Chapter 12 

I don’t know if the Zhou family was very happy with Tao Sheng’s teaching results, but Master Zhou, who planned to start giving lectures after the New Year, actually invited Ji Yanming to his house early to begin teaching.

This special treatment was not given to the other two students from Wenyuanhou Mansion, so it was a favor for Cousin Ji.

After Tao Sheng learned this, she respected Mrs. Zhou even more.

Two days later, Su Jia returned from Baoding. Unlike her usual cheerful self after visiting her brother, this time she looked depressed and worried.

Ji Yanming was at Mr. Zhou’s house for extra lessons. Tao Sheng asked Su Jia to sit down, poured her some hot tea, and said, “Aunt, did your visit to Uncle’s house go well?”

Su Jia replied, “It went smoothly.”

Tao Sheng was relieved: “That’s good.”

Su Jia then said, “But the rouge shop and tea shop we planned to open… I’m afraid they can’t happen.”

Tao Sheng knew her aunt had put a lot of effort into opening the new stores. She was surprised: “Why not?”

Su Jia explained that her two uncles, who run several businesses, were not optimistic about the rouge shop and tea shop.

Both types of shops are popular in the capital, but many well-established brands already exist. The market is crowded. New stores need to invest a lot of time, energy, and money to succeed, and the returns might not be good.

In short, the investment is high, and the profit is low, which carries risks.

This news was disappointing for Su Jia, which is why she was in a bad mood.

After Su Jia finished sharing her troubles, she asked Tao Sheng how things were at home and whether her New Year gift delivery to Mr. Zhou went well.

Tao Sheng was about to share what happened that day when she remembered to tell her aunt about the large packages given by Madam Zhou.

Su Jia’s eyes lit up with a new idea.

In addition to the rouge shop and tea shop, she also thought about opening a musical instrument store.

Tao Sheng’s maternal grandfather’s family had experience in this area and had good connections to buy products. Recently, the emperor wanted to revive ritual music ^[1]refers to ceremonial music with cultural significance., and there were few musical instrument stores in the southern part of the city where their shop would be located.

With the right timing, location, and people, opening a musical instrument store was a great idea.

Tao Sheng was knowledgeable in this area. While she might not be as skilled as Senior Wei from Taile Office, she was much more knowledgeable than other shopkeepers who knew little about music.

Mr. Wei was well-respected in the capital, and since Tao Sheng was his last real disciple, having her help would ensure good business.

Most importantly, zither stores are a growing industry that will only become more popular in the future.

In the capital, the zither is currently the most popular musical instrument. Su Jia immediately decided to open a zither workshop.

Tao Sheng did not expect her aunt to decide so quickly. Even before the New Year, she was already preparing for the zither store.

The Su family has always celebrated the New Year simply, and this year was no different, even with Ji Yanming’s presence.

This was the first time Tao Sheng spent the New Year at her aunt’s house. Su Jia gave her a thick red envelope and a peace amulet ^[2]refers to a charm for protection and good luck. she got from Sanqing Temple, asking her to keep it close.

Ji Yanming also gave Tao Sheng a thick red envelope, equal to Su Jia’s, surprising her.

It was clear that her aunt liked her, but she didn’t know Ji Yanming well and found it odd that he gave her such a big gift. She thought it might be just to please Su Jia.

Wenyuanhou Mansion.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor would hold a banquet in the palace to entertain relatives and important ministers. The Great Zhou had been developing for over a hundred years, and there were many idle marquises in the capital, so not everyone could attend the banquet.

Shen Yu hadn’t been to the palace for a banquet in ten years. Without the emperor’s invitation this time, he could only celebrate the New Year at home with his mother, wife, and children.

The first meal of the New Year is usually shared by the family.

After Old Madam Shen sat down, she noticed that Ruojin’s seat was empty and that Tao Sheng still hadn’t returned home for the New Year. She frowned, saying, “I thought she was just talking, but she really didn’t come back on New Year’s Day.”

As the legitimate daughter of Marquis Wenyuan, shouldn’t she return home to visit relatives by the third day of the New Year?

Shen Ci was the most heartless. When he heard his grandmother mention Tao Sheng, he remembered their visit to Zhou’s house a few years ago and said, “That day when my third uncle took my brother and me to Zhou’s house, I saw Tao Sheng delivering New Year gifts, probably for her cousin’s imperial examination.”

“Is she the only girl going out?” Old Madam Shen said disdainfully, “Letting a girl her age go out to deliver New Year gifts and pay respects to such an important master shows a small family with few options. No wonder people say children of poor families grow up early.”

Shen Ruojin added casually, “Yes, it’s cold, and she has to go alone. I think my sister must have suffered a lot outside.”

Shen Yu chimed in, “The family is not well-off, and they still have to spend money to help their cousin. She’s only been at her aunt’s house for six months, so she doesn’t know how hard it is yet. After a while, she’ll understand.”

At this point, Shen Yu was more convinced that Tao Sheng would eventually cry and want to return to Wenyuan Marquis Mansion.

Tao Sheng was not young anymore; she should be coming of age this year, and it was not wise to delay any longer.

Even though she didn’t come back to celebrate the New Year this year, he didn’t believe that in a year or two, when she was of marriageable age, she would still refuse to return to the Marquis’ Mansion and ruin her future.

_

Tao Sheng spent the first and second days of the New Year in relative peace. It wasn’t until the third day that she agreed to go to the Marquis’ Mansion to pay New Year’s greetings.

This was the biggest test for her in the new year. She felt a bit overwhelmed thinking about facing such a family.

Luo Xin sent someone to pick up Tao Sheng and take her back to the mansion early in the morning. The carriage with the Marquis Mansion logo stopped outside the Su residence just after noon.

When the agreed time arrived, Tao Sheng got into the car with the New Year gifts.

There were so many people visiting relatives on the third day of the Lunar New Year that the carriage stopped and started all the way from Tongguang Lane to the Marquis’ Mansion. It took a quarter of an hour longer than usual.

The carriage arrived outside the Marquis’ Mansion. Tao Sheng got out with the help of her maid. From a distance, she saw a familiar figure waiting for her. As soon as he saw her, he approached with a smile.

It was Shen Ruojin.

***

T/L Notes:

Dear readers,

Sorry for mixing up ‘piano’ with ‘zither’ in the text! I’ve fixed it now. As you notice in my profile, this story marks my first venture into historical translation. If you catch any other slip-ups, feel free to let me know—I’m all ears!

Thanks for the support!