Old Item
As the autumn wind grew colder, Wei and Tan were stationed in Yongdu, with Liangchong in the south busy contending for territory with Du Rong of Bashu. Wu Kun, the new sucessor, held his ground and maintained peace. Meanwhile, there were continuous triumphant reports from the north. In early of the The Month(of Lunar calendar), Yongdu received confirmed news that Tan Yao, the second son of Tan Xi, was killed by Cen Han, one of Wei Jie's prominent generals. Liaodong was restored to the imperial court. From this point on, Wei Jue unified the northern lands in the name of the Emperor.
This news was like a warm spring, melting away the tense atmosphere that had gripped Yongdu due to worries about the war. The expression of Guo Furen, who had lost her appetite, gradually changed from one of concern to a smile.
And right at this moment, a pharmacy named "Yannian Hall" started to be widely discussed among the nobles of Yongdu.
The owner of Yannian Hall, Cai Rang, was a man from the southern region, known for his honest and loyal appearance.
Unlike other pharmacies that mostly stock common herbs and may have a physician to assist, Yannian Hall was different. There were no resident physicians, but they offered rare medicinal herbs that were hard to find elsewhere. The first to discover this uniqueness were the physicians of Yongdu. Soon after, ZongZhengLiang Ke obtained a top-quality Lingzhi mushroom from Yannian Hall and praised its excellence. As a result, the reputation of Yannian Hall spread rapidly throughout the city.
In the past, when the imperial court was at war with Tan Xi, the people of Yongdu were filled with anxiety, fearing that if the situation turned unfavorable, there would be renewed conflict and upheaval, leading to a period of hardship and displacement. The market was depressed, and even the wealthy individuals were cautious, unwilling to spend their wealth easily. However, the situation is entirely different now. The news of Wei Jue's victory was like a crack opening in the ice, giving everyone a chance to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
As the army had not yet returned, a curfew was in place in the city, and there were no banquets or feasts. With the nobles and wealthy individuals having spare time to consider health and wellness matters for autumn and winter, the business at Yannian Hall began to flourish.
This Yannian Hall is the pharmacy I invested in, managed by Li Shang.
The storefront was chosen by Li Shang. It's not big, but it is located at a street corner. The shop owner, Cai Rang, was also acquired by Li Shang in the market. Cai Rang was originally from the southern region but had fled to Yongdu due to the turmoil of war. Unfortunately, he lost all his money and had no other options but to sell himself in the market. He had previous business experience and had honed a smooth and persuasive way of speaking, which caught Li Shang's attention.
I chose the timing to open the shop, and it was my idea to give the Lingzhi mushroom to Liang Ke. In the past, the nobles in Chang'an were fond of health and wellness, and Liang Ke was one of the most prominent figures in this regard. He was said to have a cabinet full of collected herbal prescriptions. Of course, there were others with more renowned reputations in the field of health, but Liang Ke had a son who was in charge of handling financial matters and taxes in Jingzhao Prefecture. Therefore, when I decided to give away the Lingzhi mushroom, though it pained me greatly, I still felt it was worthwhile.
Every day, Ah Yuan would report the pharmacy's income to me, and as I listened, I felt a mixture of caution and excitement.
Li Shang carefully considered the price of each medicinal herb. For those herbs available elsewhere, the quality difference didn't matter much; he only added a small profit margin to cover costs. However, for certain rare herbs used to treat specific ailments, which were not easily found elsewhere, he still kept the prices reasonable. The most expensive items were the precious tonics and supplements, and I was astonished to see some herbs selling for as high as five hundred qians (copper coin) per day.
"Even if they buy those expensive herbs, they will probably just use them to make a soup (herbal medicine soup). Can they really sell at such high prices?" Ah Yuan also expressed doubt.
It's surprising, but contrary to our expectations, the most popular items at Yannian Hall are not just the urgently needed medicinal herbs for the sick in the city but also those expensive and seemingly uninteresting ones.
As the first snow was about to fall, Li Shang had already discussed with Gongyang Gui about going to Yuzhang to purchase another round of goods for winter storage.
*****
Ruochan is very busy. After returning to Yongdu, I have only seen her once.
In the front hall of Danxia Temple, the bǐqiūní were chanting scriptures, while Ruochan and I were in the back hall sipping tea. The weather was cold, and she draped a beautiful fox fur coat over her shoulders. Her dark hair cascaded gracefully, and as she lowered her gaze while holding the tea, she appeared both languid and charming.
"One heard that Da Gongzi master personally went to Huainan to bring you back," she said as she added water to the teapot, looking at me with a faint smile.
"It's exactly so," I replied.
Ruochan asked, "How is Huainan? Do you still have any relatives there?"
I shook my head and said, "There have been years of turmoil in that region, and the village where our old house was located is now devoid of human presence." After a pause, I added, "However, the ancestral hall is still standing, and the tablets are in place. Gongyang Gongzi asked me to bring a bottle of Qiong Su wine for Er Xiong (FuJin's 2nd brother)."
Though the words were said with ease, they still touched upon sadness.
Ruochan's face turned somewhat dim, and she remained silent for a while. After some time, she gently touched my hand, conveying her understanding without saying a word.
She took a sip of tea, paused for a moment, and said, "Jiyuan Gongzi is in Yangzhou, did you know?"
I was caught off guard by her sudden mention of him and found myself momentarily stunned.
"Oh?" I replied calmly.
"It's just something I heard," Ruochan said. "Wu Kun became the successor and appointed Jiyuan GongZi as the Chief Historian last month. This news has spread everywhere." She looked at me and asked, "Don't you heard about it while you were in the Wei residence?"
"I don't know," I said. It was the truth. During my days at the Wei residence, I played the role of a virtuous and respectable Da GongZi Furen. Whether it was the servants Guo Furen or Zhou Shi, they would never mention anything about Wu Kun. Even if Ah Yuan knew something, after my experiences in Huainan, he wouldn't dare mention Pei Qian in front of me. As for Wei Tan, it was even more unlikely. I didn't know how he viewed the past between Pei Qian and me, but I wouldn't be foolish enough to ask about Pei Qian in his presence.
Noticing her slightly pale complexion, as if she hadn't slept well, I changed the subject and asked, "Have there been many banquets and feasts lately?"
"There haven't been any banquets or feasts," Ruo Chan replied. "As an entertainer like me, I'm not invited by ordinary households, and with ChengXiang absent, the officials and nobles are not in a celebratory mood. It's been quite quiet lately, so I've been scouting for some new talents to train every day." She looked at me meaningfully and continued, "But you know, the bustling life in Yongdu is not always visible on the surface. Ah Jin, if you don't go to Qionghua Temple, you might think that all the nobles in the city have vanished."
I understood what she was referring to, and my face blushed slightly.
"Zhongping is going out again lately. Do you know where he's headed?" Ruo Chan suddenly asked.
I was surprised at the question. Did Gongyang Gui not tell her about the escort caravan thing?
"I don't know," I said with a playful smile. "But why are you asking me? You know I wouldn't have any way of knowing."
"Just asking casually," Ruochan said. "He seems to be getting close to Li Guanshi."
"Oh?" I continued to feign ignorance.
Ruoxhan looked at me and smiled. "I've been to Li Guanshi's pharmacy, and it's really impressive. People keep coming to buy medicines, and the shop owner is always busy."
"Is that so?" I feigned disinterest, lowering my head to sip my tea.
She continued, "Li Shang's family fled here, and he not only purchased goods but also opened the shop. It seems they must have spent quite a sum of money."
"Yes," I curled my lips in a smile, "Li Guanshi is truly capable."
*****
As I traveled back to the residence, I pondered over Gongyang Gui.
It seemed that he had left home and was not often with Ruochan. However, according to Ah Yuan, Gongyang Gui often visited Li Shang's residence. The waterway escort mission went smoothly, and after returning to Yongdu from Yuzhang, Li Shang, acting as the intermediary, introduced a merchant who urgently needed to sell fur goods to the south, to Gongyang Gui. After that, he received two consecutive assignments.
In my view, regardless of how much Gongyang Gui enjoyed this life, it was a risky and unpredictable existence. But Gongyang Gui had always been proud; he didn't want to be constrained by bureaucratic positions and wanted to earn a living based on his own abilities. Perhaps this path suited him best.
If he truly didn't tell Ruochan about this, then maybe he made the right decision.
Upon returning to the residence, Gu Furen was taking a rest in her room. I didn't disturb her and exchanged a few words with her maids before heading back to my own courtyard.
Ah Yuan came in from outside, complaining about how cold the weather had become. His words reminded me of something. Wei Tan often trained with the soldiers, and yesterday, I noticed a hole in his winter coat. The new one hadn't been made yet, so he had to make do with the old one. I heard he had a few old ones stored in a chest in the side room, so I thought of retrieving them for him.
I hadn't asked the servants to do this task because that side room also contained the ten gold coins Wei Tan had given me before. After returning, neither of us mentioned it, as if it had never existed. However, I remembered clearly what he said; not a single word escaped my memory.
He didn't say that he would take it back if I didn't leave, so it was only natural that the gold coins still belonged to me. As I rummaged through the chest, I occasionally glanced towards the northeast corner where some bottles and jars had been stacked for a long time, gathering thick layers of dust. For that reason, I didn't disturb them. Wei Tan was a man who even had eyes on the back of his head; if there were any fingerprints left behind, he would certainly notice.
I looked attentively and sighed inwardly, continuing to search through the clothes.
Wei Tan didn't have many clothes, and there were only a few unused winter garments. They were easy to find. I picked one that was similar in size to his current one and found it suitable to wear under his robe. I took it out and shook it slightly when suddenly something fell out.
I was surprised to see a silk handkerchief. Under the light, I noticed some yellow stains on it, and in one corner, there was an embroidered bright red poppy (yumeiren) flower.
*****
When Wei Tan returned to the residence, it was already late at night. As he entered, I was sitting on the bed, sewing and mending some clothes.
"Whose clothes are these?" Wei Tan noticed the clothes and walked over.
"These are Fujun's," I said as I bit off the thread, pulled the needle evenly, and continued, "The new clothes haven't been made yet, so Qie took the old ones from the side room. There's just a hole in the sleeve, but a little patching will do, and Fujun can make do with it for now."
"Oh?" Wei Tan smiled and took the winter coat from my hands. As he looked at it, I noticed a momentary pause in his expression.
"Qie is not sure if it fits perfectly. Why don't Fujun try it on?" I smiled.
"No need to try," Wei Tan said, placing the clothes back into my hands and gently stroking my hair. His smile remained unchanged as he continued, "Furen is virtuous, and will choose the best ones."
As I was about to speak, Wei Tan turned his head and called out, "Ah Yuan, is the water ready?"
Ah Yuan peeked his head in from outside and replied, "Replying to Da Gongzi , it's ready."
"I'm covered in dirt from today's training. I'll go wash up," Wei Tan said, and then he turned and left.
By the time he finally returned to the room, I had already changed clothes and was sitting by the bed.
Wei Tan came over, and I had him sit in front of the mirror. I picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped the water droplets off his forehead.
"Did Furen go out today?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied, "I went to Danxia Temple."
"Danxia Temple?" Wei Tan thought for a moment and said, "The one by Yongchi Lake?"
"That's right. The bǐqiūní recited the scriptures very well," I replied, but in my heart, I was thinking about the meeting between Wei Tan and Empress Xu. As I gently wiped the side of his temple, I couldn't help but raise my eyes to look at his face. His profile remained calm, showing no trace of any disturbance.
"So, Furen enjoys it. Next time, you can take Weifu along," Wei Tan said.
Who wants to take you along?
"Will do so," I said softly as I was about to wipe the back of his neck again. However, Wei Tan suddenly held my hand and extended his long arm, lifting me up into his arms.
The warmth tangled between our lips, tongues, and necks, and I found myself slightly breathless. After some effort, I managed to support myself away from his chest a little.
"Fujun hasn't changed clothes yet..." I whispered.
He nibbled on my earlobe and said, "No need to change. After all, we'll have to take them off again later..." As he spoke, he placed me gently on the bed and reached for my waistband. However, after a moment, he paused and looked up with a puzzled expression.
My clothes were partially undone, and the waistband had loosened, revealing another tightly fastened belt underneath.
"Fujun, Qie is currently on my monthly cycle. One afraid it might not be convenient for us tonight," I said, looking at him shyly with a smile.