Youthful Glory

The night passed in a daze. Ming Tan curled up in Jiang Xu's arms, sometimes so exhausted she seemed to have fallen asleep, only to be startled awake the next moment by raindrops splashing on her or the muffled thunder outside. Occasionally, she could even hear faint cries of a baby.

It wasn't until the fifth watch that the sky outside began to brighten faintly, and the rain gradually weakened.

The dim morning light revealed the slightly disheveled scene inside the room—puddles on the floor, damp tables and chairs, a wooden basin on the bed nearly full, and two broken leaves from the storm that had blown in when the window was forced open.

Jiang Xu held Ming Tan, leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, resting.

Seeing that he seemed to be asleep, Ming Tan carefully extricated herself from his embrace, slipped on her plain embroidered shoes, and quietly left the room.

Outside, the stale air from the rain had completely dissipated. From the nearby mountains and woods, a fresh breeze carrying the scent of grass and flowers swept over her. Birds chirped cheerfully, their voices clear and melodious.

Ming Tan exhaled heavily. Before last night, she could never have imagined enduring such harsh conditions for an entire night. That room was worse than the quarters of the sweeping servants at Jing'an Marquis Manor.

But recalling her husband's words—that nearly seventy percent of the people in Daxian might live even worse lives than this—her heart grew heavy with complex emotions.

From the main hall came the brisk sound of a broom sweeping. After stretching her stiff limbs, Ming Tan headed toward the hall.

As she entered, she saw Sister Liu finish sweeping and pick up a cloth to wipe the rain-dampened tables and chairs.

Sister Liu had actually risen during the fourth watch to start working. By now, the hall was neatly tidied, and a fire was lit in the stove at the back, porridge simmering.

Noticing the faint dark circles under Ming Tan's eyes and her visibly weary expression, Sister Liu paused her work and asked apologetically in a hushed voice, "Sister, didn't sleep well last night with the roof leaking? It's all my man's fault—that roof's been broken for ages, and he still hasn't fixed it. Made you and your husband suffer."

Ming Tan hadn't just slept poorly—she had barely slept at all. But since this family had kindly taken them in, she couldn't possibly let them feel guilty.

She quickly shook her head. "You're too kind. I'm a light sleeper—thunder and rain often keep me awake." Changing the subject, she added, "By the way, Sister Liu, I think I heard Little Bao crying last night?"

Mentioning her child, Sister Liu sighed. "Ah, yes. Even adults couldn't sleep, let alone the little one. The thunder and rain scared him—took half the night to calm him down. Did he disturb you?"

"Not at all," Ming Tan hurriedly replied.

Having spent half the night soothing a child, Sister Liu couldn't have rested much either. Yet despite the sleepless night, she spoke energetically and continued vigorously wiping the furniture.

Watching her manage so many tasks after a sleepless night, Ming Tan couldn't help asking, "Sister Liu, aren't you tired? Shouldn't you rest a while?""Rest? What rest? I got up to work while the baby was sleeping soundly. Once he wakes up, he'll be crying for milk again—such a hassle." Sister Liu answered without hesitation. "Besides, which woman in the village doesn’t work? Take the Wang family’s daughter-in-law—she’s up before dawn every day, feeding chickens and pigs, watering vegetables, and serving her in-laws. I’m luckier than her, at least I don’t have in-laws to wait on. But us country women are used to rough work, not like you, miss."

She paused to glance at Ming Tan, curiosity getting the better of her. "By the way, miss, what brings you and your husband to Tonggang? Judging by your looks and clothes, you must be from a wealthy family. This place is dirt poor. Cross the mountain ahead, and you’ll reach the town by the sea—the wind there blows all day long, and the whole place reeks of salt and fish!"

"My husband and I..." Ming Tan hesitated briefly before improvising, "He wants to do some business and thought of checking out the coastal areas."

Sister Liu looked surprised. "Maritime trade?"

Ming Tan didn’t respond, tacitly confirming it.

Sister Liu immediately waved her hands. "That’s a deadly business—don’t do it, don’t!"

"Why not?" Ming Tan asked curiously.

"You don’t know how dangerous the sea is. When the winds and waves hit, you won’t even know how you died—of course you shouldn’t do it!" Sister Liu advised earnestly. "If you want to work with a fleet, you should go to Lingzhou. They have big ships there—much safer!"

Ming Tan listened attentively.

"Honestly, the only ones who dare sail from here are those desperate enough to starve. Some men tried before, bringing back goods, but no one here buys them. You’d have to sell in Lingzhou or Yuzhou. But the roads out of this backwater are terrible—exhausting to travel.

"A round trip takes at least a year. A year away, and your child at home would already be talking. And whatever you manage to bring back, can’t the big fleets in Lingzhou get it too? Selling those goods in the city won’t fetch a good price—not worth it, not worth it."

Ming Tan seemed thoughtful but said nothing more, merely nodding slightly.

After finishing her chores in the main room, Sister Liu went to the kitchen to fetch porridge, urging Ming Tan to wake Jiang Xu for breakfast.

Sister Liu worked efficiently, and breakfast was simple yet hearty—a small pot of minced meat porridge, a plate of pickled vegetable buns, and freshly made hot rice milk, all laid out on the small square table. The spread was unexpectedly appetizing, and even Ming Tan, who rarely ate much, helped herself to a bit of everything.

Before breakfast was over, Sister Liu’s husband returned from hunting. His surname was Zhu, and as the fourth son in his family, the neighbors called him Zhu Si.

Zhu Si was a burly but good-natured man. His sudden return caught Ming Tan mid-sip, leaving her no time to put on her veil.

People like Ming Tan and Jiang Xu were unheard of in these parts. Zhu Si stared in awe, whispering (or so he thought) to Sister Liu, "Woman, these two look like gods—where’d they come from? Why are they in our house?"

Sister Liu whispered back.To be honest, if Ming Tan and Jiang Xu hadn't looked like celestial beings—obviously wealthy and noble with nothing to gain from their humble home—Sister Liu, a woman with a child, wouldn’t have let them in no matter how kind-hearted she was.

After understanding the situation, Zhu Si suddenly realized and warmly urged them to continue eating while he first went to check on his sleeping son.

Hunters like him often spent two or three days in the mountains at a time. With the heavy rain last night, Zhu Si and his companions had taken shelter in a cave. Worried about his wife and son with the leaky roof at home, he had rushed back early in the morning.

Only after seeing his son did Zhu Si come out to join them for breakfast.

Sister Liu had already ladled porridge for him. Familiar with his eating speed, she scooped another large spoonful just as he finished his bowl, chiding him, "I told you to eat slowly, no one’s rushing you! What if you choke?"

"Won’t choke, don’t worry," Zhu Si said, though he obediently slowed down. He then praised to Jiang Xu and Ming Tan, "My wife’s porridge is delicious—have more! We don’t have much to offer, but don’t hold back. It’s really good!"

Sister Liu nudged him with her elbow, telling him not to talk nonsense, though her lips curled upward uncontrollably, her face filled with contentment and sweetness.

After breakfast, Ming Tan and Jiang Xu prepared to continue their journey.

Ming Tan packed up and went to bid farewell to Sister Liu, but when she reached the back of the main room, she saw Sister Liu and her husband washing dishes together.

They chatted about mundane things—what to buy for the house after selling their hunted game at the market, repairing the roof once the weather cleared, and how she had made him several new shoe soles while he was away. Since he often walked in the mountains, she had made them thicker this time for comfort...

Their conversation was utterly ordinary, yet the way they discussed everything together—with him occasionally wiping her sweat—made their simple life seem vivid and warm.

Watching this scene, Ming Tan felt an inexplicable tenderness and a strange stirring in her heart. She even caught herself thinking that if she and her husband could be like this, it might not be so bad.

Hmm... Of course, she wouldn’t wash dishes. Her hands were meticulously cared for with goat’s milk, honey, and other concoctions to keep them delicate. A single wash might crease them—though it’d be nice if her husband did it instead.

Lost in these random thoughts and seeing the couple hadn’t noticed her, she quietly retreated. Before leaving, she placed a pouch of silver fragments beside Sister Liu’s sewing basket, where the newly made soles still had unthreaded needles.

She had considered leaving a banknote but realized this poor area might struggle to exchange it, making silver fragments the more discreet choice—

"...So to reopen maritime trade in Tonggang, we’d need at least a smooth official road. Otherwise, transportation would be extremely inconvenient. But along the way, I noticed the terrain in Quanzhou seems much more complex compared to Lingzhou’s flat openness.

"Moreover, this road leads more directly to Yuzhou than Lingzhou. Yuzhou is closer, and its western region has strong ties with the Western Regions. If maritime trade in Tonggang is eventually established, Yuzhou would become the interchange point for tea-horse trade and maritime commerce."Jiang Xu and Ming Tan continued their journey. Along the way, Ming Tan shared some of her thoughts about opening maritime trade in Tong Harbor.

"And also, I heard from Sister Liu that the waves in Tong Harbor seem much more severe than in Lingzhou Harbor. Why is that? Is it because of the different locations, or is Tong Harbor too backward with insufficient maritime experience? If it's just lacking experience in dealing with rough seas, that would be easier to solve. But if it's the former, it might be more troublesome."

Jiang Xu didn't answer directly, instead asking quietly, "You've thought of all this after just a few words with that woman?"

Ming Tan looked back hesitantly, "Are my thoughts... incorrect?"

"Quite the opposite. This prince simply didn't expect that my Consort would be so intelligent."

"...?"

"Did you think I was foolish before?"