Chapter 153: Casual Talk
Following Li Xiaonan’s instructions, Li Jinzhu set aside the looms from Hejia Village and, with Sister-in-law Lu, went to inspect several other villages.
Li Xiaonan did not go, because Wan Jing had come to pick her up early in the morning.
“Why would I go to your villa? Where is your Young Lord? At the villa?” Li Xiaonan asked as soon as she got into the cart.
“The Young Lord left before dawn, saying the Crown Prince is coming. Our Young Lord has been very busy lately!”
Wan Jing sat down properly and offered pastries and tea.
“Last night, when things were almost settled, Shi Gun came to find me and relayed the Young Lord’s message, asking me to come this morning to pick you up and take you to our villa’s library to read.”
Li Xiaonan’s eyebrows rose.
Read? What did he mean by that? Did he think she was too idle?
“Shi Gun said that when he went to find me, the Young Lord was making a reading list for you.
“Shi Gun also said that he was the one who reminded the Young Lord about this, saying that since you are in the fine cloth business, he wasn’t sure if you knew about the origins of the various weaving workshops and guilds in Jiangnan.
“Shi Gun said the Young Lord praised him a couple of times, saying he was thoughtful and more attentive than before. He even rewarded him with ten taels of silver.
“You should have seen Shi Gun’s expression, he was incredibly smug, saying that silver was nothing, he wasn’t short of money, but the Young Lord’s praise was rare.”
Wan Jing pouted and snorted.
Li Xiaonan slowly said, “Oh.”
So that’s how it was. Shi Gun was indeed thoughtful. She should thank him next time she saw him.
“He got smug over a single compliment? Is your Young Lord’s praise that rare?” Li Xiaonan said casually as she picked up a candied lotus seed.
“Looking at Shi Gun, it probably is quite rare. Anyway, the Young Lord has never praised me,” Wan Jing sighed.
Every time the Young Lord saw her, he seemed very displeased.
“If you were in front of your Young Lord every day like Shi Gun, he would definitely praise you often. Shi Gun definitely can’t compare to you,” Li Xiaonan said, picking up another candied lotus seed.
“It’s not an easy place to be in front of our Young Lord. I’m far behind Shi Gun. Shi Gun is more than capable of doing my tasks, but I can’t do Shi Gun’s tasks.”
Wan Jing’s straightforwardness made Li Xiaonan pause.
That was true. For that Young Lord, when he had something to say, he wouldn’t speak, just move his fingers, and Shi Gun would always guess correctly. Wan Jing probably couldn’t do it, and she definitely couldn’t.
“The Crown Prince is coming, where will he stay? Your villa?” Li Xiaonan changed the subject.
“Yes,” Wan Jing confirmed with a hum. “Uncle Hong is incredibly busy.”
“Have you met the Crown Prince?” Li Xiaonan picked up another candied lotus seed, and the small crystal dish was empty.
“How could I possibly meet the Crown Prince! Shi Gun sees him often. Shi Gun says the Crown Prince is very kind, much more amiable than our Young Lord.”
In the latter part of her sentence, Wan Jing lowered her voice.
“Your Young Lord is quite amiable.”
“That’s to you! When we were in the Capital City, our Young Lord was famously aloof and unsmiling.”
Li Xiaonan was stumped by Wan Jing’s retort and changed the subject again. “Oh, right, I didn’t get a chance to ask last time, has Miss Shi recovered from her illness?”
“She’s more or less recovered,” Wan Jing chuckled, moved closer to Li Xiaonan, and whispered in her ear, “At first, she claimed to be ill, but it was hard to tell if it was a real illness or a feigned one. Later, when our Young Lord went to visit, he told Second Madam Pan that the Eldest Madam must be suffering from acclimatization. Then the Eldest Madam truly fell ill, and quite severely.”
Li Xiaonan raised her eyebrows. “Is that necessary!”
“Why wouldn’t it be! This time and the last, Miss Shi has been in Pingjiang Prefecture for over half a year. How could she still be suffering from acclimatization?
“Our Young Lord’s words were too infuriating. Even if he wanted to drive someone away, he shouldn’t have spoken like that… I mean, he shouldn’t have just casually said it like that.” Wan Jing slapped her own mouth a few times.
“It’s just us two, it’s fine. Your Young Lord really shouldn’t have spoken so carelessly. Saying that is simply meant to provoke people. Even after breaking off the engagement, he shouldn’t have been so infuriating. Miss Shi and your Young Lord grew up together, right?”
“Childhood sweethearts!” Wan Jing leaned close to Li Xiaonan’s ear. “Let’s be honest, the Young Lord breaking off the engagement was a huge blow!
“Miss Shi and our Young Lord were famously childhood sweethearts and a perfect match for so many years. They had been engaged for two or three years, and Miss Shi’s dowry was all prepared. Our Young Lord gave no reason and just broke off the engagement. Tell me, who could stand that?
“It’s fortunate that Miss Shi is a strong person and managed to hold on.
“At the time, we all guessed that our Young Lord must have fallen for some other girl. Everyone craned their necks waiting to see who the Young Lord would propose to. Who would have known! Look, it’s been over a year, almost two years, and there’s been no movement at all!
“Our Princess Consort presented all the noble ladies in the world to the Young Lord, but he didn’t choose any of them. Tell me, if you were Miss Shi, could you give up?”
“I would definitely give up. Just based on the fact that your Young Lord gave no reason and broke off the engagement just like that, I would have given up immediately. Even if he begged me, I wouldn’t pay him any mind,” Li Xiaonan said frankly.
Wan Jing’s lips were so pursed they formed an inverted U-shape. “Anyway, it’s not you, so you can say whatever you want!”
“Really,” Li Xiaonan said with a serious expression.
“Alright, alright, let’s assume you’re telling the truth,” Wan Jing said, clearly not wanting to argue further. “Miss Shi’s illness was indeed quite severe. Second Madam Pan, due to the shock and worry, lost a whole circle of weight.
“Yesterday, I saw Miss Shi from afar. Second Madam Pan was accompanying her, sitting by the lakeside. Miss Shi was frighteningly thin. Alas, once Miss Shi recovers a bit more, she’ll have to go back.” Wan Jing sighed.
“Miss Shi isn’t young anymore, is she?”
“She’s twenty this year! You see how much trouble our Young Lord caused. Miss Shi is already twenty. Finding someone else will take at least half a year to a year. For families like ours, with so many intricate customs, from the hairpin ceremony onwards, it takes about a year. How old is Miss Shi now?” Wan Jing tutted.
“It’s fine if she marries late. She’s already twenty this year and just starting to look for someone. The number of suitable families must be very small now,” Li Xiaonan said, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the empty pastry dish on the table.
“Exactly! Our Young Lord really caused a lot of trouble!”
“It would have been better if they had started looking when the engagement was broken off,” Li Xiaonan sighed.
“Indeed! But you can’t blame her. Anyone would find it hard to accept. Our Young Lord is so handsome,” Wan Jing said with a smile.
…
The two chattered away, and in the blink of an eye, the cart stopped outside the library at the place they had parked last time.
Wan Jing got out of the cart first. As Li Xiaonan got down, they walked one after the other. Just as they reached the bridge, they saw movement in the water pavilion not far away.
“It’s Miss Shi, and our Cousin Girl,” Wan Jing said in a very low voice.
