Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Bamboo
That was the seventh year of Yin You, three years ago.
It has been more than three years since Lord Du passed away, and the mourning period is twenty-seven months.
Uncle Hui remembered that not long after the girl finished mourning, she mentioned to the Third Master about setting a wedding date.
Although the Third Master's health could not be restored, it was relatively stable. The girl intended to set the wedding in the second half of the year, but for some reason, the Third Master had not agreed. The girl mentioned it several times, but the wedding date was postponed again and again.
By the second half of the year, when autumn came, the Third Master's health had gradually deteriorated. When the girl mentioned setting a date for the wedding again, he said to wait until the spring or summer of next year when he had recovered a little.
But the girl was angry and refused to wait, so she discussed with the elders of both families and decided to arrange the marriage on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The girl said that she wanted to bring him happiness.
When the third master got the news, he changed his clothes and went to the master and his wife. The master and his wife were shocked to see him.
He became seriously ill at the end of the sixth year of Yin You, and he hardly went out during that year, let alone hurriedly went to the master and mistress's yard in person.
The master asked him what he wanted to do, and he said that he was not in good health. "The wedding date is too close, and I can't recover. I can't go to marry Jingniang on the wedding day."
He wanted to postpone the marriage again.
When the wife heard this, she burst into tears and said that it was the girl who set the date and that she wanted to bring him happiness.
"It doesn't matter if you haven't recovered yet. Let Liu Lang go to pick up the bride for you, and you just wait at home. Maybe Jingniang's blessing will be helpful to you."
The wife's words made the Third Master sigh and laugh, "Mother has prayed to so many gods and Buddhas over the years. If faith in heaven is useful, our son would have recovered long ago. Besides, I don't want her to marry into the family to bring good luck."
He refused, and the master said, "But this is the date that Jingniang insisted on setting. The Jiang family has been pushing it back again and again. Others will think that Lord Du has passed away. We will look down on Jingniang and we cannot let her lose face."
The master said, "If you really don't want to, go and discuss it with Jingniang yourself."
The two elders could not make a decision, so the third master returned to his own yard and asked someone to harness the carriage.
It was almost dark at that time. Although the Jiang family and the Du family were both in Qingzhou, they were still some distance apart.
Uncle Hui advised him that it would not be too late to go tomorrow, but he shook his head, so Uncle Hui had to accompany him personally.
The carriage drove all the way to the Du family. The Third Master sat in the carriage in silence. Uncle Hui didn't know how he would talk to the girl when he saw her downstairs of the Du family's building.
Uncle Hui was afraid that the two of them would quarrel over the wedding date, and he was secretly worried.
The carriage soon arrived at the Du family's door, but the Third Master did not ask anyone to knock on the door. He just stood in the woods outside the courtyard of Mian Tower and looked up at Mian Tower.
It was completely dark, and a bright moon hung over the Mian Tower outside the forest. The lights on the second floor of the Mian Tower were still on at this time, and it was obvious that the girl was in the building, either repairing books or tidying up.
The Third Master kept looking up towards the light. For a few moments, the girl seemed to walk past the window, and the light cast her shadow on the window.
Uncle Hui saw the Third Master looking up at the figure of the girl upstairs and smiled gently.
The moon quietly slid from one side of the Mian Building to the other side, and the night wind in the forest added a bit of chill. At this time, the light on the second floor suddenly went out, and the girl sorted out her books and came down from the library.
Sure enough, not long after, the sound of Qiulin and others talking could be heard in the yard, and the girl responded from time to time.
Uncle Hui thought that since the Third Master had come here in person, this should be the best time to talk to the girl.
Unexpectedly, the Third Master was in the woods outside the yard, listening to the voices in the yard gradually fading away, and he did not send anyone to knock on the door.
Uncle Hui didn't understand what the Third Master meant, but the Third Master turned around and said, "Let's go back too."
"Are you going back? What about the wedding date?" Uncle Hui couldn't help but ask him.
Under the bright moonlight, Uncle Hui saw the young man's pale and sickly face with a slight curve under his lips.
"Since she has decided, let's set it on the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month."
That day, the Third Master turned back without meeting the girl. On the way back, Uncle Hui saw that he had calmed down. He kept looking out of the car window, his eyes as soft as the moon.
The Jiang family had already prepared the wedding dress for the Third Master. It was a bright red brocade robe with gold silk satin, made of the red brocade bestowed by the Empress Dowager Jiang in the palace.
But the Third Master became increasingly thinner. From September to November, before his wedding date, he had already changed his wedding dress twice.
The Third Master's illness became more and more serious, and his wife would cry every time she came to see him. It happened that Doctor Li, who had treated the Third Master before, returned from a half-year trip to the capital. Doctor Li was a famous doctor in Qingzhou with superb medical skills, so the Jiang family immediately invited him to treat the Third Master again.
I have been using the prescription that Doctor Li left me half a year ago. It is naturally a good thing to adjust the prescription by re-consulting and prescribing a new one.
But the Third Master stopped his wife, saying that the original prescription would be fine and there was no need to ask someone to make a special trip to the Jiang family.
But Uncle Hui could see with his own eyes that the Third Master's health was getting worse and worse. One evening, he was afraid that the Third Master would catch a cold, so he wanted to add another basin of charcoal to his study. However, when he entered the study, he saw that the Third Master had fainted on the desk.
When the wife rushed over after hearing the news, her hands were shaking. Fortunately, the third master woke up soon.
Uncle Hui said that he had fainted, and it would be better to ask Doctor Li to come and see him, but he said that he was just asleep, "There is no need for Doctor Li to see me. I know how I am after suffering from illness for a long time."
He just refused to see a doctor, and his wife couldn't do anything about it, so Uncle Hui secretly sent a letter to the Du family.
It happened that Du Jiamianlou had just received books from Jiangnan.
Those were the books of a deceased book collector from Jiangnan. Only three years after his death, his sons started fighting over the inheritance and they sold off all the books they had painstakingly collected during his lifetime. The library collapsed overnight and various libraries took over. Naturally, Dujia Mianlou could not miss the opportunity to collect the books.
Originally, it would have been better for the girl to go to Jiangnan in person, but as her wedding was approaching, she was worried about the Third Master, so she only asked Ruan Gong and Manager Zhao to go.
Now that the two of them have bought two carts of books, the girl is naturally too busy at Mianlou to spare time, and has not been to the Jiang family for several days, so of course the Third Master cannot go either.
If he hadn't been reluctant to see a doctor, Uncle Hui wouldn't have bothered the girl.
That day he delivered a letter, and when the messenger returned, the girl followed him straight back.
At that time, the third master was in front of the medicine cabinet in the wing room.
He was a patient with a long illness and had to deal with all kinds of medicinal materials all year round. These days, the Third Master had saved his subordinates from the hassle of preparing Doctor Li's previous prescriptions and he personally went to the medicine cabinet to prepare them every day.
Uncle Hui discovered that the medicine he sometimes used was not exactly the same as Dr. Li’s prescription.
That day, the Third Master was also preparing medicine for himself, but when he was halfway through, the girl came in from outside.
She stepped into the room and called out "Sanlang", and Uncle Hui saw that Sanye's hand paused as he was picking up the medicine.
The girl frowned and stepped forward, "Why don't you let Dr. Li come to see you?"
She asked, and the Third Master put away the half-picked medicine.
He did not answer her question, but glanced out the window. The bamboos in the yard were bent by the wind and rustled non-stop.
"Why are you here? It's very windy today."
He understood and turned his head helplessly, "Uncle Hui..."
He blamed himself for the strong wind today and invited the girl over.
Before Uncle Hui could open his mouth, the girl spoke first.
"Why do you blame Uncle Hui?"
The girl only asked him, "You didn't see the doctor on purpose? And you didn't let Uncle Hui tell me, right?"
The girl's tone became two degrees gloomier. The Third Master hated to see girls like this the most, so he quickly said.
"No, don't be angry."
He said, "Please sit down first, I will tell you slowly."
As he spoke, he signaled the servant to make some new tea. When the tea arrived, he waved his hand and sent someone down.
He usually pours tea for the girl himself, and today is no exception.
But after walking a few steps, he started to pant. The girl was shocked, wondering when he became so ill.
"I don't need you to help me. I can pour the tea myself."
But the Third Master didn't want her to lend a hand. He didn't need anyone else to do this for him. He just lowered his head and poured her tea. "I'm not that weak yet. I can still pour the tea."
The girl just looked at him, her long eyebrows tightly knitted into a ball.
The Third Master didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He poured her some tea, then brought a plate of snacks, which he warmed on the small stove for her. He also took a blanket to cover her legs, and then asked her.
"How are the books collected this time? You didn't go there in person, so I think you missed out on some good books."
It doesn't matter, the girl shook her head.
The Mianlou building was built by her grandfather to store books from all over the world, and then passed down to her father and then to her. It was not a one-day job.
She said that Ruan Gong and Manager Zhao collected a lot this time, "enough to keep the building busy for a while," she said, her eyes softening slightly, "and they also snatched two Song editions. Although there are only two copies, it brings you one step closer to your wish of collecting 100 Song editions."
What she said made the Third Master stunned for a moment, and he looked into her watery eyes, "Collecting a hundred volumes of Song Dynasty books is not a one-day job. If I fail one day, Quanquan, don't worry, take your time..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the girl.
"Sanlang, what are you talking about? If you have time to think about this, why not ask Doctor Li to come and take a closer look at you."
As she spoke, she turned around and called someone, "Chang Pu, go ask Doctor Li to come to Third Master..."
But before Chang Pu could respond, the Third Master reached out and grabbed her hand.
"Quanquan, don't do it."
There was silence in the room, and a strong smell of medicine filled the air.
The girl then shook the Third Master's hand, "Why?"
Uncle Hui and Changpu both stepped aside.
Through the lattice door, I could hear the Third Master sighing helplessly.
"Doctor Li's medicine is too bitter. If you ask him again, he will only make my medicine more bitter."
The girl seemed surprised that he didn't expect this answer.
"There are few medicines in the world that are not bitter. How can you complain about the bitterness of medicine?"
The Third Master shook his head and sighed again.
The girl said, "Then I'll eat with you, okay? Good medicine tastes bitter, I want to wait until you get better."
The girl choked up a little when she said this, and Uncle Hui's eyes became slightly hot, but the Third Master couldn't say anything.
"Is it not enough for one person to suffer? Do you want two people to suffer? If you suffer for me, will I not have to suffer?"
He said these few words in one breath, panting slightly, but the girl's tears fell.
The Third Master panicked immediately. He called "Quanquan" in a low voice, "It's just a small matter of taking medicine. Don't cry. Your eyes are not good. Don't shed tears."
"Then you should take the medicine carefully and not neglect any dose. We will be married in the twelfth lunar month," the girl choked and suddenly asked him, "Don't you want me to marry you?"
Tears welled up in Uncle Hui's old eyes. He rubbed his red nose as he looked at Lian Changpu, the boy who was always making funny faces.
Inside the flower grid, the Third Master's voice was a little hoarse, but he was smiling.
"Why not?"
"But you keep putting it off. It's time to take your medicine properly..."
The Third Master took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from the girl's eyes, coaxing her and persuading her, "That's why I don't want Doctor Li to come, because I adjusted the prescription myself, and I want it to be at least swallowable. Besides, I've read medical books and other treatments, and they're not quite the same as his, so let me try it myself."
He said that after he tried it, "maybe Liu Lang won't have to go to the wedding for me... ...Don't cry."
But the girl threw herself straight into his arms and leaned her face on his chest.
"You have to get better!"
Through the lattice, the Third Master's body stiffened slightly, but he did not reach out and hug the girl tightly like the girl hugged him.
He once said that his body was as cold as ice in the coldest days of winter, but the girl was not hot either. She was just the slowly flowing water in the mountains. How could he suck away the last bit of heat in the water and pull her into the ice cave?
He just held her in his arms lightly, and stroked her long hair with his other hand.
He said he would be fine, and told the girl not to cry, and added, "Quanquan, I can't stand anymore."
The girl was afraid that he would stumble, so she quickly left his arms and said, "Sit down and rest."
He said yes, but he didn't do it. He just said the medicine he prepared, "I always feel sleepy after taking it. I'm a little tired. You should go back soon."
He wanted the girl to leave, but she wanted to stay with him for a while longer. However, he shook his head and said, "That's all the energy you have. Please leave some for me. Write a letter to Liu Lang and let him study with his master in Jinan with peace of mind."
He drove the girl away and did not allow her to stay any longer. The girl had no choice but to leave the Jiang family, looking back every few steps.
But she left, and he didn't write to Sixth Master. He had written the letter yesterday and sent it over long ago.
He sat where he had been just now, quietly, as if the girl was still in the room, and refilled the cup that the girl had left for him with half a cup of tea.
Doctor Li still failed to come.
The Third Master's illness did not improve as he said, but instead became worse. He had only a few moments of energy each day.
But he didn't allow him to tell anyone, not the master, the mistress, the girl, or the Sixth Master.
But Uncle Hui discovered that there were fewer Melia azedarach seeds in the medicine cabinet at home, but the Third Master bypassed him and ordered the servant to buy them quietly, and he bought a lot of them quietly.
Melia azedarach seeds should not be taken by people like Sanye who have weak spleen and stomach. Not only is it bitter, it is also poisonous.
Uncle Hui felt very uneasy. The next day after hearing about this, he followed the Third Master in silence.
He saw that the Third Master got up as usual, drank some warm porridge, then sat in the study for a while, read a book for fifteen minutes, and then wrote a few words.
Then, while he was resting, he went to the medicine cabinet in the other wing and picked out medicine for himself.
As usual, he lit some incense in the room to dispel the smell of medicine, then washed and dried his hands, and picked out the medicine he would take today from the medicine cabinets that filled an entire wall.
His expression was as calm as usual, without any disturbance.
But Uncle Hui saw him quietly picking out a pile of neem seeds and mixing them with other medicines.
Uncle Hui was standing outside the window in a daze. He called the medicine boy who was in charge of boiling medicine to come over. Seeing that the little girl was wearing a brand new silk flower on her head, he smiled gently and said, "But was it the peddler who came to sell it yesterday? I heard his hawking voice, too."
As he spoke, he took out a hundred bucks from the side and gave it to the little girl. The little girl asked him, "Third Master, do you want to buy some silk flowers to wear? The peddler said that men also buy some to wear."
The Third Master laughed, "They have to be handsome men, not sickly ones."
The little girl was quite sensible, and she said, "Don't say that, Third Master. Third Master will be fine. We are all waiting for Third Master to get married!"
The Third Master laughed even more and said, "Then please help me boil two more doses of medicine."
After he finished speaking, he gave the medicine mixed with a large amount of neem seeds to the little maid.
The little girl didn't know how to tell the difference, so she just took the medicine and left.
Uncle Hui rushed in and knocked the medicine out of the little maid's hand.
The little maid was startled, but he didn't care and looked straight at the person in front of the medicine cabinet.
"Third Master!"
The Third Master looked at him and paused for a moment, but in the next moment, his expression was extremely calm and he raised his hand to let the little maid go down.
For a moment, he and the Third Master were the only ones left in the room. The Third Master's expression was as calm as a lake without ripples. He just looked at his frightened face calmly and spoke slowly.
"Uncle Hui, I did it on my own will."
Yes. He was willing to exchange his life-saving medicine for a deadly poison, and then take two bowls of it every day until he died soon.
Uncle Hui was trembling all over. He looked at the still calm Third Master and just asked him.
"How many days do you have left like this, Master San?"
Doctor Li said half a year ago that if the Third Master was taken good care of, he would still have a year or so to live. Even if half a year passed, he would still have a year.
But the Third Master said softly, "Before the twelfth lunar month."
Before the twelfth lunar month, there was less than half a month left. The girl had set the wedding date as the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month...
"Why?" Uncle Hui asked in a trembling voice.
The winter wind blew the green bamboos surrounding the courtyard outside the window, making a rustling sound.
The Third Master's voice remained calm amid the sound of bamboo.
He said he didn't know why and his eyes fell on the bamboo forest outside the window.
"I just don't want to live anymore."
As he spoke, he seemed to have thought of something and gave him an instruction.
"Don't tell her."
*
At the innermost part of Hongluo Temple, the Three Saints are enshrined in the main hall, with Amitabha in the center and his attendants, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta, on either side. The murals on both sides depict the twenty guardian deities of the heavens.
All the gods gathered together and looked down on the world in silence.
Uncle Hui still felt uncomfortable when he recalled what happened with Third Master three years ago.
In fact, the Third Master not only told him not to tell the girl, but also not to tell anyone. He just wanted to leave quietly.
But that year, when Sixth Master rushed back from Jinan, he saw that Third Master had passed away and refused to believe it. Sixth Master wanted to mourn for Third Master, so he did not go to the imperial examination the following year and stayed at home, not leaving Third Master's yard. Sometimes when he got up in the middle of the night, he would see Sixth Master still talking to himself in front of Third Master's tablet, or simply calling out to the tablet.
"Brother, please come back... I'm still waiting to go to the capital with you..."
One time he couldn't help himself and revealed a few words to Sixth Master.
In front of the statue, Uncle Hui regretted deeply.
Jiang Fengchuan asked the Queen Mother in front of the Buddha.
"My lady, why do you think my brother would do this? Why would he..."
He couldn't say those two words. They hurt his heart, but he still endured it and asked, "Why did he commit suicide?"
If he really died of illness, he would never bother her.
But it’s not.
He only asked Concubine Jiang, "Your Majesty, why do you say that?"
Concubine Jiang closed her eyes, and the statue of the gods saw everything in the world.
She turned around and looked at the child who had been abandoned since childhood but was picked up and raised by Sanlang.
"Liu Lang, San Lang is willing. He is willing."
"But I am unwilling..."
What does it mean that he doesn't want to delay for another year or two? He just wants to let go of the person he loves and start over.
Jiang Fengchuan knelt in front of the statue. "My brother doesn't allow me to tell her, so I can not tell her. But she shouldn't forget my brother. Is there anyone else in this world who can love her as much as my brother does? I just ask her to remember it all the time, is that not okay?"
He bowed before the statue and asked the gods for advice.
Concubine Jiang was silent, and then sighed again.
She could not answer on behalf of the gods or the dead, and could only call upon those who were kneeling before the Buddha.
"The most important thing for you right now is the Spring Imperial Examination. Your brother wrote so many letters of recommendation for you when he was alive, hoping that you could add another Jinshi to the Jiang family. You stay here with me and prepare well for the exam."
Then he sighed and said
"Think carefully again about what your brother meant by this action back then."
After Concubine Jiang finished speaking, she was supported by Nanny Pu and left the hall.
Some people knelt before the statue until it was getting dark.
Uncle Hui was watching from behind and had to step forward, "Sixth Master is still injured, please don't kneel anymore."
The young man bowed his head and kowtowed three times to the statue before he stood up.
"My queen asked me to think carefully about what my brother meant by what he did back then."
He said he had thought about it carefully, but suddenly changed the subject and looked at Uncle Hui.
"Uncle Hui, do you think my brother has other reasons than just letting her go?"
Other reasons? Uncle Hui didn't understand.
Jiang Fengchuan raised his head and looked outside the point, "Maybe there is something else that I don't know."
He suddenly asked Uncle Hui, "Uncle Hui, is there anything you haven't told me yet? For example, when the news came that the Marquis of Yongding married her by imperial decree, you didn't seem too surprised, Uncle Hui."
Uncle Hui took a breath after hearing these words, and he quickly spoke.
"No, Sixth Master, don't make random guesses!"
*
Jiqingfang, the Mansion of Marquis Yongding.
Jiang Zhuxiu's death anniversary is just around the corner.
Qiu Lin saw that the girl was tired of reading in the afternoon and was taking a walk in the backyard. Suddenly, she stopped beside the bamboo forest behind the main courtyard.
The girl didn't say anything, but stood outside the bamboo forest for two quarters of an hour before leaving in silence.
At this moment, Ai Ye came out from the main room and said something to Qiu Lin.
"I don't know what the lady was thinking, she sighed silently several times."
Qiulin could guess roughly what was going on, and she looked into the room.
"The Third Master's death anniversary is just around the corner. Madam must want to go and pay respects, but she doesn't know how to ask the Marquis for help, right?"
After Qiulin said this, Ai Ye also understood.
"This... is really hard to say."
The two didn't know what to do, but they didn't see someone's footsteps outside the wall where they were talking. The man glanced at the two of them, then looked into the room and paused slightly.
In the room, Du Lingjing picked up a bamboo leaf.
She just picked it up, but didn't know where to put it. She was holding it in her hand, lost in thought, when suddenly she saw someone coming back from outside.
She looked up, and the man also looked down at her, and he also saw the bamboo leaf in her palm at a glance.
Du Ling's heart tightened secretly.
She didn't know what his attitude was, but she didn't want to argue with him again over this matter.
But he stepped forward and softened his voice.
"Isn't it Jiang Jieyuan's death anniversary in a few days? I'll go with you to pay tribute to him."
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