Newcomer
An Hongdou woke up alone in the early morning.
She reached out and touched the bed; the outer edge was already cold. It seemed Li Zeli had already left.
Counting the days, she had been in Qingyin County for more than ten days. Being new to the place and unfamiliar with everyone, coupled with her first separation from Wu Linglong, and with so many things piling up, she had not yet adapted to her new life.
After washing up, An Hongdou went to the front yard to look for Li Zeli.
She and Li Zeli currently reside in the magistrate's residence in Qingyin County. The front courtyard of this residence serves as the government office, while the back courtyard is used to house family members, facilitating officials' work.
An Hongdou dislikes waking up early, so after arriving here, she wakes up alone every day.
After getting ready, she would go to look for him. Sometimes Li Zeli wasn't busy, and the two could have a meal together. Other times, Li Zeli was out on business, and she would have to pass the time alone in the backyard.
Li Zeli did not go out today. When An Hongdou arrived, he was looking through documents.
Seeing that he was watching intently, An Hongdou did not make a sound to disturb him, but leaned against the door and quietly watched him.
After years of diligent study, he finally had the opportunity to put his knowledge to use. An Hongdou could sense that Li Zeli had been living a fulfilling and happy life every day since coming to Qingyin County.
Watching him write, An Hongdou's thoughts drifted back to her youth.
At that time, An Hongdou and Wu Linglong often walked around the academy, taking advantage of their fathers' teaching positions.
For a while, An's father often mentioned a student named Li Zeli at home, expressing his admiration for him and praising him highly. This aroused An Hongdou's curiosity.
At the time, An Hongdou was engrossed in a story about a poor scholar who became the top scholar in the imperial examination and married a princess, and she couldn't help but draw this scholar into the story.
Unable to resist, she told Wu Linglong her thoughts, wanting to invite Wu Linglong to the academy to see this person's true colors. Unexpectedly, the two hit it off immediately, as Wu Linglong had also been thinking the same thing for a while.
However, according to Wu Linglong, every time her father praised Li Zeli at home, he would mention someone named Li Zeren, and then his pride would turn into regret and confusion. After a long sigh, he would say that Li Zeli was an exception among the family's blockheads.
“I just want to see what a blockhead looks like! Can brothers really be so different?” Wu Linglong said.
The next day, they found an opportunity and, while Wu's father was giving a lecture, the two of them squatted under the windowsill and held their breath to eavesdrop.
Today, Mr. Wu was lecturing on Mencius's "Fish, What I Desire." After reading the line, "If I cannot have both, I will give up fish and take bear's paw," Mr. Wu looked at his students and asked who could interpret the meaning.
“I’ll do it!” a strong male voice rang out, but Wu’s father did not respond. The voice did not give up and continued, “Sir, I am willing to give it a try.”
"Alright, then you tell me, how do you interpret this sentence?" Mr. Wu's voice was tinged with helplessness.
"The student thought this was telling students that in addition to studying hard, they should also strengthen their bodies, or accumulate wealth! Otherwise, they would want both fish and bear's paw, but lack the ability, and could only get the fish while regretting looking at the bear's paw." The voice was very confident, but Mr. Wu was quite angry.
"Nonsense!" Wu's father shouted angrily.
"Sir, please don't be angry. Let me explain. Fishing is relatively easy, but getting a bear's paw from a bear is very difficult. Unless you are strong and daring enough to hunt a bear, you can only buy a bear's paw with money. If you can't hunt a bear and don't have the money to buy one, then you have to choose between fish and bear's paw!"
"What I read was clearly choosing the bear's paw over the fish!"
"Oh! The student misheard because he was nervous! The student thought that this person must be using the fish he caught to exchange for money to buy bear paws, so he said that he would give up the fish for the bear paws!"
"Shut up! Does this Confucian classic talk about having both fish and bear's paw?"
Isn't that so?
"The fish and bear's paw analogy is just an example; the real point is about how to make choices!"
"Isn't it still a matter of choosing between fish and bear's paw?"
"You're hopeless! You're such a blockhead..."
"Please don't be angry, sir. Although my elder brother is not very talented, he is eager to learn. I hope you will be tolerant. I think this sentence is about the choices and gains and losses when facing options. You have to give up something to gain something. Human desires are infinite, but the moon has its phases. It is difficult to have everything. People often have to make choices. However, in the process of making choices, you reap what you sow. Wise giving is for easier gain."
"Well said. It seems you've done your homework; I can hear some of your own insights. You two can sit down now!" After saying that, Mr. Wu continued his lecture.
The two people outside the window covered their mouths, trying hard to suppress their laughter. Catching a glimpse of each other out of the corner of their eyes, they couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing, quickly holding hands and running away.
Inside, Li Zeli followed the sound and saw two figures walking away. He smiled and shook his head, then focused on his studies. Li Zeren heard the laughter, scratched his head, and muttered, "How can we expect to get a joke for free? The storyteller at the teahouse gets an extra two copper coins for making people laugh!"
"When did you arrive, Madam? Why didn't you call me?" Li Zeli's voice pulled An Hongdou back to reality.
"Just arrived! Would you like to join me for a meal, my husband?"
"Please enjoy this, Madam. I'm going out for a while and don't know when I'll be back, so don't wait for me." Li Zeli walked to the door, reached out and touched An Hongdou's hair, which was tied up in a bun. A small flower appeared beside her temple. It turned out that when he saw An Hongdou at the door, he got up and picked a flower from the vase to adorn her hair.
"Flowers complement a beautiful woman. I am new to officialdom and have much to learn. I have been so busy lately that I have neglected you, Madam. I hope you will forgive me," Li Zeli said gently.
“I don’t blame you, it’s just that I have no relatives or friends here, and Linglong is no longer with me, so I’m feeling a bit lost.” An Hongdou said in a forlorn tone.
Li Zeli comforted him, saying, "Once you're ready, you can spend more time with the wives of your government colleagues."
An Hongdou nodded and saw Li Zeli off.
An Hongdou had no appetite and went back to her room to write a letter to Wu Linglong. It took five to seven days to get a reply to a letter, and if there were delays on the way, the letter might get lost or take ten days or half a month to arrive.
"Greetings! How have you been? Is your mother-in-law facing any difficulties? I'm doing well, but I'm a little bored without you by my side. Li Zeli is with me, not forcing me to do anything. But I vaguely understand that as the wife of a county magistrate, I can no longer live a secluded life behind closed doors as before. Thinking of my mother, she also has to socialize with the wives of other teachers at the academy during festivals. But I don't know the local dialect yet, and I don't know if the wives of these officials in Qingyin County can speak Mandarin. What if I can't understand what they're saying? As I write this, I start missing you again. If you were here, I think I wouldn't be afraid to interact with them. I look forward to your reply. (Red Bean)"
An Hongdou put down her pen, waited for the ink to dry completely, sealed the letter, and went on a business trip. Dongxue then asked someone to deliver it.
A short while later, Dongxue returned with a letter, along with a letter from Wu Linglong.
An Hongdou knew the letter had been sent a while ago, but she was still very happy to receive a reply so soon after sending it. It was as if she and Linglong were still neighbors, making communication easy.
She sat back down at the table and eagerly opened the package.
"Red Bean, by now you should be settled in! Don't tell me you're procrastinating again and haven't packed your luggage yet! I'll scold you next time I write! How does Qingyin County compare to Li Family Village? How does it compare to our county? Is it fun? Is the food delicious? You must explore it thoroughly, and when I visit next time, take me on a proper tour! By the way, you're the magistrate's wife now, how does it feel? Isn't it impressive? Don't let the locals take advantage of you! Your husband is the county magistrate, the highest-ranking official in Qingyin County, you can walk sideways without fear! Hahaha, I couldn't help but burst into laughter as I wrote this, because it's really hard to imagine you walking sideways like that. Li Zeren saw me laughing and came to peek at my letter, even imitating my comical sideways walk-side-up pose in front of me. I'll deal with him after I finish writing this letter."
"I've heard that men who become wealthy are easily corrupted. How are things between you and Zeli lately? If he dares to treat you badly, you must tell me, and I'll immediately bring people over to back you up! Even if he's now the head of a county, I won't stand for it if he bullies you! I'm doing well at home, so you don't need to worry. I visit Aunt An every now and then when I go back to my parents' house; they're doing well too. Shunyuan has grown taller again, and Uncle An said he's making progress in his studies. I think he'll pass the imperial examination in a couple of years! Take good care of yourself while you're away from home. Don't cry if you miss home, or I'll laugh at you! Oh, and if there's anything you want to eat or do, just write to me, and I'll prepare it for you! Keep in touch."
After reading Wu Linglong's letter, An Hongdou was stunned for a long time.
It was as if Linglong was still next door, and they could meet as soon as she went out and called out. But the reality was that she was all alone in Qingyin County.
Li Zeli is busy with something and hasn't returned yet. An Hongdou decided to take Dongxue outside the mansion to look for some unique items to send back to Linglong next time.
The two first went to a bookstore and bought two books of local folk tales, and then went to a rouge shop and bought two kinds of signature cosmetics.
"Madam, please wait a moment!" Just as An Hongdou was about to return to her residence, someone called out to her.
"Is she the wife of Magistrate Li?" the woman asked as she approached.
"Yes, what can I do for you?"
"I am the president of the Hundred Flowers Society. The Hundred Flowers Society was formed by the ladies of various families when they had nothing to do. They often hold gatherings to pass the time. Madam, you are new to this place and have been elusive. The ladies of the various families are very curious about you. Would you be so kind as to invite you to our next gathering?"
"Time and place?"
"I will send someone to deliver the invitation to you later. The theme of our next gathering is chrysanthemum appreciation. In addition to enjoying tea and admiring the flowers, we will also create some poems and paintings on the theme of chrysanthemums. You can prepare in advance, Madam."
That evening, An Hongdou and Li Zeli discussed the matter.
"When she called out to me, I was startled. I thought she wanted to ask me for justice! It's not often written in storybooks that if you don't have money, you can't enter the government office. The bullied common people can only stop the officials in the street to seek justice. I was prepared to kneel down if she did," An Hongdou joked.
Li Zeli laughed heartily upon hearing this: "Madam, your idea is truly ingenious! If someone really seeks justice in this way, then I am an incompetent husband, and I apologize! I dare not trouble Madam with the task of judging the case."
The two joked and laughed for a while.
"Speaking of which, should I go to this chrysanthemum appreciation event?"
"It's up to you, Madam. But I think you've been quite bored lately, so why don't you get out and about a bit? Speaking of gatherings, in a few days the county magistrates will be going to the prefectural capital to report on their duties. You can go with them! I'll take you sightseeing then; the prefectural city is much more bustling than here."
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