Chapter 9
The servant sent by Madam Jiang knocked on the door of the Chen residence and told the doorman that she wanted to invite Chen Fuzhou to the house for dinner.
The doorman went into the mansion to report, and came out after a while, first giving the servant a reward of two taels of silver.
"My husband has agreed to come to your house for dinner, and he sent me to ask what your old lady, old master, and other ladies would like."
The servant told the concierge everything he knew.
The concierge thanked him politely.
The servant returned to Zhang's house to report.
*
That night, Chen Fuzhou came to the door and brought more than ten carts of gifts.
The servants in front of the gate were all stunned.
Red corals taller than humans, mica screens inlaid with gemstones, silks and satins that could not be named, antiques and curios that had never been seen before... boxes and pieces were carried into the storeroom of the mansion by the servants.
Zhang Xihua, who had just escaped from Zhu Mingji being entangled by Zhang Anhua, saw a tall figure emerging from the plum forest. When the maid holding a lantern led the way came closer, he could see Chen Fuzhou's refreshing face. He had soft features, beautiful eyebrows and clear eyes. He rarely smiled and rarely showed any expression.
When Zhang Xihua first met him, he always thought that he had facial paralysis. Later, as they got along better and became friends, he found out that this person didn't like others to see through his emotions at a glance.
But Zhang Xihua could tell whether Chen Fuzhou was in a good mood or not just from his expression.
For example, Chen Fuzhou is in a good mood now because he is holding a red plum blossom in his right hand. He likes to give flowers to others when he is happy.
Zhang Xihua took the handle of the hexagonal palace lantern from the maid's hand and walked in front of Shen Fuzhou, slightly to the right.
"Uncle Xiaochuan, if we continue through a bamboo forest, we'll reach Yangrongzhai, where my grandparents live. I heard from the servants that you brought over ten carts of gifts. This has my mother worried about how to return your generous gifts."
Chen Fuzhou reached out to hold the lantern for Zhang Xihua.
Zhang Xihua refused to let go, "Master Xiaochuan, you are the guest, so let me hold the lantern and lead the way."
Chen Fuzhou had no choice but to withdraw his hand and let Zhang Xihua smell the red plum blossom.
"Xiaobai, I picked a strange-shaped plum blossom for you to put in a vase. I remember you enjoyed admiring interesting flowers like this on Baidi Mountain. Those gifts are not worth much, but they are piled up like a mountain in my house in the capital. If your family likes them, I will have someone load a few carts and send them over."
"Then my mother will be even more worried about returning the favor to Master Xiaochuan." Zhang Xihua said.
"Xiaobai, if you have time, please practice swordsmanship with me. That would be more satisfying than giving me any gift." Zhang Xihua's profile appeared in Chen Fuzhou's star-like bright eyes.
Xiaobai said he liked the hustle and bustle of life below Baidi Mountain and didn't want to be a Taoist priest at Bodhi Temple, so he came down the mountain to find Xiaobai. But back when he was on Baidi Mountain, he could practice swordsmanship with Xiaobai for at least a month a year. So why did he see Xiaobai so much less now that he was down there?
"Master Xiaochuan, I will be able to go to your house tomorrow to learn swordsmanship from you, but I still have to give you the gift."
Zhang Xihua recalled the days when he went to Bodhi Temple on Baidi Mountain to learn sword. In addition to three meals a day, he could pick wild fruits, drink flower dew, watch the rolling sea of clouds and the gentle sunset... His body and mind could completely relax in close contact with nature.
She learned sword skills for two reasons: one was to strengthen her body, and the other was to protect herself and save her life.
She studied from the age of six to thirteen, and spent about a month every year at Bodhi Monastery.
She felt that she had made some progress in swordsmanship, so she stopped going to Baidi Mountain to learn swordsmanship.
However, he never expected that in the winter more than a year ago, Chen Fuzhou waited for her in front of the mountain gate for three days and three nights, but she did not show up on Baidi Mountain.
He stood in the cold wind like a snowman, confused.
He sent a letter to her by carrier pigeon, asking her to become a Taoist priest in Bodhi Temple like him and not be concerned with worldly affairs.
She said she liked the hustle and bustle of life at the foot of Baidi Mountain.
In fact, she lied to him. She preferred the leisurely and comfortable time on Baidi Mountain.
"Uncle Xiaochuan, I actually still think that you are more suitable for Baidi Mountain. You and I are not the same kind of people. I have to pursue fame and fortune for my family. Your family is supported and managed by your father and brothers. I don't have such good father and brothers as you." This was the 308th time that Zhang Xihua persuaded Chen Fuzhou to return to Baidi Mountain.
Chen Fuzhou changed the subject and said, "Xiaobai, I recently heard a story about a man who was planning to marry the woman he loved, but their families refused to accept their marriage and thought they were sick. They asked a doctor to treat them, but they ended up dying from the medicine they took. If you were their family member, would you also think they were sick?"
Zhang Xihua listened carefully to the story and said, "Master Xiaochuan, in my opinion, whether it's mutual affection between a man and a woman, or a man liking a man or a woman liking a woman, these aren't illnesses; they're the different kinds of love, hate, anger, and obsession that Heaven has etched into their bones and blood. But those two gentlemen do have some issues, probably some kind of mental disability. If only they had legs, they wouldn't have ended up dying together if they'd eloped."
Chen Fuzhou raised his lips slightly and continued, "We are not in Bodhi Monastery. You can call me 'Xiao Xiao' without adding the word 'Uncle Master'. I am not much older than you. Hearing the word 'Uncle Master' makes me feel that there is a generation gap between us."
"Little Boat... Little Boat... Little Boat..." Zhang Xihua called out several times and said with a smile, "It's indeed much easier this way, but I still have to call you 'Uncle Xiaochuan'. I won't be the kind of person who betrays his master and ancestors and commits treason."
Chen Fuzhou likes his straightforward and innocent character very much.
He had never met anyone like Xiaobai who was so compatible with him in practicing kendo. Xiaobai was talented in everything he did.
He loved to listen to all the ghost stories and jokes that Xiaobai used to tell him in Bodhi Temple, and he even loved to listen to Xiaobai's nonsense.
He had struggled and found it hard to accept that he would like men, but this was fate. Fate made him disgusted with the world and retreat to the Bodhi Temple, while luck made him meet someone who made him fall in love with her and feel happy at the first sight.
He couldn't escape from this fate.
After passing through the bamboo forest and walking along the cobblestone path for a while, the two arrived at the gate of Yangrongzhaiyuan.
Zhu Mingji had been waiting here early, and when he saw the floating boat beside Zhang Xihua from afar, he frowned.
After Chen Fuzhou bowed to Zhu Mingji.
Zhu Mingji raised his chin arrogantly and didn't look at Chen Fuzhou straight in the eye.
"So you're Queen Shen's brother who went to Baidi Mountain at the age of five to become a Taoist priest at Bodhi Temple. Why don't you become a Taoist priest now? Is working for the Northern Pacification Office more interesting than being a Taoist priest?"
Chen Fuzhou naturally heard the thorn in Zhu Mingji's words, and he also knew that the person in front of him was the prince of Xiangwang Mansion who Xiaobai often talked to him about and liked to make him unhappy.
Chen Fuzhou: "I'm tired of being a Taoist priest. It's not bad to work for His Majesty with an embroidered spring sword."
Chen Fuzhou still had the same cold expression as always, but Zhang Xihua could tell that Chen Fuzhou was in a very bad mood when he saw Zhu Mingji, because Shen Fuzhou kept pulling the jade belt around his waist from time to time.
If I had a sword or a knife hanging on my waist tonight, I would have fought Zhu Mingji hand-to-hand.
To ease the tense atmosphere between the two, Zhang Xihua suggested, "Brother Mingji, don't you also like to ponder the Dao and alchemy? Why not discuss it with Brother Fuzhou when you have time? Brother Fuzhou has quite a bit of experience and insights into the subject."
"don't want."
"don't want."
Chen Fuzhou and Zhu Mingji both refused at the same time.
"It's windy outside the courtyard, and I'm hungry, so I'll go to the backyard and have my meal."
Zhang Xihua planned to leave the two of them behind. She was too lazy to care about them and decided to let them freeze to death at the gate of the yard.
A gust of north wind came at the right time, bringing the chill to Chen Fuzhou and Zhu Mingji, and they both sneezed at the same time.
The two of them stopped being stubborn and followed Zhang Xihua through the hall and into the flower hall in the backyard.
The servants have already set up the tables and chairs and put away the dishes.
Men and women sat at separate tables, with a screen between the two square tables.
Old Master Zhang had the habit of not eating after noon, so the couch to the north of the square table was empty.
Chen Fuzhou and Zhu Mingji, one was the second son of Duke Suguo and the other was the eldest son of Prince Xiang's mansion, so they naturally had to sit in the upper seats. They were then asked to sit together on the couch on the north side.
Xu Minyan and Xu Minde sat respectively on the first and second chairs on the left side of the couch, and Zhang Xihua and Zhang Anhua sat respectively on the first and second chairs on the right side of the couch.
Except for Zhang Xihua, all these gentlemen know how to drink.
Especially the Xu brothers, their alcohol tolerance is unfathomable. Chen Fuzhou and Zhu Mingji drank until their faces were red with blood, but the Xu brothers were still not drunk at all.
Zhang Anhua whispered in Zhang Xihua's ear, "The Crown Prince seems to be competing with Mr. Shen tonight. In the past, the Crown Prince's limit was four taels of wine, but tonight he's already drunk more than five taels. I estimate that if the Crown Prince drinks a few more glasses, he will go out and vomit."
"Mr. Chen's alcohol tolerance is not that great, but Mr. Dalang and Mr. Erlang of the Xu family are having a great time drinking tonight." Zhang Xihua winked at Qingque who was standing beside him, asking Qingque to quickly bring the hangover soup.
The Xu brothers ordered their maid to bring a large bowl of wine and started a new round of persuading people to drink.
Zhu Mingji really couldn't drink any more, so he went out under the pretext of changing clothes, his steps a little unsteady.
Zhang Xihua asked Zhang Anhua to go out and take care of Zhu Mingji who was very drunk.
With a "bang", Chen Fuzhou's head hit the table and he never lifted it up again. It was obvious that he was drunk and unconscious.
Zhang Xihua was afraid that Chen Fuzhou would catch a cold if he slept like this, so he asked the Xu brothers to help Chen Fuzhou go to the guest room to sleep.
Zhu Mingji was also not very drunk, and just then someone from Prince Xiang's Mansion came to take him home, which finally put Mrs. Zhang and the others at ease.
The next day, Chen Fuzhou still had a headache after waking up, so Zhang Xihua asked the maid to prepare hot porridge and pickles for Chen Fuzhou as breakfast.
After having breakfast, Chen Fuzhou felt a little better.
Zhang Xihua thought that today was the third day of the Lunar New Year and he didn't need to go around paying New Year's greetings, so he prepared to go to Shen Fuzhou's house with him to practice swordsmanship. However, he didn't expect that Madam Jiang sent someone to ask Zhang Xihua to go to Chonghua Courtyard to talk.
Zhang Xihua didn't know how long she would stay in Chonghuayuan, so she told Shen Fuzhou that he would go home first and she would visit him in the afternoon.
After Zhang Xihua arrived at Chonghua Courtyard, he saw Madam Jiang, Little Jiang, and Xu Baoyin all sitting in the main room.
Madam Jiang said anxiously, "This morning, Prince Xiang's mansion sent two old maids to tell me that the Crown Prince had lost a longevity lock in our house last night, and asked me to look for it everywhere in the house. Losing the longevity lock is a small matter, but if it was picked up by a cunning little maid, who could then blackmail the Crown Prince into having an affair with her, this small matter would become a big deal."
"Mother, have you found the longevity lock?" Zhang Xihua asked.
Madam Jiang sighed, "I did find it. I found it in Susu's makeup box. Susu cried and told me that she thought it was your longevity lock and hid it secretly. Susu is such a silly child."
Mrs. Jiang held up the longevity lock with a handkerchief and showed it to Zhang Xihua.
Zhang Xihua: "Susu didn't admit her mistake either. This is originally my longevity lock. Brother Mingji must take turns wearing it with me."
Madam Jiang: "I was so anxious that I didn't know how to report this matter to the Prince Xiang's Mansion. Thanks to your sister Baoyin for reminding me to call you to protect Susu's reputation."
Zhang Xihua wrapped the longevity lock in a handkerchief and put it into his sleeve, saying, "I'm going to go to Prince Xiang's mansion right now and explain to Brother Mingji that I found this longevity lock last night and want to keep it safe for him and return it to him when the time comes."
Mrs. Jiang nodded and watched Zhang Xihua walk out of the room.
Little Jiang guessed that Zhang Xihua must have gone far away, so she said to Madam Jiang, "I think Erlang is good in every way. No wonder Susu likes him. My Baoyin has also liked Erlang for many years, but I wonder if you prefer Susu or my Baoyin as your daughter-in-law?"
Mrs. Jiang had long anticipated that little Jiang would ask her this. She had watched her niece Baoyin grow up and loved her like her own flesh and blood. She was afraid of delaying Baoyin's marriage.
Madam Jiang looked at Xu Baoyin and asked, "Baoyin, are you willing to marry Erlang?"
Mrs. Jiang thought her niece would reject her, but she heard the word "willing".
Mrs. Jiang was a little stunned. She could not hear what little Jiang said in her ear at all.
After Xiao Jiang left, Mrs. Jiang left Xu Baoyin alone to talk.
Madam Jiang asked, "Baoyin, tell your aunt the truth. What are you really thinking?"
Xu Baoyin said, "Aunt, Erlang will definitely marry in the future. It would be better to let him marry me. If he finds a man he likes in the future, he can have a relationship with that man. I will not stop him. When Erlang has his own child, he can leave the father and keep the child. Erlang and I will raise the child together until he grows up. This way, the Zhang family lineage will continue, and Erlang having a wife and a child will further confirm his maleness. Isn't that perfect?"
"But Baoyin, what are you trying to do?" Mrs. Jiang was puzzled.
"I want everyone to envy me for marrying a gentle and handsome man like Erlang. I know Erlang will not treat me unfairly, and neither will you, aunt." Xu Baoyin has made up her mind.
"If your mother knew the truth, she would blame me for misleading you." Mrs. Jiang wanted to persuade Xu Baoyin.
Xu Baoyin took Madam Jiang's hand and said, "Don't worry, Auntie. Mother will never know the truth. Baoyin will keep Erlang's secret even if she dies."
"Pooh, pooh, pooh, Baoyin, don't say such unlucky words." Mrs. Jiang's eyes were moist.
"Aunt, don't be ridiculous, I've always thought how wonderful it would be if Erlang were a boy. He's so handsome, a hard-working man, and always so humble and gentle. Even if Erlang were a girl, I'd marry her and stay with her forever. Erlang is my dream, and as long as Erlang remains Erlang, I won't have to wake up from my dream." Xu Baoyin looked at Madam Jiang, "I beg Aunt to fulfill my wishful thinking about Erlang."
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