The next day, on the dawn of the first day of the year, the sound of firecrackers could be heard all over the normally desolate Liangzhou City.
Even though they were out here in the north, there were still customs they had to follow. Chu Lian woke up bright and early in the morning to prepare New Year gifts for General Qian and the others.
When Chu Lian woke up, He Sanlang was still sleeping. She carefully tucked the blankets back around him without waking him up and quietly got off the bed to put on her clothes.
Once Chu Lian had left the bedroom, He Sanlang opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling for a while before finally moving the covers aside and moving out of bed. He took the cloak that was still hanging on the screen before heading outside.
Wenqing was on duty in the outer room. He Sanlang’s sudden appearance gave Wenqing a fright, as he was hobbling and favouring one leg.
“Third Young Master, this…”
He Changdi sent her a cold glare and order in a frosty one, “Go and guard the door. Don’t let anyone in.”
Wenqing looked back at him in surprise, but unfortunately, she couldn’t withstand He Changdi’s ice-cold gaze for long. She gave in to the threatening aura around her young master and obediently followed his order to guard the door, despite the uncertainty in her heart.
Once Wenqing had left and shut the door, He Changdi started opening up all the cabinets and chests in the outer room.
After training in the army, He Changdi had gotten pretty skilled at tracking. He found the traces left by Chu Lian and quickly found what he was looking for.
In just a few moments, as he was digging under the pillow on the hearth bed, he felt something icy cold and pulled it out. When he got a good look at it, he instantly froze up.
It was a jade amulet carved into the shape of a horse. Although it was also made of white jade, both the craftsmanship and quality of the jade were better than the one he had given her.
He had grown up in a noble house, so he had a discerning eye for quality. This jade seemed quite old; it was probably something from the previous dynasty. It might even have come from the imperial palace, making it priceless.
His gift couldn’t even be compared to this jade horse.
However, Chu Lian had quietly hidden this piece away.
A warm feeling suffused He Sanlang’s heart. He understood why Chu Lian had done so.
After a momentary daze, He Changdi carefully hid the jade back where he had found it and called Wenqing back in.
He leaned against the headboard of the hearth bed coolly with a neutral expression. The threatening air around him, honed by his time in the army, made Wenqing lower her head in deference.
She and Wenlan had grown up under Senior Servant Zhong’s guidance. They hadn’t seen Third Young Master much when they were young. Now that she had finally met her master again in the north, she always felt pressured whenever she was around him. She didn’t even dare to lift her head before him now.
Wenqing gulped anxiously and asked, “Third Young Master, do you have any orders for this servant?”
He Sanlang’s tone practically dripped icicles, “Who gave your Third Young Madam that purse yesterday?”
Wenqing hadn’t expected her master to ask something like that. She was worried that the purse might have caused some sort of misunderstanding between him and Third Young Madam, so she quickly explained, “The red purse with embroidered patterns that Third Young Madam received yesterday was from General Sima. This servant witnessed it personally!”
Please don’t mistake it as Third Young Madam receiving a present from some stranger!
He Changdi’s eyes narrowed into slits. Sima Hui. It was that Sima Hui again!
Chu Lian is his wife! What was she trying to move in on? That damned butch!
Wenqing felt like her head was still in the clouds even after she was dismissed. She couldn’t wrap her head around why Third Young Master had only asked her a single question about the purse before letting her go.
Left alone in the room, He Sanlang leaned against the headboard in deep thought.
He hadn’t bothered much about material items before. As long as he had enough silver to buy what he needed, he had felt perfectly fine. Furthermore, there usually wasn’t much that he needed to spend on in the army. However, it looked like it wouldn’t do if he continued like this. He had to start earning some money!
At the very least, he had to be able to afford better presents for his wife so that he wouldn’t get outshined again.
Chu Lian spent the whole afternoon busying herself with the New Year gifts before ordering Mo Chenggui to send them to the army camp, along with some of the family soldiers.
Just as she finished that task, Manager Qin came into the main room, beaming from ear to ear.
During this period of time, he had been busy with what Chu Lian had ordered him to do. His whole figure had slimmed down, compared to back in the capital, and his face had become sharper.
As the saying went, every chubby man was an unpolished jewel. Once he had slimmed down, Manager Qin was a rather good-looking man himself.
The way he smiled before saying anything made him look like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He was looking more and more like a proper steward as time passed.
Chu Lian was sitting on the hearth bed in the main room, drinking some red bean and lotus porridge. When she saw how radiant Manager Qin seemed to be, she smiled back, “Is there some good news?”
Manager Qin never forgot his manners in front of Chu Lian. He bowed respectfully to her first and spoke some customary words of blessing for the New Year before moving on to report on his tasks.
“When there’s a will, there’s a way. This servant has finally fulfilled Third Young Madam’s order.”
Chu Lian’s almond-shaped eyes lit up. The speed at which Manager Qin had accomplished her request was out of her expectations.
She set down the porcelain bowl in her hands to ask, “When can we start operating?”
“The day after tomorrow at the latest. The barbarians don’t celebrate the New Year. This period is when there’s great demand for material goods. This servant has already inquired about the location. There are eighteen places in total. We’ll send the goods over in the next two days. As long as we have enough manpower, we’ll be able to start operating immediately.”
Chu Lian was generous with her praise, “You’ve done well for this task. Remember what I said to you last time. Offer whatever goods we manage to get to the northern border troops first. Move whatever they don’t want according to the plans I’ve given you. Also, give the northern border troops forty percent of the profits we make from this. We’ll keep the other sixty percent.”
