Chapter 46 Are you happy? What we couldn't finish that day, we'll leave for later...
(46)
In the west courtyard, the heavy persimmons swayed slightly in the wind, their orange-yellow hues filling the trees.
The sandalwood incense from the purple-gold incense burner wafted towards the small window, and the old man looked lovingly at the child in front of him, stuffing peeled nuts into his palm.
“He always bullies Mother, ignoring her for no reason. And ever since he came to Mother’s side, she has been injured. Last time, she was bedridden for two whole days without waking up!”
Shang Xinglan listened with a headache as the little boy complained about him to his grandmother, as if he had finally found someone to listen to his troubles, and he kept nagging on and on.
Grandmother looked at him, smiled slightly, and said, "Xinglan?"
"I understand. I won't treat her like that again." Shang Xinglan pursed her lips and explained in a low voice, "The injury was an accident. I will be more careful."
Hearing his assurance, his grandmother's furrowed brows relaxed, and she smiled and said, "Good child, Grandma has not spoiled you for nothing."
She would never allow any of her descendants to bully the weak, and those who bullied her wife were even more guilty. For thousands of years, the Shang family had been a model of righteousness, and righteousness was the essence of their family tradition. Although her descendants had grown so many that she could no longer control many of them, she would severely punish any descendant who disgraced the family if she heard of them doing so.
"He's not a good boy at all," the little boy muttered, arms crossed, somewhat unconvinced. "A good boy is like Mother."
Shang Xinglan: ...She's completely unrelated.
but.
Shang Xinglan raised her hand and lightly touched the silk handkerchief around her neck, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Ah Chu has slowly begun to care about other people's feelings. It's strange, really. He hadn't even noticed when this change started.
She learned it all by herself without needing anyone to teach her; that's amazing.
The door was suddenly pushed open, and a gust of autumn wind rushed in, blowing the ends of his hair. Shang Xinglan's heart stirred. He turned around and saw Chu Li standing outside the door with red eyes, looking extremely pitiful, as if she had been bullied somewhere.
"Ah Chu?" Shang Xinglan stood up abruptly, her brows furrowed. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Chu Li shook her head, silently walked into the house, and obediently sat down beside him.
Just as Shang Xinglan was about to ask another question, she grabbed her hand and hid it under her sleeve so no one could see it.
She held his hand tightly, as if just to make sure he was still by her side, until her grandmother, exhausted, told them to come back another day, and Chu Li finally let go.
Shang Xinglan kept staring at the expression on her face. Could it be that she had overheard the servants gossiping again, looking so listless?
They had only been there for a day, so the servants shouldn't have recognized them.
Once outside the west courtyard, Shang Xinglan finally had a chance to ask her, raising his hand and gently waving it in front of her, "Snap out of it, what happened just now?"
The little boy raised his head in confusion upon hearing this, grabbing Chu Li's clothes and carefully observing her expression.
Chu Li slowly looked at them, and after a moment, whispered, "Shang Xinglan, I see you as a child."
Shang Xinglan's expression froze, and she abruptly looked away, saying softly, "It's an illusion."
“It’s not an illusion,” Chu Li picked up the cub from the ground and pulled Shang Xinglan over. “You were the same age as Yin Yin back then, about the same height, and looked very similar. You’re just a size smaller.”
The little boy curiously hugged her neck, "How amazing, how did you see that, Mommy?"
“I touched a stone, and that stone took me into my memories…” Chu Li’s voice suddenly stopped. She looked at Shang Xinglan and took his hand gently. “You were very different in there, but I’m sure that was you when you were five years old.”
Shang Xinglan's ears turned slightly red, but her voice remained calm, "Forget about it."
Chu Li was stunned for a moment, then grabbed his hand and said, "I won't forget, never."
"What's the point of remembering something like this..."
Shang Xinglan's face burned even hotter, and she helplessly squeezed her hand tighter.
When he was five years old, he and A-Yue secretly drank the Bodhisattva Dew that Shang Liuyu had hidden away. As a result, the two of them drank themselves into a stupor and even ran to the door of the head of the family and acted crazy. As expected, they were beaten up. The head of the family even recorded this incident with a towering stone, deliberately wanting to teach them a lesson. Every year, he would bring out the embarrassing scene to show him.
The thought that Chu Li had seen everything made him want to throw that towering stone into the river. What kind of relics were they? Nothing of value was left behind. What an unreliable ancestor! Didn't Shang Liuyu take his junk with him before he ascended to heaven?
Chu Li glared at him and said with utmost seriousness, "I'm going to remember this, and I'm going to remember it for the rest of my life."
Hearing her say that, Shang Xinglan couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. "Fine, you can write it down."
Anyway, he'll never have anything more embarrassing than this in his life.
What's so funny? What kind of attitude is that?
Chu Li said somewhat angrily, "I also know that when you were in the business, you were so strict with me, saying that you wanted to take things slowly with me and be polite. It was all an act to deceive me. You used to climb over the wall to go out and play when you were a child."
Shang Xinglan paused slightly, turning to look at her in surprise.
Chu Li grew angrier the more she thought about it. This was the first time in her life she had been deceived. "You saw me staring at you and said you would gouge my eyes out. You're really something."
“I…” Shang Xinglan stood there speechless for a long time before coughing. “I was a bit unconventional when I was young. You said you were only five years old then. You can’t take a child’s words seriously.”
The little boy jumped down from Chu Li's arms, stomped on his boot, and said angrily, "Why can't I take it seriously? Every word I said is true. You were definitely a bad kid when you were young."
They even tried to gouge out her mother's eyes! How terrifying!
Shang Xinglan paused for a moment, then picked him up and carried him on her shoulder. "Okay, okay, it's all my fault. I'm sorry."
Hearing him apologize to her again, Chu Li trembled. She raised her hand and covered his lips with hers, saying, "You are not allowed to say those three words again, and you are not allowed to apologize to me again."
Shang Xinglan looked at her in confusion. How angry was A Chu inside that she wouldn't even listen to an apology?
After a moment's thought, he asked in a low voice, "Then what should I do to make you calm down?"
Chu Li stared intently at him, then grabbed his wrist. "Come with me."
Confused, he followed behind her, picked up the baby, and let Chu Li lead him toward the front door.
Along the way, she walked quickly, and the servants around her cast glances at them, which Chu Li glared back at them with annoyance.
What's so interesting about it? No one can stop them anymore.
After stepping over that threshold, Chu Li seemed to let out a long sigh of relief.
The store is really big, so big that it takes half an hour to walk from the east courtyard to the gate, and you might even get lost. But in the grand scheme of things, it is tiny, just a drop in the ocean.
As the sun sets, the Yuehong Pavilion in Qianxian City is the most famous opera house. The opera troupe begins to sing early, and the audience sits in the highest pavilion listening to the melodious songs.
Shang Xinglan sat in the corner of the attic, holding the baby, watching the door open. Chu Li walked in, wearing a long dress with flowing sleeves and waving a small fan. Her makeup was extremely heavy, as if she had been punched a few times.
She sang a strange tune in a high-pitched voice, making the little boy laugh so hard he almost fell over. He couldn't help but run to her side, take the small fan from her hand, and dance with her.
"Shang Xinglan, did I sing well?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. "Are you happy?"
Shang Xinglan stared blankly at her deliberately ugly face, which resembled a cat's, for a long time before chuckling softly.
"It sounds nice." He paused, then reached out to brush a strand of hair from her temple, and said gently, "It makes you happy."
Chu Li gazed intently at him, cupped his face, and gently kissed him.
Shang Xinglan was slightly taken aback, but quickly stroked her neck and gently kissed her warm lips.
With a thud, the fan in the little boy's hand fell to the ground, his face filled with terror.
Hearing the noise, Chu Li and Shang Xinglan turned around and saw the little boy's incredulous expression, so they couldn't help but laugh.
The little boy rushed between them, pushed Shang Xinglan aside with his bottom, and threw himself into Chu Li's arms, wailing loudly.
That day, five-year-old Yinyin was forced to face reality.
This bad man has really become his father.
It was written in a storybook that only husband and wife could kiss each other on the lips, but my mother hid that storybook later—she would always secretly read it by herself in the middle of the night.
Heavens above!
Of all the people in the world, why him of all?
Night had fallen when they came out of Yuehong Pavilion. Qianxian City was brightly lit and bustling with people. The little boy lay listlessly on Shang Xinglan's shoulder, looking utterly dejected.
Feeling a little guilty, Chu Li bought some candied plums that Yin Yin loved from the candied fruit stall. He tasted one himself to make sure it was sweet before grabbing a handful and stuffing them into the little boy's palm. "Yin Yin, try this, it's very sweet."
The little boy listlessly stuffed the plum into his mouth, and it was so sour that tears welled up in his eyes.
Why did he choose the sour plum when there were so many? What is the reason for all this?
Seeing him cry, Shang Xinglan laughed so hard her shoulders trembled and she could hardly breathe. She reached out and slapped his little bottom. "If it's sour, just spit it out. Nobody's forcing you to eat it."
The next moment, Chu Li punched him on the shoulder and said sternly, "Don't hit Yinyin."
Shang Xinglan paused for a moment, then freed one hand to rub her shoulder. "Okay."
That's some serious strength; the force he used to hit the little brat wasn't even a fraction of that.
He turned his head to look, and the little brat saw him being beaten. He quickly went from crying to laughing, and a snot bubble popped out of his nose from laughing.
Shang Xinglan was amused by his words and took out a handkerchief to wipe his snot. "Look at you, you still want to be a sword immortal? How dare you talk such nonsense."
The little boy, after having his nose roughly pinched and wiped, wrinkled his nose and said, "Mommy, he hurt me again."
Shang Xinglan: "..."
nonsense!
A moment later, Shang Xinglan took another punch. Helplessly, he hugged the cub and said softly, "Let's call a truce. I can't beat you. I admit defeat, okay?"
The little brat snorted twice, "Then you'll have to listen to me from now on."
Why should I listen to you? I'm not marrying you.
"...Then listen to your mother. You're so stupid, you can't even figure this out."
"Yes, yes, I will obey your orders."
Nestled on Shang Xinglan's shoulder, the little boy's mood inexplicably softened, and the sour candied plums gradually turned sweet in his mouth.
Chu Li led them to the largest study in the entire Thousand Immortals City and even the entire cultivation world, the Yingxue Hall.
The little one was in a great mood, excitedly exploring the sea of books, picking out the ones he wanted to read one by one, until his little arms couldn't hold them all. "This one, this one... and that one, I want to read them all!"
Chu Li followed behind him, smiling as she watched him run toward the books with shining eyes.
She turned her head to look at Shang Xinglan beside her. Her hands were already full of things she had bought on the way, including snacks that the little one liked, hairpins that she liked, new clothes for autumn, and even magical artifacts for Shang Jinyue and Yan Xinbai whose purpose she did not know.
However, he didn't buy anything for himself.
Chu Li took the messy items from Shang Xinglan's hand, stuffed them all into her storage ring, and ordered him, "Go pick out some books."
Shang Xinglan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "You want to see it? Which one do you want to see?"
He remembered that after Chu Li "died," he studied diligently and read many books.
Chu Li shook her head, pointed at him and said, "Pick what you like to watch, and go now."
Hearing this, Shang Xinglan was a little puzzled, but she still did as she was told, randomly picking two books from the bookshelf and looking back at Chu Li.
"Not enough, keep picking."
Shang Xinglan picked out some more and brought them over, but Chu Li still shook her head, "Not enough."
Hearing her words, Shang Xinglan looked at the pile of books already stacked high in her hands and almost burst out laughing, "Why don't you just buy Yingxuetang?"
Chu Li glared at him and said, "You didn't choose carefully! I said I wanted to choose what you liked!"
Shang Xinglan nodded thoughtfully. It turned out that she wanted him to recommend a few books that he thought were good.
Since that's the case...
He put down the stack of books in his hand and carefully examined them among the bookshelves. After a short while, he suddenly stopped in front of a painting.
It was the work of a renowned artist. The painting depicted a swordsman leaning against a vigorous pine tree, a gourd of wine tucked at his waist, eyes closed in deep thought, as if waiting for someone to come to the mountaintop for an appointment. The ink was rough and bold, yet it contained inner strength, the lines flowing smoothly and exuding a strong sense of chivalry. Beside him were several lines of small, vigorous, and elegant characters, which happened to be his favorite cloud seal script.
This is a rare and genuine work.
Shang Xinglan was slightly taken aback, and became so engrossed in looking at the painting that she raised her hand to take it down.
There was a time when he also wanted to be an anonymous hermit in a painting, to go wherever he wanted in the world, regardless of the cold mountains and rivers or the sudden rain at night, but that was ultimately just a wishful dream.
He paused slightly, glancing at Chu Li, who was helping the little boy choose books, before turning his gaze back to the painting in front of him.
Suddenly I don't like it as much anymore.
If the person in the painting is indeed him, then the painting is incomplete.
What he wanted was to travel the world with Chu Li and Yin Yin; he couldn't do without either of them.
After a long while, Shang Xinglan picked out a few books that she usually liked and brought them to Chu Li. "How about this time? They are all classic works that I have read many times."
Chu Li was puzzled. She rolled up the book and tapped his head. "You bought something you've already read? Did you even bother to choose carefully?"
"I chose carefully. You said it was fine as long as I liked it." Shang Xinglan slowly unfolded the book in her palm and carefully smoothed it out. "Don't roll the book up, it will damage it."
When Chu Li heard him say he liked it, she didn't take it too seriously and agreed, "I know, you should talk to Yin Yin about these things more often. You two bookworms must have a lot to talk about."
“I talked to him, and he complained that I talked too much,” Shang Xinglan said in a low voice. “He’s the bookworm. I only read books when I was a kid because I had nothing else to do. I wouldn’t read if I had something else to do.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Li thought of Shang Xinglan stealing wine and chuckled, "Yeah, you're probably drinking from a wine bottle every day."
Thankfully, he had nothing else to do, otherwise he might have become the most dissolute young master of the merchant family. She took one look and ran away from the merchant family overnight.
"What drinking? That's ridiculous..."
Shang Xinglan coughed lightly, and before Chu Li could reply, she changed the subject, asking, "Have you finished buying Yin Yin's books?"
Chu Li gave him a meaningful look and didn't make things difficult for him anymore. "Almost done, we'll be choosing soon. We'll go to Fengyi Restaurant for dinner later, and this time it's on me."
"Fengyi Tower?" Shang Xinglan didn't expect that she had so many places she wanted to go in Qianxian City. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that A Chu was acting strangely tonight, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong with her.
"What, you don't want to go?" Chu Li grabbed his wrist without saying a word. "You have to go whether you want to or not. I'm treating you to dinner today."
Fengyi Tower.
She vaguely remembered that in the early days after they got married, Shang Xinglan often took her out to eat, and sometimes he would invite three or five friends to introduce her to them.
The head of the family hardly paid any attention to him at that time, because his cultivation level was already very high and there was no need to urge him anymore. Therefore, Shang Xinglan could go out like an ordinary young master of a merchant family.
Chu Li still remembers Shang Xinglan's friends. She wonders when she will be able to see them again. If she can see them again, she will definitely not just sit silently in the corner this time.
Of course, the most important thing is to make Shang Xinglan happy.
What you couldn't finish in one day, you should leave for today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.
From then on, she made sure he was happy by her side every single day.
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Author's note: There will be a second update.
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