Chapter 79: New Year's Celebration (Bonus Chapter for 760 Pink Votes)
"The properties in Xi'an Prefecture haven't yielded any profits yet, so it's best to keep the bank notes from Baoqing Tower for emergencies. Ninth Master brought two thousand taels of silver, which, combined with what I have here, totals three thousand five hundred forty-two taels and six mace. Since we've just settled in, we need to purchase everything, and household expenses amount to about seven or eight taels per month... For the New Year gifts, I took the liberty of arranging them on your behalf. For Marquis Yingchuan, gifts worth two hundred taels; for Liu Fuzongbing, fifty taels; for Lord Wang, the commander of Zhuanglang Garrison, sixty taels; for Lord Hu of Xining, Lord Peng of Suzhou, and Lord Chen of Zhenfan, twenty taels each; for Mo Yi, forty taels; and for acquaintances like Clerk Qi and other neighbors, three hundred copper coins per household..."
The room was quiet and peaceful, Fu Tingyun's voice as crisp and melodious as pearls falling onto a jade plate. Yet Zhao Ling felt his scalp tingle.
He had seen the undisguised joy in her eyes the moment she first spotted him, but in the blink of an eye, she had become restrained, polite, and... distant.
At the time, he had been utterly astonished, but after a moment's reflection, he understood.
In front of so many people, she had rushed out to see him upon hearing of his return—her feelings for him were already evident. How could he ask for more?
At the thought, the image of her radiant face blooming like flowers at the sight of him flashed through his mind, and an unstoppable wave of joy flooded his heart. He couldn't bear to take his eyes off her for even a second.
Seated in the grand tutor chair in the hall, he watched as she walked lightly to the door, smiling as she took the kettle of hot water from Zheng Sanniang... Her fair fingers gripped the black handle, delicate and smooth like the finest mutton-fat jade, making him long to hold them in his palm and caress them—wondering whether the jade or her hands were more lustrous... The steaming water poured into the translucent teacup, and she took half a step back, as if afraid of being scalded... He recalled her once mentioning how she often brewed tea for her grandmother... Had she exaggerated, he wondered?... His smile deepened.
She had already placed the teacup onto the crimson tea tray adorned with golden begonia patterns. Holding the tray with both hands, she approached him with a gentle smile.
Green was the tea, pale as spring onions were her hands, and bright red was the tray—vivid and dazzling like the colors of spring, captivating his gaze. Unable to resist, he rose with a smile to take the teacup... Yet she only offered a polite smile in return before sitting in the grand tutor chair beside him. She didn't ask why he had returned at this time, whether he had eaten, or what he had been doing all these days... Instead, she softly began calculating the household expenses with him.
Her matter-of-fact tone, courteous yet cold, would have struck even the most oblivious person as unusual, let alone Zhao Ling, who was always perceptive.
Where had things gone wrong?
Unable to bear it any longer, he interrupted her: "These are trivial matters. You decide as you see fit!"But before the words even faded, Fu Tingyun's expression turned several degrees colder, her displeasure evident. "Ninth Master went through so much trouble precisely to stand out one day and break free from being controlled by others, didn't he? Could it be that after just over a month apart, Ninth Master has changed his mind? Even sending New Year gifts to superiors has now become trivial!" Her slightly mocking tone left him momentarily speechless.
Seizing the opportunity, she brought up the matter of the New Year gifts: "...I waited until the 20th of the twelfth month, but there was still no movement from Ninth Master's side. Thinking back to how it was at home—sending gifts after the Minor New Year would already show lack of respect—I had Zheng San take your name cards to pay respects at each household..."
He had actually prepared for this matter long ago, but looking at Fu Tingyun's frost-laced expression and thinking of how she had wholeheartedly managed everything for him, he suddenly lost the courage to lay all his cards on the table.
"It was my oversight." The words of admission slipped out as if bypassing his brain entirely.
He immediately felt greatly embarrassed.
Though he had resolved to treat her well, shouldn't he still stand his ground when necessary? Some things needed to be said.
But when he looked up and saw her expression soften slightly, her voice carrying a hint of warmth, he abandoned that thought immediately.
A real man shouldn't quibble over words with a woman. Since she cared so much about this, he might as well humor her—no need to insist on principles and spoil the mood between them.
Seeing Zhao Ling readily admit his mistake, Fu Tingyun, though still full of irritation, couldn't bring herself to corner him completely. Her tone relaxed as she asked, "Have you visited Commander Lu yet?" Then it occurred to her—before leaving, he had entrusted all household matters to her... Perhaps he assumed that by handing over the money, she would naturally handle these affairs for him, hence his neglect... At this thought, most of her anger dissipated, and her voice softened further. "Wait here," she said before turning to enter the inner chamber.
Puzzled, Zhao Ling waited for about the time it took to drink half a cup of tea before Fu Tingyun returned, placing a sapphire-blue coin purse embroidered with interlocking floral patterns beside him. "There's 250 taels here. Take 200 to buy gifts for Commander Lu. I'll have Zheng San rush them to Zhuanglang Garrison, explaining that you had instructed your household long ago, but the long journey and bad weather caused delays. Commander Lu surely won't blame you too much. The remaining silver is for your New Year social engagements. Since you're back, you should visit Mo Yi..."
Wait—did she think he would celebrate New Year in Zhangye?
A faint headache crept up on Zhao Ling. Years of decisive action told him that delaying this matter would only worsen the consequences, yet he didn't want to upset Fu Tingyun again. After brief consideration, he smiled. "The reason I returned this time was to accompany Commander Lu in delivering New Year gifts to Marquis Yingchuan. His gifts can be sent directly to the inn, saving Zheng San the trip to Zhuanglang Garrison."
Fu Tingyun stared at Zhao Ling in surprise.
So that was why he returned alone—not for New Year celebrations, but to accompany his superior on gift deliveries!
If he could accompany his superior on such errands, Zhao Ling and Lu Cheng must be getting along well.
She quietly let out a sigh of relief.Zhao Ling braced himself and nodded with a smile, "I'll be heading back to the inn soon. This afternoon, I have to accompany Commander Lu to meet Marquis Yingchuan."
Fu Tingyun suddenly felt an emptiness in her heart. The anger she had harbored dissipated like a wisp of smoke, her thoughts now entirely focused on his words, "I'll be heading back to the inn soon." She hurriedly asked, "Have you had lunch yet? Have you arranged a time to return to the inn?" Remembering how she had deliberately ignored him earlier and rambled on about trivial matters, she felt a pang of regret and anxiously added, "Did I delay your important matters?"
Seeing the concern on her face, Zhao Ling's lips curled into a delighted smile.
"It's alright," he reassured her. "Commander Lu told me to come home and check in as soon as we arrived at the inn. From the looks of it, he probably has something to discuss without me and might even have lunch together. I just need to be back at the inn by Shenchu (around 3 PM) when they’ve scheduled their meeting with Marquis Yingchuan."
Relieved, Fu Tingyun recalled his earlier words, "Commander Lu told me to come home and check in," and realized he hadn’t eaten lunch yet. She glanced at the hourglass on the long table and saw it was just past noon, her mood easing further. "Then Ninth Master should rest well at home!" she said. Knowing the kang in the west room of the main house was cold and would take time to heat up—by which point he’d likely have to leave—she suggested, "Shall I have Zheng Sanniang tidy up A Sen’s room for you?"
His past experiences had taught him to sleep soundly anywhere, so he wasn’t particular about accommodations. He chuckled, "Sure! It’s not like I haven’t slept there before."
True enough!
Fu Tingyun called A Sen to help Zhao Ling freshen up and instructed Zheng San to immediately go out and purchase another set of New Year gifts matching those for Marquis Yingchuan: "...but not exactly the same. Replace the glass cups with jade ones—or gold if jade isn’t available. Swap the boxwood paperweight for a brush holder." She then called for Zheng Sanniang, "Ninth Master will leave after lunch, so hurry up and prepare the meal." Thinking that since Zhao Ling wouldn’t be home for the New Year, there was no point keeping the provisions they’d bought, she added, "Use the carrots Qi Taitai sent to stew with lamb, and soak some dried daylilies for a stir-fry..." Feeling there was too much to arrange, she finally said, "Never mind, I’ll just cook myself!"
The entire household sprang into action, bustling with noise and warmth that felt comforting and grounding.
After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Zhao Ling lay down on the warm kang. A Sen immediately sidled up to him. "Master, tell me about life in the military camp!" he pleaded eagerly. "In a few years, can you get me into the garrison too?"
"We’ll talk when you’re strong enough to wield a blade," Zhao Ling replied affectionately, patting the boy’s head. Remembering Fu Tingyun in the kitchen, he asked, "What has Miss Fu been up to these days at home?"
"Not much," A Sen said listlessly. "She stays home every day, either doing needlework or teaching me to read. Occasionally, Qi Taitai from next door drops by for a visit. Since you left, I’ve only been out twice—both times when Miss Fu sent Zheng San to buy New Year supplies and needed someone to watch the cart."
This kid had grown up wild with him and couldn’t stand being cooped up for just over a month."You must listen to Miss Fu, understand?" Zhao Ling said seriously to A Sen. "From now on, we'll live normal lives. What Miss Fu teaches you are things normal children should learn. You must study hard and follow her instructions."
A Sen always obeyed Zhao Ling's words. Though confused, he nodded repeatedly.
Zhao Ling, however, fell into a daze.
With this ninth young lady from the Fu family, perhaps his life would gradually become normal too!
Busying himself daily with mundane necessities, scheming to rise above others... this constant striving might not be such a bad kind of happiness after all.
He gave a wry smile.
A man's voice called from the front gate: "Anyone home?"
Zhao Ling sat up straight.
A Sen hurried to open the door.
Soon after, Mo Yi followed A Sen inside, lifting the door curtain.
"You rascal, back without a word!" Mo Yi laughed as he lightly punched Zhao Ling's shoulder—a seemingly rough gesture that carried affection. "If I hadn't run into Lu Cheng, I wouldn't have known!"
Lu Cheng's cousin had become Mo Yi's concubine by Lu Cheng's arrangement.
Since he'd come to deliver New Year gifts to Marquis Yingchuan, how could he forget Mo Yi?
Zhao Ling smiled and invited him to sit: "These days everyone from the garrison is running to the General Military Headquarters. I thought you might be busy. Now that you're here, why not stay for lunch?"
"Excellent!" Mo Yi said cheerfully. "To be honest, I've been craving the cooking from your household!"
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O(∩_∩)O~
(End of Chapter)
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