Chapter 47 Alas, our fate as husband and wife in this life is shallow.
Although the passersby dared not approach to watch, they still couldn't help but glance at her and point and whisper. Shanhe lowered her face and gritted her teeth, saying, "I know that Granny Wei is doing what's best for the young master, but she looks down on me. I've already tried my best to be obedient. It's just buying a maid, so please allow me, Granny Wei." After saying this, she surprisingly bowed deeply to Granny Wei, which was unprecedented for her.
Even though she hated Xue Shanhe to the core, she was speechless at this sudden, humble gift. In Wei Mama's heart, Liang Ye's future and the peace of the inner quarters were paramount. Now that Xue Shanhe was publicly humbled, with Huai Feng nearby, if she were to criticize Xue Shanhe further, it would only make her, a long-standing and respectable nanny, appear narrow-minded and uncaring. Therefore, Wei Mama suppressed her anger, forced a smile, took out the gold-inlaid jade hairpin that Shanhe had given her, and slammed it heavily into Wen Zhu's palm, as payment for Miao'er's gift.
Granny Wei cleared her throat, deliberately making sure everyone around could hear: "Since that's the case, then so be it. My master is a kind-hearted man and can't bear to see people suffer. Since you two siblings have your own troubles, you should lend a helping hand." This was completely contrary to her earlier words of disapproval.
Shanhe sneered inwardly.
That's what she said, but her anger was still hard to quell. Granny Wei glared at Miao'er and asked sternly, "What's your name?"
Miao'er quickly kowtowed: "My name is Miao'er." She paused for a moment, then added as if remembering something, "Wen Miao'er."
Granny Wei said, "First of all, you are not allowed to refer to yourself as 'I' from now on. Learn from others in your daily speech and behavior. If it weren't for Madam Xue's insistence on keeping you, you wouldn't even be good enough to be a lowly maid."
Miao'er nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I... this servant will definitely learn more in the future." She then turned and kowtowed to Xue Shanhe, "Thank you so much for your great kindness, Madam Xue!"
Granny Wei's lips twitched a few times, then she flicked her sleeve and went straight back to the carriage. Shanhe quickly helped Miao'er up, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the tears and mud from her face, then turned to Wenzhu, her voice filled with concern: "And you, what are your plans for the future?"
Wen Zhu clutched the warm yet heavy gold-inlaid jade hairpin tightly and said respectfully, "Thank you, madam! I will go find a reliable shop to exchange this for cash so I can get medicine to save my mother's life." With that, Wen Zhu turned to leave.
Upon seeing this, Miao'er's tears fell like broken beads again. She broke free from Shanhe's hand and rushed forward to hug Wenzhu's arm tightly. The two sobbed as they said goodbye. Shanhe turned to the side and caught a glimpse of the carriage curtain being lifted slightly, revealing half of Wei Mama's face, who was coldly watching them like a ghostly shadow pasted on a windowpane.
After Wenzhu's figure disappeared around the street corner, Caiping and Huaisong returned shortly afterward, each carrying a bag of steaming hot butter snails. Seeing a dirty, tearful little girl beside Shanhe, they both looked at her with puzzled expressions.
Shanhe then recounted the whole story. Caiping listened, her eyebrows furrowing, but her words remained sharp: "Madam is too kind-hearted. The number of maids in the main house was already tight, and it was only after that Fanniang left that things became a little easier. Now that she's here, not to mention anything else, Caixiang and I have to teach her manners from scratch." When she mentioned "Fanniang," Huaisong's lowered eyes drooped even lower, but everyone's attention was focused on Miao'er, and no one noticed.
Shanhe comforted her, "It's alright, I'll teach her myself."
“How can you teach her yourself, madam? It will only tire me and Caixiang out.” Caiping glanced at Miao’er with disgust. “This girl is filthy. If she gets the carriage dirty, it will be difficult to return it to the carriage shop. We need to find a place to clean her up and buy her some clean clothes. We also need to wash her face. Hmm, her face is covered in tears like a kitten.”
Shanhe knew that Caiping had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. When she said that she and Caixiang would teach Miao'er in the future, she was scolding her, but in fact she was preventing Miao'er from falling into the hands of Granny Wei, because that would be a really hard time.
However, they couldn't find a place to dress up Miao'er. Huai Song then said, "Before leaving, the master instructed that the lady should wait at Ruyi Teahouse after she finished shopping. The master has reserved a private room there. Why don't we go there first? The master will go there after he finishes his official business."
Shanhe nodded: "That's fine too."
So the group got back into the carriage, but because Miao'er was dirty, Granny Wei's face darkened even more when she saw her about to sit in the carriage. Shanhe, afraid that she would say something inappropriate again, told Miao'er to sit on the carriage floor, sandwiched between Huaisong and Huaifeng.
The carriage rumbled along. After about two incense sticks' worth of time, Huaisong finally brought the carriage to the entrance of Ruyi Teahouse. Teahouse staff, draped in white cloths, approached with smiles and auspicious greetings. Shanhe gave Liang Ye's name and was soon led to a private room on the third floor. Granny Wei was settled on the second floor to rest. Huaifeng and Huaisong, entrusted by Shanhe and carrying the prescription she had given them, took the last of Shanhe and Caiping's money to buy medicine for Qingyue. Caiping asked the innkeeper for a room and led Miao'er to wash and change. Shanhe wanted to go too, but Granny Wei was there. She worried that being too close to Miao'er would arouse Granny Wei's suspicion, so she suppressed her doubts and bitterness, planning to find another opportunity to meet Miao'er back on the ship. Seeing that it was still early and she had nothing to do, Shanhe asked the waiter to find a set of painting tools. The large rosewood table was as smooth as a mirror. Shanhe knelt on the futon facing the moon-shaped window, spread out the paper with her delicate hands, and began to grind the ink. In a daze, she recalled the days in the Xue family's boudoir in Jinling. But when she picked up the brush, she couldn't think of anything good to paint.
Shanhe sighed deeply and slowly closed her eyes. The image that appeared on her mind was of Liang Shao, alone, leaning against the railing, trying to sober up on the night of their divorce.
I wonder how he is doing now...
The ink-soaked sheep's hair brush was placed back on the brush mountain. Shanhe stared blankly out the window.
The sky was clear and the summer heat was intense. The old poplar tree by the window, its branches gnarled and twisted, its leaves lush and green, stood proudly, bathed in the dappled sunlight. Shanhe suddenly remembered the peach trees in Shuyu Pavilion; the blossoms must have long since faded, and everyone had left, leaving only the person in the Liang family who feared loneliness most, alone in the empty courtyard. Thinking of this, Shanhe felt a lump in her throat and her eyes well up with tears.
She picked up her pen again, twisting her wrist to apply force.
That night, as they talked by the railing, he must have guessed she was leaving, yet he didn't try to stop her. That single word, "Take care," was a gesture of letting go and fulfilling her wish. Unfortunately, at that time, she was only thinking of breaking free from her constraints, completely oblivious to the sorrow in his eyes. Now, thinking back, everything that night, seemingly a farewell to Liang Ye, was clearly a final goodbye between her and him. The ballad was sung as "The Pity of the Willow," the banquet was filled with the sentiment of parting, cold rain fell from the sky, and even before he fell into a deep sleep, his murmurs were, "Cold rain falls on the river, night enters Wu..."
At dawn, I saw my guest off, and the Chu Mountains stood lonely...
He came to see off his only brother, and also to see her off. He had long been prepared to send them off, which is why he so easily drank the tea she offered him.
However, in just a few days, she became his brother's bedmate.
Her long-awaited new life was thus ruined, leaving her with no choice but to become a mistress, a woman who couldn't be seen in public. No, she wasn't even a mistress; she was merely a prostitute who didn't need money.
She recalled how she had been planning her future with great enthusiasm before she left.
Holding her painting, Xue Shanhe secretly vowed to make her life flourish with Qingyue after leaving the Liang family. She also secretly hoped that Liang Shao, with whom she had divorced, would finally achieve his ambitions and become a legendary general known for his red-tasseled spear.
But now, her rosy dreams have been shattered. Will Liang Shao's dream come true?
With swift strokes, the brush depicted a figure gazing into the distance from a railing on the rice paper, the hem of his dark blue robe billowing in the wind. The figure held a wine pot in one hand, head tilted back to the sky, exuding a carefree and unrestrained air, a sense of boundless joy and elegance. This was Liang Shao from her memory, the same Liang Shao that Wu Tianqi spoke of as a reckless yet ruthless tyrant with many grievances.
Dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, this is roughly what youthful exuberance is all about.
It's just that our fate in this life is too shallow, and our marriage has come to this... so be it.
She dipped her brush in ink again, intending to add two more female figures beside the man in the painting—the woman who had accompanied him through the wind and rain that night, and Qingyue. Before the brush touched the paper, her hand holding the brush was enveloped by a large palm.
Liang Ye knelt on the prayer mat behind her, holding her hand in one hand and bracing himself against the table with the other, his tall frame encircling her. His face was close to her cheek, and his warm breath sent a shiver down Shanhe's spine.
His low chuckle whispered close to my ear: "What are you drawing?"
Shanhe's heart pounded. Forcing herself to remain calm, she lowered her eyelashes to hide the panic in her eyes and said in a strained voice, "I was just drawing something when I had nothing else to do." Afraid that he would become suspicious, she quickly added, "Does it look like the old man gazing into the distance from the railing?"
Liang Ye lowered his gaze to look. The figure in the painting was only a silhouette, tall and elegant, leaning against the railing drinking wine, exuding a free and unrestrained spirit. But... was that free and unrestrained spirit of raising a cup to the sky truly Liang Ye? He prided himself on not being a drunkard.
But Ah Shao...
Shanhe turned her head to look at his face, noticing the gradually cooling look in his eyes, and her heart jumped into her throat. Shanhe hurriedly called out to him, "Grandpa."
Liang Ye withdrew his gaze and landed on the fair face of the person in his arms: "What's wrong?"
Shanhe simply stuffed the brush in his hand into his palm, tilted his head to the side, and forced a smile: "My paintings have always been about the image without the poem, and I always feel they lack spirit. Now that you are here, sir, could you please give me a poem?"
"How can you write a poem before your painting is finished?" Liang Ye's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.
"Then when I finish drawing, sir, please write a poem for me personally."
Liang Ye didn't utter a word, casually placing the sheep-hair brush on the brush rest. He braced himself against the large rosewood table, slowly leaning forward, almost pressing down on Shan He's back. Shan He remained kneeling with her back to him, only glancing at him sideways, quietly awaiting his reaction, but her heart was pounding, worried that he would realize the person in the painting was actually Liang Shao.
The heat and pressure from the man's back caused Shanhe to unconsciously shift her body.
Liang Ye lowered his gaze, his eyes lingering on her face, before slowly kissing her lips. It was swift and gentle. She showed no reaction, neither resistance nor reciprocation, only a slight tremor. What was she afraid of?
He raised his face, his voice growing deeper: "Shanshan."
"I don't like drinking."
Shanhe's heart pounded like a drum, and he twisted his hands incessantly.
The oppression came on overwhelmingly, and she felt as if she were drowning in a deep pool.
Liang Ye's eyes were dark and deep, like still water without waves, exuding a profound chill.
Are you drawing him?
Without needing to mention his name, Liang Ye and Xue Shanhe both knew him.
Shanhe's eyes trembled. He opened his mouth, but felt a burning sensation in his throat and couldn't utter a single word.
Liang Ye's eyes were filled with a deep, cold glint. He raised one hand, gripped Shan He's chin, and pinched the thin flesh of her chin inch by inch. Although he didn't use force, he didn't allow her to resist.
"Um?"
"Speak," Liang Ye said, staring into her eyes. "I'm waiting for your explanation."
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Author's Note: There will be a chapter dedicated to the younger brother soon (I don't know which chapter it will be), but his scenes with Shan Shan will be a little later. [glasses]
The following plot won't be entirely a two-person comedy between the older brother and Shan Shan. After they enter the mansion, there will definitely be some power struggles within the household. Kyoto Grand Stage, come and try if you dare! Many characters have already appeared before.
Needless to say, the Shi family is well-known. Liang Ye's teacher, the old Mr. Ouyang, dotes on his student. Has the noble lady Su Xizhao, whom Liang Ye planned to marry, gotten married yet? And the Third Prince, who caused the destruction of Shan Shan's family, seems to still be alive! And remember that gay conman Qiu Sanlang who promised to play the flute for his brother? His father, Qiu Hongyuan, is the head of the Ministry of War! Also, when the brother first investigated a case in Yue Tuo Village, he arrested the wrong person, didn't he? The person arrested had a name, Zhuang Yizhao, mentioned briefly before, haha.
Although I don't know exactly when they'll be out, they'll probably all come out for a walk. Don't forget to mention them when you see their names! I'll just mention them here, and then I'll write them down later. [Upright rabbit ears][Upright rabbit ears][Upright rabbit ears]
The gist is that good deeds bring good rewards and evil deeds bring evil consequences. Everyone carries their own karma; what's meant to happen will happen, and what's yours will come to pass. [pink heart][yellow heart]
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