Page 27

The two stepped out side by side and ran straight into Hu and Jiang outside the door. Eight eyes met, and for a moment, no one knew what to say.

Rong Xi and Madam Jiang had no improper thoughts, so they appeared open and natural. Hu and Duan, however, looked from side to side, unsure whether it was embarrassment or something else.

"Brother Xuan Shi, Brother Wenxiu, is something the matter?" Rong Xi asked.

Both shook their heads. Seeing the smiles on Rong Xi and Madam Jiang's faces, Hu Yulin's suspicions only grew stronger. He frowned as he watched the two leave.

Should he tell Jiang Dalang? After pondering for a long while, he decided against it. What if he was wrong? Would that not be inappropriate?

Rong Xi followed Madam Jiang to Jiang Family Ironworks. Jiang Weiping was forging iron, but upon hearing the news, he immediately set down his work and came to see Rong Xi.

"Brother Shouyuan, I came to seek Madam Jiang's guidance. Please do not let me delay your work," Rong Xi said apologetically.

Though he did not say so outright, Jiang Weiping did not ask. He merely nodded. "Go ahead."

Rong Xi waited in the main courtyard. Shortly afterward, Madam Jiang came over carrying needles, thread, coarse cloth, and other supplies.

She was not a professional embroiderer, but her skills were quite good. She taught Rong Xi step by step, from simple techniques to more difficult ones.

Rong Xi had never encountered such things before. At first, her explanations felt like clouds and mist obscuring his mind, but after Madam Jiang patiently cleared up his doubts, he finally understood a little.

He was not stupid to begin with, and his memory was exceptional. His hands were fairly deft as well. Under Madam Jiang's instruction, he was already learning quite well.

He estimated that after a few more lessons, he would be able to manage on his own.

At the beginning of the afternoon, Rong Xi left and returned to Rong Residence with Liu Zishi.

After dinner, when the sun had sunk behind the western hills, Rong Xi practiced sewing clothes by lamplight in his room.

Once he made up his mind, no matter how difficult something was, he would definitely persist.

However, he truly had little talent for sewing. Fortunately, undergarments were not displayed before others. Even if they looked ugly, he did not care.

The night darkened, and the autumn wind carried a bone-piercing chill.

The window lattice howled. The window paper danced wildly in the wind, and a blast of cold air suddenly poured into the room, making Rong Xi shiver.

No one knew how many times the window paper had been patched. Every few days, a corner would come loose here or a piece would fall away there. Liu He could barely keep up with the repairs.

If winter came with snow and the frigid winds raged, window paper would be completely useless.

If only there were Glass.

Rong Xi's thoughts paused abruptly. He did know how to make Glass, but there were currently no conditions for producing it. Still, with winter approaching, replacing the window paper with Glass would surely keep out much of the cold.

He needed to put this matter on the agenda.

Half a month later, under Madam Jiang's devoted instruction, Rong Xi finally succeeded in sewing a pair of underpants. Once he had made one, making more came naturally. While his skills were still fresh, he sewed ten pairs in one go. Rotating through them would last him quite a while.

The underpants were boxer briefs. Great Wei had neither elastic thread nor rubber bands, so Rong Xi could only thread fine cords through holes to tie them up. It was not perfect, but compared to before, it at least gave him a little more sense of security.

During that half-month, the Zheng Clan introduced a new sugar. Once white sugar appeared, it was eagerly sought after by the people of the time.

Things that were crystal-clear and translucent would draw attention in any era.

Zheng Clan white sugar began its rise in Mengshan County, then spread throughout Great Wei and even became popular among neighboring tribes.

The current Rong Xi was no longer the impoverished youth he had been a few months ago. Profits from coal stoves, Gourmet Pavilion, and white sugar flowed steadily into his pockets.

Even he did not know exactly how much he was worth by now.

Yet apart from Jiang, Hu, and a few others, no one knew that the person chiefly responsible for the constant emergence of novel things in Mengshan County was none other than the notorious son of the Rong Clan.

The Rong residence in Shengjing.

Qian Zhong told Minister Rong everything he had seen and heard in Linxi. Minister Rong slammed his hand on the table and leapt to his feet in fury. "Unfilial son!"

What he did not know was that everything Qian Zhong had said came from unreliable street gossip, and even what he had personally witnessed had merely been deliberately staged by Rong Xi to mislead him. None of it could be taken as truth.

At the height of his rage, a young man appeared outside the room. He first offered a bow, then, after receiving Minister Rong's permission, entered and asked, "Father, what has made you so angry?"

The young man had refined, handsome features and a scholarly air, with an extraordinary bearing. He was Minister Rong's concubine-born son, Rong Lian.

Though born of a concubine, he was exceptionally gifted. At fourteen, he had already earned the xiucai degree.

He was now sixteen, only two months younger than Rong Xi.

Minister Rong thought highly of him. Seeing him ask, his expression softened somewhat. He waved his sleeve to dismiss Qian Zhong and let out a long sigh.

"Your elder brother... sigh!"

Rong Xi's name had long been a laughingstock in Shengjing. Whenever Minister Rong attended court, he felt that his colleagues were secretly mocking him.

He had beaten him and scolded him, yet Rong Xi repeatedly refused to mend his ways. Minister Rong truly lacked the strength to discipline him any longer, so he simply sent him away to their ancestral home in Linxi.

Yet he had never expected Rong Xi's reputation for liking men to spread to Shengjing once again.

Though there was no rule forbidding bedchamber affairs during the period of national mourning, being seen like that would harm one's reputation no matter what.

The path of taking the imperial examinations and entering officialdom was already completely cut off.

Rong Lian had also heard the rumors. His classmates all secretly mocked his elder brother. He had always been proud and rarely formed close friendships with others, but he still found it hard to accept, and resentment arose in his heart.

Moreover, his elder brother had previously tried to force himself on Brother Liang, and Rong Lian had long harbored displeasure over it.

"Father, although Elder Brother is unruly, at the academy he did respect his teachers and value proper conduct. He would not dare act recklessly there. Why not invite a teacher to instruct him and keep an eye on him?"

Though he resented Rong Xi, he sincerely hoped that he would improve.

Minister Rong considered it for a moment and found the idea feasible. Stroking his beard, he nodded. "Your father will think on it further."

After Rong Lian withdrew and returned to his courtyard, his bookboy hurried over to report.

"Second Young Master, Young Master Liang is waiting outside for you."

A hint of joy flashed across his face, only to vanish in an instant. Adopting his usual aloof and lofty demeanor, he left the residence to meet Liang Siwen.

Liang Siwen was the same age as him, though born three months later.

The youth wore fitted clothes, his black hair tied high behind his head. His features were strikingly handsome, his skin honey-colored, and his figure tall and slender. He looked full of vigor.

"Rong Lian, come with me."

When Liang Siwen beckoned to him, Rong Lian maintained his posture and calm expression as he followed him to the mouth of a nearby alley.

"What did you want to see me about?"

The man before him possessed the grace of pine and bamboo, a talented scholar praised by everyone in Shengjing. Liang Siwen was delighted to see him. Pinching the edge of his sleeve, he said, "I will be going to Qingzhou in a few days. I know your ancestral home is Linxi in Qingzhou, so I came especially to let you know."