Yan Xu’s study was adorned with a painting.
The painting depicted a mountain landscape at dusk, its brilliance and beauty starkly contrasting with the somber and old-fashioned hues of the study.
Occasionally, when colleagues from the court visited his study and saw this distinctly different piece of work, they assumed he was a connoisseur of paintings. Hence, rumors spread, and those officials eager to curry favor with him began to present him with famous masterpieces as gifts, only to find that he disdained them all and had them returned.
The rebuffed officials were perplexed; if he was not a lover of paintings, why hang such a piece in his study? Upon closer inspection, the painting, although delicately brushed and vibrantly colored, fell short of the works of true masters. Yet, Yan Xu treasured it as if it were a precious gem.
Yan Xu paid no heed to the conjectures of outsiders.
Every day, he would gently dust it with a silk brush, half-open the window to prevent gusts, set a writing table beneath it, and in winter, light a warming brazier to prevent damage from the cold...
People in the Privy Council whispered that Yan Xu treated this painting as if it were the most exquisite beauty, yet showed no tenderness toward real beauties, deeming him an "eccentric."
There was also idle talk among the officials at court, suggesting that Yan Xu had been rejected by Lady Zhao Ning in his youth, fostering resentment and jealousy in his heart that twisted his character, leading to such behavior. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
He just listened impassively, without a word.
A guard came in from outside the door, speaking in a low tone, "Sir, the carriage is ready."
Yan Xu grunted an acknowledgment, put away the silk brush he was using to dust the hanging flowers, and turned around, "Let’s go."
The carriage headed to Danfeng Pavilion.
In Shengjing, when autumn came, the maple leaves at Danfeng Pavilion were at their best. Today, with the rain, the windows of the Tea Pavilion were half-open, the drizzle like mist, the mountainside ablaze with red leaves, and he sat there, quietly gazing at the distant mountain peaks.
"The river is empty, and geese call sadly as they fly over fallen trees, frost creeps into the red maples, all grasses wilt... The butterfly doesn’t know it is part of a dream, once again following the spring hues to rest on cold branches..." A white-haired old man recited softly as he brought over a pot of tea and a plate of crab shell cakes, smiling at him as he stroked his beard, "Sir, you’ve come again this year."
He nodded faintly.
Every autumn, Yan Xu would visit the Tea Pavilion at Danfeng Pavilion to drink tea. The owner of the Tea Pavilion, an old acquaintance, always reserved a window seat for him each year. He would do nothing during his visits but sit quietly and leave after finishing a pot of tea.
"Others come on sunny days, but you always choose rainy days," the old man sighed with a smile, "Over these years, you’ve been the only one to appreciate the maples in the rain. Oh, I’m mistaken," as if recalling something, he added, "Some days ago, a young man came, also on a rainy day, waiting in my humble pavilion until midnight, even after the lanterns were extinguished."
Yan Xu lowered his head to sip his tea, "Did he wait for the person he wanted to meet?"
"I heard he did."
"Is that so?" Yan Xu placed down his teacup, and said lightly, "Then he is luckier than I am."
"And you, sir, do you still intend to keep waiting here?"
"Can’t I?"
The old man laughed.
"I’m old now, half into the grave. Who knows when the day will come that I can’t open this pavilion anymore? At that time, if you wish to wait, there won’t be this pot of tea and the cakes on the table anymore."
After a moment of silence, he replied, "I understand."
The elder, shaky on his feet, rose and, leaning on his walking stick, left. He stopped after a few steps and said quietly, "The red leaves of Danfeng Pavilion are always bright year after year. I still remember the young lady who used to accompany you. Now, no one eats these crab shell cakes anymore."
"Not meeting someone is common, after all, people as lucky as that young man are few."
"So many years have passed, there’s no need for you to be so persistent. Finish this pot of tea and leave early."
After speaking, he walked away slowly.
Thereafter, only one person remained in the Tea Pavilion, with the rain continuing softly outside the window.
Next to the teapot on the table, a plate of crispy baked crab shell cakes was orange-yellow in color. He never liked these greasy cakes, but he bowed his head and slowly picked one up, placing it in his mouth.
"Crunch—"
It was as though the delighted laughter of a woman rang in his ear: "Doesn’t it taste good? I didn’t lie to you, did I? The crab shell cakes here are the best!"
He abruptly closed his eyes.
...
Actually, it was one person who told him about this Tea Pavilion, and it was that person who loved to order the crab shell cakes.
Thanks to her, he learned of this wonderful place within the red maple leaves of the plateau.
Yan Xu was born into the family of a fourth-rank civil official, an illegitimate child mothered by a concubine. With a gentle disposition, his mother offended the principal wife and, after being punished, caught a chill that swiftly turned fatal. Following her death, his father grew even colder towards him, and with his stepmother’s harshness, he found life at home unbearable. Thus, he embarked on his own path and, through an unlikely turn of events, joined the ranks of the army as a minor clerk.
He was incredibly agile and calm in his daily work, showing a reckless vigor in his duties. There were not a few like him in the army, but as he repeatedly deferred his merits to his superiors, their gaze upon him gradually changed.
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