0010 Magnolia (Part 1)
Shu Wei led Xu'er to the back door to hitch up the carriage.
As expected, Uncle Liu, who was in charge of the carriages, declined Shu Wei's request, citing that the horses had just carried them back from a banquet the day before and were no longer able to carry the load.
Shu Wei was prepared. She smiled at Uncle Liu and said, "If I had known Uncle Liu would say that, I wouldn't have invited my second sister to go out with me. Otherwise, she would have been disappointed."
When Liu Bo heard the other party mention the second young lady, he choked on his breath and forced a smile: "It's not that we can't provide a horse. We just brought back a new horse from the manor. It's just that the horse has only recently been saddled and had its hooves nailed. If the two young ladies don't mind the bumpy ride, it won't be inconvenient."
After speaking, she instructed several capable servants to prepare a carriage. Before long, Shufu arrived, and the two sisters boarded the carriage together and left the mansion.
...
The carriage traveled all the way to the West Market, where the noise of people gradually grew louder. Shu Fu used her fan to lift the carriage curtain and looked out. Before her eyes were pavilions and high terraces, embroidered doors and vermilion curtains. Fine horses and fragrant carriages continued uninterrupted, and the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments never ceased. It was a scene of dazzling gold and jade, fragrant silks and satins, a prosperous and flourishing society—the beginning of a golden age. ①
Shu Fu watched intently, and Shu Wei sighed upon seeing this: "There is no greater peace and prosperity than this."
Then he turned to her and asked, "Ah Fu, did you find anything you liked while you were looking around?"
Shu Fu turned around and smiled shyly, "If it's convenient for you, elder sister, you could take me to a tailor shop."
Shu Wei immediately smiled and agreed. Never before had she felt that her younger sister was so considerate—wasn't there a clothing shop near the place she was going to?
The carriage traveled for a while longer before stopping at an elegantly decorated shop. The shop's signboard bore the three large characters "Hua Chang Fang" in gold-flecked seal script, and several nimble maids stood at the entrance to attract customers.
Just as Shu Fu was about to open the door and get out of the car, she suddenly heard a hiss behind her. She quickly turned around and saw Shu Wei supporting her forehead with her hand, her face looking slightly unwell.
Shu Fu quickly helped her up: "Sister, what's wrong? Why is your face so pale?"
"I guess I didn't sleep well the night before and was jostled around in this carriage the whole way, so I'm a little dizzy. It's nothing serious. Go and choose your clothes, I'll rest for a bit and then come find you."
Seeing that Shu Fu didn't move, Shu Wei put a jade token into Shu Fu's hand: "Don't be afraid, Shu Fu. Take this jade token in, and the shopkeeper won't charge you any money."
Shu Wei was a regular customer of this shop, so it was not surprising that she would leave money as a token for temporary use.
Shu Fu opened her lips slightly, but ultimately said nothing. She lifted the carriage curtain, took A-Jian's hand, got out of the carriage, and entered the shop.
...
Inside Huashangfang, upon seeing the jade token, the maidservant courteously ushered Shufu into the elegant hall and served her fragrant tea. A short while later, a woman with red lips and a jade-like face gracefully entered, introducing herself as Madam Liu, the shopkeeper.
Liu flattered Shu Fu with a smile and was about to order her maid to bring out the most beautiful dresses for her to choose from when Shu Fu stopped her: "Shopkeeper, there's no rush. I'm not here to buy ready-made clothes today, just to select a few bolts of fabric to make a few new outfits."
Liu suddenly realized what was happening and immediately called over a seamstress. She then tactfully left the room, and A-Jian followed suit, standing in front of the door like a door god.
The embroiderer grabbed a measuring tape to take Shu Fu's measurements, but Shu Fu avoided her movements and asked, "If I roughly estimate your size, could you make a few clothes accordingly?"
The embroiderer thought for a moment and said, "Miss, please try it on and let me show you. I will do my best to help you."
Shu Fu then carefully compared the measurements taken yesterday. The embroiderer immediately said she could make it, but this size... although it was slender, it clearly did not match the willow-like waist of the young woman before her.
Seeing the embroiderer's doubt, Shu Fu smiled generously and said, "You don't need to worry. This was originally made as a men's outfit, but I'm just wearing it myself to make things easier for me when I walk around on the street."
The embroiderer expressed her understanding and even joked with her a few times, mentioning that when she was young, she also dressed as a man and traveled north with her father and brothers. However, it was during a chaotic time, and the purpose of the journey was more for refuge than for entertainment.
Shu Fu signed a contract with Huashangfang, agreeing to send someone to pick up the clothes a few days later. The clothes didn't need to be too fancy, just comfortable and well-fitting.
After doing all this, Shu Fu felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, and she felt much more relaxed. She walked outside with A Jian.
Seeing that she was in a good mood, A-Jian teased her, "The eldest young lady gave you all the jade pendants, why don't you use them?"
“My sister gave me the jade pendant because she loves me, but I have to be mindful of my boundaries and not try to take advantage of her in everything.”
Shu Fu thought to herself, after all, those were clothes bought for Zhan Yaoguang. If she used her sister's money to buy him something, she would feel extremely awkward.
...
At midday, the warm rays of the spring sun gradually spread throughout Chang'an. The sky was high and the clouds were light, catkins drifted along the banks, and every aspect of daily life in the city was vivid and lively.
Shu Fu casually glanced at a teahouse called First Floor across from Huashangfang and suddenly remembered that this teahouse always had excellent sweet snacks. So she went in with Ajian, asked the waiter for a private room, and ordered a pot of Xishan Bailu and two desserts.
One dish of rock sugar hawthorn fruit was to be taken back to Zhan Yaoguang, and the other dish of jade dew dumplings was to be given to her elder sister. Shu Fuyao remembered that Shu Wei had once mentioned that the jade dew dumplings of the First Pavilion were a unique delicacy in Chang'an.
After the tea and snacks were served, A-Jian excused herself and went to the teahouse's restroom, while Shu-Fu sipped her tea. The song being sung was "The Story of Yingying," a classic tale of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman. However, in the end, Zhang Sheng's heart changed, leading to a tragic separation. ②
Shu Fu listened intently with her eyes down, when suddenly she heard a male voice coming from the next private room.
The man's voice was like the striking of jade chimes, square and clear: "It has been several months since we parted ways in Jiangnan. I think Wei'er seems to have lost a lot of weight."
Upon hearing that familiar word, Shu Fu felt a chill run down her spine and sat up straight, listening intently once more.
Unexpectedly, her elder sister's gentle voice came from the next room: "Qiaolang, you're overthinking it. Although my stepmother is kind on the surface but bitter on the inside, I am, after all, the eldest daughter of the first wife. She can't do anything about me, so she can only keep me under house arrest in a roundabout way. But I can find a way to come out and see you. It's just that there were some misunderstandings at the Xu family's spring banquet yesterday. I'm afraid that when my grandmother comes back, she will believe my stepmother's one-sided story and lose her heart towards me. At that time, I will truly be isolated and helpless in the mansion."
The man's tone softened noticeably: "Wei'er, don't be afraid. The old lady has always been a reasonable person. I found an opportunity to explain the misunderstanding to her, and I don't think she will be easily deceived."
"Thank you for your help, Qiaolang. I think you are the only one who will trust me unconditionally now."
Shu Wei's voice was already tinged with tears, filled with unspoken dependence and admiration. Soon after, the sounds of splashing water and soft breathing came from next door.
Shufu was stunned. At this moment, there was nothing she didn't understand!
The sudden discomfort she felt in the carriage was probably a way to get her away so she could see her lover!
She had treated this older sister with genuine sincerity, going to great lengths to explain the pros and cons to her, only to find that in the other woman's eyes she was nothing more than a tool to escape confinement. How much sincerity was there in her words of overwhelming remorse this morning?
Isolated and helpless? Not to mention that her mother had never mistreated her in the slightest, her grandmother and father had genuinely loved and cared for her, and she and Shu Mingde also respected her sincerely.
Does all this kindness sound like she's made herself all alone? How much genuine affection does she have for her entire household?
And who is this man who calls himself "this king"? And when did he become involved with her sister?
Shu Fu was in a state of turmoil, but she knew she couldn't stay here any longer. She stuffed the two wrapped pastries into her bosom and strode out.
She walked faster and faster, her skirt billowing rapidly, but unexpectedly, there were still some wet spots on the floor, causing her to slip and twist her ankle, a sharp pain spreading up from her ankle.
She glanced at the tightly closed door, not daring to make a sound, and could only force herself to stand up and go downstairs, where she happened to run into A-Jian, who was on her way back from her business trip.
Upon seeing the pale-faced girl in front of her, A-Jian was about to cry out in alarm, but Shu-Fu spoke first, saying, "Silence!"
A-Jian dared not ask any more questions and went up to take Shu-Fu's arm with heartache. Shu-Fu said in a low voice, "Later, help me downstairs to find a seat, then spend money to find a sedan chair, and tell the driver that I am not feeling well and am going back to the mansion first."
A-Jian nodded in agreement, and soon found a plain sedan chair carried by two men and two porters, and they swayed and wobbled all the way to Yonglefang.
———
①Reference for environmental description: *Dongjing Menghualu* (Record of the Splendor of the Eastern Capital)
② *The Story of Yingying*: A work by Yuan Zhen of the Tang Dynasty, it shares the same story as Wang Shifu's well-known *The Romance of the Western Chamber*, but the specific plots differ. In Wang's work, Zhang Sheng and Yingying eventually become a couple, but in Yuan's version, Yingying writes a poem to sever their relationship.
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