Chapter 59: How Wonderful to Have You

Hua Yingliu had accompanied the Senior Madam Hua. She possessed a charming face and a slender figure; it was a mystery how she had ever come to marry someone as pot-bellied and gross as Tian Youguang.

Supporting her cheek with one hand, she blinked and said, "I had no idea there were so many intricate rules and strategies involved in running a business."

Knowing that Hua Yingliu was newly pregnant, Su Yunqing had specially instructed her servants to prepare sweet and sour preserved fruits in advance. She picked up a dried plum and handed it to her, watching as the young woman ate it with great satisfaction.

With a smile, Su Yunqing said, "You flatter me, Madam. As for doing business, it is simple if you look at it simply—it is merely providing for the livelihood of the people who depend on us. But if we speak of what is not easy, it must be the hardships of Magistrate Tian serving in the imperial court. Above, he must answer to the Son of Heaven; below, he holds the livelihood of the common people in his heart; and on the front lines, he must resist foreign invaders. I fear he often wishes he could grow three heads and six arms."

Hua Yingliu let out a sigh. "Indeed! According to my husband, some bandits recently surrendered and brought along a Japanese pirate chieftain, as well as someone else—supposedly a man of our own Daliang nation, yet one who sold out to the pirates. What was his name again?"

"A traitor to the country..."

"Yes, yes, exactly! What else could he be if not a traitor?" Hua Yingliu muttered to herself as she picked up another preserved fruit and kept eating endlessly.

"This is wonderful news!" Su Yunqing declared. "Smashing the Japanese pirates and capturing their leader alive is a monumental achievement. Magistrate Tian will likely receive a promotion once more. You, Madam Tian, are truly blessed with great fortune."

Hua Yingliu curled the corner of her lips. "If only that were truly the case..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she received a sharp elbow nudge from the Senior Madam Hua to shut her up. When women of the inner quarters gathered together, making rash comments about official court matters was a major taboo. While Hua Yingliu was straightforward and spoke without thinking, the Senior Madam Hua possessed a considerable degree of worldly cunning.

Although the sentence remained unfinished, Su Yunqing had already gathered that some sort of unexpected change must have occurred over at Chiye.

As for the specific details, they still awaited investigation, nor could she be so blatant as to ask about them directly.

Acting as though she had completely missed the Senior Madam Hua's subtle gesture, Su Yunqing smiled and said, "You are blessed with good fortune, Madam Tian, and your husband's official future is naturally backed by Imperial Uncle Zhang. You should simply set your mind at ease and nourish the child in your womb, with no need to worry over worldly affairs."

Hua Yingliu spat out a plum pit. "First Madam Cheng speaks with absolute wisdom. No wonder my mother wanted to introduce you to me. Whenever I am with you, I feel nothing but joy!"

"If you feel joy, you should come more often," Su Yunqing said. "Although this garden of mine has been sold, my home is still spacious enough that you will never lack a place to stay."

The Senior Madam Hua chimed in as well, "The Cheng family is truly blessed to have taken in a daughter-in-law as clever as ice and snow, yet as beautiful and capable as you."

"Senior Madam Hua flatters me too much..."

After drinking tea and partaking in pastries at the pavilion in the middle of the lake, they chatted for a long while before Su Yunqing rose to her feet to lead them back.

***

"The wind has picked up and it is growing rather chilly. Senior Madam Hua, Madam Tian, please follow me inside so we may continue our chat!"

Just as the women and their maidservants arrived at the entrance of the Jade Pavilion, they heard a crisp, resonant voice echoing from within: "May Senior Madam Hua be blessed with auspicious fortune, may Senior Madam Hua enjoy a life as enduring as the Southern Mountains..."

Frowning slightly and doubting her own ears, the Senior Madam Hua turned her head to look suspiciously at Su Yunqing.

Su Yunqing slapped her own forehead in realization. "Oh, Senior Madam Hua, what a fortunate coincidence that you should happen to run into this today! This Black-Feathered Vajra parrot is the birthday gift I intended to present to you on your actual birthday."

"The Black-Feathered Vajra?" The Senior Madam Hua's eyes widened like copper bells. Unable to suppress her eagerness, she lifted her foot to rush right inside, only to remember this was not her own home, whereupon she gracefully retracted her leg.

Su Yunqing hurriedly gestured with an inviting hand, and the Senior Madam Hua could no longer restrain herself, walking swiftly inside.

On the stone table in the courtyard sat a magnificent, oversized birdcage. Inside stood a giant, pitch-black Black-Feathered Vajra, its thick beak opening and closing as it spoke: "May Senior Madam Hua be blessed with auspicious fortune..."

Overjoyed, the Senior Madam Hua exclaimed, "First Madam Cheng, I have only ever read about the Black-Feathered Vajra in books. How on earth did you possess the miraculous ability to bring such a living little creature right before my eyes?"

Su Yunqing covered her mouth with a smile and said, "Where there is a will, there is a way. During the banquet at your estate last time, Senior Madam Hua treated me with such immense kindness, and my heart has held onto that gratitude ever since. You are elegant and noble, and since I had nothing worthy enough to gift you, I matched it to your heart's desire and exhausted every possible means to acquire this rare parrot. As long as you like it, everything was worth it."

"I like it, I love it—how could I not? You are such a thoughtful child. No wonder everyone says my judgment of people is always accurate; from the very first glance I laid upon you, I felt a deep sense of closeness."

With a mouthful of preserved fruit, Hua Yingliu clapped her hands from the side and mumbled indistinctly, "I wager even Chief Eunuch Wang has never laid eyes on this Black-Feathered Vajra, has he?"

With an air of haughty pride, the Senior Madam Hua replied, "When he arrives on the eighteenth of next month, won't he see it then?"

"Indeed! Even Chief Superintendent Wang must rely on the good fortune of our Senior Madam Hua if he wishes to catch a glimpse of the Black-Feathered Vajra's splendor!" Su Yunqing flattered her while politely inviting the two guests into the inner room.

A precious gift, a rare object of affection, and just the right amount of flattery made the Senior Madam Hua feel thoroughly pampered, smiles blooming unrestrained across her face.

Upon entering the room, they found a brocade box resting upon the table. Su Yunqing picked it up and opened it, causing Hua Yingliu's face to instantly beam with delight.

The pair of exquisite ceramic chubby baby figurines inside could be told at a glance to have been custom-made specifically for her.

One boy and one girl, carrying the most auspicious symbolism, moved Hua Yingliu to touch her own belly with secret joy.

Su Yunqing pushed the brocade box toward her. "Madam Tian, these are ceramic doll figurines from our Cheng Family Kiln. Presenting them to you at this very moment could not possibly be more fitting."

***

As Hua Yingliu gazed at the lifelike, plump ceramic dolls, her fondness was written all over her face. "Then I shall accept them without further modesty!"

Given the current social standing of Senior Madam Hua and Hua Yingliu, they certainly had seen no shortage of fine treasures, yet Su Yunqing had effortlessly managed to deliver two gifts that struck straight to the hearts of both mother and daughter.

Having taken her birthday gift away in advance, and with Hua Yingliu repeatedly urging her to come over as a companion, Su Yunqing reluctantly bid them farewell as they boarded their carriage before turning back inside.

Upon returning to the Jade Pavilion, she went straight to Cheng Ji's room in the east wing.

By this time, Cheng Ji had propped himself up and was leaning half against the bed. Hibiscus was holding two wooden mallets, massaging his legs. Seeing Su Yunqing enter, she curtsied and quietly withdrew from the room.

Su Yunqing sat down on the edge of the bed, picked up the two wooden mallets, and continued massaging his legs. "Did you hear what Senior Madam Hua and the others were discussing outside just now, Big Brother?"

Cheng Ji smiled and nodded slightly.

Su Yunqing asked again, "Do you think I was being overly flattering and sycophantic?"

"It is so good to have you..."

Su Yunqing raised her head to look at him, a massive question mark written all over her face.

Cheng Ji smiled gently and said to her, "You were right. If the Cheng family were to blindly follow Father's old rules, refusing to cultivate ties with the powerful or flatter officials, this family fortune would hardly endure for long."

Trying to curl his fingers, he continued, "Since ancient times, whenever the imperial treasury suffers a deficit, the court will resort to every possible trick to increase taxes and fleece the common people. Once the people can no longer be squeezed for a single drop of grease, they turn their sights upon the merchants. Your proposal to sell the back garden is the wisest choice for the Cheng family at present."

The wooden mallets in Su Yunqing's hands paused for a moment. "Mother and Aqiao were both in favor of it as well. I only fear that if Father were to find out, he would be displeased."

"Father is an old stubborn mule. It was precisely because he was too righteous and upright, unable to stomach the deceit and treachery of officialdom, that he resolutely abandoned a promising official career back then to return home and inherit the Cheng Family Kiln. Yet it was also this very integrity that allowed the Cheng Family Kiln to flourish and grow, leaving us with the surplus strength to manage other industries."

Su Yunqing murmured, "Father is right. It is simply that this world has become far too complicated."