Chapter 43: Visiting Ding
The spring breeze in February is like a pair of scissors. It seems as if the wind blew from the northwest to the southeast overnight. New buds burst out on the branches of willow trees in the alleys of Bianjing City, and the wind blows the branches, filling them with the strong flavor of spring.
Cheng Yingzhen couldn't bear it any longer. As soon as she had her day off, she pestered her husband to go out of the city to visit Aunt Ding. Su Yanli agreed of course. The family needed to use the mule cart for business, so he rented a carriage from the carriage shop in advance, and the family went to Yueshui Temple outside the city together.
Su Ruojin not only prepared a lot of food for her great-aunt, but also prepared various foods for the family's trip. After all, in theory, the Su family was going on an outing, and they wouldn't be able to fool people without some outing food.
It was the seventh year of the Great Yin Dynasty when Su Ruojin left the city of Bianjing for the first time. She was very excited. She got up early in the morning, washed and dressed, and packed up all the food and daily necessities and arranged them neatly.
Su Dalang came over to help after his morning run, and the brother and sister prepared everything for the trip without asking their parents to help.
Su Silang was too young. Although it was mid-February, it was still very cold in the mornings and evenings. Mother Dong was busy at the breakfast stall for an hour and then came back to take care of the baby. Su Yanli then took his wife and children, carrying large and small bags, and got on the carriage to leave the city.
Walk through the bustling and crowded streets, pass through the towering city gates, and walk on the wide official road blown by the spring breeze.
The spring breeze in February melted the frozen soil, and the grass that had been dormant for a winter broke through the ground. Su Ruojin and his sister lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and looked into the distance. They saw the hazy beauty of "grass looks green at a distance but is not there when you get close", and the tenacity of "wildfire cannot burn it all, it will grow again with the spring breeze".
Take a deep breath, it seems like you have thrown away the heaviness of winter and welcomed the lightness and beauty of spring.
Su Anzhi, nine years old, was quietly enjoying the spring. Su Ganzhi, four years old, was moving his little butt around like a little monkey, chirping non-stop: "Dad, look, there are so many people out for an outing."
Su Yanli is a gentle and patient father. He said with a smile: "This should be the first batch of people who come to appreciate the willows. There are not many. When the peach, plum and apricot trees in the mountain temples outside the city are in bloom at the end of February or the beginning of March, there will be more tourists."
After saying this, he recited: When I went out for a walk in the southern garden in mid-spring, I could hear the horses neighing in the gentle wind. The green plums were as big as beans and the willows were as big as eyebrows. The day was long and the butterflies were flying.
Su Ruojin didn't have her father's poetic sentiment. Seeing the beautiful spring scenery, she only felt regret. Why didn't she order a barbecue grill in advance? It would be a waste if such a beautiful scenery was not matched with barbecue.
Cheng Yingzhen pursed her lips and looked out the window, her brows furrowed with worry. She wondered how her aunt was doing. Was the injury on her forehead healed? Yueshui Temple was poor, but did she have good food and clothes?
It’s true that whoever’s the mother or the father is the one who will take care of him.
Su Ruojin turned around and saw his mother's worry, and winked at his father.
Su Yanli turned around and patted the hand on his arm, "Don't worry, I have hired someone for a long time, and Aunt will definitely live better than in the mansion."
"I know, I just can't help but worry."
Su Yanli held his wife's hand and comforted her silently. The couple sat side by side, supporting each other just as Su Ruojin had seen in the books.
Thinking about her parents in her previous life, they were in a free love relationship, but their marriage started to break down after one year. My grandmother said that if my mother hadn’t been pregnant with me, they would have divorced that year. Later, they divorced again when she was less than three years old.
Free love shows that they have an emotional foundation, but they still lose to a marriage with no sense of responsibility, too much interference and materialism. To put it bluntly, the fast-food lifestyle makes it difficult for people to learn to love others, and naturally it is difficult to gain the love of others.
Su Ruojin prayed secretly, hoping that her parents in this life would always be in love with each other. She would take care of all the daily necessities that defeated life.
After driving along the official road and turning onto a small road, they finally arrived at Yueshui Temple at nearly noon. In order not to attract the attention of Wan's spies in the temple, Su Yanli asked the coachman to help him quietly call the people out from the back.
Su Yanli and his wife have been married for ten years, and Aunt Ding finally met all her grandchildren except Su Silang.
Ding knelt on the ground crying, and bowed to the sky with her hands, excitedly thanking God for being so kind to her. She could finally see a group of descendants, and she would die without any regrets in her life.
It was also the first time that Su Ruojin saw her great-aunt. She was even thinner than she had imagined, with a loose nun's robe hanging on her body, as if she could be blown away by a gust of wind. She was in her early forties but looked as old as an old woman in her sixties.
The fact that she was favored by the illegitimate son of the Earl's Mansion shows that my aunt must have been a beautiful woman when she was young, which can be seen from Cheng Yingzhen's appearance. However, the Earl's Mansion is really a torturous cage. Look how it tortures people.
Seeing his daughter's face full of shock and anger, Su Yanli shook his head secretly. A month ago, when the aunt came out, she was so pale that she was almost breathing. Now at least there is some color on her face. The scar on her forehead is covered by the nun's hat and cannot be seen. If the little girl sees it, won't she be even angrier?
Cheng Yingzhen and her daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly. They didn't cry enough until they sat down on a warm stone and expressed their love for each other.
It was noon, the sun was shining, and it was just right to stand in the mountains, otherwise it would have been a bit cold.
While the two were talking, Su Ruojin had already taken out a small clay stove to heat up the soup. She asked her father to help build a simple stove with stones, took out a small iron pot and started cooking. There was a carriage to block the wind, and the coachman helped to light the fire. They were all ready-made meals, so they just had to be heated in the pot and would be ready soon.
"Aunt, mother, let's eat first."
Life in the nunnery must be very hard, so every meal we can give to my aunt is good!
A simple and warm reunion meal.
Seeing her grandchildren, Mrs. Ding was so happy that she wanted to give three dishes to Su Dalang and his sister. "They are all delicious dishes. You must have spent a lot of money. Eat more."
Su Ruojin and his sister: ...
Everyone stood still.
Su Yanli put down the bowl, smiled gently, and signaled his wife to persuade his aunt to eat more tonic soup. The black-bone chicken and ginseng soup was very nourishing for his daughter who had been hanging on it from last night until morning.
The aunt loved the child so much that she didn't care about herself. Cheng Yingzhen held back her tears and quickly stuffed the black-bone chicken and ginseng soup into the aunt's hand, "This is specially cooked by Ajin for you. You must drink it all, otherwise you will be sorry for Ajin's sincerity."
It was cooked by her granddaughter herself! Mrs. Ding was so excited that she kept responding, "Very good..." She picked up the bowl and drank it.
Su Ruojin saw that her hands holding the bowl were shaking so badly that she buried her head in the bowl and kept eating. She was afraid that she would not be able to hold back her tears.
In order to prevent the great-aunt from feeling uncomfortable, Su Yanli and his sons finished their meal quickly and led them down the hill to see the spring scenery. They only left the coachman behind, asking him to help get rid of anyone who came.
Not far from the back mountain of Yueshui Temple is a small valley. Opposite it is a temple and the villas of wealthy nobles in the capital. There is no bridge, so people here cannot pass.
Su Yanli was afraid that the child would fall, so he walked towards the small forest in the west. There was a tall old mountain plum tree that had not yet withered, and it was emitting a faint fragrance from the branches. Su Yanli could not help but admire it.
Su Dalang always liked to stick to his father, so he also stood under the plum tree, "Dad, do you want to draw it?"
"That's what I meant."
The father and son were just enjoying the view and chatting, not noticing that their daughter was taking Su Sanlang deeper into the woods.
Why was Su Yanli so relaxed? It was because he trusted his daughter too much. He always felt that although she was young, she was like a little adult and could handle everything, including taking good care of her younger brother.
Su Ruojin saw some mushrooms inside and wondered if they could be eaten. Unexpectedly, the winding path led to a small pavilion. "Sanlang, let's sit down and rest."
After saying that, he sat down and looked around.
Suddenly, her eyes stopped on the young man who was climbing the stairs on the other side.
① From "Ruan Lang Gui·Southern Garden Mid-Spring Outing" by Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty. How could the Great Yin Dynasty have appeared in Ouyang Xiu's late spring masterpiece? Dear friends, please don't be picky!!!
(End of this chapter)
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