Will this ever end!
Song Jiyun was so angry she laughed. She simply went to light another incense burner and brought him a cup of tea.
He picked up the teacup, sniffed it, and said with disdain, "What other tea do you have?"
She had lived here for over a decade and still couldn’t distinguish the taste of tea, yet his palate was so particular.
Song Jiyun replied, "Besides this Longjing, we also have Xinyang Maojian, Junshan Silver Needle, and Wuyi Rock Tea."
He said, "Maojian, then!"
His tone was one of condescending grace.
Song Jiyun suppressed a torrent of complaints and went to brew him a cup of Xinyang Maojian.
But by the time she handed the teacup to him, his hands were already trembling slightly, barely able to lift it.
Song Jiyun was quite satisfied with this result and said, "I’ll have Liu Zi come attend to you, Young Master."
The man stared at her for a moment before slowly picking up the teacup.
The pale golden tea swirled inside the cup.
Song Jiyun worried he might spill it on himself.
He was wearing one of Zheng Quan’s brand-new clothes that hadn’t been worn yet. If it got dirty, she’d have to find another set for him to change into.
Xiang Zan came running in, her footsteps clattering, and exclaimed loudly, "Eldest Miss, Second Madam and Third Master are here!"
Song Jiyun was startled and quickly called for Liu Zi, instructing him to attend to the man inside the Shachu. Then, taking Xiang Zan with her, she hurried out to greet them.
But just as she stepped out of the hall, she ran straight into her mother, Qian Shi, and her third uncle, Song Sanliang.
Before Song Jiyun could even bow to them, Qian Shi, her eyes swollen from crying, rushed forward and grabbed her arm, sobbing, "Yunduo, quickly give your father’s seal to your third uncle to use."
Song Jiyun immediately turned her gaze toward Song Sanliang.
In the dimming twilight, her uncle stood dressed in plain mourning clothes, his dignified face filled with anxiety and urgency.
Song Jiyun stared at Song Sanliang as she asked her mother, "What happened?"
Song Sanliang noticed her gaze and instinctively smiled at her.
But the smile that rose from his eyes was too bright, making his earlier anxiety seem superficial and insincere.
Song Jiyun sneered inwardly.
Qian Shi cried, "Wang Zhubu is extorting ten thousand taels of silver from our family, or else he’ll seal our gates. If that happens, your father’s funeral won’t be able to take place!"
Song Jiyun took out a handkerchief to wipe Qian Shi’s tears and said gently, "Don’t worry, Mother. Let’s discuss this calmly."
As she spoke, she tried to guide Qian Shi into the hall.
But Qian Shi instead grabbed her hand and said anxiously, "Yunduo, this can’t wait. The county office is about to send people to seal our gates."
Song Jiyun decided to stay under the eaves to speak with her mother.
"You said the county office is about to seal our gates?" she asked calmly. "Who told you that? Has anyone from the county office come here?"
Qian Shi looked confused and turned to Song Sanliang.
Song Sanliang cleared his throat and said to Song Jiyun, "My dear niece, the matter of sealing the gates was told to me by a friend who works at the county office. It’s absolutely true. Didn’t Wang Zhubu bring people to search the house during the day? He said a nobleman from the capital disappeared in your father’s former study. The person still hasn’t been found.
"Wang Zhubu can’t account for this, so he’s blaming it on your family."
After listening to him, Song Jiyun said, "Third Uncle, this is a serious matter. This isn’t the place to discuss it."
"Look at me," Song Sanliang quickly replied, "I get so anxious I forget everything!"
Song Jiyun helped Qian Shi and Song Sanliang sit down in the armchairs in the hall.
Xiang Zan cleverly served tea and snacks.
Song Jiyun asked Song Sanliang, "When Wang Zhubu extorted ten thousand taels of silver from our family, did he tell you directly, or did someone close to him tell you, or did a friend inform you?"
Song Sanliang was taken aback and said, "Of course Wang Zhubu told me personally. How could such an important matter be relayed through others?"
Song Jiyun asked, "How did you respond to him at the time?"
Song Sanliang sighed, "Don’t think that just because your father was called the richest man, merchants are at the bottom of the social hierarchy—scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants. When trouble arises, anyone can step on them…"
He was a Tongsheng.
A thirty-six-year-old Tongsheng who still considered himself a scholar.
Song Jiyun waved her hand at him, politely but firmly interrupting him, "Did you personally agree to Wang Zhubu’s demand?"
Song Sanliang frowned but still sighed, "How could I dare not agree?"
Song Jiyun said, "It’s already this late, and the silver vault has long been closed. Even if I give you the seal, we can’t withdraw the silver. Besides, according to the vault’s rules, withdrawals exceeding ten thousand taels require two days’ advance notice. Why don’t we all rest early today, gather our energy, and discuss it again tomorrow?"
"That’s not the way to put it," Song Sanliang said unhappily. "My second brother deposited so much silver in the vault—it must be different from ordinary merchants. Notifying them earlier means we can get the silver sooner. If they can’t even offer this convenience, we won’t deposit silver with them in the future."
He spoke as if it were his own silver.
Song Jiyun said, "But they still need to have enough silver in their vault!"
Song Sanliang retorted, "How could a silver vault not have ten thousand taels of silver in stock!"
As they spoke, their voices grew louder and louder.
"Please, please stop arguing!" Qian Shi looked at her daughter, then at Song Sanliang, and said weakly, "I still have some gold and silver jewelry, antiques, and paintings. If necessary, we can use my things to cover the debt for now."
"No!" Before Song Sanliang could speak, Song Jiyun loudly objected. "Mother, you must never say such things again. When Father was alive, he never touched your dowry. Now that he’s gone, how could we spend your personal savings? I’m afraid Father’s spirit would not rest in peace."
Qian Shi remembered her husband’s kindness, and grief surged within her. Unable to hold back, she burst into loud sobs.
Song Jiyun couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
If Song Sanliang weren’t so fixated on the seal, given her mother’s temperament, she would have been swindled out of everything she owned.
She comforted her mother while subtly instilling a lesson: "Now that Father is gone, you must uphold his dignity even more. Your dowry is meant to be passed down to your children. We can’t let people think that without Father, we’ve lost all sense of propriety."
When her younger sister was ten years old, her mother became pregnant again.
Originally, this was a joyous occasion.
Unfortunately, her father could no longer share this joy with them.
Song Jiyun felt a pang of sorrow.
Qian Shi nodded repeatedly.
Song Sanliang, however, gasped in surprise.
He had underestimated his eldest niece.
He never expected her to be so greedy, unwilling to spare even her mother’s dowry.
He needed to carefully reconsider matters concerning the second branch.
Song Jiyun had Xiang Zan accompany her mother to wash up in the western chamber, which served as her living quarters, while she herself stayed in the main hall to speak with Song Sanliang. "Wang Zhubu’s family runs a pawnshop, so he should be well aware of the rules of the silver trade. It’s not yet the agreed time, and he’s already sent someone to seal our main gate—this is utterly lacking in integrity. I think I’ll have to go to the yamen tomorrow."
Song Sanliang listened with growing dread, his voice trembling as he asked, "What do you intend to do?"
"I want to ask Wang Zhubu for a few more days of grace," Song Jiyun replied thoughtfully. "As you just said, such matters cannot be handled through hearsay—I must go in person."
Song Sanliang’s expression shifted uncertainly. After a moment’s thought, he stood up and walked to the entrance of the western chamber, raising his voice to call out, "Sister-in-law, look at your eldest niece—how can she be so reckless! Is this something an unmarried young lady should involve herself in? If word gets out, how will she ever marry?"
Song Jiyun was seventeen this year, and her marriage had become a constant worry for Qian Shi.
Upon hearing this, Qian Shi hurried out and anxiously said to Song Jiyun, "Yunduo, your third uncle is right. You shouldn’t meddle in this—leave it to him. A young woman’s reputation is of utmost importance."
Song Jiyun, who could never escape the pressure to marry, fell silent.
Just then, a sudden sound of something falling came from the Shachu…