Chapter 42: Close Couple
Inside the Xue Mansion's pawnshop stood a long-forged pearwood plaque, black with gold lacquer, inscribed in large letters: "Qixian Pawnshop." Yanru stood before the plaque, surveying it left and right, then suppressed her discontent and embraced Xue Jia's arm: "Sir, why is our pawnshop called Qixian?"
Xue Jia sucked at the gap between his teeth. "Qi is a variant of the character 'Xue' in our family. Xian is my mother's maiden name. Qixian, what a nice name."
Yanru asked, "Ah? You're using the word 'xian'?"
Xue Jia was puzzled: "Why not use the word 'xian'? Then use 'yi'? Qiyi?' That doesn't sound good either. It sounds like a traditional Chinese medicine for treating heatstroke and diarrhea."
Is this idiot pretending to be stupid or is he really stupid? Yanru's voice was soft and sweet, and she tried to persuade him gently: "Didn't the master say when he proposed to me in Jinling that this pawnshop was built for the friendship between you and me? Why did you use my mother-in-law's maiden name? I thought that in the future, our children would be named after the pawnshop. Now that you use my mother-in-law's character Xian, won't the child have to avoid the taboo of my grandmother in the future?"
Xue Jia understood her intention. "Oh, that's what you're talking about. Hey, you scholars, don't you always say that filial piety is the most important virtue? Why don't we first choose a pawnshop after my mother to show our filial piety? Later, when we're both successful, we can open a second pawnshop with your name, and the third with our child's name. Isn't that good?"
Of course not! Unfortunately, Yanru couldn't tell the truth, so she could only beat around the bush and say, "Of course it's good. Anyway, I'm after you, my lord, not anything else. It's just a name for the pawnshop, why would I care? I just want everyone to know your love for me. After all, what other woman in the world can marry such a good husband who treats me so well."
At that time, they were newlyweds, and the details of the You family were unclear. Xue Jia was willing to play along with Yan Ru's words: "What's yours and mine? I don't like you saying these things. You and I are husband and wife. It's obvious that what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine. Don't worry, although your name is not mentioned on the pawn shop plaque, I have asked Long'er and others to spread the word that the Xue Mansion's pawn shop was built for their newly married mistress, and will be managed by their mistress from now on. From now on, who in the capital will not know that the head of Qixian Pawn Shop is the goddess of painting in Jinling City, Madam You?"
Yanru giggled, reaching out to touch his chin, and coquettishly pinched each cheek, creating two round circles of flesh. Xue Jia, in high spirits, ignored the open doors and windows of the inner room and the workmen who were cleaning up outside. He put his arm around Yanru's slender waist, and the two of them sat down on a nearby armchair, their hips pressed against their bellies, their legs intertwined, fingers interlocked, laughing and joking. Xue Jia was a bit lazy and didn't bother to clean and shave, so the stubble under his cheeks scratched the delicate skin of Yanru's hands. It didn't hurt, just a little itchy. Yanru liked Xue Jia in every way. He was about the same height as Liu Xiang, but a little darker, fatter, and greasier than Liu Xiang. He had a shorter neck, a thicker waist, smaller eyes, larger nostrils, and a bigger mouth... Not only that, but it smelled a bit too bad. But it didn't matter. He was willing to spend money on her and open a pawnshop for her. That was enough. Appearance didn't matter.
After being forced to drink the love potion for a long time, Yanru gradually came to believe that Xue Jia was not inferior to Liu Xiang except for his appearance and vulgar words.
The autumn weather was crisp and dry, and the paint on the walls and tables in the pawnshop dried quickly. A little over a month after Yanru's wedding, Wang Xianyi picked an auspicious day and officially opened the Qixian Pawnshop in the Xue Mansion.
There were even more firecrackers that day than at the wedding banquet, stretching from the pawnshop's entrance to the street corner. The fuses lit, the gunpowder crackled, and the colored paper inside the firecrackers exploded, like colorful flowers flying in the air in spring. The lion and tiger dance troupes danced vigorously, the gold trim on their clothes gleaming, and the faces of You and Xue were all radiant. Xue Jia had invited many noble merchants and local gentry to the backyard of his pawnshop to drink tea, burn incense, and eat fruit. Standing at the door, he greeted the guests and introduced them to Yanru:
"The guy who just walked in is the largest tea merchant in the capital, Shopkeeper Meng. The guy in the gray brocade robe is from Jiangnan, his surname is Cao. His father owns several silk shops in the capital, impressive, isn't he? Look to your right, that young man playing with a fan? His grandfather was a noble, and he's good friends with my brother and me."
Yanru listened more attentively than when she was in class at school, memorizing everyone's appearance, identity, and family background. Whenever Xue Jia greeted someone, she would press her tongue against the roof of her mouth, stretch out her chin, force out a lovely smile, and greet the other person charmingly. If the other person was of a certain age, she would not hesitate to show her charm and give a charming yet innocent look.
When the guests had gathered, Xue Jia led Yanru into the inner hall. In front of everyone, he began by lavishly praising Yanru's status, her apprenticeship with the veteran Hanlin Lu Tianwen and her knowledge of Guanyan Academy, her friendship with the master painter Ji Mingxiu, and her talent as a painter in inspiring Ji Mingxiu and appreciating paintings and antiques. Finally, he explained that the Qixian Pawnshop was the Xue family's best betrothal gift to Madam You, and that Yanru would be fully responsible for it from now on. As pure as a heart as pure as jade, the love between Xue and You was stronger than gold, and heaven and earth could bear witness!
The guests were all moved, drinking tea instead of wine and applauding in celebration. Yanru was delighted, her dignity tinged with shyness. "Ah, sir, you are too kind. I can simply converse freely with those masters of painting and skilled craftsmen. It's something I was born with, and I can't tell others about it."
When everyone present heard this, they could not help but bow their heads and respectfully praise the couple's virtue and beauty, and were moved by the deep love between the couple. It was truly a beautiful story in the capital.
Amidst the lively conversation, Yanru couldn't help but glance at the door, her gaze reaching out into the distance. Xue Jia felt that her absent-mindedness in front of the distinguished guests was somewhat beneath her dignity, and asked, "What are you doing? Who are you waiting for? Aren't all the people on the gift list here?"
Yanru said: "No, Si Rui didn't come."
Xue Jia recalled Zheng Sirui's face and licked his lips. "Ah, her? Didn't you say she's obsessed with reputation and afraid of being gossiped about by people in this kind of place with so many rich men?"
Holding the fan against her chin, Yanru said, "I said on the post that today is very important to me, she will definitely come."
Xue Jia hummed twice, his meaning unclear. The incense burner had been overfilled, the aroma overwhelming her nose, so Yanru simply went out to the courtyard. To make room for the inner chamber, a beauty couch had been temporarily placed under the banana trees by the corridor. She sat on it, her gaze sweeping across the world before her, a sense of pride building up in her that she was the only one in the world. Her arrogance grew, her nails recklessly nibbling crescent-shaped marks on the smooth, plump leaves.
Two figures emerged from the end of the corridor. Shanjuan led Zheng Sirui in. Yanru stopped the little evil in her hand and said with a half-delighted and half-complaining look: "Why did you take so long? I thought you weren't coming."
Zheng Sirui had gained weight and now had the dark spots of a sleepless night. She handed the basket of fruit in her hand to Yanru and said, "You said this is your lucky day, how could I not come? It's just that I've been stuck with some paperwork and have been busy for a while."
Yanru peeped into the room and said, "There are only men in here. If you don't like it, let's go to the back room to talk. Shanjuan, wash the things that Master Zheng brought, get some fruit, and send them to the back. Tsk, why are you so sleepy? Do you hear me?"
Shanjuan withdrew in response. Zheng Sirui followed her to the entrance beside the pink wall, then turned back and asked, "Is she your maid?"
Yanru led Zheng Sirui through the flower garden and headed towards the inner room: "Yes, my mother-in-law gave it to me to use. It's quite skillful, but a little clumsy. I'll just use it for my own use."
Zheng Sirui turned around, glanced in the direction Shanjuan had left, and whispered, "Yanru, this maidservant is someone who is trying her best to help you. You should be more polite to her. Besides, she is the maid assigned to you by your mother-in-law."
Yanru laughed at Zheng Sirui's fussiness. "These maids and servants are just there to serve people. What's the big deal? You've already held this position, and you still talk about this all the time. It's a good thing I only heard it. If it were your colleagues, wouldn't they laugh at you for your humble background, your inability to change your poor and noble fate, and your tendency to think about any lowly person you see from their perspective?"
Zheng Sirui felt even more uncomfortable with her friend's words. Seeing her friend fall silent, Yanru added, "Hey, speaking of which, why are you still wearing the same old stuff? You should at least have a nicer pouch for your small belongings. Let's go shopping tomorrow, and I'll pick out some decent jewelry for you. You'll dress up nicely, so your colleagues won't look down on you."
Zheng Sirui was miserable. "Hey! I don't have time to think about that! You don't even know. Since I took over that position, there's been a lot of tedious stuff. My colleagues above me have been messing around, and everything's been messed up. To get started as quickly as possible, this month I looked through all the account books submitted by the various states in our dynasty last year. All the account books! Just for the big merchants in the capital, they filled up five or six large boxes. No wonder my colleagues who visited Master Lu before said he'd retired and returned home. He looks older than before, but he looks younger than before. Oh, can I just get up tomorrow and retire? I can live comfortably on that little salary."
Yanru gently stroked her round and delicate face, very proud: "I told you long ago that being a female official is just asking for trouble. Look at me, I just married into a good family, and I don't have to worry about food and daily necessities. You should have believed me earlier. Now that you have passed the exam, hurry up and find a suitable man to hold on to. You can resign from your official position in two years and get married quickly. Look at your face. Although your skin was a little yellow before, at least you didn't have acne. Now that you are in a high position and have power, you have a lot of acne. Does it hurt? I have some good stuff in my room. You can apply it tonight and it will be gone by the day after tomorrow."
Zheng Sirui had long since grown tired of Yanru's clichés and said, "Stop talking. We have completely different opinions on this matter and can't even talk about it. That Xue Jia, he's been pretty good to you, right? A lot of people say he opened this pawnshop for you. Back in Tiekan Temple, I thought he was rude, but what about him now?"
"He changed a long time ago!" Yanru defended her husband, "You are just prejudiced. He changed a long time ago and treated me very well."
"That's all right," Zheng Sirui said. "But Yanru, the highest is like the sun and the moon, the closest is like the distant husband and wife. The love between a man and a woman can be as cold as it is close. No matter how good and considerate he is to you, don't throw yourself into him. Leave some room for yourself. Don't be like me when I was with Qiu Shui."
"Okay, okay, got it." This was what annoyed Yanru the most about Zheng Sirui. She was always preaching to her friends, as if just because she had a few more books, she knew more than anyone else. She was just a female official in the Ministry of Revenue. She might as well be getting disciplined by Master Lu. "Everything's fine with me now, except living with my parents-in-law. I'm uncomfortable. These old people are so fussy. On the second day after our wedding, I just woke up a little late, and the whole family started mocking me. It's so annoying."
Zheng Sirui took a sip of tea and said, "Being a daughter-in-law means you have to deal with these troubles. It's not as good as serving my superiors. Serving my superiors brings me a salary, but serving my mother-in-law only makes me angry."
Yanru pretended not to hear and said casually, "They have quite a lot of houses and yards. I'm going to take Xue Jia and ask him to take me to another place so we can live alone."
There was a knock on the door, and Shanjuan pushed it open and walked in. "Madam, the tea and snacks are ready. Please enjoy your meal, you and Master Zheng."
[Rattling]: I'm in tears. These past few days, everyone hasn't been commenting, and I've lost followers. Is Xue Jia's impact that big? I sorted out the data today, and it seems that among Yanru's three relationships, the most popular one is the one where she messes around with Teacher Ji and then gets scolded by the teacher's wife. TAT I'm crying TAT
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