Huzhou was a thousand li from the capital, a long journey indeed. Moreover, disposing of private property and purchasing bricks and stone would take time, and once purchased, everything would have to be hauled back over a thousand li.
Sun Futang nodded. "Yes, a round trip like this will likely take more than half a year."
Sun Feng'an's Mother also realized it. "Half a year? It takes that long!"
The Prince's household staff was divided into inner and outer sections. The outer was the Guard Office, with a Guard Commander, Guard Vice-Commander, and Dianzhang officers; the inner was the Steward's Office, with a Chief Steward and Deputy Chief Steward. Sun Futang was an inner household manager—one of three such managers, each overseeing different affairs of the Prince's residence.
If Sun Futang left the capital on this purchasing trip for over half a year, the affairs under his charge would inevitably have to be handed over to someone else. In the Prince's residence, every position had its fixed occupant. When he returned to the capital half a year later, whether he could take back the affairs he had managed—no one could say for sure.
Of course, considering the purchasing trip alone, it was a lucrative assignment, a clear sign of His Highness's trust.
Sun Futang let out a long sigh. "I can hardly say I won't go. And I couldn't bear not to go. I'll simply have to make the trip."
Sun Feng'an's Mother grew anxious. "Our Yu'e has reached the age for marriage, and although Feng'an now serves at His Highness's side, he's no longer young. Things can't go on like this forever—we ought to be thinking about the futures of those two children. And now, at this critical juncture, you'll be gone for over half a year. Won't all these matters be delayed just like that?"
Hearing this, Sun Yu'e muttered under her breath, "I don't even want to get married, I—"
Sun Feng'an's Mother glared at her. "You shut your mouth!"
Sun Yu'e felt wronged, tears already welling in her eyes. With a twist of her body, she lifted the curtain and went back to her own room.
Sun Feng'an's Mother then had to question him carefully. This fine assignment absolutely could not be refused—besides, it was for the old Prince, a mark of favor. As for the duties in the residence, they would simply have to be set aside for now and left to the people under him.
Among the several deputy managers who could assist Sun Futang, Feng Gui was the closest to him. He planned to recommend Feng Gui to His Highness. That way, Feng Gui, out of gratitude, would naturally look after the Sun family, and when Sun Futang returned at year's end, he could smoothly take back these matters from Feng Gui's hands.
Though Sun Feng'an and his mother felt somewhat uneasy, they had nothing to say and could only agree.
After the meal, the family continued discussing matters, while Gu Youning and Ping'er cleaned up the kitchen, winnowed the barnyard grass clean in a dustpan, and fed it to the little hen, Gugu.
Normally, this barnyard grass should have been mixed with bran to feed the hen, but Gugu was still young, and she was the only one in the household. Gu Youning was especially fond of her and couldn't bear to mix in bran, feeding her only the barnyard grass.
The moment the little hen saw Gu Youning coming, she clucked with delight, circling around her.
Gu Youning tenderly stroked her feathers and fed her.
A nearby nanny, watching, smiled. "She's grown so fast these past few days. Once the weather warms up, she'll probably start laying eggs."
Laying eggs?
Gu Youning laughed. She always felt this little hen was still so small—she couldn't imagine her actually laying eggs.
Just then, Sun Feng'an's Mother happened to come out of the room and, hearing this, remarked casually, "A hen really is the most practical thing to keep. Just mix in some bran to feed her, and she'll lay eggs every day. Better than a person, really."
Gu Youning froze at these words, but by the time she looked over, Sun Feng'an's Mother had already gone on to Sun Yu'e's room in the side wing.
The nanny nearby, seeing this, felt a bit awkward as well and quickly found an excuse to withdraw.
Gu Youning felt somewhat aggrieved, but thinking it over, she truly had not conceived to this day, and with the Prince Duan affair on top of it—after taking those medicinal decoctions, her body needed time to recover—so she could only endure it.
When she returned to her room, she found Sun Feng'an changing his clothes and cap, preparing to go to the prince's residence. He was on duty today, attending the inner study, and would have the chance to see Prince Duan.
He checked his attire in the bronze mirror, and seeing Gu Youning with her head lowered, her eyes somewhat red, assumed she was worried about the matter with Concubine Chen, so he casually consoled her: "Don't worry. After all, I've served at His Highness's side for so many years. Later, when I have a chance, I'll sound out His Highness."
Gu Youning shook her head. "There's no need."
Prince Duan naturally already knew that she and Sun Feng'an were husband and wife, but she really didn't want Sun Feng'an mentioning her in front of the prince—especially after all the prince's behavior today, which left her feeling unsettled.
Sun Feng'an said, "I won't necessarily say much. I'll watch for an opening and bring it up if I can. His Highness has always looked after our family, and Father has some standing with him as well."
Gu Youning said, "It's all in the past. Why bring it up again? Better to stir up less trouble."
Sun Feng'an leaned over and cupped her face in his hands. "Why do you look like you've been crying?"
Her eyes were rimmed with red, still a little damp.
Gu Youning avoided his gaze and said only quietly, "I didn't sleep well last night. I'm tired."
Sun Feng'an thought that made sense. "Then hurry and sleep."
Gu Youning made a sound of assent, then suddenly remembered the book and asked about it.
Sun Feng'an said, "I sent someone to inquire, but I'm afraid that book can't be found. I asked several bookshops and none of them had it."
Gu Youning was somewhat disappointed.
Sun Feng'an consoled her, "I'll ask again when there's a chance. It's only a book—there's bound to be a copy somewhere."
As they spoke, his mother called from outside, saying it was time, and he hurried out.
Gu Youning stood there in a daze for a while before slowly lowering the bed curtains to sleep.
Perhaps because she'd been up all night, her mind felt sluggish, but she slowly pondered anyway—"ask again when there's a chance"? And when would that chance come?
Clearly, there would be no chance. It was merely an excuse.
A fine bolt of plain gauze traded for helping to find a book; helping to find a book traded for "I'll ask when there's a chance"—and after that, it was never mentioned again.
Of course, she couldn't blame him for this. She herself had asked at many bookshops without success—how could he possibly find it?
Numbly, she closed the window, climbed onto the couch, flopped down, and buried her head to sleep.
She thought she would lie there thinking this and that, but she didn't. She quickly sank into sleep.
She was simply too sleepy—exhausted and worn out.
In the middle of her sleep, she was awakened by a banging sound. In her haze, she seemed to hear Sun Yue's voice talking loudly outside the door.
She really didn't want to deal with it and kept sleeping with her head covered. Eventually the commotion stopped, but before long, the maid Ping'er came asking what to make for the midday meal and how to prepare it. She was so sleepy her eyes wouldn't stay open, and her irritation flared—she could have screamed at them to get lost.
But her mother-in-law wasn't home, and her sister-in-law seemed oblivious to everything. As the elder sister-in-law, she couldn't let the girl go hungry, so she had no choice but to drag herself up, go to the kitchen, and instruct Ping'er and the nanny to prepare the meal.
Sun Yue was extremely displeased, pouting in complaint: "What time is it already, and the midday meal still isn't served? I'm starving to death!"
Hearing that voice, Gu Youning truly wanted to slap her across the face.
So-called sister-in-law—she was really only two years younger than her, sixteen already, a grown girl who knew how to think about men, yet couldn't even manage lunch. It wasn't as if she was being asked to cook it herself—just go to the kitchen, look over the ingredients, and give instructions to the maids and servants. Was even moving her lips too much to ask?
Still, she forced herself to hold back and asked, "Don't you know I was on night duty all last night?"
Sun Yue was even angrier than she was, shouting, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you blaming me for disturbing you? But you slept a good while, didn't you? I came to call you this morning and knocked on your door forever, but you never answered."
Hearing this, Gu Youning found it utterly laughable.
Did she not know that knocking like that would disturb her? She knew perfectly well, but she was simply selfish—her eyes and her heart held only herself, with not the slightest thought of consideration for others.
Perhaps she had even done it deliberately, deliberately to make things hard for her.
This sister-in-law was nothing but a second mother-in-law, aiding the wicked with her arrogance and tyranny.
Gu Youning felt utterly drained of strength; she even felt she couldn't stand steady, that her whole body was swaying. But in the end, she said nothing.
This sister-in-law had truly been spoiled rotten. She didn't want to get into any quarrel with her, and she had no strength for arguing anyway.
She picked at a hasty lunch, and afterward, though she wanted to sleep again, she found she couldn't. So she simply got up, tidied herself a little, and went to visit her natal family.
At this hour her mother would naturally be busy at the prince's residence; only Gu Yueqiu was home. The moment Gu Youning entered, she saw Gu Yueqiu sitting by the window, head bent, copying out a book.
Sunlight streamed through the lattice onto the pages. He wrote each stroke with care, occasionally pausing his brush to frown and think.
Only when he finished a page did Gu Yueqiu look up and notice her. He was startled for a moment, then said, "Sister, what brings you here at this hour?"
Then he caught sight of the bruises on her cheek and hurriedly stood up. "What happened to your face?"
After resting all this while, the red marks on Gu Youning's face had actually faded considerably—only a faint trace remained, that was all.
So she said carelessly, "It's nothing. I didn't sleep well on night duty last night, that's all—I just bumped into something."
But Gu Yueqiu didn't quite believe her, and insisted on examining her closely before saying, "That doesn't look like a bump. What really happened? If you won't tell me, I'll go ask someone else later."
Left with no choice, Gu Youning had to tell him the whole story. Hearing that his sister had been struck, Gu Yueqiu naturally ached for her; then, hearing that Prince Duan had given the order to drive out Old Woman Feng, and that a female physician had afterward come to examine her, he was somewhat reassured.
Gu Youning then took out the ointment and the prescription to show Gu Yueqiu. "Look at this prescription. I think it's a good one, so I'm keeping it for now. And this ointment—it invigorates the blood and disperses bruises. You might well have use for it someday."
Gu Yueqiu examined the ointment carefully. He had read widely and understood medicine, and knew it wasn't suited to him. But knowing his sister had thought only of him, he was naturally moved, and glad.
He then questioned her closely about all the details of her night duty. Gu Youning told him everything—how Lin Bingzhong's wife had behaved, how Old Woman Hu was over there—talking on at length, while Gu Yueqiu listened attentively throughout.
Gu Youning had been feeling a bit aggrieved at first, but now that she had poured out all her troubles, she felt much better. She smiled and said, "Anyway, you don't need to worry about me. This is a good assignment. Though I've offended Concubine Chen this time, it was the Prince's decision, so I don't need to be too afraid. She's already been confined to her quarters—what revenge can she take on me?"
Gu Yueqiu smiled too: "If she tries to take revenge on you, the whole household will know of it, and it would only make her look petty."
Gu Youning nodded repeatedly. Gu Yueqiu continued, "I heard Mother mention your night duty. It really is a good assignment, but you didn't sleep well last night—why aren't you resting? Is something amiss at home?"
Gu Youning shook her head. "I've already rested. Don't let your imagination run wild. What book are you copying?"
She went over to look at his writing. Though she wasn't well educated and was no expert, she could still tell that his handwriting was truly beautiful.
Handwriting is like a person—some are crooked and misshapen, others upright and tall. Gu Yueqiu's writing was a delight to the eye.
Gu Yueqiu said, "It's a job I took on recently, copying books for someone. Once I finish this volume, I'll earn two hundred wen."
With that, he showed her the thick stack he had copied. "Look how much I've done already."
Hearing his tone, Gu Youning found it almost childlike, as if he were a little boy boasting to her for praise, just like when they were young.
She smiled. "Two hundred wen, that's quite a lot! And here I am serving in the residence, earning less than one tael of silver a month."
Gu Yueqiu said, "Mm, two hundred wen. I can finish copying it in about ten days. It's a pity such work doesn't come along all the time. If it were steady, I could earn six hundred wen a month—that could help with household expenses."
Gu Youning understood. The family's circumstances weren't actually so straitened that they needed those six hundred wen. Gu Yueqiu simply wanted to prove that he wasn't a useless man. Of course she understood, so she praised him and rejoiced for him.
She genuinely thought highly of him—despite suffering such a devastating blow, he could still copy books with a steady and composed heart.
After leaving, as Gu Youning walked along the street, she thought of that book again. Unwilling to give up, she remembered hearing that the book market in the east had some old items, and one could occasionally stumble upon good finds there. If she went to look, perhaps she might find it.
But after wandering around and asking at several shops, she still came up empty-handed.
She couldn't help feeling a little discouraged. Who would have thought that when she reached the last shop, the shopkeeper would say, "That book—I only remember that Prince Duan's residence should have had a copy back in the day. But the books in a prince's collection aren't something the likes of us can lay eyes on."
Prince Duan's residence?
Gu Youning could hardly believe it. "Really? Is this information reliable?"
The shopkeeper said, "Naturally. A few years ago, the tutor at Prince Duan's residence used to come to my shop to buy books, and we often chatted. I heard it from him."
Gu Youning thanked the shopkeeper and left, but as she walked along the street, she couldn't help but let the idea take root in her mind.
Last night, while on patrol, she had learned that the residence had a study called the Yijin Studio. Though the inner household women like her weren't required to patrol that area, she had passed by its courtyard gate.
A foolish, wishful thought suddenly surfaced in her mind—could she perhaps find a way to borrow it?