C7 The Power of a Poem!

"This must be a scholar's study; it's quite a mess..."

Xiaoqin mused aloud as she visualized Lin Han in a flurry, clumsily grinding ink and making a mess. She tidied up, her hands finding a crumpled ball of paper that Lin Han had discarded in the corner.

Her face, once beaming with pride, now fell into a frown. This was paper, a precious commodity. Even her mistress didn't have much of it, and here the young master was, wasting it. Xiaoqin, in her innocent and straightforward youth, saw things in black and white—good was good, and bad was bad. Her emotions were always plainly written on her face, and Lin Han's wastefulness did not sit well with her.

Picking up the paper with barely a smudge of ink, Xiaoqin felt a pang of distress. As a maid to Lau Mingzhu, she was treated more like a sister. The Lau family, able to afford Lau Mingzhu's martial arts training, certainly didn't skimp on education. Lau Mingzhu, considering Xiaoqin a sister, would often teach her to read and write during their spare time.

The poem Lin Han had scribbled was composed of familiar words, all within Xiaoqin's reading ability. As she read the content of the crumpled paper, she was transfixed.

The bright moonlight in front of my bed, I suspect it's frost on the ground. Looking up, I gaze at the bright moon; bowing my head, I long for my hometown.

A simple quartet of lines, the poem was easy to grasp. In Xiaoqin's mind, she envisioned a scholar under the moonlight, yearning for home. The poem was not just words; it captured a sentiment.

Absorbed in the wrinkled paper and its verses, Xiaoqin forgot all about her chores, oblivious to Lau Mingzhu who had quietly appeared behind her.

Lau Mingzhu was puzzled. The study wasn't large; tidying it should have been a quick task for Xiaoqin. After completing her own studies and looking forward to a cup of tea, Lau Mingzhu was surprised to find the usually diligent Xiaoqin unresponsive, as if she hadn't heard her at all. Driven by curiosity, Lau Mingzhu entered the study.

She saw Xiaoqin, her back turned, lost in thought, not even noticing her name being called. Approaching, Lau Mingzhu discovered Xiaoqin holding the wrinkled paper, seemingly captivated by the writing. Intrigued by Xiaoqin's reaction, Lau Mingzhu walked up beside her and, with a gentle breeze, delicately took the paper from her hands.

"Ah... Miss..."

Xiaoqin snapped back to reality, suddenly aware that Lau Mingzhu had appeared before her, leaving her momentarily flustered.

The Lau Mingzhu standing before Xiaoqin had lost her earlier composure. As she gazed at the crumpled paper with its verses, her mind thundered, overwhelmed as if she'd been thrown from solid ground into deep water, the sensation of drowning washing over her. Everything seemed surreal to Lau Mingzhu. Xiaoqin, despite her strength, knew only a few characters. Yet Lau Mingzhu, renowned in Shuixiu County for her intellect, instantly recognized the poem's worth—a timeless masterpiece.

To call it a timeless masterpiece was no overstatement. Lau Mingzhu, well-versed in literature, had read far more than Lin Han, the impoverished scholar, but she had never encountered such astonishing lines in any book.

Was this poem penned by Lin Han?

The image of the impetuous scholar from their wedding night flashed through her mind. Could such an enduring work truly come from a man known for his lust? More likely, Lin Han had copied it from somewhere else. Why else would the paper be so badly crumpled? Yes, that had to be it.

There was no way this enduring masterpiece could be the work of Lin Han, the frivolous, flippant, and mercenary youth. How could someone so fixated on money craft such a pure and elegant poem, or convey such profound, heartfelt yearning for home? He didn't even know where his own home was...

Panic set in for Lau Mingzhu as she searched desperately for excuses, unable to accept the possibility that Lin Han could be the author of such a beautifully poignant work. Yet try as she might, Lau Mingzhu could not recall ever coming across these verses before.

And now, lost in her thoughts, Lau Mingzhu was the one bewildered.

"Miss, Miss, now we can take the Young Master to the Mid Autumn Poetry Gathering. With his talent, he's sure to come out on top..."

Xiaoqin, on the other hand, began to chatter excitedly like a magpie. She believed that bringing Lin Han to the Mid Autumn Poetry Gathering would certainly earn her mistress great honor.

"Why bring him? To make a fool of us? What does he see beyond money? It would be better to take you, Xiaoqin... Aren't you the one who's been longing to attend the Mid Autumn Poetry Gathering?"

Lau Mingzhu seemed to snap out of a daze at that moment, her face turning slightly awkward as she remembered Lin Han's dismissive look when they had discussed the poetry gathering. How could someone as mercenary as Lin Han write such emotionally rich poetry? This reinforced Lau Mingzhu's conviction that the poem couldn't possibly be his work.

"Oh..." Xiaoqin responded submissively, her face falling with disappointment. She had truly believed the poem to be exceptional, but seeing her mistress's reaction, Xiaoqin thought perhaps the poem she found so accessible was still lacking. The realization dampened her spirits.

"Remember, don't speak of this poem to anyone, and certainly don't mention it to Lin Han..."

Lau Mingzhu didn't understand why she had made such an impolite request and immediately regretted it. The poem was plagiarized, after all; she felt ashamed to even show it, let alone cover for him. Surely, she rationalized, it was fear of tarnishing the Lau family's reputation that motivated her.

Lau Mingzhu tried to reassure herself, but whether her justifications held any truth was something only she could know. Whether it was fear of disgrace or something else, she alone understood.

Xiaoqin, ever loyal to her mistress's commands, kept her silence. If her mistress wished for discretion, Xiaoqin would not question it.

Women can be mysterious creatures, often as perplexed by their own hearts as anyone else.

Days slipped by, and Lin Han couldn't help but notice that Lau Mingzhu had been seemingly avoiding him lately, while the little girl, Xiaoqin, appeared to be keeping secrets from him. But the mysteries of these two women paled in comparison to his grand money-making scheme. After a brief moment of curiosity, Lin Han shrugged off his concerns. He had been working tirelessly from dawn till dusk, visiting every blacksmith in Shuixiu County, yet he still hadn't managed to gather all the parts for his distilling apparatus. With his feet nearly cramping from the constant hustle, he hardly had any energy left to wonder about Lau Mingzhu's behavior.

In the Great Ning Dynasty, neither the iron-smelting techniques nor the craftsmanship met Lin Han's standards. Despite scouring every blacksmith shop in the county, he couldn't find the components that matched his design specifications.

"Young Master, your standards are exceedingly high. Perhaps only the artisans from the imperial palace or the craftsmen from noble households possess such skill. I'm afraid I can't earn your silver. You might need to seek someone more capable..."

Lin Han blinked in disbelief, then gazed at the blacksmith shop that had just shown him the door. He touched his nose, feeling a mix of frustration and amusement. What kind of situation was this?

They were turning down money handed to them on a silver platter... He was almost ready to personally show the blacksmith how to create the materials he needed, but the man preferred clinging to his ancestral craft over heeding Lin Han's advice.

Seeing the diminished amount of silver in his possession, Lin Han's face soured. These people were indeed untrustworthy. He was lucky he hadn't divulged his own metallurgical techniques, or he would have been at a real loss.

Could Lau Mingzhu, the buxom but seemingly airheaded woman, be someone he could trust? For some reason, her image floated into his mind, only to be swiftly dismissed. He might stand a chance at reasoning with these greedy merchants, but with her, he'd likely end up on the receiving end of a thrashing.

The thought made Lin Han wince. It seemed making money from brewing wasn't going to be as straightforward as he'd hoped. Was earning a little cash really this challenging? With a look of resignation, Lin Han made his way back to the Lau family's residence.

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