Chapter 764: Deep Love
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It was as if someone had seen through the bottle of Daughter’s Wine that had been buried under the osmanthus tree for more than ten years. As soon as she tasted it, the fragrance assailed her nose. It was a strong and mellow feeling…
Yu Youyao panicked and quickly raised her wine glass. “This glass of wine wishes you a safe journey across the border. It will be a tough journey so take care of yourself.”
With that, she drank the wine in one gulp.
Yin Huaixi stared fixedly at her as she finished her glass. There was a faint charm on her face, and the smell of alcohol entered his nose. He drank the wine, and a wisp of soft and sweetness seeped into his heart. The hints of affection were dense and lingering.
The wine fragrance also made him a little little tipsy, and even his voice was hoarse. “Where did you get the wine?”
Yu Youyao pursed her lips. “After I was born, my mother used three acres of glutinous rice to brew three jars of Shaoxing Wine and carefully sealed them under an old osmanthus tree in the Jade Courtyard. Only after Grandmother was seriously ill did she mention this to me. When I left the capital, I dug out the wine and brought it to Quanzhou.”
Deeply buried with the wine was a deep love for her daughter.
As this wine was buried underground for a longer time, the fragrance of the wine became mellow, just like the deep love her mother had for her.
When her daughter got married, she would dig out the wine and use it as a congratulatory gift for the dowry. She would respectfully send it to her husband’s family. According to the rules, the first three bowls of wine from the jar had to be presented to her daughter’s in-laws’ father-in-law, biological father, and her husband respectively. It showed her wishes for longevity and prosperity.
This was a tradition in Shaoxing, Zhejiang.
There was no such custom in the capital.
Her mother knew that she couldn’t accompany her daughter as she grew up, so she brewed wine to express her deep love for her daughter and sealed it underground. She hoped that her daughter would have a bright future.
However!
The wine had already been dug out before she got married, so it wasn’t appropriate to bury it back.
Today, she had opened a jar of wine to send Yin Huaixi off.
“The wine is good, and so is the person. It’s just that the time to drink isn’t good.” Yin Huaixi chuckled. “Keep the remaining wine and let’s drink it when the time is right in the future. It should have a different taste.”
Yu Youyao looked at him quietly and said nothing.
These words were too rash. Yin Huaixi rubbed his forehead. “Give me the zither. I’ll do the maintenance work for you again. I don’t think you will need to fix it until the next time we meet.’
Yu Youyao was not good at maintaining the zither. He was usually the one who helped to maintain the zither.
Yu Youyao nodded and carefully placed the zither into the zither case, then handed it to Yin Huaixi.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll get someone to send the zither to the Xie Residence.” Yin Huaixi took it and picked up the wine jar on the table that still had most of the Red Daughter left. “I’ll wait for you!’
With that, he strode out of the Water Cloud Pavilion.
Yu Youyao looked at his slender and tall back and felt sad. However, because of his words, it was as if she had eaten a mouthful of green plum fruit.
When she first ate it, it tasted bitter.
After chewing for a long time, it was fragrant and sweet, with an endless aftertaste.
Coupled with licorice and sugar water, it was sweet and sour, moderately salty and fragrant.
After returning home, Yin Huaixi went to the study and took out all the tools needed to maintain the zither. He removed the strings and soaked them in tung oil. He would moisten the strings, reduce the friction of the zither, clean the surface, and repaint it…
A dozen steps were needed to maintain it.
Every step was very complicated.
However, Yin Huaixi was not tired and meticulously maintained every part.
After all the maintenance was completed, the entire zither looked brand new.
The next day, when Yu Youyao received the zither from Yin San, he was already in Yuzhong.
She sat in the pavilion and opened the zither box. She carefully took out the zither and played the “Three Layers at Yang Pass.”
The zither, which had been fixed, sounded like a sob when it was played.
Next!
Yu Youyao composed herself and asked Yin San to investigate the Lin family in Quanzhou and the Yan family in Shuchuan. She also instructed Manager Ren to organize all the matters related to the incense medicine business.
She did not stay idle either.
She carefully read the books about business that her grandmother had given her and felt that she had benefited a lot. If she encountered something she didn’t understand, she would memorize it first and ask her grandmother for guidance.
Her family knew that she wanted to learn how to do business. Her maternal grandfather, maternal grandfather, and a few uncles and cousins would occasionally give her pointers when they were free.
It often enlightened Yu Youyao.
After Madam Wang brought her out to discuss business twice, she arranged for her to meet Lin Ruoru at the Immortal Pavilion which belonged to the Xie Residence.
Yu Youyao brought four guards, two old maids, Chun Xiao, and Yin Shi to the reserved private room.
Yin San was good at gathering information, so Yu Youyao knew the Lin and Yan families very well.
The four guards were well-trained. They consciously chose places with weak doors, windows, and roofs to guard. Two old maids guarded the door of the private room, and Yin Shi and Chun Xiao followed them into the private room.
Seeing that Lin Ruoru was already waiting in the private room, Yu Youyao was slightly stunned. She turned around and asked Chun Xiao, “What time is it now?”
Chun Xiao replied respectfully, “It’s 15 minutes early.”
Yu Youyao nodded.
Lin Ruoru stepped forward to greet Yu Youyao and said in a clear voice, “I’ve arranged to meet the County Head at nine. The County Head has arrived 15 minutes ago and isn’t late. It’s because I’ve heard of the County Head’s good reputation for a long time and have long wanted to befriend her, so I came early to show my respect. I hope I didn’t offend you.”
Her voice was clear, but very crisp.
Today, the County Head of Shaoyi was the host and had asked her to meet her. The County Head of Shaoyi was the host, and she was a guest. According to the etiquette of the host and guest, she only needed to come over at the agreed time.
However, this County Head of Shaoyi was from a noble family and had a noble status. She could not be negligent.
Courtesy came first, and etiquette came second.
Lin Ruoru arrived an hour early and was waiting. On the one hand, she was not sure of the County Head of Shaoyi’s personality, so she could only be more cautious. She would try her best not to offend her.
On the other hand, she had no intention of probing her Although she was not afraid of the County Head of Shaoyi, since they had business to discuss, it was still necessary to test her personality.
She had deliberately come early to see if the County Head of Shaoyi would arrive early, at the appointed time, or late.
The most important thing in doing business was sincerity.
Her arrival time directly reflected the other party’s sincerity.
If she arrived early, it meant that the County Head of Shaoyi valued etiquette and this meeting. If she did not emphasize her status, this business could be discussed on equal grounds.
This was the best situation.
If they met at the agreed time, it would be a little pretentious for the County Head of Shaoyi as the host. However, her status was important, so it was not a big deal for her to be pretentious.
If the County Head of Shaoyi had arrived late, not only would that show off her status, but she was also putting on airs. Clearly, she was not someone easy to get along with. It was best to keep a respectful distance. There was no need to talk about cooperation.
Of course, the County Head of Shaoyi was also very smart. After entering the private room and seeing her, she asked about the time.
On the surface, the County Head of Shaoyi seemed to think that she was late and was worried that she was rude and neglected a guest so she confirmed the time with the servants beside her..
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