hiding something from her?
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.
What if she were left in the dark, unaware and unprepared?
Lost in thought, she fanned so vigorously that the feathers rustled loudly.
Mo Zhuan, who had just entered with a plate of watermelon, exclaimed, "Oh dear! What's the matter, madam? You'll frighten the young miss!"
Fan Shi snapped out of her reverie and handed the fan to a maid.
Mo Zhuan offered the watermelon. "This was sent from Shandong. Try it—isn't it sweet?"
Fan Shi took the watermelon but didn't eat it. Instead, she dismissed the other servants and whispered to Mo Zhuan, "Keep an eye out for what the master has been up to these days."
Mo Zhuan was surprised. "Has something happened with the master?"
Fan Shi didn't conceal it and told her about Yu Jingxiu's plan to sell the mountain property.
Mo Zhuan's heart sank.
She had only ever heard of wealthy families buying land, never selling it.
"I understand," she replied solemnly. "I'll report to you if there's any movement from the master."
Fan Shi nodded, but her brow remained furrowed.
Meanwhile, Fu Tingyun's household was filled with laughter.
"...Grand Secretary Shen served as Minister of the Ministry of Personnel for over a decade, overseeing the appointments of officials high and low. Now that he's retired, the court's dynamics are bound to shift," Seventh Sister's Husband said excitedly. "Take, for example, the vacancies for the Registrar of the Office of Transmission and the Censor of the Censorate—those who relied on Grand Secretary Shen's influence must be despairing now."
Compared to Seventh Sister's Husband, Third Older Cousin's Husband appeared much more composed.He nodded with a smile and said, "I was wondering why this year's vacancies hadn't been filled yet. Turns out Grand Secretary Shen has his hands full..."
Fu Tingyun couldn't help laughing. "So all those times Third Older Cousin's Husband told me 'don't worry' were just for show—you weren't confident either!"
Third Older Cousin's Husband was momentarily taken aback before bursting into laughter. "I couldn't fool Ninth Sister after all!"
Seventh Sister's Husband chimed in, "Shouldn't Third Brother-in-law's matter be settled soon?"
"Not necessarily," Third Older Cousin's Husband replied with a smile. "With such major changes in the court, there's much to be done! What seems like a huge deal to us is insignificant in the eyes of the grand secretaries. This might drag on for another month or two."
"That long?" Seventh Sister's Husband looked disappointed.
"If it's settled within a month or two, that would be good enough," Third Older Cousin's Husband said calmly. "Actually, this gives me some free time. Weren't you organizing some poetry gathering? It's perfect for lotus viewing now—if you go out, count me in!"
"Excellent!" Seventh Sister's Husband teased. "We were just short of someone to split the bill with."
Everyone laughed.
Seeing it was getting late, Third Older Cousin's Husband stood to leave.
Thinking that Third Sister had been staying with her these past few days, Fu Tingyun urged her to return home too. "...The full month ceremony is over, and I can get out of bed now. Your husband shouldn't be left all alone without anyone to look after him. If anything comes up, I'll send a servant to fetch you."
Third Sister agreed this made sense. After packing her things and gathering Chunbing and Yuanxiao, she left with Third Older Cousin's Husband and Seventh Sister's Husband.
Youyou asked Fu Tingyun, "When will Brother Chunbing come again?" looking reluctant to part.
This piqued Fu Tingyun's curiosity.
Housekeeper Tong explained with a smile, "Young Master Shen—the eldest cousin—learned how to weave grasshoppers from grass somewhere. The young mistress absolutely adores them. These past few days, both our young mistress and Young Master Shen the second have been learning from him."
"Really?" Fu Tingyun hugged her daughter. "Did you learn how?"
Youyou nodded vigorously. "I couldn't do it, so Big Cousin kept teaching me." Then she whispered in her mother's ear, "I'll tell you a secret—you mustn't tell anyone... Second Uncle misread some characters while studying. When Big Cousin pointed it out, Second Uncle's face turned redder than my little jacket."
Fu Tingyun was stunned.
So that's why A Sen had been acting awkward around Chunbing.
She'd been wondering why A Sen, who usually adored children, had been somewhat distant with the Shen children... Now it made sense!
Fu Tingyun made a pinky promise with her daughter. "Then you mustn't tell anyone else either!"
Youyou quickly linked pinkies and covered her mouth. "I won't tell anyone."
Fu Tingyun couldn't help laughing.
Youyou happily threw herself into her mother's arms.
Since becoming pregnant with Xu Ge'er, Fu Tingyun had only dared to hold Youyou occasionally and with great care.
Now she hugged her daughter back and kissed her little face, letting Youyou stay in her room that night.
When Xi Ge'er found out, he clamored to sleep with his mother too.
Fu Tingyun simply had Xu Ge'er brought over as well.Youyou and Xi Ge'er kept tugging at Xu Ge'er's hands one moment and touching his feet the next, making him whimper while they themselves were utterly delighted.
Fu Tingyun picked up Xu Ge'er to prevent Youyou and Xi Ge'er from bothering him further.
The two children then leaned against Fu Tingyun, watching Xu Ge'er sleep.
Youyou asked her mother, "Did I sleep as much as little brother when I was small?"
The innocent childish chatter continued until the children finally fell asleep around 9 PM.
Looking at her sleeping daughter and son, Fu Tingyun felt her heart swell with contentment.
The next day, after settling the children, she sat down to write a letter to Zhao Ling.
But Zhenzhu hurried in: "Madam, Third Sister has arrived."
Fu Tingyun was startled.
Third Sister had just visited yesterday—why was she back again today?
She set down her brush and instructed Zhenzhu to bring Third Sister to the inner chamber.
Zhenzhu responded loudly and left the room with light steps.
Fu Tingyun didn't even tidy her writing materials before going out to greet her.
Third Sister happened to lift the curtain and enter just then, and the two sisters met face-to-face in the hall.
"Third Sister, please come in and sit," Fu Tingyun said, but Third Sister immediately grabbed her wrist.
"Ninth Sister," she said, unable to conceal her joy, "early this morning, the Ministry of Personnel summoned your brother-in-law, saying he's been appointed as the Left Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel and needed to go fill out the official records..."
"Really?" Fu Tingyun exclaimed in surprise and delight. "How sudden! Is the news reliable?"
"Absolutely, absolutely," Third Sister assured her. "The messenger was a secretary from the Ministry of Personnel himself, accompanied by a clerk, and he spoke very politely... Your brother-in-law asked me to wait here for you—he'll come straight here after leaving the Ministry."
Fu Tingyun nodded repeatedly and asked if Third Sister had eaten breakfast yet.
"How could I eat at a time like this?" Third Sister laughed dismissively. "I'm afraid this might all be a dream." She then asked Fu Tingyun to pinch her arm. "Tell me, does it hurt?"
This made Fu Tingyun burst into laughter, and she instructed Yu Wei to bring some breakfast for Third Sister.
Third Sister chattered on: "...Your brother-in-law often tells me, 'Geese leave their calls behind, men leave their names'... He's always wanted to achieve something great... He was full of ambition, ready to make his mark, but who knew his year's examination wouldn't select any scholarly candidates... After much difficulty, he secured a position as the assistant magistrate of Daxing County, but before he could take office, his mother suddenly passed away... Though he still appears diligent on the surface, I know how disheartened he's been..."
Fu Tingyun hadn’t known that Third Older Cousin's Husband had once been appointed assistant magistrate of Daxing County!
She comforted Third Sister: "Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Now that he's been appointed Left Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, his wish has finally come true."
Third Sister nodded repeatedly and grasped Fu Tingyun's hand. "This is all thanks to you. Without you, how could he have gotten such a good position?" She added, "Even if he had smoothly taken up the post in Daxing County, in three years, he might not have risen to the position of Left Supervising Secretary. It truly aligns with your saying—'Fortune and misfortune are intertwined.'"
As they talked, noon soon arrived.
Third Older Cousin's Husband returned from the Ministry of Personnel.
"How did it go?" Third Sister couldn't help but rush forward to ask.
Seeing the radiant expression on his face, Fu Tingyun knew the matter was settled.Sure enough, Third Older Cousin's Husband smiled at Third Sister and said, "The Ministry of Personnel has granted me a couple of days' rest before I take up my new post." Then he stepped forward and bowed to Fu Tingyun, "It's done!" He continued, "This matter was accomplished thanks to Ninth Sister's assistance. When Ninth Brother-in-law returns, I'll share a good drink with him!"
"Third Brother-in-law, you're too kind!" Fu Tingyun hurriedly returned the courtesy with a curtsy and smiled. "You were already qualified for the position—I merely gave a little push."
"Ninth Sister is too modest," Third Older Cousin's Husband replied with another bow and a smile. "If not for you, that vacancy would never have gone to me." His expression then turned slightly remorseful. "And it even caused Xu Ge'er to arrive earlier than expected..."
"Children come when they're ready—there's never a fixed time," Fu Tingyun quickly reassured him. "Besides, both mother and child are safe and sound. Third Brother-in-law, please don't dwell on it."
The two of them exchanged polite words back and forth, growing increasingly courteous.
Third Sister couldn't help but chuckle. "Aren't you two tired? I certainly am." She then added, "We're family—why stand on ceremony like this?" Turning to her husband, she said, "Go wash up quickly. Let's have lunch here at Ninth Sister's place today!" Then she asked Fu Tingyun, "What do you think—should we visit Tanzhe Temple to inform Mr. Zhao?"
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Pink votes... ( ^__^ ) hehe...
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(End of Chapter)
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