Shang Yunruo was taken aback for a moment before she remembered what he was referring to. On the second day after their wedding, in order to gain his favor, she had given Chu Yan a sachet.
That sachet was actually embroidered for Chu Jinli before her eyes were injured.
But why did he suddenly bring this up today? And how did he know it was meant for Chu Jinli?
Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, Chu Yan spoke again, "I asked elder brother. He said he never received a sachet embroidered by you. And why did you only embroider one sachet before marriage and give it to me instead of your husband?"
It was because currying favor with you was more urgent than with my husband!
Shang Yunruo was a bit flustered, but still racked her brains to explain, "Yes, this sachet wasn't originally embroidered for you. But when I first met you, I thought it suited you better. It's embroidered with distant mountains and white clouds, which means you'll have a bright future and soar high like a roc."
Chu Yan was silent for a moment, then said in a gloomy voice, "I'm just a low - born bastard. What right do I have to have a bright future?"
These words made Shang Yunruo's heart skip a beat.
She had said this to her father and the Princess of Pingyang. Had he heard something from someone? Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought this up out of the blue and questioned her about the sachet.
She sorted out her thoughts and said, "A Yan, I don't know what you've heard from others, but after all our time together, you should know that my concern for you is genuine."
Chu Yan didn't say a word, seemingly deep in thought.
Shang Yunruo opened the box and took out the priceless mutton - fat white jade. "This is a lucky knot I made by hand, especially for you. Can it make up for the insincerity of the sachet?"
Chu Yan's eyes fell on the lucky knot. It was very delicately tied, different from those sold in the market.
After a moment's hesitation, he finally reached out his hand. His thumb rubbed the knot, giving no comment. Shang Yunruo couldn't guess what he was thinking.
After a while, he said, "I'll go wash my hands. Sister - in - law, make yourself at home."
Chu Yan went to the back of the house to scoop water and wash his hands. Actually, his hands were quite clean. He just didn't know how to face her.
Yin Shan suddenly appeared beside him out of nowhere and asked, "She's kindly giving you such an expensive gift. Are you just going to ignore her like this?"
Chu Yan gently splashed the water with his long fingers and said carelessly, "Yes."
Suddenly, there was a scream from outside. Yin Shan, who boasted the best lightness skill, hadn't even reacted when Chu Yan, who had been washing his hands slowly just now, disappeared.
Shang Yunruo felt something suddenly fall on her shoulder. She grabbed it with her hand. It was cold and soft, like a green worm.
Scared, she let out a scream and jumped backward, hitting a solid chest.
A voice seemed to come from the chest, resonating with the chest cavity. "What's wrong?"
Recognizing Chu Yan's voice, Shang Yunruo turned her head and tightly grabbed his arm, on the verge of crying.
"There's a bug on my shoulder! There's a bug!"
She felt a hand gently brush over her shoulder, then Chu Yan said, "It's okay. It's gone."
She let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to thank him, Chu Yan suddenly withdrew his hand, as if he didn't want to touch her for a moment longer. Shang Yunruo almost fell.
---
Back at Mu Chen Xuan, Shang Yunruo was constantly worried about Chu Yan. Even when Shan Junxin came to report on the shop issues she was most concerned about, she was a bit absent - minded.
Shan Junxin had reported half of it when he cleared his throat and asked, "Madam, do you think my proposal is feasible?"
The distracted Shang Yunruo stood up suddenly like a student called on by the teacher in class. Then she realized what was going on, sat back down, and took a sip of tea to hide her embarrassment.
She asked guiltily, "What proposal?"
Shan Junxin, "Then I'll start from the beginning. The mistress of the side - branch has bribed all the old - customer - handling clerks. Now the shop is short of a shopkeeper and capable clerks, and has lost more than half of its old customers. It's easy to find a shopkeeper and clerks, but we need to go and win back the old customers ourselves. So I thought we should give each customer a small profit. I wonder if this proposal is okay?"
Shang Yunruo nodded and praised, "Sure! It's great!"
Shan Junxin, "Okay, then I'll draw up the amount and quantity of the gifts and report back to you, madam."
Shang Yunruo, "How's the progress of the accountants checking the accounts?"
Shan Junxin, "They've finished. The mistress of the side - branch should return a total of 740,000 taels of silver."
Shang Yunruo wasn't shocked by this amount. She waved her hand and said, "Send someone to the mistress of the side - branch and tell her to pay back the debt as soon as possible."
After the report, Shan Junxin didn't leave for a long time. Shang Yunruo asked puzzledly, "Do you have anything else?"
Shan Junxin hesitated for a moment and said, "Among the losses in the accounts, there's also a rather large expenditure. It's the credit of the cousin girl."
Shang Yunruo didn't understand at first. "What credit of the cousin girl?"
Shan Junxin, "It's the credit of the marquis's cousin, Xue Ning'an, nearly 60,000 taels of silver."
Hearing the name "Xue Ning'an", Shang Yunruo suddenly remembered the name that the Second Miss Yang had shouted when recording the account. It seemed to be this one.
She asked, "Did the Second Miss Yang also record Xue Ning'an's account?"
Shan Junxin, "Yes."
What kind of relationship did Xue Ning'an have to be able to get so much credit in the shop? Was she a relative of the aunt?
"First stop her credit, and then find out who she is."
Not long after Shan Junxin took the order and left, Chu Jinli came back.
This was the first time he had come back to the mansion on his own initiative since their marriage. But Shang Yunruo's mind was full of Chu Yan.
She was eager to know what was wrong with Chu Yan. Without even exchanging greetings, she asked, "Husband, did A Yan come to ask you about the sachet?"
Chu Jinli was still standing when he heard her question. He was stunned for a moment and then asked in return, "What sachet?"
Shang Yunruo couldn't be so straightforward, so she changed the question. "Has A Yan come to see you since the account books were checked?"
Chu Jinli, "No. He never comes to me on his own initiative."
Shang Yunruo frowned, even more confused.
Chu Yan hadn't asked Chu Jinli about the sachet. Then why did he tell her that he had? Was he bluffing her, or had he guessed something from elsewhere?
"A Yan..."
Shang Yunruo was about to say something again when suddenly she heard Chu Jinli say discontentedly, "A Yan, A Yan. You've mentioned A Yan three times since I came in. When did you two get so close?"
Shang Yunruo was taken aback and explained, "No, I just suddenly remembered. Husband, will you have dinner in the mansion?"
Chu Jinli grunted. He didn't dwell on her clumsy topic change. After a pause, he hesitated and said, "I heard that the Princess of Pingyang came to the mansion today."
Shang Yunruo, "Yes, she did. Husband, you're not on duty tonight... tonight, right?"
Actually, she wanted to ask if he would stay with her tonight. But based on past experience, she was afraid that if she asked this question, he would leave immediately, so she reminded him euphemistically.
Chu Jinli didn't seem to understand the meaning behind her words. He continued to ask his own question, "Yes, I'm not on duty. Did the Princess of Pingyang mention the quota for the hunting trip?"
Shang Yunruo nodded, "Yes, she did. She gave our family five quotas."
Chu Jinli was overjoyed and exclaimed in surprise, "Five quotas! You're on such good terms with the princess. I heard that other mansions only got three at most."
Shang Yunruo, "She originally wanted to give me three. But I wanted A Yan and the mistress of the side - branch to go, so I asked for two more quotas."
Chu Jinli clapped his hands, "Great. The mistress of the side - branch definitely won't go. I'll take someone with me."
Shang Yunruo asked in confusion, "Who will you take, husband?"
Chu Jinli paused and said vaguely, "Just a... cousin."