Chapter 23: The Clown (Part 2)
There were off-white smears of saliva at the corners of his mouth. He opened his mouth wide, and the stench of rancid wine and meat hit the three girls' nostrils. Even through the veil, Zheng Sirui felt nauseous at the sudden breath. She reached out and pinched her philtrum, forcing herself to hold back. Cai Yuan pulled out a sachet and pressed it against her girl's mouth and nose. "In front of the pure Buddhist place, Master Xue's saliva flew everywhere. It's a small matter to startle the Bodhisattva, but it's a big deal to startle Madam Xue in the Mantou Temple!"
The three words "Madam Xue" stunned Xue Jia. He paused in his lewd behavior and transformed himself into a defeated toad, humming and hopping to the top of the mountain, muttering like a mosquito: "We are the masters' words, why do you, a cheap girl worth only a few taels of silver, have the guts to butt in? If your daughter enters my Xue Mansion, the first thing I'll do is sell you out."
The smell gradually faded away. Zheng Sirui took off her veil and quickly ran to the vent between two plum trees. She gasped fiercely, trying to completely clear the odor lingering in her nose: "Ah - Yue - cough cough, seriously, Yi Bin, can you tell your uncle that any marriage will only harm you?"
Yi Bin wanted to cry but had no tears. "This was just the first time I met him, and we were just testing his chemistry. If I had to look at that face every day for the rest of my life, I'm afraid Naji would have gone crazy that very day. Let me tell you, you know how good Caiyuan is at making tea. We were in there, and my mother asked Caiyuan to make tea for everyone. He had the audacity to grab Caiyuan's hand right in front of my mother and me while she was serving him tea! It pissed me off!"
Being lifted up, the touch seemed to return to her hand. Cai Yuan kept rubbing her hand against the handkerchief: "Girl, stop talking. His hand is still greasy and sticky, like earthworms crawling on your body. Well, the lady saw it too."
Zheng Sirui couldn't believe it. "No, why? Uncle is also a high-ranking official. Why would he want you to marry such a vulgar and ugly man?"
"Let's go up the mountain. I'll talk to you as we go." Yi Bin thought about it and distanced himself from Xue Jia. He took Zheng Sirui's hand and the three of them went up. "My father is a Beijing official, but in fact he is just a small official of the sixth rank. Our ancestors are in Lingnan, and our relatives are in Jinling. We moved to Beijing four years ago because of my father's transfer. In this imperial city, my father has no relatives or classmates. He wants a lot of things, so he plans to find a good relative. Don't think that Xue Jia is disgusting. It is said that his family was originally from Beijing, but he went out for a few years and became some kind of imperial merchant with a big tree to lean on. Some people also say that his ancestors had military merits. He should not be as powerful as the one who taught us to paint in Qiu Shui... Who? Oh! Ji Mingxiu, he should not be as powerful as Teacher Ji's wife's family. Three years ago, After Xue Jia arrived in Beijing with his parents, he made inquiries and bought a lot of antiques and jewelry. He then packed his purchases into large gilded boxes, rented dozens of carriages, and paraded them through the streets, finally transporting them to the mansion in the east of the city. After this incident, he became quite famous in the capital and played with that group of playboys. Last Mid-Autumn Festival, my father met Xue Jia's father and drank with him several times. The Xue family said that we were of similar age and joked about trying to get married. His family seemed wealthy, but I always felt that they were shady. My father wanted to marry into the family, but he was worried that their family background was not stable. So, today, they took the opportunity to come to Tiekan Temple and Mantou Temple to let my mother and I go to test the waters.
As the sounds reached her ears, Zheng Sirui imagined a gigantic toad riding a spotted horse, followed closely by a row of gold, silver, and jewels. It was so absurd and hilarious that she couldn't help but laugh. "Back in Qiu Shui, I saw Meng Qi with hairpins all over his head, claiming they were Javanese gems or Persian jadeite. I thought that was quite extravagant, but I never expected that when it comes to showing off wealth, there are always better people than you."
Yi Bin said, "Of course not. Meng Qi and Xue Jia are both from merchant families. If this continues, I'll be prejudiced against them as merchants. Fortunately, besides the Xue family, there is also the Ma family who wants to marry into my family. The master of the Ma family is my father's boss and was also our Master Lu's former subordinate. After hearing that I spent two years at Qiushui Academy, he probably has a better impression of me. I guess my father will not choose the Xue family, but the Ma family. After all, they can't be reliable relatives if they can raise their only son to this state."
Zheng Sirui pushed aside the plum branches in front of her. "Ma family, Xue family, Niu family, Yang family, there are so many families, is there one you like?"
Yi Bin looked up at the sky. "Since ancient times, marriages have been arranged by parents and matchmakers. How could I have the final say in a blind marriage? My father has shown great mercy by allowing me to see Xue Jia's character and appearance."
A few unknown birds, startled by the sound of human voices and footsteps, flew up from the plum blossom forest, cawing and circling twice in the air before soaring towards the mountaintop. They passed through a mountain of wintersweet blossoms, skimmed along a stone path, and finally landed on a tall, bare tree. A young couple passed beneath the tree. The girl, adorned with beads, pointed at the birds perched on the branches and complained, "How tired, Liu Lang! If only I had wings like this bird, so I could soar to the branch and then soar to the mountaintop in one whoosh. How comfortable and easy it would be!"
"When burning incense and worshipping Buddha, you must take one step at a time until you reach the Bodhisattva, only then will you appear truly convinced. Be patient. The Bodhisattva will be deeply moved when he sees a beautiful woman taking the trouble to pay her respects. He will bless you with happiness for the rest of your life." Liu Xiang pulled out a gourd from his cloth bag, unscrewed it, and handed it over. He then opened a lotus leaf-wrapped snack and said, "Let's drink some water first, take a break, and have some steamed buns."
Yanru drank some water and gobbled up the steamed buns in no time. She felt at ease and comfortable, enjoying Liu Xiang's meticulous care. However, she still didn't want to move. She said pitifully, "Liu Lang, the mountain road is steep and difficult to walk on. I really don't want to move. Otherwise, see if there are any sedan chair bearers or carriages. We can rent one and ride up."
"We're halfway up the mountain, where can I find a sedan chair bearer?" Yanru's request was unreasonable. Seeing her pouting and sticking out her tongue, pretending to be aggrieved, Liu Xiang couldn't bear to let her continue to suffer. Since there was no one around, he simply leaned over and squatted with his back facing Yanru. "Then, I'll be a big asshole for a while and carry the girl to see the Buddha."
"Bah!" Yanru, holding the water gourd, poked his head with her water onion finger. "Isn't it okay to say a green ox? Is it okay to say a white horse? How can a man call himself a wangba?" After that, she threw herself on Liu Xiang's back and put her arms on his shoulders. She leaned against him, and he stood up steadily and walked into a small path that few people used. "The main road is crowded, let's take this one. Yanru, you often say that you are from a noble family. I am just the son of a local official. I can't compare to your illustrious family. In the past, I was proud and always felt that I was born with talents and that my family background was something I was born with and not worth taking seriously. But after meeting you, I felt ashamed and felt that I came from a humble family and was not worthy of you. Wangba is a turtle; the turtle, which looks like a bixi, is also considered a sacred beast and a lucky beast. It will carry you to see the Bodhisattva and ensure that you will have a smooth life, no disasters or illnesses, and that everything will be safe."
Yanru giggled, her love pent up in her chest, and she bit Liu Xiang's shoulder gently. "You're so smooth-talking! I'm going to tell your teacher that you've learned a lot of nonsense and only know how to talk smooth with women. You can only talk smooth with me. If you're nice to others, watch your skin." Her teeth didn't hit hard, but through the thick winter clothes, Liu Xiang's shoulder felt a little painful and itchy. Walking in the snow to appreciate the plum blossoms, the beautiful woman leaned on his shoulder, her head buried in his neck: "Sing for me."
The birds in the forest fluttered and flew away. Liu Xiang was amused and cleared his throat. He used his tongue to imitate the sounds of pipa, recorder and guqin, played the prelude and sang loudly:
“You are like a cloud in the sky, and I am like a bird in the cloud.
Accompany each other, bathing in the sun and breeze.
You are like the water in the lake, and I am like the flower in the water's heart.
Fall in love with each other and play with the moon.
Why do people gather and separate, why do people have sorrow and joy?
I hope to be with you forever, and not be a flash in the pan.
Why do people gather and separate, why do people have sorrow and joy?
I hope to be with you forever, and not just a fleeting moment."
After singing three or four times, they finally reached the top of the mountain. At a fork in the road, Liu Xiang set Yanru down from his back. This time, the plum trees were gone. Surrounded by evergreen pines and cypresses, a huge stone wall bore the four characters "Tiekan Zen Temple" in seal script. A bronze tripod in front swirled with incense and candles. Passing the screen wall, they saw a line of inscriptions carved into its back. Yanru recited them silently: "Pray in a thousand places, and you will be answered in a thousand places. The sea of suffering will always be a boat to save people."
What does that mean? I don't understand, but I don't care. Yanru looked around, but couldn't see Zheng Sirui: "Ah? Ruirui hasn't come up yet?"
Liu Xiang said, "Her route is difficult and a bit roundabout, so it should take a while. Should we go in and buy some incense first? Or should we wait here?"
Yanru said, "Let's go in first. The incense outside has ruined my makeup."
Liu Xiang led her in, and Yanru peeked in: "Liu Lang, where is the God of Wealth? I have to go and pay my respects."
Liu Xiang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Yanru, this is a Buddhist temple, the God of Wealth doesn't live here."
"Oh, okay~"
In front of the main hall, beneath a massive bodhi tree, sat a young monk at a table covered in incense sticks of varying sizes. Yanru, who had previously cried out at the foot of the mountain that she no longer believed in gods and Buddhas, now tugged at her lover's clothes, demanding, "Liu Lang, let's buy the thickest kind. The thickest ones are more visible, so the Buddha can see our wishes soon!"
The young monk clasped his hands and said, "Amitabha, your words are a little biased. Buddhism says that if countless sentient beings, suffering from various troubles, hear the name of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and chant it with one heart, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will immediately hear their voice and liberate them. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is compassionate and can save people with a sincere heart."
Liu Xiang smiled and bowed, thanking the little monk. He still fulfilled Yanru's wish, selected thicker incense and candles, and took Yanru around the round Heavenly King Hall in front to the pond at the back to see the koi and turtles, waiting for Zheng Sirui to arrive. Liu Xiang still had a few steamed buns in his bag. Yanru broke off a small half of it and squatted by the pond with Liu Xiang to play with the fish. Just as they were having fun, an old monk wearing a cassock and looking like the abbot came out from the corridor of the Zen temple. Next to him was a man with a big head and a short neck. He put his arms on his waist, like a proud toad, and spit flew everywhere: "Abbot, the two hundred taels of silver donated by my adoptive father, is it enough for you to repair the house?" Not enough? We have plenty of silver, as much as we can give! The Buddha statues here are all made of jade and wood. If it were you, I would make a gold-plated statue, shining with gold! It would be grand! It would show wealth!"
What a sin! What a sin! The abbot's fingers kept fiddling with the beads in his hand. "Amitabha! Amitabha! Thank you, Master Xue, for your generosity. Thank you, Master Shi, for your generosity. The Buddha has mercy on you both and will surely bless you both."
"Hmm! Abbot, that's very nice of you to say. I'll definitely tell my adoptive father." The man also made a funny Buddhist bow, looked around, and said, "Hey, Abbot, why don't you have any nuns here? I was just eating steamed buns at the Steamed Bun Temple downstairs, and the little nuns there were so pretty. I was saying that the nuns in such a small temple are quite beautiful, let alone a temple like yours! I didn't expect that after all this time, all I saw were monks."
"Amitabha! Amitabha! Amitabha!" The abbot's eyelids trembled upon hearing this, and he was about to faint. He quickly bowed to the main hall and pretended to urinate. "Alas, people have three urgent matters. I will be leaving for now... Mr. Xue, please go for a walk on your own first. When Madam Xue comes up, I will come out to greet her, okay?"
"Okay, okay, go pee." The man waved his hand proudly and swaggered. Liu Xiang and Yan Ru squatted under the bushes by the pool, frowning at each other in tacit understanding, and cursed inwardly: "What a clown!"
Just then, three graceful girls came in from behind the main hall. The two in front were arm in arm, while the one behind, dressed as a maid, carried a basket. Liu Xiang took a closer look and saw that one of them was Zheng Sirui. The girl holding her had a fresh, oval face with a naturally slightly downturned mouth, but her eyes were filled with a smile, giving her no hint of menace. If Yanru was peach blossoms and honey peaches, and Zheng Sirui was plum blossoms and daffodils, then this girl was like osmanthus and lychees, her every frown and smile fresh and pleasant. Liu Xiang was about to move forward to join Zheng Sirui, but then he saw Yanru's limbs stiffen, clutching at the corner of his clothes.
"It's Yi Bin!" Yanru cried out in dismay. She'd been hanging out with Ji Mingxiu back in the academy, and as a student, Yi Bin was right in the audience, seeing everything. Liu Xiang was so handsome, how could she possibly be attracted to him? To steal Yanru's man, she'd tell him about her past! Wait! Why is Zheng Sirui so nice to her? Didn't the students at Qiushui Academy all look down on her for being poor? How could Zheng Sirui be so close to Yi Bin?! Hand in hand? No matter how close Yanru and Zheng Sirui were, they wouldn't be so close and intimate like this, hand in hand.
You Liu and the other girl were still standing there. The clown had spotted them and was heading straight for Zheng Sirui. Cai Yuan quickly stepped out, half blocking the two girls, and quickly put her hat on Zheng Sirui's head. Yi Bin was not afraid either. He patted Cai Yuan's shoulder, motioned the maid to go behind him, and said, "Master Xue, this time we are truly at the feet of the Buddha and Guanyin. Master, please don't make any mistakes."
Xue Jia was dissatisfied with her attitude and tone. Coincidentally, he saw a basket in Cai Yuan's hand, which contained a bundle of fine incense. It was obvious to the naked eye that the incense was cheap, with a lot of earthy brown powder falling off and sticking to the straw paper that wrapped the incense. Like a hungry spider catching a mosquito, it rushed forward. Xue Jia immediately seized on this and mocked her, "I say, you outsiders, you've been serving as petty officials in the capital for a few years, and you're still so unpresentable. You keep calling out 'Buddha, Buddha,' and you're using this kind of incense to deal with the Buddha? At our house, we burn at least sandalwood incense. One stick is worth several bundles of your crappy incense. With this kind of door lintel, you still expect us to marry someone from the capital?"
The incense in the basket was sold by a little girl they saw on the mountain road. Seeing the shivering teenage girl, Yi Bin and Zheng Sirui waved off their purchases so she could return home early, but now Xue Jia was using this as an excuse to lash out, disregarding any proper etiquette for a lady of noble birth. He pointed at this man, whose appearance and character were so utterly disparate, and said, "Your family and I just met for the first time today. Who says our Yi family is trying to get ahead of your Xue family? Scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans. So what if you're richer than my family? My father is an official after all. Unlike you, who talks about money and corruption all the time?"
"Young Master, you look down on the incense we use. May I ask what kind of sandalwood you have at home?" Just as the two sides were about to come to blows, Liu Xiang quickly interrupted. Fearing Yanru might get hurt, he told her to run to the gate of a distant Zen temple while he stepped forward and said, "Young Master, you may not know that the elite families in the capital find sandalwood irritating, so they often burn agarwood. For example, the current Prime Minister's son often uses thousand-year-old agarwood. Your words and actions suggest he grew up in great wealth, so why do you burn sandalwood instead of agarwood? I'm truly curious. Could you find a sandalwood that's as non-irritating as agarwood? Forgive my ignorance, but I've come to ask for your advice."
Xue Jia scratched his head and asked, "Who are you to pretend to be familiar with the Prime Minister's son?"
Liu Xiang clasped his hands together and bowed, "I am a student of the Imperial College. The Prime Minister's beloved son, and my classmate."
Students from the Imperial College? Xue Jia was getting nervous. Those students were all sharp-tongued, and knowing he was clumsy, he engaged in a verbal exchange, but he was no match for the genuine scholars. He quickly shouted, "Thousand-year-old agarwood is what you think of as a douba beam? My adoptive father's family uses 400 million-year-old agarwood!" He bluffed, his feet smoking, and ran away.
Seeing Xue Jia walk away, Zheng Sirui felt relieved. She lifted her veil and sighed, "I'm so tired. Why did I bump into him again? Liu Xiang, you're just as good as me. You really act like a dandy."
Yi Bin was curious: "Do you know each other?"
"I know her, of course I do." Zheng Sirui said with a smile, "Hey, where's Yanru?"
Liu Xiang turned and waved to Yanru. Yanru was far away from them and didn't know what they said. She only vaguely heard something about sandalwood and agarwood. Seeing Liu Xiang waving, she slowly walked over to Liu Xiang. Yanru was very panicked. After the romantic drama of "talented scholar and beauty" and "hero saving the beauty" just now, Yi Bin would fall in love with Liu Xiang. Without saying a word, she hugged Liu Xiang's arm affectionately, half of her face was exposed under the veil, and she put on a fake smile, but her eyes cast a malicious light, staring at Yi Bin: "Long time no see, Yi Bin."
Yi Bin knew Yanru's character well. Seeing her warning and looking at Liu Xiang's handsome and upright demeanor, she guessed about half of what was going on. You Yanru had been dumped by Teacher Ji, and now she had this good boy, so it was surprising she wouldn't be protective. She didn't want to argue with Yanru, and she didn't bother to talk to her any more. "Yanru, you've come to the capital? Thank you, Liu—Jiansheng Liu—for speaking up for us. My mother has probably already made it to the mountaintop from Mantou Temple. Si Rui, I'll take my leave." With that, she and Cai Yuan bowed and departed.
Liu Xiang passed the incense in his hand to Zheng Sirui, and the three of them, putting aside their previous affairs, happily ascended to the second floor of the temple's largest and most central Main Hall. This hall housed a massive statue of the Five Tathagatas, seated on a lotus pedestal. Yanru glanced at the statue, awestruck by its solemnity and awe, her heart inexplicably trembling. Then, looking again, she felt the statue's lowered brows, its eyes filled with compassion. She offered incense, sat on the leftmost cushion, bowed, and closed her eyes, sincerely begging for the deities' protection. When she opened her eyes again, she was kneeling on a mat, gazing into the eyes of the Immovable Tathagata of the East.
Unconsciously, Yanru burst into tears.
Liu Xiang, standing by, was extremely pious. He closed his eyes and prayed, muttering, "Buddha, may the eldest daughter of the Jinling You family, You Yanru, have a smooth and peaceful life, may her wishes come true, and may all dangers be overcome."
"Ah!" Yanru suppressed her voice and slapped Liu Xiang, "It won't work if you say it out loud!"
"Oh! I forgot!" Liu Xiang quickly kowtowed to the Buddha statue and prayed again.
As for Yi Bin, after bidding farewell to Zheng Sirui and the others, she found a corner to sit and wait for her mother. She was so upset today by Xue Jia's ugliness that even the sounds of Zen and the melody of wooden fish could not soothe her turmoil. She began to pray to the heavens for a way out, that her father would not be so obsessed with power and wealth and marry her to the Xue family. She also hoped that her father would try to connect with the rich and powerful so that she could marry directly into the Ma family. After much thought, Yi Bin sighed: What if I marry into the Ma family? What if the Ma family's son is like Xue Jia, a rotten idiot with a beautiful exterior? Oh no, that seems to be better than Xue Jia. At least he has a beautiful exterior. Xue Jia, however, is rotten inside and out.
They were near the Zen temple, next to the monks' kitchen. Winter sunshine was rare, and under the bright yellow sun, a lot of herbs were drying. Cai Yuan squatted beside one of the bamboo baskets and asked curiously, "Girl, girl! Come and see, what is this?"
Yi Bin stood up to investigate. "Tsk, Caiyuan, your daughter always taught you not to confuse grains, or you'll be laughed at. It's clearly star anise. You know star anise? They always put it in the kitchen when they stew meat. You just remember to eat it, don't you?"
"Then every time the kitchen serves a dish, they skim off all the seasonings. Not to mention star anise, you can't even see the ginger slices. How can you even see the star anise?" Cai Yuan muttered, picking up one and trying to smell it. Suddenly, a voice from behind interrupted her: "Miss, be careful! Put it down! This is poisonous!"
Cai Yuan was startled and quickly threw away what she was holding. Yi Bin turned around and saw a pretty young monk standing behind them, holding a bundle of mugwort, anxiously asking them to stop.
[Mumbling]: Ah, my family, writing about a sleazy man is so painful. I can't help it. This one reads like a classic story about a third-rate scholar and a beautiful woman. To be honest, I'm a little dissatisfied. I won't do it again next time!
In the comments section of the previous article, three friends were writing poems together, which was very interesting. I sorted them out:
It is the time when the white snow reflects the beauty of spring, who can hear the old friend chanting a sad song?
It’s like the first time I saw the fallen plum blossoms, and I feel melancholy like a pig in the north wind.
The appearance of the Red Luan Star is unique, and the marriage is made in heaven.
Manually tag teachers Xuedou, Tumi, and Juzi. They write very well and beautifully. Everyone is welcome to join them to write poetry and create art together.
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