Jinyi Spring

Chapter 121 News from the Wen Family
When I arrived at the intersection of Beifu Street, I saw an old man selling candied hawthorns.

Wang Shuping said, "My brother also likes to eat candied hawthorns."

"Okay, I'll buy two."

We went into the pastry shop next door.

"What would Shuping like to eat?"

“My mother likes to eat osmanthus cake, my brother likes to eat steamed rice cake, and my eldest sister likes to eat fried dough twists.”

They don't say what they like to eat.

Feng Chuchen smiled and said, "Shuping likes to eat egg crisps and peanuts, so I bought all four."

They bought a lotus leaf chicken, and the two of them and the dog headed home.

The sadness Wang Shuping felt when she arrived was gone; she looked up at Feng Chuchen and laughed.

Bi was waiting in the courtyard.

Upon seeing Feng Chuchen, she walked over and said, "Miss, I'd like to sell myself."

Feng Chuchen was taken aback. "If you become a slave, the child you give birth to will also be a slave."

Madam Bi sighed, "If Aunt Wang and her son weren't servants of the Feng family, her family wouldn't have let them off so easily. The Chai family is guarding the next alley, and I'm afraid that once the child is born, they'll see how good it is and come to snatch it away. If my son and I were servants of a young lady, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble."

Seeing that she was determined, Feng Chuchen took out seven taels of silver and gave it to her, asking Uncle Wu to take her to the county government office to change her household registration the next day.

As the sun set and the city gates were about to close, a horse crossed the gates and galloped towards the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

It wasn't until 9 PM that Ming Shanyue returned to the mansion with Guo Hei and several personal guards.

Guo Hei and Song Xian are the heads of Ming Shanyue's personal guards. Recently, there have been many affairs in the mansion, so Ming Shanyue usually only takes one person with him when he goes to the government office, while the other person stays in the mansion to handle affairs.

As soon as he entered the outer study, Song Xian quietly reported, "Master, Number Two has returned and has been waiting for a long time."

When the Ming government's secret guards went out to carry out secret missions, they all used temporary code names.

Ming Shanyue's expression turned serious. "Let him in."

He went inside and sat down, and a man walked in.

Number Two whispered, "We've been waiting for days, but there's not a single word about that person. At the end of February, Wen Kai took Miss Wen and several cartloads of dowry to Huaizhou in western Hunan. After waiting for five days without finding the person they were looking for, they had no choice but to return home. Wen Kai was quite disappointed, but Miss Wen looked delighted."

"Boss, I've ordered you to come and report to the master immediately. The Xue family's secret guards have all withdrawn after seeing the Wen siblings leave. However, there are a few people who have been following the Wen siblings; they should be members of the Xue family."

Ming Shanyue tapped his hand on the table and fell into deep thought.

If Jiang Huaizhao is indeed Wang Tu, and disappeared after completing a mission with Dr. Cai, then he is indeed a formidable man...

After a moment, he said, "Send word to Number One to continue lying in wait there and secretly search for the person in the painting. Remember, under no circumstances should you harm him. Tell him that Wen Qian has told me the truth, and I will help him."

Number One was the leader of those secret guards. He disguised himself as a Jinzhou merchant who traded bamboo products and rented a small courtyard there.

"Yes."

"Rest for a day, then set off the day after tomorrow. Let Guo Hei have a couple of drinks with you."

Number Two smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle."

Ming Shanyue called out loudly, "Song Xian."

Song Xian came in and said, "Grandpa."

"Pass on the message: order No. 8 and No. 10 to continue keeping a close eye on the Wen family."

"Yes." Song Xian replied, then leaned down and said, "Madam's illness has been cured, and the old lady is also much better. Starting tomorrow, Doctor Feng will no longer be coming to the residence every day."

Ming Shanyue smiled. "That girl is really something. After all these years, my mother... is finally better."

A few low chuckles escaped his throat. He thought to himself, "I should really reciprocate this huge favor..."

Seeing that Song Xian was not leaving, he asked, "Is there anything else?"

Song Xian hesitated and said, "In that case, the suspicion against my aunt has been cleared. Should we continue to keep an eye on her?"

Ming Shanyue said in a deep voice, "Tell Uncle Ping to keep everything as usual, and continue to keep an eye on those who need to be monitored."

"Yes. Also, Miss Biao and Miss Feng had a fight today..."

Seeing Ming Shanyue's face darken, she quickly said, "Miss Feng didn't suffer any loss. The aunt was so angry that she hit the cousin... According to Granny Cao, the cousin complained that the aunt had handed over the management of the household, saying that the aunt was a pampered guest in the mansion. The aunt said that the lady was the head of the household, and now that she was cured of her illness, she should take over the management of the household. I couldn't hear the rest."

Ming Shanyue sneered, "That's what she wants others to hear. If she doesn't want anyone to hear it, of course they won't hear it. It seems she's also wary of me."

Song Xian opened the door and went out. A dark figure squeezed in through the crack in the door. It was Ah Xuan.

It landed lightly on the desk, tilting its head to look at Ming Shanyue.

Ming Shanyue gently flicked its forehead, "Coming back so late, aren't you staying at the nunnery?"

He said that, but a smile was on his face.

Ah Xuan's two tiny green bead eyes were fixed on his owner, and his little pointed beak beak cried out, "Little Yueyue, Little Zhuzhu, Little Zhuzhu..."

It means it wants to play with beads.

Ming Shanyue flicked it again, opened the brass lock on the bottom drawer of the desk, and took out the bead.

The bead lay in my large palm, its color a clear, vibrant green, shimmering with iridescent light.

Ah Xuan lightly leaped onto the large hand, her little pointed beak constantly nudging the bead, occasionally calling out "Little Bead."

Ming Shanyue watched the grand spectacle of "Phoenix Playing with a Pearl" for more than two quarters of an hour before putting the pearl back into the depths of the drawer and stuffing the little creature into the exquisite cage hanging in front of the window.

Ah Xuan was also tired, so he covered his little head with his wings and drifted off to sleep.

On the fifth day of the third lunar month, the apricot blossoms on the trees were in full bloom, and a few red petals would occasionally fall with the breeze.

Birds chirped in the trees, there was the sound of students reading aloud in front, and faint sounds of production coming from next door.

Xiao Shuping sat quietly under the tree, eating peanuts, while Da Tou sat beside him.

The afternoon sun was warm and pleasant. He would blink frequently after eating a few peanuts, and he still felt sleepy even after taking a nap.

The courtyard gate suddenly rang.

Mother and her sisters were busy next door, and Aunt Wu took Sister Mujin to the market to buy vegetables.

Aunt Wu told him that if someone knocked on the door, he couldn't open it alone; he had to go next door and call a sister over.

He ran to the gate and shouted through it, "Who is it?"

A deep, resonant voice said, "I am Guo Hei."

Wang Shuping recognized Guo Hei, but still didn't dare to open the door casually.

"wait."

Wang Shuping ran next door and saw that Shaoyao was drying her freshly washed bed sheets in the yard.

She called out loudly, "Sister Peony, we have guests from your family."

Upon hearing this, Peony took Wang Shuping's hand and walked over.

Upon opening the courtyard gate, they saw Guo Hei and a coachman driving a horse-drawn carriage.

Their eyes met, and both of them were taken aback.

Guo Hei felt a chill run down his spine. After regaining his composure, he pointed to the carriage behind him and said, "My master is grateful for Doctor Feng's miraculous healing skills, and has specially ordered us to come and present him with a gift of thanks."

Peony pursed her lips tightly, suppressing the urge to mutter and roll her eyes, and stepped aside.

Seeing that the maid hadn't rolled her eyes, Guo Hei couldn't lose his composure. He calmly walked into the courtyard, the coachman following behind in the carriage.

The coachman was very disappointed. He had heard that whenever Guo Hei came to the Feng family, a girl named Shaoyao would fight with him.

The little boy clearly called this girl "Peony" just now, so why didn't they fight?

Peony invited Feng Chuchen in the past.

Feng Chuchen is taking a patient's pulse.

Peony whispered, "Distinguished guests have arrived over there."

Even if she was unwilling to admit it, Guo Hei was a distinguished guest in this family. Feng Chuchen said, "Please invite the guest inside to wait a moment."

Peony said "Oh" and went back.

With her eyes lowered, she said to Guo and Hei, "My young lady is busy right now. Please come inside and wait a moment, gentlemen."

Guo Hei and the driver unloaded a large box from the car and carried it into the house.

Peony poured two cups of tea.

The driver smiled and said, "Thank you, young lady."

Guo Hei didn't say anything, but nodded as a sign of thanks.

Peony walked out of the house and stood at the door waiting, glancing sideways at Guo Hei.

This kid isn't so annoying when he's not causing trouble.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the clinic.

Peony took off running over.

Guo Hei and the driver also ran out of the house and stood at the side door looking in that direction.

Another dozen or so people were causing trouble at the hospital, and the family that led them was the same one whose child died the day before yesterday, surnamed Liu.

The Liu family has had only one son for three generations, so fearing something might happen, they sent the pregnant woman to the hospital the morning before yesterday.

The delivery process was extremely difficult. The fetus was in a posterior position, the mother was physically exhausted, and her uterine contractions were weak.

The clinic tried every possible method: guiding the baby to the correct position, adjusting the baby's position, administering acupuncture, medication, episiotomy, and so on. After a day and two nights, a son was finally delivered with great difficulty, but he was covered in bruises and had already died.

When the Liu family saw that it was a son, they were heartbroken. They said that the midwife was not skilled enough and that Feng Chuchen did not burn incense for the infant and used the Yin Shen needle, which was a disregard for human life.

The clinic, of course, refused to acknowledge it and told them to take the matter to the authorities.

They were allowed to take their dead child with them.

Three days later, the family returned with a group of people and caused a scene.

They pushed the gatekeeper who was blocking their way, causing him to stumble, and forced their way in.

It turns out that the new mother contracted puerperal fever and died this morning.

This family, enraged, came to cause a scene, partly to vent their anger and partly to extort money.

Feng Chuchen walked out with a stern face and shouted, "If you have any doubts, go to the yamen to file a complaint. You are not allowed to make noise here."

A burly woman came over and tried to shove Feng Chuchen, but was pushed to the ground by Shaoyao who ran over.

"You old hag, how dare you touch my daughter again."

Still not satisfied, he grabbed and pulled the woman's hair, and the woman got up and started fighting back against Shaoyao.

Upon seeing this, two women from the group rushed forward and fought with Peony, but neither of them were a match for her.

Three more men rushed up and attacked, but Guo Hei ran into the clinic and kicked them to the ground with a few quick kicks.

Guo Hei and Shaoyao were both formidable, beating those men until they cried for their parents, and the others dared not fight back.

They said the clinic had killed a nursing infant and a new mother, and therefore had to pay fifty taels of silver in compensation…

The driver from the Ming family also ran over and confronted the people with the midwife and others. The people didn't even have a chance to get close to Feng Chuchen.

Before long, the yamen runners arrived and took the group of people who were causing trouble for the doctor, Aunt Wang, Peony, and others to the county yamen.

Feng Chuchen went to the house with a sullen face, thanked Guo Hei and the coachman, and gave each of them a red envelope containing twenty taels of silver.

They not only helped fight, but also went to the clinic where the baby was born, and had to "wear red" (a symbol of respect for the deceased).

Guo Hei declined, saying, "Miss Feng, you're too kind. It's my pleasure."

Feng Chuchen insisted on delivering it.

Knowing they were busy, Guo Hei said, "My master and lord thank Miss Feng for curing the Madam and the Old Madam, and this is just a small token of their gratitude."

The two men presented the gift list and left.

The gifts were a chicken-wing wood display shelf, a hollowed-out fan-shaped four-season blessing nanmu wood ornament, and a jade incense burner.

Knowing they were moving soon, the gifts they sent were furniture and decorations.

Feng Chuchen smiled, pursing her lips.

The Duke of Mingguo was serious and upright, while Ming Shanyue looked awkward, but he was still very shrewd and knew how to navigate social situations.

After dinner, Aunt Wang and the others returned. The county magistrate listened to the testimonies of both sides and ruled that the Liu family was making trouble unreasonably. Because someone from the Liu family had died and several others had been injured, he reprimanded them and then released them.

Today was a close call, but thankfully nothing serious happened.

Aunt Wang said, "When Master Guo comes over another day, Shaoyao should thank him. I watched as someone's stick was about to hit Shaoyao on the head, and Guo Hei kicked that person to the ground. Otherwise, Shaoyao's head would have been cracked open."

Peony knew that Guo Hei had helped her a lot today and had come to the clinic to help without any hesitation, so she was very grateful.

Feng Chuchen deliberately said, "So it turns out that Master Guo was such a big help. I was so busy that I didn't have time to thank Master Guo before they left."

Upon hearing this, Peony became anxious, "Miss, Master Guo has helped our clinic a lot. We should give him some money and a red envelope as a token of our appreciation. At the very least, we should invite him to stay for a meal."

Feng Chuchen belatedly realized, "Yeah, how come I didn't think of that?"

Peony was really anxious, pouting her lips, while the others suppressed their laughter and said they would definitely make up for it later.

The ninth day of the third lunar month is an auspicious day for moving.

Feng Chuchen's family moved next door.

The main house has five rooms. The east room is still Feng Buji's bedroom, the central room is the hall for receiving guests, and the west room is the study. The east wing is the bedroom for the siblings, and the west wing is where the memorial tablets of the eldest aunt and Feng Qiuen and his wife are enshrined.

The three rooms in the east wing were reserved for Feng Chuchen's exclusive use.

The west wing has three rooms with single doors. The middle room is where Aunt Wang and her son live, the north room is where Pinellia ternata and Asarum heterotropoides live, and the south room is where Paeonia lactiflora and Hibiscus syriacus live.

The back of the room served as the kitchen and Wu San's room.

Sister-in-law Song, Zisu Zifu, and two other newly purchased apprentices lived in the old house.

Although this allocation still feels cramped, it's much better than before.

The courtyard had even more flowers and plants. Feng Chuchen knew she wouldn't be staying here forever, so most of them were potted plants. There were forsythia, roses, peonies, orchids, chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, wisteria, osmanthus, crabapple blossoms, and so on, for all four seasons.

She spent a lot of money on these.

The courtyard is too small to accommodate vehicles, so not only is the family's donkey cart still kept at the old house, but guests' cars also have to be parked there.

On the tenth day, we invited the Hu family to a housewarming dinner.

At the beginning of the Si hour, Lord Hu led his entire family to offer their congratulations, but Grandma Hu was not present.

They gave them a pair of large blue-and-white porcelain vases that were about half a person's height, and a set of polychrome porcelain teacups.

One of them said, "My mother is going to have a baby."

The other couple added, "We want to have a little sister for us."

Grandma Hu developed health problems after giving birth to Shuangshuang, and Feng Chuchen spent more than a year taking care of her before finally getting pregnant.

Feng Chuchen smiled and said, "I'll make time to visit her in a couple of days."

At noon, three unexpected guests arrived: Ming Shanyue, Shangguan Ruyu, and Ming Shanfeng.

Several servants, including Guo Hei, Song Xian, Duan Yan, and Ke Kou, also arrived.

Feng Chuchen and her siblings, along with Lord Hu and his son, came out to greet them from the main house.

"Lord Ming, Brother Shangguan, Second Brother Ming, welcome."

"Lord Ming, Lord Shangguan, Young Master Ming, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Ming Shanyue, who usually has an icy expression, smiled slightly, while Shangguan Ruyu, who loves to act cool, was all smiles.

(End of this chapter)