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Qi Xu was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, particularly with his swordsmanship. However, since the group mostly spent their time traveling, they had limited time for rest, leaving even less time for practicing martial arts.
Naturally, it was impossible for him to instruct everyone within such a limited time.
Because he had promised Wei Yunlan in advance, he personally taught her and Wei Mingxuan, while the others trained with Liu Quan on some basic self-defense moves. Feng Ping and Seventh Lady Yu occasionally offered pointers as well.
Aside from the momentary distraction earlier, Wei Yunlan was actually learning quite well.
On the other hand, Wei Mingxuan struggled a bit with the sword. Holding a pen in his hand was one thing, but wielding a sword was quite another. Several times he nearly cut himself. In the end, Qi Xu made him a wooden sword so he could continue learning.
The leftover scraps from the wooden sword were also used to make a smaller one for Little Jiarong.
While Wei Yunlan and Wei Mingxuan practiced, Little Jiarong waved his small wooden sword nearby, imitating their movements and looking quite impressive.
Seeing this, Qi Xu couldn’t help but praise, “This child has some talent.”
Wei Yunlan’s eyes lit up. “Really?” She had been considering whether to invite a martial arts master to their home after reaching Beiguan. If Jiarong had a talent for martial arts, it would indeed be quite necessary.
“Absolutely, but practicing martial arts is hard work, and it depends on whether he has the perseverance for it.”
Just as Qi Xu finished speaking, Little Jiarong, who was still swinging his sword, halted his movements, puffed out his chest, and declared, “Master Xiao, I have perseverance!”
Then he turned to Wei Yunlan, looking eager as he said, “Auntie, I want to learn martial arts!”
The Wei family hadn’t produced any military generals for several generations. Wei Maolin was a pure scholar, and Wei Mingyi was also a civil servant. Wei Yunlan’s desire to learn martial arts was merely for self-protection; she never thought that Jiarong would have such a strong desire to learn.
She squatted down and asked earnestly, “Tell Auntie, why do you want to learn martial arts?”
“I want to find Daddy, but Mother says the world is chaotic, and only skilled heroes can travel the rivers and lakes alone.” Jiarong said seriously, “I want to become a powerful hero so I can rescue Daddy, and then our family can be together forever.”
Hearing this, Wei Yunlan felt a pang in her heart.
In her previous life, she had never received any news about her elder brother until her death. The people sent by the Duke’s residence to Tanzhou had all said that her brother likely died during the flood in Tanzhou.
After all, more than nine out of ten people swept away by that flood had perished, leaving almost no survivors.
Even though she had already prepared herself not to hold any hope…
Despite having mentally prepared herself not to expect much, Wei Yunlan didn’t show any signs of it on her face. She reached out and gently patted Jiarong’s head, encouraging him, “Then Jiarong should practice martial arts well and grow up quickly.”
“Jiarong’s father is missing?” Qi Xu asked.
“Yes, my elder brother went missing during the flood in Tanzhou, and there has been no news since.” Wei Yunlan avoided directly addressing Jiarong’s situation as she spoke. Then she asked, “Mr. Xiao, could Jiarong follow us to learn some moves in the future?”
“Of course,” Qi Xu nodded slightly, stating, “Jiarong’s progress is quite similar to that of Young Master Wei.”
Wei Mingxuan, “…”
On the other side of the courtyard, in front of the stables, Wei Maolin had just completed a set of exercises with Liu Quan to strengthen his body. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he turned to Madam Gao and asked, “Madam, don’t you think Xiao Huwei resembles someone?”
“Who?” Madam Gao looked puzzled.
Following Wei Maolin’s gaze for a while, she couldn’t discern whom “Xiao Huwei” might resemble with his ordinary appearance.
Wasn’t it true that most forgettable faces looked somewhat similar?
“Never mind, maybe I’m just seeing things,” Wei Maolin said, shaking his head.
How could he feel that Mr. Xiao had a demeanor reminiscent of the untouchable Crown Prince in the capital when giving pointers to Wei Yunlan? It must be that the journey had exhausted him, making him see things that weren’t there.
“……”
They set off at dawn, and Wei Yunlan sat in the second-to-last carriage of the five-carriage convoy.
Along with her in the carriage were her maids, Heiyun, who was happily gnawing on a large bone, and Jiarong, who had been clamoring since morning to be with the big dog.
“Miss, this is what the Young Madam just embroidered for you. Is it the style you mentioned?” ningshuang said as she jogged over from the front carriage, handing Wei Yunlan a beautifully crafted item.
It was a hand warmer.
The exterior was made of brightly colored Danzhou silk, and the inside was filled with plenty of cotton. When one slipped their hands in from either side, they sank into a soft and warm embrace, making it both comfortable and cozy.
After trying it out, Wei Yunlan passed it to ningshuang and Tingxue, saying, “You all try it too.”
“It’s not as warm as a brazier, but it’s much more convenient,” Tingxue said. Having been with Wei Yunlan for so long, she was accustomed to fine things and had often used hand warmers in winter, so this silk hand warmer didn’t seem particularly extraordinary to her.
Suihe, however, couldn’t put it down. She had suffered from frostbite during their escape, and as winter approached, Suihe often felt her hands and feet grow cold. Though wearing an extra pair of thick socks helped her feet, there was little she could do about her cold hands. After all, even though the Marquis’s residence had plenty of hand warmers, there was no chance for a rough servant girl like her to use one.
Seeing Suihe so pleased, Wei Yunlan decided to give her the hand warmer and then asked, “If we took this to the North and sold it for one or half a tael of silver, do you think anyone would buy it?”
At this, the three maids chimed in unison, “They would!”
Half a tael of silver was only fifty wen!
Even one tael would only be a hundred wen, which, calculated against the current grain prices, wouldn’t last for many days. Spending such a small amount of silver to buy a silk hand warmer, which could both fend off the cold and be aesthetically pleasing, would likely attract any family with women who valued beauty and had some extra money.
Wei Yunlan also felt that this business had potential.
In these days, with the Tianshu Pavilion personnel closely following them, she hadn’t been easily collecting items into her space. Instead, she spent her free time pondering how to utilize the goods she had stored in the space. The hand warmer was just one idea she had.
This way, the silk that had been damaged in her space could find a purpose. The worn-out parts could be cut away or sewn into the interior of the hand warmer. The remaining parts, which showed no signs of wear, would be just enough to form the exterior of the hand warmer.
She would prepare the design first, and once they settled in Beiguan, she could hire some embroiderers to expedite the production of the first batch, aiming to start selling them before winter fully set in.
Lost in thought, the carriage suddenly came to a jarring halt, and Wei Yunlan nearly bumped her head against the carriage frame.
“What happened?”
She pulled back the curtain and leaned out to look.
To her surprise, someone had rushed into the Wei family’s convoy, and the carriage in front had nearly collided with the person.
Upon closer inspection, it was a woman whose clothing and appearance were somewhat disheveled.
Seeing the Wei family’s convoy stop, she immediately fell to her knees and pleaded, “Please, I beg you, save my life!”