The idea of a close friend taking a fancy to his wife's family's medicinal herb house sounded rather unreliable. But Situ Yan figured, given Duke Pingning's character, who knew what the herb house was truly researching? It was already a wreck anyway, so letting Ji Jin tinker with it wasn't a bad idea.
So that afternoon, he took over Qingmiao's duties and personally delivered a bowl of bird's nest soup to the room, solicitously scooping a spoonful to her lips.
Lu Nianfu was accustomed to his frequent disappearances from work to come home, but she wasn't quite used to him feeding her in broad daylight. After just one spoonful, she quickly took the spoon back, "I'll do it myself."
Situ Yan said, "I was just afraid you'd get tired!"
Lu Nianfu glanced at him, "No offense means offense; a gift freely given means something is amiss."
Situ Yan scratched his head sheepishly, "You figured it out, huh?"
Lu Nianfu nearly choked on the bird's nest soup, her eyes wide as she looked at him, "You really do have something on your mind?"
"It's nothing major. Eat first, and I'll tell you after you're done."
"How can I eat if you only tell me half?"
"It's truly not a big deal. It's just that Imperial Physician Ji discovered the poison in Susu and Suyue is related to蛊虫 (gǔ chóng - poisonous worms/insect), and he wants to know what your father's herb house has been researching, so he wants to buy it."
Lu Nianfu was silent for a moment, "Couldn't you have just talked to Madame Pingning about this?"
Situ Yan said, "My identity isn't suitable. If she thinks I'm using my influence, it wouldn't be good. You should go. You're mother and daughter; if you can't convince her, who can?"
The words "mother and daughter" made Lu Nianfu freeze, like a fine needle pricking her heart, causing a sharp pain that instantly cleared her mind. She put down the spoon, "After over a decade of estrangement, I can barely speak to her. How can I even start a conversation?"
"Isn't this the perfect excuse? Your mother must have gone to a lot of trouble sending you away from the capital back then. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, you should be reunited. You haven't been sleeping well these past few days; are you thinking about this too?"
Perhaps pregnancy made people sentimental.
Lu Nianfu had been thinking a lot about her past life these days. Back then, she had just been sold to Lingyan Pavilion and dreamed of someone helping her. She had gone to their door, but every time, before she could even speak, her mother would force her back with a cold gaze.
Even though she knew now that her mother had done it to protect her, the coldness she felt then was branded onto her heart.
It wasn't that she blamed her mother; her mother had done her utmost to provide the best way out. But that feeling of being shut out by her own kin would always resurface.
Neither of them was wrong; it was just fate playing tricks.
Situ Yan sensed her despondency and held her hand, asking, "What are you thinking about?"
Lu Nianfu shook her head, "Nothing, I just feel she must have had a difficult time all these years."
"Indeed. Zeng Guangyi was cruel and discontented outside, so he could only take his frustrations out on his wife at home."
Lu Nianfu shuddered, "Then why didn't she leave? With Uncle Yan's abilities, it should have been no problem."
"Perhaps it was to repay a debt of gratitude."
"What debt of gratitude?"
"You don't know? That's right; you were so young then," Situ Yan sighed and recounted Madam Ban's past story: "When the Ban family was in dire straits, Zeng Guangyi married your mother. Not only did he prevent your mother from being exiled, but he also gave her family a way to survive. Exile would have been terrible. Zeng Guangyi had to continuously fund them with money for their livelihood."
Lu Nianfu was shocked, "How is that possible?"
"Hm?"
"I mean, if that were the case, my mother should have been short of money. Where did she get the funds to equip me with such substantial assets?"
"That you'll have to ask Uncle Yan. He's truly a master businessman. Your mother only gave him a few hundred taels of silver back then, and by the time it was handed over to you, it had multiplied several dozen times." Situ Yan became excited when he thought that Yan Qing was now their family's shopkeeper, feeling that he probably wouldn't lack money in this lifetime.
This complex entanglement of love and hate, Lu Nianfu felt as if she had heard a celestial scripture. But the knot in her heart loosened considerably. The next day, she took pastries and a piece of He Shou Wu to Duke Pingning's mansion.
Due to the deaths of two maids, the atmosphere in the mansion was somewhat somber. Lu Nianfu was led by the gatekeeper to the Sandalwood Courtyard.
Upon hearing the news, Madame Pingning met her halfway.
Qiangwei served tea and then withdrew, leaving the mother and daughter in silent contemplation for a while. Lu Nianfu had planned to make small talk with Madam Ban before coming, but when she was finally face-to-face, her lips wouldn't move. In the end, she got straight to the point: "Do you know what the herb house in the mansion is used for?"
Madam Ban thought for a moment, "I don't know much about external affairs. I only know that he has gathered a group of people to research something. Has something gone wrong with the herb house?"
"No, it's just that Imperial Physician Ji is interested in what they're researching, and he asked me to inquire if it could be sold."
"He wants to buy it?"
"Yes, but don't worry. If you don't want to sell, I won't let him force you."
Madam Ban smiled, "Don't be silly. If someone wants to buy that herb house, I'd be overjoyed. Otherwise, I don't know what use it is, and I'd have to support a whole group of people for no reason."
Lu Nianfu looked at her for a moment. Seeing that she genuinely wanted to sell, she said, "I'll try my best to negotiate a good price for you."