The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 892 - 891 Jasmine Pollen

Later, one afternoon, Gu Zikai and Song Chongjin found an empty room to play chess. Half revealing, half concealing, Gu Zikai subtly apologized to Song Chongjin, saying he had misunderstood Song Chongjin’s family recently, and vaguely mentioned the troubles of his own family.

This could be considered an explanation for why he had been guarded against Song Chongjin’s family.

Song Chongjin understood clearly, hadn’t he also suffered from such misunderstandings? Although not entirely convinced, he believed about seventy to eighty percent of it.

After this candid conversation, their relationship grew closer, and they began addressing each other as virtuous brothers.

Gu Zikai did not hold back, sharing news from the Capital City, as well as various strategies and essays from other scholars, with Song Chongjin.

Speaking of Song Chongjin’s talents, he certainly was gifted and hardworking, but what he lacked were resources that were exclusive to the official elite families from the Capital City.

With Gu Zikai’s generosity, Song Chongjin’s vision was broadened, and the recent strategies he crafted were viewed highly by the teachers.

Due to Gu Zikai’s generosity, Song Chongjin reciprocated by sharing some of his insights with Gu Zikai.

Both benefited immensely from this exchange.

Thus, Song Chongjin had a sudden inspiration, devising an idea that if he wanted to enter officialdom and truly leverage relationships in the future, genuine connections should start with his classmates.

The bonds formed during humble beginnings were certainly more reliable than those sought after achieving success.

By exchanging these materials and insights, it was beneficial to everyone, thus why not select some scholars with upright personalities and noble character, to build connections now and secure future support?

He slightly revealed this thought to Gu Zikai, who immediately understood Song Chongjin’s intention.

Indeed, there was a sense of mutual appreciation between them, as both were decisive in addressing issues.

However, Song Chongjin displayed a cold, stern face, whereas Gu Zikai wore the guise of a gentle gentleman.

Song Chongjin’s concept naturally appealed to Gu Zikai, who was eager to build his own network of influence and support.

The two quickly aligned, and with the aid of their teacher, they selected ten or so like-minded scholars, using the pretext of mutual learning to gradually disseminate those strategies and insights.

The scholars favored by Song Chongjin and Gu Zikai were not fools; after a few times, they recognized the benefits of this arrangement, and having received such favors, though subtle, they tacitly agreed to form this small circle.

For a while, their diligent study invigorated the academic atmosphere of Changqing Academy, leading to unexpected gains.

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Recently, Wang Yongzhu’s days followed a routine: memorizing the Materia Medica daily, then visiting Imperial Doctor Du to identify herbs, frequently mixing them up at first, such as confusing Chicken Blood Vine with Great Blood Vine, or mistaking Five-Finger Hairy Peach for Gelsemium Elegans, resulting in scolding that made her question her life.

Nevertheless, Wang Yongzhu maintained a good mindset, returning home drenched in metaphorical dripping blood, seeking comfort from Old Granny Zhang, and later being held and soothed by Song Chongjin at night, reenergized to face more scolding the next day.

To put it simply, she possessed considerable talent; identifying ten herbs at Imperial Doctor Du’s home daily, initially getting only two or three correct was an achievement, and the more she was scolded, the fewer mistakes she made.

Nowadays, she could correctly identify almost all ten herbs without error.

Despite this improvement, Imperial Doctor Du continued to nitpick, always seeking a minor error to criticize Wang Yongzhu.

Wang Yongzhu remained unbothered, considering herself fortunate to have a teacher who provided such rigorous guidance; only a fool would take offense!

Each visit to Imperial Doctor Du’s house, she brought gifts, either two packs of pastries or some homemade rouge and powder for his wife.

Due to this, Imperial Doctor Du chastised her, questioning why she was making such cosmetics when her goal was to study medicine.

Wang Yongzhu straightforwardly replied, saying that loving beauty did not hinder studying medicine, and after all, which woman doesn’t love beauty? Learning medicine could enhance one’s beauty care!

Meanwhile, she let Imperial Doctor Du’s wife try her Palace Powder.

This Palace Powder was, of course, not her own creation; modern foundation would require technology she could access via Xiao Tiantian, but she felt it unnecessary.

Wang Yongzhu recalled the memorable passage from her childhood reading of "Dream of the Red Chamber," describing superb concoction of cosmetics.

To this day, she could vividly remember it.

The book once described: Baoyu rushing to the dressing table, opening a porcelain box from Xuan kiln, containing ten Jade Hairpin Flower Sticks, handing one to Ping’er, saying with a smile, "This is not lead powder, but Purple Jasmine Seeds, ground and blended with scents to make it."

Nowadays, as Wang Yongzhu idly recalled, she found some Purple Jasmine Seeds, ground them, revealing white powder inside, then finely powdered Pearl, added gold foil and silver foil, Musk, Dragon’s Brain, and Cinnabar Powder, mixed with the Purple Jasmine Seed powder, then stuffed the powder into half-bloomed Jade Hairpin Flowers, sealed them in porcelain boxes for preservation.

Until the fragrance of the Jade Hairpin Flower permeated into the powder, meticulously crafting fragrant, long-lasting powder.

The resulting powder indeed deserved the description of light, redolent, exquisitely balanced in four aspects.

With Wang Yongzhu’s present financial means, she benefited from Song Chongjin’s eagerness to provide her with the best, reportedly spending nearly a hundred Silver on preparing just two boxes of fragrant powder, without batting an eye, declaring boldly, "For my wife, everything must be the best!"

Simultaneously, he would secretly retreat to the study at night, calculating whether the earnings from his stores were sufficient to cover his wife’s expenses.

When he realized it wasn’t enough, he passionately considered how to earn more, losing interest even in crafting strategies, consumed by thoughts of earning a living funding their household’s needs.

Upon Wang Yongzhu’s discovery, she felt touched and amused, reassuring him, "Don’t worry, this formula I crafted won’t go unused. It will certainly be sold later, but now isn’t the right time. Just focus on your studies, and when you pass the Graduate exams, my Rouge and Powder Shop might just open!"

"In the future, you should focus on your looks and advancing your studies, while I’ll be responsible for earning money for the household! Nothing else needs your concern!"

Only then did Song Chongjin desist.

Currently unveiling the powder, Imperial Doctor Du’s wife, having lived in the Capital City for years, encountered varied elite cosmetics, those used by palace consorts even.

Yet upon seeing Wang Yongzhu’s fragrant powder, opening the box to reveal the Jade Hairpin Flower Stick, she was genuinely amazed.

Wang Yongzhu had entirely recreated the scene from "Dream of the Red Chamber," with nothing omitted save the Xuan porcelain for the box containing Jade Hairpin Flower Stick, faithfully following each step.

The maiden name of Imperial Doctor Du’s wife was Qi, known as Lady Qi, a scion of a prestigious family, who initially would not have married Imperial Doctor Du had he not saved Lady Qi’s grandmother’s life.

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