Chapter 131: Farewell
Two days later, the supply convoy heading to Fengyu Pass set off, accompanied by the Protectorate Escort, Bai Shao.
That morning, Qingyan asked Aunt Li to help take care of Jindou, while he and Qiu Henian went together to see them off.
Upon seeing Qingyan, Bai Shao appeared awkward. Qingyan didn’t mention the recent misunderstanding and quietly listened as they conversed.
When the conversation was almost over and the convoy was about to depart, Qingyan smiled and said, “Next time, Lord Bai, when you come to Muling County, you must come to our house again for dumplings.”
Bai Shao felt embarrassed and his neck turned red. He hurriedly bowed deeply and respectfully.
The preparations for the convoy were ready. The leader came over to consult Bai Shao, who nodded, indicating they could depart.
Although he wasn’t in charge of the supplies, his rank was higher than the convoy leader’s, so the leader politely greeted him in everything he did.
Qiu Henian and Qingyan stepped back to the side of the road, watching as Bai Shao mounted his horse, tightened the reins, and turned in their direction.
He bowed to them and said, “I’m leaving. I hope to see you again soon.”
Qiu Henian returned the gesture, Qingyan nodded with a smile, and Bai Shao lightly urged his horse’s sides with his feet, following the convoy as it headed north.
After the convoy had gone a distance, Bai Shao halted his horse, letting the convoy pass by him until it was at the rear, then turned to look back.
In the distance, he saw the couple still standing where they had said goodbye, looking back at him. Seeing him turn back, they waved to him.
Bai Shao raised his hand in return, then turned again and followed the convoy.
When they had gone far enough, Bai Shao looked back again, but he could no longer see the familiar figures on the road.
A sense of melancholy swept over him.
That day at Fragrant Melody Pavillion, he had seen Qingyan holding the child, smiling as he spoke with the older woman.
Jindou in Qingyan’s arms had grown tired, half-closing his eyes and resting his small hands limply on his father’s shoulder. On his delicate wrist, he wore the pair of silver bracelets with bells that Bai Shao had given him.
Previously, after he had stirred up trouble with those provocative words about their relationship, Qingyan had angrily punched him, yet he hadn’t held a grudge against him.
The fact that the bracelet hadn’t been removed from the child’s hand, along with Qiu Henian’s demeanor when seeing them off, spoke volumes.
Bai Shao had joined the Forbidden Army at eighteen, spending his days with his comrades in the military, known for his straightforward and righteous nature. Despite being young, he held a rank of seventh grade. While not arrogant, he did have a somewhat high opinion of himself.
Before coming to Muling County, he would never have imagined facing such defeat here.
Part of the reason he had misunderstood Qingyan for so long was his disbelief that in this remote town, there could exist someone with such outstanding appearance, temperament, and upbringing.
Comparatively, he felt like the irritating clown who caused displeasure.
Yet Bai Shao didn’t feel resentment; instead, he felt ashamed and admired.
The image of Qingyan pouring tea with her head bowed when he visited their home lingered in his mind.
From the hot tea in the cup to the hand holding the kettle, sliding up the sleeve and…
Bai Shao shook his head abruptly, shaking off the scene from his mind.
He tightened the reins, urged his horse forward with a kick, and quickly rode to the front of the convoy.
The wind brushed against his cheeks and hair, blowing away the budding, unacceptable thoughts in his mind.
For the rest of the journey, Bai Shao didn’t look back again.
……
When Jindou was twenty-four months old, Aunt Li’s stretch mark prevention oil hit the shelves. Initially, sales were moderate because the town and its surrounding villages had limited population, with only a few pregnant women and their spouses who could afford to venture into town.
Furthermore, those with spare money to spend on things other than necessities were also few in number.
Women who cared about beauty or had extra money mostly spent it on clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics. Spending on products to prevent stretch marks was mainly limited to a few particular households.
Even though the oil was priced relatively high, profits were not substantial. However, after some women bought the stretch mark oil and didn’t use it at all after childbirth, they hesitated to waste it and instead used the leftover as face cream.
Unexpectedly, this oil not only didn’t harm the face but after using it for a while, it actually whitened the skin considerably and quickly cleared up small bumps on the face. When this news spread from woman to woman in their frequent conversations, it soon became a popular item.
Initially, Aunt Li had no plans to produce another batch, but with the unexpected success, she quickly procured the raw materials and enlisted help to produce more for the shelves. This stretch mark oil unexpectedly became a stable and lucrative source of income for Fragrant Melody Pavillion.
As Jindou grew a little older and his skin remained soft and tender, Aunt Li began considering making creams that could be used on his body. These products also sold well after being placed on the shelves.
Feng Lao San still went to the capital roughly every month or two to bring back the latest trends for Qingyan. Other shops in town began to imitate Fragrant Melody Pavillion’s model and sent people to the capital to fetch goods as well.
Qingyan had a keen eye and occasionally visited Fragrant Melody Pavillion to quietly learn about new products. However, due to the distance from the capital to Liulin Town, even if they saw the same goods, Qingyan wasn’t worried about competition.
Besides Feng Lao San, Fragrant Melody Pavillion also cooperated with Zheng, the leading merchant in the county, to bring goods back from the south. Although this method was costly, it allowed the store to offer a wider range of clothing and jewelry styles that few other shops in town could match.
That summer, Qingyan had a more comfortable time compared to previous years. To attract customers, Fragrant Melody Pavillion bought large blocks of ice from the town’s ice cellar every day and placed them in the middle of the room in wooden tubs during the hottest part of the midday sun. Customers found the cool, comfortable environment so inviting that they were reluctant to leave.
Some customers visited just to enjoy the coolness without buying anything, and the shop didn’t mind as long as it didn’t affect business.
Qingyan and his family spent most of their days comfortably inside the shop. After the busy spring planting season, Er Yao tried renting a small orchard with about twenty fruit trees.
Although he had no experience caring for fruit trees and was hesitant to invest too much without guaranteed returns, the orchard had originally been tended by an elderly couple who had handed it over to their children in the county due to their failing health.
Most of the fruit from the orchard was kept for their own consumption, including two trees each of various types that bore fruit from midsummer to late autumn. Eryao generously distributed the orchard’s fruit to several close families.
Throughout the summer, Qingyan enjoyed a variety of seasonal fruits from watermelons to muskmelons, dates, and small apples, making his complexion radiant and glowing.
In autumn, when Jindou turned nine months old, he fell ill for the first time. Both parents were anxious and hurriedly took him to see the local doctor. They obtained prescriptions and brewed the medicines, but feeding them to Jindou was challenging. Every time they administered the medicine, it caused him to vomit.
Each dose of medicine was a struggle for both parents. Fortunately, after two days of fever, his temperature finally subsided. During the fever, Jindou lay still in bed, his usually active hands and feet limp and motionless, which was distressing for his parents to see.
After the fever broke, although Jindou still had a runny nose, he was much more energetic and could stand by the side of his crib holding onto the rails for a while.
Once, Qingyan was facing away from the crib while secretly adding medicine to honey for Jindou.
Suddenly, he heard a childish voice say, “Daddy.”
In disbelief, Qingyan turned around and saw Jindou smiling at him with his toothless grin.
Qingyan approached him with a trembling voice, asking, “Jindou, did you just call me?”
Seeing his father approaching, Jindou happily exclaimed, “Ah ah,” but didn’t speak again.
Thinking he might have misheard, Qingyan was surprised when later that evening, Qiu Henian came out of the outer room holding Jindou and joyfully said, “He just tried to find you and called ‘Daddy’ while looking towards the door.”
That’s when Qingyan realized he hadn’t misheard. He hugged Jindou joyfully, teasing him, and heard him call out clearly again.
That night, Qingyan fell asleep with a smile on his face, thoroughly happy.
By mid-October, Jindou had turned one year old. During the traditional “grabbing for objects” ceremony, he chose the abacus that Qingyan normally used for bookkeeping.
Aunt Li clapped her hands and laughed, “It looks like Fragrant Melody Pavillion will have a capable successor!”
After finishing the ceremony, Jindou toddled over to Qingyan with the abacus as if presenting a treasure. Qingyan bent down to kiss his little face, and then he trotted over to his father, Qiu Henian, who also kissed him. Jindou smiled happily, holding one of each parent’s hands and swaying back and forth.
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
Qiu Henian fell silent for a while and then asked, “After leaving home for so long, does he miss home?”
