Pei Ying fell silent for a moment. She called Chen Yuan aside to give the three siblings space to clean up the fish on the ground, while she began to explain the keel fishing net to him.
The structure of the keel fishing net wasn't actually complicated; it was essentially weaving wooden sticks and silk together. Chen Yuan understood quickly.
He nodded and said, "Madam, I understand. However, there is no silk thread in the villa at the moment. I can only send someone back to the city to find an embroidery workshop."
"There's no hurry. The winter hunt is in two days; they probably won't be in the mood for fishing then anyway," Pei Ying said with a smile.
Even as she said this, she felt a pang of regret.
It was a pity that productivity was low now, and only wealthy families could afford silk. Otherwise, it would have been good to disseminate the knowledge of the "keel fishing net" to the common people through the government gazette.
Chen Yuan: "Then I will take care of this matter after I return to the city."
Logically, the conversation should have ended there. But thinking of her daughter, Pei Ying hesitated and asked, "Captain Chen, does my little girl talk a lot during lessons?"
A thousand people, a thousand faces—the soldiers under Huo Tingshan's command had varied personalities. For instance, Xiong Mao was straightforward, Qin Yang was refined, Sha Ying was talkative, and Chen Yuan...
From Pei Ying's observation, this Captain Chen spoke very little; he was a man of silent action.
Even when he was with his comrades, he only occasionally chimed in, definitely not a lively personality. Such a person maintained a sense of distance. In modern terms, he was "aloof." If he didn't respond when you spoke, there was no way to get close.
The northern regions were relatively dry, unlike the water towns of the south. There were no major rivers near Xuantu Commandery, yet her daughter even knew he was skilled at weaving fishing nets.
An inexplicable image surfaced in Pei Ying's mind.
Her usually lively daughter, like a little magpie, chattering incessantly around a tree. Finally, the tree couldn't take it anymore, shook its branches, and scattered a few small berries. The little magpie ate the berries and continued chattering.
On and on it went.
Pei Ying had been a teacher before. Although she couldn't claim to have students everywhere, she had taught many.
Some students, seeing the age gap between themselves and the teacher wasn't vast, would treat the teacher directly as a friend, not limiting themselves to questions about schoolwork. Sometimes the conversation would drift to life matters.
Pei Ying was happy that her students were keen and eager to learn, but sometimes she also felt a touch of sweet vexation.
Because they could be really clingy.
"Being eager to learn is a good thing. Young Lady Meng is very good," Chen Yuan said earnestly.
After speaking, he glanced at Pei Ying's expression, as if worried about something, and added, "Please, Madam, do not scold her for this. Young Lady Meng is very good."
Pei Ying was slightly taken aback.
That was the second time. He had said the same phrase twice. The first time was a teacher's fondness for a beloved student, but the second time...
Pei Ying grew suspicious, her gaze at Chen Yuan taking on a new quality.
Their eyes met. After a moment, Chen Yuan unnaturally turned his head away, breaking eye contact.
It was this small action that made Pei Ying feel she had inadvertently stumbled upon something rather significant.
They hadn't brought just one net for this winter fishing trip. The first one had broken, and Huo Zhizhang took a new one to cast again.
The younger generation adjusted their emotions and threw themselves back into the winter fishing. But Pei Ying's mood wasn't so easy to adjust. Her complex feelings persisted until the fishing ended, through the evening's all-fish banquet, and finally until she and her husband returned to their main chamber together.
Huo Tingshan saw that after Pei Ying returned, she sat on the soft couch by the window, gazing outside. However, the courtyard beyond the window was pitch black, with nothing to see. "You've been distracted all afternoon, my lady. What are you thinking about?"
Pei Ying: "...Nothing."
Huo Tingshan walked over, lifted her by the waist, and said, "Since it's nothing, let's retire early."
As her back touched the soft couch, Pei Ying instinctively moved inward, making room on the outer side. Then she grabbed a small soft pillow from the couch to hug, continuing to ponder the day's events.
She felt that Chen Yuan's feelings for her little girl might go beyond that of a teacher for a student. But there was no proof, and her daughter didn't seem to have noticed either. A parent's worry for a child lasts a lifetime... Sigh...
There had been no movement beside her. Pei Ying turned over and saw Huo Tingshan standing by the couch. "Huo Tingshan, aren't you coming to rest?"
The man acknowledged her and then joined her on the couch, pulling her into his arms as usual. "Tell your husband, what has you so frequently lost in thought today?"
"It's nothing," Pei Ying mumbled. How could she possibly voice those thoughts? It was all speculation.
Huo Tingshan clicked his tongue softly. "Keeping it bottled up, you'll surely be sleepless tonight."
Pei Ying didn't believe him.
She usually slept well, often falling asleep within moments of lying down. But he was right. She tossed and turned for over half an hour, utterly failing to meet the Sandman.
Huo Tingshan watched her turn beside him and couldn't help a soft chuckle. "Speak. What is it?"
Pei Ying sighed but still couldn't bring herself to say it.
Huo Tingshan: "If my lady is unwilling to speak, so be it. But being unable to sleep like this is no good. Let me help you find rest."
At first, Pei Ying thought he was being understanding. That was until he pulled her over, turned, and positioned himself above her, caging her beneath him.
The room was dim, with only a little moonlight by the window. In a shadowy corner of the chamber, the bed began to tremble slightly. The jade hooks on either side swayed gently, until the one on the right could no longer hold the smooth, soft gauze curtain, letting it cascade down like water.
The room was no longer silent; breathing became pronounced.
Heavy, hurried, occasionally punctuated by wet, smacking sounds, reminiscent of a beast gnawing on meat, consuming it bit by bit.
The winter night was cold, yet Pei Ying's jade-like face was flushed, her smooth forehead beaded with fine, fragrant sweat. Not just her forehead—a glistening sheen of moisture also formed around her small, crimson mole.
The man had shaved yesterday, but in just a day, a faint stubble had emerged. Pei Ying reached up and touched the area around the little red mole, gently stroking it, trying to soothe the sensation that was both like pain and itch.
In the darkness, Pei Ying couldn't see the intensified heat in the eyes of the man above her, nor how his Adam's apple bobbed heavily. "Continue, my lady."
It took Pei Ying a moment to understand what he meant by "continue." Her cheeks instantly burned crimson.
Seeing her stop, Huo Tingshan seemed regretful. His long arm reached out, accurately fishing a fish bladder from a small bowl on the bedside cabinet.
He swiftly put it on, his palm moving downward, gripping one of her thighs and pushing it to the side. His large hand was rough and carried a startling heat, like a cluster of flames on this winter night. Pei Ying's waist went soft.
The bed in the main chamber of the villa wasn't as sturdy as the one in the Governor's mansion. Deep into the night, this newly made couch emitted faint creaking sounds.
The noises continued for a long time, until a soft snap was heard, as if something had been undone.
Soon, a small object was tossed out from within the bed curtains. After discarding it, that long arm reached for the small ceramic bowl again, retrieving a new fish bladder.
...
Pei Ying's mind was hazy. When Huo Tingshan lifted her, she hooked her arms around his neck. Some things, after all, she couldn't help but ask. "Huo Tingshan, I want to ask you something."
"You ask, and I will hold nothing back." At this moment, the man was very agreeable.
Pei Ying: "How old is Commandant Chen this year?"
Huo Tingshan, who was carrying her and preparing to head to the bathhouse in the side room, halted his steps.
So, she had been thinking about Chen Yuan all afternoon and evening?
What was so worthy of her thoughts about Chen Yuan?
Huo Tingshan confirmed one last time, "The Commandant Chen my lady refers to, is that Chen Yuan?"
"Who else? He's the only Commandant Chen I know," Pei Ying found it baffling.
Huo Tingshan took two steps back, leaned down slightly, used his finger to fish out the last fish bladder from the small ceramic bowl, and only then continued carrying her towards the side room.
Pei Ying didn't notice his little action just now: "Huo Tingshan, you just said you'd hold nothing back."
"Twenty-six," the man's tone was inscrutable. "Why is my lady asking about him?"
Hearing he was twenty-six, Pei Ying couldn't help but frown.
Her daughter was only sixteen this year; that was a full ten years' difference. By the time her darling girl turned twenty, Chen Yuan would be thirty.
That wouldn't do.
Never mind anything else, the age gap alone was too great.
Without answering his question, Pei Ying asked again, "Then, is he married?"
Huo Tingshan narrowed his eyes. "He is not."
"Not married yet? Why?" Pei Ying pressed on.
The man holding her didn't answer, instead quickening his pace considerably.
It was only a few steps from the bed to the side room, and they arrived quickly. The moment she immersed herself in the hot spring, Pei Ying let out a satisfied sigh, but as soon as she relaxed, a long arm circled her waist, pulling her to the edge of the pool.
Pei Ying's heart skipped a beat. She had just turned around in the pool when she was pressed against the wall of the bath.
"Huo..."
The evidence proved that this method of aiding sleep was indeed very effective. At the very least, by the time she got out of the bath, Pei Ying could barely keep her eyes open. Once back on the bed, within a few breaths, her breathing had steadied as she drifted into dreamland.
She slept soundly through the night and didn't wake until the sun was high the next day.
After a night's rest, looking at the warm, bright winter sun outside, Pei Ying suddenly felt her thoughts clear.
Since her darling girl hadn't noticed anything, she might as well act as if she knew nothing too. If she acted rashly and inadvertently brought it into the open, it might backfire.
It was like a young couple whose parents disapproved; the more the outside world opposed them, the closer they became. Although the analogy might not be entirely fitting, Pei Ying truly believed everyone had a rebellious streak, to a greater or lesser degree.
Besides, Commandant Chen was twenty-six and still unmarried; he probably couldn't delay much longer...
Pei Ying let out a long sigh, temporarily setting the matter aside and shifting her focus to sugar.
The Winter Hunt was the day after tomorrow. Before that, she planned to figure out how to make white sugar. Time was a bit tight, but since the hunt was in the afternoon, it was just barely manageable.
She had previously made twenty-four catties of brown sugar. Subtracting what she had given to the younger generation and kept for herself, she could use fifteen catties.
"Xin Jin, please go tell the guards to prepare some things for me," Pei Ying called Xin Jin over.
Upon hearing what Pei Ying needed, Xin Jin couldn't hide her surprise. "My lady, are you certain?"
Pei Ying nodded.
Though filled with questions, Xin Jin went to do as instructed.
The guard she spoke to was Guo Dajiang. Guo Dajiang was astonished upon hearing the request. "The mistress needs yellow clay? Are you sure?"
Xin Jin: "I confirmed it earlier. It is indeed yellow clay, without a doubt."
Guo Dajiang was utterly puzzled. He had heard Pei Ying intended to make white sugar today but couldn't make sense of it. "What connection does white sugar have with yellow clay..."
However, no one could answer him.
Brimming with curiosity, Guo Dajiang led two other guards out to handle the task.
Yellow clay wasn't particularly rare; many people liked to use it for building heated brick beds (kang) and firing porcelain.
Therefore, Guo Dajiang went directly to find a craftsman who built kangs and bought two large vats of yellow clay from him.
After Guo Dajiang left, the craftsman held the copper coins, muttering to himself, "How strange, someone actually wants unprocessed clay. If that noble patron comes back a few more times in the future, that would be great."
By the time Guo Dajiang transported the two large vats of yellow clay back to the Western Suburb Villa, it was already noon.
He learned that Pei Ying was at another villa and, without even stopping to eat, first delivered the two vats of yellow clay there.
In the courtyard were not only Pei Ying but also Huo Tingshan.
"You've worked hard," Pei Ying pointed to a spot. "Place them here."
Making white sugar involved one more step of decolorization compared to brown sugar. However, ancient times lacked efficient decolorizing agents, so Pei Ying could only use the ancient method recorded in the "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature), also famously known as the yellow clay water leaching method.
Before the yellow clay arrived, Pei Ying had people prepare other items: earthenware bowls, straw, and funnels.
Pei Ying was stirring the thick brown sugar syrup in the pot. Seeing it was about the right consistency, she poured it into the funnel-shaped earthenware bowl. "Pass me some straw."
Huo Tingshan handed her the straw.
Pei Ying used the straw to plug the lower opening. "Done."
"Done?" Huo Tingshan raised his long eyebrows in surprise. "Is that all it takes to make white sugar?"
"Of course not, that's just the first step. In two days, we'll need to use those." Pei Ying pointed at the yellow clay Guo Dajiang had just brought back.
Actually, when making brown sugar before, they could have made white sugar simultaneously. But the raw materials were scarce, and any waste meant less to work with. Plus, she wasn't entirely sure if the first attempt at making brown sugar would go smoothly, so for safety's sake, she only made one kind.
After all, the difference between sugar blocks and syrup was just the water content; making white sugar later was also feasible.
Hearing it would take two days, Huo Tingshan stroked his newly grown stubble. "My lady, the Winter Hunt is the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. Can the white sugar be made before then?"
Pei Ying: "I think it should be possible, but it's not absolutely certain."
Huo Tingshan: "No matter. If it's not ready, we'll take our time with it."
Time flew by, and two days later, the day of the Winter Hunt arrived.
For the prominent families and powerful clans of Xuantu Commandery, today was an important day. Even though the gathering was scheduled for the beginning of the Wei hour (around 1 PM) in the afternoon, many people still rose before dawn to prepare.
Everyone knew the Winter Hunt was far from just a simple hunting event; it was often a major social occasion. Especially since Huo, the Governor of Youzhou, had two sons and a daughter who were all unmarried.
If they could gain their favor this time, whether marrying into the Huo family or marrying that young lady, it would surely elevate one's family to great heights.
Never mind talk about a stepdaughter not being valued. Anyone with eyes and a memory remembered how grand the wedding in early June this year had been. Just the silver spent on the red eggs distributed daily at the four city gates was enough to make a minor wealthy clan wince.
Not to mention, the "Pei" name from Chang'an was now renowned far and wide, and Lady Pei had only one biological daughter. How could she not treasure her like the apple of her eye? Governor Huo, loving the mother, would naturally extend that love to the daughter; it was impossible he wouldn't support his daughter's husband's family.
Thus, young ladies adorned themselves meticulously, and young gentlemen also prepared with particular care, striving to make a good impression.
While the prominent families were busy with their preparations, Pei Ying, residing at the Western Suburb Villa, also rose early today. She and Huo Tingshan came to the small courtyard where the sugar was stored first thing.
Pei Ying examined carefully; sugar crystals had already formed at the bottom of the earthenware bowl. "Huo Tingshan, place the bowl over the pot."
"Father, Mother, let me." Huo Zhizhang's voice came from the courtyard gate.
Having heard that white sugar was being made today, he had come specifically to observe. Not only him, but Huo Mingji and Meng Ling'er had also arrived.
Since their son enjoyed playing the laborer, Huo Tingshan left him to it, stepping aside to give him room.
Pei Ying had Huo Mingji fetch some clay from the yellow clay vat and knead it into thin, flat cakes. "Place these over the syrup," she said.
The usually steady Huo Mingji thought he had misheard, looking up at Pei Ying in astonishment. "Mother?"
"Mother, won't that dirty the syrup?" Meng Ling'er was also surprised.
"It must cover the surface," Pei Ying explained to them. "I don't know if you've noticed, but this yellow clay is quite viscous. People often choose it for firing porcelain or building heated brick beds. It has strong absorbent properties and can draw out the impurities from within the syrup."
Huo Mingji only half-understood, but he complied. One clay cake after another was shaped and laid atop the syrup.
Meanwhile, Pei Ying took more yellow clay and water, making a pot of clay slurry, which she then poured slowly down the inner edges of the pot.
As Pei Ying poured the water, Huo Zhizhang's heart ached so much his brows knitted together.
That was yellow clay water—how could it be mixed with syrup?
The water was poured over again and again. When Pei Ying grew tired, the younger generation took over. And so, on this morning of the winter hunt, all five members of the family were gathered in the small courtyard, circling a single pot as they poured water.
In Huo Zhizhang's experience, this was an utterly unprecedented and unbelievable memory.
Yet, even more unbelievable was what followed. As noon approached, Pei Ying lifted the soft, pliable clay cakes, and there, on what should have been brown syrup, he saw tiny granules as white as frost and snow.
Huo Zhizhang's pupils constricted. "This... this is white sugar?! White sugar truly exists!"
