Chapter 85 Liang Shao Reunited
Since the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, the weather has become even colder. Shanhe earned money from painting portraits and bought three cotton-padded coats and three charcoal stoves. Because Shanhe and Miao'er had to conceive and paint during the day, all household expenses were entrusted to Qingyue, and Qingyue also managed the money.
Qingyue, who used to serve Shanhe, is now the head housekeeper, burning with ambition and determined to manage the household and not let Shanhe down. Therefore, she diligently learned to read from Shanhe, adding to what she had learned from picture books, and now meticulously keeps daily accounts, leaving no detail overlooked. Even Miao'er, wanting to buy snacks, has to go through Qingyue's account, item by item.
Shanhe was extremely conscientious in her work and sincere in her dealings with others. If a customer was dissatisfied with her portrait, she would always back down first, preferring to suffer a loss herself. In this way, she gradually made acquaintances with many young ladies from wealthy families. Since it was the twelfth lunar month, Shanhe wanted to earn more money to buy New Year's goods, so she proposed new titles such as "New Year's Portraits" and "Mother and Daughter Portraits," earning more than ten taels of silver for each portrait.
By mid-December, their savings had reached nearly one hundred taels. Shanhe was exhausted, and by the twentieth of December, she had completely stopped working at home. She slept in bed for most of the day before she felt better, and her hands stopped shaking so much.
The next day, the three of them wrapped themselves in cotton-padded coats, rented a blue-curtained carriage, and set off on a trip together. The snow in Jinling covered everything in the world. From the Qinhuai River to Jiming Temple, and from Jiming Temple to Qixia Mountain, the sound of snow falling was constant. With their three noses red from the cold, they laughed and played all the way, as if they didn't feel the cold at all.
Finally, there is the Xue family's old residence.
The three alighted from the carriage and saw a half-open door, leaving room for one person to pass through. Shanhe gently pushed the door open, and memories of the past flowed in like a gentle stream. She was born in this mansion, grew up in this mansion, this was Xue Shanhe's true home.
The once grand mansion was now deserted and desolate. Even the snow in the yard was unswept, almost ankle-deep. The three walked along the veranda until they reached the main house, where they suddenly noticed a series of fresh footprints in front of the door.
Shanhe was startled and raised his voice to ask if anyone was there.
A man wearing a round hat and holding a feather duster hurried out.
The man's surname was Li, and because he was in the business of buying, selling, and renting houses, he was known locally as "Li the Ten Thousand Houses." Li Wanfang told Shanhe and the other two that after Xue Yin, who had committed a crime, was beheaded, this mansion had another owner who lived there for a little over a year before being demoted to Lingnan. Therefore, the people of Jinling all considered this house unlucky, and it had remained vacant until now. Li Wanfang now held the land deed to the mansion, but couldn't sell it no matter what. Since it was the twelfth lunar month, Li Wanfang had come today specifically to clean it up, as a preparation for the New Year.
Upon hearing this, Shanhe's heart stirred slightly, and he asked, "Then how much does this mansion cost now?"
Li Wanfang then took a closer look at Shanhe. He paused and said, "Because this house is considered unlucky, it was originally supposed to cost three thousand taels, but now, eight hundred taels is fine."
"Eight hundred taels?" Miao'er exclaimed in surprise, "No wonder you couldn't sell them!"
Li Wanfang glanced at her, then picked up the feather duster and went back to sticking up the cobwebs: "You think it's expensive, but I didn't tell you to buy it. This house is just a bit unlucky, but looking at the construction and decoration inside, eight hundred taels is a great deal for you!"
Shanhe slowly lowered her eyes, and then asked, "What if we rent it?"
"Rent?" Li Wanfang came out of the house, his voice somewhat excited. "If we rent it, it will cost at least six taels a month."
Shanhe hurriedly said, "Six taels! I can sign right away!"
Qingyue couldn't help but advise, "Madam, it's six taels of silver. Your paintings only cost five taels."
Shanhe patted her hand: "It's alright. This house is empty now, and no one lives here. I was thinking, why don't we move here during the New Year? Besides, we were born and raised here, don't you want to go back here? I'll slowly earn money later, and we can persuade him to buy it for five or six hundred taels. When you and Miao'er get married from here, won't that be a grand and respectable occasion?"
Qingyue frowned: "Wife, what are you saying!"
Shanhe nodded to Qingyue and immediately arranged with Li Wanfang to finalize the contract in five days. That evening, back home, the three sat around the brazier. Qingyue discussed the accounts of the past month, and the three of them planned how to increase income and reduce expenditure in the future. Unexpectedly, three days later, before the contract was to be finalized, Li Wanfang sent a servant to say that a master had taken a liking to the Xue family's old residence and was willing to buy it for eight hundred taels of silver, therefore it could not be rented to Shanhe.
Shanhe hurriedly asked, "They promised to rent it to me, and we were all preparing to move in for the New Year. Why did they suddenly sell it to someone else?"
The servant was quite embarrassed: "That gentleman is very generous. He saw the house today and can settle the contract and pay immediately." The servant's eyes darted around, "How about... Madam, go and ask that gentleman? I don't think he wants to move in right away."
Upon hearing this, Shanhe immediately asked Qingyue to open the chest and take out the money. He pocketed twenty taels of silver and took Qingyue and Miao'er to Li Wanfang's shop.
Li Wanfang had just completed the contract with the gentleman and was on his way to the government office to process the paperwork. Seeing Shanhe approach, Li Wanfang, feeling embarrassed, proposed a compensation plan: "My lady, we only had a verbal agreement, right? This gentleman has already paid the deposit, and the balance will be settled within three days. My lady, how about this, you choose another property, and I'll give you a 50% discount for the first three months, how about that?"
Shanhe said, "I only want this house. You clearly told me this before. What do you mean by selling it to someone else now? At least you should have informed me first, instead of sending a servant to tell me after the sale was completed."
Li Wanfang chuckled awkwardly, "How about this, my lady, you talk to this gentleman yourself. He said he plans to move in after the New Year, so you can rent for a month first."
Shanhe knew they had made a pact, and it couldn't be changed now, which left her feeling utterly dejected. She had originally hoped to live in her childhood home, a return to her roots, but now, with this turn of events, there was nothing she could do. The person was dead; that place was no longer her home. This situation was likely the old man's way of subconsciously telling her: the past cannot be retrieved; no matter how much she longed for the days before she was fifteen, it was all gone. Thinking this, Shanhe's eyes dimmed. "So be it," she sighed, turning away abruptly. Qingyue and Miao'er exchanged a glance, sighed as well, and followed Shanhe outside.
The three walked out dejectedly. Li Wanfang sneered and then turned to go to the private room. Unexpectedly, the door to the private room was opened from the inside, and a voice was heard from inside: "Someone else wants to buy this house? Manager Li, you're not being honest. You didn't tell me beforehand."
Shanhe felt her spine stiffen, and her blood freeze. She knew that voice all too well.
Liang Shao glanced at Li Wanfang: "Your youngest son just said that the person made a verbal agreement with you, why didn't you inform me beforehand?"
Li Wanfang hurriedly approached with a smile, but Liang Shao ignored him, shuffling down the stairs. He turned to the departing figures at the door and said, "Ladies, if you really like this house, you can move in now. Anyway, I don't intend to—" He stood before the stairs, seeing Qingyue turn around, looking at him in surprise. The two ladies beside her, however, stood with their backs turned, frozen in place.
Liang Shao suddenly felt his blood freeze in an instant, and his limbs and bones became so stiff that he couldn't move at all.
Another young woman turned half her face to the side, looking quite childlike, and took the middle woman's arm, asking with concern, "Wife, what's wrong?"
Standing in the middle, Xue Shanhe was at a loss for what to do. She blinked and realized that her eyes were sore and a little wet.
Seeing that he looked strange, Li Wanfang hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "Second Master Liang, these ladies are the ones who wanted to rent that house earlier, but I've already refused them, and they're leaving now..."
Liang Shao raised his hand, silencing Li Wanfang's incessant chatter. His gaze was fixed on Shanhe; her slender figure confirmed it was her. Liang Shao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. The slight anger he had felt earlier due to Li Wanfang's inconsiderate actions, and the restlessness from days of searching for Shanhe, had long since dissipated, replaced by a tension he hadn't anticipated. He had searched everywhere for her, but to no avail. He was already preparing to return to the capital; he was just waiting to buy the Xue family's old house today before heading back, and then he saw her here.
Liang Shao bypassed Qingyue, who stood there dumbfounded, and Miao'er, who looked wary, and walked step by step to Shanhe.
She kept her head down, biting her lip, her eyes a little red. She was still as thin as she had been half a year ago, with a pointed chin and a pale face, whether from the cold or from exhaustion, it was hard to tell.
“You…” His throat tightened, and he couldn’t help but raise his hand, wanting to touch Shanhe’s face.
Miao'er's eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing this, she raised her hand and slapped Liang Shao's hand away, cursing, "Shameless idiot! You think you're so great just because you have a few bucks! You lowlife! How dare you be so insolent in broad daylight!"
Qingyue quickly shook her head at her.
Miao'er ignored her and continued to berate her: "You're truly shameless! You look decent enough, but you have such a heart. You scoundrel, get lost! You're not worthy to touch my wife!"
Liang Shao was furious after being berated. He glared at Miao'er and said, "You little brat, who are you? Xue Shanhe is my wife, when did she become yours?" He then turned to Shanhe and said, "Shanshan, is this your servant? You bring all sorts of cats and dogs around you. She looks like a clean and innocent girl, but why do you speak so sarcastically?"
Shanhe grasped Miao'er's wrist, nodded to Liang Shao, and said, "I'm sorry." He then quickly pulled her out.
Qingyue followed, saying, "Madam, Madam, won't you say a word to Second Master?"
"No." Shanhe couldn't help but shed tears. "I can't tell him anything about me. I can't tell him a single word."
Miao'er slowly realized that the man she had just seen must be Shanhe's ex-husband, the infamous Liang the Tyrant of Mizhou. Her heart sank, and she looked back to see that he had already chased after her, calling "Shanshan" repeatedly. When she turned around, Liang Shao glared at her angrily. Miao'er shuddered.
The three quickly boarded the carriage. Shanhe leaned against the carriage wall, feeling uneasy. Qingyue glanced at her and couldn't help but say, "My lady, it seems that the Second Master came to Jinling specifically to find you."
Shanhe bit her lip and said, "I finally managed to escape, so let's just forget about it. I... I've been through so much, and it's only now that I have a peaceful life. This is for the best. Liang Ye thought I was dead, so it's only right that the two brothers can live in peace."
Qingyue kept sighing.
Miao'er leaned against the car window and turned her face: "But he caught up with us."
Shanhe's heart sank, feeling an indescribable mix of joy and helplessness.
Qingyue also went over to look, but saw that Liang Shao was already on horseback, only a few steps away from the carriage. Seeing Qingyue peek out, Liang Shao flicked his whip and hurriedly caught up, laughing, "Qingyue! Qingyue, when did you arrive in Jinling? I sent people to look for you before, but we couldn't find you."
Shanhe leaned closer and lifted the carriage curtain. Their eyes met, both of them shocked and trembling. Shanhe's voice trembled slightly, but she still managed to say firmly, "Second Master, you should leave. We are doing very well now, you should leave."
Liang Shao's Adam's apple bobbed: "Shanshan..." He laughed again: "It's been a long time. May I come to your residence for a cup of tea?"
Shanhe bit her lip and said, "There's no tea. You...you should go back."
“Water will do. There’s always water, right?” he said with a wry smile.
There's no water either.
"I don't believe it. Without water, how will the three of you—"
Shanhe immediately cut him off: "Liang Shao! Didn't you hear me? Don't you understand? I want you to leave. Don't follow us anymore!"
Liang Shao's smile froze. He slowly lowered his eyes, his expression gradually becoming indifferent, and the corners of his mouth drooped, making him look extremely aggrieved.
Shanhe felt only heartache.
After a while, just as Shanhe was about to lower the carriage curtain, Liang Shao suddenly looked up, still with his signature carefree laugh that seemed oblivious to the hardships of the world: "Shanshan, I'm on my way, just passing by with you."
Shanhe hurriedly called to the driver to stop the car. Liang Shao also stopped.
Shanhe frowned: "Then go do your own business and don't worry about us."
Liang Shao reined in his horse, looked up at the sky, and said, "I'm tired, I need to rest too."
Miao'er was stunned, completely dumbfounded. She never expected Liang Shao to be so shameless and clingy to Shan He. No wonder he's such a tyrant; such a domineering personality is rare among ordinary people.
Shanhe lifted the carriage curtain and loudly instructed the driver, "Let's go, let's ignore him!"
Just as the carriage started moving, a whip cracked outside. Liang Shao laughed and said, "I've rested enough too! Shanshan, let's go together!"
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Author's Note: Remember to comment on Chapter 80, everyone! There's a giveaway event! [starry-eyed]
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