bowing down and submitting
This was the fifth time Shen Yan had stood in front of the back gate of "Shan Hai Su".
He had specially changed into a slightly worn indigo cotton robe today—
Last time, that expensive crimson-purple brocade robe was turned away by Ling Zhan's words: "Showy, this area easily attracts bad people," and so it was never seen.
"My wife."
He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound gentle and harmless. In his hands, he held an open sandalwood box containing neatly arranged brand-new brass keys and a thick roll of blueprints. He said, "The mansion in the east of the city has been completely renovated according to your requirements. The blueprints are here; please take a look!"
The door creaked open a crack.
Ling Zhan was chopping firewood in the yard. The axe landed precisely in the center of the wood stump, making a dull "thud".
He glanced at the wooden box but didn't take it.
"explain."
She spoke succinctly, and with a deft stroke, cleaved another section of hardwood with the axe.
Shen Yan quickly pointed to the blueprints and explained, speaking rapidly:
"My wife requested a separate courtyard, so the entire western side courtyard was separated out. The courtyard wall was raised to twelve feet high, and the top was inlaid with broken porcelain shards and barbed wire as you drew. The courtyard gate is made of double-layered birch wood, with two general's locks, one inside and one outside. The keys are all in this box of yours."
Seeing that Ling Zhan simply continued chopping wood.
He quickly continued, "My wife requested that we not disturb her. I drew a white line three steps outside the courtyard wall. If any worker crosses the line without your permission, I'll break their leg!" He imitated Ling Zhan's usual tone, slightly stiff, but with a clear fawning look in his eyes. "The well in my wife's courtyard has also been dug separately, not connected to the outer courtyard."
Shen Yan paused for a moment, but Ling Zhan continued chopping wood.
He raised his voice, "There's a kitchen too? There's a small kitchen in the lady's courtyard! If the lady doesn't want to come to the main house to eat with us, what about the ingredients... the lady can arrange them herself? Or tell me, and have someone put them outside the white line?"
[After all that talk, all you do is chop wood! You're such a blockhead!]
Shen Yan muttered a curse in his heart, then immediately continued in a very obsequious manner.
"And then there are the safety measures. We dug a pit in the corner of the wall according to the diagram my wife gave us, and then laid turf to camouflage it. We left openings for mechanisms in several key locations, so that my wife can... uh... set up some little gadgets?"
He asked tentatively, then remembered the newer, terrifying loom and quickly shut his mouth.
Ling Zhan stopped chopping wood, picked up a cloth to wipe the axe blade, and walked over.
Without looking at the blueprints, she picked up a brass key, weighed it in her hand, and ran her finger over several tiny, non-standard, irregular protrusions on the key teeth—these were extra anti-counterfeiting marks she had the old locksmith add.
"Um."
She finally uttered a single word, put the key back in the box, and said, "Move in three days at the beginning of the morning."
Shen Yan was overjoyed and almost couldn't keep up his "submissive" expression.
Secretly pleased, she thought, "Rushing to move back at five in the morning, acting like I really don't miss home?!"
Composing himself, he hurriedly replied, "Alright! Alright! I'll come to fetch you myself! The carriage is all ready! My wife and Little Stone don't need to worry about anything!" He instinctively reached out to take the axe to help, but a glance from Ling Zhan made him immediately withdraw his hand, and he said awkwardly, "Then... then I'll go check the house first to see if anything is missing!"
They practically fled in panic.
He shook a roll of yellowed blueprints from his sleeve, which fell to the ground.
The sign above reads: "The inner courtyard wall has been raised three feet. The government offices have installed barbed wire."
Ling Zhan picked up the blueprints, then paused.
The blueprints precisely marked the crossbow firing angles and trap depths; they were the defensive fortifications she had sketched on the spot.
This scoundrel can actually understand it?
On the morning of Ling Zhan's first day in the mansion.
Shen Yan got up very early; finally, his family was reunited, which was very important to him.
He carefully carried a bowl of rock sugar bird's nest soup, which the old Taoist priest had touted as a "secret imperial chef's recipe," to the tightly closed gate of the west courtyard. He took a deep breath, placed the food box on a clean cotton cloth laid on the ground (outside the white line), then picked up the copper bell hanging on a small wooden stake nearby and gently shook it three times—
This is the "non-contact communication method" that he racked his brains to come up with.
There was no movement inside the courtyard.
Shen Yan patiently waited for half a cup of tea, then shook it again.
A small window above the courtyard gate was pushed open with a "whoosh," revealing Little Stone's sleepy-eyed face.
"Father? Mother said that even if the sky falls, you mustn't disturb her before 3:45 AM. Also, bird's nest soup is cooling, so neither Mother nor I eat it. You can have it yourself." The small window slammed shut.
Shen Yan stood in the morning breeze, holding the bowl of cooled bird's nest soup, looking completely bewildered.
He looked down at the soup, then at the tightly closed gate and the towering walls of the courtyard, and muttered, "...Why didn't you say so earlier if you weren't going to eat?"
Finally, it was dinnertime, and the long-awaited family reunion dinner could finally be arranged.
He specially instructed the kitchen to prepare steamed sea bass, which Ling Zhan loved to eat, because he had previously observed that Ling Zhan would always take a few extra bites.
This dish was specially placed in the flower hall closest to the white line of the west courtyard.
He waited patiently, not allowing the other children to touch their chopsticks.
The courtyard gate finally opened, and Ling Zhan came out with Xiao Shitou, walking straight through the flower hall without looking to either side.
"Uh... Wife, Little Stone, sit down and have a meal together?" Shen Yan put on a smile.
Ling Zhan continued walking: "We've already eaten in the courtyard."
Shen Yan: "..."
Little Stone turned around, glanced sympathetically at the lone bass on the table, and whispered, "Father, Mother said that it's the spirit of the contract to keep each other at peace and not disturb each other. You should eat quickly, the fish will get cold and fishy."
After saying that, he jogged to catch up with his mother.
Shen Yan watched the mother and son disappear behind the courtyard gate, then looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table, picked up his chopsticks, and sighed as he looked at the perch.
"Kids, dinner's ready! Give your dad plenty to eat!"
"As you command, Father."
A few days later, one afternoon.
Shen Yan excitedly brought a beautifully framed copy of "Prodigy Poems" to Ling Zhan.
Finally, he encountered something truly remarkable that he could boast about.
He dared not enter the courtyard, and instead rang the bell outside the white line.
This time, Ling Zhan came out, holding a hoe he had just used to clear the weeds.
"Wife! Look! Little Stone has memorized the entire 'Prodigy Poems'! Not a single word wrong!"
Shen Yan excitedly unfolded the book, "A prodigy! He'll definitely be a top scholar in the future! Forget about that school, we need to hire the best tutor... Um, the old Taoist priest actually has some skills."
Ling Zhan listened expressionlessly and handed the hoe to Xiao Shitou, who had just run out.
"In the backyard herb garden, on the east three rows, clear away all weeds and dig out the roots. If it's not finished before 5:00 PM, dinner will be reduced by half."
"Yes, Mother!" Little Stone took the hoe, which was almost as tall as him, and without saying a word, ran to the backyard with his short legs.
Shen Yan grew anxious: "He's not even eight years old yet! This hoe is so heavy! Studying the classics is the right path..."
“The classics do not say that laziness is a virtue.”
Ling Zhan interrupted him, his gaze sharp, "Geniuses need to hone their skills and cultivate moral character. Otherwise, the greater their talent, the greater the trouble they will cause. You are not allowed to interfere in Xiao Shitou's upbringing." His tone was resolute.
Shen Yan: "...My son, he will surely become the top scholar!"
Before he could finish speaking, Ling Zhan suddenly tossed him a copy of the Analects and said to Xiao Shitou, "Recite the chapter 'Fan Chi Asks to Learn Farming'."
Confucius said, "I am not as good as an old farmer."
Tired of getting stuck.
"The skills of the hundred crafts are something even sages would be ashamed of?" Ling Zhan sneered. "Those who cannot distinguish between beans and wheat, even if they become the top scholar in the imperial examinations, are nothing more than corrupt officials who plunder the country."
Suddenly, Xuan Chenzi's coughing came from outside the courtyard.
"Ahem...Young man, you were forced to read last year's 'Essential Techniques for the Common People' by the old Taoist priest."
Shen Yan's face flushed red. A chill ran through her.
Recalling the powerlessness he felt when he was overwhelmed by the loom, and then looking at his son's small figure diligently digging herbs in the herb garden, his resentment suddenly dissipated. He clutched the "Prodigy Poems" and after a long while, he finally managed to stammer out, "...Then...then I'll go to the workshop."
It was late at night.
Shen Yan lay on the large, carved canopy bed in the main room, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
The west courtyard was completely silent.
He stared at the bed, and that little unease in his heart resurfaced.
The house was bought, and it was renovated to her specifications, resembling a fortress. She even moved in… but what kind of reunion is this? Living in the same courtyard is like being separated by a moat! Husband and wife… clearly husband and wife, how can they sleep in separate rooms for so long?! They can't even eat a meal together!
Also, she's too harsh on Little Stone!
Genius! That hoe was so heavy…
But as soon as these thoughts surfaced, the image of the automatically spinning loom flashed before his eyes, as did Ling Zhan's steady, precise, and all-controlling hands, and the unwavering look in his eyes when he said "Don't interfere"... and the thriving business in the workshop—
That was all thanks to her "miraculous skill".
Feeling irritated and frustrated, he scratched his head and finally sighed resignedly.
He muttered, "Fine, fine... I'll just have to humble myself... At least we're under the same roof... It's better than being separated by several streets at 'Shan Hai Su'..."
He rolled over and forced himself to close his eyes.
"I still have to oversee the assembly of the new looms tomorrow... Go to sleep... Go to sleep..."
So, Shen Yan plunged headlong into the bustling textile workshop.
The newly recruited migrant artisans, under the guidance of experienced masters, are busily assembling the first batch of new looms modified according to Ling Zhan's blueprints.
The blacksmithing work was also handed over to local renowned craftsmen, who would process and manufacture the parts separately.
The air was filled with the smells of tung oil, new wood, and ironware, and the scene was bustling with activity.
In the corner, a taciturn, one-armed old craftsman, whom everyone calls "Old Yang," is clumsily trying to tighten a screw on a transmission rod with his only remaining right hand and his teeth.
He moved slowly, his eyes were cloudy, and he was inconspicuous in the crowd.
When the first assembled new loom was started for trial operation, its unique "click...clunk..." sound, with a metallic meshing feel, rang out, and the shuttle moved swiftly and automatically along the track, instantly attracting the attention of all the craftsmen.
A burst of exclamations erupted—
Old Yang also stopped what he was doing, his cloudy eyes staring at the roaring machine.
At first, it was just a bit of the bewilderment of an elderly person towards something new.
But when his gaze fell upon the intricate iron cam structure, watching it rotate precisely under the drive of the connecting rod, propelling the shuttle back and forth, his wrinkled eyes twitched almost imperceptibly.
Instead of crowding around like the others, he subconsciously took a small step back, his Adam's apple bobbing very slightly.
He lowered his head and continued fiddling with the screw that he just couldn't tighten—
The knuckles of the hand gripping the screwdriver were slightly white from the force, and the veins on the back of the hand were faintly bulging beneath the loose skin.
Shen Yan was inspecting the site with great enthusiasm, enjoying everyone's amazement at the "Shenji Loom".
He walked up to Old Yang and casually asked, "Old Yang, how does this new machine look?"
Old Yang suddenly looked up, a hint of panic flashing in his cloudy eyes.
He immediately lowered his head and replied in a hoarse, indistinct voice, "Back to the master... good... very good... amazing skill..."
His voice was dry, and even trembled slightly.
Shen Yan assumed he was just old and frightened by the noise of the machines, or that he was slurring his words, and didn't pay much attention.
He patted a young craftsman on the shoulder: "Work hard! You'll be paid well!"
After saying that, he walked to the next place.
Old Yang slowly raised his head only after hearing the receding footsteps of Shen Yan.
He looked again at the rapidly spinning loom, his gaze fixed on a certain connection point of the transmission rod—
There, a tiny, incised symbol, almost completely obscured by oil stains and metallic reflections, is faintly visible.
The symbol's lines were twisted, resembling flames entwined around stars; it was no ordinary decoration.
His emaciated body swayed almost imperceptibly—
He abruptly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress some immense horror.
When I opened my eyes again, all that remained in my cloudy eyes was a bottomless fear and a complex emotion that bordered on despair.
He stopped looking at the machine, and instead, hunched over and dragging his crippled arm, silently retreated to the darkest corner of the workshop, shrinking himself into a ball.
A few days later, the iron cam on one of the looms in the workshop suddenly jammed, causing the entire machine to stop.
The young craftsman in charge of the repair was sweating profusely but couldn't find the cause.
"Master, this...this lump of iron is too delicate, I dare not forcibly dismantle it!"
The young craftsman looked distressed.
Shen Yan frowned, just about to send someone to invite Ling Zhan, since only she could handle the core components, when a hoarse voice rang out from the corner.
"Let...let the old man give it a try?" It was Old Yang.
He walked over hunched over, his cloudy eyes fixed on the stuck cam.
Shen Yan asked suspiciously, "You? Are you sure you can do it?"
This old man can't even tighten a screw properly normally.
Old Yang didn't answer, but stretched out his only remaining right hand.
His finger joints were large and deformed, covered with calluses and scars, and his movements appeared stiff and clumsy.
But when he touched the cold iron cam, his seemingly trembling fingers pressed and flicked at several specific locations with an extremely strange, rhythmic force and angle, sometimes lightly and sometimes heavily.
A soft "click" sounded.
The cam that was stuck so tightly was miraculously loosened!
The young craftsman stared in disbelief: "Old Yang, how...how did you do that?"
Old Yang quickly withdrew his hand, as if he had been burned.
He lowered his head again, reverting to his dull and sluggish demeanor, and mumbled, "...By chance...I've seen...I've seen similar metal lumps stuck in the same place before, at my former employer's house..."
The sound grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.
Shen Yan stared at Old Yang's drooping head and the hand that had been tucked back into his sleeve, then looked at the loom that had resumed operation, his brows furrowed.
Those few moves the old man made just now were not as simple as a "coincidence".
That technique... had an inexplicable strangeness and... a sense of familiarity? It was as if I had seen a similar... exquisite skill somewhere before?
The image of Ling Zhan's steady and precise hands when he modified the first loom flashed through his mind like lightning.
A hint of doubt crept into Shen Yan's heart.
This taciturn, seemingly useless one-armed old man appears to be hiding some secret.
He calmly instructed the young craftsman: "Check it carefully to make sure there are no problems."
But his gaze lingered on Old Yang for a moment.
Old Yang felt the disdainful gaze, his body tensed even more, and his head drooped even lower.
The machines in the workshop started roaring again.
Standing on the high ground, Shen Yan couldn't help but look at Old Yang again. He was still hunched over, numbly polishing the iron parts.
It was as if nothing had happened.
However, Shen Yan still managed to keenly notice it.
Old Yang would occasionally raise his head very briefly and very quickly, his gaze sweeping rapidly across his direction.
If their eyes meet—
Old Yang lowered his head instantly like a startled rabbit, reverting to his humble and silent state.
For some reason, Shen Yan felt a heavy weight in his heart.
He decided to give Old Yang a less demanding job, since he had 'skills' and was only one arm.
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