Page 27

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

Rong Xi and Lady Jiang had no stray thoughts in their hearts, and thus appeared open and natural. Hu and Duan, however, glanced left and right, unsure whether it was from embarrassment or something else.

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

Both men shook their heads. Seeing the smiles on Rong Xi and Lady Jiang's faces, Hu Yulin's doubts only deepened. Frowning, he watched the two leave.

Should he tell Jiang Eldest Brother? After pondering for a long while, he decided against it. If his guess was wrong, would that not be inappropriate?

Rong Xi followed Lady Jiang to the Jiang Family Ironworks. Jiang Weiping was forging iron, and upon hearing the news, he immediately threw aside his work and came to see Rong Xi.

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

Though he did not spell it out, Jiang Weiping did not ask further. He merely nodded. "Go ahead."

Rong Xi waited in the main courtyard. Before long, Lady Jiang arrived carrying needlework, coarse cloth, and other tools.

She was not a professional embroiderer, but her skills were quite good. She taught Rong Xi step by step, from the shallow to the deep.

Rong Xi had never touched this craft before. At first, it felt as though clouds and mist obscured his view, but after Lady Jiang patiently answered his questions, he finally grasped a little of it.

He was not foolish to begin with, and his memory was exceptional. His hands were not clumsy either. Under Lady Jiang's instruction, he soon learned to do it quite convincingly.

After a few more lessons, he estimated that he would be able to provide for himself.

When the hour of the Goat arrived, Rong Xi left and returned to Rong Residence with Liu Zishi.

After dinner, as the sun sank beyond the western hills, Rong Xi practiced sewing clothes by lamplight in his bedroom.

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

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

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

The window lattice howled. The paper covering the window danced wildly in the wind, and a gust of cold air suddenly poured into the room, making Rong Xi shiver without warning.

No one knew how many times the window paper had been pasted over. Every few days, a corner would fall away here or a patch would come loose there; Liu He could scarcely keep up with repairing it.

If winter snow came and the cold winds ran rampant, the window paper would be utterly useless.

If only there were glass.

Rong Xi's thoughts paused in a daze. He did know how glass was made, but there were currently no conditions for producing it. Yet winter was coming. If the window paper could be replaced with glass, it should ward off much of the cold.

This matter needed to be put on the agenda.

Half a month later, under Lady Jiang's dedicated guidance, Rong Xi finally succeeded in sewing a pair of small underpants. Where there was one, there could be two. While his skills were still fresh, he sewed ten pairs in one go. Rotating through them, he could wear them for quite some time.

The underpants were boxer briefs. Great Wei had neither elastic thread nor rubber bands, so Rong Xi could only thread fine cord through holes to tie them in place. Though not perfect, they gave him a little more sense of security than before.

During those half a month, the Zheng Clan released a new sugar. As soon as white sugar appeared, it was eagerly sought after by the people of the time.

Anything crystal-clear and translucent would draw attention, no matter the era.

Rong Xi was no longer the impoverished youth he had been months ago. The profits from coal stoves, Gourmet Pavilion, and white sugar all rolled endlessly into his pockets.

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

Yet aside from Jiang, Hu, and a few others, no one knew that the chief contributor behind the continual emergence of novel things in Mengshan County was none other than the infamous son of the Rong Clan.

Shengjing Rong Residence.

Qian Zhong reported everything he had seen and heard in Linxi to Minister Rong. Minister Rong slapped the table and rose in fury. "Unfilial son!"

What he did not know was that Qian Zhong's words were all street rumors, and even what he had personally witnessed had merely been deliberately misleading acts arranged by Rong Xi. None of it could be taken as truth.

In the midst of his rage, a young man appeared outside the room. He first bowed, then entered only after receiving Minister Rong's permission. "Father, what has angered you so?"

The young man's face was refined and handsome, carrying the air of books and scrolls. His bearing was extraordinary. He was Minister Rong's concubine-born son, Rong Lian.

Though born of a concubine, he was gifted and intelligent. At the age of fourteen, he had already earned the title of xiucai.

He was now sixteen, born only two months after Rong Xi.

Minister Rong valued him greatly. Seeing him ask, his expression softened somewhat. With a sweep of his sleeve, he dismissed Qian Zhong and let out a long sigh.

"Your elder brother... alas!"

Rong Xi's name had long been a laughingstock among the people of Shengjing. Whenever Minister Rong attended court, he felt that his colleagues were mocking him in their hearts.

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

Yet he had not expected Rong Xi's reputation for liking men to reach Shengjing once again.

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

The road of the civil examinations and official service was already a dead end.

Rong Lian had heard the rumors as well. His classmates all secretly mocked his elder brother. He had always been proud and rarely formed close friendships with others, but he could not settle his feelings and resentment rose in his heart.

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

"Father, though Elder Brother is unruly, he did respect his teachers and honor the Way at the academy before. He would not have dared act recklessly. Why not invite a teacher to instruct him and keep an eye on him?"

Though he resented Rong Xi, he genuinely hoped that he would change for the better.

Minister Rong considered it for a moment and found the idea feasible. Stroking his beard, he nodded. "Your father will give it more thought."

After Rong Lian returned to his own courtyard, his bookboy hurried over with news.

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

A hint of delight flickered across his expression, only to vanish in an instant. Adopting an aloof and lofty demeanor, he left the residence to meet Liang Siwen.

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

The youth wore fitted clothes, his black hair bound high behind his head. His face was strikingly handsome, his skin honey-toned, and his figure tall and slender. He looked bright and full of vigor.

"Rong Lian, come with me."

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

"What did you seek me out for?"

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