Union

Chapter 67 Losing Friends
Yunying didn't know whether the Second Master was popular or not, but she could tell that his senior brother valued him highly.

The Second Master's senior apprentice brought him not much food or supplies; some were just local specialties from the Northwest, plus two tiger skins. The most numerous items were books.

The books filled two large boxes, which were locked, indicating that some of the books inside were quite valuable.

Seeing this, Yunying became even more cautious.

She had Lei Ting lead men to carry the books to the Second Master's study, and also put away the rest properly. It's worth mentioning that the friend who sent the Second Master two cartloads of things from the capital was definitely the Second Master's bad friend.

This friend sent the Second Master many scrolls. He didn't know what was painted on them, but just by looking at the names of the scrolls on the gift list, he felt that they were not very respectable things.

There was also a white jade chessboard, a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), bows and arrows, and longswords. Several polo mallets and more than ten painted polo balls of different materials were also displayed. There were even several sets of polo equipment.

Yunying was both amused and exasperated by the sight.

She thought this friend must be the Second Master's bad influence, and to her surprise, she was right.

This friend is really unreliable. He sent the Second Master so many entertainment items. Is he afraid that the Second Master will become depressed and unable to cope after being demoted to Yungui County?
This mischievous friend even sent the Second Master two fine horses—among all these things, although these two horses weren't the most expensive, they seemed to be the most practical.

Yunying put her things away and went to the front yard to find Second Master.

Second Master didn't go out.

He had Lei Ting unpack the books and personally sorted them. He either placed them on the shelves or picked them up and flipped through them if he really liked them.

When Yunying came over, the Second Master was leaning against the bookshelf, flipping through a palm-sized book.

Hearing Yunying enter, he didn't even look up, but asked her, "Have you packed everything?"

"It's all sorted out. But what do you think, Second Master? Should we put these white jade chessboards, guqin, longswords, and the like in the study, or put them in the storeroom for now?"

Second Master seemed not to have come to his senses and asked directly, "What?"

Yunying smiled lightly and recounted the New Year's gifts that the Second Master's friend from the capital had given him.

As she spoke, she stared intently at the Second Master's facial expression, and then she saw the Second Master's lips twitch several times in silence.

Yunying couldn't help but chuckle, "This friend of Second Master's is quite concerned about him."

The second master glanced at her sideways, "You're just concerned about the wrong thing, isn't that what you meant to say?"

“Absolutely not.” Yun Ying said righteously, “How can you say that your concern is misplaced? I think your friend’s concern is just right. Second Master, since you came to Yun Gui County, you have been so busy that you have no time to spare. Now that it’s the New Year, why don’t you take a few days off for yourself? You can ride a horse through the streets, play chess, or appreciate paintings. You can relax for a few days.”

“What you said makes sense.” Second Master agreed with her, but, “Since it was your suggestion, then when you have free time, come over and play chess, compose poems, and appreciate paintings with me, okay?”

“I don’t…” Yunying quickly raised her hand in protest.

"What, you don't want to?" the Second Master said. "Do you want me to play chess with myself? To paint for myself? Without anyone to keep me company, what's the point of my entertainment?"

Yunying: "..." Second Master's words seem to make sense, but they are not easy to understand. Upon closer examination, it feels like he is just being unreasonable.

Yunying didn't want to argue with the Second Master. Now that it was lunchtime, she was tired and hungry, and she was eager to eat.

However, the Second Master was not hungry at the moment, and he was still thinking about the books his senior brother had sent him earlier, so he did not suggest that Yunying have lunch with him.

This relieved Yunying, and she walked briskly out. But just as she reached the door, she turned back. "Second Master, we only sent New Year's gifts to the Duke's Mansion before. Now, do you think we need to send some New Year's gifts to other places?"

For example, Second Master's friends, classmates, fellow students, fellow students, mentors, and even his married sisters and aunts.

Yunying thought that the Second Master hadn't sent New Year's gifts to so many places before because he was worried that his relatives and friends would be implicated because of her.

But now that Second Master's friends and senior brother have sent New Year's gifts together, it's clear they're not afraid of being implicated by him. Since they're upholding etiquette, shouldn't they also return some New Year's gifts?

Even if we send it now, it's too late; it definitely won't arrive before the Lunar New Year. But if we hurry, it shouldn't be a problem for it to arrive before the Lantern Festival.

Yunying looked at the Second Master quietly. The Second Master raised his eyebrows slightly, but after thinking for a while, he simply said, "Let's not send any gifts this year, let's just leave it at that."

Yunying said okay, then turned and walked out.

Second Master watched her figure disappear into the distance, a dark glint in his eyes. But he said nothing more, and after Yunying left the courtyard, he lowered his head again to look at the book in his hands.

Lei Ting will handle the chessboard, guqin, swords, polo equipment, and so on. That afternoon, Yun Ying summoned the embroiderers from the needlework room again to inquire about the preparations for the New Year's clothes.

As is customary, the servants in the mansion would be given a new set of clothes during the New Year. Originally, Yunying wanted to buy ready-made clothes on the street, but firstly, the prices on the street were high and the fabric was of poor quality, and secondly, the embroiderers in the mansion were idle all day and wanted to do more work to show off in front of Yunying, and perhaps they could get more reward money.

Therefore, when the sewing room staff came to ask for instructions, Yunying simply assigned the task to them.

When she asked about it, the embroiderer in the needlework room said, "There are only three or two left. We'll hurry up and finish them by tomorrow. Don't worry, young lady, it won't delay your important needs."

Yunying nodded and asked them to make some purses when they had time. They didn't need anything too complicated, just simple and plain ones. The embroiderer was very quick-witted; she figured these purses were usually used to hold reward money, and she was immediately delighted, saying she would rush to finish them. There was no need to buy any more fabric; she could just use the scraps left over from making clothes, ensuring the purses looked presentable.

After seeing the embroiderer off, Yunying met with the accountant and asked about the approximate expenses of the past few days.

The reconciliation with the accountant took quite a while. After finally seeing the accountant off, Suiyun sent someone to inform her that Qisou and the local gentry had been invited and that she should make arrangements for them.

Yunying then went to the guest courtyard to arrange this matter.

By nightfall, there were at least seventy or eighty people. Among them, there were only a few local gentry, and the rest were mostly elderly people.

They were just ordinary old people; some had lost all their hair, and others had gray hair. There were no fat people among them; they were all thin and sallow-faced.

They had hardly any nice clothes. Even when they came to the banquet, they wore old clothes covered in patches and tattered straw sandals. Their eyes were filled with fear and apprehension, and they even moved their wrinkled faces to reveal their few remaining teeth as they knelt down to greet Yunying.

Yunying's heart was deeply shaken.

Although she had long known that Yun Gui County was poor, and that the people were poorly clothed and emaciated, seeing these men, old enough to be her father or grandfather, so hunched over, staggering, bewildered, and numb, pierced her heart. Her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Fortunately, Yunying held back and patiently arranged everything.

Knowing that many people would come, and that the county government's backyard was not enough, Yunying consulted with the Second Master and decided to let several people share a room.

These elderly people had no objection to living together. They were so poor that they couldn't even afford a bed, so they lived directly in haystacks.

Now that they have such a decent and spacious house to live in, they are already extremely grateful, not to mention that the county government has also provided them with brand-new bedding, as well as tea and medicine.

The elderly people were deeply grateful, their dim, yellowed eyes filled with tears.

As people arrived in waves, Yunying settled them in one by one. By nearly the first watch of the night, all the carriages that had set off early in the morning had returned. Yunying breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to go back to her courtyard to rest.

Qiu Ning had already gone back to rest.

She's playful and willing to do things, but she gets very unhappy if you try to restrict her by making her do things.

Qiu Ning left, leaving only Yun Ying and her servant.

Yunying yawned and led Sui'er outside. Sui'er was saying that she had missed dinner and was now a little hungry.

Yunying was also a little hungry.

She didn't have a proper lunch and is now busy until late at night; she's so hungry her hands and feet feel weak.

Yunying said, "Let's have some snacks to tide us over when we get back..."

"Why are you having snacks? You didn't even have dinner?"

Yunying looked in the direction the sound came from and saw Second Master standing in front of a purple trumpet tree under the glow of the red lanterns.

A cold wind blew, causing the Second Master's clothes to rustle. His face was also blurred, hidden in the shadows of the trees, making it difficult to see clearly.

Even though she couldn't see the familiar figure clearly, just by hearing that familiar deep voice, Yunying could tell that it must be Second Master.

Yunying asked the Second Master in surprise, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

In the darkness, any sound would be amplified, so Yunying didn't want to attract attention or disturb those who were already asleep. Therefore, she spoke very softly and lightly.

Even from overwork, her voice was weak, even soft, like a whispered murmur on the pillow in the middle of the night.

The second master pinched his brow bone, and after a moment, he emerged from the shadows. His sharply defined features were exposed in the light, making him look so handsome and refined.

The second master said unhurriedly, "Just now, the old man from Houtang Village came to me for help. They want to try to cultivate pearls in the lake between Qiantang Village and Houtang Village. Unfortunately, the people of Qiantang Village disagree, so they want me to act as a mediator and resolve this matter."

Yunying paused for a moment when she heard "pearl cultivation".

As far as she knows, ancient pearls were not cultured; they were all purely wild.

In ancient times, there was also a specialized profession called "pearl divers".

Pearl divers are usually slender men or young women who dive to a certain depth in rivers and lakes to retrieve oyster shells containing pearls, thus achieving their goal of pearl harvesting.

This is somewhat similar to modern diving, but it is diving without professional equipment. The danger is so great that it can only be described by a poem: "Of the 100,000 strong men, half are dead and half are buried in the belly of fish."

I'll post this first, and I'll fix any bugs tomorrow. I was a bit slow writing today, and I feel like there's a lot I haven't expressed. Please bear with it for now, and I'll polish it up tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)