Chapter 79 Daily Life at the Deng Residence: Lower your hand a little further, and imitate its bark. ...
Guo Jia followed Deng Jie to the corner tower dining hall. The lattice doors were wide open, and the rising steam condensed into white mist in the cold wind, making it much more lively than when he had first arrived.
Deng's mother was helped to her seat by a maid.
The old lady was dressed in a dark robe with a subtle embroidery pattern on the hem, and a plain silver hairpin adorned her hair. She seemed unassuming, but her demeanor was no less impressive than that of the old lady of Xun Yu's family.
Seeing them enter, he merely nodded slightly, his voice neither hurried nor slow: "Guo Lang has arrived."
She held the hand of a three- or four-year-old child in her other hand, which should be Deng Zhao's son, Deng Ming. "Ming'er, greet Uncle Guo."
Guo Jia returned the greeting to the two men.
A beautiful woman entered the dining hall before Deng Zhao. She was about twenty years old and had exquisite makeup. She casually took off her fur coat and handed it to the maid beside her to put away, revealing a crimson brocade skirt underneath, with gold cloud patterns embroidered on the hem.
The gold hairpin and gold leaf earrings accentuated her bright and beautiful eyes, making her undoubtedly Deng Zhao's wife, Yu Qiu.
His words were sharp and business-like: "Why did you come with Mr. Guo, Ah Jie? Please take a seat!"
As she spoke, Guo Jia could hear the clear, ringing sound of the gold bracelet on her wrist.
Guo Jia unconsciously began to compare Deng Jie with her.
The girl behind them was bending down to take off her cloak; her light blue robes looked much simpler against the backdrop of the two men.
"Fengxiao!" Deng Zhao's voice interrupted his thoughts.
The merchant had already changed out of his outer robe and was patting the felt cushion beside him: "Come, sit here. We don't treat you like an outsider, so sit and eat with us as we usually do."
The seating arrangement was arranged according to etiquette, with Deng's mother sitting in the main seat, Deng Zhao on her left and Yu Qiu on her right.
Deng Ming sat close to Yu Qiu, while Deng Jie knelt quietly to the side, squeezing in with the mother and son.
On the table was a bowl of glistening fish sashimi and a plate of Hu Diao rice piled up like a small mountain. Each seat was also set up with a lacquered wooden tray, which contained four kinds of meat and four kinds of vegetables. There was also a small and exquisite shortbread in the lacquered plate.
The Deng family had a close relationship, which Guo Jia could tell from their words and actions. Although their mansion followed the standards of the aristocratic families, their habit of eating together at the same table made them more down-to-earth than the aristocratic families.
"This is Guo Fengxiao of Yingchuan, whom I mentioned in my letter." Deng Zhao poured wine for everyone. "If it weren't for his dealings with Yuan Shao, I'm afraid I would have died in Hebei long ago!"
Yu Qiu frowned and glared at him, seemingly dissatisfied with Deng Zhao's words. Then, she immediately smiled and pushed a lacquered bowl filled with Hu Diao rice in front of Guo Jia: "Mr. Guo, your talent and wisdom are unparalleled. Yuanming explained it clearly in his letter. Coming here today is like coming home. Let's not talk about those things anymore. Try it quickly. This rice is newly arrived from Wu County."
Deng's mother picked up a piece of sashimi with her chopsticks and placed it on Guo Jia's plate: "Yes, yes, since we are friends through thick and thin, we are family. It is rare for Yuanming to prepare river delicacies. They are not common in the north. Guo Lang, please try it. Sashimi with ginger and vinegar is absolutely delicious."
As Guo Jia thanked him, he caught a glimpse of Deng Jie quietly pushing the ginger and vinegar dish toward him.
"Why is lunch so lavish today?" Deng Ming held a pastry in his hand, completely ignoring the greasy residue on his hands, his eyes gleaming as he eagerly eyed the sashimi. "There's even sashimi to eat..."
"Today is a welcome dinner for your father and Mr. Guo, so it should be a grand affair."
She pushed a bowl of mutton soup in front of him, saying, "Have you forgotten about the stomachache you had last time? Eat this to warm yourself up."
Deng Jie smiled and reached out to wipe the crumbs from his nephew's mouth.
As she lowered her head, the tassels of her hairpin drooped, casting dappled shadows in the candlelight.
Guo Jia lowered his head and took a sip of wine.
As the warm wine went down my throat, the golden light in my peripheral vision still swayed gently.
The afternoon sun was warm and pleasant. Guo Jia remembered that the edge of the field was a good place to bask in the sun, and there was a stone to stand on. So he took the bamboo scroll and sat down by the old locust tree.
He had barely unrolled the scroll and hadn't even finished reading three rows when an orange cat darted out from the bushes, sniffing as it approached him. It circled around him with its tail held high and stretched out its paws to scratch at the hem of his robe. When he didn't react, it made a "gurgling" sound from its throat and leaped onto the bluestone. It sniffed the bag of pork at his waist, licked its pink nose, and stared at him.
After repeating this twice and seeing that Guo Jia still ignored it, it stuck its head between him and the bamboo slip.
Guo Jia was engrossed in watching when suddenly a cat's head popped out, which amused him so much that he laughed out loud. He thought to himself, "No wonder they can attract young girls so much; they certainly have some tricks up their sleeves."
"We didn't bring a heater."
Guo Jia took a cloth bag from his waist, unfolded it, and placed it on the bluestone. "If you don't eat, there's nothing I can do."
Sure enough, the little beast just sniffed around the meat but wouldn't take a bite. His interest waned, so he squatted down and guarded the meat, as if urging Guo Jia to go back to the stove for warmth.
Guo Jia sighed softly, drew a circle on its head with his finger, and raised the bamboo slip again with his other hand, showing no intention of getting up.
"What brings you here, sir?"
Deng Jie's voice startled the cat, making it prick up its ears and become alert. "Heh, you're here too!"
She tried to approach, but the beast got up and ran away, making the girl pout in anger.
Guo Jia looked up and saw that the girl's makeup was still exquisite, but the previous gold hairpin and deep robe had been replaced with a plain wooden blouse, with blue cloth wristbands tied around her cuffs. He sighed inwardly that even a merchant's daughter would change her clothes whenever she had a chance, just like a noble lady. How could she be so particular about her appearance?
Seeing the young woman reach for a small shovel from beside the old locust tree, he was quite surprised: "Does this herb garden belong to you, young lady?"
"Let me take a look..." Deng Jie answered halfway, but when he stared at the fluffy tail tip peeking out from behind the old locust root, he was captivated again.
She crouched down, released the shovel from her hand, reached into the cloth bag, tore off a piece of meat, and warmed it in her palm: "Little traitor, you haven't left yet? Come here, come here."
Guo Jia was amused by her way of addressing him; she actually still held a grudge.
But then the orange cat approached hesitantly, sniffing, and meowed twice.
Seeing that she was simple-minded, Guo Jia couldn't help but want to play a trick on her, so he said softly, "Lower your hand a little more and imitate its call."
The silly girl did as she was told, and Guo Jia suppressed a laugh as she imitated it quite vividly. However, her delicate meows made Guo Jia feel a little tingly, more so than a cat's meow.
Guo Jia unconsciously put down the book in his hand and began to carefully examine her profile.
Sure enough, the cat lowered its guard and came closer to lick. Deng Jie was worried about scaring the cat away, so he suppressed his excitement and looked up at Guo Jia with surprise. Guo Jia responded with a smile and casually picked a blade of grass from the side of the stone. After the cat finished eating and began to lick its paws with satisfaction, he held up the grass blade to entice the cat to pounce and bite.
Deng Jie watched enviously from the side, got up and patted off the dust, but still couldn't wipe away the wet mud stains on the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
Guo Jia then remembered that she must have gotten her robe dirty from playing with the cat that morning, which is why she changed her clothes.
"Why don't you give it a try?" Guo Jia handed her a blade of grass, which the girl gladly accepted.
Deng Zhao, carrying the wine jar, turned around the corridor and saw in the distance:
Under the old locust tree, Guo Jia had an orange cat nestled in his lap, bamboo slips lay askew to one side, and his younger sister sat sideways on a stone, teasing the cat on Guo Jia's body with a blade of grass.
He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. Wasn't this peaceful scene far more suitable for Guo Jia than any intrigue, treachery, or turbulent times?
The wine jar weighed heavily on his arm. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to disturb this moment of peace and quietly turned back.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting a cold light outside. Inside the bedroom on the third floor, a charcoal fire burned brightly, warming the walls.
Yu Qiu knelt on the brocade mat and removed the silver hairpin from Deng Zhao.
Is this Mr. Guo really that miraculous?
She placed the hairpin on the lacquered table, where the bronze mirror reflected the couple's images. "This is the first time I've seen my husband bring a friend home."
Deng Zhao tilted his head back and closed his eyes, letting her comb through his hair: "It's not an exaggeration at all. I'm just underestimating you, lest you worry."
She suddenly snatched the comb away and stared at her husband's face in the mirror. "So how long do you plan to let him stay?"
"I'm fine with staying as long as I want."
Deng Zhao opened his eyes and met his wife's surprised gaze in the mirror. "We're friends who've been through thick and thin together. I wouldn't mind supporting him for the rest of his life."
Yu Qiu put the comb on the table, turned and sat in his lap, poking his forehead with her hand: "Husband, you're so carefree. With an extra mouth in the house, aren't you afraid of raising an ungrateful wretch?"
Deng Zhao snorted and kissed her hand in return. "If someone who voluntarily gives up their noble lineage and is willing to scheme for us merchants will turn against us, then I can only say that I misjudged them, and I accept it."
He naturally rested his head against Yu Qiu's forehead. "Actually..." He paused, gazing into his wife's eyes, and said in a slightly pleading tone, "Actually, I also wanted to match him up with A Jie."
Yu Qiu laughed and pinched his cheek: "Husband, with your businessman's mindset, are you perhaps trying to emulate Lü Buwei and hoard rare goods?"
Deng Zhao leaned back unhappily and retorted loudly, "What nonsense are you talking about! You know I've never had such thoughts, otherwise I would have sent Ajie to Jingzhou long ago."
Yu Qiu quickly stroked his cheek and coaxed him, "Alright, alright, I misspoke. But it is an idea. A-Jie has turned down so many marriage proposals for me these past two years, and he hasn't even met a single one of them..."
She tapped her chin slightly, pondering in her mind, "If what my husband says is true, it is indeed a good marriage. I think they hit it off very well when they met today, and maybe it really will work out."
"You saw it too? Of course, it's perfect to have it at home, then she'll have nowhere to run!" Deng Zhao suppressed a laugh as he thought, then asked Yu Qiu, "But if we're too deliberate, I'm afraid she'll object given her personality?"
Deng Zhao buried his head in her neck, "Madam is so wise! I've been thinking about this for a long time on the way here..."
Yu Qiu grabbed his restless hand and said shyly, "Are you thinking about them?"
Deng Zhao lifted his face and brought it close to her lips, "Of course it's your business! You changed your scent again? What's wrong with A-Jie this year? This fragrance is so sweet and alluring..."
Yu Qiu giggled as his beard brushed against her, then playfully bumped his forehead and said, "You seem to know everything about this place. I think you've been out there smelling too much and have forgotten the way home."
Deng Zhao quickly straightened his posture and retorted, "The sharp minds outside are nowhere near as sharp as Madam's..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Qiu leaned into his arms, her voice trembling with a hint of a sob: "This trip... has taken too long..."
Deng Zhao gently stroked her trembling back: "I'm sorry to have worried you... Next time I'll let Old Chen go first."
He bent down to remove her hairpins, her black hair falling loose. He ran his fingers through her cascading hair, kissing the top of her head. "I'll stay home a little longer."
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