Chapter 38 Mother-of-Pearl Incense (01) Visiting the Door to Inquire.
The gray satin bundle on the chair stirred up a memory in Jiu Li's mind. It was when she was ten years old. That day, Yu Qi was going to Suzhou to see patients. When she heard that, she hurriedly asked Mama Feng to help pack her valuables. She chased after him to the gate, snatched the medicine box from Du Zhong's shoulder, and carried it on her own back, saying, "I'm going too!"
Yu Qi turned around in front of the carriage, his expression indifferent. "What are you going to do?"
For some reason, she had been sulking with the old lady for the past two days, and fearing that staying at home would make her unable to resist making peace with the old lady, she disdained to say it and stubbornly said, "Anyway, I'm going. Every time you only take Du Zhong with you, I also want to go to Suzhou city for a stroll."
Du Zhong muttered to himself, "I'm an apprentice, so naturally I have to follow along."
Mrs. Feng chased after him to the door and whispered a few words to Yu Qi. Yu Qi then realized that she was arguing with the old lady, but he was usually silent when it came to anything related to the old lady, so he didn't know how to persuade her. So he went up to her and said the unpleasant thing upfront, "Don't complain about the bumpy mountain road."
She looked up and exclaimed, "Okay!"
"You are not allowed to complain about the food not being to your liking."
"good!"
"You are not allowed to complain about where you sleep."
"good!"
She thought to herself that she was not a delicate person!
Who knew that if it wasn't here that she'd be tormented, it would be elsewhere. She felt drowsy as soon as she got in the car, so she rested her head on Yu Qi's lap and fell asleep. The mountain road was incredibly bumpy, and in her hazy state, she felt that he had been holding her with his arm the whole time to keep her from falling. When they stopped at a roadside inn for a bite, she saw him get out of the car and immediately start shaking his arm, probably because his arm was numb from supporting her. She saw this and felt a mixture of self-reproach and secret smugness.
The carriage had just entered Suzhou when she woke up on his lap, looking up at him. After a day and night on the road, a light bluish stubble had appeared on his chin and upper lip; she reached out to touch it, and it was hard and prickly. He turned his face away impatiently, a slightly cool aura emanating from him, like the fresh fragrance of dew in the mountains.
She picked many unknown wildflowers along the way and stuffed them all into the car. She wouldn't throw them away even when she stayed at the patient's house. "These flowers should be put in the house, okay, Uncle?"
Yu Qi was already showing some impatience, but he had no choice but to agree. She and Du Zhong carried their bundles toward the door, and when they turned back, they saw Yu Qi jumping off the carriage with a handful of messy, small white flowers in his hand. He was wearing a black gauze robe with a white lining, his white skin contrasting with the pale blue ring around his neck, his hair slightly disheveled, and his face showing signs of weariness.
She didn't know why she had come to believe that this was how men should be, remaining calm and composed amidst the chaos.
Just like now, as he sorts through those prescriptions, he probably dislikes Zhao Liang and finds it troublesome, yet he still arranges the prescriptions meticulously.
Although Yu Qi didn't look up, he noticed her standing there and asked calmly, "Is everything packed?"
Jiuli came in carrying a bundle, patted the bulging bundle, and said, "It's all here."
Yu Qi looked up at her and smiled unconsciously. "You were happy when you came, and you're just as happy when you leave. Do you prefer being outside or at home?"
She said she liked it all; being cooped up at home for too long made her want to go out, and being outside for too long made her long for home. She walked to the desk, tilted her head to find his eyes, and said, "Wherever you are, that's where I like to be."
He knew perfectly well that her words didn't have any hidden meaning, but hearing them still made his heart skip a beat. Afraid of a flicker in his eyes, he kept his face down, smiled calmly, and continued with his work as usual.
Jiuli hated that he was like a mute when he should have spoken. His silence made people think he was cold-blooded and heartless. She couldn't help but snort loudly.
"You always say you've grown up, but you still can't live without adults."
He spoke, but it wasn't what she wanted to hear, so she hummed again.
"Alright, I'll find someone to take care of you when we get back."
This was even less of a pleasant surprise for her. With a pained expression, she walked around to his side and asked, "Are you really looking for someone to serve me?"
He stood up a stack of prescriptions, tapped them twice on the desk, and looked at her solemnly. “Aunt Qing has to take care of the whole family’s meals. How can she have time to look after you? You and Zhong’er are both grown up now. Like this time when you were injured, there are many things that she can’t do to take care of you. Besides, Zhong’er is not your servant. He was just like you. He also had maids serving him in the countryside. Haven’t you oppressed him enough since he was a child? He is a man now. Don’t you think about giving him some face? Do you expect him to be your servant?”
Just then, Du Zhong returned from hiring a carriage on the street. Jiu Li suddenly felt guilty about what Yu Qi had said, so she went to the west inner room to help him pack his luggage. Her actions and words were quite like those of an older sister, which amused Du Zhong, who said she was like a dung beetle sitting in a grand chair, putting on airs. Before long, the two of them started bickering again, and Yu Qi's head was throbbing as he listened.
I rushed back to Liuli Street before dinner. The shops along the street were not yet open, so I took a shortcut through the alley and entered through the ceremonial gate. Strangely, the ceremonial gate was not closed. Wasn't he afraid of thieves coming? Inside was the front courtyard, where some medicinal herbs were drying on the ground. I didn't see Fengqiao Yuqing and her husband. I went around to the second courtyard and heard laughter coming from the main room.
Jiuli had barely heard two sentences when she rushed down the corridor. Entering the room, she saw the old lady and Yuqing sitting on the couch in the inner room. She quickly called out from behind the screen, "Old lady!"
The old lady turned around. She was wearing a long blue-gray silk jacket and a half-covered crab-shell green silk skirt. She was slightly plump, with a kind and gentle face. Her hair was mixed with some silver strands and was neatly combed. She wore only a jade hairpin.
Upon seeing Jiu Li, he stretched out his long arms towards her, stomped his foot, and exclaimed, "Oh my little fish! Come here quickly, let me see if you've lost weight!"
She ran over and threw herself into her arms, "When did you arrive?"
"I arrived yesterday, a step ahead of you. It just so happens that Old Chen and his wife from the village came to Nanjing to visit relatives, so I traveled with them by boat. It was quick, only four days to get here." The old lady touched her face and then her hand, pouting, "You've lost weight. You must have suffered a lot of grievances in that garden!"
"It's Liyuan Garden," Jiuli said with a smile. "I wasn't wronged, but the food there wasn't very good. I was just craving your pancakes. Oh, didn't you bring anyone with you?"
“Bringing people here would only cause trouble. I’m worried that you won’t have enough room in this rented house, so I’ll have them stay home and take good care of the house. Besides, I’m not used to being waited on. When I was young, I worked in the fields, did laundry and mending at home, and I was able to manage all that, didn’t I?” As she spoke, she craned her neck to look towards the door and lowered her voice, “Where are your uncle and Zhong’er?”
"They're in the back."
The old lady quickly shrank back, pretending not to have asked, but her eyes kept scanning the door. A moment later, she saw Du Zhong come in and kowtow, his words as sweet as ever, coaxing her into a smile, but there was always a trace of disappointment in that loving smile.
Before Yu Qi could come in, Lian Yuqing felt a little awkward and looked towards the door with a smile, "Master, are you checking the medicine drying outside?"
Jiuli stood up. "I'll go call him!"
Running to the corridor, but not seeing Yu Qi, she went around to the front yard and found him and Feng Qiao inspecting the medicine drying on the ground. Feng Qiao answered reluctantly and occasionally turned his head to look at the cave entrance. Finally, she saw Jiu Li come out and secretly winked at her.
Everyone knew that Yu Qi was only staying here under some pretext. He and his mother had always been estranged, and after not seeing each other for so long, the situation was even more awkward. Sometimes Jiu Li would even think that if he hadn't been worried about his little burden being left unattended, he would never have returned to his hometown.
She tiptoed into the courtyard, clutching her skirt, and suddenly shoved him in the back when he wasn't looking. "Uncle, it's time to serve the meal!"
Yu Qi had already noticed her shadow leaning on the ground, but he wasn't startled. He calmly turned around and asked, "Have you finished talking to the old lady?"
"How can we finish talking in a short time? Why don't you go in and ask the old lady how she is? She came by boat alone. She has never traveled such a long distance in decades. Why don't you go and ask her if she is doing well on her journey?"
Yu Qi couldn't help but think of the days when he traveled all over the country with his master when he was young. If he had a choice, he would never leave his hometown. He seemed not to hear him and bent down to pick up a medicinal herb and held it carefully.
"You're so boring," she pouted in dissatisfaction.
He suspected she had something else in mind and said indifferently, "What would be considered interesting?"
Jiuli rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking about how you treat the old lady."
He gave her a stern look, and she didn't dare say anything more. She carefully tugged at his sleeve, "Why are you so busy checking these medicines at a time like this? I'm hungry even if you're not. Let's go inside and eat."
He clapped his hands nonchalantly, without saying a word. She had no choice but to pull him inside. Although his steps were slow and heavy, his heart was filled with a tender warmth.
Upon reaching the main room, he only said "You've arrived" to the old lady. The old lady seemed uneasy, barely getting up. The dinner was then eaten hastily, as if each person had something to say but held back for various reasons.
With the old lady's arrival, she naturally occupied the main room. Yu Qi slept in a large room in the east wing, while Jiu Li and Du Zhong occupied two rooms in the west wing. Because there weren't enough servants, Yu Qing naturally had to take care of the old lady first, and Jiu Li had to fetch her own water from the kitchen for washing at night. The old lady watched coldly for two days, and seeing that Jiu Li had only been in Nanjing for two months, yet had already learned how to operate the tea stove, she felt extremely sorry for her.
Early that morning, when Jiuli came to the house to pay her respects, she said, "I am an old woman, and I have suffered a lot, but you have been served since you were a child. When you came to Nanjing, you were afraid that you would bring too many people, so you didn't ask anyone to come with you. Look, you even have to fetch water to wash yourself. How can your thin arms carry a basin of water? I think we should find someone here to serve you."
This coincided with Yu Qi's thought. Coincidentally, Yu Qi came in to pay his respects and said, "I have the same plan, but I don't know where to find a suitable person."
Seeing that he was unusually willing to talk to her, the old lady smiled awkwardly, "Don't be too fussy, just be clean and efficient and don't shirk your responsibilities. The shop here hasn't opened yet, and it's still uncertain whether the business will be successful or not. If the business is not good, you should go back to the countryside, where the elders will still take care of you."
After speaking, she realized that her words were inappropriate and glanced at Yu Qi's expression. "Hey, I'm just a country bumpkin and I don't know much. What I said may not be pleasant to hear. Of course, the business will continue. With your great reputation, there will naturally be many people seeking medical treatment and buying medicine from you."
Yu Qi frowned slightly because of her excessive caution. Before he had even finished half a cup of tea, he said he wanted to go and take a look at the shop in front.
Today is an auspicious day for the opening, and we'll be setting off firecrackers soon. There are only two people, Fengqiao and Duzhong, at the front, and they seem a bit overwhelmed. Besides, they've made quite a few acquaintances at the Liyuan Garden, and now guests are arriving one after another. They can hear people laughing and talking outside.
The old lady could only smile and nod, watching him leave. When she turned back to look at Jiuli, her embarrassment immediately melted away, and she felt much more relaxed, though the wistfulness on her face remained.
"When you came to Nanjing, your uncle seemed to take care of you more?"
Jiuli pouted and snorted, "He always meddles in things he shouldn't!"
The old lady spoke in a low voice, as if afraid that Yu Qi would hear, "That's just how he is. He looks fierce, but he has a good heart. You were most afraid of him when you were little, but you were also very attached to him. Whenever you were sick, you would go to your uncle."
Jiuli laughed, "Because he is a doctor."
"But he made the right decision this time. I heard from his letter that the Qi family seems to be a very good family. I don't know anything about scholarly families, but I heard from our accountant Wu that they are a famous family in Nanjing. Is that true?"
Finally, they got to this point. Jiuli knew that this was the reason she had come; otherwise, she would have refused to come because she was always afraid of going out and the four- or five-day boat journey was even more unbearable.
She just laughed it off, saying, "I don't know, I'm not very familiar with it either."
The old lady asked again, "I heard he's an official? Is he old?"
Jiuli nodded casually, "To be a county magistrate."
“Oh, don’t be like that old man in our county, he’s almost fifty. I won’t agree to that age. We don’t necessarily have to marry into rich families.” She saw Yuqing come in with a few small plates of delicate pastries, and looked at Yuqing, “With our girl’s looks, she’s good enough for anyone. There’s no need to waste time with those old fogies. Besides, our Yu family isn’t short of money these days.”
Yuqing put down the plate and laughed, "He's very young, and looks no more than four or five years older than our girl. I've met him once; he's very handsome, about the same age as our master." She then exclaimed in surprise, "You know what, he really does look a bit like our master."
The old lady was relieved to hear that he resembled Yu Qi in appearance. "Whether he's a county magistrate or a county assistant, it's good that he's able to become an official at such a young age."
Just then, Du Zhong ran into the room. "Qi Xubai is here. He said he wanted to come in and pay his respects to the old lady. My master asked me to come and ask if the old lady will see him or not."
The old lady was still a little confused and didn't know who Qi Xubai was.
Yu Qing clapped her hands with a smile, "Speak of the devil and he shall appear!"
So this was the person they'd been talking about all this time! The old lady panicked and hurriedly told Yuqing to go to the bedroom and fetch a mirror, worried that she might not be properly dressed and wouldn't embarrass the Yu family in front of such a young master. Luckily, she was wearing a brand-new maroon dress today because of the shop's opening. After straightening her clothes and brushing her hair, she handed the mirror to Yuqing, asking, "What's your name again, Qi Bai?"
Jiuli laughed so hard she collapsed onto the couch, "Qi Xubai!"
She gradually realized that Yu Qi hadn't clearly explained the Qi family in his letter back, otherwise the old lady wouldn't be unaware of their names. She chuckled inwardly and reached out to help the old lady adjust her jade hairpin, saying, "Look at you like this, anyone who didn't know better would think your lost grandson had come looking for you."
The old lady slapped her leg and scolded, "Nonsense!"
Just as Xu Bai followed Yu Qi into the Second Courtyard, he heard Jiu Li call his name with a smile. His heart skipped a beat, and as if summoned by an imperial edict, he straightened his back, appearing exceptionally solemn.
Yu Qi glanced at him and led him slowly around the corridor. "Lord Qi is really well-informed. He knew my shop was opening today without even sending an invitation."
"Sir, your actions are so subtle and unassuming, yet the whole pavilion knows about it. Who doesn't know that the Yu family's Tongshou Hall is opening today? I heard that Lord Wang has also prepared a gift to come and offer his congratulations."
The doctors who had been treating the epidemic earlier all arrived with gifts, and many patients had also jointly presented a plaque inscribed with "Benefiting the People." Xu Bai naturally left a gift of money at the front shop, along with some other things, which he had a servant carry behind him. However, hearing Yu Qi's tone, which seemed less than welcoming, he felt uneasy, fearing that Yu Qi might express his dislike for him to the old lady during their conversation.
Fortunately, after Yu Qi led him into the house, he only gave a brief introduction before heading to the front.
Jiuli hurriedly got up and chased after him through the screen, calling out, "Uncle, is it busy outside?"
He turned around to look at Xu Bai through the screen, then at her, and said with a half-smile, "What are you asking? No matter how busy you are, you can't help. Aren't you supposed to be entertaining guests with the old lady?"
Jiuli glanced back and muttered quietly, "It's not like I invited him."
His face looked slightly embarrassed, and he felt a bitter sense of self-inflicted pain. He didn't say a word and left with a stern expression. Jiu Li had no choice but to turn around and come back in.
Xu Bai was bowing and greeting the old lady. Although the old lady was dressed very respectably, she was still a woman who had lived in the countryside for a long time. She was flattered that an official was paying her a formal visit. She was so flustered that she didn't know which way to support him. "I don't deserve it. I'm just an old woman from the countryside. How can I accept your courtesy!"
He initially looked down on her, but when he glanced up and saw Jiuli sitting right next to her, holding her arm and smiling at him, he began to treat the old lady with the same respect he usually showed to the elderly ladies of official families. “Today is a joyous occasion for your family. When your wife heard that Mr. Yu’s mother had come to Nanjing, she originally wanted to come and visit, but fearing it would be impolite, she sent me first to pay my respects to you. You have always been in good health.”
The old lady couldn't stop laughing. "I can still walk. How's your mother? How old is she?"
My mother is forty-three this year.
They were talking about the head wife of the Qi family. Jiuli whispered a few words in the old lady's ear, and the old lady understood. She then asked, "And what about your mother?"
My mother is forty.
The old lady nodded. "I heard you have an older brother?"
"My elder brother is two years older than me and is currently serving as an assistant secretary in the Ministry of Rites in Southern Zhili."
The old lady seemed to understand but not quite, but in short, she praised, "Anyway, they are all destined for great things, unlike our Zhong'er, who is only a few years younger than you and still can't understand medicine. Do you expect him to study hard and become an official?"
Xu Bai smiled and called the servant at the door to come in. "My mother heard that the old lady was going to Nanjing and was afraid that she would find it troublesome to bring enough clothes, so she specially picked out a few bolts of fine satin at home and sent them to the old lady to make clothes."
Of the four bolts of satin, two were brightly colored, clearly the kind of patterns young girls wear. The old lady glanced at Jiuli, then looked at him, "Go back and thank your mother for me. I'll invite her over tomorrow. Don't think our place is too small."
"Coincidentally, my mother was thinking of inviting the old lady to our home for a simple meal in a few days."
The old lady held Jiuli's hand and nodded, "Alright, alright, alright—don't rush to leave today, stay and have lunch. Don't eat with those people outside, just stay here in the house and let's have a quiet meal together as family."
Upon hearing the words "family," Xu Bai smiled knowingly and glanced at Jiu Li.
Jiuli smiled back, then felt embarrassed, so he clung to the old lady and teased her, "We eat simple meals at home, nothing like the refined food at your house. Do you like it?"
He smiled with a hint of embarrassment, which the old lady noticed and was very pleased with. She felt that only a gentle and good-tempered person like him could tolerate Jiu Li's spoiled and willful nature.
The lunch was unusually lively. The old lady set up a feast in the main room to entertain the guests, while Yu Qizi set up three tables in the front hall to receive the guests who came to offer their congratulations.
Yu Qi had no intention of keeping the guests, but they sat in the hall talking and chatting without saying they were leaving until noon. Feng Qiao had no choice but to bite the bullet and say to him privately, "Master, you must at least serve some wine and dishes, otherwise it's just too much."
Yu Qi glanced at those people and could only nod and frown, "Then there's no need to bother. Just go to a restaurant on the street and ask for a few tables of food and drinks."
These people lingered to wait for Lord Wang and Zhao Liang, who had arrived late after inviting him, only arriving after the banquet had been set out. Xu Qing and Wei Lao hurriedly went to greet them on the street, and when they saw the two of them alight from their sedan chairs, they stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Why are you two so late, gentlemen? The banquet is ready, and everyone is waiting for you without daring to take their seats."
Zhao Liang lifted the curtain and got out of the sedan chair, laughing heartily, "What are you waiting for us for? Hurry up and eat, Yu Qi must be getting annoyed to death!"
Yu Qi stood wearily in front of the door, bowing slightly. "Don't mention it."
It was thanks to these sycophantic doctors that he was spared the trouble of socializing. After having a meal with them, he instructed Fengqiao to entertain him in the hall and then slipped away to the second courtyard under the pretext of doing so. Inside, the place was quiet and peaceful amidst the laughter. As he walked along the corridor, he heard Jiuli's voice coming from the room, light and cheerful, reflecting the shimmering sunlight outside.
Xu Bai, in his usual gentle and refined tone, recounted the people and events in his family, including who they were and what they were busy with, but made no mention of his grandfather's past glory, which made him appear humble.
After listening to her story, the old lady felt that the Qi family was an excellent family, with a small number of people. She was very satisfied and became even more enthusiastic. "Eat up," she said. "These pickled mustard greens are homemade. I brought them from the countryside this time. Yu'er loves to eat them stir-fried with edamame."
Xu Bai didn't have much of an appetite, but knowing that Jiu Li loved to eat, he picked up some to eat as well. "The old lady's cooking is really good. Unlike what you buy outside, the saltiness is just right."
The old lady couldn't help but think of her eldest son, who was just as sweet-talking as her, unlike Yu Qi, who had never liked to talk since he was a child. He would eat whatever was given to him and would never say a good word or a bad word.
She stared intently at his face. Everyone said he looked a couple of times like Yu Qi, but actually he looked four times like the eldest brother. A thought struck her, and she couldn't help but pick some food for him, saying, "Eat more."
Xu Bai glanced at the bowl and lost his appetite. He only ate it because of Jiu Li, and kept thanking her. "The old lady is so kind to me. It reminds me of when my grandmother was alive. I will not be a stranger to her. I will come to bother you often in the future. I am not afraid that the old lady will find it annoying."
"Not at all, I wish you would come often." She leaned closer to look at him. "Look at you, a young man, you're a bit thin. Are you often sick? Our Yu'er was also delicate when she was little. I always made sure she ate more. She's been better these past two years. Eating is definitely better than taking medicine."
As he spoke, he picked up another piece of goose meat and put it in Xu Bai's bowl. Xu Bai already felt like he was going to vomit, but he desperately suppressed the nausea and smiled as he picked it up and ate it.
Yu Qi glanced sideways into the small dining room from the doorway and saw the forced, insincere smile on his face, which he found amusing. However, seeing the three of them sitting there so happily, he felt like an outsider and a subtle unease crept in. He put his hands behind his back, glanced down at the threshold in front of him, and turned to leave. He was the one who had invited them; he had no reason to find them laughable.
-----------------------
Author's note: Thank you for reading.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
