Chapter 349: Family Members

Although Lady Sun did not move into the vacant Duke of Britain’s residence as Lady Wang had suggested, the original house was too small, so she temporarily borrowed the western courtyard of the Duke’s estate. The steward on duty had already been instructed that all expenses in the household should be covered by the estate’s funds. But Lady Sun refused to take such advantage and insisted on providing monthly subsidies. She was not a strict person, and as the New Year approached, she naturally added another month’s salary for the servants, which pleased everyone.

Sitting on the kang, she played with her younger daughter while smiling at Du Wan and saying, “The emperor is truly considerate of his subjects. Knowing that Yue has rushed back without pause, disregarding his own interests, he even said he can spend the New Year in Nanjing before leaving. For over three years now, our family has not celebrated the New Year together. The first year, he spent it at the Duke of Britain’s residence in Nanjing; the second year, he went to Beijing to take care of the Duke; and the third year, he went to Qingzhou. Jing is already three years old, yet her brother has never spent much time with her.”

Seeing Zhang Jing wave her little hand and call out for her aunt to hold her, Du Wan immediately smiled and picked her up. The little girl had been breastfed by Lady Sun since birth and loved to be close to people. She nestled in Du Wan’s arms, giggling, completely unaware of what her mother had just said. Looking at her adorable face, Du Wan, who had no siblings since childhood, grew more and more fond of her and couldn’t help but kiss her plump cheeks.

“Wan, while Yue is back, you two should also have a child soon—whether it’s a grandson or granddaughter.”

“Aunt, have one too!”

Hearing Zhang Jing’s innocent remark, Du Wan blushed. Pearl, watching the scene, joked with a smile, “The young master will probably return in a few days. Madam might as well give him some advice then. Since the young master and young madam are so affectionate, there might be good news soon, making the household even more lively!”

During her time in Nanjing, Du Wan had already become close to the two older maids, Pearl and Shao Yao. She glared at them irritably before turning to Lady Sun and saying, “Mother, didn’t you tell me before that Pearl and Shao Yao are old enough to be married? Although there are a few male servants, pairing them randomly might be unfair to them. I think it would be better if they could choose themselves. If Madam is willing to let them go, it’s okay even if it’s someone from outside—as long as they are honest and kind to them.”

Pearl didn’t expect the conversation to suddenly turn to her. She pulled Peony to try to avoid it, but as they reached the door, she heard Madam Sun shout, “These are matters of a lifetime—what’s there to be embarrassed about? Do you plan to stay in my house for the rest of your lives? Learn from the young mistress—be generous when the time comes. Even in front of the crown princess, she knows how to behave appropriately. Such a strict person as the crown princess still gave her a painting inscribed by her own hand.”

“What kind of people are we to compare ourselves to the young mistress?” Peony muttered, exchanging a glance with Pearl before stepping forward. They knelt down in front of the kang. Pearl, being more straightforward, spoke first, “Since Madam and the young mistress are so understanding, we might as well tell the truth. Although the people in our household aren’t cunning or deceitful, it’s hard to find someone truly trustworthy for a lifetime. As for those outside, we can’t even see them, let alone judge their character. If we seek to avoid being servants and let outsiders take us as their wives now, we might regret it for life. It’s not that we, as servants, don’t want to get married—it’s that we’re afraid of marrying the wrong person and suffering for life.”

The two maids were chosen and trained by her herself. Madam Sun had never treated them as outsiders. Hearing their words, she nodded repeatedly and sighed to Du Wan, “They really see things clearly. If they were like those foolish people who only care about getting rid of their servant status for a false reputation and marry into a wealthy family, it’s hard to say what will happen later. There are only two or three unmarried male servants left, and their character and appearance certainly don’t match them. Wan, do you have any good ideas?”

Du Wan had heard Zhang Yue mention that her father-in-law, Zhang Zhuo, had some assets outside. She thought to herself, “We don’t know much about those outside. Mother might as well ask Father’s opinion. He surely wants Pearl and Peony to find good families.”

“That’s right! I totally forgot about your father-in-law!” Madam Sun’s eyes lit up immediately. Without hesitation, she pulled Pearl and Peony over, patting her chest to assure them, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your father pays attention to this and finds two young men of suitable age who are also ambitious!”

Zhang Zhuo returned from outside. After standing at the door for a short while, he heard this conversation. Even though he still had an important matter on his mind, he couldn’t help but smile. He then lifted the curtain and entered. Seeing the harmonious atmosphere among the masters and servants, he cleared his throat gently and said, “You two, quietly, have assigned me another task! Alright, alright. I’ll pay attention to their marriages and definitely find them good families.”

Pearl and Peony never expected Zhang Zhuo to return at this moment, and they both felt somewhat embarrassed. Only after hearing his promise did they rejoice greatly and quickly knelt down to express their gratitude. Lady Sun and Du Wan also stood up, while Zhang Jing rushed straight to her father. After some commotion, Peony helped Zhang Zhuo take off his thick gray rat fur cloak, hung it on the carved lacquered hanger in the corner of the room, and then followed him into the inner room. Pearl, on the other hand, took the paper package from Zhang Zhuo’s hands and placed it on the table by the kang.

Before long, Zhang Zhuo, now without his outer clothes, came out of the inner room. He had naturally taken off his black gauze hat and official robes, wearing instead a slightly worn black-green satin jacket with a stand-up collar, and his boots had been replaced with ordinary cotton shoes. Seeing that Lady Sun had moved aside to sit next to Du Wan, he sat at the east end of the kang and began to untie the paper package.

“I got something new today, so I brought it back for you all to see.”

His words piqued everyone’s interest in the room, and Pearl and Peony hurried over as well. When the layers of paper were removed, revealing a snow-white, frosty substance inside, Lady Sun asked in surprise, “Sir, what is this?”

“It’s white sugar.”

Lady Sun was truly confused now. “What’s so special about white sugar? There’s plenty of it in the kitchen!”

Seeing Zhang Jing reach out with her finger to pick up some of the frosty powder and put it in her mouth, Du Wan quickly urged her to wash her hand. Then she said thoughtfully, “I remember that the white sugar used in the kitchen is actually brown sugar, not as crystal clear and white as this. Even in wealthy families like ours, I’ve heard that ordinary people mostly use black-green sugar, and those even poorer can’t afford it at all.”

Zhang Zhuo had thought Du Wan didn’t know much about cooking and might not be aware of these things, but now he looked at her with new respect and smiled, saying, “Wan really has good eyesight. Didn’t Yue send some people to Nanjing before? This is what they produced in Fujian. There’s still no place in the world that can make sugar this pure and white; even the sugar used for tributes isn’t as good as this. I sent a pack to the Duke of Cheng’s mansion today. If it works, officials and nobles will surely switch to using this—after all, who doesn’t love good-looking things?”

“Was this made by those people sent by Yue?”

Only then did Lady Sun realize what it was, and her gaze toward the white frost changed. Although she was aware of her husband’s business dealings outside, she was genuinely delighted that Zhang Yue had thought of such things. She was beaming with joy. Just as she was about to order Pearl to take the pack of sugar to the kitchen to try making a sweet soup, a voice suddenly came from outside.

“Master, madam, young mistress, and Lingxi along with the young master’s companion have returned!”
At these words, everyone in the room was stunned. Soon after, Lingxi Qiuhen and Hupo entered from the door and stepped forward to bow. Mrs. Sun, filled with curiosity, quickly ordered them to stand up and then fired off a series of questions. Only after learning that Zhang Yue had gone to the palace to see the crown prince and the crown prince’s son and would return later did she relax. Zhang Zhuo then smiled and said, “He knows to prioritize duty over personal matters; that’s smart of him. It also avoids criticism from others. In that case, tell the kitchen to prepare some good dishes so we can all gather together nicely tonight.”
“A family gathering? Should we invite Hongluan and Fugēr too?” Mrs. Sun snapped her lips irritably. Seeing Zhang Zhuo’s tense expression, she grunted, “Never mind. She probably doesn’t want to come and impose rules. Have the kitchen prepare a meal for her as usual so she doesn’t have to come. Let her enjoy it there. Also, don’t forget to prepare some light food for Doctor Feng.”
Noticing something unusual about her in-laws, Du Wan naturally didn’t want to stand around in the way. She quickly made an excuse to go to the kitchen and left, pulling Lingxi and the others with her. As soon as they left, Zhenzhu and Shaoyao followed closely. The group exchanged glances in the courtyard, smiling at each other.
Zhenzhu and Shaoyao took on the task of delivering messages to the kitchen, while Du Wan returned to the room with Lingxi and the others. Before they could sit down, Xiao Wu rushed in excitedly, holding a shiny silver needle.
“Miss, the master praised me again today. He said I remembered so many acupoints in just one day, and my needlework is precise and steady!”
Hearing this, even Du Wan, who could remain calm in front of the crown princess, felt a headache coming on. Before Qiuhen could ask anything, she quickly praised her, smiling, “Great! Our Xiao Wu is obviously a genius! Look, you’re sweating so much in the cold—go inside and change quickly. Your husband will be back soon.”
Only after Xiao Wu happily went inside did she whisper a warning to Lingxi and the others, “She’s now Doctor Feng’s top disciple and is in the midst of learning medicine. The maids in the inner courtyard are all afraid of her now, and Zhenzhu and Shaoyao avoid her at all costs. Don’t provoke her, or she might use you as practice subjects!”

Feng Doctor’s last disciple? Lingxi Hupo and Qiuhen exchanged glances for a moment, recalling this thrilling experience, and gradually their expressions became strange. After all, Feng Doctor’s first disciple was the real leader of the White Lotus Sect. What kind of future awaited that little guy? And when had Feng Doctor come to their home?