Chapter 22: If You Like to Talk, Then Say More

"Dr. Liu, do you still need something?"

Yuan Shen’s wounds had been properly bandaged, his clothes were back on, and he was already seated at the table preparing to eat. Yet, Dr. Liu remained standing to the side, twisting his fingers, looking as if he had something to say but was hesitant to speak.

Yan Chaonian asked if he would like to join them for a meal, but he shook his head hurriedly. "I have... I have already eaten."

Dr. Liu rubbed his hands together and stepped forward. "Madam, regarding that medicine you used earlier, could it be..."

To ask for such expensive items outright felt inappropriate, yet he couldn't afford to buy them either.

"You want some?" Yan Chaonian smiled. "Just say so. Take a look for yourself, and if there is anything you need, just take it. I don't know much about medicine; if you find any particular type that works well, just let me know, and I will entrust someone to purchase more."

"Oh, thank you, Madam!"

Dr. Liu was overjoyed. He scurried over to the large trunk, knelt down, and picked out several items, bundling them in his robes. "General, please enjoy your meal. I shall take my leave."

Yuan Shen ate silently, with Yan Chaonian sitting by his side watching him. Before he had even finished, little Xun’er arrived. He climbed onto a stool, knelt, and leaned over the table. "Daddy~"

"I heard you."

"Daddy~"

"Daddy is eating."

"Daddy~"

Yuan Shen felt helpless. He suddenly wondered why his son didn't seem particularly bright. After finishing his meal in a few bites, he rose to pick the boy up, but Yan Chaonian stopped him. "Your wounds were just bandaged. Take it easy."

She took the boy into her arms to soothe him, explaining that his father had injuries that were very painful, and he would be able to hold him once they had healed.

"Injuries?"

The toddler didn't understand what an injury was, but Yan Chaonian explained it as being like the time he fell and cut his lip, causing it to bleed. The boy looked up at his father and asked very seriously, "Pain?"

Yuan Shen, who wanted to say it didn't hurt, found himself nodding involuntarily. "Pain."

The little boy’s lips trembled, and tears welled up instantly. The suddenness of the tears caught Yuan Shen off guard. Yan Chaonian told him to sit down and placed the boy on his lap. "You made him cry; you should be the one to comfort him."

Yuan Shen was truly torn between laughter and tears. Had he known, he would have just said it didn't hurt. After a chaotic scramble to soothe the child, just as the boy finally calmed down, someone came to report that a visitor was waiting outside. "They say they are from the Earl's Mansion in the capital. They were robbed half an hour ago and want the General to help catch the bandits."

Yuan Shen didn't even look up. "Since when does the Garrison Office do the work of the magistrate’s office?"

"Tell them to go to the magistrate to catch bandits."

The messenger turned and left. Yan Chaonian tilted her head. *Another robbery?* Her uncles were busy with the brocade competition; they shouldn't have time for such things. *Who could be the kind soul behind this?*

Her gaze fell on Yuan Shen. "You didn't happen to come back because you received some news, did you?"

Yuan Shen smiled at her but didn't answer, focusing instead on playing with his son. After a good while, Mother Yan arrived, saying it was time for Xun’er to sleep. "Is Wenchao alright?"

"Commander Yan is fine."

Yan Wenchao was a year younger than Yuan Shen. Calling him brother or brother-in-law felt off, so Yuan Shen always addressed him by his title. The family didn't mind; to them, titles didn't matter.

"Very well. You should get some rest. I will take Xun’er to sleep."

Once they were gone, the two were left alone again. Yan Chaonian asked, "I'm asking you, you know."

Yuan Shen sat down. "Is there nothing you want to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yan Chaonian realized what he meant. "You mean Jiang Wencheng?"

"This is actually quite interesting."

She recounted the entire sequence of events to Yuan Shen in great detail, including her own conjectures. "I suspect something has gone wrong at the Earl's Mansion. Otherwise, he wouldn't lower himself to deal with a merchant like me. It sounded like he wanted to win me over, likely to use me—perhaps for the money, or perhaps he has his eyes on our brocade."

"In recent years, the imperial court has relaxed controls on brocade, allowing it to enter the civilian market. Because it was previously reserved for the royal family or maritime trade, the price has remained high. Our best brocade can fetch two thousand taels per bolt, and the latest patterns reach three thousand. Even at that price, supply cannot meet demand; the merchants will take as much as we can provide."

"Last year, the brocade that won the championship was sent to the capital, and the person who delivered it received a massive reward. Whether it is money or the influence of the brocade, the potential gains are not to be underestimated. I think that is the real reason he came."

Yuan Shen knew the Chaojin Workshop was profitable, but he had never asked exactly how much. Apart from protecting the workshop from being bullied, he rarely concerned himself with its affairs, mainly because he lacked the time. The situation in the Southwest was complex; his being able to return home to sleep at night was already a result of his worry for his wife.

Hearing now that a single bolt of brocade could sell for two or three thousand taels, he was astonished. "How long does it take to weave a bolt?"

"Even a skilled weaver takes two or three months."

Yan Chaonian sighed softly. "We have done our best to improve the weavers' techniques and upgrade the looms to shorten the production time. However, human limitations are hard to overcome. If we want more brocade, we need more weavers. For this reason, we have already begun organizing weaving classes, teaching young girls from the start."

"Oh, that's right."

She leaned in toward Yuan Shen with a smile. "You have so many soldiers under your command. Do they have any sisters or female relatives? If they are dexterous and willing to learn, you can tell me. Firstly, I get the help I need, and secondly, once they earn money, the burden on your men will be lighter."

"But it’s agreed: they must sign a ten-year contract. Don't let them learn the trade here and then run off."

Seeing her chattering away, Yuan Shen reached out, pulled her onto his lap, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I’ve never seen you talk so much before. How long have you been holding this all in?"

Yan Chaonian laughed, saying that since he left, she had no one to talk to. "Xun’er is too young, my mother is always scolding me, and my uncles look down on me. I’m quite pitiable, really."

Yuan Shen’s lips curled upward. He knew what the Li family was like and understood his mother-in-law's intentions. "It is truly pitiable. If you like to talk, talk more. I like to listen."

Yan Chaonian laughed again, telling him everything she had done at home over the past year, when Xun’er learned to walk, when he first called her 'mother,' and that her father was still away at the tea plantation. "The workshop is preparing to give tea as a gift to the merchants who come to place orders. My father has been overseeing the picking and processing for the last two days and should be back in a couple of days."

Yuan Shen gained a clear picture of what had happened at home. He was then pestered by Yan Chaonian to talk about his military campaigns—whether it was dangerous, if they were fed well, how many casualties there were, and so on.

Yuan Shen answered every question, mentioning he wanted to host a welcoming banquet for his personal guards but lacked the funds. Yan Chaonian decisively agreed. "Is that all? I will cover the costs. I’ll give the order in a moment to buy a hundred fat pigs and several hundred pounds of wine. I remember your personal guard consists of five hundred men, right?"

Yuan Shen’s gaze dimmed. "There are only four hundred and twenty left."

Yan Chaonian sighed. She didn't know how to console him; on the battlefield, swords had no eyes, and losses were inevitable. Before she could speak, Shui Yun ran in breathlessly.

"Madam! Just in from the latest news: the Tonghai Satin sent by Chaojin Workshop for the competition has won the championship!"