Chapter 65: Just one glance from Leng Shui made him lose his composure.
New buds break through the snow, the spring sun shines on the fields, and on the meadow, the last handful of snowflakes have completely melted. The east wind blows away the cold of winter and ushers in the warm spring.
Last year, when Miaoli had just recovered from her poisonous wound, Zhu Hao had returned her indenture contract. However, Miaoli did not leave Zhu's house, but chose to stay by Zhu Hao's side. Zhu Hao agreed to her and even increased Miaoli's monthly salary.
Thanks to Miaoli's help, early spring is always busy. It is not only the time of spring returning to the earth, but also the time of spring for all walks of life, especially the cloth industry. As soon as spring comes, the young ladies in Huaicheng rush to the broken clothing store to buy new clothes. What's more, in just ten days it will be the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is said that His Majesty will leave the palace to celebrate with the people on the national birthday. The Music Bureau has recruited all the girls who are good at music and dancing to prepare for the grand ceremony. The whole country is eagerly waiting. Naturally, some young ladies from prominent families in Huaicheng have to go to the capital with their parents to watch the fun.
The young lady was going on a trip, especially to Kyoto, so buying a new dress was essential. Zhu Hao and Liu Rutang put a lot of effort into the new dress, and Fang Xu had calluses on her fingertips from constantly drawing the patterns of the dresses.
Last year, Liu Rutang's daughter Qiao Mei accompanied Young Master Lu to the capital to treat her hand injury. Although the result was not satisfactory, Qiao Mei was extremely hardworking and gave up the guzheng to learn to play other musical instruments. Now, with the help of the flute, she is doing very well in the Yuefu. She is often summoned to the palace to play for the princess and the empress dowager, and is also included in the list of people to perform at the National Birthday Ceremony. For this reason, Liu Rutang set off for Kyoto early this morning, for fear that an accident might delay the trip and miss his daughter's brilliant performance at the ceremony.
In the past, Zhu Hao settled in Fu Yunshang on Yishui Street. Because it did not carefully investigate the economic conditions of the local people, it did a lot of business with no capital and closed down soon. Until the beginning of spring this year, Zhu Hao had an idea. He made the leftover scraps from Qiongyilou and Fu Yucai into sachets or other small items. If the fabrics were larger, they could be sold directly as cloth. In this way, not only did he reduce waste to a great extent, but even though they were scraps, their texture and quality were among the best in Huaicheng. Moreover, the price was reduced by half, which was almost the same as the asking price of coarse linen sold at the market in Yishui Street, but it looked much better. Fu Yunshang was crowded with customers within a few days of its opening.
In contrast, Zhu Hao is very busy.
However, no matter how busy she was, she had to put the matter at the clothing store aside for today.
Zhu Hao changed into plain clothes and put a white flower in her hair. When she walked to Li's house, she happened to bump into Fang Xuyin, who was followed not far behind by Chen Ci.
All three of them were dressed in white. Logically, Chen Ci had nothing to do with Li Yuan, but he had always felt guilty about a collision with Fang Xuyin last year. Fang Xuyin had always been good-tempered, but this matter was related to Zhu Hao. Although she had accidentally bumped into Chen Ci, it was because of this collision that she lost the paper ball entrusted to her by Zhu Hao.
Fang Xuyin believed that this delayed the rescue of Zhu Haoliang. She was annoyed with her own clumsiness, but she knew that this matter had little to do with Chen Ci. However, Chen Ci insisted on getting involved, and no matter how good-tempered Fang Xuyin was, she was too lazy to pay attention to him. Li Yuantian worked as a part-time worker in a clothing store when he had free time. After a few interactions, she saw Chen Ci many times, and they could barely be considered familiar with each other.
The three of them came to Li's house today just to attend the funeral banquet for Li's father. They nodded to each other as a greeting and stepped into the threshold silently.
The funeral was simple, and only a few close relatives and friends came to the Li family to pay their respects, followed by the three people who wished him well.
Li Yuan's father was buried in the suburban forest. The three of them had a simple funeral meal and, despite Li Yuan's dissuasion, accompanied the funeral procession all the way to see Li Yuan off.
The last handful of soil was buried by Li Yuan herself. There was not much sadness on her face. Her mother, Liu, fell prostrate on the burial soil and cried bitterly. Fortunately, Liu's madness had improved. Although she often made mistakes, she would occasionally have moments of clarity of mind.
Li Yuan wiped the dirt from her hands with her linen cloth. She helped her mother up, gratitude in her eyes, and said to Zhu Hao, who was standing nearby, "Father wasn't in pain when he passed away. On the contrary, he felt better for a while before he died. He held my hand tightly and told me that as a husband and a father, he had been bedridden for over ten years, doing nothing but burdening both mother and me. He said that death would bring him relief."
"I feel like I lost the bet, but also like I didn't. Before he passed away, my father told me that rather than lying in bed for the rest of his life, speechless, unconscious, and helpless, he was grateful to be able to clearly see me and my mother in his final moments, to touch our warm skin. He sobbed, holding my mother and me until he died. The reason he was able to pass away peacefully without regrets, and my mother's condition was cured, was thanks to the medical family that Pian Pian had asked Young Master Lu to stay in Huaicheng."
Funeral banners fluttered in the woods, and paper money swirled in the still-uncompacted burial soil, stirring up grief in the crowd. However, the suburban forest seemed to be reviving with spring scenery. Green bamboo shoots broke through the soil, with dew condensing on their tips, trying to soothe the sadness in the place.
The scene brought back sad memories for Zhu Hao. She couldn't help but think of her deceased parents and recalled her young self kneeling alone in the mourning hall. Seeing the sorrowful mother and daughter, her eyes became moist.
"Ayuan, how have I ever helped you? I only mentioned it casually when Young Master Lu's medical family passed by the Li family on their way back to Beijing. It was the doctors who treated your father, not me, so why should I thank you?" Zhu Hao's gaze paused on the newly engraved stele. "Ayuan, you can blame me. I know the pain of losing your father forever..."
At this point, Li Yuan said frankly, "Pianpian, you and Doctor Wang must not feel guilty. Doctor Wang repeatedly warned us before the acupuncture. The Soul-Seducing Needle Technique left by the Sage Doctor Jia was burned a hundred years ago due to factional strife, leaving only scattered traces of the needles. Over the past hundred years, various doctors have attempted to decipher the Soul-Seducing Needle Technique, and there are no fewer than dozens of acupuncture techniques circulating in the market. Doctor Wang also explained the risks involved. It was my mother and I who insisted on giving it a try. We've already wasted over a decade, and how can we know the outcome without even trying?"
"Besides, even if this acupuncture weakened Father's health, he had been in poor health for years and didn't have much time left. It was only thanks to Doctor Wang's acupuncture that he was able to recover for a while and avoid being bedridden. This allowed Father to leave without regrets. This was also the choice of our family. If the acupuncture had worked, Doctor Wang could have used it to treat more patients. Now it has failed..."
Li Yuan raised his eyes, finally revealing a trace of sadness. "It's better to avoid incorrect acupuncture techniques. After all, it's not a bad thing. My mother's condition has improved thanks to Doctor Wang you invited."
"Pianpian." Li Yuan forced a smile. She opened the basket she had been carrying all the way. Inside was a peach blossom wrapped in cotton cloth. "My father told me that marrying my mother and having me was a blessing for him, but a misfortune for my mother and me. He said that as long as I survived the winter and saw the first peach blossom of spring before leaving, I would be satisfied with my life."
"Life is full of regrets, and we who are still alive should find ways to move past these regrets."
She planted the peach branches in the burial soil, waiting for them to take root and sprout new buds, hoping that her father, who was buried there, could see the first peach branch of early spring every year.
…
After Liu Rutang arrived in Beijing, Qiongyilou was fully managed by Zhu Hao and Fang Xuyin. It was already late, and the two had just returned from the Li family. The servants in the building had long since left. Zhu Hao glanced calmly at Fang Xuyin, who was sorting various red cloths at the side. Zhu Hao raised his hand and pressed down the tray holding the cloth. "It's on the way to the You family and the Zhu residence. Let me take it."
"I'm the one who designed the wedding dress, how are you going to give it to me? When the time comes, I'll be the first person the You family will look for." Fang Xuyin took over the task. "Manager Zhu, you can rest assured. How can I not distinguish between personal and official matters? Or do you think I would be sad for an old friend? I didn't want him back then."
She leaned over to Zhu Hao's ear and whispered, "It's said that Miss Wanqi from Qizhou is plain-looking, with a pockmarked face. I'd like to go and take a look."
Zhu Hao let go and said no more.
It was late at night and there were no travelers in the bustling South Lane. Zhu Hao said goodbye to Fang Xuyin at a fork in the road. Seeing the young lady's figure blending into the starry night, with a shadow always following behind her, Zhu Hao smiled knowingly.
Chen Ci silently escorted the two young ladies back to the clothing building. He thought it was so late and Fang Xuyin would be returning home soon, so he waited at the side door. However, when she came out of the building, she was holding the serving tray in her hands. Chen Ci thought to herself that her busy day was not over yet.
He followed Fang Xuyin slowly and steadily until they stopped in front of a luxurious house. Chen Ci hid in the shade of trees and took a quick look. It was the You family, the wealthy family in this city.
Chen Ci saw Fang Xuyin hesitate outside the door for a long time. The servant guarding the door was about to go forward to ask him when a sweet and crisp voice came from not far away: "Erlang, it's the clothing store that's here to deliver the cloth."
You Hengxu's hand holding Wanqi Yi froze, and after a brief pause he naturally moved forward. He calmly took the serving tray from Fang Xuyin for the woman beside him.
The plate was so wide, yet You Heng's five fingers lightly touched Fang Xuyin's little finger.
Chen Ci took in the whole scene. He naturally recognized You Heng, the head of the You family. He also knew that the woman beside him was Wanqi Yi, the only daughter of a salt merchant in Qizhou. The two would get married next month. Although Huaicheng was not far from Qizhou, it was a long way away in the eyes of a father. Therefore, he did not want his beloved daughter to suffer the hardship of traveling on the auspicious day, so he simply let his daughter live in the You family and wait for the wedding to be completed next month.
Fang Xuyin pulled her hand back and met Wanqi Yi's inquiring gaze. The woman before her was not as ugly as the rumors said, nor did she have a pockmarked face. Instead, she was a beauty with a willow-waisted and lotus-like face. She smiled and said, "Although I have never seen you, I have heard of you. Madam Fang is the murderer who was said to have been in love with Erlang during the trial that year, right?"
The woman was beautiful, with a well-proportioned figure. Every word she spoke was soft and gentle, even the word "murderer" was uttered in a gentle manner, showing her noble demeanor. Most importantly, she was a perfect match for the You family.
Fang Xuyin clutched the pinky finger that You Heng had just touched. She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, there was no trace of strangeness in her expression. "Miss Wanqi, since you know the details of this case, how could you not know that the Second Young Master You had already cleared himself of the matter in court? He didn't explain himself, and it was me who kept pestering him."
"Interesting! You only talk about being stubborn every day, yet you refuse to argue about the truth or defend yourself against the charge of murder." Wanqi Yi glanced at her with a smile. "I originally thought the woman Erlang had tried so hard to keep from me was some kind of celestial concubine... Seeing her today makes me feel relieved. If I had known this, why would I have chosen your family's clothes to bring you to me?"
You Heng shuddered at the words, her usual composure unbearable. Wan Qiyi, however, abandoned her entanglement and, stroking the vibrant red cloth on the tray, said, "Huh? The embroidery and quality are quite good, so... it's not a wasted choice. How about this? You can hand-paint the dress first. I like dresses with tight waists, long skirts, and wide sleeves. I'll hand-paint it myself when you're done. Do you understand?"
After saying this, Wanqi Yi casually threw a silver ingot, which Fang Xu accepted generously, nodding and smiling back. Finally, the two, gazing at the handsome man and beautiful woman, congratulated each other, "May Master You and Miss Wanqi live in eternal bliss."
It was clearly good advice, but Wanqi Yi frowned. "Isn't it too early to congratulate me now? Although Erlang and I are getting married soon, we must not go beyond the rules until the ceremony is over. The money is for your journey, not to buy your flattering mouth."
Fang Xu endured it while holding the silver ingot, and said with shame, "It's my fault for speaking carelessly."
"That's all." Wanqi Yi said calmly, "You can go home and start painting. Erlang will bring the cloth to the mansion for me."
Fang Xuyin no longer insisted and turned around and headed into the nearby alley.
The alley was completely dark. Fortunately, having grown up in darkness, Fang Xuyin had long been accustomed to it, and had thus honed her ability to see even in the darkness. Suddenly, a bright light lit up behind her, revealing the figure that had been following her for a long time. Fang Xuyin didn't turn around, but pondered her words for a moment before saying, "She's obviously trying to figure out your relationship with You Heng. There's no need to dwell on these little girlish tricks, and Madam Fang... there's no need to harbor any regrets."
Fang Xu was already accustomed to Chen's quick thinking when faced with a case, but as clueless as a pig when dealing with other matters. She paused, turned around and asked, "Hidden? Inspector Chen, what am I hiding?"
Her words were clear, and her testimony, steeped in the stories of several unsolved cases, had penetrated the sorrow Fang Xuyin was trying so hard to conceal. Fang Xuyin raised her hand and said, "The first thing I do when I get home is wash my hands."
"The murderer..." Fang Xuyin muttered, then continued, "The reason I'm sad is, first, for Li Yuan's father, and second, for thinking of my own gambling-addicted brother and useless father. I grieve for Li Yuan, and for my poor, starving mother, but I don't grieve for an insignificant, heartless man who can live or die."
…
On their way back from You's house, they should have passed by Zhu's house. It was almost midnight, and Zhu Hao still hadn't seen them. Could they have taken a shortcut? Just as she was about to close the door, there was a knock at the door.
Zhu Hao held the lantern in her hand and gathered her skirt tightly. "Xu Yin? I thought you were taking a shortcut. Did Inspector Chen come with you?"
The moment the door of the house was opened wide, his words stopped abruptly, the lantern fell to the ground, sparks flew from the lamp wall, and the fire became even more intense.
A long gust of wind suddenly arose, and her plain skirt was tangled with the dark green robe outside the door, making it impossible to separate them.
After a year, the angular features of her face became clear again. Zhu Hao allowed herself only a moment of surprise. She picked up the lantern and quickly retrieved her skirt that was entangled with him. Zhu Hao returned to the house and walked to the doorstep with a pot of tea in her hand.
The tea in her hand was still steaming with lingering hot steam, but when Zhu Hao poured it on the place where the visitor was standing, it quickly turned into a puddle of cold water.
When the door was closed, all Song Xieqing saw was a look of extreme indifference.
Just one glance was like a mountain of pressure, making him completely confused.
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