sovbooks Chapter 16 Yankang Year
Chapter 16 Yankang Year
Lin Daiyu played with it for a while before reluctantly putting it down: "This... he made this too?"
Xueyan gave a soft "Mmm," and said, "Liu Wuzhang's hands are very skillful."
Lin Daiyu gently tapped her forehead and said reproachfully, "Skillful hands are a compliment for girls."
"Then... how should I say it?" Xueyan tilted her head.
"have no idea!"
Lin Daiyu glared at Xueyan, annoyed. How could a young lady like her possibly praise a man?
Xueyan suddenly remembered: "Miss, I just heard Uncle Lin and Sergeant Liu say that we are moving to Jinling in a few days, and Sergeant Liu will be going with us."
Lin Daiyu didn't answer, but casually picked up the book and flipped through a couple of pages.
"I've heard that there are so many delicious foods in Nanjing, and now I can finally go and try them!" Xueyan said with anticipation.
Lin Daiyu continued turning the pages of her book with her head down, and said calmly, "Mother will not agree to us going out alone."
Xueyan's eyes darted around, and she leaned close to her ear: "Why don't we just have Sergeant Liu accompany us? With him around, Madam will definitely feel at ease."
Lin Daiyu's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
The restrictions imposed on women in the Great Qian Dynasty were not strict, and going out was not forbidden. However, their families were worried about their safety, so they had to be accompanied by a reliable person.
Lin Daiyu had no brothers, and aside from going out with Jia Min, she was mostly confined to the inner quarters. Upon hearing this, she immediately had an idea.
"Wang Mama is here!" A maid's announcement suddenly rang out from outside.
Before Lin Daiyu and Xueyan could hide their things, Granny Wang lifted the curtain and came in. She saw them immediately and was about to scold Xueyan.
Lin Daiyu quickly spoke up for her, saying, "I sent Xueyan, please don't punish her, Granny."
Granny Wang knew perfectly well that Xueyan was just being playful. She glared at her and then turned to Lin Daiyu, saying, "The Jia family from the capital has sent congratulatory gifts to celebrate our master's promotion to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner. Madam wants you to go and see them."
Lin Daiyu nodded: "I'll change my clothes and then go."
......................
The two places are thousands of miles apart, and it was the dead of winter. The fast horse could not carry too much. It only carried a few bolts of the finest cloth from the capital, a set of writing implements, ginseng and deer antler tonics, some tea, and a letter.
"This American ginseng is good; it's mild and won't cause internal heat, which is perfect for Yu'er to regulate her body."
Jia Min carefully checked all the gifts and casually opened a sandalwood box. Inside the box were four smaller boxes. She took out the long, narrow one, gently lifted the lid, and picked out a writing brush. She immediately smiled: "I recognize this brush. It was a gift from Prince Bei Jing to my elder brother. The bristles are entirely red."
Made from the tail of a weasel, I pestered my elder brother several times, but he refused to give it to me. I never expected it would end up in my hands in the end.
At this point, she sighed softly, "The prince is such a good man... if I remember correctly, his posthumous child should be sixteen years old now."
When Jia Min noticed that Lin Ruhai hadn't made any sound for a while, she turned around and saw that Lin Ruhai was holding the letter and lost in thought.
"What's wrong?" Jia Min walked over.
Lin Ruhai then came to his senses and handed the letter to Jia Min: "Read it yourself."
Jia Min took the letter and was stunned.
Lin Ruhai picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and asked, "Tell me, whose idea was this?"
Jia Min snapped out of her daze, folded the letter, and declared: "No matter whose idea it was, I disagree!"
"Didn't you used to hope that our two families would become even closer through marriage?" Lin Ruhai asked, somewhat puzzled.
"That depends on the person!"
Jia Min snorted heavily, "A纨绔子弟 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) who spends all his time in the inner chambers is not good enough for our Yu'er! My dear second sister-in-law, she schemed everything, but in the end, she got herself into trouble. Being 'born with a jade in her mouth' means that child is destined never to enter officialdom!"
Lin Ruhai nodded. Such auspicious omens could only appear in the royal family; for other families, they would bring disaster. Fortunately, it was just a few auspicious words, and given the Jia family's close relationship with the royal family, they were safe and sound.
Seeing that Jia Min looked unwell, Lin Ruhai asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"
Jia Min: "You've never mentioned this before in all these years, but the moment you got promoted, you immediately... That's so opportunistic..."
Lin Ruhai, however, saw through it all and smiled faintly: "It's only human nature. I'm just a salt inspector without a fixed rank..."
"Alright, alright!" Jia Min waved her hand impatiently.
Lin Ruhai smiled and changed the subject: "We're spending the Spring Festival in Nanjing this year. It's been many years since we went to the Qinhuai River to see the lantern festival. How about our family take a boat trip on the river to admire the lanterns during the Lantern Festival?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Min nodded slightly.
"The girl is here!"
Lin Ruhai and Jia Min looked up at their daughter as she slowly walked in, their eyes filled with undisguised satisfaction and pride.
......................
Before they knew it, it was February of the tenth year of Yankang. A warm breeze was blowing, flowers were beginning to bloom, and Liu Feng's health had almost fully recovered.
The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's office was significantly larger than that of the Salt Commissioner's office, and it even had two gardens.
Liu Feng, having nothing better to do while recovering from his injury, often went for a stroll in the West Garden.
The East Garden is for women; he can't go in.
There is also a small pond in the West Garden, where many golden koi carp are raised.
When he got tired of walking around, Liu Feng sat by the pond, picked a few newly opened apricot blossoms from the apricot tree, threw them into the water, and watched the fish come over to peck at the blossoms.
Watching the fish eagerly pecking at the apricot blossoms, Liu Feng suddenly saw himself reflected in them. How was he any different from these caged fish? Both were being raised by humans, just waiting to die.
In the original story, the Lin family had a very bad ending. Although things are a little different now, who can guarantee that the same mistakes won't happen again?
Lin Ruhai also had salt administration responsibilities, which was a real problem!
Staying by Lin Ruhai's side was too dangerous, and Liu Feng didn't want to tie his life and future to someone else's, or have his life and future rise and fall with theirs.
In this world, you still have to take your own destiny into your own hands!
But what should we do next?
Buy a few acres of land and honestly become a farmer? It's one thing to have never had a good life before, but now that the comfortable days of having food served to you are over, how can you go back to suffering?
Or, how about going back to the profession I had in my past life?
Liu Feng rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
This was ancient times, and war could break out on the frontier at any moment. Let alone ordinary soldiers, even mid- to low-ranking officers faced a frighteningly high chance of death in battle...
"Liu, the prison warden, the lady requests your presence in the third hall!"
Liu Feng turned around and saw the old woman from the third hall.
Liu Feng was promoted to a ninth-rank prison warden, in charge of the prison of the Provincial Surveillance Commission. Although the rank was low, he was a legitimate official appointed by the imperial court, and a group of prison guards and jailers were under his command.
To be honest, Lin Ruhai had been more than kind and righteous to him!
"What is it?" Liu Feng got up and walked over.
"The eldest son of the Wang family, salt merchants from Yangzhou, has arrived. Madam asks you to go and entertain him."
According to the regulations of the imperial court, the provincial inspector was required to conduct inspections twice a year, in spring and autumn. This year, the spring inspection was scheduled for mid-February. After Lin Daiyu's birthday, Lin Ruhai took his uncle Lin to inspect the south.
The official business at the front office was handled by the deputy, while Liu Feng helped Jia Min manage the affairs of the inner quarters.
When someone visits, Jia Min doesn't need to show up; Liu Feng is the one who receives them.
Just past the signing room, a middle-aged man carrying several books walked over from the school.
This man was tall and robust, with a broad face and square mouth. He had sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a straight nose, and slightly high cheekbones, giving him a dignified appearance and an air of heroism and sharpness.
It was Jia Yucun, the tutor hired by Lin Ruhai.
Liu Feng naturally looked down on Jia Yucun, but they would see each other again soon, and Jia Yucun was a tutor hired by Lin Ruhai at great expense. As a member of the Lin family, he couldn't be rude to him.
Liu Feng stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Mr. Jia."
Jia Yucun simply gave a faint "hmm," looked straight ahead, and walked straight past him.
Liu Feng smiled on the surface, but cursed inwardly: Don't you dare fall into my hands, or I'll make you know just how red the flowers really are!
He flicked his sleeves and strode towards the third hall...