Chapter 268 — Misunderstanding
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
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In those days he had already risen to be the second steward of Jifen Pavilion, and who would not have praised him for his boundless prospects? Then, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, the Third Master of the Dou family had assigned him to help the Fourth Miss of the Dou family manage a tiny shop selling brushes, ink, and paper.
Everyone knew the Third Master thought highly of him, so while offering congratulations, they pitied him all the more; those who did not know assumed he must have done something wrong, and so they either wore looks of gloating or stopped short with words unspoken, which left him thoroughly dejected for several years.
But now the Fourth Miss of the Dou family had married the heir of the Ying Duke's estate, and his backbone had straightened completely.
And what an estate it was—the Ying Duke's!
A house of high officials, its imperial favor undiminished for a hundred years!
What he managed was the property of the heir's wife of the Duke of Ying!
If he worked hard, once the Fourth Miss of the Dou family bore a legitimate son, he might even become a steward of the Ying Duke's estate!
At these thoughts, Fan Wenshu's heart grew hot, and he devoted himself all the more diligently to the shop's affairs. These past few days he had even been weighing whether to propose to Dou Yan that they find a way to acquire the neighboring shop, and in addition to the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone trade, add some exquisite little scholar's treasures, perhaps even packaged in all manner of boxes and made into gift sets for people to give as presents.
So when he suddenly heard that Chen Yanzhou's carriage was parked outside the shop, he was greatly startled and hurried out to welcome him.
He did not see Cui Min or Tian Fugui.
Fan Wenshu could not help muttering a few words to himself.
After all, they were under one roof, and though he had never spoken of it to anyone, he knew perfectly well in his heart what business Cui Min and Tian Fugui were engaged in and at whose behest. It was no proper trade; he disapproved and pretended not to know, yet he understood full well that Cui Min and Tian Fugui were Dou Zhiwei's trusted men. But he did not wish to be shut out on that account either. Hence he had always been most attentive to Chen Yanzhou.
Having rushed back and forth between the capital and Zhending for days on end, the aged Chen Yanzhou was thoroughly weary. He let Fan Wenshu help him inside: "Matters at home are more or less arranged, but there are still some things that require the Fourth Miss's decision. I feared they might not relay the message clearly, so I decided to come in person."
Surely the matter was not so simple as that?
Fan Wenshu muttered inwardly.
But he had resolved since childhood to be a proper steward and had long ago decided not to throw in his lot with Cui Min. So he smiled and said a few words about how he had put the old gentleman to trouble, and asked nothing else. Once he had settled Chen Yanzhou, he returned to his own little counting room, cramped as a peck-measure.
Chen Yanzhou washed and changed, then leaned back on the heated kang by the window to read, waiting for Yan Che. But as he read, a wave of drowsiness came over him, and he dozed off in a haze, until the servant boy called out, "Old Master Chen, Mr. Yan is here!" At that he gave a start and woke with a jolt.
The room was pitch dark.
He could not help asking, "What hour is it now?"
The servant boy answered, "Two quarters past the hour of you have just gone by."
Chen Yanzhou gave a sound of acknowledgment, sighed, and rose to straighten his collar.
He was old after all—to have dozed off at such an hour. It seemed he would likely spend his old age in the capital.
Still, with Dou Yan here, and a crowd of old friends, this was not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps he might even live to see Dou Zhiwei's child born.
Smiling, he came out of the inner room.