The Slender Waist-Chapter 553 - 394 Good Things to Hope For

This was not the Huaxi Village of the past.

The population had increased, and so had the number of wealthy people.

At the eastern edge of the village lived a widow by the name of Zhou, whose right hand had been crippled in her earlier years, rendering her incapable of farm work. Her son, a young peddler, roamed the streets from house to house. Braving the wind and the rain, he couldn’t offer much help to his mother.

But now, Widow Zhou had cleared out one of the rooms in her house, installed a window, and lined it with a few shelves to sell the sundry items her son brought back. The business was booming; she no longer needed to work the land to make ends meet.

Next to Widow Zhou’s place, there was a small food stall run by Wang the butcher. With more merchants visiting Huaxi Village, it was convenient for them to stop by, have a drink of cold tea, enjoy a meal. The food stall allowed Wang the butcher’s business to grow larger and larger. He bought a plot of land and expanded the establishment.

One family after another, Feng Jingteng noticed that the villagers of Huaxi seemed to have lit the spark of trade, each using their own wits to make money.

He sat down to eat at the food stall with his servant, and it was only then that he learned, all these trades were encouraged by Feng Yun.

"Me, I originally planned only to set up a meat stall here. If it hadn’t been for the Village Chief’s wife who brought it up, I would never have imagined opening a food shop," said Wang the butcher.

Feng Jingteng was greatly surprised.

Would Shi’er Niang, who’d rather die than part with wealth, actually encourage others in money-making ventures?

"The Village Chief’s wife said it well. One family’s prosperity isn’t enough to be considered thriving; it should be the whole village, the whole county, that’s truly affluent," the butcher continued.

"Isn’t that the truth? The Village Chief’s wife said that Changmen shouldn’t monopolize all the business and cut off others’ livelihoods," another echoed.

"The lady ensures she can enjoy meat and doesn’t forget to let everyone bask in some reflected glory..."

They were speaking to Feng Jingteng, but also to the other patrons of the food stall.

Feng Jingteng was dizzy with all he heard.

This Huaxi Village was not the one he knew.

This Feng Shi Er Niang was even less recognizable as his daughter...

Feng Jingteng felt out of place in all of this.

Yet the current state of Huaxi Village filled him with envy.

Such joy and pleasure, even he, who had been born into a prominent family and lived in luxury since childhood, had never experienced.

He said, "When I return, I must write a letter to His Majesty and speak well of this."

Jiang Da, who was by his side, listened quietly, then whispered, "Has My Lord ever wondered, if Shi’er Niang had not been sent out of the city back then, what the situation might be like today?"

Feng Jingteng glanced at him, keeping silent.

It was not that he hadn’t thought about such things; thinking about them was simply futile.

He said, "His Majesty mentioned he can’t see through her, and how could I claim to understand her myself?"

Jiang Da nodded, seemingly struck with a thought, and suddenly said, "My Lord, don’t forget about the matter of the lady..."

Feng Jingteng turned to him sharply, "What matter?"

Jiang Da’s eyes flickered slightly, looking around before lowering his voice, "About the Golden Boudoir Guest’s prescription, My Lord didn’t ask Shi’er Niang for it..."

"Enough," Feng Jingteng said dismissively, waving his hand. "Even if I asked her, would she give it to me? Haven’t you seen how she treats me?"

Jiang Da bowed his head and acknowledged in a low voice, his question laced with anxiety:

"What if the lady asks upon your return..."

"Just say I asked, but she refused," Feng Jingteng said impatiently. "Blame it on Aying, always meddling. She had a perfectly fine face but had to muddle it with some quack remedy, and look where it got her..."

Jiang Da glanced at him, not daring to speak, as he too had been in agreement at that time.

Now that Lady Feng’s face was often breaking out in rashes, couldn’t bear the wind, and would turn as red as a monkey’s butt, they suspected it was due to a faulty recipe in the ointment, yet he began to shift the blame.

-

Feng Jingteng stayed in Andu until dusk before leaving.

Xiaoman saw the guest out, and upon returning, she sighed upon seeing Feng Yun.

"The Lord wanted to stay for dinner..."

Feng Yun: "He didn’t want to."

Not understanding, Xiaoman looked at her only to see Feng Yun slightly lifting the corners of her lips.

"He was afraid he couldn’t afford the meal."

Xiaoman let out a snort and laughed.

"The lady’s exorbitant pricing must have frightened the Lord."

Feng Yun said sternly: "I wasn’t scaring him, I was serious."

Xiaoman looked astonished, "Does the lady really intend to teach them Changmen’s mathematical techniques?"

Feng Yun: "Of course."

Xiaoman looked even more puzzled, "But why? The lady wasn’t willing to teach the secrets of the wells, why would she teach mathematics?"

Feng Yun’s lips curved slightly, "As for the wells, there isn’t much to teach. They just need to walk around and look once to understand it all. It’s just a matter of following some specific practices when digging wells and channels, which won’t trouble them. But Changmen’s proprietary mathematics is different. It truly can be used for haggling..."

Xiaoman exclaimed, "But letting them learn that, wouldn’t we be at a loss?"

"Not at all," Feng Yun said. "Like I said before, what benefits others can also benefit oneself; that is true profit. It would be better if everyone in the world learned it. In the future, doing business at Changmen will also become more convenient."

Xiaoman seemed to understand yet not, pursing her lips.

"From what I see, the Lord has profound regrets."

"Unfortunately, there is no cure for regrets in this world."

"My lady..." Xiaoman suddenly pursed her lips, "Do you blame my sister?"

Feng Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at her, "What about your sister?"

Xiaoman was not fully aware of what was happening with Daman, she bit the corner of her mouth, "The Lord said that my sister is now attending to Qi Jun, favored above all in the harem..."

As she spoke, her voice grew softer.

"So much time has passed, and she hasn’t sent a single letter. I used to think she was just too desperate for those things because her life was so hard. I never imagined that, now having obtained everything, she would forget about me and the lady..."

Feng Yun remained noncommittal, "People have their own ambitions."

Whether Daman had forgotten or not, Feng Yun wouldn’t listen to Feng Jingteng, she would wait for Daman to say it herself.

-

The moon rose above the willow tops, and Pei Jue finally hurried back.

Feng Yun was sitting by the window, in front of her was a short-legged wooden table, with paper and pen on it. She wrote and sketched, her cheeks flushed with a faint smile.

"The master has returned? I’ve kept some food warm on the stove for you. Xiaoman..."

"No need," Pei Jue interrupted her call for Xiaoman, and sat down. "I’ve eaten already."

Feng Yun looked up and saw his relaxed expression, squinting her eyes with a smile.

"Good news?"

Pei Jue hummed in affirmation, his gaze sweeping over her bare, fair little feet. His eyelid twitched, he walked over to carefully close the window, and then came back to envelop her in his arms.

"Guess what I’ve brought for you?"

Feng Yun looked skeptical: "What?"

Pei Jue pulled a bundle of cloth from his embrace and shook it out before her.

It was a bright red undergarment embroidered with mandarin ducks. When she first arrived in Andu, she busied herself with embroidering her trousseau because there was nothing else to do, and this undergarment was one of the items she had prepared.

Later, when she moved to Huaxi Village, many things were left behind, and she hadn’t paid much attention.

Seeing the old item now, she actually felt as if from another lifetime.

She casually took it from him, "Thank you."

Pei Jue stared into her eyes, imagining her sitting under the lamp, stitching her wedding dress meticulously...

"Before Andu City fell, were you still waiting for Xiao San to marry you?"

Feng Yun was silent.

Because what Pei Jue said was not wrong.

At that time, she really did want wholeheartedly to marry Xiao Cheng as his wife...

If she hadn’t returned to her past life before the city fell, following the path of her previous life, the outcome would have been tragic.

"Why bring up the past?" said Feng Yun indifferently, setting the undergarment aside, acting as if she didn’t care too much about it.

"I hear the master is planning to convert the General Residence into a summer palace?"

Pei Jue nodded: "It’s just sitting empty, and I won’t live there. I went to take a look today, the estate is spacious and bright, grand and luxurious. A little repair and modification and it will be ready."

Originally, Feng Jingteng was a lavish spender. When assuming the role in Andu County, he sparked quite a stir, and had undertaken substantial construction at the Prefecture Governor’s Office.

It could be said that the best estate in the whole of Andu County was indeed the Feng Family’s.

Even Feng Yun, being the least favored daughter, used to live in Meixiang Pavilion which had arched bridges and winding corridors, pavilions by the water, gardens with flowers and trees, rock sculptures, and quite a number of maids...

Thinking of the past, Feng Yun smiled.

"With such actions, the master is likely to shut those court officials up."

Pei Jue: "No one objected, digging canals for water diversion."

Feng Yun glanced at him, "The master is truly capable, extravagantly capable indeed."

She had just wrested a small estate’s construction from Feng Jingteng that day, and Pei Jue immediately devoted the best estate in Andu County.

Seeing the expression on her face, Pei Jue frowned.

"Is Lady Yun unwilling?"

Feng Yun shook her head with a light laugh, her voice gentle, "That estate never belonged to me anyway, what’s there for me to be unwilling about? Besides..."

Her gaze stolen towards Pei Jue, eyes brimming with tenderness.

"To part with a minor benefit is to gain a greater one. Such gains and losses are just this and nothing more."

Pei Jue let out a slight sigh of relief, "Lady Yun is very wise. Granting favors to others, one receives favors in return. With utmost honor comes disgrace, only virtue endures."

Feng Yun took a glance at him.

"Has the master been listening to fine words?"

Pei Jue: "I read it in your books."

Feng Yun was momentarily stunned, then laughed softly.

"What books did you read? Maybe we can discuss them a little."

Pei Jue tugged at her ankle, bent down to pick her up, "Let’s discuss it on the couch."

That day, their time together was interrupted midway, and afterwards, they were both busy with their own matters, barely finding an opportunity to properly spend time together.

Feng Yun knew he was quite eager...

But she still couldn’t help struggling to escape from his grip, softly asking a question.

"When will the canal work begin?"

Pei Jue said, "Starting south from Xinyi’s Mingquan, and north to Huaxi in Andu, it’s about one hundred and sixty-eight li in length. Surveying and planning will take some time, and we can’t rush it..."

Mingquan?

Huaxi?

Feng Yun paused, a look of surprise on her face.

"Is the master saying that the ferry is to be built in Huaxi Village?"

Pei Jue gave her a look, his face expressionless.

"The largest water system in Andu County is the Changhe River. From a geographical point of view, the most suitable place to build a ferry, and the most labor-saving, is Huaxi. Taking advantage of the dry season to widen the Changhe River also saves time..."

He rarely spoke so much, and Feng Yun nodded continuously, listening.

"I almost thought the master would exploit his personal feelings, specifically to open a dock for me..."

Pei Jue looked down and pinched her cheek, "What happy thoughts are you having?"

"Of course the master isn’t that kind of person," Feng Yun said gently with a smile: "But still, I seem to have benefited from it."

"Oh?" Pei Jue raised an eyebrow.

Feng Yun said, "The person with the most land in Huaxi is me. The person with the most land in Mingquan is also me... So for the rest of my life, I just need to sit at the docks and inflate prices, and I can live prosperously until old age."

Pei Jue bowed his head and smoothed her cheekbone hairs, teasingly drawing his hands down, trailing along her slender jade neck, his eyes filled with a deep, ink-like desire.

"Then how will Lady Yun thank me?"

Dense tingles followed his fingers, crawling up her spine.

Feng Yun’s mind suddenly stopped working.