The moment Li Huai'an stepped into the Hidden Spring Pavilion, the decadent music that didn't belong to his world seemed to still echo in his ears, but the surrounding noise suddenly became distant and blurry.
He followed closely behind Zhang Fang, each step feeling unusually heavy, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Once inside, he learned that the entire Cangchun Tower was divided into three floors, with a sign hanging between each floor. The staircases were winding and twisting, and there were guards at each entrance.
Zhang Fang coughed lightly, and Li Huai'an hurriedly regained his composure. He then followed Zhang Fang through a hidden door into a room.
The room was filled with flickering candlelight, and the walls were covered with paintings of mountains, rivers, flowers, birds, fish, and insects.
Li Huai'an believed that these were merely superficial gestures deliberately made by Cangchunlou to appease the officials.
"Young Master Li, please have a seat."
After Li Huai'an sat down, Zhang Fang personally poured him a cup of tea.
Li Huai'an accepted the tea from the other party with a flattered expression. He felt the aroma of the tea wafting through the air, and the gloom that had accumulated in his heart was instantly dispelled.
"This tea is called 'Tongue and Belly,' and ordinary people don't have the fortune to taste it," Zhang Fang said gently, looking at Li Huai'an. "What does Young Master Li think of the taste of this tea?"
“Of course it’s excellent,” Li Huai’an said truthfully.
He had heard of the "Swimming Belly" drink; only members of the royal family were qualified and had the financial means to enjoy it.
Zhang Fang looked at him thoughtfully, then poured the freshly brewed pot of "Tongue and Belly" into the brush washer next to him.
"Manager Zhang, what do you mean by this?" Li Huai'an stood up in surprise.
“Young Master Li, I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you that even the priceless Tongue and Belly Tea would become boring if one drank it every day, and it would taste no different from ordinary tea.”
Zhang Fang slowly put down the teapot, took an unopened jar of ginseng from the shelf next to him, placed it beside Li Huai'an, and said indifferently, "Please give this jar of ginseng to your mother on my behalf."
Li Huai'an gazed at Zhang Fang quietly, as if he had understood something.
He pondered to himself: Was Steward Zhang using the analogy of drinking tea to allude to his father's visit to the Hidden Spring Pavilion for pleasure? And what was the meaning behind his request for me to give my mother the priceless "Tea of the Tongue and Belly"?
He looked up at Zhang Fang, his eyes flashing with complex emotions: "Mr. Zhang, I... don't quite understand the 'son of an old friend' you just mentioned."
Zhang Fang smiled slightly, looked at a painting on the wall, and slowly said, "Young Master Li, have you been watching my Hidden Spring Pavilion from the teahouse across the street all day?"
Upon hearing this, Li Huai'an's heart skipped a beat. Zhang Fang's Cangchun Pavilion hadn't opened its doors all day. How did he know that someone was spying on the Cangchun Pavilion?
Zhang Fang noticed his confusion and explained, "How could I, who run such a large brothel, not notice even a simple surveillance? You underestimate me."
Li Huai'an wholeheartedly agreed. Then the other party continued, "Let me guess again. Your discovery that your father entered my brothel was just an accident. Your real purpose is to find me, am I right?"
Since the other party had guessed his intentions, Li Huai'an no longer concealed anything and told them that his mother had previously said she wanted to buy a painting from Zhang Fang, but later gave up on the matter after the incident at Cangchunlou.
Zhang Fang's smile faded, and he asked seriously, "Has something major happened in your family recently?"
Li Huai'an replied, "No, it's just that something happened to an old friend who was very close to my mother."
Zhang Fang lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. He went through Bai Wei's usual network of contacts in his mind and guessed that she probably wanted him to investigate the clues about Zhao Shouzhen and his wife.
Thinking of this, he immediately laid out paper and brush, picked up his brush and splashed ink, and after half a cup of tea, a freehand landscape painting appeared on the paper.
On the canvas, rolling mountains stretch out, with distant cities appearing and disappearing in the distance. In the foreground, the lake and mountains complement each other beautifully, with a large ship drifting leisurely on the lake. Strangely, this enormous ship has no mast.
"Why is there no mast on this ship?" Li Huai'an asked in confusion.
“No means no need.” Zhang Fangyan stopped there and didn’t continue. “You just need to take this painting back, and your mother will understand.”
He glanced at Li Huai'an and said, "You just asked me what 'son of an old friend' meant. Actually, it doesn't have any special meaning. When I was young, your mother and I lived next door to each other."
“Manager Zhang, you must be mistaken. My maternal family is not in Lingyang City,” Li Huai’an said with a polite smile, correcting Zhang Fang.
“Your maternal grandfather’s ancestral home was Chaoyang County. Your mother and Zhang Wan, the wife of the former Grand Secretary Zhao, were very close friends. We grew up in Chaoyang County. I only moved to Guixiang Street the year your mother married into Lingyang City.”
Zhang Fang slowly recounted his past with Bai Wei, and Li Huai'an then learned that his mother, before her marriage, was also a skilled painter known as "Weicao" (meaning "micro-grass").
"Judging from your puzzled expression, have you never seen your mother paint?" Zhang Fang asked with a wry smile.
Li Huai'an nodded.
Over the years, all he knew was that his mother liked to collect paintings by various famous artists, while his father would sometimes jokingly scold her for being a traditional housewife who was trying to appear cultured and refined.
It turns out that my mother wasn't just being pretentious; she had buried her passions deep within herself for decades, content to be a stay-at-home wife.
Zhang Fang hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering his words: "Your mother and I were childhood sweethearts, inseparable since we were little. But fate is cruel, and she eventually married another man."
At this point, Zhang Fang sighed heavily, "Since the day she got married, I only caught a glimpse of her from afar in the crowd. Since then, even though we were only a street apart, I have never bothered her again."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
