Chapter 119: Two Little Followers (Part I)

Chapter 119: Two Little Attendants (Part I)

On this night, while many were focused on Ning Yi or Su Tan'er, the Su family courtyard remained peaceful and gentle.

In Su Tan'er’s room, the sound of chess pieces clicking against the board was accompanied by light, chattering voices. Chan'er and Xing'er were playing Gobang by the bedside, while Su Tan'er lay on the bed, watching and occasionally offering advice. When Xing'er finally managed to win a game against Chan'er, she would protest loudly. If the noise became too boisterous, Ning Yi, who was discussing matters with Juan'er nearby, would often scold them: "Don't you see there’s a patient in the room? How can anyone rest with all this racket?"

"The one talking the loudest is Miss herself," Xing'er retorted, and Chan'er nodded in agreement: "That’s right, that’s right." Su Tan'er laughed: "I just like the liveliness. You won't let people get out of bed, and now you won't even let them talk?"

"You have no sense of being a patient. You’re incorrigible..."

"I'm recovered."

"Recovered your foot..."

"Which one did you say?"

"Hmm? What?"

"Which sister did you mean? Little Three, Little Four, Little Five, Little Six, Little Seven, and all those cousins... let me count: Little Mei, Little Qi, Little Luo..." Su Tan'er counted on her fingers while lying on the bed. She had been quite leisurely lately, indulging in trivialities. Ning Yi laughed helplessly and tossed some notebooks onto the chessboard.

"Chan'er, Xing'er, work with Juan'er to write down the process for upgrading and modifying the looms across our various locations. Take your time discussing it; it doesn't matter. Who is in charge of funds, who manages which section, who the shopkeepers are—you all know this... Why are you looking at me? I want you to do it. Just think it over; a rough outline will suffice..."

As Ning Yi spoke, Su Tan'er opened her mouth from the bed: "Husband, this matter..."

"You have other things to do." Ning Yi picked up some letters and tossed them to the bedside. "Since you’re so bored, help me look through these things that were sent over today."

Su Tan'er snatched the letters up as if afraid Ning Yi would take them back, then she smiled and looked at the three maids in the room: "But... husband, the loom modification project is too significant..."

"You’ll have to give the final nod anyway. Don't worry about them. They’ve been with you for a long time; perhaps they have better suggestions."

Su Tan'er pondered for a moment, finally nodding, then looked down at the letters in her hand: "These are..."

"A statistical summary of the opinions from all the shopkeepers in Jiangning over the past few days, including the letters they submitted. I’ve read them several times and asked Chan'er and Juan'er, but you know them best. I want you to tell me your impressions—whose thoughts are these, who is unhappy with me, who is trying to probe me, who is indifferent, and who is just spouting nonsense. Their personalities, why they feel this way—well, you can't stay idle anyway, right?"

Su Tan'er smiled, then composed herself and began to open the documents. A moment later, she started to analyze and reflect.

The nights in the room had been like this lately. Su Tan'er’s fever had broken. Aside from the day she felt low after realizing Su Boyong would be crippled, she had since picked herself up. Ning Yi placed limits on her, and she tried her best to cooperate. She still needed to rest for some time, and while Chan'er or Juan'er usually stayed to keep her company, she would walk or sit in the courtyard once Ning Yi left. While she couldn't help but think about business, the high-intensity labor had been reduced.

Of course, Ning Yi was often quite unconventional, like tossing the evening’s tasks to the three maids and then having Su Tan'er review their work. As it turned out, they did quite well. Although assigning the loom upgrade plan to them still worried her, since Ning Yi clearly knew what he was doing, she let it be; after all, she would be the one to provide the final approval.

Time passed in such an atmosphere. Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er discussed their own ideas, with Ning Yi and Su Tan'er occasionally chiming in. Su Tan'er spent most of her time analyzing the shopkeepers' intentions with Ning Yi. Such sessions didn't last long, and once finished, there was still time for idle chat. By the time Ning Yi returned to his room, everyone prepared for sleep. Under the yellowish light of the eaves, Xiao Chan would carry a basin of water toward Ning Yi, accompanied by laughter and conversation. Gradually, the courtyard settled into silence.

At dawn, Jiangning woke to the sound of roosters.

After washing and breakfast, Ning Yi and Chan'er boarded the carriage to head to the main Su family store in Jiangning. The rest was simple: a morning meeting, followed by Ning Yi and Chan'er visiting the shops one by one. Xiao Chan was usually adorable, but she took her role as Ning Yi’s assistant quite seriously. She would point out things she saw along the way, explaining the affairs of the cloth trade to him bit by bit. Perhaps because Ning Yi had made a fool of himself by mistaking incense herbs for dyeing materials earlier, she had glared at him with resentment for the rest of that afternoon.

Resentment aside, she still helped Ning Yi deflect most of the trouble. During the morning meetings with the shopkeepers, she would sit to the side with a small notebook, looking meticulously professional, occasionally speaking up to say, "This isn't quite what Miss said," to which Ning Yi would simply nod in agreement.

After the morning meeting, Ning Yi and Xiao Chan would take the carriage for a tour around Jiangning. The mornings were usually quiet. Jiangning still seemed prosperous, but with soldiers and bailiffs moving about, the atmosphere was relatively tense. Occasionally, one could see fights breaking out. Xiao Chan would peek through the carriage curtain, then lower her head in silence. When Ning Yi reached out to wrap an arm around her shoulders, she would lean her head against his hand like a small cat.

"Master, are you going to see that Official He alone again today?"

"Yes."

"But it's not safe."

"It's fine."

"But I’m worried..." she muttered softly. At such moments, Ning Yi found her even more like a kitten and couldn't help but pat her head: "The situation outside isn't that bad; you don't need to worry so much. Don't be unhappy, be a good girl." Xiao Chan shook her head vigorously, then looked at Ning Yi’s expression, laughed, and lowered her head to speak softly.

"Actually, Xiao Chan is just a maid. In some households, I’d be beaten for acting like this... but Master has things to do. I know the situation outside isn't that bad, I really do, but... but I can't help but worry about you and Miss. I just can't help it, so... I just wanted Master to know..."

She clenched her small fist, tapped her chest with a serious look, and then lowered her head, blushing. Ning Yi didn't know how to respond. By the time the carriage reached the last shop, Xiao Chan had returned to normal, hopping out of the carriage and assuming her professional demeanor in front of the shop clerks.

At noon, after arranging for Xiao Chan and the others to return to the Su residence, Ning Yi headed toward He Fang’s mansion. This was his third scheduled visit. On the way, he accidentally ran into Wu Qihao of the Wu family. They chatted for a while, with Wu Qihao politely inquiring about Su Tan'er’s health before leaving with a smile. Compared to the Xue family, the two Wu brothers were better at social graces, perhaps because there hadn't been much friction between them. Just as he was about to reach the He mansion, Ning Yi was suddenly blocked.

Two men in green clothes and small caps, looking like the low-stature servants of a wealthy household, stopped Ning Yi and pulled him into a nearby alley. One of them bowed: "Teacher." It was the young prince, Zhou Junwu. The other, who appeared more reserved, also wore the same green attire, which looked quite amusing—it was his sister, Zhou Pei.

After exchanging greetings, Ning Yi asked with some confusion: "What are you two doing? Did you sneak out?"

"No, no! Uncle Mu and the others are right nearby," Zhou Junwu quickly explained. Ning Yi looked out to see several men in similar disguises watching them, keeping a guarded watch—likely guards from the prince’s mansion.

"Actually, my sister and I heard that you wanted to see that He Fang. You must have a way to persuade him in one go, and we wanted to see how you do it, so we came out. Oh, and look at our outfits! Can we pass as your attendants to help carry gifts? We promise not to talk or mess anything up! We even prepared gifts. It wouldn't be good if you had two more attendants but no gifts, so we prepared some—they’re very valuable! Lingzhi, tribute candied fruits, white silk velvet... we’ve already inquired, and that Official He will definitely like them. We just want to see how you persuade him..."

Little Junwu was full of excitement, waving his hands to emphasize that they wouldn't cause trouble. Zhou Pei stood by quietly. There was some friction between her and Ning Yi, but she was still curious. This was mainly because Kang Xian had analyzed Ning Yi’s goals the previous night and concluded that it was almost impossible for Ning Yi to persuade He Fang with mere eloquence. If it wasn't eloquence, it had to be something else. The siblings had discussed it and concluded it must be a conspiracy, a scandal, or a threat.

Just imagine: meeting an imperial official, finding dirt on him, threatening him, and ensuring he couldn't speak even after the matter was finished—it had to be that! Ning Yi wasn't a fool. Such dark and evil things were thrilling just to think about. So, the siblings had disguised themselves and waited here, hoping to negotiate with Ning Yi and go inside to broaden their horizons.

Ning Yi’s eyelid twitched. After listening to Zhou Junwu finish his plea, seeing the anticipation in his eyes, Ning Yi shook his head.

"You are causing trouble. You are not allowed to follow..."