Chapter Twenty-Three: Heartfelt Devotion by the Chrysanthemums
The golden rays of the setting sun spilled over the vermilion lintel of the Shen Mansion, turning the hem of Su Moqing's skirt a warm orange.
Her fingertips touched the brocade on Shen Rulan's luggage, still slightly cool from the canal's moisture, but when she grasped Shen Rulan's palm, the familiar warmth made her feel hot.
"Are you tired from the journey?" Su Moqing looked up at her, his gaze sweeping over the faint dark circles under her eyes—she must not have slept well during the ten-day sea voyage.
A warm feeling rose in Shen Rulan's throat. She took her hand in her own and gently stroked the delicate skin on her wrist with her fingertips. "I'm not tired. The thought of seeing you soon makes me feel like it's going to pass quickly."
These words were so blunt that Su Moqing's ears burned. She quickly looked away and led Shen Rulan into the courtyard: "I asked the kitchen to stew some pigeon soup. It's still hot. Drink some to warm yourself up."
As we passed through the hanging flower gate, the revolving lanterns hanging under the eaves were gently turned by the evening breeze, and the orchid patterns painted by Su Moqing on the lanterns were faintly visible in the twilight.
Shen Rulan paused for a moment, recalling that she had asked her to paint lanterns when she wrote to her during the Lantern Festival last year. Now, it had quietly come true, and her heart was filled with subtle joy.
Candles were lit in the dining room, and the fragrant incense burning in the bronze stove wafted around, mingling with the delicious aroma of pigeon soup on the table.
Granny Rong personally carried the soup bowl forward, smiling as she said, "Young Master is finally back. Miss Su has been watching the kitchen since noon, afraid that the soup would be overcooked."
Su Moqing picked up the soup bowl and handed it to Shen Rulan, her ears still flushed: "Try it. I added some goji berries and angelica according to Madam Li's method. It's good for your health."
Shen Rulan took the soup bowl, the warmth of the porcelain penetrating her fingertips.
She scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The pigeon meat was stewed until tender, and the soup was fresh but not greasy. The medicinal aroma of angelica was perfectly balanced by the sweetness of goji berries.
She looked up at Su Moqing and saw her staring at her nervously. She couldn't help but smile and say, "It's delicious."
Su Moqing breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her chopsticks to put a piece of fish on her plate: "This is a perch that was just caught from the canal today. It's steamed. Eat more."
The two sat facing each other, the candlelight reflecting a flickering light in each other's eyes.
Shen Rulan occasionally mentioned things about Guangzhou—foreign merchants at the treaty ports always liked to haggle in broken Chinese, fishing boats on the Pearl River would sing fishermen's songs at dusk, and there was stained glass brought by Western caravans that could reflect seven rainbows in the sunlight.
Su Moqing listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a few questions, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the porcelain bowl, her heart filled with peace.
After dinner, Shen Rulan accompanied Su Moqing to the painting studio at the lakeside villa.
Moonlight streamed through the window lattice onto the painting table, illuminating an unfinished painting, "Chrysanthemums in Autumn"—Su Moqing's first draft, sketched at Yunqi Temple. The chrysanthemums in the painting bloomed freely, their ink tones conveying a sense of elegance and strength.
"Not finished yet?" Shen Rulan walked to the drawing table and gently brushed her fingertips across the paper.
Su Moqing nodded and picked up a wolf-hair brush: "I feel that the petals are still lacking in layers. I wanted to wait for you to come back so you could take a look."
Shen Rulan's heart stirred. She took out a clean brush from the brush washer, dipped it in light ink, and leaned down beside her: "Look, you can use the side of the brush to sweep a few strokes here, so that the edges of the petals have some white strokes, just like they have been blown by the wind."
With a slight turn of her wrist, the tip of her brush left delicate ink marks on the rice paper, instantly giving the originally somewhat stiff petals a lively feel.
Su Moqing leaned closer to take a closer look, her nose inadvertently brushing against Shen Rulan's sleeve. She caught a whiff of the faint scent of ink mixed with moisture on her body, and her heart suddenly raced.
Shen Rulan also noticed that the two of them were too close, and her ears felt slightly hot. She quickly straightened up and said, "Try it. If you follow this method, you might be able to draw the feeling you want."
Su Moqing took the brush, but her fingertips trembled slightly.
She took a deep breath and, imitating Shen Rulan, used the side of her brush to spread the light ink on the rice paper. Just as she had said, the petals gained a more natural and graceful appearance.
She looked up at Shen Rulan, her eyes filled with joy: "It really works!"
Under the moonlight, the light in her eyes was like shattered stars, warming Shen Rulan's heart.
She suddenly remembered the letter she received at Yunqi Temple. In the letter, Su Moqing wrote, "Guangzhou has a hot and humid climate. I hope you take care of yourself." The worry she felt then has now turned into the peace and security she feels now, making her want to keep this person firmly by her side.
In the following days, Shen Rulan was busy dealing with the Western goods brought back from Guangzhou, but she always tried to find time to spend with Su Moqing.
Sometimes it was taking a walk with her by the lake in the early morning; sometimes it was reading side by side in the library in the afternoon, our fingertips occasionally touching, which would lead to a tacit silence; sometimes it was in the studio in the evening, one painting and the other grinding ink, the candlelight reflecting their shadows, a warm and comforting scene.
That afternoon, after finishing her official business, Shen Rulan entered the lakeside villa and saw Su Moqing sitting on the veranda, holding a yellowed picture book and looking at it intently.
"What are you looking at?" Shen Rulan tiptoed to her side, leaned over and saw that it was an illustrated version of "Records of Yangzhou Pleasure Boats", which depicted the Twenty-Four Bridges of Slender West Lake, the ginkgo trees of Pingshan Hall, and pleasure boats on the Grand Canal.
Su Moqing looked up at her, her eyes filled with a smile: "This was given to me by Manager Chen. He said that the paintings inside were all painted by painters from the previous dynasty and are very exquisite. Look at the ginkgo tree in Pingshan Hall. It's painted so realistically. I heard that it's very beautiful when the tree is full of golden leaves in autumn."
Shen Rulan's heart stirred, remembering that she had promised to take her to Pingshan Hall to see the chrysanthemums: "The weather will be fine tomorrow, why don't we go to Pingshan Hall? I heard that the 'Golden Back Red' chrysanthemums there are in full bloom, and there are also several hundred-year-old ginkgo trees, which should be turning golden."
Su Moqing's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded quickly: "Great! I've never seen a century-old ginkgo tree before."
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Su Moqing got up to pack her painting tools.
She chose a moon-white satin shirt embroidered with magnolia patterns, and wore a light blue satin vest with a peony scroll pattern over it. Her long, dark hair was styled into two small buns, and she wore a jade cloud-shaped hairpin with two small pearl flowers adorning her temples. Her whole being exuded an elegant and lively charm.
Shen Rulan wore a silver-gray Ning silk robe with eight cloud and bat patterns, over which was a dark blue satin jacket with dark floral patterns of river cliffs and waves. A lapis lazuli jade belt hook was tied around her waist, with an apricot-yellow sash hanging from it. Her usually meticulously combed braid was slightly loose today, and the newly trimmed hairline at her temples made her look softer. Her cold and aloof aura had completely disappeared, and she even revealed a rare gentle and scholarly air.
The two boarded the carriage and headed towards Pingshan Hall.
At this moment, Yangzhou City was just waking up from its slumber. The aroma of steamed buns wafted from the breakfast stalls along the street, peddlers carrying their wares walked by, and cargo boats on the canal glided slowly by, their surfaces rippling with light.
“When I was a child, I often came to Pingshan Hall with my grandmother.” Shen Rulan lifted the carriage curtain and pointed to the distant mountains. “Back then, she always said that Pingshan Hall had the best view, and you could see ‘all the mountains in Jiangnan clearly in your eyes.’”
Su Moqing looked in the direction she pointed, and saw the distant green mountains appearing and disappearing in the morning mist, like a light ink painting. She remembered her father's words, "Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles," and suddenly felt a little regretful—if her father were still alive, he would definitely want to see such scenery.
Shen Rulan noticed her emotions and gently held her hand: "Let's go out more often in the future. There are many beautiful places in Yangzhou. I'll take you there."
Su Moqing felt a warmth in his heart, nodded, and gently rested his head on her shoulder.
The bumpy ride of the carriage caused their bodies to touch from time to time, but there was no awkwardness, only a sense of security.
In less than an hour, the carriage arrived at Pingshan Hall.
As soon as I got off the bus, I was greeted by a rich fragrance of chrysanthemums mixed with the fresh scent of ginkgo leaves, which invigorated me.
"It smells so good!" Su Moqing walked quickly forward and saw that the courtyard was full of chrysanthemums, yellow, white, purple and red, blooming in competition. In particular, there were several "golden-backed big red" chrysanthemums, with bright red petals on the front and golden yellow petals on the back, which were particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.
Shen Rulan followed behind her, watching her squat beside the chrysanthemums, her eyes full of joy, like a child who had found candy.
She walked over to a white chrysanthemum, picked one, and handed it to her: "This one is called 'Jade Exquisite.' Its petals are as fine as silk threads; it's quite unique."
Su Moqing took the white chrysanthemum, held it to her nose and gently smelled it; a faint fragrance lingered around her nose.
She looked up at Shen Rulan and saw her looking at her tenderly. A sweet feeling welled up in her heart, and she quickly turned around and took out her sketchbook: "I want to draw all these chrysanthemums."
She chose a spot near the ginkgo trees, sat down, spread out the Xuan paper, and picked up her paintbrush.
Shen Rulan squatted down beside her and helped her grind the ink: "Which one would you like to draw first?"
"Let's paint that 'Golden-backed Crimson' chrysanthemum," Su Moqing said, pointing to the red chrysanthemum not far away. "It's brightly colored and full of life."
Shen Rulan nodded and handed the prepared cinnabar to her: "This cinnabar was transported from Huizhou last month. The color is perfect. Try it."
Su Moqing took the paint, dipped some into the tip of her brush, and gently placed it on the rice paper.
The red of cinnabar spreads across the white paper, gradually outlining the shape of the petals.
Shen Rulan watched quietly from the side, occasionally handing her paintbrushes and adjusting the angle of the drawing paper. Sunlight shone through the gaps in the ginkgo leaves, casting dappled shadows on the two of them.
“By the way,” Su Moqing suddenly spoke, her pen pausing on the paper, “when you were in Guangzhou, did you see any Western paintings? Manager Chen said that Western paintings are very special, they can paint people just like real people.”
Shen Rulan nodded, recalling the Western oil paintings she had seen at the Guangzhou treaty port: "I have seen them. The paints they use are different from ours, and the paintings they create are very three-dimensional, as if you can touch the people in the paintings. I even bought you a few Western painting brushes and put them in the study. You can try them out later."
Su Moqing's eyes were full of curiosity: "Really? Then I must try it."
The two chatted casually, and time slipped away quietly as their paintbrushes rose and fell.
By the time Su Moqing finished painting, it was noon. The sunlight shone directly on the ginkgo tree, and the golden leaves drifted gently down in the wind, like scattered gold dust.
"It's beautifully painted." Shen Rulan looked at the "golden-backed crimson" on the paper. The petals were full of layers, and the combination of vermilion and golden yellow was just right. It was as if one could smell the fragrance of chrysanthemums.
Su Moqing put away her paintbrush and looked at the falling ginkgo leaves. Suddenly, she remembered something: "I heard that the ginkgo fruits from Pingshan Hall can be used in medicine. How about we pick some and have the kitchen make some sweet soup for us?"
Shen Rulan smiled and nodded: "Okay, but be careful, the ginkgo fruit has thorns on its skin, I'll pick it."
She walked to the ginkgo tree, picked up a long branch, and gently tapped the branch.
Golden leaves and green ginkgo fruits fell softly, and Su Moqing quickly caught them with her skirt, her laughter echoing in the courtyard.
The two filled a bag with ginkgo fruits before reluctantly leaving Pingshan Hall.
When Su Moqing got into the carriage, a few ginkgo leaves were still stuck to her skirt, and her face was full of smiles.
"I'm so happy today." Su Moqing leaned on Shen Rulan's shoulder, her voice tinged with a hint of languor. "Thank you for bringing me here."
Shen Rulan gently stroked her hair, her fingertips touching the jade hairpin in her hair. The warm touch made her feel at ease: "I'm satisfied as long as I can make you happy."
As the carriage traveled back, Su Moqing gradually fell asleep on Shen Rulan's shoulder.
Shen Rulan carefully adjusted her position to make her more comfortable.
She looked at Su Moqing's peaceful sleeping face, the moonlight shining through the car window onto her face, her long eyelashes casting soft shadows, and her heart was filled with tenderness.
She remembered the way Su Moqing painted orchids in the library when they met again, so aloof yet stubborn; she remembered how Su Moqing would rather bear the injustice herself than trouble others when she was wronged in Guazhou Town; she remembered how Su Moqing, though confused, still chose to understand after learning the truth... This woman had already taken up residence in her heart and become the most important person in her life.
When they returned to the Shen residence, it was already dark.
Shen Rulan carefully carried Su Moqing out of the car, afraid of waking her.
Rong Momo was waiting at the courtyard gate. Upon seeing this scene, she quickly lowered her voice and said, "This old servant has already prepared the bedroom. I will take you there."
Shen Rulan nodded and carried Su Moqing toward the bedroom in the lakeside villa.
When he gently placed her on the bed, Su Moqing's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes, her voice hoarse from just waking up: "Have we arrived?"
"Yes, I just arrived." Shen Rulan helped her cover herself with the blanket. "You can sleep a little longer. I'll have the kitchen make the ginkgo syrup and then I'll wake you up."
Su Moqing took her hand, a hint of dependence in her eyes: "Don't go, stay with me for a while, okay?"
Shen Rulan's heart softened, and she sat down by the bed, taking her hand in hers: "Okay, I'll stay with you."
Su Moqing leaned against the pillows, looking at Shen Rulan's gentle eyes, and suddenly spoke: "Shen Rulan, I..."
She paused, took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind: "I've figured it out. I don't care about your status, nor do I care what others think. I just want to be with you, like today, to enjoy the scenery together, to paint together, and to live a peaceful life together."
Shen Rulan looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Looking into Su Moqing's determined eyes, she felt a surge of excitement. She gripped Su Moqing's hand tightly, her voice trembling slightly, "Moqing, you...you're telling the truth?"
“It’s true.” Su Moqing looked at her, his eyes full of tenderness. “From the moment I received your letter at Yunqi Temple, I knew that I couldn’t live without you.”
Shen Rulan could no longer hold back. She bent down and gently embraced Su Moqing, resting her chin on the top of her head, feeling her warm breath. Years of pretense and unease transformed into overwhelming joy at this moment, making her want only to hold this person tightly in her arms and never let go again.
"Thank you, Mo Qing." Shen Rulan's voice was choked with emotion. "Thank you for accepting me and for staying by my side."
Su Moqing gently hugged her back and rested her head on her shoulder: "We rely on each other, don't we?"
The moonlight streamed in through the window, falling gently and lingering on the two figures embracing.
The osmanthus blossoms under the eaves still exude fragrance, and the sweet aroma of ginkgo syrup wafts from the kitchen, filling the air with the scent of happiness.
Shen Rulan knew that in the days to come, no matter how many storms she encountered, as long as Su Moqing was by her side, she would have the courage to face everything.
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