Night tour
Since recovering from his illness, Bo Jun has been confined to his study by his mother, who rarely allows him to go out. She has also told him directly that he is not allowed to have any further involvement with the second branch of the family.
The Duchess was conflicted. She wanted to take advantage of the Wang family's influence to find a good marriage for her daughter, but she didn't want her son to get too involved with them, lest he accidentally offend someone.
Therefore, he didn't impose many restrictions on his daughter, but he was very strict with his son.
When Lu Chang visited him again, he noticed that Bo Jun had become much thinner, looked listless, and seemed weak. He advised his aunt not to be too restrictive of Bo Jun and to let the young man have more freedom.
"After all, he's getting older and needs to leave home to see the world. If he stays at home studying all the time, he'll become a bookworm."
The Duchess was not appreciative and spoke politely but distantly: "Chang'er should also take care of himself. After all, the imperial examination is just around the corner. He should focus more on his studies and not run around outside all the time."
Lu Chang understood that his aunt was saying he was meddling in other people's business. If he stayed any longer, his wife might think he was leading his cousin astray. So he immediately bowed and left. Before leaving, he glanced at Bo Jun. Bo Jun also understood his mother's unspoken meaning. He just stood behind with an embarrassed look on his face and smiled apologetically at his cousin.
Once outside, Lu Chang did not go to his own courtyard, but instead changed direction with light steps.
Jingwan was holding a palm-sized piece of jade in her hand, playing with it. Under the oil lamp were several sketches she had drawn, but none of them were satisfactory.
The jade was icy cold, yet I couldn't detect it at all, because my mind was already elsewhere.
The words her cousin spoke to her that day churned in her heart every day, like a dish in a pot, becoming more and more familiar with it the more it was stirred.
Back in the Northwest, my uncle's family was despicable, but compared to the people in the capital, they were still quite simple.
But the Gao family is different. Perhaps if she's not careful, she could become a wronged ghost and meet her mother in the underworld at a young age.
She sighed, "I'd rather be a piece of jade in the mountains, free from all these troubles."
The door creaked open, and looking up, I saw my cousin Lu Chang.
Since that night, he has become increasingly adept at opening that door.
"There's no reason for someone so young to be sighing." Lu Chang came over and picked up the sketches on the table to look at them.
On some of the drawings, there was a picture of Chang'e holding a toad, with a maidservant breaking branches beside her. There was also a picture of a little crab waving its two big pincers, which was very cute. Lu Chang liked it very much when he first saw it and had no interest in looking at the other drawings.
Both "passing the imperial examination" and "reed crab" are currently popular auspicious wishes given to students about to take the imperial examination.
Lu Chang was unusually pleased, thinking to himself that this young girl still remembered him, so it wasn't in vain that he had chatted with her that day.
Jingwan smiled and said, "Cousin, you've come at the perfect time. I'd like to have a jade ornament carved, but I don't know which design to choose. Could you pick one for me?"
Lu Chang handed her the crab and reed design: "Just carve a crab and reed design, symbolizing the highest honor in the imperial examinations. The other designs are too complex to handle."
Jingwan took the blueprints and agreed wholeheartedly: "Cousin is right."
Lu Chang watched her with a smile, somewhat looking forward to her finishing the carving and giving it to him soon.
Jingwan also looked up and replied, "I plan to use this jade to carve a small pendant for Bojun, wishing him success in his exams."
She carefully put the jade into the box and said earnestly, "Bo Jun is working so hard, I believe he will definitely pass the exam." She then put the crab and reed painting away separately, planning to make a few more changes tomorrow.
After finishing his work, he looked up and saw that his cousin's face had suddenly darkened.
Jingwan was uneasy, wondering why he had suddenly become unhappy. She simply moved the oil lamp closer so that more light would shine on her cousin's face.
Lu Chang forced a smile but didn't speak, which startled his little cousin, who asked him anxiously, like a rabbit, if he needed to speak to her.
Lu Chang then calmed down a bit and said casually, "Want to go out and have some fun?"
Jingwan was delighted; she was a child at heart and never disliked going out to play.
Back in the Northwest, her mother didn't discipline her much and often allowed her to go out and play with other children her age. After coming to Pingdu, she was allowed to go out for some fresh air even less often. There was only one time when she almost got into big trouble.
However, when she went out with the Gao sisters that day, she couldn't deny that the beautiful clothes and jewelry dazzled her.
After a brief moment of joy, Jingwan calmed down, shook her head, and said, "I don't want to go out."
Lu Chang had already seen through her thoughts, chuckled, and pulled her hand to walk outside.
Caught off guard, Jingwan was pulled away by him and hurriedly asked, "Where are you taking me, cousin?"
Lu Chang grabbed her hand and strode forward, saying, "Louder! You'll wake up your two girls."
Jingwan realized what was happening, quickly covered her mouth with her free hand, her eyes wide open, and scurried behind Lu Chang like a little mouse.
Lu Chang did not lead her through the main gate, but instead led her through the mansion, turning left and right. Occasionally, when they saw servants coming, they had to hide from them. Finally, they came to a small gate, which was not tall enough for a person to pass through. They had to bend over to get out.
Once outside the small gate, there was no sign of human habitation; the empty path was flanked by the tall mansion walls.
Lu Chang continued leading her forward, and the noise of the crowd grew louder. Finally, they saw lights rising in the distance, with steam rising into the air and then dissipating. They wondered whose hot food it was.
This was Jingwan's first time going out at night.
The nighttime atmosphere is different from the daytime atmosphere. Ordinary families tend to be more active, as they work hard during the day and bring their children out for a stroll at night.
There were quite a few young people, gathering in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.
Jingwan initially followed Lu Chang wherever he went, but after a while, she became the one leading the way, looking here and there, and occasionally staying at a stall for half a day, and she wouldn't leave even if you called her.
She had already learned quite a few characters, and now seeing that there were many books on this storybook stall, some of which even had illustrations, she could understand the meaning by half reading and half guessing. So she squatted down in front of the stall and started browsing.
I used to read the classics, but they were inevitably a bit dry. Now, I'm overjoyed to find books about spirits, monsters, and demons. I picked out several, especially books like "In Search of the Supernatural".
Talking to the stall owner, she learned that a book cost fifty coins. She counted the ones she had chosen and calculated the money in her hand. After some hesitation, she decided to keep only the two books she liked best.
Before he could even take out the money, Lu Chang behind him tossed out some loose silver coins and took back the books that had been put back.
The stall owner accepted the money and thanked him with a smile.
"We'll leave the book here for now and come back for it later."
The stall owner readily agreed, saying he would take good care of it for him.
Jingwan quieted down. She accepted Lu Chang's kindness and let him spend money to buy some useless books. She whispered, "I will return the money to my cousin when I get home. How can I let my cousin spend money?"
Lu Chang asked her, "How much silver do you have left?"
Jingwan gritted her teeth and replied, forcing herself to speak, "It's enough."
"Since that's enough, please invite me to have a meal at Zuixianlou. But let me warn you first, a bowl of boiled cabbage there costs ten taels of silver."
Jingwan was stunned.
If you sow a handful of cabbage seeds worth twenty coins, a large patch of cabbage will grow in a few months. Even if you sell it all, you won't earn five taels of silver.
The cabbage at Zuixianlou must be possessed by some kind of spirit, costing ten taels of silver for a single head.
Seeing her dejectedly lower her head, Lu Chang didn't want to tease her. He said seriously, "Since you want to thank me, I don't want the money. Just give me something!"
Jingwan really wanted to repay her cousin's kindness. Hearing him say that, she realized there was a chance to make amends and nodded repeatedly.
Lu Chang said, "After the New Year, I will be taking the imperial examination next spring. Why don't you carve a jade pendant for me to wish me success in the examination and a bright future? Look, the crab and reed you painted today is not bad. Take that stone and carve it!"
Jingwan was a little out of touch, still thinking that the stone was prepared for Bojun, and that she would buy a good piece of jade and carve it to her cousin's satisfaction.
Lu Chang was annoyed by her straightforward nature and said in a huff, "Then Bo Jun will have to wait several more years for the spring examination. Even if I go next year, why make me, who will take the exam first, wait?"
That's absolutely right. I just feel bad for Bo Jun, and I was thinking of carving one for him first to express my gratitude for saving my life. But since my cousin has said so, I can hold off for now and carve one for him first.
Seeing her nod, Lu Chang's expression softened, and he gently swung the green bamboo jade pendant at his waist as he led the way.
With the purchase of the book as a starting point, Jingwan was able to shamelessly accept Lu Chang's payments later.
She ate pastries all over her face, and even gnawed on a soft and tender pig's trotter. It was made with a century-old braising sauce and lots of soybean paste, making it fragrant, rich, and smooth. After finishing it, she even sucked on the bones. When she got tired of the trotter, we went to a dessert stall and had a bowl of apricot juice. After strolling around for a long time, we finally sat down at a small stall to rest.
She sipped it slowly, then sighed contentedly, "It's delicious, but it's not quite as good as the apricot juice from the Northwest."
Lu Chang also had a bowl of apricot juice in front of him. He only took a sip and didn't drink any more. Hearing her say this, Lu Chang looked at her and asked, "What's missing?"
Jingwan regretted uttering the words "Northwest" as soon as she did, annoyed that she had been so full that her mind had gone blank. Why did she have to bring up those old stories? Her cousin had clearly reminded her that she had long forgotten about the past.
"No...it's nothing." She quickly scooped up a mouthful to cover up her slip of the tongue.
Lu Chang glanced at her, but didn't ask any more questions, though he felt a little annoyed.
He was the one who said he wouldn't mention the Northwest that day, so why does he feel like he's shot himself in the foot now that she's done it?
He thought that he actually didn't want Jingwan to become estranged from him.
After having eaten their fill, they strolled along the riverbank to digest their food. It was quite late, and there were few people on the riverbank, except for the occasional fishing boat that passed by the moat.
Jingwan tugged at Lu Chang's sleeve and followed slowly behind, occasionally letting out a burp. She listened to Lu Chang talk about interesting people and events in the city, giggling incessantly. For some reason, she mentioned that Eunuch Yang again.
At this moment, she was unusually bold. Seeing that no one was around, she ran to Lu Chang's side, grabbed his arm, and asked him to bend down to listen to her.
She whispered in Lu Chang's ear, "How could Eunuch Yang have a son? Could it be that he had a child before he entered the palace?"
Lu Chang glanced at her: "You know quite a lot, you even know that eunuchs can't have children."
Jingwan stuck out her tongue shyly. She didn't know that much; it was all told to her by Azhiqi.
Lu Chang walked slowly and said, "Of course he doesn't have that ability. Eunuchs rely on kinship to get married and have offspring. Yang Nancheng was adopted from his brother. Although he is his biological son, he is his nephew."
Jingwan understood and let out a long "oh".
She still didn't quite understand: "She has her own father but doesn't acknowledge a father-in-law, which is really..."
That's really quite undignified.
Lu Chang chuckled: "You underestimate how attractive Yang Fujin's power is. If he could, let alone adopt a son, his brother would immediately kneel before him and call him 'father'."
Jingwan immediately pictured that scene in her mind and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
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