Looking for him after high school
Zhang Chunfeng went downstairs, and sure enough, the carriage and sedan chair were already waiting below.
"Chunfeng, lie down and rest. We'll be setting off now," Zhou Zhengdu said, helping Zhang Chunfeng onto the first carriage. The Zhou family was wealthy, and the carriage was filled with fine silks and satins, fragrant and incredibly soft. Zhang Chunfeng had exhausted so much energy on Li Xiuman, and lying in the carriage, she fell asleep completely.
The horses didn't move fast in the dark, and when Zhang Chunfeng woke up the next day, he had only left Ancheng and arrived at the neighboring Xicheng region.
The carriage stopped at an inn. Zhang Chunfeng got off and had just stood still when he saw his mother, Li Shi, slowly getting off the third carriage!
"Mother!" Zhang Chunfeng was slightly surprised. She had fallen asleep as soon as she got into the carriage last night, and Zhou Zhengdu hadn't even told her that Li Shi was also coming along!
"Spring Breeze, did you sleep well? Your mother came along to take care of you," Madam Li said immediately.
Zhang Chunfeng glanced at Zhou Zhengdu, who pretended to be confused.
“I thought Chunfeng wanted her aunt to accompany her,” Zhou Zhengdu said, putting on airs.
Zhang Chunfeng frowned. "Mother, why are you coming with me instead of staying home to take care of my brother? Didn't we agree before that you didn't need to come? The Zhou family has arranged everything perfectly."
Madam Li took a few steps toward Zhang Chunfeng and lowered her voice, "Mother knows that the Zhou family has made all the arrangements, but you are, after all, a woman all alone, and frankly speaking, you are not related to that young master of the Zhou family. If something really happens along the way, do you think the young master of the Zhou family will be able to serve you personally? And you will be accompanied by male servants all the way. Mother thinks it is very inconvenient."
Li Shi looked on as if she were considering Zhang Chunfeng's feelings, saying, "Besides, why do you think your mother agreed to you buying a maid? Your mother was thinking that I should keep you company. Man'er is tired at home all by herself. If there is a maid to take care of your brother, Man'er can also free up her hands to do housework. You see, the house is stable, so your mother came to keep you company."
From both a logical and emotional standpoint, Li Shi had a perfectly valid argument. Zhang Chunfeng suppressed the irritation in her eyes; she had never wanted Li Shi's company and was even more annoyed by Li Shi's care.
Li treated her very well, but Zhang Chunfeng felt from the bottom of her heart that Li's kindness was like an extremely irritating scarf, not only making it hard for her to breathe, but also making her neck itch, and she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
“I’m worried about my mother’s health. The journey has been long and arduous, and my mother is so old. I can’t bear to see her suffer from the long and arduous journey with me.”
Upon hearing this, Li smiled slightly, but the smile remained superficial. It didn't seem like a mother's contented smile because her child loved her; it was more like a polite smile between two strangers.
“My son Chunfeng has truly grown up,” said Madam Li with a meaningful look.
Zhang Chunfeng still felt something was off. Li's explanation was watertight, but she still felt a little uncomfortable.
"Mother is too carefree. Xiao Jiu is only twelve years old. What if she can't keep an eye on her brother? What if he runs out by himself or calls for his mother day and night?"
Li snorted, "Don't worry, Chuntian won't be crying for her mother now. This child always forgets his mother once he has a wife. Chuntian has Man'er. I've left money for the two of them. When you really pass the imperial examination, I will immediately send money to Man'er. Man'er can take care of the family if she does less work."
Li looked Zhang Chunfeng up and down. “Since their marriage, Chunfeng and Man’er have never had a proper time together. Now that we’re leaving, it’s good for them to enjoy their married life. Don’t you think so, Chunfeng?”
Zhang Chunfeng raised an eyebrow slightly, "Whatever Mother says goes."
She was too lazy to argue, and although her face remained expressionless, she was indignant at those words. The thought that Li Xiuman would have to spend the next six months with Zhang Chuntian made her even more resentful.
Even if that person was her own brother, a mentally challenged child who wouldn't pose any threat to Lee Soo-man, she still felt uneasy.
To dispel this unease, Zhang Chunfeng wrote to Li Xiuman every day. She would begin by describing where she was, the weather, what she was wearing, what she ate, and who she had met. Every day she presented herself so clearly to Li Xiuman. Even though they could never meet, Zhang Chunfeng believed that as long as her sister-in-law read these letters, she would feel her presence beside him.
Zhang Chunfeng always personally mailed the letters addressed to Li Xiuman.
Every morning, Zhang Chunfeng's first task was to mail the letter from the previous day. Zhou Zhengdu watched Zhang Chunfeng's leisurely departing figure and realized that Li Xiuman, that despicable wretch, had truly bewitched Zhang Chunfeng's heart.
That day, Zhang Chunfeng went to mail another letter.
Zhou Zhengdu's face was grim as he said, "Auntie, we've been out for over two months and are almost at the capital. Chunfeng still has that person in her heart. What if Chunfeng really goes to look for him after passing the imperial examination? What should we do then?"
Li shook her head, "You can rest assured, with me here, I won't let anyone ruin my spring breeze. She will surely rise step by step and achieve great success. As for those letters... he won't receive them."
In the spring of the first year of Shangwu, Zhang Chunfeng, the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination, was granted the rank of sixth-grade compiler and entered the Hanlin Academy. The two-courtyard house he had just bought in western Beijing was so crowded with people coming to congratulate him that the gate was almost worn down.
Wearing a bright red floral brocade robe that she had never worn before, with a jade bracelet on her wrist and a gleaming gold hairpin in her hair, Madam Li greeted the distinguished guests with a beaming smile. Though her face wore that smile, a chill ran through her heart.
Even yesterday, more than seven months after leaving home, Zhang Chunfeng was still writing letters to Li Xiuman!
Today, the Empress bestowed the Qionglin Banquet, and Zhang Chunfeng hasn't even had a chance to return home yet. Lady Li is truly afraid...
With the sound of hooves, Zhang Chunfeng dismounted, his face beaming with joy.
Ignoring the group of people who came to offer their congratulations, she immediately closed the door to guests and summoned the current steward of the Zhang family.
"Steward Wang, find me a group of people. I need to bring my brother here immediately."
Before Zhang Chunfeng could finish speaking, Li screamed, "No!"
Zhang Chunfeng asked in confusion, "What does Mother mean by that? I have already passed the imperial examination. Quickly bring my brother here. There are excellent doctors here who can treat him."
Madam Li waved to the steward, dismissing him and all the maids in the living room.
Seeing Li's strange behavior, Zhang Chunfeng felt that earlier irritation well up in his heart again.
"Seven months have passed, Chunfeng, and you still haven't forgotten him." Li's words fell to the ground.
The Longjing tea that Zhang Chunfeng had just tasted had gone quite cold.
She glanced at Madam Li without changing her expression. "Mother knows everything?"
"From when?" Li asked.
Zhang Chunfeng smiled. Whenever she thought of Li Xiuman, the smile on her face bloomed like a newly opened peach blossom.
When did Mother find out?
"That day, after he washed his clothes, he went to town to sell medicinal herbs. In the afternoon, your brother got his pants dirty again, so I went to the river to collect the clothes."
"Oh? So Mother is that sneaky gray-clad woman?" Zhang Chunfeng's words were tinged with amusement, as if she didn't take Li's words seriously at all.
"Sneaking around! Chunfeng! You have quite the nerve to call me sneaking around! Li Xiuman is your sister-in-law!" Madam Li slammed her hand angrily on the ebony wooden table in the living room. She truly didn't know what was so good about Li Xiuman besides his good looks! How could he have captivated her daughter so much!
"So what if she's my sister-in-law? If Mother doesn't say anything, and I don't say anything, who will know she's my sister-in-law?"
Li looked at him with exasperation, "Chunfeng! How can you still laugh like this after all this time! Do you think no one knows just because no one has said anything? There are no secrets in this world! Look at all this silk and satin, gold and jewels. You've only just passed the imperial examination and so many people have already sent you gifts. Don't you know what they're after? Since some people want to take advantage of you, others will naturally want to step on you. Li Xiuman's affair can be found out with just a little investigation!"
"Having an affair with your own sister-in-law! Just this one piece of evidence is enough to send you, the once-glorious top scholar, plummeting into the mire in an instant!"
Zhang Chunfeng slowly stood up from the chair, his peach blossom eyes like needles, staring at Li Shi.
"Is Mother going to say again that she did all this for my own good?" Zhang Chunfeng snorted coldly. "Mother really underestimates me. Since I was able to win the top scholar title among millions of people, I am also capable of having a smooth road ahead. If I can't even protect the person I want, then I will really be defeated when facing the intrigue and deceit in the officialdom."
Li was trembling all over, her breathing slightly labored due to her age. She clearly remembered that when she came to the capital from home, Zhang Chunfeng was only half a head taller than her; now, seven months later, he was a full head taller. She was slowly growing old, while Zhang Chunfeng was growing so remarkably tall.
I'm not going to be able to control her after all.
Li took a deep breath and softened her tone.
“Chunfeng, listen to your mother. You’re just a child. Li Xiuman is only a bit good-looking. Look at all these people who are giving gifts. Which family doesn’t have a handsome young man? All these young men are waiting for you. As long as you nod, your mother can arrange a marriage for you right away. He’s a man with a good family, good looks, and wealth. He will definitely help you rise to the top. What can Li Xiuman do for you?”
"Mother, you really underestimate me. I was able to disregard human ethics and forcibly take Lee Soo-man back then, so why would I marry someone else now? Why would I need someone else to help me? Marrying into these powerful families would only be living under their roof and asking for trouble!"
Li was about to say something more when Zhang Chunfeng impatiently waved his hand away.
"Mother, stop talking. I'm determined to have my sister-in-law. If you don't like it, I'll have someone build you another house. You can move out and save yourself from being angry with your unfilial son."
Li was shocked. Not only could she not control Zhang Chunfeng, but now Zhang Chunfeng was even going to kick her, his own mother, out for the sake of Li Xiuman.
"Ouch, ouch." Li clutched her chest, looking like she was about to faint. Zhang Chunfeng didn't want to pay attention to her, but seeing that Li was indeed uncomfortable, he had no choice but to quickly help her sit down.
"Spring Breeze, there are so many men in this world, why does it have to be Lee Soo-man! I beg you, Mother, please find someone else! He belongs to your sister-in-law! Think about your brother!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chunfeng released Li's arm expressionlessly.
"Mother's health is not good, so you should refrain from interfering in my affairs."
"You want me to mind my own business? I'm your own mother! Chuntian is your own brother! They were all born and raised by me. If you want me to mind my own business, why don't you just kill your mother and be done with it!"
"Mother! What are you saying!" Zhang Chunfeng shouted to stop her. In this world, filial piety is highly valued. Even if Zhang Chunfeng disliked Li Shi, Li Shi was still her own mother.
As she spoke, Li covered her face and began to cry.
"I've made myself clear: I'll agree to whomever you want to marry, except for Lee Soo-man!"
"Let me make this clear: I don't want anyone but Lee Soo-man!"
Li looked up and wailed, beating her chest and stamping her feet. She had cried often before, but now all her tears were for Zhang Chunfeng. The fifty-year-old woman, with rouge and powder on her face and wearing a fine robe, looked slightly less old. But now, her tears washed away all the makeup, revealing the obvious wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, and the strands of white hair on her drooping head.
Zhang Chunfeng couldn't bear it for a moment. "After my sister-in-law and brother divorce, I will find another one for my brother. I will not mistreat him."
"Spring Breeze, it is precisely because your brother is mentally challenged that you are taking advantage of his mental state by doing this! Li Xiuman is clearly his wife, yet you want to take another man's wife just because he is mentally challenged, forcibly shoving a woman he doesn't even know into his life, and then claiming that you won't mistreat him! If Spring Breeze weren't a fool, this act of taking another man's wife would truly be an irreconcilable enmity!"
"If my brother weren't a fool, I would fight him fairly for my sister-in-law. Maybe in the end he wouldn't even get the compensation he deserved!"
"Spring Breeze, are you saying that spring should be grateful to you? Let me tell you, you won't find Li Xiuman!" Li shouted at the top of her lungs.
Zhang Chunfeng was taken aback. "What do you mean by that, Mother?"
"What do you mean? What else could it mean! Lee Soo-man doesn't want you anymore! All those vows you made to each other were lies. He left home with Chun-chun a long time ago and is living happily ever after in a place you can never find again!"
"He doesn't want you!" These words pierced Zhang Chunfeng's heart like a sharp dagger. Looking at Li Shi, whose face was streaked with tears and snot, Zhang Chunfeng vaguely saw a kind of triumph on that aged, tear-stained face—a triumph that came after a long, long plan.
This face, a mixture of crying and smugness, concealing both delight and malice, disgusted Zhang Chunfeng so much that for a moment she truly wanted to have Li dragged out and killed immediately.
But this rebellious thought flashed through her mind, and she looked at Li Shi again.
"He won't leave me! Tell me, what exactly did you say to him that night?"
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