Chapter 15
"The filial piety of a gentleman is characterized by loyalty, love, and respect; the opposite is disorder."
"Strive to be polite, be solemn and respectful."
"He is tireless in offering advice, never slackens in listening to it, rejoices in loyalty and trustworthiness, and thus no faults arise. This can be called filial piety."
...
Amidst the intermittent sounds of reading aloud, Yin Qiuxing followed closely behind Ye Zhilan into the disciples' courtyard.
The ground was covered with layers of snow; if you stepped into it, half of your boot would be gone.
The weeping willows have no leaves, yet they seem to be in full bloom with pear blossoms. The fluttering snowflakes are like drifting catkins, falling lightly and gently, landing on the hems of clothes and skirts, only to be carried away by the wind in an instant.
"This is the new student dormitory. You will study here from now on." Ye Zhilan closed the door and led the two towards the corridor.
In unfamiliar surroundings and with unfamiliar people, Yin Qiu, despite having lived in many different places before, still felt a sense of loneliness and disorientation. She had no interest in looking at the scenery around her, feeling depressed and lacking interest.
"I'll go arrange accommodations and inform the Master," Ye Zhilan said, leading the two to a side hall. "You two wait here for now and don't wander off."
She left after saying that, leaving the two little girls waiting quietly in the room.
The sound of Lang Lang reading aloud continued, seemingly coming from not far away next door, but Yin Qiu ignored it, staring blankly at the snow scene outside the window.
There was a pot of cold tea on the table. The girl poured herself a cup, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. Then she asked Yin Qiu, "Are you thirsty?"
Yin Qiu had been so preoccupied with the unease of parting from Man Jiangxue that she had even forgotten the girl's existence. Upon hearing this, she snapped out of her reverie, shook her head, and said, "Thank you, I'm not thirsty."
"My name is Fu Xiang," the girl said, seemingly very interested in Yin Qiu, as she looked her over and asked, "What's your name?"
Yin Qiu glanced at her twice and replied, "My name is Yin Qiu."
"Autumn waters blend seamlessly with the sky?" Fu Xiang smiled.
"Are you Xiang from the moonlit night in Xiaoxiang?" Yin Qiu looked at her.
"You've been to school?" Fu Xiang sat casually, crossing her legs. "Even I don't recognize this poem."
"I haven't read it, and I can't read it either," Yin Qiu said, seeing that she was talkative and unconventional. "I've only heard people read it; I'm just guessing."
“Then you guessed right,” Fu Xiang said, twirling her fingers around the end of her hair, her eyes filled with a smile. “The Xiang in Xiao Xiang is indeed this character.”
After saying this, Yin Qiu fell silent, unsure of what to talk about. Fu Xiang, however, pointed to Yin Qiu's forehead and asked, "Are you injured here? Did you fall?"
Yin Qiu raised her hand and touched the scab, involuntarily recalling the kick Meng Jing had given her, and whispered, "Yeah, from a fall."
Fu Xiang looked at her for a while, then crossed her legs and said, "You seem preoccupied. Are you reluctant to part with that pretty lady in the white dress from earlier?"
Yin Qiu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you willing to leave your father?"
“He doesn’t want me anymore,” Fu Xiang said nonchalantly. “I’ve never even met him since I was a child, so it’s not a question of whether I’m willing or not to let him go. Anyway, he would definitely be willing to let me go.”
Yin Qiu had heard Man Jiangxue and Ye Zhilan talk about her before, but she didn't expect that Fu Xiang knew about it all and wasn't sad at all.
"Aren't you sad?" Yin Qiu asked.
“There’s nothing to be sad about,” Fu Xiang said. “My father didn’t like daughters. I was sent to a distant relative’s house as soon as I was born. If my brother hadn’t died and my hometown hadn’t been flooded and all my relatives hadn’t been gone, I probably would never have seen him again in my life. There’s no affection between us, so what’s there to be sad about?”
Yin Qiu thought for a moment and decided to comfort her, saying, "Since your father personally sent you here, he must hope that you can learn something. He won't abandon you."
Fu Xiang neither confirmed nor denied this, and asked, "Then what is your relationship with that pretty lady?"
Yin Qiu said, "She... and my mother are fellow disciples."
Fu Xiang drawled out an "Oh," and said, "So you're considered a junior in Yunhua Palace? And what about your mother?"
Yin Qiu's eyes darkened, and she said, "My parents are gone. It was my uncle who brought me back from outside."
“Oh, I see,” Fu Xiang jumped up from her chair and patted Yin Qiu on the shoulder. “Then we’re in the same boat. Let’s be friends and take care of each other and keep each other company.”
Fu Xiangsheng had a clever look and seemed much more radiant than Yin Qiu. She seemed to love to laugh and spoke with a natural and confident air. She was not shy at all. Yin Qiu was infected by her smile and felt her disappointment gradually lessen. She smiled back and said, "Okay."
"Then do you recognize who I am?" Fu Xiang looked Yin Qiu up and down and suddenly asked.
Yin Qiu was taken aback, then looked Fu Xiang over carefully, puzzled: "Have we met before?"
Fu Xiang sat down next to her again, openly letting Yin Qiu look at her, and said, "Don't you think I look familiar?"
Yin Qiu quickly recalled everyone she had met before, but couldn't connect her face with anyone, so she shook her head and said, "Sorry, I don't remember."
Fu Xiang wasn't surprised and smiled, "We only met once, so I didn't expect you to remember." As she spoke, she took a purse from her waist and waved it in front of Yin Qiu, "What about this? Do you remember it?"
It was a small, elegant money bag made of white silk, very clean, embroidered with snow lotus patterns.
Yin Qiu stared at the money pouch for a moment, then suddenly looked up and asked, "This is my martial uncle's money pouch. Where did you get it?"
“You gave it to me,” Fu Xiang said with a hearty laugh, “when I was in Qingluo City.”
Yin Qiu suddenly remembered and exclaimed, "It's you!"
The child who pointed out Meng Jing's whereabouts to her and Man Jiangxue at the entrance of the Qingluo City Inn!
Fu Xiang said, "You finally remembered?" She weighed the money bag in her hand and said, "You gave us food back then, and that pretty lady also gave us a lot of money. If it weren't for your help, I would still be begging on the road right now."
Yin Qiu remembered that she said her hometown had been flooded and she was going to Jinhuai City to seek refuge with relatives. It turned out that she was the daughter of the owner of Mingyue Tower!
A comparison before and after confirms that they match up.
“I thought you were a boy,” Yin Qiu said, both surprised and delighted. “The difference is too great. No wonder I didn’t recognize you.”
“Back then, it was good enough to have clothes to wear,” Fu Xiang said. “Besides, we were begging all the way here, and several girls were kidnapped by thugs along the way. I was very worried, so I deliberately dressed myself up as a tomboy. It’s normal that you don’t recognize me.”
"How old are you?" Yin Qiu asked.
“You’re thirteen,” Fu Xiang said. “And you?”
"I'll be eleven years old by spring," Yin Qiu said.
Fu Xiang's eyes lit up: "Then I'm older than you, I'm the older sister!"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you," Fu Xiang said, embracing Yin Qiu tightly. "Consider it repayment for your kindness!"
Yin Qiu laughed and said, "Okay, we'll take care of each other."
·
After Ye Zhilan finished arranging everything, she returned to the side hall to find the two girls already familiar with each other, chatting and laughing.
Ye Zhilan handed out two jade tokens to the two of them, saying, "You have been registered in the roster. From this moment on, you are the new disciples of Yunhua Palace. Come with me to meet the Master."
Having made new friends and even met them once, Yin Qiu was naturally happy. All the worries she had when she arrived had dissipated, and she no longer felt lonely. Fu Xiang happily took Yin Qiu's hand, and the two followed Ye Zhilan through a corridor to an inner courtyard.
It was already noon, and the students in the school had finished their classes and were going to eat. When they saw Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang, they all crowded in the courtyard to watch them.
"Is that a new classmate?"
"Oh, there are two girls."
"The eldest sister brought them here personally; they seem to be of very high status."
Whispers drifted over, and both of them heard them. Fu Xiang whispered to Yin Qiu, "Aren't you scared?"
Yin Qiu also replied softly, "There was a little before."
“Don’t be afraid with me here,” Fu Xiang said. “I’ve always been a leader among children, I’m not shy, so don’t worry.”
Yin Qiu smiled gratefully and nodded in response.
The teacher was already waiting in the hall. Ye Zhilan had already explained the situation of Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang. The two respectfully offered tea and kowtowed. The teacher then gave them two sets of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and patted each of their heads. This was considered as accepting the two students as his students.
“You shall rise at Chenshi (7-9 AM) and rest at Haishi (9-11 PM) every day,” the teacher said, taking a sip of tea and handing a booklet to the two small figures in front of him. “You are not allowed to be late or leave early. You must eat in the canteen on time. If you are late, you will go hungry. You shall study here in the morning and practice martial arts in the training ground in the afternoon. You shall have one day off at the end of each month, but you are not allowed to go down the mountain. All the other rules are written here. You must memorize them all today. I will come to quiz you on them tomorrow.”
The two accepted the booklet and readily agreed. The teacher then stood up and said, "I have nothing else to say. Go to the dining hall for lunch now. In the afternoon, you can wander around and familiarize yourselves with the disciples' quarters. Classes will officially begin tomorrow. Remember, don't be late."
After bidding farewell to their teacher, Ye Zhilan led Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang to the dining hall to get their meals. The hall was filled with new disciples of similar age, all staring at them with curious eyes. Yin Qiu buried her head in her food and ate earnestly, saying little, as if she were indifferent to those gazes.
In contrast to Yin Qiu, Fu Xiang was clearly adept at socializing. After walking around the hall with her rice bowl in hand, she had already made quite a few new acquaintances.
After the disciples returned their rice bowls and left the dining hall, Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang had almost finished eating and were listening to Ye Zhilan explain the rules and regulations when a commotion suddenly broke out in the courtyard outside.
Yin Qiu looked up and peered out the window beside her. She immediately spotted the snow-white figure surrounded by admirers, and her heart leaped with joy.
"Hey, it's that pretty lady!" Fu Xiang squeezed in to look and said, "She's here to see you, isn't she?"
Yin Qiu didn't reply, but kept his gaze fixed on Man Jiangxue. After a short while, as if sensing something, Man Jiangxue, surrounded by the enthusiastic disciples, looked up at Yin Qiu.
Across the swirling snowflakes and the crowd of figures in the courtyard, the two gazed at each other from afar.
Yin Qiu moved her lips, intending to call out to Man Jiangxue, but for some reason, looking at the disciples surrounding Man Jiangxue, she swallowed back the word "Shishu" (a term of respect for a senior disciple).
Ye Zhilan chuckled at their crowded behavior by the window and said, "Alright, sit down quickly, your uncle will come in."
The two sat down properly and listened to laughter coming from the courtyard for a while before Man Jiangxue appeared at the door.
"Have you eaten?" Man Jiangxue asked.
"I've already eaten," Ye Zhilan stood up and bowed. "Hasn't your martial uncle eaten yet?"
"I'll eat at Jingyue Peak," Man Jiangxue said, looking at Yin Qiu and then at Fu Xiang. "Are you full?"
Perhaps because there were other people around, Yin Qiu seemed a little unsure how to react and appeared somewhat reserved. Seeing that she didn't answer, Fu Xiang smiled and said, "You're full."
“Then follow your Senior Sister Ye to familiarize yourself with the environment,” Man Jiangxue said. “Listen to whatever she says and be good.”
Yin Qiu nodded slightly, and then heard Fu Xiang say, "Sister, you have to return this to me."
After saying this, she took the money pouch from her waist and handed it to Man Jiangxue.
Upon seeing the money pouch, Man Jiangxue raised an eyebrow slightly and examined Fu Xiang again, but did not ask any questions. She simply said, "What's given to you is yours. Keep it."
Fu Xiang bowed and said with a smile, "Then thank you very much, sister... oh no, thank you very much, martial uncle."
·
Lunchtime had passed, and the other disciples had all gone to the training grounds in groups, so the disciples' courtyard became quiet. Ye Zhilan first led the people to their residences, and then led them through the entire courtyard. However, there were many things to explain, and she couldn't explain everything in detail. After giving Yin Qiu and Fu Xiang a few instructions, she took her leave.
During this time, Man Jiangxue stayed by their side the whole time. She rarely spoke and just followed quietly. After Ye Zhilan left, Man Jiangxue personally escorted the two of them back to their residence.
“I didn’t expect our rooms to be so far apart,” Fu Xiang pushed open the door, turned around and smiled at Yin Qiu, “Then Uncle-Master, please take Yin Qiu back. I’ll take care of things here myself.”
When they set off from Shangyuan City, Man Jiangxue bought a lot of snacks for Yin Qiu. Yin Qiu then shared some candied fruit and dried fruit with Fu Xiang, saying, "The teacher said he will quiz you tomorrow, so remember to recite your lessons."
Fu Xiang took the things and thanked them several times. Only after Man Jiangxue and Yin Qiu disappeared into the corner of the corridor did she close the door.
A faint, cool fragrance lingered around them, and a snow-white figure constantly flickered in their eyes. Seeing that no one was around, Yin Qiu stopped, pulled Man Jiangxue into a tight embrace, and whispered, "Uncle-Master..."
When they met in the canteen earlier, Yin Qiu had seemed timid. Man Jiangxue assumed she was just feeling uneasy in a new environment. But now that she was being affectionate with her, Man Jiangxue smiled and said, "Alright, let's go back to our room first."
Yin Qiu was very fond of Man Jiangxue's body temperature and fragrance. Even after leaving Man Jiangxue's embrace, she still held her hand. The two walked through the corridor into the room. Before they could even sit down, Yin Qiu clung to Man Jiangxue again and began to act coquettishly in a restrained manner.
"How have you been feeling these past half day?" Man Jiangxue asked as she sat down on the wooden chair with Yin Qiu in her arms.
"Not good..." Yin Qiu leaned on Man Jiangxue's shoulder, inhaling the fragrance of her hair.
Man Jiangxue had guessed she would say that, but she still asked, "Why?"
Yin Qiu raised her face, looked at Man Jiangxue, and said, "I feel so uncomfortable without my martial uncle here."
“Uncle-Master is here,” Man Jiangxue patted Yin Qiu’s back. “Be good.”
“But Fu Xiang is a very nice person, we are friends now,” Yin Qiu said.
“You helped her once,” Man Jiangxue said. “If she has a grateful heart, she will definitely treat you well in return.”
Yin Qiu pulled out the booklet her teacher had given her from her bosom, and said with a worried expression, "But how am I supposed to memorize this? I can't read yet..."
The booklet wasn't thick, only a dozen pages in total, but Yin Qiu couldn't understand a single word of it.
Man Jiangxue said, "I'll read it to you."
Yin Qiu was still a little worried: "I still can't remember it."
“It’s alright,” Man Jiangxue comforted her. “I will tell your teacher, and you should try to remember as much as possible.”
Yin Qiu nodded and began to read the book with Man Jiangxue. Every time Man Jiangxue read a sentence, Yin Qiu would repeat it. The two of them snuggled together in the room and read the clauses in the book many times.
Although the method was a bit clumsy, there was no other way at the moment. Man Jiangxue was very patient and even picked some simple and easy-to-remember characters to teach Yin Qiu to recognize. Yin Qiu was also very serious, and after reading along with her, she was able to memorize quite a few rules.
Before we knew it, the sky outside had quietly darkened.
"Uncle-Master, you haven't eaten yet!" Yin Qiu suddenly remembered this.
“It’s alright,” Man Jiangxue put down the booklet and said, “If I read a little longer, it will be time for dinner. I’ll have dinner with you before I go back.”
Yin Qiu paused for a moment, then asked, "What does Martial Uncle's Jingyue Peak look like?"
Man Jiangxue said, "You'll see when you get to the end."
Yin Qiu clung to her, unwilling to leave, and asked listlessly, "When can I go?"
Man Jiangxue said, "If you behave well in the disciples' courtyard, I'll take you out to play."
Yin Qiu said, "Really?"
Man Jiangxue said, "Did your martial uncle lie to you?"
Yin Qiu shook her head and chuckled softly, "Uncle-Master keeps his word and won't lie to me."
“If anything happens, remember to tell your teacher,” Man Jiangxue said. “If you are bullied, don’t keep it to yourself. Do you remember what I told you before?”
Yin Qiu said, "I remember, I haven't forgotten."
"Eat your fill and then get a good night's sleep," Man Jiangxue put Yin Qiu down and stood up. "I'll have someone prepare your medicine and bring it to you. Although you're much better now, you can't let your guard down. Dress warmly every day and don't catch a cold, or you'll develop a chronic illness."
Yin Qiu felt increasingly distressed as she listened. After holding it in all day, she finally couldn't hold back her tears and said, "How can I repay my martial uncle?"
Man Jiangxue patted her head and said, "You don't need to repay me. Just grow up well."
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