Chapter 126
Chapter 126
Early the next morning, Ji Hanyi needed to visit the shop. Shopkeeper Ming had written the day before to say that most of the customers were reasonable. As long as the smell was gone, they did not make much of a fuss. A few, however, remained dissatisfied and demanded compensation.
Since Ji Hanyi had been planning to leave, the shop’s accounts had already been settled, and there was not much money left on hand. She needed to go over and resolve the matter, then see how much more silver it would take to put the whole affair behind them.
She set out early. When she went to pay her respects to her grandmother, however, she found Gu Yan there as well.
The moment Gu Yan saw Ji Hanyi enter, he rose and walked over to her. “Is Aunt feeling any better?”
His actions drew the attention of quite a few people in the room. No one else thought much of it; they merely assumed he was concerned about Madam Gu’s health.
Second Madam Liu even said with a smile, “Young Master Yan has been close to his aunt’s family since he was little. Now that something has happened to his aunt, of course he’s worried.”
Madam Zhang, who was seated beside Madam Liu, stiffened slightly at those words. She watched Gu Yan with an ugly expression. Though he stood two paces away from Ji Hanyi, his gaze remained fixed on her face. Concern brimmed in his eyes, along with an emotion even Madam Zhang could not understand.
Her own son had changed so much recently that even she could no longer fathom him.
In the past, nothing had mattered more to him than his prospects in officialdom. He had never once returned home early. Sometimes, he remained at the Imperial Academy until late at night, and he often attended social engagements with his superiors, all for the sake of securing a promising future.
He knew perfectly well that no matter how well he did, remaining at the Imperial Academy could only take him so far. He had gone to great lengths for the chance to be selected for training in the Six Ministries, yet now, at such a crucial juncture, he had taken two consecutive days of leave.
No one understood better than Madam Zhang just how much Gu Yan valued his career.
She stared intently at her son. With everyone else watching, she could not say a single word, but she felt as though she were sitting on a bed of needles.
Ji Hanyi was a little uncomfortable when Gu Yan approached her in front of so many people. But when she saw the concern in his eyes, she recalled what her grandmother had told her. Others in this residence might only be putting on a show, but Gu Yan had truly devoted himself to caring for her mother.
Suppressing her unease, she said softly, “Don’t worry, Second Cousin. My mother took her medicine yesterday, and she’s feeling better today.”
Gu Yan visibly relaxed at her answer. He continued with concern, “Aunt has always been frail. She should spend more time recuperating after this. It won’t be too late to discuss going to Wei County once she has fully recovered.”
With her eyes lowered, Ji Hanyi glanced discreetly toward Madam Zhang. Seeing the slight displeasure on Madam Zhang’s face and the way she was looking in their direction, Ji Hanyi hesitated, wondering how she should respond.
Just then, Old Madam Gu spoke from above. “Young Master Yan is right. Your mother’s constitution is far too weak. If she doesn’t recuperate properly and restore her health, what will you do if something else happens when you’re halfway there?”
“To be on the safe side, there’s no need to rush to Wei County. Wait until your mother has recovered before making any decisions.”
Ji Hanyi nodded gently.
Gu Yan then stepped back to one side. With the affairs of the shop still on her mind, Ji Hanyi sat for a while and spoke briefly about her mother, reassuring everyone that they did not need to worry too much. After that, she rose and excused herself.
Gu Yan watched her leave. Her graceful figure slowly receded from view, exquisite as a tree of pearl and jade beneath the brightening light of early spring, wreathed in warm sunshine and rosy radiance.
He stood there in a daze, thinking of the countless portraits of his cousin he had painted in his study. Yet not one of them had captured even a fraction of her essence. Her natural, unadorned purity and crystalline clarity were qualities that a man with thoughts as dark as his could never render on paper.
Gu Yan’s heart gave a small leap, and he couldn’t help rising to follow her out.
He had no idea what he meant to say once he caught up to her. He had simply seen her leave. He had been waiting here since early morning just to catch a glimpse of her, and now that she was gone, he no longer wished to remain in Ning’an Hall.
Madam Zhang stared blankly at Gu Yan’s retreating figure. Beside her, Madam Liu asked, “Why is Young Master Yan still at the residence at this hour today?”
Madam Zhang’s expression darkened again. She rose, shot Madam Liu a look, and walked out without a word.
Madam Liu was baffled by the glare. Watching Madam Zhang leave, she scoffed under her breath.
The First Branch might be better off than the Second Branch, and Madam Zhang might be in charge of the household affairs. Her own Master was dead, leaving her with no one to rely on, but that did not mean Madam Zhang could treat her with such contempt. Madam Liu immediately lost all desire to continue chatting.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan hurried after Ji Hanyi and called softly from behind. Ji Hanyi turned around and, seeing him, quickly asked, “Cousin Yan, is something the matter?”
Gu Yan’s throat went dry. Looking at Ji Hanyi’s upturned face, he asked, “Cousin Yi, are you leaving the residence?”
The path Ji Hanyi had taken led straight to the back gate. She nodded. “There’s something I need to attend to at my shop. I’m going over to take a look.”
Gu Yan said, “I’ll go with you.”
Ji Hanyi smiled. “There’s no need. I can go by myself.”
Ji Hanyi had told no one about what had happened at the shop the day before yesterday. Neither her maternal grandmother nor her mother had mentioned it. So much had happened in the residence lately that she did not want to give everyone one more thing to worry about.
Besides, she did not know whether the matter could truly be resolved in the end. It was better not to have those around her worrying over it in the meantime.
Gu Yan studied her face. Though she was smiling, there was a trace of polite distance in her eyes. His throat tightened, but he did not insist. Instead, he took a step back and smiled as well. “All right.”
Ji Hanyi paused when she saw the disappointment on Cousin Yan’s face and how he still tried to be understanding. Cousin Yan seemed to have always been this way. If she did not want something, he would always yield to her wishes.
A complicated ache rose in her heart. Ji Hanyi bit her lip, but ultimately turned and left first.
After all, she knew perfectly well that she had nothing to give Cousin Yan. Once her mother recovered, she would still leave.
By the time she arrived at the shop, the area outside had almost been completely cleaned up. Mugwort and incense burned throughout the interior, but beneath the fragrance, that faint odor still lingered.
As soon as Shopkeeper Ming saw Ji Hanyi, he hurriedly brought over several mounted paintings so she could decide whether compensation was necessary and, if so, how much they should pay.
Ji Hanyi lowered her gaze and examined them. They had all been mounted already. The craftsman’s skill was excellent, the materials were of fine quality, and the colors had been tastefully matched.
The price of mounting was somewhat related to the value of the painting itself. Fortunately, these were all ordinary works painted merely for personal enjoyment. Even if they had to offer compensation, they could reimburse the customers for the mounting costs and return the mounted paintings to them as well. Most of the customers would likely find that acceptable.
Shopkeeper Ming visibly relaxed upon hearing this and repeatedly agreed.
Standing in the shop, Ji Hanyi calculated the appropriate amount of silver for each painting. She then asked Shopkeeper Ming for more details about the two scoundrels before telling him to go to the Military Patrol Office at once. She would wait for him at the shop.
Shopkeeper Ming acknowledged her instructions and hurried off to deal with the urgent matter.
After everything that had happened, Shopkeeper Ming had been nursing a bellyful of anger himself. Yesterday, he had watched the two scoundrels receive thirty strokes, only for them to swagger brazenly past him afterward. The sight had infuriated him all over again.
Ji Hanyi sat in the shop for a while, then took Rongchun outside for a casual stroll. They had not gone far when she unexpectedly spotted a man in the blue official robes of a military officer striding quickly toward her.
It was Shen Changling.