Chapter 83 New Life
Liang Ye was so anxious that he vomited a mouthful of blood. Cheng An and Huai Song quickly helped him up and found an empty room in the Shi residence for him to rest.
Shi Maotong, Mrs. Zhou, and others rushed back after the family visit banquet and were handling the funeral arrangements at Cangfeng Courtyard. Shi Mingrui came to visit but was stopped at the door by Cheng An. Cai Xiang then invited Mingrui into her room, where she whispered about the events of the previous night with red and swollen eyes. Cheng Min did not return home all night because Liang Shao had returned to Beijing ahead of schedule. Cheng Min was worried that Liang Shao would learn of Shanhe's death, so she stayed by his side the whole time, not daring to leave his side for even a moment.
As dawn broke, the air still reeked of smoke. Liang Ye leaned back, his hazy consciousness slowly returning to his body, the fact that Xue Shanhe had perished in the fire once again flooding his mind.
Xue Shanhe is dead.
These five words are stuck in my head; I can't shake them off.
His chest heaved violently again, as if a ball of blood was churning inside him, trying to break free of his body. He desperately tried to recall the events of the previous night, only remembering Shanhe telling him that she felt unwell after drinking and wanted to come back early to rest. Yes, just to rest. How could she have caught fire, how could she have died?
He felt a piercing pain again. She hadn't said a word, not a single farewell phrase; everything was ordinary. It was just an ordinary evening; she had just felt unwell from drinking; she just wanted to go home and rest early. She was no different from any other day. How could she have caught fire! How could a living person have been burned to death!
He was already preparing to tell Ah Shao about their affair, he was already planning how to marry her, and his new residence was nearly complete. He had reserved a courtyard for Shan He, not large, but every plant, every door, and every window was personally supervised and constructed by him, and it was closest to his own courtyard. He obtained the palace and building plans from the past ten years from Shi Yuanji, and he personally designed the courtyard for Shan He based on these plans. Every day, he handled matters related to the Dali Temple and the visit to his family, and after nightfall, he drew plans, secretly incorporating the mountains, rivers, plants, and trees from Shan He's drawings. He stayed up for more than ten nights in a row, and he instructed Huai Song to secretly find skilled craftsmen in the capital to build wardrobes and chests for Shan He's courtyard. He left an empty plaque, intending for her to name it, and he planned to give it to her as a New Year's gift. He... he was so close, so very close, to a happy life with Shan He.
How could she have died?
Liang Ye looked up blankly. The tables, chairs, and cupboards in the room were unfamiliar and empty, with dust floating and sinking in the air. A few rays of sunlight pierced through the window paper, gently streaming in. Time flowed forward, but Xue Shanhe remained forever in last night.
Cheng An quietly stood under the eaves and said gently, "My lord, the last person to see Madam Xue last night was He Niang. She was frightened, but she has woken up now. Would you like to see her, my lord?"
Liang Ye turned his head blankly, his gaze lingering on Cheng An's face for a while before he slowly understood what he meant. Liang Ye nodded: "Hmm... quickly call her over."
A short while later, He Niang entered the house, sobbing, and bowed to Liang Ye with tears in her eyes.
Liang Ye's voice was somewhat weak: "Why did the fire start? What exactly happened last night?"
As He Niang wiped away her tears with her handkerchief, she choked out, "When I returned, the fire was already burning. My lady was trapped in the main room, and I could only see her shadow from afar."
"Did she speak to you?" Liang Ye asked anxiously. "Did she leave any message?"
He Niang sobbed, "She was dragging Qingyue and Miao'er's bodies. She called out to me from inside, asking me to quickly go find the master and ask you to come back quickly to save them. The lady said she couldn't carry both of them. She said Qingyue and Miao'er had both fainted. She said the smoke inside was too thick and it was making her feel nauseous. She told me I must call the master back to save them!"
Liang Ye shed two lines of clear tears.
How helpless and desperate she must have felt at that moment, desperately seeking help from him, but he wasn't there for her.
He Niang continued, “My lady died so tragically! Sister Qingyue and Sister Miao’er both fainted, and you saved them both by yourself! The fire made the doors and windows scorching hot, and I couldn’t get in. I could only watch helplessly as the wardrobe and the canopy bed collapsed one by one, blocking your way. I told Huai Song to hurry and find you. I kept calling for you from outside. At first, you answered me, but then your voice became hoarse and more and more pitiful. I couldn’t see you, but I could hear you crying and calling. You called your name. You said you were in so much pain, that the fire hurt so much. You asked me if I had called for Master, and why he hadn’t come to save you!” He Niang couldn’t help but burst into tears. “It was heartbreaking to hear you! I couldn’t see inside, but I could hear your piercing cries. You kept saying that the fire hurt so much!”
Liang Ye's pupils dilated violently, and his whole body trembled. He seemed to see Shanhe screaming in agony in the fire, her cries for help desperately fading until she could only lie on the ground, weeping, waiting for the flames to consume her. Suddenly, the image of her curled-up, charred corpse flashed before his eyes. As the fire consumed her body, did she blame him for not returning? As she curled up in agony, facing death, did she blame him for not returning?
She must be in so much pain, she must be crying.
Why did he let her come back? Why couldn't he be firmer and force her to stay at the Earl's residence? He forced her to do so many things before, why didn't he force her this time?
Why……
He vomited a mouthful of thick, purple blood, which spilled onto the quilt. Liang Ye propped himself up, his ears ringing. He Niang was startled and rushed forward to support Liang Ye, putting her arm around his shoulder. She cried out, "Master, sir, if my wife saw you like this, she would be heartbroken!"
Liang Ye wiped away his tears.
She will never see it again...
*
She saw a painted boat moored at the end of the official road, with two boatmen anxiously waiting on the shore. Shanhe quickly woke Qingyue and Miao'er: "We've arrived at the Feihe Wharf! Wake up!"
To avoid being discovered by Liang Ye's men, Wu Tianqi chose a winding and secluded escape route. Since last night, they had already changed carriages three times. The pleasure boat before them was the final change. Once on board, they would travel by water towards Jinling.
Liang Ye was suspicious by nature, and since Wu Tianqi had helped Shanhe escape before, Wu Tianqi returned to Mizhou early this time, leaving only Wen Deng and Wen Zhu to make arrangements.
The boat was steered by a middle-aged couple. After welcoming Shanhe and the others onto the boat, the couple didn't ask any questions. The man went to steer, while the woman led the three of them to the cabin and pointed to three sets of coarse cloth dresses on the table.
So, Shanhe took off her silk robes and jeweled headdress, and put on a coarse indigo dress and cloth shoes with thick soles. Her once soft, black hair was now simply tied into a bun with two ordinary wooden hairpins. Her once beautiful face, with its painted eyebrows and powdered face, was now bare, revealing a natural and slender figure.
The boatwoman handed her a bronze mirror. The hazy, blurry surface distorted her face. Shanhe's heart sank. This blurry, distorted face—that was her.
She escaped.
From now on, I will no longer have to live at Liang Ye's beck and call, no longer have to pretend with him, and no longer have to be his free prostitute.
She had suffered so much, so much, but now the hard times were finally over. Her heart was surging with joy.
On the blurred mirror, two more distorted faces appeared. Qingyue and Miao'er embraced Shanhe together, and the three of them looked at each other, feeling as if they had been transported to another world.
Shanhe helped Qingyue sit down, and the boatwoman brought out the ever-present medicine box and slowly treated Qingyue's wounds. Miao'er was hungry and went to find some food. Shanhe glanced at the pile of their recently changed clothes on the table, and with a feeling of unease, she picked up the clothes, ran to the railing, and threw them all into the Fei River.
thump.
The surging river surface gleamed with silver light, and the waves swallowed up the cumbersome clothes, swiftly crashing against the hull. Beneath the boat, the river flowed eastward, rolling towards the horizon.
They were getting further and further away from the shore.
Everything in Kyoto was shrouded in the morning mist, while the deep echoes of the morning bell from Joonji Temple reverberated across the Hi River. A boatman's shout broke through the thin fog, and a cold wind from late November swept in, making Shanhe shiver.
She felt as if her internal organs were boiling.
The fire has consumed my former self; the lotus embodies my spirit, and the leaves my essence.
All things in heaven and earth are guests, and I alone enjoy the first spring in the world.
Shanhe finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
Hearing the commotion, Miao'er ran over with three pancakes in her arms and hugged Shanhe tightly.
Shanhe leaned on Miao'er's thin shoulder and sobbed.
Miao'er said softly, "My lady, cry it out. Cry away all the bad luck, and from now on, all the days will be good." She gently stroked Shanhe's head.
Shanhe cried and nodded at the same time.
A northerly wind swept in from the river, ruffling their hair.
The boat journey took four days before arriving in Jinling.
A green-canopied carriage was waiting at the dock early in the morning, and picked up the three people and drove them into Nanjing.
More than three years have passed, and Nanjing has changed dramatically. The only things that remain unchanged are the splendor of the Six Dynasties along the Qinhuai River and the ancient tolling of the bell at Jiming Temple.
The carriage stopped in the deep alley. Shanhe and the other two got off the sedan chair one by one. They saw a woman with a long face standing beside them with a smile. Behind her stood a narrow door with a new black paint.
Upon seeing Shanhe, the woman greeted her with a smile, "My surname is Fang, you can just call me Madam Fang." She opened the door, leading Shanhe and the others inside, and said gently, "Ladies, you must be tired from your journey. You should rest well tonight. I heard from the ward master that you are a recent widow and have just returned to your hometown of Jinling, where all your relatives have passed away. I was thinking that since you've settled here, you can just call me if you need anything. I live in the house across the street." She pointed to the house across the street.
Upon hearing this, Shanhe knew that Wu Tianqi hadn't revealed her background, and secretly praised him for his thoughtfulness. She replied, "Greetings, Madam Fang. My surname is Xue. These are my two younger sisters, one named Qingyue and the other Miao'er. They came back with me." She paused, "Are Madam Fang and Master Wu quite familiar with each other?"
Madam Fang laughed and said, "We're not that close, we've only known each other for three or four months. I'm just making a living at her painting studio now."
"What a coincidence," Shanhe said with a smile. "I also learn to paint from the master."
“I know. We painters have all seen your painting, Madam.” Madam Fang stopped in her tracks. “That copy of ‘The Newly Compiled Illustrated Palace of Eternal Life’.”
They had just passed through a courtyard and over the old sycamore tree in the yard. Now, as they climbed the steps, they came to two carved lattice doors adorned with goldfish and lotus flowers. Fang Niangzi pushed the doors open, and a spacious main hall immediately appeared behind them.
First, there's an incense cabinet for the Buddhist shrine, then a set of pear wood tables and chairs on the right, a thin carpet on the floor, and a wooden staircase on the left leading to the second floor. There's no other furniture.
Madam Fang led them, saying, "This is an old house. The owners moved to Tianhang last year, so it's been empty. You three young ladies can hang a few paintings on the walls and grow a few flowers in the yard; that'll be your living space." She then led the three to the second floor, their footsteps clattering on the stairs. "The second floor has four rooms, two with windows facing the yard and two facing the street. In my opinion, each of you should choose one room to live in, and the other can be used as a bathhouse. It's late November now, and it's so cold it could freeze your nose off. Although there's a bathhouse in the yard, you'll have to walk through it after bathing at night, so it's better to have the bathhouse on the second floor." She first pushed open the door to one of the bedrooms facing the street. "The one facing the street gets more light. Behind this house is your yard, and in the front is a shop. The shop owner said she plans to set up a small painting studio for you; this shop will be it."
Shanhe agreed to everything. Hearing the last sentence, her eyes lit up. She hurried to the window, pushed open the gauze-covered windowpane, and saw a few pedestrians walking along the cobblestone street, their voices occasionally mingling with the sounds of people. Shanhe's heart pounded, and her hand on the window trembled slightly.
Madam Fang said, "The rules of secluded courtyards are for wealthy families. We women who earn our living with our own skills don't need to be bound by such formalities. If you don't like the noise outside, Madam, you can keep the windows closed less often, which will save you trouble."
"It's nothing!" Shanhe hurriedly turned her head. "I like it all. Thank you, Madam Fang! This place is really nice, much better than where I used to live. There's life here!"
Madam Fang didn't know why Shanhe was so excited, but she smiled and said, "Thank you, Manager Mi and the shop owner. Manager Mi has taken care of everything here. I never would have guessed that a man like him could be so thoughtful."
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Author's Note: Sorry I'm late! I'll resume my regular update schedule as soon as possible!!!
The next chapter will focus on Shanhe's career path~ There might be a random appearance of the second brother [glasses]
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