Perfect Match – CH 089

Chapter 89

The autumn rain was still falling outside the window. Old Madam Lin told Deng Ruyun everything that had happened in the past.

Only Old Madam Lin, Teng Yue, and Deng Ruyun were in the room. The autumn wind rattled the windowpanes, making a creaking sound, especially after Old Madam Lin finished speaking.

Teng Yue pinched his brow and closed his eyes tightly. He really did not know what else to say to his mother.

Deng Ruyun was not as emotionally distraught as Old Madam Lin, nor was she as speechless with a headache as Teng Yue. She simply remembered her mother from someone else’s words, and a distant longing suddenly welled up in her heart.

She paused, her gaze shifting from the window lattice to the rain-streaked courtyard.

“…My mother was like that. Not just you; she would help anyone in distress. That’s why she did not like to reveal her surname, fearing it would seem like she was expecting something in return.”

She was the only daughter of her maternal grandparents. Her father, while doing business, had all his money stolen, and then her mother took him in. Aunt Juan was the same; after losing her child and being beaten badly by her husband’s family, her brothers abandoned her. It was her mother who personally drove her to Jinzhou…

Deng Ruyun felt she had not inherited her mother’s temperament, but her brother resembled her mother. But both her mother and brother were gone.

Deng Ruyun looked at the ashamed expression on Old Madam Lin’s face and smiled slowly.

“My mother never expected anything in return, so you do not need to worry about it.”

She added a word of comfort, but Old Madam Lin looked up at Deng Ruyun, at the girl she had signed a contract with, at Ye Qiu’s child whom she had searched for for years. She saw that Deng Ruyun’s expression remained indifferent throughout, only her eyes reddening slightly when she thought of her own mother.

In those years, when the Deng family suffered misfortune, she had not sought to help them; when the girl lost her mother at a young age, she had not appeared; and then, when the whole family was bullied by her uncle and the others, she did appear, but with a contract…

Regret gnawed at her heart like a snake. Looking at the girl sitting quietly before her, she seemed to see Ye Qiu, and Ye Qiu, too, standing in the rainy night, looking at her silently.

Old Madam Lin’s heart ached unbearably, but what could she say now?

She glanced at the completely silent Teng Yue, then cautiously looked at Ruyun.

“Just as Yu Chuan said, the contract I thought was right was actually wrong from beginning to end.”

She spoke, and both Teng Yue and Deng Ruyun looked at her, seeing her take out a written contract from her sleeve.

The contract, with its black and white text, signed and fingerprinted by both parties, was very familiar to Deng Ruyun; she did not show much reaction.

But Teng Yue looked at it, his breathing heavy and heaving.

He could not explain the complex emotions he felt towards this contract. Perhaps without it, he would have missed his Yunniang countless times on the street, but now, this contract had become a towering wall standing between him and Yunniang.

He frowned and looked at his mother, watching as she picked up a candle from the table and threw the black and white contract directly into the flames.

In that instant, the flames suddenly blazed brighter, almost illuminating the entire dim room.

The contract was burned.

Deng Ruyun looked up at Old Madam Lin, but Old Madam Lin lowered her eyes.

She only softly called to her, “Yunniang, this chaotic contract is completely resolved. Teng Yue, Xiao’er, and I… we all truly hope you can come back. But it all depends on your own decision.”

Her gaze swept over Teng Yue. Of course, she hoped Teng Yue could find Yunniang again, but…

“Yunniang, first and foremost, you must be doing well yourself.”

If Ye Qiu were still alive, she would surely want to see her daughter take good care of herself first!

…

The rain continued all night, finally stopping the next morning, and the heavy autumn air in the mountains quietly arrived with the rain.

Deng Ruyun pushed open the window. Golden fallen leaves, damp and carpeting the courtyard, were visible. A cool breeze, carrying the dampness of the rain, blew in.

Someone entered the courtyard from outside, and their eyes met Deng Ruyun’s the moment they stepped inside.

He winked at her. “Yunniang’s awake?”

Deng Ruyun paused, noticing his wet boots and robe.

“You… you went out early this morning?”

Teng Yue nodded. “I went to see Mother down the mountain.”

Old Madam Lin did not disturb Deng Ruyun’s busy work in town any further; she left just as dawn broke.

However, before leaving, she called Teng Yue and Teng Xiao to speak.

At that moment, Teng Xiao, seeing her leaving so soon, before even helping his sister-in-law into the carriage and bringing her home, frowned deeply, his face full of displeasure.

Old Madam Lin guessed what her daughter was thinking, but her daughter’s continued presence would only put pressure on Yunniang, giving the impression of coercion.

She simply said, “You siblings can both stay; I am leaving this time.”

Teng Yue was taken aback, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise.

Teng Yue, however, understood somewhat. “Where is Mother planning to go?”

He understood his mother better than anyone else.

Old Madam Lin looked at him, her heart heavy with unspoken words. Her son understood her, but she did not quite understand her son.

She smiled softly.

“It’s not going anywhere else. I just heard that your Aunt Yang wants to take Ling’er to the mountains to practice Buddhism and recuperate. The child has had hysteria since last year, and your aunt might not be able to take care of her when she has an attack. I was thinking of inviting them to our hometown in Jinzhou. There’s a mountain temple outside Jinzhou city; it’s usually very quiet because it’s secluded. I will go with them to the mountains for quiet meditation so we can look after each other.”

His mother was leaving Xi’an and returning to her hometown in Jinzhou.

Teng Yue was not too surprised, but Teng Xiao could not quite believe it.

“Mother, are you really not staying in Xi’an? Then…then I…”

She hesitated, unsure how to ask, but Old Madam Lin spoke first.

“Mother is going to the mountains with your aunt and the others to recuperate quietly, so you do not need to come,” she said. “But leaving you alone in the Xi’an Mansion will not be too much.”

She looked at her daughter. “I know you dislike the social niceties and competition in Xi’an, and you like those ingenious machines and gadgets. It was all my fault before, always forcing you to go to other people’s schools to learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, to become a noble lady. But I do not think that way anymore.”

Those things of wealthy families may be wonderful in a thousand ways, but if they were not suitable, they were not good at all.

She paused here, quietly looking at her daughter.

“Go outside Xi’an to find your master.”

She said Shen Run was unwell. “Once you find her, formally become her disciple. I will also write a letter and send it over. If she’s willing, you can study and serve her diligently by her side.”

Upon hearing this, Teng Xiao could hardly believe it. She thought she had misheard; at least, hearing these words from her mother’s mouth made it feel like a dream.

She tugged at Teng Yue’s sleeve. “Brother, is what Mother said true?”

Teng Yue patted her arm in return and nodded earnestly.

But Teng Xiao still found it hard to believe. Her mother, who had always forbidden her from doing such things, had now agreed?!

She was shocked, and Old Madam Lin’s nose stung with tears.

What had she done in the past to make her child so distrustful of her?

She could only confirm with her daughter again, “…A disciple is always ready to serve. When you go, I will definitely take good care of your master.”

Only after she said this did her daughter pause, slowly glancing at her.

“And you, Mother?”

Old Madam Lin said she was fine: “Mother is perfectly healthy; you do not need to worry about me.”

Teng Xiao was still somewhat dazed, while Teng Yue sighed deeply.

“Are you really going back to your hometown?”

Old Madam Lin nodded, and Teng Yue called for someone.

“Then I will have someone escort you back.”

Old Madam Lin agreed, saying nothing more, only watching her two children, bathed in the post-rain sunlight, in the dappled shadows of the trees, in the mountain breeze, realizing how much they had grown.

Why did she hold on so tightly? Why had she not considered letting go sooner?

She shook her head, withdrawing her gaze from looking back at them, and settled back into the car, heading down the mountain.

… …

However, her mother’s arrival and departure did not give Teng Yue much confidence in regaining Yunniang’s affections.

Instead, he felt a heavy weight in his heart. After his mother revealed her relationship with Yunniang’s mother, after seeing the written contract with his own eyes, he suddenly did not know how to face Yunniang.

Perhaps Yunniang did not care at all, but he did, very much.

At that moment, he saw Yunniang open the window and look out. Through the fallen leaves, she saw his wet boots and robe, knowing he had left early, and then she came to ask him what was wrong.

The more she acted this way, the less he dared to directly ask her to return.

But he was willing to wait. He could wait forever—three years, five years, eight or ten years, a lifetime.

When she was willing to let him near again…

This time, he only looked gently at the person in the window and told her that his mother had passed away.

“But Ah Xiao is still here. You know she does not like the people and things in the city. Let her stay in the mountains to help Xiuniang and the others, alright?”

Deng Ruyun had not expected that Old Madam Lin had left so early, but had left Teng Yue and Teng Xiao behind.

After Teng Yue finished speaking, Teng Xiao poked her head out from behind him. Unlike Teng Yue, she did not stand in the courtyard; she seemed hesitant and did not stride forward as she had the previous two days.

Teng Xiao ran straight to her window, her face beaming with surprise.

“Sister-in-law! Mother wants me to become her apprentice!”

The words were a bit convoluted, but Deng Ruyun understood immediately, her eyes widening.

“Really? Since it’s an apprenticeship, you must prepare a proper gift! Also, show your master all the mechanisms and devices you’ve made in recent years.”

Deng Ruyun’s excitement mirrored hers.

Teng Xiao immediately began listing what she wanted to show her master, and even discussed with Deng Ruyun whether to show her the medicine Deng Ruyun had given her that could be hidden in concealed weapons.

But for Deng Ruyun, a pharmacist, making poisons was not something to boast about. She quickly said no to that, only mentioning that the improved hidden arrow she had made earlier was her best work.

The two could not discuss things conveniently by the window, so Teng Xiao turned and ran into Deng Ruyun’s room.

She stood by the window, glancing again at the man in the courtyard.

He still did not stride over but spoke softly to her from across half the courtyard.

“Yunniang, you are busy. I will sweep the fallen leaves in the courtyard first.”

He picked up the broom, but his voice was so soft, as if he were afraid of breaking some delicate porcelain vase in a high pavilion.

Deng Ruyun blinked, giving him a curious look.

*

About six or seven days later, Deng Ruyun’s newly improved medicine showed initial results.

She discarded the less effective ones and carefully reviewed the medical records made by Xiuniang and the others, focusing on the more effective ones.

Originally, Xiuniang and Changxing were not very literate, and few people in the town were either. But after Teng Yue arrived, he selected literate soldiers from his personal guards to help Deng Ruyun, and Teng Xiao joined in as well.

She secretly told Deng Ruyun, “Sister-in-law, I’ve suddenly realized that being literate is actually quite useful.”

Deng Ruyun found it amusing but did not correct her form of address, only asking with a smile, “Then, how about Sister Xiao stay in the residence to study?”

“No, no!”

Teng Xiao waved her hands in alarm, but the ink from her brush splashed all over Teng Yue, a drop even landing on his high nose.

The man turned and glared at his sister, but when his gaze fell on Deng Ruyun, he pursed his lips and lowered his head.

It was Linglang who brought Dafu over to deliver paper to everyone, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Teng Xiao quickly pulled Linglang away from the scene. Deng Ruyun wanted to ask the man, who was covered in ink, if he wanted to wipe the drop from his nose.

But before she could speak, he said, “I will go wash it over there.”

He lowered his eyes and left, inexplicably silent, as he had for several days.

But that evening, when Deng Ruyun told him she did not need anyone to keep watch and that he should go back to the guards’ courtyard to sleep peacefully, he refused, insisting on occupying the bamboo couch where her grandmother sunbathed.

One day, he forgot to move it out. Her grandmother stood in the courtyard, looking at the empty space under the tree, unable to recall what it was. “Is something missing here?” she asked.

His face flushed slightly, and he quickly moved her grandmother’s bamboo bed out.

But he still had to move it back to her room that evening.

His behavior was strange, but Deng Ruyun did not have time to bother with him.

Now that the medicine trial had shown initial success, she immediately picked up a pen and wrote a letter, detailing the adjusted prescription and the various results of the trial, filling several thick pages.

When Teng Yue arrived, seeing her writing so diligently, he poured her a cup of tea and brought it to her before asking, “Who is this letter for?”

So many pages—who must it be?

Deng Ruyun did not look up, only replying, “It’s for Master Bai.”

Who?

Teng Yue’s hand holding the teacup paused.

But he owed Sixth Young Master Bai a huge favor in the capital, a favor he could probably never repay in his lifetime. Now, hearing Yunniang say that this thick letter was for Sixth Young Master Bai, he was utterly speechless.

Teng Yue slumped down behind her, deflated.

She was completely oblivious, continuing to write.

Teng Yue could only watch her write; he was too embarrassed to scrutinize what she wrote and could only silently watch her write two more pages before finally putting down her pen.

Deng Ruyun carefully blew the ink off the pages, wondering when Zhu Huang would return. Otherwise, she would have to go back to Xi’an to deliver the letter to the Bai Mansion.

As she was thinking this, someone suddenly spoke behind her.

“Give me the letter; I will find someone to deliver it for you.”

These words, though abrupt, were muffled and heavy, like a rumble of thunder hidden deep in the clouds.

Deng Ruyun turned to look at the man. She did not know how long he had been sitting behind her, but since he was willing to deliver her message, she blinked and asked, “Really?”

The way she asked it carried a hint of disbelief, and Teng Yue’s lips tightened into a long line.

He paused for a moment before speaking, “Of course.”

He seemed to have suffered a slight injustice but dared not argue, only asking her with a somber expression.

“Is there anything else for him?”

Deng Ruyun did not have anything special, only two boxes of the prepared medicine she had made to send to Bai Chunfu.

The man breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that it was only medicine.

“Then I will have someone send it over now, and then come back after he replies. That will be faster.”

Someone specifically dedicated to delivering messages—Deng Ruyun could not even imagine how efficient that would be.

She gave the man a special look.

“Thank you very much, General Teng.”

Upon hearing this, Teng Yue’s heart sank to the bottom of a cliff.

Her calling him “General” was already distant enough, but now she even used his surname. What difference was there between this and General Kong, General Shen, or General Wang?

He suddenly realized how intimately Meng Zhao called that brute “Wang Mang.”

But to Yunniang, he was merely “General Teng”…

He wanted her to stop calling him that, but dared not force her in the slightest, so he could only silently keep looking at her.

He kept looking at her until Deng Ruyun felt extremely uncomfortable, then she cleared her throat and said,

“Then I will trouble you.”

It was not a distant address; it was “you.”

Teng Yue felt his heart, which had plummeted to the bottom of the cliff, rise a little more.

He did not dare ask her for anything more. He picked up the sealed letter she had given him, squeezed it, and left.

… …

This method of sending letters was indeed fast. Within half a month, the letter returned from the capital, indicating that Deng Ruyun’s trial of the medicine had made significant progress.

Deng Ruyun, even with initial positive effects, was hesitant to directly introduce her new formula to a wider patient population. Regarding any uncertainties about the pharmacology and medical principles, she had consulted Bai Chunfu in her previous, thick letter.

Bai Chunfu also replied with a long letter, a thick stack of filled pages, which made her face darken upon reading it.

However, in the letter, he addressed all of Deng Ruyun’s uncertainties. He even had friends from the Imperial Medical Bureau help oversee the prepared medicine, all agreeing that if it continued to be effective in the trials, it could be widely distributed.

By the time the letter arrived, Deng Ruyun’s results were also in.

Deng Ruyun summoned Shopkeeper Qin to the mountains. She wanted him to assess how much of the new medicine Yuyun Hall could produce in a short time, given its current capabilities.

Shopkeeper Qin first examined the efficacy of the new Lingqiao Detoxifying Pill in the trial, nearly dropping his jaw in astonishment. He then carefully reviewed the formula and preparation method, confirming there were no problems.

“Master, our new medicine is completely different from the precious medicine of Yanchun Hall.”

He explained that Yanchun Hall in Xi’an had recently introduced a pill widely known as a “precious medicine,” a highly effective remedy specifically for the current epidemic. This precious medicine cost five taels per pill, sold in batches of five, and was ridiculously expensive. Its efficacy was undeniable; ordinary people could not afford it, but wealthy and powerful individuals could easily consume five or ten pills.

Moreover, Yanchun Hall was a property of the Prince of Qin’s Mansion. With the Prince of Qin’s Mansion overseeing it, every high-ranking family in Xi’an was vying to stock up on twenty or thirty pills. Even the powerful and wealthy families in other prefectures and counties of Shaanxi Province were rushing their families to Xi’an to buy the medicine, as if preparing for an imperial examination.

In the past two months, Yanchun Hall had steadily made a fortune thanks to this precious medicine.

But now, Shopkeeper Qin, looking at his employer’s new medicine, exclaimed repeatedly:

“Their precious medicine mostly uses extremely expensive herbs. Firstly, the supply of rare herbs is limited, and secondly, the process is complex. It’s impossible to distribute it quickly. But ours is different. Our employer’s new formula uses almost entirely common herbs, and the preparation method is not complicated. We just need to suspend all our other prepared medicines, and the new medicine will soon be available in pharmacies!”

This was not the most frightening thing. The most frightening thing was that Shopkeeper Qin saw the new medicine’s trial effects; although not as potent as Yanchun Hall’s precious medicine, it was rapidly approaching its effectiveness.

“There are still a few people testing the medicine, so I am not entirely sure,” he said to Deng Ruyun.

“This is a big deal. Although I can do it, without my boss backing me up, I am really hesitant.”

If the medicine was not effective, distributing such a large quantity would likely result in losses. But if it’s too effective, it would truly block Yanchun Hall’s path to wealth. That was the property of the Prince Qin’s Mansion; how could they let them get away with it?

Shopkeeper Qin looked expectantly at his boss, noticing her frown, and then glanced at General Teng beside him.

Teng Yue paused slightly, then spoke.

“Yunniang, let’s go back to Xi’an first.”

He said softly, and Deng Ruyun looked up to meet his gaze.

“Alright.”

*

In Xi’an City.

The weather grew colder day by day, but the number of people outside Yanchun Hall increased dramatically, almost breaking down the threshold.

The head and second-in-command of Yanchun Hall came over to take a look and were extremely satisfied with the booming business. The epidemic was spreading rapidly, eastward and southward, not just in Shaanxi Province but also gradually appearing in other provinces. One person could infect many others; the strong and healthy could survive without medicine, but those who were not so robust still needed it.

Yanchun Hall was the first pharmacy to develop the “precious medicine,” and being located in Xi’an, a city with excellent transportation links, people from all over the province were gradually coming to them seeking it.

However, the precious medicine was indeed expensive, and families with slightly less wealth could not afford it.

For the past two weeks, the pharmacy had been discussing this matter. Now they had new regulations, but they needed approval from higher-ups.

Everyone in Xi’an knew that Yanchun Hall was an asset of the Prince Qin’s Mansion. However, the Prince Qin’s direct lineage did not own a large portion of Yanchun Hall; various princely mansions under the Prince Qin’s jurisdiction each owned some, but the largest share belonged to the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion.

It was not that the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion had exceptional foresight and dared to invest money in Yanchun Hall. On the contrary, the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion had hardly invested any money in Yanchun Hall, yet they maintained a group of pharmacists whose medicines accounted for almost half of Yanchun Hall’s profitable and high-quality products.

At this moment, the head shopkeeper and the second shopkeeper left their own pharmacy and went together to the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion.

They had already submitted their credentials to the mansion beforehand, and upon arrival, they were directly led inside.

The Prince of Yanshan had always been in poor health and refused visitors. In his old age, he rarely saw anyone. His son, the heir apparent, only cared about spending money and did not concern himself with such affairs. The head and second shopkeepers, however, were meeting the youngest son of the Prince Yanshan family, General Zhu Tingguang.

Zhu Tingguang was already waiting for the two in the flower hall. Seeing them approach and bow to him, he smiled.

“It seems Yanchun Hall’s business is booming? Making a fortune?” he asked.

The two shopkeepers both said it was thanks to the Prince’s Mansion, and then had someone present Zhu Tingguang with the silver collected last month.

Zhu Tingguang glanced at it and raised an eyebrow.

“Why is it not as much as I expected?”

In his opinion, it should have doubled.

Previously, in an attempt to curry favor with the powerful eunuch, he had sent a large sum of money to the capital to marry the eunuch’s widowed niece. However, before the marriage could even take place, the eunuch suddenly fell from power.

Not only was all the money he sent confiscated by the court, but he also risked being implicated in the purge.

When Zhu Tingguang received the news, he was terrified. His marriage alliance with the eunuch was intended to secure his position as Prince of Yanshan, but instead, he was dragged down by the eunuch and demoted to a commoner.

Furthermore, after Prince Enhua’s rebellion, the court intensified its surveillance of the regional princes.

He sent away almost all his remaining money, hoping to sever ties with the eunuch as quickly as possible before the purge.

After sending these two sums of money, he was almost out of money even for entertaining guests at restaurants, and he was waiting for Yanchun Hall to deliver the funds.

Yanchun Hall had sent him two batches first, but this time, he snorted coldly.

“Too little, is it not?”

Zhu Tingguang swept his sleeve, knocking over a teacup. The tea spilled across the table and dripped onto the floor. He snorted again.

“If it were not for the pharmacists of our Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion, would Yanchun Hall be as prosperous as it is today? Leaving aside everything else, just consider this: when Sixth Young Master Bai was conducting a strict investigation in Xi’an, Yanchun Hall was about to close down. Who found a way to protect you?”

He glanced at the two men. “And the precious medicine for this year’s epidemic—who made that medicine? I do not need to tell you!”

He spoke without being told, saying, “If it were not for the man I brought back, whose pharmaceutical skills are superb, how could this precious medicine have ended up on your Yanchun Hall shelves so soon after the epidemic began? And you are even withholding my share of the profits?”

He was about to get angry as he spoke.

Both shopkeepers stepped forward and apologized profusely.

Both men nodded in agreement with Zhu Tingguang’s words. The second shopkeeper said, “It’s thanks to the pharmacist you brought that Yanchun Hall has such a prosperous day. We dare not take credit for it!”

The head shopkeeper then said, “The problem is that wealthy families in Shaanxi have already bought almost everything they need, and important people from other places cannot come over immediately. Our precious medicine is also quite expensive, which is why we have not made enough profit.”

He then spoke frankly to Zhu Tingguang, “What do you think? Should we use some cheaper herbs as substitutes, lower the price, and produce a cheaper medicine? That would sell even more widely!”

With the precious medicine establishing a reputation, and then selling a more affordable medicine, they could maximize their profits.

Hearing their words, Zhu Tingguang’s anger subsided somewhat.

“But it cannot be too cheap, can it?” He needed the money.

Both men said no, “Yanchun Hall does not sell cheap medicine.”

But the head shopkeeper said, “Although it cannot compare to precious medicine, I’d still like to ask your pharmacist to help check its quality; the efficacy must not be too poor.”

However, that pharmacist was Zhu Tingguang’s man, and without his permission, no one else could see him. Even the two shopkeepers had only met him a few times, so they could only listen to Zhu Tingguang’s opinion for now.

Zhu Tingguang did not object and nodded.

“Alright, I will have someone take you there tomorrow.”

The two shopkeepers of Yanchun Hall were relieved to hear him agree, but then they heard him ask if they could guarantee a profit.

The two shopkeepers exclaimed, “Do not worry; no other medicine on the market is as effective as ours. If we lower the price a little, our precious medicine will be five taels per pill, and our new medicine will be three taels. Our precious medicine will be sold in minimum orders of five pills, and our new medicine in minimum orders of three pills. No one will be able to compete with Yanchun Hall!”

The two shopkeepers explained the pricing, and Zhu Tingguang nodded in satisfaction upon hearing that the price reduction was not significant.

“Then I trust you. Do not let anything go wrong.”

The two shopkeepers repeatedly replied, “Absolutely nothing will go wrong. Please rest assured!”