Chapter 958 - 956 Interrupt

Words : 1323 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 958: Chapter 956 Interrupt Who in this world ever thinks they have too much silver? The Huang family didn’t think much of it, they simply thought it was something they used to make casually for fun, and now it could make them money, so why wouldn’t they agree? The two families signed a contract, but the Huang family was shrewd and held on to the recipe, only stating in the contract the amount of rouge and powder to be produced each month. The owner of the Rouge and Powder Shop had no objections, and thus the business started. Because this rouge was indeed excellent, and the owner was good at business, they claimed that the recipe was learned from the Capital City, used only by the noble patrons’ wives and daughters there. The young women and wives of Jing County couldn’t stop praising the rouge and powder after using them, making that Rouge and Powder Shop the most successful business in Jing County. Later on... Xiao Wu had just gotten to this part of the story when Lady Huang came out with silver in hand. Upon hearing Xiao Wu’s voice, her expression changed, and she came running over, pulling Xiao Wu aside and scolding softly, "What are you babbling to the noble patron about?" Meanwhile, she apologized to Wang Yongzhu: "Scholar’s Lady, this child of ours must have heard some street rumors from who knows where and took them for truth, thus came to spout nonsense before you. Please don’t take it seriously, this is nothing but a child’s gibberish!" Then she took her leave: "I’ve noted down all the flowers and plants the Scholar’s Lady wanted; I’ll prepare them and make sure to choose the best for you! I won’t disturb the lady any longer, I shall take my leave now!" After saying this, she bowed to Wang Yongzhu and dragged Xiao Wu away. Xiao Wu was still a bit reluctant, struggling as if he wanted to say something more, but Lady Huang covered his mouth directly and dragged him out. Once Lady Huang and Xiao Wu were gone, Gu Yu was about to close the courtyard gate when Song Chongjin returned with Gu Zikai. Seeing everyone’s expressions were quite odd, he casually asked, "What happened?" He glanced around the courtyard, with Xiao Wu and the woman who tended the flowers already gone, "Didn’t find the right flowers and plants? Never mind, I’ll ask someone at the Academy tomorrow to see if anyone knows someone familiar with this." Upon hearing about flowers and plants, Gu Zikai quickly said, "What’s difficult about that? I remember someone in the Earth Character Class A from a family that specializes in horticulture, they’re quite famous. I’ve heard our Academy’s flowers and plants have been handled by their family these past years, just a word tomorrow will do, it’s no trouble at all." After saying this, he even assessed the courtyard. It originally only had a couple of grapevines, now the green leaves covered the pergola, and the space beside the courtyard wall had sparsely planted evergreens and two trees, looking indeed a bit plain. He rubbed his chin, "Looking at it this way, I should plant a couple of trees in my courtyard too, to have some shade from the sun in the summer." Wang Yongzhu quickly invited them to sit under the grape pergola, and had Gu Yu bring tea, with the three of them sitting around. She then said, "I just realized today that Jing County is really full of hidden talents. Even a lady who grows flowers has such a rich mind." Song Chongjin and Gu Zikai became immediately interested upon hearing this. Wang Yongzhu recounted what Lady Huang had said, and while Song Chongjin was indifferent, Gu Zikai’s eyes grew brighter and he dipped his finger in tea, sketching the rough layout of the courtyard on the table, then added the elements mentioned by Lady Huang with a few strokes, making the courtyard suddenly seem quite interesting. He couldn’t help but exclaim, "What a brilliant idea!" He then pulled Song Chongjin into an enthusiastic discussion, praising how it captures the beauty of landscapes, borrows the color of the lakes, transforms stillness into movement, monotony into variety, with high and low curves, distant and near views... Song Chongjin was left bewildered by his fervor; it’s just a courtyard with flowers and trees, even if Lady Huang’s ideas were quite ingenious, is there really cause for such excitement? Who hasn’t seen a decent courtyard before? Gu Zikai, coming from a prestigious background, had a family in the Capital City where each grass and tree, mountain and stone, was designed by renowned experts and carefully maintained by skilled gardeners. His family’s estate was famous even in the Capital City, drawing countless visitors for spring flower viewing. Having grown up surrounded by such beauty, he naturally has an interest in these things. He originally came to Jing County to study due to a bad mood and because his household didn’t manage such matters well, so he hadn’t paid attention. Now, after hearing Lady Huang’s design, his suppressed interest burst forth. If not for being mindful of Song Chongjin’s presence, he would have dragged Wang Yongzhu along to find out Lady Huang’s residence to seek her guidance. Wang Yongzhu had never seen the always gentle and composed Gu Zikai so excited before and couldn’t help but take a couple of extra glances, then smiled and said, "Lady Huang will be bringing the flowers and plants tomorrow, I’ll ask her to take a look at the front courtyard as well and plant some flowers and plants there. If Brother Gu is available, just wait at home tomorrow." Gu Zikai nodded repeatedly. Song Chongjin, unable to bear it any longer, seeing that Wang Yongzhu seemed thoughtful, quietly asked, "Is there something off about Lady Huang?" Wang Yongzhu shook her head, "It’s not clear yet if anything is off about Lady Huang, but Xiao Wu’s diligence yesterday definitely had a purpose—" Thinking of Xiao Wu, Song Chongjin frowned too, he always felt there was something ulterior about that boy. "What about him? Did he make some rude request?" "Not at all! But his enthusiasm was just to tell me his background, unfortunately, he only got halfway before Lady Huang interrupted him and took him away." Thinking about it, Wang Yongzhu felt a bit regretful. "Background?" Song Chongjin instantly became alert. Wang Yongzhu hesitated a little, but Gu Zikai quickly said, "I’ll go inside to chat with Aunt for a while—" intending to avoid suspicion. Wang Yongzhu shook her head and smiled, "Brother Gu isn’t an outsider, what’s there to avoid? I just feel that this background might be connected to me and my mother—" She then relayed the half of Xiao Wu’s story she heard. Despite having heard only half, Song Chongjin immediately understood. "Is the owner of the Rouge and Powder Shop the Tian Family?" Living in the adjacent courtyard, Gu Zikai, having reconciled with Song Chongjin, had no more secrets between the two families and had likely heard a bit. Upon hearing Song Chongjin mention the Tian Family, he too immediately grasped the situation. "So Xiao Wu implies that the Tian Family’s current rouge and powder recipe originally belonged to his family? What happened that the recipe ended up with the Tian Family?" Gu Zikai’s mind instantly conjured up numerous scenarios of enmity and love-hate relationships between the two families. Song Chongjin pondered, tapping his fingers on the table, "According to Xiao Wu’s account, the Tian Family rose to prominence because of this rouge and powder recipe, but for some unknown reason, the two families fell out, and the recipe ended up in the hands of the Tian Family, leading to the downfall of Xiao Wu’s family. Xiao Wu shared his background intending to do what? Use us to help reclaim the recipe? Or something else?"

Chapter 958 - 956 Interrupt

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