Chapter 38 Rouge

Aunt Zhu and her colleagues were quite quick and efficient; by noon, they had felled all the withered trees.

The men, armed with saws and axes, cut the branches into smaller logs, which they then hauled home on carts to use as firewood. The women gathered and bundled up the remaining dry branches; this firewood would last them for a while.

At noon, Aman said he would treat everyone to lunch, but everyone declined, saying they had children at home.

Aman couldn't persuade them otherwise, so she had no choice but to go along with them.

It was terribly hot at noon, so Aman made an appointment with them to come over in the afternoon when the weather was cooler.

After the three of them had lunch, Mantou served Fu Yunxiu a nap, and Aman took the opportunity to simmer the mung beans she had bought the day before.

Simmer it over low heat until it's soft and tender by the time she wakes up. Then, chill it in cold water. On a hot day like this, a bowl of this is perfect for cooling down and relieving the heat.

Of the houses demolished in Wutongyuan, only the west wing and its attached warm pavilion remained. The area was not large, and it had been abandoned for many years, with little of the earthen foundation remaining after being exposed to wind and rain.

The three small carts went back and forth, and the task was completed in less than an hour.

There were still quite a few branches that had been cut down earlier in the backyard. Aman thought they were taking up too much space, so he asked Aunt Zhu and the others to take some away.

After seeing Aunt Zhu and the others off, Aman carefully swept the yard. Without the withered trees and scorched earth, the yard looked bigger and more spacious.

After dinner, the three of them sat in the courtyard to cool off. Looking at the empty space, Aman had another idea in his mind.

“Young master, why don’t we build another pavilion there?” Aman suggested. “Our original pavilion is too small, not only is the view bad, but the location is also remote. It’s okay in winter, but in summer, there’s no shade at all.”

Before the weather got so hot, the young master often sunbathed and read there, but since the beginning of summer, that place has been abandoned.

Now, the young master spends all day indoors painting, which is stuffy and hot. She's worried that he might develop health problems from being cooped up for too long.

Since the land in the west wing is just sitting empty anyway, why not build a pavilion there? There's no need for fancy eaves or upturned corners; just a simple thatched roof with tiles, curtains, and flowers and plants around it would be quite elegant.

When the time comes, the young master will be in a better mood while painting and reading inside.

Fu Yunxiu listened to Aman's idea and thought it was quite good.

He was indeed feeling a bit stifled staying indoors these days.

"Then let's do it this way. Mantou, go find Uncle Zhu tomorrow and see if he can make it," Fu Yunxiu said.

Building a gazebo is something that should be done by professionals, and Uncle Zhu is a carpenter, so this shouldn't be too difficult for him.

Aman was overjoyed to see that Fu Yunxiu had agreed. "Thank you, young master."

"Why thank me? Didn't we agree to teach you how to paint? Now that the pavilion is built, we have a place to sit," Fu Yunxiu said. "By the way, let Uncle Zhu make two more desks while we're at it. You can have one steamed bun for each of you."

"I have one too. What would I do with a desk?" Upon hearing the word "desk," Mantou wished he could run away.

In his life, what he feared most was reading and writing, let alone the more literary things like painting.

Back in the Marquis's mansion, he went to great lengths to avoid studying with the young master, even taking on tasks like cleaning the young master's chamber pot.

Later, seeing that he was indeed in pain, the young master stopped forcing him to study and learn to read.

I never expected them to make a comeback.

"Young master?" Mantou's face scrunched up like a chrysanthemum. "Can I not learn? You know I'm slow-witted and can't keep up. Making me learn to read is like killing me."

Mantou started to act pitiful, but this time, Fu Yunxiu seemed to have made up his mind and refused to budge an inch. "No."

"Young Master~"

Mantou tried to play the trick again, but Fu Yunxiu didn't tolerate him at all. After glancing at him, he pushed his wheelchair back to his room and said, "I'm sleepy, I'm going to sleep first. This matter is settled."

"Young Master—"

Watching Fu Yunxiu resolutely leave, Mantou wanted to cry but had no tears, and in the end, she could only accept it.

Inside the room, Fu Yunxiu gazed at the flickering candlelight, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

Of course he knew that Mantou didn't like studying, but he was young at the time and thought that if Mantou didn't like studying, he could just let him be. Anyway, he wouldn't suffer much hardship by staying by his side.

But times have changed. I don't have many years left to live. If Mantou can learn a few words to help himself, life will be easier for him in the future.

Although he could be entrusted to the Marquis's mansion, the days of serving others are nothing compared to the freedom and ease of life.

*

The next day, Mantou invited Uncle Zhu to come and take measurements. Uncle Zhu was a bricklayer in his younger days, so building a pavilion was naturally no problem for him.

Aman originally wanted Uncle Zhu to hire another person so that he could have an easier time, but Uncle Zhu said it wasn't necessary. He could handle the work by himself, and Mantou only needed to lend a hand.

Uncle Zhu built the huge pavilion in just a day and a half, exactly as Aman had envisioned, and even more exquisite.

The only drawback is that the entire gazebo is made of the original wood color, which looks a bit pale. It might look better if it were painted.

"Let's leave it at that. It's not too abrupt." Aman thought it over and over, but ultimately refused.

Painting is another expense. Although Wutongyuan is not short of money now, it cannot be too extravagant and should save money wherever possible.

As agreed, Aman paid Uncle Zhu his wages, and Mantou saw him off.

Aman looked at the pavilion and liked it more and more. Her almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents and her mouth stretched to the sky.

Seeing her like this, Fu Yunxiu couldn't help but ask, "What are you grinning about? Are you that happy?"

"Hehe." Aman didn't say anything, but responded with her silly giggle.

Since her grandmother's death, Aman always felt alone, like a drifting duckweed without a home. Later, when the young master agreed to let her stay at the Wutong Garden, she was happy, but she always felt that it was all a dream, and that it might all shatter one day.

But now, she can do whatever she wants here, and that sense of security gives her a real feeling of home.

This feels so good.

She liked it very much.

“Young Master,” Aman suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?" Fu Yunxiu responded.

"Let's plant some trees around the pavilion next spring," Aman said.

Although Fu Yunxiu didn't understand what planting trees had to do with his Aman's silly grin just now, he still nodded, "Yes, whatever you think is fine."

Upon hearing this, Aman smiled even more broadly.

*

On the third day after the pavilion was built, Uncle Zhu finally delivered the two desks, along with a new table that Aman had made.

The table in the steamed bun shop was too old; it was peeling and infested with insects. Fearing that the insects inside would damage the pavilion, Aman simply had a new one made.

The height of the table was about the same as that of Fu Yunxiu's desk, which was just right for him to sit in his wheelchair, making it easier for him to draw.

Thus, in addition to his daily painting, Fu Yunxiu had an extra task: to teach Aman and Mantou to read and paint.

Although Aman was a complete novice at painting, he was a good student. At first, he was clumsy and didn't know where to start when he held the paintbrush. After four or five days, he gradually got the hang of it and could barely paint anything.

Although the Fu Bao she painted, if you don't look closely, you might mistake it for a mouse.

But in the end, it can still be drawn, right?

At the same time, Fu Yunxiu did not slack off in teaching them to read and write, and made them memorize a fixed passage every day and copy a few characters.

Therefore, every morning, Fu Yunxiu would wake up to the sound of Aman and Mantou reading.

This small Wutong Garden has the air of an academy.

That day, Aman got up very early. After having breakfast, she went out early, planning to go to the market to buy some things so she could come back and continue learning to paint.

As Aman walked out the back door, carrying a basket, he suddenly saw Hongxing coming out of the back door of the Marquis's mansion, her hands tucked in her sleeves, looking around furtively.

What are you doing?

Hongxing was a servant in the Second Madam's quarters, and she had some past conflicts with Aman.

Driven by curiosity, Aman thought it over and over again, but still took a step and quietly followed behind her.

Hongxing was focused on walking forward and didn't realize that she was being followed.

Aman followed her through a narrow alley, and finally, at a fork in the road, Hongxing stopped.

"Why are you so late?" A strange voice came from behind. Aman was hiding in the corner and couldn't see the person, but could tell from the voice that it was a man.

“The Second Young Master spent a little longer having breakfast with the Madam today,” Hongxing said.

However, the man didn't seem to care much about that. He ignored her question and instead asked something else, "How much this time?"

"I haven't had much time these past two days, this is all I have," Hongxing said, rummaging through her sleeves.

Aman watched as the other person extended his hand, and Hongxing placed three exquisitely crafted boxes in his hand.

From a distance, Aman couldn't see the box clearly, but judging from its appearance, it seemed to be quite valuable.

"That's all?" The man seemed a little dissatisfied. He examined the box carefully, then opened it to take a look, and instantly became satisfied. "The quality is quite good, and the box is also elegant. Oh well, less is more!"

As he spoke, the man put the box into his sleeve, then took out his purse, took out a piece of silver and handed it to Hongxing, "That's enough for this time. Make more next time so I don't make a wasted trip."

"Yes, yes, yes." Hongxing nodded repeatedly, beaming as she took the silver.

Aman initially thought Hongxing was up to something, but seeing the silver now made him realize what was going on.

It seems that Hongxing is making money from those boxes.

Putting everything else aside, just those three boxes alone could earn her such a large sum of money, which is much more than she earns selling vegetables.

Unfortunately, she was too far away to see what the box was for.

"I'll be waiting for you here again in three days," the man said.

"Alright, then I'll head back." With Madam in the courtyard today, she didn't dare linger any longer.

If the madam summons her and finds out that she has left the manor without permission, that would be bad.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Aman quickly turned around and hid behind a pile of firewood, barely daring to breathe, for fear of being discovered by Hongxing.

Fortunately, Hongxing was still immersed in the joy of earning money and the worry of being discovered, so she didn't look in this direction and walked straight past.

Hearing the footsteps fade into the distance, Aman finally relaxed and took a breath.

When she stepped out of the woodpile, Hongxing was nowhere to be seen. Only the man who had spoken to her earlier was humming a tune and swaying as he walked away.

Thinking of the silver coin in Hongxing's hand, Aman was suddenly blinded by greed and rushed forward to inquire about the situation.

"Wait a minute." Just as the man was about to turn, Aman called out to her.

This alley is usually deserted. When the man heard the sound, he thought it was Hongxing chasing after him again, but when he turned around, he saw a woman he didn't recognize.

Her clothes and appearance alone made it clear that she must be a maid from some household.

Thinking another business opportunity had come knocking, the man raised an eyebrow. "What, you have rouge to sell me?"

"Huh?" Aman was stunned for a moment before realizing that the man was asking her a question.

But she also gleaned a key word from his words: rouge.

So, what Hongxing traded with her just now was rouge.

Aman got the answer she wanted and didn't intend to argue with him any further. After all, the place was remote, and she was alone with him; she was a little scared.

He gave an awkward laugh and said, "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

After saying that, she ran away in a flash.

The man watched her retreating figure, completely baffled, and could only mutter to himself, "Hey, what a waste of my time."