"I never fight a battle I'm not prepared for. If I take on this commission, I must make all necessary preparations in advance."
Lan Jin wore a faint smile on her face, speaking in an unhurried tone: "If I determine that she might be in trouble, I have to consider whether to send someone who can fight or someone with a sharper mind. If I judge the situation to be somewhat serious, I must also write ahead to the nearest 'Feng Deng' branch to Jiangling Prefecture, borrowing their personnel for support."
Zhou Yarou was somewhat stunned: "I never imagined such a simple commission would require so much thought."
"Doesn't any business require careful handling to be done well? After all, 'Feng Deng' is also a business."
Suddenly, Zhou Yarou felt that rumors could not be trusted. If merely commissioning a letter delivery required so much thought, Yu Zhi Yue's matter was far more troublesome. Who knows how much preparation she had made in advance to force the entire Chengenhou Manor into a position of complete helplessness. Thinking carefully, even the day she visited was probably deliberately chosen.
Thinking of her friend who had been out of contact for two years, Zhou Yarou's attitude became much more earnest.
"The first year was still fine. In her letters, she complained that Jiangling was not as good as the capital, but she also had expectations and joys. In the second year, she lost two children, which greatly damaged her health. She was deeply saddened. In the third year, her letters became fewer, but she mentioned her husband taking a concubine. At the time, I advised her to return to the capital to recuperate for a while, but she neither came back nor replied. Since then, we have lost contact."
"Did the Chen family not send anyone to visit?"
"They went once when she lost her first child. I even had the Chen family bring some things over for her. As far as I know, there haven't been any visits since."
Lan Jin understood the situation. The Chen family did not care much about Chen Shan. Perhaps they were even less concerned about her than Zhou Yarou, her childhood friend.
"If Chen Shan is not doing well, what would you do?"
Zhou Yarou fell silent. She was already married, a wife and a mother. She had to consider her husband's family as well as her own. If something really happened to Sister Chen, what could she do?
"I… I'll prepare more silver. Please take it to her."
"What if the silver never reaches her hands?"
Zhou Yarou looked up, meeting the girl's gaze that seemed to see through everything, and felt inexplicably flustered: "Do you really think something has happened to Sister Chen?"
"Not necessarily." Lan Jin spoke to reassure her: "'Feng Deng' has been operating for five years and has handled far too many matters, so I inevitably tend to overthink, habitually considering the worst possible outcome first. I must also think about these things."
Lan Jin handed over her handkerchief. Only then did Zhou Yarou realize she had unknowingly shed tears. She gently shook her head, took out her own handkerchief, and lowered her head to wipe her tears.
Lan Jin slowly folded her handkerchief twice, saying as she did: "I must think about these things and make thorough preparations for them, so that the people below don't have to run back and forth repeatedly. Over a thousand li, many things can happen in the time it takes for a round trip. I don't want any regrets in the commissions I undertake. So you must first tell me: if your childhood friend is not doing well, is it still enough to just bring back her letter? If she knows my people are there at your request and asks us for help, what would you want my people to do?"
Zhou Yarou smiled bitterly: "I cannot answer you."
"Then let me give you a few options. Listen and see if any of them seem suitable to you."
"Please go ahead." Zhou Yarou hadn't noticed that from the moment she went upstairs until now, her attitude had gradually become completely different.
Lan Jin noticed but wasn't surprised, as such situations were common and no longer strange to her.
"First, as you mentioned earlier, prepare more silver to give to her. My people will definitely deliver the silver into her hands and won't let it fall into anyone else's possession. However, if she gives the silver to others, we won't interfere."
Zhou Yarou nodded; this was reasonable.
"Second, my people will bring her back to the capital, but what happens after her return is not my responsibility."
"Third, my people will investigate what happened. If she is innocent, she must commission 'Feng Deng' herself. But for 'Feng Deng' to accept this commission, one prerequisite must be agreed upon."
"Please explain."
Lan Jin raised her eyebrows and looked at her: "Afterward, the Chen family must not force her back to her husband's home to apologize and allow her husband's family to mistreat her. If that is the case, I won't accept this commission. If the outcome cannot be changed regardless, then 'Feng Deng' truly has no reason to intervene."
Zhou Yarou understood: "You want the Chen family's stance."
"Correct. You and she are childhood friends, but that's all you are—you cannot decide her life. The Chen family, however, can."
After a moment of silence, Zhou Yarou said, "Before, although I was worried, I didn't think too deeply about it. I always thought that even if the marital relationship was strained, it would only lead to neglect or the lack of a legitimate heir. I never considered other possibilities. But now, I have to think more carefully."
"Think of Marquis Chengen, and you'll realize any possibility exists."
"Indeed, Marquis Chengen has given the ladies of the capital a serious reminder." Zhou Yarou stood up: "Sister Chen has a very good relationship with her second brother, and it was he who escorted her when she married. I'll start by testing the waters with him. Regardless of the Chen family's stance, I will commission 'Feng Deng' to make this trip. Perhaps we're just overthinking things?"
Lan Jin didn't shatter her illusion and stood up with her: "I'll await your news."
Aunt Chang opened the door to the second floor.
Zhou Yarou stopped at the door, turned back, and looked at Lan Jin: "If Sister Chen is truly in trouble and the Chen family agrees to let her return to her maiden home, can you really bring her back to the capital?"
"I can." Lan Jin smiled: "Have you forgotten, Yarou? I even barged into the Marquis Mansion. Could the Wu Family be more treacherous than Chengenhou Manor?"
It certainly couldn't compare.
Zhou Yarou forced a smile: "I'll give you news as soon as possible."
"I'll be waiting."
Zhou Yarou went downstairs and, at the bottom step, looked back at the person standing on the second floor. When she arrived, she had been wondering what kind of person would dare to associate with Lord Lin. After this interaction, she understood—this person was indeed different from women like her from aristocratic families.
For a commission she had thought up on the spot, merely an errand, the other party had instantly considered so many possibilities. And this wasn't the result of deep contemplation—it came to mind as soon as she mentioned it. What kind of mind was this?
Lan Jin gave a slight curtsy in farewell.
Zhou Yarou returned the gesture. She knew many people were interested in 'Feng Deng' and that the rival she had disliked for over a decade would come today, so she had deliberately arrived early to cause trouble.
She wanted to see what kind of person Lord Lin had taken a liking to.
In this capital, many feared Lord Lin, but there were also many women who admired him.
When she was fifteen, she had met Lord Lin at eighteen. With a face like jade and eloquence that flowed effortlessly, Lord Lin was someone impossible to look away from.
From that moment on, Lord Lin became the secret of her youthful heart—something she dared not hope for, much less speak aloud.
Even after marrying and having children, this hidden feeling remained buried deep within.
Thus, when she heard the rumors, her heart was tormented with curiosity. She had to see for herself what kind of woman could capture Lord Lin’s special attention.
And now she knew.
She asked for her maiden name and addressed her by it from start to finish.
Though merely a merchant, she carried herself without timidity, always poised and dignified—one might even say composed.
Zhou Yarou returned the courtesy, then straightened her back and departed.
She had come filled with curiosity about her relationship with Lord Lin, yet during their interaction, the thought never crossed her mind.
That long-held secret of her youthful heart seemed to have been quietly let go.