Chapter 567 - 534: How Could That Be?

Chapter 567: Chapter 534: How Could That Be?

Once he started speaking, Song Yuanbao’s mood, gloomy for many days, brightened up. He picked up a jug of wine, intending to have a drink with Song Wei, but suddenly remembered something, put the wine jug down, and said, "Dad, let’s go."

Song Wei asked him, "Why aren’t you drinking?"

Song Yuanbao shook his head, "I’m not good with alcohol, drinking too much might screw things up."

Song Wei gave him a thoughtful look, "I thought you’d have built up a tolerance after being in the palace for so long."

Song Yuanbao coughed awkwardly, "Not really, His Highness doesn’t let me drink."

Song Wei nodded, "Though he’s strict with you, it may not be without benefits."

Song Yuanbao did not express an opinion.

The father and son went downstairs one after the other, got into the carriage, and headed home.

Song Wei originally intended to see Wen Wan to talk about Wang Xiaolang, but was told that Madam Su had arrived, so he had to give up. Instead, he ordered a chessboard to be set up in the garden pavilion for the father and son to play a game.

Qingteng Residence.

Lin Xiaoyue sat in front of Wen Wan’s couch, looking at her with an indescribable expression, "Wen Wan, where’s my godson? How did you end up giving me a goddaughter?"

"What’s wrong with a daughter?" Wen Wan retorted, "Our Qi Bao is so adorable!"

As she spoke, she intentionally held the little girl up in front of Lin Xiaoyue and wiggled her around.

Lin Xiaoyue snorted lightly, "Having both a son and a daughter and you don’t even know how to show it off."

Wen Wan laughed, "It’s not like I can put her back and turn her into a son after she’s been born, can I?"

Lin Xiaoyue was stumped for a moment before deflating, "Never mind, it’s not like she’s mine whether it’s a son or a daughter. I’m not the one raising her either."

She looked down and gently touched Qi Bao’s little cheek, asking Wen Wan, "The nickname is Qi Bao, what’s the formal name?"

"Song Fu, the ’fu’ as in ’gentle breeze caressing the face’," Wen Wan said, "Master Xu Yun from Fahua Temple gave the name."

"Your family even went to the master for a name?" Lin Xiaoyue asked curiously, "Any particular reason?"

"No reason," Wen Wan concealed the fact that she had asked the master about foresight abilities, casually saying, "One time I accompanied Mr. Song to Fahua Temple to repay a vow and happened to meet the master, so we asked him to name the child."

"Did you already know back then that you were having a daughter?"

Wen Wan hesitated a bit, "That, I didn’t ask."

Since her first child was a boy, she had a relaxed mindset about the second pregnancy, not demanding a son or daughter, only wishing for a safe birth.

Lin Xiaoyue remained silent.

She had a phobia of Fahua Temple.

Last time, she dragged Wen Wan there for a divination, which turned out true, not only did she lose the child, but her man also disappeared without a trace.

Previously, she was keen on offering incense and praying for peace, now even if paid she wouldn’t be willing to visit.

Suppressing her thoughts, Lin Xiaoyue didn’t want to discuss any further details about Fahua Temple and changed the subject, asking, "How’s your cloth business doing?"

Wen Wan replied, "I’m just in charge of investing money, everything else is left to the people below. The cloth shop is located in Xiao Shiyong Square, the customer flow is alright, I also looked at last month’s accounts. Just starting up, it’s a bit tepid, but still stable, not a huge loss, hopefully, it’ll get better later."

Lin Xiaoyue, coming from a merchant family and knowledgeable about business, knew how difficult it was to survive under the highly competitive noble foot of the Emperor, especially since Wen Wan had never done business before and likely didn’t understand many aspects.

Not wanting her best friend to suffer a big loss at the outset, Lin Xiaoyue said, "On account of you giving me a goddaughter, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll speak to my father, from now on your goods can be sourced from the Lin family, we’ve got plenty of channels, fast supply, also have branches in the capital, and the goods are direct, the moment they enter the capital, they become trendy, ensuring you can increase your profits."

"Really?" Wen Wan felt a bit embarrassed, "You’re helping me so much, how should I thank you?"

Lin Xiaoyue disliked hearing this, "So in your mind, every good deed I do has an ulterior motive? How could you belittle me like this?"

"Not at all, not at all." Wen Wan smiled, leaning against the couch and making a gesture with her hands, "I’m just a newcomer, I still need to rely on Senior Lin for a lot of guidance in the future."

Lin Xiaoyue smiled slightly.

She thought about when she and Mr. Qi had just split from everything, they had nothing. It was quite difficult to save enough silver to purchase a few farm estates to lease out, and then they could only collect rent every quarter, completely insufficient to maintain the household expenses.

Wen Wan’s biological mother left her a sum of money, which Lin Xiaoyue didn’t know about. She only knew that Song Wei held a fifth-rank official position, and without income from other sources, his annual salary wasn’t high. Their family’s income mainly had to rely on the land properties.

Back then, it was just Mr. Qi and her with a few servants, and no matter how difficult it was, they managed to get through.

Wen Wan was different. Her family had many members, and they had to support the in-laws above, hired a tutor for their son, and now with a daughter, everywhere was an additional expense. Just relying on rent would certainly not suffice.

Moreover, Wen Wan had always given Lin Xiaoyue the impression that she was raised delicately.

She couldn’t imagine what pitiful state such a delicate girl would be in if she ever went hungry or cold one day.

Thinking about it, Lin Xiaoyue felt goosebumps, and when she returned her attention to Wen Wan, she saw the latter teasing the baby in the swaddling clothes. She glanced around and asked, "Where is your elder niece? I’ve been here for a while and haven’t seen her."

Wen Wan replied, "The Liang Family sent a betrothal gift, she went back."

"Betrothal gift?" Lin Xiaoyue recalled hearing from Wen Wan previously that Song Jiao was already betrothed, but since the Liang Family was of small standing, she hadn’t remembered exactly which family it was. Upon hearing Wen Wan say this, she asked again.

Seeing the daughter seemingly about to fall asleep, Wen Wan lowered her voice and said, "I don’t know exactly where their mansion is located, but the groom is a recent new Advanced Scholar. Mr. Song personally had a hand in the arrangement. During the Shangsi Festival, I let them go out for an outing. My cousin accompanied them, and afterward, they spoke highly of Liang Jun. Jiaojiao herself was quite satisfied. The Liang Family then sent gifts, and the marriage was thus decided."

"What about the wedding date?" Lin Xiaoyue asked again, "Although there isn’t much connection with your family, considering our relationship, I must prepare a gift for the occasion."

"The wedding date is still being discussed, I reckon we’ll have news once Jiaojiao returns."

At this point, Wen Wan remembered something, "By the way, Lin Xiaoyue, there’s something I’d like to consult with you."

"What is it?"

"My sister-in-law’s sister-in-law is about to marry, and they sent over an invitation card. Jiaojiao isn’t around these days, and I haven’t drafted the gift list yet. I’m quite troubled. You’ve been married into the Su Family for many years and must have a lot of social interactions. Can you give me some advice on how this gift list should be composed properly?"

Lin Xiaoyue squinted her eyes, "Your sister-in-law’s sister-in-law, is she the daughter of General Chang Wei’s Xu Family?"

"She is."

Lin Xiaoyue thought for a while, "Although not a noble family, given this connection, a light gift won’t suffice either."

Seeing her struggling to get to the point, Wen Wan asked Yuncai to bring the ledger from the storeroom for inspection.

Thick three volumes were directly handed to Lin Xiaoyue, "Here, our family’s assets are all here. Please help me work out what would be best."

Lin Xiaoyue took it, flipped through it, and suddenly laughed: "Your family is impressive. You’ve only been in the capital for a few years and already have such solid assets. I worried for nothing that you might not have enough to eat from one meal to the next."

Wen Wan shook her head disapprovingly, "You’ve only seen the total amount but haven’t thought about excluding social interactions. What remains will need to go into the dowry for Jiaojiao and her sister. Besides, Yuanbao’s wedding is nearing, and we’ll have to send a hefty bride price. After deducting all these, nothing will be left for Jinbao and Qi Bao. I’ll have to save up slowly."

"Now that you mention it, indeed, bride prices and dowries can’t shortchange the children." Lin Xiaoyue seriously examined the ledger, then asked Yuncai to grind ink and, while looking over the records, began writing on the list.

Considering the situation of Song Mansion, Lin Xiaoyue dared not prescribe hefty gifts and carefully deliberated before handing it to Wen Wan for approval.

In terms of social relationships, Lin Xiaoyue was more adept than Wen Wan, so Wen Wan was greatly satisfied with the list she made. She additionally included a pair of pink porcelain vases and a set of Purple Clay Teapot sets and handed the list along with the storeroom keys to Yuncai to prepare the items.

After Lin Xiaoyue left, Song Wei soon came to Qingteng Residence.

Wen Wan hadn’t seen Song Wei earlier, thinking he must have gone with Yuanbao to meet Wang Xiaolang, and she directly asked, "How was it handled?"

"The person who came was indeed Yuanbao’s uncle." Song Wei said, "However, he must have been prompted by someone else, knowing many details of the Song and Wen families. Initially, he wanted me to pay three thousand taels of silver in hush money. After failing to get that, he left directly, and now it’s unclear what the person behind it is up to."

Wen Wan’s eyes widened, "The affairs of the Song and Wen families?"

"Yes, they not only know the truth about the tragic death of my elder brother and sister-in-law but also know you are not Uncle Wen’s biological daughter."

"How is that even possible?" Wen Wan looked incredulous, "If Wang Xiaolang had someone behind him, why haven’t I noticed anything at all?"