Chapter 91 Qi-Liang Realm (Part 3) Hmph, putting on that stinky elder act again…
That day, the old lady had no choice but to go to the Wei family. Jiuli sat in the room, thinking that Yu Qi had taken A Xiang out to see patients today, and Feng Qiao was the only one in the shop outside. She was afraid that he would not be able to handle it. After the old lady left, she went to the next room to ask Du Zhong to come to the shop to help.
To their surprise, Du Zhong was nowhere to be found when they entered the shop. They searched the shop but saw no one else, only Yu Qing and Feng Qiao behind the counter. Yu Qing was scolding Feng Qiao. Jiu Li listened carefully and realized it was about the tavern owner across the street; it seemed Feng Qiao had exchanged a few extra words with someone yesterday.
She quickly struck up a conversation to come to the rescue, "Aunt Qing, have you seen Eucommia ulmoides?"
Yuqing glared at Fengqiao before changing the subject, "I just saw him change his clothes and leave through the ceremonial gate. He's probably going to Master Liu's house to look for the master."
Jiuli thought to herself, "No way. Du Zhong didn't go with Yu Qi this morning, so what is he doing here now? He can hide it from others, but not from her. He's probably going to find Xiuzhi, buying some gifts on the street, and rushing off to flatter her mother-in-law and son."
“Sigh—” Jiuli sighed, propping her chin on her hand on the counter. “There are indeed advantages to widows. Although they are older, they know how to be considerate than younger girls.”
Fengqiao stood behind the counter, looking across the street and nodding repeatedly, "That makes sense."
"What's the logic behind this? Tell me!" Yu Qing threw down the rag, chuckling slyly as she walked back behind the counter.
"It wasn't me who said it, it was the fish!"
Seeing that things were not going well, Jiu Li secretly stuck out his tongue and slipped away.
Du Zhong also smiled secretly as he came out of the pastry shop. Along the way, he bought snacks, dried fruit, braised meat and roast goose, and also bought five dou of rice. He hired someone to carry it and happily found his way to Chunshan Lane.
Although Chunshan Lane was somewhat cramped, it was clean, with many households and a lively atmosphere. Several smaller alleys were also interspersed within it. Guo's husband's surname was Cao, and the Cao family's house was located in a small alley, surrounded by a wall. Du Zhong recognized the wall, walked to the front, and seeing that the gate was not closed, he went into the courtyard and told the porters to put their things in the yard.
The courtyard was deserted, but the fragrance of osmanthus filled the air. It turned out that a golden osmanthus tree was planted outside the eaves on the right. Several stools and a small table were placed under the eaves. A pot of lotus flowers was growing outside the eaves on the left. There were two umbrellas against the wall inside the eaves, with windows on them. It looked like there was a kitchen inside. There was another window behind the kitchen, and outside that window was a courtyard. It seemed that there were two more rooms hidden inside.
It seems that the Cao family didn't have a hard time when Xiuzhi's husband was alive. After his death, although the orphan and widow faced some difficulties, they managed to live a decent life thanks to Xiuzhi's support. Du Zhong looked around, a smile on his face, his heart filled with the memory of his long-lost childhood in the Du family.
He picked up a stool under the eaves and sat down, and heard an old woman's voice from inside the wall, "So that Second Master Chen is really lucky! He didn't die after all."
Then they heard the rustling of beans, and Aunt Guo chimed in, "The Chen family is lucky—Mother, please sit down, I'll go and dry these beans."
She came out carrying a round winnowing basket, and had just stepped out of the threshold when suddenly a loud "Wow!" came from the side. Startled, she jerked her hand and clattered to the side. Turning her head, she saw Du Zhong laughing so hard in the setting sun that he was doubled over. His laughter was carefree and golden, and it was absolutely awful!
Du Zhong glanced over and saw that the winnowing basket had fallen to the ground, and the beans, like spilled water, had been spilled from under the eaves into the yard. No wonder she was angry. He quickly stopped laughing, repeatedly apologizing, and ran to squat down to pick up the beans.
As soon as Old Madam Cao came out, she saw a young man wearing a light blue gauze cloak squatting on the ground. Underneath the cloak was a jade-white robe, and two green slanted lapels stood out from the round collar of the robe. He had thick eyebrows and a sapphire-white mouth, and his features were refined. His appearance and attire were extremely incompatible with the gray walls and earthen tiles of their house. She frowned and felt that this person should not have come here.
Since he's a guest, there's no reason to turn him away. Besides, the courtyard is covered with gifts, and it's an old saying that you shouldn't hit someone who brings gifts. Old Mrs. Cao hurriedly went forward to greet him. When she heard that Xiuzhi was the young master of the Yu family, she wasn't surprised. She went to get a broom to sweep up the beans, and then smiled and pushed him into the house to sit down.
Xiuzhi, not wanting to see her mother-in-law so busy, casually invited Du Zhong to sit under the eaves while she went to collect the pile of things he had brought into the main room. When she received the sack of rice, finding it somewhat heavy, she asked what it was. Du Zhong came over and said with a smile, "It's a sack of fine rice."
She suddenly felt her hand burn from the sun. He was so thoughtful and far-sighted. Last time he gave her a gold gourd pendant, and this time he not only brought those chicken and duck snacks, but also this bag of rice, as if he was afraid that her family might not be able to afford to eat at any time in the future.
Actually, this wasn't true. Although she was more hardworking than other women, with everything going on both inside and outside the home, her mother was a widow, so she had a lot of experience being a widow. These things inevitably brought back memories of when she was unmarried and went with her mother to relatives' houses to beg for money, which made her feel a little uneasy.
Du Zhong helped her carry the rice into the main room and took the opportunity to look around. He discovered that there were bedrooms on both sides of the main room. The one on the right was the old lady's, and the one on the left was the bedroom for the old lady and her son. The curtains were hanging, and he could see a seven or eight-year-old boy sleeping inside with a curtain hanging in the door.
He asked in a low voice, "Doesn't he go to school?"
Afraid of waking her son, Xiuzhi pulled Du Zhong into the courtyard to talk. She knew he wouldn't mind. Besides his outstanding appearance, he also had an outstanding temperament. He didn't pay much attention to those common customs and etiquette, which he probably learned from Yu Qi.
She said, "The teacher closed the school, saying he was too busy and needed to focus on his studies to prepare for next year's imperial examination." Xiuzhi smiled and said, "Those teachers are always like that. They teach for a while and then have something else to do. He studied for two years and only learned the Three Character Classic. He didn't learn anything else and it was all wasted."
The two sat down by the door. After sweeping the beans, Grandma Cao went inside to get the teapot. Xiuzhi tilted her head and glanced into the room. Sure enough, the old lady lingered in the main room for a while, carefully counting all the gifts.
Feeling a little bored, she turned to Du Zhong and chatted casually, "Hey, what was it like when you were studying in Suzhou?"
"At first, my master taught me personally. Later, when my master saw that Yu'er was lazy in her studies because she wasn't beaten, he invited a tutor to live in our house to teach her. I already knew some characters earlier than her when I was with my father, but because of her, I had to start learning from scratch!"
Xiuzhi didn't even dare to think about hiring a tutor to come to her home to teach her. Firstly, she didn't have the money, and secondly, her mother-in-law was still a little worried about her.
“You sisters are really something—” Xiuzhi shook her head with a smile.
Du Zhong doesn't really like her tone now, just like the old lady and Yu Qing's helpless teasing, always treating him like a child. They watched him grow up, so it's understandable, but now that a new woman has come to the house, he wants to leave her with the impression of a grown man.
She added, "I hope our dog can grow as tall as you in another ten years."
Comparing him to her son, she still treated him like a child. He leaned against the wall, smiling slyly, and lowered his voice, afraid that Old Mrs. Cao would hear, "He takes after his father. Is your husband as tall as me?"
Old Mrs. Cao had already gone to the west kitchen to boil water and make tea. Xiuzhi hurriedly glanced down at the window, then turned and glared at him. With just that one glance, Du Zhong understood. She knew what he meant; she had been pretending to be stupid with him at home all these days.
He was overjoyed, tilting his head and staring at her with a smile. Xiuzhi felt nervous and embarrassed under his gaze, and wanting to find a plausible excuse, she glared at him and said, "Do you consider me your mother?"
"I don't remember what she looks like at all."
"That's why you—"
Du Zhong quickly said, "Stop, don't try to disgust me. How old are you anyway?"
Xiuzhi couldn't help but laugh, "If your mother were still alive, she wouldn't be much older than me."
"Don't all women want to stay young? Why are you trying to act old with me?"
She lowered her head, as if letting out a sigh, "Isn't a thirty-year-old woman old?"
When he saw the sorrow on her face, he suppressed his frivolous smile and suddenly said in a serious tone, "You don't look thirty at all, you're at most twenty-five."
"Where did you learn such flattering words? The master is not one to speak so glibly."
“I’m not being glib, I’m just telling the truth.”
Xiuzhi scoffed lightly. Just then, Old Madam Cao brought over tea and a cup. Du Zhong hurriedly got up to take it and placed it on the table. Old Madam Cao just stood in front of the table, wiping her hands with her skirt, and chuckled at him but didn't leave. She inquired about this and that, and finally found out whether he had ever been engaged.
Du Zhong smiled and shook his head, "Not yet. The family is busy arranging my sister's engagement right now, and we'll probably have to wait until she gets married."
The old lady laughed and said, "It's not too late for a man to be a few years late."
He was still unaware of the old lady's intention in asking that question, and continued to respond with a smile. Xiuzhi, however, knew that the old lady was being wary, and she couldn't very well send her away, lest she seem guilty like a thief. So she went to the stone table in the courtyard to sift the beans she had just swept up, and sifted out quite a bit of ash.
Old Mrs. Cao glanced at her, then went inside after thinking for a moment. Du Zhong then walked to the stone table and whispered, "I'll help you sift."
Can you do it?
"How could I not do that? I'm an expert at screening medicines."
He picked up the winnowing basket and shook it, sending golden dust flying everywhere. Xiuzhi looked up at him as he fanned himself in the air. His eyes, bathed in the golden sunlight, were dark and bright. The jade-white collar around his neck covered a section of his green robe. Every color made him look exceptionally young. Compared to him, she felt very old, and her heart felt heavy.
While she was lost in thought, he suddenly turned her chin and leaned down to kiss her lips.
Neither of them expected it; she was filled with panic, but he laughed at her panic.
Xiuzhi was so flustered that she didn't know where to stand, so she just pushed him away, saying, "You go home first, I'll rest at home for the night and go back first thing tomorrow morning."
Seeing that she was blushing with embarrassment and didn't dare to look up, he had no choice but to agree to go back. He then went inside to say goodbye to Old Madam Cao.
Coincidentally, Yu Qi led Hu Axiang through a small alley on the left into Chunshan Alley. They saw a person walking confidently ahead in the distance. After staring at the smug figure for a while, Yu Qi recognized Du Zhong and turned to look at the alley.
Ah Xiang then said, "Sir, this is Chunshan Lane."
Yu Qi recognized the name, and after a moment he remembered that Guo Sao's house seemed to be in Chunshan Lane. He turned to look at A Xiang, but fortunately A Xiang hadn't recognized the figure yet, as the figure had already walked out onto the street.
When he got home, he looked rather unwell. It was almost dinnertime, and there were only two customers in the shop getting medicine. Fengqiao was behind the counter dealing with them, while Jiuli was dozing off inside.
For some reason, she seemed to sense his presence and suddenly woke up. She lifted her head, and upon seeing him, she quickly smiled and stepped out of the closet. "Didn't you say you were going to have dinner at the Liu family's house before coming back?"
"Who said that?" Yu Qi glanced around the shop. "Where's Zhong'er?"
When Du Zhong returned, Jiu Li was dozing off. Feng Qiao said, "He just came in a little while ago, and he's probably changing his clothes inside right now."
Yu Qi sneered inwardly. Going to Aunt Guo's house and making a fuss about changing into presentable clothes—it was like a dung beetle trying to wear flowers! He called Jiu Li and went straight into the back room. Jiu Li wondered what he wanted from her, and her heart pounded with secret joy.
He went in first, then turned around and said, "Close the door."
Jiuli bit her lower lip, turned around and closed the door. Turning back, she saw that he had already sat down on the chair opposite her. He lifted his shirt and crossed his legs, saying sternly, "Come here."
Her face flushed, and she twisted a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she walked slowly forward, her eyes gazing nonchalantly at the sky.
But when he got close, he asked, "Where did Zhong'er go today?"
A chill ran through her. She tossed her hair aside, plopped down in a huff, and said, "I don't know, why are you asking me!"
"He didn't tell you?"
She rolled her eyes dramatically. "He doesn't tell me everything. When have you ever really treated me like an older sister?!"
Yu Qi smiled. "Alright, let me ask you again, has he been acting a little strange lately?"
"What's wrong?" Jiuli thought for a moment, and then realized that something was off about his expression. His sternness was tinged with a hint of mockery. Could it be that Du Zhong had been seen by him while looking for Sister Guo?
She peered at his face. "Where did you see him?"
"Spring Mountain Lane".
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuqing pushed the door open and came in with tea. Yuqi immediately stopped talking. Seeing his solemn expression, Yuqing assumed that Jiuli had made some mistake and did not dare to ask any more questions. She put down the tea and hurried out, closing the door behind her.
In the meantime, Jiuli's mind had been racing for most of the day. Chunshan Lane was none other than Guo's in-laws' home! How could she possibly explain this? She could only pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Yu Qi then asked, "Do you know whose house is in Chunshan Lane?"
Jiuli shook her head vigorously, like a rattle-drum. Yu Qi suddenly slammed his hand on the table. "You still dare to cover for him! Even I remember that Aunt Guo's house is in Chunshan Lane. You two talk all the time, how could you not know?!"
Seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, she had no choice but to play dumb, "Oh, yes, Aunt Guo's house seems to be over there, so what?"
What was he doing at Aunt Guo's house?
"Perhaps Aunt Guo forgot to take something back with her, so he delivered it to her."
"Why are you so overjoyed to deliver something to someone? I saw him running so fast, he was practically flying. If you keep covering for him, you'll be punished too."
Relying on the fact that things were different now and she wasn't as afraid of him as before, Jiu Li simply turned her body to the side and said, "I didn't do anything, so why am I being punished? I didn't know anything, so what? Humph, you're putting on that arrogant act again!"
Yu Qi felt that it really proved the old saying, "If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked too," and the whole family was now in chaos.
Fortunately, Du Zhong was different. He was too young and a man, so it was common for him to be fickle. Perhaps his feelings for Xiu Zhi were just a passing fancy, because when he had this impulse, there was no girl of similar age by his side.
There's still medicine to cure Du Zhong, so let's buy him another maid. Yu Qi had no choice but to sigh and waved his hand weakly at Jiu Li, "Okay, I won't ask you anymore, you can go out, I'll rest."
Jiuli walked to the door, turned around and saw him sitting slumped in a chair, a tired look on his face standing out from between his pale blue jaw, making him look even more melancholic. She suddenly felt a kind of pleasure in tormenting him.
He then put his hands behind his back behind the door and said casually, "By the way, the old lady also went out. She said she was going to the Wei family, and it seems she wanted to talk to Old Madam Wei and ask her to invite someone to our house to propose marriage."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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