Chapter 79 A bonfire carnival in the countryside, a touch of sweet romance...
The sunset glow spread to the wheat fields, wastelands, earthen walls, and terraces near the villa, casting a sorrowful and dignified golden light over this fertile yet suffering land.
The estate officials and stewards then ordered their servants to set up the Shu brocade curtains. The silk fluttered in the evening breeze, like patches of low-hanging clouds.
Tenants, with their families and children, came from all directions; young girls, dressed in their most fashionable dresses and rouge, came gracefully; children, wearing newly washed linen clothes, chased and played on the verdant wasteland.
The village official invited Zhang Houyin, Changsun Minxing, the village head, elders, and community officials to sit behind a screen, and also invited Zheng Gong, a retired county magistrate, to preside over the banquet.
Li Shimin and Changsun Qingjing also stood in the seating area early to greet the respected elders and distinguished guests.
They glanced at the wagtails on the riverbank in a fleeting manner before Zhang Houyin urged them to return to their villa.
The young couple changed back into mourning clothes at the villa, intending to have a brief meeting with the invited village head and elders before leaving.
Zheng Gong and the others noticed the young couple's plain attire, and after the village official whispered in their ears about the recent changes in the Li family, they immediately understood and exchanged greetings with Li Shimin.
Men, women, and children gathered inside and outside the tent to listen to the teachings of the white-haired Duke Zheng. Although the old man had been retired from office for many years, he still commanded the respect of the villagers.
He rose, leaning on his cane, and first offered a toast to several ninety-year-old elders and village officials. Then, he simply addressed the crowd in a loud voice: "Lord Tang's righteousness protects both the old and the young. May there be few troubles in the courts this year, and may the harvests be plentiful..."
"Peach and plum blossoms, swans circle Yangshan Mountain, winding through the flower-filled woods..." The children, unable to understand their elders' prayers, stood bored in the crowd, eagerly awaiting the start of the feast. They bypassed their families, gathering in twos and threes, humming the newly popular children's rhyme, "Peach and plum blossoms, floods circle Yangshan Mountain..."
"...Father is kind, son is filial, husband is righteous, wife is obedient!" When Zheng Gong heard the nursery rhyme, he thought of the rumors about Li Hun's family and felt that the nursery rhyme was full of veiled criticism and it was very inappropriate to sing it openly. So he increased the volume of his prayers in an attempt to drown out the clear voice of the children.
The children's laughter and songs were even louder.
Changsun Qingjing, however, watched warily the children clapping, jumping, and singing outside the screen, hoping that Li Shimin could find a way to stop their unruly behavior.
She quietly reached her hand over Li Shimin's knee and squeezed his fingers tightly, signaling to the child outside the screen with her eyes.
“Peaches and plums…” she reminded Li Shimin with exaggerated mouth movements.
Li Shimin was clearly engrossed in his own dream of Mount Li, completely unaware of the approaching danger or discord...
"escape?"
He glanced at his wife's strange behavior with a puzzled look, and presumptuously assumed that she found the opening remarks of this country festivities utterly boring and was eager to escape.
Li Shimin, however, was completely unaware. He only felt that a mischievous yet dependent kitten was scratching his palm and his heart incessantly in order to get his full attention...
"Wait until Old Zheng finishes speaking." He turned to the side and tilted his head patiently, saying, "Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you..."
His voice was a bit loud, which drew chuckles and whispers from the women behind him.
Changsun Qingjing's face began to burn: "Shut up."
His cheek brushed against Changsun Qingjing's hollow hair. To the onlookers, it appeared as an intimate whisper, but to those gathered behind him, it was almost a kiss on the hair, as gentle and delicate as a dream, as exquisite as a dream.
The way the villagers acted was somewhat naive and simple, "transcending conventional morality and following nature." They simply felt that the young man and woman were both intelligent and beautiful, sitting upright like jade branches and trees, complementing each other perfectly.
I found it pleasing to the eye, so I couldn't help but invite everyone else to watch it together.
Healthy and vibrant love and desire do not need to be suppressed. Like a sweet spring gushing from the field, or a silkworm breaking free from its cocoon in the warmth of spring, everything comes naturally and does not need to be criticized or questioned.
Perhaps things weren't as bad as he imagined. Changsun Qingjing looked at the joyful villagers inside and outside the screen, and couldn't bear to disturb them with the power struggles and scheming in Luoyang.
Restlessness is the norm for young people.
The girls, now free from their parents' supervision, secretly gathered together to practice stomping their feet to keep time and shaking their sleeves and hair.
The boy, who was being supervised by his parents to listen to Old Master Zheng's prayers, would occasionally glance at the graceful young women who were swaying their shoulders and twisting their waists.
Several lively girls would occasionally wink at the boy who was being forced by his elders to listen to the prayers.
Several young men secretly opened the mulberry wine jar and sniffed the aroma. An elder who had been listening to Zheng Gong's prayers nearby struck their hands with a bamboo cane.
"Grandpa, if I'm conscripted to Liaodong to build palaces, I'll never be able to drink such fine wine again!" the young man exclaimed, playfully bringing his nose even closer to the wine jar.
"Today we're having a feast, so let's not talk about anything unlucky," the old man said worriedly, tapping with his cane at all the boys, girls, and children within his reach who were playing, daydreaming, chatting, or not standing properly.
"...Harmony brings good fortune, and disasters do not occur!" Zheng Gong's prayer finally ended, and the crowd poured wine on the ground to honor the gods.
Amidst the clamor and jubilation, drumbeats rained down, bamboo flutes played clear, melodious tunes, and the harp hummed. A resounding chorus erupted, and wine bowls clinked together.
The village's traditional drinking ceremony then began.
Just as Li Shimin was about to take his leave, Zheng Gong and several village elders surrounded him and pleaded, "Young master, please have mercy! These village children are of school age but still cannot read or write. In the future, if they cannot distinguish between land deeds and household registrations, they will be at the mercy of others. We old men have discussed raising funds to hire teachers for the children. We also humbly request that you, young master, establish a temple funded by Lady Tang, so that the children can use it to study and learn to read... Lady Tang and I had a gentleman's agreement before her death, and I dare not deceive you, young master..."
"No," Zheng Gong said.
Changsun Minxing suddenly joined the village elders in persuading the children, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "If you elders and young master Li do not mind, I am willing to temporarily take over the position of teacher until you find a formal tutor."
Zhang Houyin smiled at Zheng Gong and said, "Wouldn't this be too unfair to Changsun Qingjing?" Changsun Qingjing didn't say much, but he deeply agreed.
This great Confucian scholar, in his youth, sat with Yan Zhitui, Xue Daoheng, and others to study phonetics and rhyme. For children to be taught the Analects and the Book of Rites by him was practically a dream come true.
“Minxing, those children are not quite the same as your classmates when you were young. Their lives are much harder… A true man keeps his word and cannot go back on his word. Have you thought it through?” Zhang Houyin asked with a smile.
Changsun Minxing glanced at Li Shimin and his wife and replied, "This noble couple can also personally experience the hardships of farming and weaving. What grievances do I have to complain about?"
After thinking it over, Changsun Qingjing realized that he had been too pretentious. He said he treated the man as a brother, but in his heart he couldn't help but regard him as an honored guest.
She smiled and made a gesture of applause towards her brother Li Shimin from behind.
“Then it’s a deal.” Li Shimin patted Changsun Minxing’s shoulder and said, “You really are as your name suggests. I’ll let you know after I’ve made some arrangements and tidied up the lecture hall and dormitory. You stay with Master Zhang and Master Zheng for a while longer. I’ll take my leave now.”
The village elders seemed very afraid that Changsun Minxing would go back on his word, so they hurriedly ordered the strong and healthy younger members of their families to grab all the children who were about to run away and bring them into the meditation room to kowtow to Changsun Minxing. They immediately established the master-disciple relationship and promised to make up for the tuition fees another day.
The still underage Changsun Minxing was immediately surrounded by a group of children...
Li Shimin's farewell was swallowed up in this novel and bright chaos, and no one cared about where the true organizer of this feast had gone.
He then pulled Changsun Qingjing away from the meditation hall to find another quiet place.
Outside the screen, the firewood in the stove was burning brightly, and mutton bone soup was boiling in the pot. The cooks were still arguing about whether to put the sliced meat or the winter melon and bamboo shoots in first. Sangluo wine and Xingyang Kuchun were being brought out of the cellar one after another, but unfortunately, the speed of pouring the wine could not keep up with the speed of drinking. Under the cypress tree, several young men in blue robes were arguing about a certain omission in the "Zheng Jian", almost forgetting that a deer leg was being placed on the nearby campfire. More people lined up in front of the griddle, waiting for the freshly baked flatbread. The aroma of honey, cheese and flour mixed together, making people's mouths water.
Guoniang carried a piece of Sogdian felt, and Acai followed closely behind with a pot of drinks, preparing to leave with Changsun Qingjing.
"You and A-Cai can drink and sing." Changsun Qingjing took the felt and wine jug. "I'll just wander around. If anything goes wrong, my husband and I can handle it."
"My lady, be careful not to catch a cold, and don't go into the deep mountains. The roads are difficult to travel, and there are villains and wild animals roaming there," Guoniang repeatedly warned.
"My lady, have some flatbread before you leave. You've been busy all day without eating!" Ah Cai also advised.
"Don't worry, I will never wrong myself." Changsun Qingjing handed the felt and teapot to Li Shimin, and held Guoniang and Acai's hands in his hands, saying, "You have taken care of me for many days without rest, why don't you take a break tonight to rest and recuperate, otherwise I will feel even more guilty. Acai, you can get to know the ladies of your age in the villa. Guoniang, if you see any family members, you can ask if there is anything I can help you with."
She forcefully pulled the two to her side, then placed her palms on their backs and pushed Guoniang and Acai into the singing and dancing procession with their arms linked together.
"May all seasons be prosperous and may all blessings come together." Changsun Qingjing greeted the singing girls, and only after A Cai and Guo Niang had also joined the revelers did she walk through the dust and mist mixed with grass clippings in the firelight and head towards the mulberry grove on the terrace.
A bonfire was burning brightly in the field. On the terrace, one could even hear the out-of-tune sounds of a pipa and the singing of footsteps. The folksy and humorous lyrics, as well as the shouts of wrestling and pitch-pot, also reached Changsun Qingjing's ears intermittently.
"Guanyinbi, aren't you tired?" Li Shimin took a sip of warm ginger and cinnamon drink, then casually laid out the Sogdian carpet among the mulberry trees on the terrace and sprawled out on it.
"Sit down, the carpet is warm, your knees don't hurt," he said, his eyes closed.
Changsun Qingjing knelt on the canopy of the flourishing tree of life depicted on the carpet, flanked by a pair of lions.
The carpet was very thick, and my knees didn't hurt at all.
She gazed out at the wilderness through the gaps in the mulberry grove, her restless heart resonating with the jubilant crowd.
In a daze, a furry head appeared on her lap. The owner of this head reached out and touched something that gave him a sense of security. After searching for a while, he grasped Changsun Qingjing's hand and pressed it against his cheek.
Changsun Qingjing lowered his head, and Li Shimin suddenly opened his eyes. The two looked at each other.
Changsun Qingjing recalled the young unicorn that suddenly appeared in the forest during his dream of hunting in the west. The young unicorn's pupils also held a whole expanse of undisturbed sky.
She gently stroked Li Shimin's cheek with her thumb: "I'm reminded of that dream again."
“I know I’m not in your dreams,” Li Shimin said calmly, closing his eyes again.
Changsun Qingjing shook his head, then smiled again: "Not necessarily."
"Then what do you do when you encounter danger?" Li Shimin asked, feigning concern, but a deep, rumbling laugh echoed in his chest.
Changsun Qingjing laughed too: "That was just a dream. I wasn't afraid of any danger. In the dream, a white-scaled beast, or some other auspicious beast with a single horn, accompanied me. I only remember fleeing with it..."
"No wonder you asked Master Zhang some strange questions today." Li Shimin looked into Changsun Qingjing's eyes, which held the still-flowing moonlight. "Did you cry when you saw the fourteenth year of Duke Ai's reign?"
"Yes." In her eyes, the unblemished light of the crescent moon struck the thawing mountain spring.
"So, did you and that auspicious beast escape?" Li Shimin asked lazily.
"No... I don't know... We're trapped in a cave by the Yu people." A strand of loose hair brushed against his lips, tickling him, a pleasant sensation, carrying a subtle hint of teasing.
"Then let me ask you, if it were you, how would you rescue Bai Lin?"
"Kill Chu Shang. If necessary, imprison Duke Ai and the Shusun clan as well, and forbid them from going to Daye."
Changsun Qingjing chuckled, speechless: "What kind of solution is that?"
She pulled her hand away from Li Shimin's and mischievously rubbed his face: "Arrogant and conceited, talking nonsense."
"Just kidding! You only asked me how to save a white unicorn, but you never asked me how to save an era of moral decay. What's the difference between saving a white unicorn and saving a horse or a lynx?"
"Soliciting nonsense!" A bright laugh cascaded down his pale blue collar like flowing water. Changsun Qingjing's slender index finger curled up and hovered in mid-air, like a plum blossom bud about to fall, and suddenly lightly tapped Li Shimin's high nose.
Then, before it could be caught again, the knuckle disappeared like a butterfly briefly perched on a flower.
Li Shimin changed his lying position, tilting his head back slightly. Their foreheads were almost touching.
Startled, Changsun Qingjing crawled backward on his knees and leaped up from the carpet. Li Shimin's head then struck a pile of rubble covered by the felt, completely unprepared.
Author's Note: You'll need a sharp eye to find the quirky parts amidst a pile of serious text [winking emoji]
Erfeng freely switches between the identities of an arrogant young man and a goddess worshipper; the villagers are kind and lovable bystanders; and Minxing has a career.
The next chapter will probably be all sweet moments [starry-eyed]
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