Beautiful scenery, but the weather is bad
Liu San's condition did not improve, and the doctors who came were helpless. The small Buddhist temple was constantly burning incense, and monks and Taoists came in waves.
People, in moments of despair, tend to turn to gods and Buddhas, praying for mercy. They believe that offering enough incense will grant them the chance to change their fate. If that were possible, then forget about the idea of "equality for all."
"Why not send Third Brother to Fengqing Temple?"
Mrs. Qin kowtowed to the Bodhisattva statue again, as if she had made up her mind.
Young Master Liu San was sent to Fengqing Temple overnight. The mountain road was difficult to walk on due to the rain, and it was muddy and bumpy all the way.
The carriage was once stuck in the middle of the road. All I could hear was a vicissitudes of life voice, singing a few words in a strange and hoarse voice:
"The world is full of confusion, and my face has aged in the dust of half a lifetime. It's too late to brush off my clothes, and I'll watch the puppets making noise. I cry bitterly at the end of my rope, and then burst into laughter. It's all over, on the jade pot and the island, there are few people who are sad for eternity."①
"Why is there someone performing opera on the mountain in the middle of the night?" Qingfang stuck his head out the window to look. It turned out to be a drunkard. He then said, "What bad luck! Operas are performed everywhere."
Sitting in the car, Qingfang glanced at Mrs. Qin who was reciting scriptures with her eyes closed, and tactfully cursed the drunkard.
Jiumengzi was also very sensible and never showed up again.
Aunt Yun was still warming up her voice before dawn, and it had become more frequent recently, so frequent that Master Liu started cursing at her from across the yard.
"What a crazy woman!"
He had heard the rumors Lian Qiao had spread, but he was also afraid of the possibility that they were just rumors, that the crazy woman was pregnant with his child. He planned to wait for a while and see if she would go to meet the adulterer at night.
He spat at the Peony Pavilion, hoping that the child would be born soon, or that the adulterer would show up soon so that he and the other man could catch them together.
Mr. Liu felt that he could no longer tolerate this crazy woman, and huddled into Aunt Xiang's arms in grievance.
But the more she was left alone, the crazier Aunt Yun became. Her voice was already broken, but she still stood on the simple stage to practice every day, singing non-stop as if she was not tired at all.
How could she not hear those rumors? Yuping fled back to the farm that night to find her parents who had sold their daughter.
Yun Jiuniang was a brave woman. She had committed adultery and was pregnant with a bastard. So what? What could be done to her? The worst that could happen was that she would just throw herself into the river.
It would be better for those little girls and servants in the yard to run away as soon as possible to avoid being implicated by her.
It’s just a pity for the poor child in her belly.
"Child, you are unlucky in this life and were born in my belly. In the next life, I will be your slave. If you are not willing to accept this, you can turn into a ghost and haunt that Liu, and never let him go for the rest of your lives." Aunt Yun gently stroked her pregnant belly, her eyes gentle, completely different from her usual fierce and ruthless look.
When she was young and beautiful, Master Liu coveted her beauty and coaxed her with sweet words. But when she grew old and her beauty faded, he despised her and said everything he said was wrong.
Who still remembers that she lived in the Peony Pavilion? Who still remembers that her masterpiece was "A Dream in the Garden"? Who still remembers that she was Du Liniang?
Since no one remembered, she had to make them all remember. After all, if this matter was exposed, she would not live long. Since no one allowed her to sing, she had to sing her heart out, so that everyone could hear and remember.
"Have you found a theatre troupe recently?" Ning Hua had been staying in the room for a few days without saying a word. The last time he spoke was to ask who was performing.
Qiuyan replied, "It's Aunt Yun."
“You sing really well.”
Ning Hua wanted to go and take a look, so he dragged Qiuyan around to the Peony Pavilion. He saw Aunt Yun, dressed in her theatrical costume and bare-faced, sitting on a tattered wooden stage.
Jiu Niang thought she was just a casual visitor and ignored her, continuing to sing on the stage.
Perhaps there were fewer people cleaning the yard, so it looked a bit messy. The dilapidated scene complemented the middle-aged woman on the stage.
When she sang a brilliant part, Ning Hua would cheer and applaud. This was the most lively moment of her life these days. Qiu Yan felt uneasy and tried to speak to Ning Hua several times, but was always blocked.
"Qiuyan, if you have nothing to do, go find someone to gossip with."
What gossip is this? Qiuyan was so anxious that she turned around in circles.
Yuping had also left, and most of the servants in the Peony Pavilion had fled. Everyone was afraid of getting into trouble, but her master had taken a different approach and this time seemed to enjoy joining in the fun. She usually scolded her, but now she was rushing into the fire pit.
Qiuyan suddenly knelt down and begged: "Auntie, let's go back. This is my humble servant's request."
Ning Hua felt sorry for her and agreed.
Forget it, forget it all.
On the way back to Jinlan Courtyard, Qiuyan kept chattering all the way, saying things like how Master Liu loved listening to operas when he was young, but now he loves poetry and songs even more.
Ning Hua walked along without listening. Passing the lakeside pavilion, she watched Mr. Shen teaching. She watched from afar as the bamboo curtains were gently lifted by the wind, revealing the shadows of round heads bent over their lessons. Then she saw the long and narrow alleyway leading back to Jinlan Courtyard.
She suddenly understood the small Buddhist temple in Shiliuju and the stage in Mudanting.
I don’t know when a bonsai garden appeared in Jinlanyuan.
Madam Qin returned from Fengqing Temple. As the only son, Liu Er naturally had to greet her at the door. He respectfully stretched out his hand to support his stepmother. It was also the first time he stretched out his hand, but his hand was left hanging in the air for a long time.
It's understandable that he doesn't appreciate it. Liu Er isn't that hypocritical.
Since Mrs. Qin came back from Fengqing Temple, she has been much more energetic than before. I heard that Liu Sanyi's illness was cured as soon as he arrived at Fengqing Temple. The Taoist priest said that he would be able to be as normal as before after some more recuperation.
This was a great joyous event for the Liu family. After hearing about it, Mr. Liu stayed at Shiliuju for several nights in a row and said that he would go to Fengqing Temple to visit Liu San in person another day.
It was a rare occasion for the couple to sleep in the same bed after nearly twenty years. After they finished talking, Liu San fell into silence. They both looked at the brocade tent embroidered with pomegranate flowers above their heads and did not speak a word all night.
The magic of Fengqing Temple spread throughout the Liu family, and Liu Er was faced with the situation of being "banished to the cold palace". Liu Er went to the study several times but was rejected by Master Liu with excuses, and the North Courtyard began to become deserted again.
The dishes that Yulan took from the kitchen were more vegetarian. She said that it was hot and she wanted to eat something light and appetizing.
Liu Er was not stupid. He sat at the table and watched the flowers in the yard outside the window gradually withering. The fire that had just ignited in his heart turned into a wisp of green smoke and died out.
Yulan stood in front of the small round table with the dishes already laid out. She smiled, but her neck was covered in sweat, which she quietly wiped with a handkerchief.
Liu Er indicated that he wasn't hungry and told Yulan to go and rest first. After Yulan left, he walked over to the small round table and tried to pick up the bowl.
His left hand became increasingly weak, and only he knew that he was a cripple.
When Yulan heard the clanging sounds in the house and hurried into it, the floor was in a mess. Only Liu Er was sitting at the small round table. He was pale with his left arm hanging down, and blood was flowing from his left hand all over the floor.
Just like when Yulan first entered the North Courtyard.
Yulan felt dizzy again at the sight, and even more nauseous at the smell of blood. She hurried out to rest, and called Bao Fu to go find a doctor.
"Even you think I'm useless?" Liu Er's eyes were dark and red as he looked at Yulan sadly.
"You're talking nonsense again!" Yulan cursed inwardly. Fighting back the nausea and dizziness, she bandaged Liu Er briefly. The bloody wrist was so mangled that the tendons and bones were visible.
Yulan was speechless, feeling only heartache and resentment.
I feel sorry for Liu Er's situation and pain, but I also resent him for not being able to withstand the storm and not taking care of himself.
"Do you think Master Liu will feel sorry for you if you do this?" Yulan stood up and slapped Liu Er.
Liu Er was stunned by the blow. He covered his left face with his right hand and stood there in a daze.
Yes, only that heartless man would not feel sorry for him at all, otherwise he would have thrown him in the North Courtyard and let him fend for himself.
Liu Er suddenly laughed, then looked up and saw Yulan's moist eyes, and his heart was gripped.
"It's fine if you don't feel sorry for yourself, but I do feel sorry for you." Yulan sniffed, swallowed the dry blood in her throat, and choked up, "You said there were only Qingbai and Feichun in the house. I see that you only have eyes for yourself."
Hearing Yulan's crying, Liu Er was startled. He wanted to hug Yulan but was pushed away.
"It's all blood, don't touch me." Yulan wiped her tears and turned her head away, the pearl pendant still dangling on her earlobe.
"I promise you, I won't do anything like this again." Liu Er lifted his right sleeve and gently wiped the tears from Yulan's face. "Don't cry, I won't do it again. Even if no one cares about me, I won't do such a stupid thing."
"Then it won't happen again."
When Yulan saw Bao Fu stumbling in with the doctor, she wiped her tears and took a few steps back.
Inside the Pomegranate Courtyard, Chuanfang massaged Madam Qin's shoulders and said, "The man in the North Courtyard injured his hand again and called a doctor."
Mrs. Qin sipped the tea in the teacup in her hand, said nothing, and seemed to be in a good mood. She closed her eyes and continued to listen.
"Aunt Fan likes to go to the Peony Pavilion recently." Chuanfang continued.
"Tell her to stay away and come sit with me when you have nothing to do." The empty tea bowl was placed on the table, and the maid beside her filled it with another one.
Chuanfang brought the story to Jinlan Courtyard, who responded with a numb expression. In the days that followed, she sat in Shiliuju every day, sitting there all day without saying a word.
Ever since Liu San left for Fengqing Temple, the small Buddhist temple had rarely been open except for the morning incense burning. Madam Qin's complexion had improved, and she was talking more. Ning Hua, on the other hand, seemed like a frost-bitten eggplant, only responding briefly and saying nothing more.
Qiu Yan was anxious, thinking that her master was possessed by an evil spirit. She asked people for help everywhere and even secretly put incense ash in Ning Hua's tea, but all her methods were useless.
A few black shadows flashed across the sky, and the clouds were burning red.
Day after day, Ning Hua would stretch his neck to gaze at the sky, fiddling with the pines and cypresses. As if his soul had been drained away, he grew thinner and more numb day by day.
At dawn, the cockcrows and a lively play is being performed on the stage of the Peony Pavilion.
The stableman had been back from seeing Liu San off for a few days, and Concubine Yun was feeling strangely longing for him after not seeing him for so long. Seeing that there were fewer and fewer people in the Peony Pavilion, she became bolder and more adept at climbing over the wall to enter the courtyard.
Yun Jiuniang did not hide anything and opened the door wide, waiting for people to come.
"You rascal, you're so bold now. Aren't you afraid that the master will find out?" Yun Jiuniang pushed the coachman coquettishly and fell into his arms.
"To die beneath the peony flowers, even as a ghost, I'll be a romantic. My life is worth it."
"Then don't regret it."
In the dark night, Master Liu led his men with torches in hand to surround the Peony Pavilion.
"It turns out that all the beautiful flowers are now left to the broken wells and dilapidated walls. What can we do about the beautiful scenery? Who can enjoy the joyful scene?"
These were the last two lines Yun Jiuniang sang, and the days that followed returned to their usual silence.
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Notes:
①Quoted from the excerpt “Aftertones” from Peach Blossom Fan.
② Quoted from the excerpt "The Black Silk Robe" from the Kunqu opera "The Peony Pavilion" in "A Dream in the Garden".
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