Chapter 27 is so pitiful.
Liu Min was in the funeral procession early in the morning. He came to Huixian Town because he knew that Yao Yong's funeral was today.
A maidservant like Shan Lai cannot even step out of the backyard of the Liu family mansion without her master's permission, let alone leave the mansion. Therefore, no matter how urgent the situation, she must first seek permission from Old Madam Qin.
When Shan arrived at Fuzetang, Old Madam Qin was talking to several housekeepers about rebuilding the kitchen, while Liu Min and Qin Xu were listening nearby.
Liu Min noticed Shan Lai first and couldn't help but frown. He assumed Shan Lai had come to plead for Chun Yan. He thought she was a smart person; how could she be so foolish?
Qin Xu shared the same thought as Liu Min, assuming Shan Lai had come to plead for mercy, and thus laughed. The reason she hadn't left, staying to listen to the clamor of a group of old women, was precisely because she had been waiting for this moment.
She went to so much trouble and took so many risks to do something as serious as burning down the kitchen, not just to get rid of a lowly maid. The person in front of her was the one she was targeting.
She was about to speak with a smile when someone spoke first.
"Go back! Who asked you to come here?"
It's Liu Min, of course.
Liu Min was even more intolerant of noise than Qin Xu. Normally, he wouldn't have stayed a moment longer. The only reason he didn't leave this time was because Qin Xu hadn't left either.
If Ru Hui could see it, then of course he couldn't be fooled either.
This cousin's ability to be annoying remains as profound as ever, unchanged over the years.
However, he wouldn't say anything. After all, with his grandmother's influence, what did rats matter? The jade bottle was the most important thing, and it couldn't be damaged in the slightest.
However, he absolutely could not stand by and watch Shan Lai suffer a loss.
Why should someone he admires be trampled on by a self-righteous fool?
He thought she'd better quit while she was ahead. But to his surprise, before she could even make a move, someone came knocking on her door.
What an idiot!
Therefore, the anger in his words was not feigned, but genuine.
What was even more unexpected was that even after he called out like that, she only paused for a moment before continuing to walk inside.
Rotten wood cannot be carved.
He glared at her fiercely, thinking, "You can't reason with this damned ghost! Just die! I'm not going to bother with her anymore. If I do, I'll be a fool!"
Liu Min's shout was so loud that everyone heard it, so they all stopped talking and looked at Shan.
Like Liu Min, Old Madam Qin also frowned.
She naturally assumed Shanlai had come to plead for leniency, and immediately felt some dissatisfaction. She thought, "That punishment was already lenient out of consideration for you. What more do you want? This lack of consideration is truly disappointing." Therefore, for the first time, she didn't smile when she saw Shanlai.
Shanlai didn't care what others thought. After bowing, he got straight to the point: "Someone came to my house and said my father is not well... I have to go back. I hope the old lady will allow me to go back..." He choked up by the end.
This was something no one expected, even Liu Min was stunned.
Shanlai was truly anxious, so she said in a choked voice, "It's terrible, this might be the last time we see each other..." She was really driven to desperation, and with a thud, she knelt down on the ground, "Please, old lady, have mercy, I can't not go back!"
Zhao Er was still driving the carriage, and his wife accompanied him.
They had been rushing along without a break, and finally arrived at their destination. The couple could finally sit down for a drink of water, but they had only taken a sip when a loud cry rang out from inside the house: Yao Yong had passed away. The Yao family was thrown into a frenzy of activity, and Zhao Er and his wife felt too embarrassed to sit any longer, so they all went to find whatever chores they could manage. Zhao Er drove the cart with people to the neighboring village to buy incense, candles, and paper quilts, while his wife sat among the other women, helping to tear white cloth.
Zhao Er bought incense and candles and asked someone to call his wife out of the house. After discussing it for a while, the couple found a place to sleep for two or three hours. Before dawn the next day, they drove back to the Liu residence and reported the Yao family's affairs to Old Madam Qin.
After hearing this, Madam Qin remained silent for a long time. Finally, she wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, turned to Ru Hui and said, "Tell them to buy a board and send it over. If it's a good one, give them an extra thirty taels of silver and bring a few more people with you. They should help out if needed."
After lunch, the man who delivered the board returned to report, and Old Madam Qin asked him about Yao Yong's funeral and Shan Lai's condition.
"Old Master Yao was highly respected. When the neighbors heard that something was wrong with his family, they all came to help. There was no shortage of people, and everything was done in half a day. The fortune teller said that the most auspicious day was tomorrow, which was suitable for breaking ground and burial, so the funeral was scheduled for the day after tomorrow."
"As for Miss Yao, I heard she's doing well, not crying at all. There's just one problem: she's not eating or drinking, and is just keeping vigil by the coffin..."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Qin sighed deeply and said, "Some people are like that; under great sorrow, they can't even cry..." After a while, she sighed again, "This child is so loyal and devoted, yet his life is so bitter..."
Liu Min listened to Old Madam Qin talking to someone.
Madam Qin treated Shanlai with genuine kindness, but no matter how kind she was, she would never think of having her grandson attend Yao Yong's funeral, as it would be beneath her dignity. Therefore, Liu Min went on his own initiative.
He didn't tell Old Madam Qin before he went, because it was a hasty decision and he left in a hurry.
Even without Shanlai, Liu Min continued doing his own thing without any changes.
The same day, he was engrossed in reading in Yangshengxuan when a servant suddenly shouted from outside the door, disturbing his thoughts. He impatiently threw down the book, stood up, and went outside to yell at the servant.
Before he could even speak, the servant excitedly brought out a box, unlocked it, and presented it like a treasure: "Young master, look! Yuhua Hall has delivered the goods. Young master, are you satisfied?"
Yuhua Hall.
Liu Min remembered it. He sent the peony painting to Yuhua Hall and asked them to make a folding fan as soon as possible.
Yuhua Hall has been open for a century, so its craftsmanship is beyond question. It perfectly met his requirements. The fan was nine inches and eighteen squares, with swallowtail design. The rosewood ribs were polished smooth and delicate, without any carvings. The paintings and inscriptions were also framed well. There was simply nothing to criticize.
That's great.
It is because of the excellent calligraphy and painting that this folding fan is so beautiful.
When I see a painting, I think of the person who created it.
She has such rare talent, we must not let her down. To have helped such a person achieve her potential is a great achievement for him.
"What is Mr. Lian doing right now?"
The servant, unaware of the situation, went to inquire. He disappeared in a short while, then returned shortly after, saying, "I heard from the people over there that Mr. Lian went to Sister Shanlai's house yesterday."
"You went to her house? What were you doing at her house?"
Because Mr. Lian genuinely wanted to take Shanlai as his student, he cared deeply about her and knew that her family had encountered a major crisis. How could he sit idly by? In the past, whatever he did, he always contributed his share and did his best.
Liu Min also thought of that at this moment.
He thought that he should also go and do his part, even if he did nothing but go there, it would be a token of his appreciation.
He was still thinking about her.
Suddenly it occurred to her that her father's funeral was today. Looking at the sun, it was already almost 9 AM. She wondered if she would make it in time...
Thinking about it this way, he actually started to panic.
"Quickly tell them to hitch up the cart, I'm going too! Hurry, or we'll be late and it'll be a wasted trip!"
The young master's carriage was bigger and more impressive, and it went faster, even under the scorching sun and with the wind whistling.
It wasn't hot at all, but sweat still beaded on his forehead, and for the first time, he realized that the carriage was moving so slowly.
He was really anxious. He leaned out of the carriage window, half of his body hanging out, and looked into the distance. The two servants were so frightened that they cried out in alarm and dragged him back into the carriage.
I encountered a funeral procession in the countryside. Before I even saw the people, I heard the sounds: the mournful wail of suona horns and the clattering of cymbals. I lifted the curtain to look and saw a long line of snow-white figures.
The sky was filled with paper money, the willows were lush and green, and countless people were dressed in white.
It was all white, but he still spotted her at a glance.
Dressed entirely in white from head to toe, she walked at the front of the procession, carrying the ancestral tablet. She didn't cry, but her face was completely numb.
His grandmother's words suddenly echoed in his ears, and he thought, she must be very sad.
Later, when I saw her go crazy, I became even more certain.
Seeing her faint from crying, he felt a pang of heartache. He thought, "She's so pitiful. Talented people are often proud, and with her talent, she should be even more aloof. But her father fell ill, and she had no choice but to sell herself to save his life, selling herself without complaint. She practically broke her own pride, falling from grace. She had already fallen, and the person she wanted to keep couldn't be kept. All her efforts were in vain... So pitiful..."
I need to treat her even better from now on.
Liu Min followed Granny Wang all the way to the Yao family. Several servants from the Liu family were guarding things at the Yao family's house. When they saw Liu Min, they quickly surrounded him and bowed. Liu Min waved his hand, telling them to be quiet, and then slowly followed him into the house.
Aunt Wang initially placed Shanlai on the bed, but remembering that Yao Yongcai had died there, she hesitated for a moment before helping her onto a stool, supporting her upper body. Then she began pinching Shanlai's philtrum, pinching hard for a while, but to no avail. She was extremely anxious and was about to think of another way when she saw Shanlai suddenly shudder and open her bloodshot eyes.
Liu Min saw it clearly and couldn't help but recall her clear and bright eyes when she was in good health; they were truly captivating and beautiful, unmatched by anyone else.
A perfectly healthy person has become like this.
How pitiful.
Shanlai woke up, still dazed, but thankfully he stopped making a fuss.
Seeing this, Aunt Wang sighed, wiped away her tears, raised her hand to tidy up Shanlai's hair, and said in a bitter voice, "Shanlai, don't blame me. I'm doing this for your own good. You are your father's only child. He has always been good to you. If something happens to you, how can you face him? Now that he's gone, you have to live well. Don't let him rest in peace."
Whether or not Wang Da Niang's words of comfort really worked, Shan Lai suddenly turned his head and stared straight at Wang Da Niang. His wide-open, empty, and blank eyes startled Wang Da Niang, who trembled violently, her heart pounding, and she unconsciously took a step back.
After a while, Shanlai still stared at people with that same unwavering gaze, making them feel uncertain and unsure of what to do.
Liu Min couldn't stand it anymore. He stepped forward, raised his hand and covered Shan Lai's eyes, and said to Granny Wang, "That's enough. There's no point in saying anything to her like this. Don't waste your time."
It was only then that Aunt Wang realized there were other people in the house, and she was startled again. Clutching her chest, she asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Liu Min glanced down at Shan Lai and said, "I came to see her; I'm her friend."
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