Chapter 24: Prefecture and State Chronicles Records Spring Amaranthus: “Believe it, don’t believe it.”…
Wen Yu walked out first, followed closely by Song Linsheng, and the two of them left the government office together. The carriage that had brought Wen Yu this morning was still waiting at the door, but it was not Xi Yan who was driving it, but another attendant who had been with him that morning.
Song Linsheng got into the car first, opened the door curtain, and extended his hand to Wen Yu, motioning Wen Yu to take his hand and get in.
Wen Yu didn't hesitate, grabbing Song Linsheng's hand and getting into the car. When she came this morning, she was the only one in the car, but now she was riding in the same car with Song Linsheng. Wen Yu thought for a moment and sat down at the side, leaving the more spacious main seat for Song Linsheng.
Song Linsheng bowed and came in, and saw Wen Yu leaning against the wall of the car. Song Linsheng's lips curled slightly, raised his hand and let Wen Yu take the main seat, and sat down in Wen Yu's previous seat.
When Wen Yu moved to her original position, she once again marveled at the softness of the rabbit fur cushion beneath her waist. Song Linsheng was indeed a noble son of a prominent family; he really knew how to enjoy life. She couldn't help but lean back, finding a comfortable reclining position.
The carriage slowly drove into the night and headed towards the Song residence in Guan'an Lane.
As the sound of horse hooves gradually faded away, a dark shadow flashed past from the backlight behind the government office, ran quickly and stealthily, and stopped at the gate of the Tongzhiyuan.
"Sir, Master Song and the lady have returned home."
The man's figure was hidden behind a screen embroidered with lotus flowers emerging from the water. The candlelight stretched his figure out long and cast it obliquely on the screen.
He raised his hand, pinching something between his fingers and holding it before his eyes. It looked like a piece of paper covered with writing, its edges torn, leaving a small, continuous wave where it was reflected on the screen.
He didn't say anything, just waved his hand and asked the people at the door to leave.
…
The carriage carried Wen Yu and Song Linsheng back home.
Song Linsheng brought out two plates of cakes from the small table, placed them in front of Wen Yu, and apologized to her in a gentle voice:
"Thank you for your hard work entertaining my wife today. You haven't eaten yet. Have some snacks to fill your stomach."
Wen Yu jumped up from the cushion upon hearing this, picked up the pastry and took a bite. It was smooth and delicious, with a lingering aftertaste. She chewed it with satisfaction, and did not forget to reply to Song Linsheng:
"No delay, no delay!"
"I was reading the 'Jiangyang Prefecture Chronicle' today and it was quite interesting. There's an entry in it that says that the Yuan River outside Jiangyang Prefecture—" Wen Yu swallowed his cake and continued, "There's a spring grass at the bottom of the river. The book says it's 'beautiful in shape and lush in appearance. It grows by the Yuan River and has lived for a thousand years.'"
In other words, this spring amaranth has been growing at the bottom of the Yuanshui River for a thousand years, and its leaves are lush and beautiful.
"Oh?" This was something Song Linsheng hadn't seen before. He raised his hand to pour tea for Wen Yu, motioning her to speak slowly.
"They also say that every summer, this spring grass reproduces wildly, sometimes even covering the entire riverbed, making it very difficult for people to get water from the Yuanshui River to irrigate their fields."
Song Linsheng rubbed the tip of his nose with one hand, stroking it back and forth twice, and asked, "If that's the case, why don't the people in this city eradicate it? After all, it's blocking the people from getting water."
Wen Yu gulped down a cup of tea, thinking to herself, "There are times when Master Song doesn't understand, right?" She felt a little proud for a moment, then, keeping Song Linsheng in suspense, she said, "Guess?"
Song Linsheng watched Wenyu's expression change with a smile, and he even guessed what she was thinking. So he continued with Wenyu's words, "In my opinion, perhaps the Yuan River is too deep, so the people can't cut the spring grass and can only let it grow."
Wen Yu shook his head, wiggling his right index finger left and right, and said, "No, no."
She just said no, but didn't explain further. Song Linsheng understood. She must be angry because he pretended to be ignorant during the day, so she was teasing him on purpose.
Thinking of this, Song Linsheng couldn't help but smile. Madam Wenyu is so lovely.
Song Linsheng clasped his hands together, bowed to Wen Yu, and begged, "Madam Wen Yu, please give me some advice!"
Wen Yu then explained contentedly, "The people of Jiangyang believe that all things have spirits. Records of this spring grass have been around for centuries, if not thousands of years. The people say it's a divine creature, and we must not offend it!"
A divine object? Wen Yu wondered. How could a divine object cause chaos in the river? Wen Yu didn't believe such a claim. How could a god or immortal ignore the common people? Her master, the Supreme God Ju Mang, toiled diligently in the mortal world year after year.
At present, there is no way to confirm whether the so-called "Spring Weed" really exists in the Yuan River, so we can only laugh it off.
"I haven't heard of such a statement. Even my parents never mentioned it in their casual conversations." Song Linsheng thought for a moment and added:
"However, the records in the prefecture and county annals are not without some beautiful and imaginative ideas. They may have been fabricated by our ancestors and should not be taken seriously."
Seeing that Wen Yu remained silent, Song Linsheng wondered what she was thinking.
"Madam Wenyu, why don't you just treat it as a fairy tale and listen to it."
Wen Yu finally came to her senses. She wanted to nod in agreement, but for some reason she blurted out, "Don't you believe in fairy tales?"
Song Linsheng didn't expect Wen Yu to ask him this. Just as he was thinking about how to answer, the two of them happened to finish their casual conversation and the carriage stopped. The servants outside gently reminded them to get off.
Song Linsheng didn't rush to act. Instead, he thought for a moment and replied, "I believe it, and I don't believe it either."
Before Wen Yu could ask what he meant by "believe it or not," Song Linsheng turned and got out of the car. Wen Yu followed closely behind him, and with Song Linsheng's help, she landed lightly on the ground.
Uncle Song had been waiting at the door since early morning. When he saw them get out of the car, he hurried forward to greet them. Wen Yu looked up. The Song residence looked even deeper, more ancient and solemn in the night.
"Sir, Madam, you must have worked hard on this mission. Please follow me inside to have dinner!" Uncle Song called out.
At this time, Wen Yu no longer had the mind to think about any myths. Without waiting for Song Linsheng to speak, she hurriedly caught up with Uncle Song, and did not forget to ask Song Linsheng to leave quickly.
Within a quarter of an hour, Wen Yu and Song Linsheng were sitting at the dining table. Uncle Song served them the dishes before leaving.
Today's main course was the mutton soup that Song Linsheng had promised Wen Yu. The copper pot of soup glowed faintly, the broth bubbling and emitting steam, making Wen Yu's appetite grow.
Wen Yu took a sip; the broth was rich and delicious, even more flavorful than the sashimi. She simply finished the whole bowl. The warm broth entered her stomach, flowing through her internal organs, warming her body.
On the other hand, Song Linsheng had not eaten for a whole day and had not even eaten a piece of cake in the carriage just now, but now he was still chewing slowly and politely.
Wen Yu ate half her meal and decided to stop to digest it. She looked at Song Linsheng for a while and couldn't help asking, "Song Linsheng, why do you want to live in the government office?"
She wasn't asking about Song Linsheng staying overnight at the government office the previous night, but rather about Xi Yan saying he had packed up a lot of things and planned to stay there for the next few days. He had such a large house to live in, but was instead trying to squeeze into the small room at the Jiangyang government office.
Song Linsheng paused after hearing this, put down the bamboo chopsticks in his hand, and waited until he swallowed the food in his mouth before speaking to Wen Yu.
"Um?"
"I just thought it would be more convenient to stay at the government office..."
Wen Yu didn't wait for him to finish, but shook his head and said, "No, I heard Xi Yan say that you did it to avoid being criticized."
Wen Yu didn't quite understand the concept of reputation. Should she be unable to return home just to watch what others said or thought?
Song Linsheng choked in his throat. Xiyan really shouldn't have been by his side. He should have gone to help in the kitchen. His words were like a colander, letting out anything.
"That's not the case, Madam Wenyu, don't worry." He was the one who invited Madam Wenyu to stay in his house temporarily, so he had to consider her reputation and could not let his guard down on this matter no matter what.
Seeing that he wouldn't give in, Wen Yu remained silent for a while. Song Linsheng thought she was no longer worried and was about to continue eating when he heard Wen Yu say:
"I don't care about what Xiyan said."
No matter how well-maintained the government office was, it was still a place for work, with people coming and going. Even if it wasn't extremely noisy, it would definitely be quiet and leisurely. How could a noble young man like Song Linsheng get used to it?
"You can just stay at home and rest. I can also return the yard to you." She originally came here to make amends for her mistake and didn't want to trouble Song Linsheng in every way. Now she has exhausted him so much that he can't even live in his own yard... Wen Yu really feels guilty...
"Reputation is but an external possession, it counts for nothing." Besides, she was a fairy, why should she care about that empty reputation? She was infinitely old, and this few years were but a moment to her. Once she had a dip in the sacred water pool at the Rejuvenation Temple, she would forget everything.
Song Linsheng was silent for a moment. He didn't expect that Madam Wen Yu would say that she didn't care about her reputation in order to make her live more comfortably.
She must be joking. Which lady would really not care?
Song Linsheng thought of his guess during the day. Could it be... He felt a little embarrassed and swallowed his saliva.
"Yes... yes, yes... I'll ask Uncle Song to clean up the yard next to Guanwu Garden, and I'll live there." Song Linsheng had no choice but to comfort Wen Yu, saying, "As for Guanwu Garden, you can live there peacefully. Once you find your brother, we can make plans."
When Wen Yu heard that he was willing to live in the mansion, she was overjoyed and her appetite also improved.
Seeing a smile on her face, Song Linsheng breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little relieved.
The two of them chatted with each other and the meal took a long time.
By the time Song Linsheng sent Wen Yu back to Guanwu Garden, it was already an hour later.
Wen Yu couldn't help but drink some more wine just now, and now he was really full.
Wen Yu staggered into Guanwu Garden and strode into her house. Her alcohol tolerance had truly improved; yesterday she'd been down with just one drink, but today she could walk back to her house. Wen Yu secretly admired herself.
Song Linsheng followed Wen Yu closely, fearing she would stumble again. No matter how he tried to persuade her, no matter how he tried to scare her, Wen Yu refused to drink less. She was truly a drunkard.
"What are you doing?"
When Wen Yu saw the two women tidying up in the room, he forgot about the instructions to wash the inkstone when he went out in the morning, and wondered what the two women were doing.
"Nu Azhu and Abai greet Madam Wenyu." The two of them came forward and saluted Wenyu.
Song Linsheng explained, "This is the maid I found to look after you."
Wen Yu slapped her forehead and said "Oh!", then she remembered. Seeing the things she and the other two had left, she asked, "What are those things?"
Ah Zhu turned around and looked, then replied to Wen Yu, "These are rouge and powder sent by the famous shop. They are all prepared for my wife."
Wen Yu frowned. She knew Mingyang Shop, where Chen Mian was arrested, but she didn't remember buying anything there.
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