Chapter 359 Being a Guest

Chapter 359: A Visit

At dinner, A Yan channeled his grief into his appetite and wolfed down ten large steamed dumplings, so stuffed he could barely waddle. Zhu Sha and Zhu Yan had to support him back to the West Courtyard. Tonight Tong'er wasn't sleeping with him, and Chang Jinhua wasn't around either, which made the house feel mighty lonely.

Meng Wan waited until Song Tingzhou finished his meal before bringing up his visit to the palace that day.

"We still need to pay our respects to the Empress. Besides, since Qin Jiao and us go way back, I gotta swing by the Gu place tomorrow morning."

A charcoal brazier burned in the room. After he washed up, Meng Wan cracked a window open in the outer room, letting the icy wind, mixed with rain and snow, come rushing into the warm, dry space.

Song Tingzhou draped a heavy outer robe over his shoulders. "Do what you can. No one will blame you if it doesn't work out." He now had the confidence to say that to Meng Wan, and the means to make sure he didn't have to bow to anybody.

"I know. I've got nothing better to do anyway. After I leave the Gu place, I'll swing by Jin Rong's for a visit. Sister Shushen's due any day now, so I should check on her too. Too bad A Xun ain't around—it'd be more reassuring if he was."

Meng Wan pulled him onto the heated kang, pushed the small table aside, and snuggled up with Song Tingzhou as they chatted.

"Zhao Yuan already hired the best midwife in town, so it should be fine. In a few days when I'm off, I'll take you and A Yan to Muquan Manor to soak in the hot springs."

"I'm telling you, A Yan bawled his eyes out today..."

Outside, the world was cold and bleak, snowflakes tapping the window like bits of broken jade. Inside, warm coals glowed in the candlelight, and the two lovers sat heart to heart.

The wind and snow overnight blew away the clouds that had piled up all day, but the temperature dropped like a rock the next morning, the cold seeping into your bones along with the leftover rain and snow.

Meng Wan put on a blue cotton robe with a fur collar, pulled on his deerskin boots, and showed up at the Gu family's doorstep.

The carriage pulled up beside the Gu family's main gate, and Chi Yu hopped off the driver's seat to announce their arrival.

"My master sent over a visiting card yesterday and has come to pay a visit today."

The guy at the Gu family's gate was a servant in his thirties. Since Grand Secretary Gu was a big-shot scholar-official and the spring imperial exams were coming up, a lot of folks had probably been showing up to see him lately.

The servant took one look at Chi Yu's gray-black clothes, couldn't tell what the fabric was, and figured he was some poor schmuck who couldn't even afford cotton.

"And who's your master?" the servant asked impatiently.

Chi Yu turned and gestured toward the carriage behind him. "Meng, the husband of Lord Song, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture."

Before Chi Yu even finished talking, the servant's eyes had already landed on the carriage parked off to the side—curtains and blinds made of brocade cotton, saddle trimmed with silver.

Upon hearing Chi Yu's words, his expression changed instantly. "Oh! So it's Master Meng! The masters of the house already gave orders—the moment Master Meng shows up, he's to be taken straight to the main courtyard. My lady's been waiting a while. Please, young man, ask your master to come on down."

No matter how many times he saw it, Chi Yu never stopped being amazed at how fast folks in the capital could switch up their faces. He ran back to the carriage. "Master, we can go in now."

Meng Wan hopped down from the carriage himself, his rough-and-ready manner startling the Gu family's gatekeeper, who thought to himself: No wonder they say Lord Song's husband is some backwoods country boy—he's got no manners at all.

Chi Yu noticed the servant staring at Meng Wan without blinking. As he led Meng Wan past the guy, he deliberately slammed right into him.

The only soft thing on Chi Yu was his hair—everything else was solid as iron. The servant nearly coughed up blood from the hit, his vision blurring with pain, but he could only force a smile, guiltily figuring Chi Yu had read his mind.

Once through the main gate, other servants from the front courtyard took over guiding Meng Wan. The group crossed the covered walkways and reached the main courtyard of the third compound, but didn't stop there.

The maidservant leading the way explained, "Master Meng, please follow me to Rong'an Hall in the back—that's where the old lady lives. The lady of the house is with her right now."

Meng Wan replied politely, "Of course. Since this is my first visit, it's only right that I pay my respects to the old lady first."

Lady Gu had crossed Meng Wan at the New Year's Day banquet, and this was probably her way of heading off any old grudges—using the old lady's seniority to take Meng Wan down a peg.

After all, ever since the new emperor took the throne, everyone knew Song Tingzhou and Qin Jiao were the emperor's favorites. Qin Jiao, being the emperor's uncle, went without saying, but Song Tingzhou's future was wide open.

Even though he was still just a third-rank Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, he got called to the palace every few days to talk shop, making the old cabinet ministers look like decorations. Even Lord Gu, the Grand Secretary, had to step back for Song Tingzhou.

Lady Gu could kick herself all she wanted for not befriending Meng Wan earlier, but now she absolutely couldn't afford to offend him.

Rong'an Hall was a modest, square courtyard, only half the size of Chang Jinhua's place. Of course, that was partly because Chang Jinhua hated feeling boxed in and had her quarters open straight into the back garden, so of course it was more spacious. Besides, Meng Wan's place was top-notch, way bigger than the usual capital official's house.

The heavy curtain over the entrance was lifted, and Meng Wan ducked his head a little as he stepped inside. A painted silk screen with landscapes split the inner and outer halls, and from the inner hall came the soft murmur of voices—sounded like a good number of people.

The maidservant leading the way hurried inside after Meng Wan and Chi Yu entered, letting the curtain fall behind her and announcing in a steady voice, "Old Lady, my Lady—Master Meng is here."

The murmuring inside stopped dead, followed by the rustle of clothes, and another maidservant came out from behind the screen to greet them.

When Meng Wan walked in, everyone in the room stood up to greet him—except the old lady seated at the head.

"Word has it Master Meng just got back to the capital, and here you are visiting our humble home—what an honor!" Lady Gu personally came over to seat Meng Wan beside the old lady, even having a maidservant bring a brand-new rabbit-fur cushion with a satin cover for him.

Meng Wan had underestimated the fame he'd earned from his triumph at the New Year's Day banquet; he truly hadn't expected Lady Gu to be this effusive. He paid his respects to the old lady first before sitting down, his gaze casually sweeping the room—

Seated on chairs were married women, both young and middle-aged, with only one male consort among them. Some of the women had young men and maidens seated behind them on embroidered stools.

On the kang against the south wall sat several young children—some still babbling, some playing with toys, while the older ones stared at Meng Wan with curiosity.

The young wives picked up their children to bow and greet Meng Wan, and the maidens and young men on the stools also inclined their bodies in salute under their elders' prompting.

Meng Wan studied them carefully. The Gu family's second daughter was nineteen this year, but the oldest of these unmarried maidens was only thirteen or fourteen—she wasn't among them.

His smile remained unchanged as he conversed with the old lady with perfect propriety, betraying not a hint of his purpose, as if he were merely paying a casual social call.

Lady Gu, seeing that he hadn't come to mock them in his newfound power, relaxed somewhat, and her speech lost its initial tension.

After sitting for a good while, Meng Wan declined the Gu family's invitation to stay for a meal and took his leave.

Once the carriage had left the alley, Chi Yu asked in confusion, "Master, weren't we supposed to be mediators? Are we just leaving like that?"

Meng Wan hugged his hand warmer and said unhurriedly, "No rush. We're here as mediators, not to make enemies. Don't be fooled by how polite the Gu family was today—scholars care most about reputation, as you can see from the Zheng family. If we'd brought up the second Miss Gu the moment we arrived, we'd never be able to set foot in this house again."

Chi Yu nodded vaguely, then promptly forgot Meng Wan's words and cheerfully drove the carriage onto the main street.

"Master, there's a slingshot seller on this street—I want to go look." The capital was vast, and this was Chi Yu's first time on this particular street near the Gu residence. His eyes roamed and landed on a slingshot stall.

The stall owner appeared to be a hunter, selling some rather plain-looking handmade items. The slingshot bodies were made of jujube wood, the strings of ox sinew, and the pouches of deerskin—they looked sturdy.

"Go ahead. Do you have enough money?" As he spoke, a money pouch flew out of the carriage. It contained no copper coins, only bits of silver.

Chi Yu was their hired guard, not an ordinary servant, and was entitled to his own hobbies and freedom.

"Thank you, Master!" Chi Yu caught the pouch with a grin, parked the carriage, and made a beeline for the hunter's stall to browse.

Meng Wan lifted the carriage curtain to get some air, when his peripheral vision caught a vaguely familiar figure—a scholar in an old cotton robe. Among the scholars who had surrounded Qin Jiao on the street a couple of days ago, one had been dressed similarly.

Only three days had passed, and Meng Wan still had a faint impression, though he wasn't entirely certain it was one of those scholars.

He observed quietly, watching the scholar disappear into a narrow alley. After a moment's hesitation, he set down his hand warmer and got out of the carriage to investigate.

The street lay just outside the alley where the Gu residence was located. The narrow lane at the end of the street was a passage used by night-soil collectors, and it contained a small door.

Meng Wan saw the scholar enter the alley but didn't rashly follow. Instead, he positioned himself on the main street facing the alley, pretending to browse the wares at a stall.

After a while, the small door of the Gu residence opened, and a maidservant in servant's attire stepped out to speak with the scholar. They were too far away to read either's expression. Before long, the maidservant went back inside and closed the door, and the scholar left the alley as well.

"Did you take a fancy to something, sir?" the stall owner asked, his initially cheerful face growing a bit impatient as Meng Wan looked without buying.

Meng Wan turned his attention back to the stall. It was a coppersmith's shop with a display on the ground of inexpensive hand warmers to attract customers. He picked one up casually, noticing the craftsmanship was rough, and seeing Chi Yu approach with a slingshot he'd bought, said, "I'll take a look inside your shop."

The goods inside were more refined, with a range of quality levels, and naturally more expensive.

The stall owner's face lit up. "Ah, please, come on in."

After a while, Meng Wan emerged carrying a brocade cloth bag. Chi Yu drove the carriage, and the two headed straight for Fang Jinrong's home.

Ge Quan dealt in shady dealings and never lacked money, but neither he nor Fang Jinrong was good at saving, and with a heavy drinker in the house, their savings were always up and down.

They couldn't afford to buy a house in Shengjing, but with the Emperor's favor, Ge Quan was granted a residence—even better located than Meng Wan's, a three-courtyard compound with plenty of room for his family and room to spare.

Old Ge lived in the front courtyard. Meng Wan greeted him first and brought a jar of good wine he'd had ready at home.

Fang Jinrong heard the commotion and ran out. "All done?"

Meng Wan handed him the cloth bag. "How could it be that fast? I'm not a miracle worker."

"Tsk, you're better than any god." He pulled out an exquisite little hand warmer from the bag. "What's this for?"

Meng Wan smirked. "Didn't you say you were bored at home? Want to come along with me?"

Fang Jinrong's eyes lit up. "Yes!"

Meng Wan took Fang Jinrong to the Wu residence to see Zheng Shushen, with gifts already stowed in the carriage.

"My mom's been thinking about you due soon—she made a few outfits and pads for the baby back home. I remember A Yan burned through pads as a kid, so stock up plenty."

Two big stacks of stuff were piled on the couch. Zheng Shushen, heavily pregnant, sat to the side, picking up a small garment and feeling the fine stitching, deeply moved. "Give my thanks to Aunt Chang."

"Oh, by the way, I just sent Shishu to buy pastries from the street. Wan Geer, Rong Geer, go have a seat inside, and I'll have Shishu bring them up." Zheng Shushen was a meticulous person, and though she'd just met Fang Jinrong, she spoke to him warmly because of Meng Wan.

Meng Wan cautioned Zheng Shushen, "Sister-in-law, you're about to pop. Don't eat too much street food, and watch out for food others send over. It's cold and slippery out—snowed last night, and the roads were icy this morning. Watch your step."

The room was stacked with baby stuff. Zheng Shushen listened carefully to Meng Wan's advice. "Don't worry, I know all this. It's just... I still feel a bit uneasy inside."

With labor coming, she was bound to be scared—especially now, when so many women died in childbirth. Zheng Shushen was a first-time mother, so her anxiety was natural.

Fang Jinrong had been through it, but his advice didn't fit most people. He said, full of himself, "Sister-in-law, no need to be nervous. The more you think about it, the scarier it gets. Just shut your eyes and..."

Seeing him about to go off the rails, Meng Wan cut him off. "Cut it out. We're here to keep Sister-in-law company, not to hear your nonsense."

Fang Jinrong crossed his arms, the little hand warmer Meng Wan gave him sitting on his lap. "Anyway, it's simple. When I had Tong'er, Ge Quan hired six top doctors, and not one was needed. I was done in fifteen minutes."

"Really?" Zheng Shushen's eyes went wide with disbelief.

She was already a bit plump, and pregnancy had rounded her face further. Now with a healthy glow, she looked several years younger.

Seeing she actually believed it, Meng Wan rubbed his forehead. "Sister-in-law, everyone's body is different. You don't know how much Jinrong can run around—never a moment still. Moving a lot might speed things up, but for those with average constitutions, big movements aren't suitable. You should still listen to the physician."

They chatted a while longer, and Zheng Shushen brought up Lan Niang and Zhu Zening. "Have you visited them? How is Lan Niang now?"

"...Their whole family moving back to Changping isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Meng Wan shared his visit to the Zhu residence with Zheng Shushen, prompting her to sigh with emotion.

Neither Meng Wan nor Fang Jinrong had eaten lunch, so they had an extra meal with the expectant father at Zheng Shushen's place, not leaving until sunset.

"Tong'er misses A Yan. We've prepared a room for A Yan with new bedding—let him sleep over tonight?" Fang Jinrong was picking up his child, not out of paternal affection, but simply because he loved any excuse to go out.

The Song residence had indeed been a bit quiet lately. It was fine for A Yan to stay with Fang Jinrong and Tong'er, so Meng Wan readily agreed.