The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 730 - 729: Ancestor Worship

Chapter 730: Chapter 729: Ancestor Worship

As he spoke, he took Wang Yongzhu to the rinsing pool. The first pool of clear water had turned a light red. This was the excess dye on the fabric, which would be gone after one rinse.

The water in the second pool next to it was only faintly red.

By the third pool, no color could be made out at all.

And the fabric that had been rinsed was lifted out and hung on the Zhugan. Its distinct madder red shone brilliantly in the sunlight, dazzling to the eye.

Wang Yongzhu stepped forward to examine the fabric, and rubbed it a couple of times with her hands. Seeing that no color had come off onto her hands, she finally felt at ease.

She nodded, "No problems now!"

Only after hearing Wang Yongzhu’s personal affirmation did everyone cheer wholeheartedly.

Ninth Master Lee couldn’t hide his excitement, staring intently at Wang Yongzhu. Even though everyone from the Full Dye Workshop was present, he only had eyes for her.

Wang Yongzhu was also very happy, knowing that with no issues, the ten thousand taels of silver were now within closer reach.

Seeing the success of this attempt, everyone grew confident.

It was only the beginning, as the dye in the pot was mixed with water and poured into a large pool.

Under the pool was a huge stove, attended by two people responsible for heating the water.

Then, the fabric was formally immersed.

Wang Yongzhu had been prepared for this moment since the morning, carrying a large bundle of cloth. She measured the depth and length of the pool and, counting under her breath, threw the bundle of cloth into the pool.

As long as the water in the pool was not changed, the re-forged fabric could be completely revamped.

Watching each piece of fabric being put in to boil, Wang Yongzhu estimated that the material from the cloth bundle had thoroughly integrated into the water and was ready to take her leave.

She hadn’t gone far when Ninth Master Lee stopped her, "Lady Wang, please don’t leave just yet. Now that the fabric has been tested successfully, I believe there will be no mistakes if we follow your method. We’re all straightforward people. I, Lee Changnan, trust Lady Wang, and would like to pay the full amount today. What do you think?"

Wang Yongzhu was taken aback, not expecting Ninth Master Lee to offer to pay in advance. Why wouldn’t she be pleased to receive the money earlier?

Although she tried to maintain her composure, the gleam in her eyes and the uncontrollable smile at the corners of her mouth betrayed her joy.

She felt obliged to be polite, "That’s very kind of you! But we should follow the agreement in the contract!"

Ninth Master Lee found this endearing and thought Lady Wang was truly delightful. Even her guise of a greed-driven, insincere manner seemed adorable, making him wish he could pile silver in front of her just to see her happy.

After all, if there was one thing his family had plenty of, it was silver!

Fortunately, he still had some sense and managed to suppress his absurd impulse, curving his lips into a smile and feeling very pleased, "No problem, I’m sure Lady Wang wouldn’t abscond with the money!"

Wang Yongzhu was startled, remembering she needed to return to Qilidun in a few days. If something went amiss in her absence, and people thought she had run off with the money, it would be a gross injustice.

She quickly waved her hands, "Then let’s not. I have to go back to the countryside in a couple of days for the ancestral rites. Let’s wait until I return for the payment!"

In business, reputation is of paramount importance!

Ninth Master Lee was briefly taken aback, his mood immediately clouding over. Did this mean he wouldn’t see her for several days?

"How many days will you need for the ancestral rites in the countryside? In case there’s an issue—"

Seeing Ninth Master Lee’s mood dampen, looking somewhat displeased, Wang Yongzhu felt compelled to explain, "Shopkeeper Wu knows about it. If there’s any issue, just send a message, and I will come back to deal with it. But there won’t be any problems as long as you follow the steps I provided and don’t make any rash decisions on your own!"

She was quite confident about this.

Shopkeeper Wu nodded hurriedly, "My great-niece is right, the Qingming Festival is in a couple of days, especially since Big Brother Wang just passed away not long ago, without even reaching the forty-nine days of mourning. As a daughter and son-in-law, one really should go back to make proper arrangements!"

This was speaking on behalf of Wang Yongzhu.

Ninth Young Master Lee said reluctantly, "If that’s the case, then let’s pay half the deposit first, and after returning, we will pay the rest once we confirm the delivery is correct."

Wang Yongzhu was surprised that Ninth Young Master Lee was so agreeable.

After thanking Ninth Young Master Lee, they agreed to send Yang the Mute every day to supervise the work at the dye workshop on her behalf, and then she went home, pocketing a stack of thick silver notes.

Old Granny Zhang had already bought a big pile of things needed for the ancestral worship and various gifts for the Wang Family, which filled up the room.

It took the mother and daughter quite a while to sort everything out, but they finally managed to get it all in order.

The next morning, Changqing Academy closed for the holiday, and coincidentally, the warm spring weather had continued, with trees budding and flowers on the brink of blooming.

Especially the peach and pear blossoms, nestled amongst the hills, intermittently revealing patches of white or red, were exceptionally beautiful.

The students in the city, seeing the splendid spring scenery, all agreed to go outside the city to enjoy the spring outing.

Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu, carrying the offerings, left the city and saw many groups of students slowly walking, reciting poems and pairing up, enjoying themselves immensely.

There were also many young girls and married women, also in groups, following their families out. They finally had the chance to shed their winter clothes, donning fresh and light spring attire, revealing their graceful figures.

These young girls and wives, with cheeks more delicate than peach blossoms and more charming than fresh flowers, attracted the gazes of many scholars and men.

Young men and women harboring thoughts of love exchanged glances and sentiments along the way.

Even more were those with offerings going to the outskirts for ancestral worship, bringing along entire families in a lively scene.

Walking among them, Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu stepped through the spring light, feeling quite at ease.

They followed the crowd leisurely up to the summit’s temple.

The temple was bustling today, with a constant throng of people coming and going.

Stalls were even set up at the temple’s entrance, selling incense, candles, and the like, and a few were selling paper kites.

They first bought incense, yellow mounting paper, and candles from a stall in front of the temple and then headed to the back garden.

The back garden was quiet, with not too many visitors.

Since this was primarily a cemetery, most of the buried were monks, with only a handful of laypeople.

Those buried in a temple cemetery rather than their own family grave had their own reasons, but they all shared one outcome: during Qingming, this place was exceptionally quiet and desolate.

When Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin entered the cemetery, they saw that every grave had been cleaned and willow branches had been inserted.

These actions must have been done by the monks of the temple, probably as a way to let the departed souls feel a touch of remembrance from the living world.

Both of them silently went to Qi Huan’s grave.

First, they used willow branches to sweep in front of the grave, then lit the incense and candles, took out the yellow mounting paper, and burned them four sheets at a time, letting them slowly turn to ash.

When burning paper, it’s customary to speak to the ancestors, perhaps asking for their blessing of descendants, or inquiring how the departed under the grave are faring.

Song Chongjin remained silent, and Wang Yongzhu, having no choice, burned the paper while muttering a few words like, "Grandmother, how are you doing down there? Before we didn’t know about you, causing you to suffer alone! Now that you have our offerings, please live well down there."