Triumph in Her Rise and Love-Chapter 206 - 204

Song Jiyun certainly knew it was very precious. But in her eyes, history, like a long river, meant that those who waded through it only owned even the finest things temporarily, and while owning them, cherishing them well was enough.

Seeing that Yuan Yunzhong liked it, she felt it was worth it.

She smiled and picked up the chess manual he had placed beside him, glancing at it.

It was "The Book of Forgotten Sorrows and Pleasures."

In her previous life, her mother had forced her to learn Go to curry favor with her grandfather.

Although she did not like it, if she spent time learning something, she would make sure to master it.

The coach who taught her Go had liked her personality and had once given her this book.

When Yuan Yunzhong saw that she seemed to recognize it, he raised his eyebrows slightly and suggested, "Shall we have a game by hand?"

"Next time!" Song Jiyun politely declined, "I am here to bid you farewell this time."

Yuan Yunzhong was surprised, then slightly furrowed his brows and asked, "Are you personally going to Nanjing?"

He had thought she would send Zheng Quan or Zhou Zheng.

Song Jiyun smiled and nodded, saying, "Jingde Town is under Eunuch Wan’s control, and since I have already broken ties with him, he will definitely not let me off easily. I don’t want to be choked by him, so I must step out of Jingde Town and find other avenues.

"Nanjing is one of the most flourishing prefectures in Jiangnan. If I can make a breakthrough there, not only would the Song Family Kiln Factory escape from Eunuch Wan’s control, but it would also enhance the reputation of the Song Family Kiln Factory, benefiting the kiln factory in every way without any harm.

"Going to Nanjing is imperative!"

Yuan Yunzhong said, "Traveling by ship and horse is always risky; you don’t necessarily have to go personally."

As Song Jiyun fiddled with the white pieces in the chess jar, she laughed and said, "I am the owner of the kiln factory; any decision could impact the life and death of the kiln factory. If I don’t personally visit Nanjing, how can I understand Nanjing? And how can I know what kind of porcelain the people of Jiangnan like?"

She knew that Yuan Yunzhong was worried about her, and she appreciated it, smiling as she said, "However, once things are settled in Nanjing, I surely won’t go there often. Staying at home all one’s life is a great blessing. Who would want to travel all over the place if they could avoid it!"

In this era, there were no airplanes or cars; traveling meant either by mule cart or ox cart, or even walking, and the lodging conditions left much to be desired. She had once thought about going to Lushan Mountain to escape the summer heat, but ever since she followed her father to Wuyuan to procure pine wood, she no longer wanted to leave home.

However, she had not only come to bid farewell to Yuan Yunzhong, but also to ask for a favor, "I will leave Dai Sishi and Xiang Cao behind; the others will accompany me to Nanjing. My mother has been residing in the inner courtyard for a long time, and my two younger sisters are still young, so I’m afraid I must trouble you to look after our home matters."

After much deliberation, she still felt that Yuan Yunzhong was the most trustworthy.

Yuan Yunzhong was quite surprised, but after considering it, he felt he couldn’t ignore the plight of the Song family’s women and children.

Yet he still felt that Song Jiyun should not make the long journey to Nanjing.

But since Song Jiyun insisted on going, he thought for a moment and suggested, "Then let Shao Qing accompany you on the trip!"

At the side, Shao Qing was shocked.

Before Song Jiyun could speak, his eyes wide, he exclaimed, "Young Master, you’re letting me accompany Miss Song to Nanjing, but what about you? The last time I took my eyes off you, you disappeared..."

Listening, Yuan Yunzhong’s expression darkened, and he cut him off, "I’m not planning to go anywhere, so why can’t you leave me?"

Shao Qing glanced at Song Jiyun. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He thought that Yuan Yunzhong wanted to save face in front of her and didn’t want her to know that he got lost.

Of course, he would not expose Yuan Yunzhong, so he swallowed the rest of his words and said, "I can’t; my grandfather instructed me when I left to stay with you. Wherever you go, I follow. If I lose you, my father will kill me, never mind grandfather!"

Yuan Yunzhong’s expression turned instantly grim.

Song Jiyun looked busy and said, "Young Master Yuan, there’s no need. I have already arranged everything."

Yuan Yunzhong had a poor sense of direction; Shao Qing was probably arranged by his family to take care of him closely.

If Shao Qing weren’t by Yuan Yunzhong’s side, she would worry about him getting lost.

Song Jiyun considered for a moment and then disclosed her trump card to Yuan Yunzhong: "Do you remember the store manager we had at our main store in Nanjing before my father passed away? After my father’s death, he settled down in the south. A few days ago, he sent someone to see me and told me that he had a cousin in Nanjing who runs a middleman business. He is very trustworthy and advised me to seek his help if needed.

"I had Zheng Quan contact him a few days ago, and he has already arranged everything for me in Nanjing. He will also come to meet me at the dock when I arrive.

"I also have a name card from Prince Huai. If anything happens, I can still borrow some influence from their residence.

"There won’t be any problems!"

However, Yuan Yunzhong was led astray by Song Jiyun’s talk; he thought of their first meeting and the things Song Jiyun had done then.

He couldn’t help but ask, "Is it the manager who helped you liquidate your father’s stores around Suzhou and Hangzhou?"

Song Jiyun also recalled that occasion.

She pursed her lips and smiled, saying, "Exactly!"

Yuan Yunzhong said nothing more and asked her when she would be leaving.

"I will leave early tomorrow morning!" Song Jiyun told him about how she had specially sent a plum vase to Eunuch Wan today and added with a laugh, "I fear he might chase after me tonight."

Yuan Yunzhong had heard that she had angered Wan Xiaoquan to the extent that he was all twisted up and could hardly speak clearly. Now, somewhat renowned doctors from Liang County were being called to the Wan residence.

He couldn’t help but laugh and said, "He wouldn’t dare!"

Song Jiyun watched and inwardly exclaimed in awe.

Yuan Yunzhong, no longer wearing a cold expression, was especially handsome. His laughter created ripples in his large almond eyes as if they were a spring day reflecting the sunlight on a lake’s surface, shimmering and glimmering.

"You should smile more!" Song Jiyun said, essentially ignoring his "He wouldn’t dare."

Of course, even if she hadn’t ignored it, she would probably have taken it just as a word of comfort.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yunzhong paused slightly and turned his face away.

He seemed uncomfortable.

Perhaps he wasn’t used to being spoken to so directly?

Song Jiyun guessed, smiled slightly, but did not continue the topic. After some small talk, she got up and took her leave.

Zheng Quan and a few others were waiting for her in her room.

They were taking porcelain to Nanjing by water. First, they would take a boat from the dock at Jingde Town to Lake Entrance, then enter the Yangtze River and pass through Anqing, Chizhou, Tongling, Wuhu, and Ma’anshan before arriving in Nanjing. The journey was over a thousand li. If the winds and waters were favorable, it would still take half a month, and by the time they returned from Nanjing, it would probably be spring.

They would spend the Spring Festival in a foreign place.

After Song Jiyun had left, who would manage the affairs at the Kiln Factory? How to respond to Eunuch Wan? Who would go with her to Nanjing and who would stay at home? What porcelains to take to Nanjing... These were matters she needed to discuss with the master craftsman and the store managers of the Kiln Factory.

As a result, how many clothes and jewelry to take, what food to prepare for the road, whether to bring a cook—these had all become minor issues. Madam Qian, along with Song Jiyu and Song Jixue, took care of them. She didn’t even have time to glance at them.

She had barely finished arranging everything when the sky was already turning pale.

It was time for Song Jiyun to leave.