Chapter 57 Is it really true?
Shanlai has been completely absorbed in painting lately, so much so that he's lost his mind and even forgot about Liu Min's return.
I informed her long ago, both by letter and verbally.
For three years, Shanlai and Liu Min exchanged letters quite frequently. A servant boy named Huai'en would receive letters from Liu Min, travel long distances to Xingdu to deliver them to Shanlai, and then return to Pingcheng with Shanlai's letters. He spent most of the year on the road. Anliu County was a place he always passed through on his way to deliver letters. Every time he passed through, he would stay at the same inn. The innkeeper had an only daughter. When they first met, he was seventeen and she was fifteen—a handsome young man and a shy young girl, a perfect match made in heaven. A year ago, he proposed marriage, and his future father-in-law readily agreed to give his daughter to him without any difficulty. Of course, he was overjoyed. He was a grateful man, and for this marriage, he was most grateful to his future father-in-law, and secondly to Shanlai and Liu Min. The young master was not easy to get close to, so the carp used as a thank-you gift for the matchmaker was given to Shanlai.
"I am truly grateful to my sister. Thanks to the young master and my sister, I, the messenger, now have companions!"
The carp, each weighing five pounds, survived being carried for so long with willow branches pierced through their mouths, and would occasionally sway their bodies to shake off water droplets.
"Do you think this place is a vegetable market? It's so fishy!" Ziyu turned away, covering her mouth and nose, her eyes full of disgust. Huai'en immediately felt embarrassed, forcing a smile and unsure what to do with his hands and feet. But then Ziyu suddenly laughed again, "Although the fish is fishy, your words are quite pleasant." She then asked, "Is the bride pretty? What's her name?" Only then did Huai'en smile naturally again, revealing his two rows of clean, even teeth.
Last month, when Huai En sent a letter, Tong Shan mentioned his marriage. He said he was getting married soon, and the wedding date was set for the month after next. By then, he would have settled down in the capital and could bring his wife over. He asked Shan to help him find a job for his wife in the mansion, whether it was cooking, sweeping, or washing clothes. He was not afraid of hard work, as long as she could gain a foothold in the mansion.
Therefore, even before reading Liu Min's letter, Shan Lai already knew that he was about to return. Sure enough, the first thing he read in the letter was about his return.
The twenty-seven-month mourning period had barely ended when Liu Shen's new post was already finalized: Minister of Works. He couldn't return to the Ministry of Personnel for the time being. Although the Ministry of Works was far less prestigious than the Ministry of Personnel, it was still a ministerial position. Enduring a few years of hardship to enter the cabinet was hardly a big deal. The smooth path ahead was largely thanks to Grand Secretary Le. The appointment was quickly delivered, but Liu Shen didn't immediately return to the capital because his wife had fallen ill. He felt he couldn't abandon his ailing wife, so he submitted a memorial to plead guilty. However, with a father-in-law like Grand Secretary Le, how could he possibly be guilty? So, it wasn't until six months after the new year, when the appointment was officially issued, that he finally set off with his family at a leisurely pace.
Spring is now in full bloom.
On a spring evening, dust filled the air, the sunlight was dim and yellow, and you couldn't see clearly even from several meters away. As soon as a person appeared outside, their head and face would be covered in dust in no time.
Liu Min was in this state at the moment. His sapphire blue brocade robe was covered in dust, his hair was dusty, and his face looked haggard, presumably from the arduous journey.
He came to see her without changing his clothes or washing his face.
A strange feeling suddenly welled up inside me, and I couldn't help but reach out to brush the dirt off him. But then I stopped abruptly after realizing what I was doing, and just smiled at him sheepishly.
Liu Min smiled, then bent down to pick up the crumpled paper from the ground, slowly unfolded it, examined it carefully for a while, and said, "The shape is good, the color is good, it's so good, why don't you want it?"
His voice was different from before. He had completely changed.
"Because I felt it wasn't good enough, and it was a very important matter, I didn't dare to be careless."
Upon hearing this, he slowly folded the painting again, and said with a smile, "No wonder, I haven't seen you anywhere."
Shanlai then realized that she should have gone to greet her master when he returned home. She didn't know this; no one had told her.
She quickly smiled apologetically and said, "It's my fault, I was so busy I forgot."
Liu Min still smiled, but there was a hint of melancholy in his smile.
Seeing him like this, Shanlai suddenly had a lot of questions he wanted to ask him. Just as he was about to speak, someone suddenly came in through the door and said, "Young Master, the water is ready."
Liu Min nodded, then turned to Shan Lai and said, "I'm going." He left, and Zi Yu followed. Shan Lai thought for a moment and decided to follow as well, but Zi Yu suddenly turned back and stopped her. Although Shan Lai didn't understand, she obediently stopped and patiently waited for Zi Yu's explanation.
Seeing Liu Min walk away, Zi Yu turned around, frowned, and said in a low voice, "Why did you follow him instead of painting?"
Shanlai then realized that Ziyu had deliberately not notified her, afraid of delaying her painting.
Ziyu was far more concerned about her future than she was.
Two weeks ago, Ziyu saw the drawing on Shanlai's desk and casually asked about it. After Shanlai told her, she was silent at first, and then cheered with joy.
"My God, you mean that from now on everyone who enters Huguo Temple will see your painting! Sister, you're going to be remembered in history? That's an immense honor! Thousands of years from now, people will know your name and that you once existed in this world..."
Ziyu was in charge of Guangyitang's affairs. She didn't allow anyone to disturb Shanlai under any pretext, and she even personally delivered his meals every day without complaint.
Shanlai knew he couldn't get out, so he didn't waste his time. He smiled and stopped moving.
Perhaps because I was so eager to go and see it, I was able to write it smoothly. When I held it in my hand and looked at it, I found it to be very pleasing to the eye. Of the three walls, I only painted one of them, but I still put down my pen.
When they arrived, Liu Min was no longer there. They asked the little girl, who said that he had changed his clothes and gone to Yihetang to pay his respects.
Shanlai naturally wouldn't chase after Yihetang, so he thought of finding Wu Qingyu. It was only then that he belatedly realized that he had been living in Wu Qingyu's place for the past few years, and now it was time to return it to its rightful owner.
But after asking many people, they all said they hadn't seen him. Finally, they found someone who knew, but he secretly told her that the person had already passed away, and that it happened before the Lunar New Year.
Shanlai was completely speechless for a moment. It was all too sudden. She knew Wu Qingyu was in poor health, but how could she be gone...? Why hadn't she been told?
He didn't say anything.
Suddenly, a strange noise erupted outside. Looking out the window, I saw that the trees were bent over, and with a whooshing sound, petals and leaves were falling like rain. The weather had changed. In an instant, the sounds of wind, rain, and shouts became a chaotic mess.
It's raining. I wonder what he's doing right now...
Ziyu walked in, wiping the water from her hair, complaining, "I've had enough of spring here! The dust is everywhere, and when it gets wet, it turns into mud—it's filthy!" Lvyang, hearing this, offered her his handkerchief. "Use this to wipe your hair," she said. Ziyu refused, saying, "It'll just get your handkerchief dirty. I'll just wash it with water; it's readily available anyway." She insisted on washing her hair, grabbed a little maid, gave her two pieces of candy, and asked her to fetch water. The little maid skipped off. Meanwhile, Shanlai quietly opened his umbrella and went out amidst the commotion.
She was carrying one umbrella in her right hand and another in her left, on her way to deliver an umbrella to someone. Not long after leaving Guangyi Hall, she saw a blue silk umbrella in the distance, slowly walking towards her through the mist. Even through the thick curtain of water, she recognized him at a glance—it was him.
She knew perfectly well that Yihetang wouldn't leave him without an umbrella, but she brought one with her so she could see him sooner.
When I saw him, I asked him why he didn't tell me about Aunt Wu, and also, whether he had been hiding many things from me, and whether he had been lying to me because he kept saying he was fine.
She felt that she had a responsibility to him, and since she had been gone for a long time, she felt sorry for him if he was really not doing well, and even more sorry if he said he was doing well when he was not doing well.
She intended to get straight to the point, but when the person actually stood before her, she couldn't utter a single word and could only gaze at him with sorrow.
The mist in her eyes was obscured by the rain, so Liu Min couldn't see it and simply asked, "Why are you out at this hour?"
Shanlai silently handed over the umbrella.
Seeing this, Liu Min said helplessly, "Do you think you're short of an umbrella? You'll catch a cold running out like this." With that, he took the umbrella that Shan Lai offered, held it in his hand, and then walked forward without delay. Shan Lai followed closely behind him, holding the umbrella.
The people in Guangyitang were already waiting, some carrying hot water, some taking off their clothes, some mopping the floor, some combing their hair, some serving ginger soup... each doing their job in an orderly manner.
Shanlai went back to her room to change her shoes and dry her clothes before going to the main room. She happened to see Liu Min drinking ginger soup, so she got a bowl too and sipped it slowly.
Ziyu was a sensible person and wanted to help them get together. So, while the two of them were drinking soup, she winked at everyone else in the room to leave, so that the two of them could talk alone. She did it discreetly. One of them was oblivious, and the other was preoccupied, so no one noticed her little gesture. Otherwise, it would have definitely caused some awkwardness and discomfort.
After finishing the soup, Shanlai had already made up her mind. She decided not to mention Wu Qingyu again. Sad things shouldn't be brought up, so when she spoke, she only asked Liu Min how his journey was.
Liu Min's answer was as expected: he simply said everything was fine, nothing more. Shan Lai didn't say anything more either.
There seemed to be a great deal of distance between them.
It turns out that you can't truly understand a person just by reading words.
Shanlai felt it was all his fault; he had sent someone to fetch her, but she hadn't gone to him.
"How is my hometown? Pingcheng... is it still flooded?"
Originally, she brought up her hometown to remind him and create an opportunity for herself to get closer to him again. The first sentence was indeed full of painstaking thought, but the second sentence was involuntary.
Even their voices trembled.
For three years, she rarely thought about Pingcheng, intentionally avoiding it because she felt that everything in Pingcheng was unsatisfactory and that it would be best to forget it. Only today did she realize that she couldn't forget it.
Hardship and resentment were etched into her very bones, filling her with fear and making her tremble...
In impoverished places, although wildflowers bloom everywhere and butterflies and birds appear, poverty means not having enough to eat, scorching sun, endless work, the stench of chicken and duck droppings, the howls of wild animals that chill one to the bone, and the unpredictable downpours that can destroy everything. Driven to the brink of despair by poverty, one weeps incessantly before the Buddha statue...
She abruptly raised her head and stared intently at Liu Min. She had to remember him, remember him firmly, and then repay him. She had to repay him, because it was through him that she had been saved.
Liu Min, unaware of her thoughts, assumed she was simply homesick and said, "The water is still just as plentiful. In summer, there's always a lot of rain, as if the sky is leaking and can't be patched up."
That's all I can say, because I don't know anything else.
After the burial of Madam Qin, Liu Shen led his wife and children to move into a small courtyard next to his parents' graves. It was newly built, small, and almost rudimentary. During the mourning period, the family avoided all the hustle and bustle. His wife took care of the housework herself, while he personally taught their two children to read.
Liu Qi was a girl, and they didn't expect her to achieve fame and glory in the imperial examinations. They simply wanted her to be literate and understand principles so she wouldn't be deceived. Besides, they hoped she would develop some talent and know how to enjoy a comfortable life. Liu Min, however, was different. He had to uphold the family's reputation; his ancestors were watching.
No matter how remarkable the local dandies were, how could they compare to those who truly attained high positions and achieved great things? Therefore, when Liu Min, praised for his intelligence since childhood, was placed before his father, a scholar who had achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations, he could only be told, "He is truly inferior." He was dissatisfied with Liu Min's learning, but even more so with his temperament; too lively, lacking composure, not befitting a gentleman. He had truly put in the effort, and fortunately, he was not disappointed.
Thus, Liu Min became what Shanlai sees now, completely transformed, as if reborn.
How have you been these past few years?
She knew the answer in her heart, but she asked him just to hear him say it himself. However, she also knew that he wouldn't grant her wish.
"very good."
Is it really true?
"really."
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