Union

Chapter 100 099 A Huge Misunderstanding
Yunying said whatever she was thinking.

The second master listened to her words and felt that they made a lot of sense.

But this involves two very important issues.

One is how to make tea bricks and tea cakes.

Don't underestimate this seemingly insignificant issue; it is of paramount importance.

Most of the existing tea is in loose form. Since Yunying wants to transport the tea to the border, loose tea is not enough. She can only make tea cakes and tea bricks to facilitate transportation and storage.

However, the production of tea cakes and tea bricks is still a closely guarded secret. We need to figure out where to find artisans who know this craft.

Furthermore, the journey from Lingnan Prefecture to the Western Regions border is a long and arduous one. Leaving aside the harsh conditions along the way, there are countless bandits and river pirates. Without a reliable guide, how could goods possibly be delivered?
Even if you find a reliable person to guide you, you still need to pay them a large commission. After all that, it's hard to say how much profit is left in between.

The second master said, "We'll discuss this matter in detail later when we have some free time."

Yunying knew that the tea business wasn't something that could be started easily; there were too many issues involved. And right now, they didn't even have a tea plantation, so they couldn't even guarantee tea production, let alone sales.
Let's take it one step at a time and start from scratch.

However, "Second Master, if Changshun is sentenced to death or exiled, his family property will probably be confiscated by the government, right?"

The second master nodded. "It will be confiscated by the government. But a portion of it will be used to compensate the victims."

Yunying hurriedly said, "What I mean is, what about the tea plantations? The tea plantations will probably be sold by the government, right?"

Second Master laughed, "Yes, they'll be sold. Would you like to buy one?"

Yunying pursed her lips.

What is she buying? This is her idea for making money for Second Master.

However, judging from what the Second Master said, he seemed reluctant to take it on.

Yunying gritted her teeth and said, "I want to buy it."

"Do you have enough silver?"

Yunying looked at the Second Master and said, "Of course it's not enough. Can I borrow some from you?"

Second Master spread his hands and laughed, "I've spent all the money I have, and I'll have to ask my family for help."

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Yunying said, disbelieving.

Second Master scoffed, "How could it not be?"

Since he arrived in Yungui County, he has been in charge of paying the monthly wages of the yamen runners. He has also made up for the yamen's previous debts. During the spring planting season, he added another sum of money to buy more oxen; the money for building terraced fields has already been allocated, and some money has been reserved for artificial pearl cultivation.

Second Master's pockets were truly empty. If it weren't for his mother having specially sent him three thousand taels of her private savings, he would have had to sell some of his properties in the capital to make ends meet.

The second uncle said, "I don't have any extra money to help you. Do you still want to buy that tea plantation?"

After thinking it over, Yunying gritted her teeth and said, "Buy it!"

“Oh,” the Second Master’s tone became meaningful, “I didn’t realize you were so wealthy, Yun Ying.”

Yunying hesitated for a long while before finally saying, "I don't have much silver, but didn't you reward me with a lot of jewelry before, Second Master, I can..."

You can't!

Second Master's expression changed in an instant; just moments before he had been gentle and warm, but now his face was as cold as winter.

Second Master stood up, walked from behind the table to Yunying, circled her once before saying, "I didn't realize you were so thoughtful, Yunying. You even wanted to pawn the jewelry I gave you to get some money."

Yunying felt a little guilty and a little wronged. "But if those things are given to me, then they become mine, right?"

Second Master chuckled lightly, "They are yours, that's true, but they're for you to wear, not for you to pawn. Tell me, Yunying, how long have you had this idea? And haven't you considered pawning those pieces of jewelry more than once? What exactly do you want to do?"

The second master frowned, pursed his lips, and looked at her with deep eyes. "Do you intend to pawn your jewelry and use the money to redeem yourself?"

Yunying pursed her lips and lowered her head even further.

She pretended to be deaf and dumb, but her silence only proved that she really thought so.

For a moment, the Second Master was so angry that he laughed.

He pointed at Yunying, "How dare you, how dare you... Yunying, Yunying, one day you will drive me to my death."

Yunying raised her head. "Second Master, I told you I didn't want those things, but you insisted on giving them to me. Now they're mine, and I can't even do what I want with them. If I had known this would happen, you would have been better off not giving them to me at all."

"So, in the end, it's still my fault?"

Yunying fell silent again, and the Second Master became even more speechless.

A moment later, Second Master wiped his face in frustration. "Alright, I won't talk to you about this nonsense. We'll discuss the specifics of the tea plantation matter after the case is concluded. You should go back now and let me have some peace and quiet."

Yunying responded and turned to leave. Once she reached the door, she asked the Second Master again, "Those cosmetics, face powder, and jewelry..."

"Since you said it was for you, you can take it all. But never mind, don't take it, I'll have someone deliver it to you."

"Oh."

Yunying returned to the backyard and collapsed into the bedding.

Sui'er and Liu'er were terrified when they saw her like this.

The two men rushed over to touch her forehead to see if she had a fever.

Yunying wouldn't let them touch her, and stammered, "I'm fine, I just want to be alone. You can all leave now, I'll call you if I need anything."

Sui'er was still worried. "Miss, are you sure you're alright?"

"It's really nothing, go out."

The two maids left one after the other, and the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Yunying then raised her head from under the covers.

If you look closely, her eyes are misty, yet sparkling with a dazzling light. And her beautiful face is flushed, just like peach blossoms in full bloom in March.

Yunying remembered how annoyed and helpless the Second Master was, so she stammered and buried herself in the quilt until she could hardly breathe. Then she turned over and revealed a silly grin.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Sui'er and Liu'er stood at the entrance, listening quietly to the sounds coming from inside.

There was some stammering inside. Liu'er thought Yunying was crying, so she quickly whispered in Sui'er's ear and asked her what to do.

Sui'er was as anxious as an ant on a fire, pacing back and forth incessantly.

"Let me think about it. Let me think about it."

Before Sui'er could figure it out, Suiyun arrived with her men, bringing the items that Xiao Fengshi had given to Yunying.

He saw two maids standing at the door, both on the verge of tears and covered in sweat, and asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you? Where is Miss Yunying?"

"Auntie, young lady, the young lady is inside."

Sui Yun frowned even more deeply. "The young lady is inside. Why aren't you going inside to serve her?"

Just then, a whistling sound came from inside the house again.

Sui Yun was stunned, and asked in a very soft voice, "Why is Miss Yun Ying crying? Who bullied your young lady?"

"No, I don't know. Miss came back from the front yard and went straight to bed. She even chased us all out, and we don't know what happened." Sui Yun frowned, wondering if the Second Master had given Yun Ying a hard time? Or perhaps the Second Master had said something unpleasant, and Yun Ying was feeling very wronged?
Anything is possible.

After all, he had just received orders from the Second Master to deliver something, and the Second Master's expression was not pleasant at the time.

Okay, so that's the truth: these two must have had another fight.

Suiyun didn't want to interfere or ask any more questions, so he simply left the things behind and then left with his men.

After returning to the front yard, Suiyun pondered for a moment, then knocked on the door and entered the study.

The Second Master is writing a reply to the Duke and his wife.

My mother's letters were easy to reply to; she only talked about daily life and mentioned that she was in good health. As for what my father said, that Lin was arrogant and unruly and had angered my mother, and that he intended to make her divorce and remarry...

The second master had already thought it through, and with a stroke of his pen, he wrote: "I have my own plans, and I hope Father will not interfere."

He wrote a few more lines before stopping, then looked at Sui Yun standing in the study, and asked, "Has the stuff been delivered?"

"It's been sent over."

Second Master raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you doing here? Did something happen to Yunying?"

Sui Yun nodded, "Second Master's predictions are truly insightful."

"No need to flatter me, just get to the point."

"Then I'll speak frankly." Sui Yun recounted what he had seen and heard, and at the end, he said in a heavy tone, "Miss Yunying was crying very sadly. Second Master, what exactly did you do to offend Miss Yunying this time?"

The second master was both angry and amused. Had he provoked her?
Can you afford to offend him?
She's the one who provoked him!

The second master was extremely frustrated and could only rub his temples as he asked, "Was she crying very hard?"

Sui Yun nodded, "Your voice is quite impressive."

The second master looked a little embarrassed. "I didn't say anything to her. Why is she so temperamental?"

Suiyun kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, pretending not to hear what he said.

The second master became increasingly uneasy, pacing back and forth in the study twice.

He wanted to go to the backyard to check on Yunying's situation, to tell her to stop crying. It was just a tea plantation; if she wanted to, he could buy it for her. Even if she wanted to pawn her jewelry and buy it herself, he wouldn't say a word against it…

The second master's thick eyebrows were furrowed, and his face was full of irritation.

Fortunately, someone outside soon came and said, "Miss Qiu Ning went to talk to Miss Yun Ying. Miss Yun Ying is having tea with Miss Qiu Ning."

Hearing that Yunying had stopped crying, the Second Master's expression finally eased a bit, and he slumped into the armchair, lost in thought.

No one knows what the Second Master was thinking; all that is said is that Yunying arrived at the front yard early in the morning.

At that time, Second Master was preparing to go to Houtang Village to see if the pearl implantation was progressing smoothly.

The two bumped into each other and were both momentarily stunned.

A moment later, they all returned to normal, as if the little spat from yesterday had never happened.

Second Master asked Yunying, "Where are you going so early in the morning?"

Yunying said, "Didn't I tell Second Master yesterday that the terraced fields will be officially built today? I have to go and supervise the construction."

The second master thought about it and realized that Yunying seemed to have mentioned this matter yesterday.

However, today is a very hot day.

It was early morning, but the sun was already blazing, the leaves were drooping listlessly, and even the cicadas' chirping sounded weak and feeble.

She's been out all day, and her skin must be burning from the sun.

Second Master said, "It's too sunny today, go tomorrow. You've already given the instructions, so it doesn't matter whether you go or not."

“How can that be the same?” Yunying said, “When I go, everyone will have someone to rely on. If there are any things they are unsure about, they can immediately ask me for advice.”

"Returning the backbone..." Second Master laughed again.

Yunying blushed. "What do you mean by 'backbone'? I was the one who single-handedly handled this matter. Calling me the backbone is not an exaggeration at all."

Second Master had originally intended to tease her, but then thought better of it.

He made her cry yesterday, so he should be careful today and not let her get angry again. Otherwise, he'll be the one suffering.

Unable to stop Yunying, the Second Master could only instruct her to put on her veil properly and, incidentally, to instruct Sui'er, who was following behind her, to prepare cooling pills and mung bean soup for Yunying.

This was the first time Sui'er had been ordered around by the Second Master. She didn't care what he was saying; she just nodded vigorously. She nodded like a chick pecking at rice, which looked quite funny.

After exchanging a few more words, Yunying and the Second Master walked to the door.

One of them mounted a horse, and the other got into a carriage. They walked together to the city gate and then each went in a different direction.

*****
Today we're going to build terraced fields. Yunying had already chosen the barren mountain for the terraced fields. She even had Suiyun hire local people to clear away the weeds and pebbles on the barren mountain and carefully plow it over.

Unable to buy farmyard manure, they could only spread a lot of burnt wood ash and dig up a lot of mud from ponds to fertilize the fields.

It's fair to say that ever since this barren mountain was fenced off, there's been a constant flow of people coming and going.

Passersby and local residents alike came to inquire about what they planned to do with the barren mountain.

The laborers didn't hide anything and relayed Yunying's words, which caused a commotion among the people.

This person said, "This little girl can't even tell the difference between rice seedlings and weeds, yet she wants to farm on this barren mountain. She really has too much money to burn."

"Why can't we farm on barren mountains? It's just that the investment is large and the harvest is small, so it's not worth it!"

"That girl has been deceived by some heartless person, and you didn't even try to stop her. If you throw silver into water, you can at least hear a clinking sound, but what can you expect from throwing it on this desolate mountain?"

"You're all saying such discouraging things. Who knows, this girl might actually be capable and create terraced fields, turning them into fertile land."

"Oh my God, don't tell me that joke, it's so funny it's making my teeth fall out."

The people had little hope for the "terraced fields" and never thought that a girl from the city like Yunying could be better at farming than them, the old farmers.

They all watched with amusement, making fun of Yunying again and again.

So when the day came for the construction of the terraced fields, people from all around who had nothing else to do came to watch the spectacle.

As Yunying stepped off the carriage, she saw a dense, dark mass of people.

She almost thought she had come to the wrong film set and was so frightened that she retreated back into the carriage and plopped down in her seat.

Fortunately, she soon found the person she had previously arranged to be in charge of building the terraced fields.

The steward squeezed through the crowd to Yunying, wiping the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and blushing at his sunburned cheeks. He said apologetically, "Miss, I don't know who spread the word that you're going to build terraced fields on this barren mountain. Look, so many people have come to see how you're going to build them."

Yunying, understanding the implication, immediately realized: Oh, so they all came to see her make a scene!

I haven't corrected the typos in this chapter yet; I'll fix them tomorrow. It's too late, and my little one is crying hysterically to go to sleep. She's starting to recognize people; at night, she won't let anyone hold her except me and her grandma. If her dad tries to hold her, it's like he's going to kill her—she cries so pitifully!

(End of this chapter)