You Promised to Be an Idle Son-in-Law, How Could You Become a Land Immortal?

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: The Difference Between the Two Sisters

The next day, the rain was heavy and the wind fierce.

The rain fell without end, splattering loudly and endlessly upon the pond’s surface.

Chen Yi woke early. After breakfast, he didn’t even go to the pavilion, choosing instead to stay in his study.

He practiced the Calligraphy Dao while listening to the wind and rain beat against the window.

There was a certain charm to it.

Xiaodie ground ink by his side. Watching the characters he wrote, she silently read them to herself.

’The east wind blew through the small tower again last night... The east wind did not favor General Zhou... Even with crimson lips and a plain face... Face?’

She couldn’t think of any lines of poetry that started with the word ’face’.

Then he wrote another, completely unrelated line: ”The three mountains seem to fall past the clear blue sky,” followed by, ”I’ve stolen half a day of this fleeting life’s leisure.”

The lines of poetry were random and disconnected, but he wrote each character with immense concentration.

Though Xiaodie had no Mastery of Calligraphy and lacked a connoisseur’s judgment, her eye was sharp enough to see the subtle brilliance within the characters.

With such a Mental Realm, his attainments in the Calligraphy Dao were naturally impressive.

”Young Master, the wind and rain are so fierce today. Are... are you not worried about the Second Miss?”

With Xiao Jinghong away, Spring Lotus Garden had reverted to its usual, more relaxed customs.

Xiaodie, ever adaptable, switched back to her old form of address.

Chen Yi replied casually, ”She doesn’t need me to worry about her. She’ll handle everything just fine.”

He had come to understand Xiao Jinghong’s temperament quite well over this period.

She was traditional in some ways, such as her adherence to etiquette and the laws of the Great Wei, her respect for her teachers and the Dao, and her deference to the old and care for the young.

But she also possessed a personal style forged through her military experience.

To call her ’swift and decisive’ might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it wasn’t far from the truth. Her actions were, at the very least, resolute.

Besides, given her Cultivation and strength, a little wind and rain were unlikely to pose any difficulty for her.

Xiaodie looked a little confused. ”Young Master, the storybooks say that husbands and wives always long for each other when they’re apart. The talented scholars in the stories even write poems.”

Chen Yi’s hand paused for a moment before he finished the final stroke. ”There’s always a gap between storybooks and reality.”

He had, however, just written a poem.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yi set the sheet of Yunsong Paper aside and continued, ”I do think of her from time to time.”

’For instance,’ he thought, ’last night after I finished my Cultivation and saw that intelligence report, I found myself wondering just how powerful Xiao Jinghong must be to make even those Hidden Guards so wary of her.’

’Compared to her, the Hidden Guards didn’t seem to give a second thought to anyone else in the Marquis’s Mansion, not even the old marquis himself.’

Clearly, this was not the sort of longing that fit into Xiaodie’s current fantasies.

But simply hearing Chen Yi say he thought of her from time to time was enough to seemingly put Xiaodie’s mind at ease. She smiled and said:

”I understand now. The Young Master does miss the Second Miss.”

Chen Yi just smiled, not bothering to explain the difference between longing and merely thinking of someone. He simply gave her an instruction:

”Go wake Wuge up. We’re going to have lunch at Eldest Sister’s place later.”

”Right away.”

’Drowsy in spring, weary in autumn, and sleepy in summer,’ he mused. ’It’s good for a child to sleep in a little longer during the summer.’

Especially on a rainy day, which was even better for sleeping.

If not for the abundant energy he had after practicing Martial Arts, he would have been tempted to sleep in as well.

At lunchtime, Chen Yi headed for Jiaxing Garden, holding an umbrella in one hand and carrying Xiao Wuge in the other.

Xiaodie, meanwhile, took a small umbrella and went to the rear kitchen to fetch some food, remaining behind to watch over Spring Lotus Garden.

Just as he arrived at Jiaxing Garden, Chen Yi saw Xiao Wan’er standing outside the wooden building. She was dressed in a thick, bright red cloak, her face etched with anxiety as she urged someone on.

”Huatang, you must be careful on the journey. Even if you’re in a hurry, please look after your own safety.”

Across from her, Shen Huatang wasn’t holding an umbrella. Instead, she was dressed in a Raincoat and a bamboo hat, cutting the figure of a wandering Female Knight from the Jianghu when seen from a distance.

’Is she going on a long trip?’

The thought surfaced in Chen Yi’s mind as he carried Xiao Wuge over to them.

Shen Huatang glanced at the two newcomers before bowing to Xiao Wan’er. ”Eldest Miss, I’ll remember. Please take care of yourself.”

”With Juan’er and Cui’er here, you don’t need to worry about me. Just focus on being careful yourself.”

After saying a few more words of caution, Xiao Wan’er had Shen Huatang depart with several Armored Warriors.

Once they were gone,

Chen Yi, noticing the lingering worry on her face, thought for a moment before asking, ”Did something happen to that shipment of medicinal herbs?”

Xiao Wan’er started, surprised that he had guessed. She hesitated for a moment before nodding.

”The shipment ran into heavy rains right as it reached the border of Shu State. We can’t use the river route anymore, so we switched to land. But there have been bandits sighted on that route, so I sent Huatang with some men to escort it.”

Chen Yi said, ”Ah,” and followed her into the wooden building.

Xiao Wuge tried to comfort her from the side. ”Eldest Sister, Brother-in-law once said that a just cause attracts much support, while an unjust one finds little.”

”Our family has been through so many calamities already. There shouldn’t be any more trouble from now on.”

Chen Yi set him down, wiped a few raindrops from his clothes, and shot him a subtle glare.

’This kid has co-opted every phrase I’ve ever said offhandedly.’

Xiao Wan’er, however, seemed much more at ease after hearing this. Her gaze swept over Chen Yi, perhaps intentionally, perhaps not. ”I hope so too.”

’A just cause attracts much support...’

’In recent years, the Xiao Family has sacrificed so much to defend the Southern Border of the Wei Dynasty. They have indeed earned a good reputation for it.’

’She just prayed that nothing happened to that shipment of herbs. Otherwise, every branch of the Xiao Family would face a hard struggle for the next six months.’

’And if that struggle went on for too long, people would grow restless. It would be inevitable for trouble to stir.’

Chen Yi could see what was on her mind and said with a smile, ”Let’s eat first. You can’t get anything done on an empty stomach.”

Xiao Wan’er’s lips parted as if to say something, but she just gave a soft ”mm” of agreement and instructed a nearby Maid to bring their meal.

Her mood had lifted somewhat, however, and with Xiao Jinghong away, Xiao Wan’er was able to exchange a few words with Chen Yi during the meal.

The conversation was mostly about Jishi Medicine Hall—how to operate a Medicine Hall, how to manage its Chief Stewards, Physicians, and accountants.

Though these were all commonplace matters, Chen Yi listened attentively, comparing her words to his own past experiences of thankless toil. He found nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

If anything stood out, it was Xiao Wan’er herself—the ”grand manager” in charge of all the Xiao Family’s businesses and finances.

In her own way, her ability to handle affairs was on par with the decisiveness Xiao Jinghong had gained from the military.

It was just that her personality made her reluctant to be ruthless; she always tried to consider every angle and satisfy everyone.

She even tried to look after the apprentices at the very bottom of the Medicine Halls’ hierarchy.

One couldn’t fault her for not being meticulous.

’But this approach... how to put it?’

’Chen Yi couldn’t bring himself to agree with it.’

’A person’s energy is finite, after all. Finances, personnel, family relations... it’s impossible to handle everything perfectly.’

’Those who focus on trying to satisfy everyone often end up pleasing no one. There will always be someone who is left dissatisfied.’

But Chen Yi kept these thoughts to himself. He didn’t offer any unsolicited advice.

It was already a difficult task for Xiao Wan’er to manage the sprawling Xiao Family.

Even if her judgment was occasionally skewed or her methods slightly flawed, it was unlikely to provoke widespread outrage.

”Eldest Sister, may I ask a question?”

”Please, go ahead.”

Xiao Wan’er looked at him, her heart pounding with a bit of apprehension. She hoped he wouldn’t say something unrelated to the Medicine Halls.

’After all... after all, Xiao Wuge is still here...’

But Chen Yi’s expression was serious. ”Within the five Xiao Family Medicine Halls in Shu State, are all internal affairs left to the discretion of their respective Shopkeepers?”

Xiao Wan’er let out a silent sigh of relief. She thought for a moment before replying, ”That is indeed the case.”

”Each Medicine Hall is in a different location and serves different patients. Therefore, I’ve continued the old practice of letting them manage their own affairs.”

”Only when they encounter a truly difficult problem do I or a few of the family elders step in to resolve it.”

Chen Yi nodded in understanding, then lowered his head and resumed eating without asking any more questions.

’This relatively loose management style inevitably creates loopholes for people to exploit,’ he thought. ’The previous Shopkeeper of Jishi Medicine Hall was a prime example.’

’However, a system like this also grants each Medicine Hall’s Shopkeeper a degree of autonomy.’

’If one of them were truly capable, they could run their Medicine Hall to exceed all expectations.’

’But it’s clear that the current Shopkeepers of all five Xiao Family Medicine Halls are the conservative type, content to maintain the status quo. Their thinking isn’t very dynamic.’

’It probably... has something to do with the system of rewards and punishments.’

Finally, Chen Yi recalled the account books from Jishi Medicine Hall he’d seen the day before and made a rough estimate of the income from the Xiao Family’s Medicine Hall business.

’The monthly net profit is no more than two thousand taels. Including income from land rent and taxes, the total monthly income shouldn’t exceed four thousand taels.’

’It sounds like a lot, but after factoring in the monthly allowances for each branch of the Xiao Family and the expenses required to maintain appearances, they’re probably left with less than a thousand silver coins each month.’

’No wonder the old marquis had to sell his birthday gifts to raise funds for Xiao Jinghong’s Mutual Market.’

’Combined with how anxious Xiao Wan’er was about that herb shipment, it seems the mansion’s finances are stretched dangerously thin.’

These thoughts flashed through Chen Yi’s mind, but he didn’t dwell on them.

It never hurt to have a basic understanding of the situation.