Second time
"A roundabout way out of the manor?" Tang Feng frowned.
"Um"
"What do you mean?!"
"It's a roundabout way, going through the main entrance."
"Do you know what it means to have a single conversation with a wise man that is more insightful than a single talk?" Tang Feng sighed, feeling something was amiss, and casually peeled a grape, handing it to Zhang Mobai. "How about we reconsider? I've just gotten into trouble. Whether it's a roundabout way or a straightforward one, my father won't let me leave through the main gate. No, no, I'd rather climb over the wall."
"Tsk, you have to believe me. Besides, if you manage to get out through the main gate, you're lucky. If you don't, your uncle will just reject your request and won't say anything. But what if you try to get out through the wall and get caught? Right?"
"That's true, but... you had absolutely no reason to use the front door."
"That's why we have to take this roundabout route!"
"So how will you take a roundabout approach?"
"Young Master, I've brewed the tea and also bought some ox-tongue pastries and sweet buns from Liu Fu Ji." Just as Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai were discussing, Liu Yiwan came over with a lunchbox.
Seeing Liu Yiwan approaching, Zhang Mobai pulled Tang Feng to his side and whispered, "Don't worry about it, I'll definitely let you go out today." He patted Tang Feng's chest as if to reassure him. Then, turning to Liu Yiwan, he asked, "Liu Fu Ji's ox-tongue pastry? That sounds good! I love it. What kind of tea is it?"
"Young Master Zhang, since you're here, of course we should serve you what you like. This tea is the white tea that the young master usually drinks; please try it." After saying this, Liu Yiwan smiled and handed it over.
"Liu Yiwan, I've never realized you were so nice to me before!" Tang Feng felt a little awkward. This morning he'd asked for sweet buns and they'd refused to buy them, but now that Zhang Mobai was here, they were practically begging him to.
"Little brother, you're overthinking it. I once tricked Liu Yiwan by hanging him from a tree. He fell asleep and I thought he was dead. I almost buried him alive. Ever since that incident, Liu Yiwan has been terrified of me."
Tang Feng broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. "You're really something! You actually did this?!"
Zhang Mobai chuckled as he looked at Liu Yiwan, who was pouring him tea, and said, "Little Liu, your young master is going to visit my father tonight and will be staying overnight. So you don't need to come with him when he leaves the manor tonight. I'll speak to Uncle Tang myself." "With Young Master Zhang accompanying my young master, I'm naturally at ease. However, my young master is still under house arrest, and there's also this Tao Te Ching..."
"Here you go!" Zhang Mobai said, stuffing a stack of papers into Liu Yiwan's arms. "Take this to Uncle Tang and report back."
Liu Yiwan counted the papers, her brows relaxing. "Alright! I won't bother you any longer." Having said that, Liu Yiwan took the punishment paper and was naturally happy. With the young master's ban lifted, he wouldn't be calling her every day anymore, and the master wouldn't be making things difficult for her anymore.
"This is your brilliant idea? To spend the night at your house?" Tang Feng was a little confused. From a modern perspective, if a child had just made a mistake a couple of days ago and was now going out with their best friend and staying out all night, the final outcome would definitely be the parents smilingly sending the other child back home first, and then giving their own child a unique and complete childhood.
"Don't worry, there won't be any problem. I haven't visited you since you fell from the horse and woke up, and you haven't gone to my father's to let him know you're safe. Uncle Tang will definitely let you go. It's a lame excuse, but he's a considerate person."
Tang Feng thought about it and felt that what he said made sense. Whether he could get out or not depended on Zhang Mobai's ability. Thinking of this, the bad mood he had been in after being punished and beaten a few days ago dissipated. After all, according to Zhang Mobai, he wouldn't be beaten even if he got out. Tang Feng picked up the sugar bun that Liu Yiwan had put on the table, took a bite and his mouth was full of juice.
Liu Fu Ji was the best pastry shop Tang Feng had ever eaten at since he arrived. Ever since he was punished, Liu Yiwan had gone to Liu Fu Ji every day to buy two sweet buns, and he couldn't stop craving them if he didn't eat them for a day. Tang Feng finished the two sweet buns while he was lost in thought, and he licked his fingers, still feeling a little unsatisfied.
"When are you leaving?" Tang Feng took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, poured Zhang Mobai a cup of tea, and also poured himself a cup.
"Young man, you can go whenever you want. If you want to leave, I'll go talk to your uncle right now."
Then Zhang Mobai ran to Master Tang and fabricated a whole story, making the old man beam with delight. The old man kept praising Mobai's intelligence and brilliance at such a young age, saying he would surely shoulder great responsibilities in the future, and at the end, he didn't forget to subtly criticize Tang Feng. Having received the old man's approval, Tang Feng was finally free. Leaving the Tang residence, he couldn't help but think of the scolding he'd received from the old man, and couldn't help but recall how his grandmother used to praise him to everyone. This was probably the legendary "other people's children are always sweeter," Tang Feng muttered somewhat irritably, "You get to be the good guy all the time."
"Hey~ I was just trying to save you from a dire situation, and you're getting all upset? It's okay! My dad always praises you like that to me~"
Tang Feng followed Zhang Mobai to the Zhang residence to pay respects to his father. Afterwards, they went out onto the main street, strolling around and buying quite a few nice items. "Why are we buying so much stuff?" Tang Feng asked, noticing the large bags they were carrying, assuming they were just out shopping. "You don't understand! These silver coins have the surname engraved on the bottom. This is called official silver. The Ministry of Revenue specially stamped it to facilitate the distribution of officials' salaries. We can't use official silver in Wanchun Lane; we have to use the loose silver used by ordinary people." With that, Zhang Mobai turned over the silver coins he had taken from the residence for Tang Feng to see; indeed, the character "Zhang" was printed on them.
"No wonder the madam of Qinghui Brothel knew to go to the Tang residence to ask for money!"
The two arrived at Wanchun Lane shortly after they set off. It was sunset, and the lane was just beginning to light up with lanterns for the shops to open. Servants from each of the lanes were busy cleaning. Tang Feng led Zhang Mobai along the same route as before to Qinghui Lane.
"Oh my! Isn't this Young Master Tang? You've taken the time to come again!"
"I'm looking for Han Jiuhua," Tang Feng said, tossing the silver to the madam before heading straight inside. He didn't want to deal with her at all; just seeing her made him angry.
"Oh dear, young master, please wait a moment. Our Nine Flowers brothel is already busy with guests today. Would you like to choose one of our other girls?" The madam saw Tang Feng about to enter and hurriedly tried to pull him back, almost tripping herself in the process. She straightened herself, glanced at Tang Feng's somewhat displeased expression, and quickly smiled apologetically, "Young master, I have no choice! The guests at Nine Flowers are all powerful and influential people from the palace; I can't just turn them away! Please do me a favor and see which girl in my brothel is pretty; they'll all be half price today!"
“Madam Wang, I haven’t even settled the score with you for the money you asked for at my house a few days ago. Today I brought a friend, and you tell me you can’t entertain him. You’re so disrespectful, why should I do you a favor?” Tang Feng pulled his sleeve out of the madam’s grasp, turned around, and said with his hands behind his back, “I’ll wait at most half an incense stick’s time. You decide what to do.” After saying that, he led Zhang Mobai to sit on a stool to the side.
Zhang Mobai glanced at the madam frantically calling for help, then covered his mouth and chuckled, "Little brother, you're something else, you stood up!"
"Learn this, it's a life lesson. Once you've paid, you have to be assertive; it makes you seem more powerful."
"I see," Zhang Mobai nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly stood up and walked towards the madam. He threw a punch, which missed, but the force of the punch grazed the madam's face, sending her bangs flying. "My little brother told you to hurry up, did you hear me?"
"Hiss~ What are you doing? What are you doing? Come back here!" Tang Feng was completely bewildered by Zhang Mobai's outburst. He quickly pulled Zhang Mobai aside, then squatted down, looking at the madam slumped on the ground, and said with a smile, "Aunt Wang, my brother here is a bit stubborn. I apologize, but... if you don't hurry, I can't guarantee what he might do." After saying that, Tang Feng got up and went back inside.
"This trick actually works!" Zhang Mobai chuckled as he watched the madam scramble upstairs to call for help, propping his head up with his hand.
"Why are you so extreme?! You shouldn't be called Zhang Mobai anymore, you should change your name to Little Madman."
"What are you saying? If I hadn't laid the groundwork for you, do you think she would have kicked you out after just a few words? You should thank me; I've done you a good favor." After saying that, Zhang Mobai started picking at his fingers.
After spending the entire day with Zhang Mobai, Tang Feng felt that Zhang Mobai was very intelligent, adept at handling people and situations, and somewhat ruthless in achieving his goals. From their conversation, Tang Feng could tell that Zhang Mobai and he had a very good relationship. Such a smart and loyal person was definitely worth befriending. It was fortunate that they had a good relationship; if Zhang Mobai had wanted to harm him, Tang Feng would have been dead a thousand times over.
"Young Master Tang, I just had someone inquire. Jiu Hua said she didn't know you were coming to visit today, and as compensation, she's inviting you two gentlemen to a boat trip on the Wei River." The madam, panting heavily from running all the way, stood bent over in front of Tang Feng, catching her breath for a while before finally speaking.
"Then lead the way! Madam Wang, oh right, you just said everything is half price, so I won't be polite." After saying that, Tang Feng took the purse he had just been given from the madam's waist, took out half a coin, and waved it in front of the madam. "Thank you for your generosity, Madam Wang."
The madam, weighing the purse which was half the weight of before, secretly stamped her foot. Seeing Zhang Mobai staring intently at her, she couldn't help but feel a little scared. She tossed her handkerchief aside and said with a forced smile, "It's only right, it's only right. Gentlemen, please follow me."
The madam led Tang Feng and Zhang Mobai through a side door. Outside, a completely different world unfolded. Sparse bamboo groves grew, and now, in late autumn, the bamboo was turning yellow. Unlike the bustling front yard, the backyard was much quieter, somewhat resembling Han Jiuhua's villa. "Young masters, watch your step," the madam cautioned before continuing forward. As they neared the end of the bamboo grove, Tang Feng saw a faint light flickering ahead.
"Is that Qinghuifang up ahead too?"
"Oh, no way! The Wei River is just ahead. Even if my Qinghui Fang is rich, I can't buy it! I'll leave you here. Do you see the pleasure boat ahead? Jiu Hua is waiting for you on it." With that, the madam turned and left.
Tang Feng emerged from the woods and saw that the Wei River was bustling with activity, with people releasing lanterns along the banks. "Wow, it's so lively here!"
“Naturally, the Wei River is the moat of Xiling. One of its branches flows into the city and forms a small lake. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau divined the lake and said it was an auspicious omen from heaven, bringing wealth and prosperity to the country and its people. It is a sign of good fortune. The royal family holds annual sacrifices to heaven and ancestors here. Since the royal family does this, the common people follow suit, believing that the lake can attract wealth and good fortune. So, they come here in the middle of the night to release lanterns.” Zhang Mobai accompanied Tang Feng to the riverbank, squatted down, and touched the lake water with his hand before asking, “Little brother, do you also want to release a lantern?”
"No, no," Tang Feng said, following the ripples Zhang Mobai had created in the water. He saw a pleasure boat with Qinghuifang lanterns hanging on it. "That should be it. Let's go," he said, pulling Zhang Mobai towards the pleasure boat.
"Is this young master Tang?"
"Exactly."
"I am the boatman, please board the boat. The young lady is waiting for you inside," the girl said, lifting the bamboo curtain to signal Tang Feng and the others to go in.
Tang Feng tapped the wooden sign hanging on the side of the boat. "I'm going in," he said, then pulled Zhang Mobai into the cabin. The scenery inside the boat was clearly not as exquisite as Han Jiuhua's villa, and the space was relatively small. But what remained unchanged was that there was still a gauze curtain separating Han Jiuhua from the guest seating area. Tang Feng frowned. "So I still can't see you today!"
“Why ask if you already know?” Han Jiuhua picked up a handkerchief and began wiping the zither. “You’ve brought distinguished guests today! It’s my fault for not being hospitable enough. However, the pleasure boat is fully equipped with musical instruments. Please feel free to listen to whatever you like. Consider this my apology to you both.”
"Hmm... listen..." Actually, Tang Feng wasn't very good at listening to music. He could listen to some famous pieces, but if it was a niche piece, he wouldn't be able to remember the name, and he might even fall asleep listening to it. Han Jiuhua's question really stumped Tang Feng.
"May I ask if you, young lady, can play the flute?" Zhang Mobai walked to the seat and knelt down directly.
"nature"
"Then please, young lady, play 'Guan Shan Yue' for us."
"Guan Shan Yue? Isn't that Li Bai's poem?!" Tang Feng may not be good at much else, but he's exceptional at memorizing poems; after all, he was often punished by his teachers to write poems during his high school years. Just as Tang Feng was thinking this, the sound of a xiao (vertical bamboo flute) drifted from Han Jiuhua's side. The flute's melody was melodious yet carried a touch of grandeur. It's said that experts see the details, while laymen only see the surface, but Tang Feng could indeed hear a sense of homesickness in the music, yet also a feeling of riding a horse on the frontier, a touch of heroic spirit, and the carefree joy of a thousand miles of exhilarating wind.
"Hey little brother, how about it? Come on over! This 'Guan Shan Yue' is Zi Liang's favorite piece. He's the only one who's ever seen the scenery of the northern frontier," Zhang Mobai said, leaning on the table and grinning at Tang Feng. Tang Feng felt a chill run down his spine; he couldn't help but feel that Zhang Mobai's smile was somewhat lewd.
"It sounds nice, but Ziliang is..." Before Tang Feng could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door.
"Gentlemen, we apologize for the intrusion. We have prepared some fruit platters and wine for you, but the ship has very little food. Please forgive us if our service has been inadequate." The boatman, Chang Sui, brought over a food box and placed it in front of the two men.
"Hey! There's wine! What kind of wine?" Zhang Mobai perked up at the sound of it and sat up straight immediately.
"Two summers ago, our daughters gathered tender bamboo shoots and morning dew from the bamboo grove in our backyard to make Bamboo Leaf Green wine. This Bamboo Leaf Green isn't as good as the Daughter's Red wine from the wine shop, but it's still refreshingly sweet and pleasant." After saying this, Chang Sui poured the wine into Tang Feng's and Zhang Mobai's wine cups respectively.
Tang Feng took a sip. It was indeed as Chang Sui had described—sweet and easy to drink. The liquor wasn't strong; it was cool on the palate with a lingering sweetness, and upon closer tasting, there was a hint of bamboo leaf fragrance. Tang Feng quite liked it. "Little madman, let's have a drink!" Tang Feng raised his wine cup to Zhang Mobai. Last time, Tang Feng had come alone, and there was wine on the table, but drinking alone was inevitably lonely. This time, with Zhang Mobai accompanying him, Tang Feng was more interested.
"Cheers!" Zhang Mobai also raised his wine cup, then tilted his head back and drank.
"Bang!" Tang Feng was startled and his hand trembled, spilling half the wine. "Little madman! Are you alright! Wake up!" Tang Feng saw Zhang Mobai slam his head on the table and become unresponsive. He panicked and hurriedly tried to wake him. Could the wine be poisoned? Tang Feng thought of some martial arts novels he used to read, where the protagonist would encounter a revenge killing, be poisoned by his enemy, and then accidentally kill someone else. Tang Feng shuddered at the thought and looked at Han Jiuhua with trembling eyes.
At this moment, Han Jiuhua put down her flute, stood up, and walked towards Tang Feng. "Perhaps he's just drunk," Han Jiuhua said. "His breathing is steady; he's probably just fast asleep from intoxication."
"Drunk? You got drunk from just one sip? So you've never drunk alcohol before!" Tang Feng breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly explained, "Sorry! I didn't expect my brother to be such a lightweight. Please excuse me."
"Not at all, as long as you're having fun, young master."
"My friend is in such a state, I shouldn't bother him any longer," Tang Feng said, and went to help Zhang Mobai up.
"Young Master Tang, your friend is fast asleep. It would be inconvenient for you to take him back alone. I'll cook some hangover soup for him and then send him back with someone!"
"Wouldn't this be too much trouble for you?" Tang Feng scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed, but Han Jiuhua was right; it was indeed quite inconvenient for him to take Zhang Mobai back with him.
"Of course not, you should head back early too! It's getting late."
After Tang Feng agreed, he walked towards the door. "Young Master Tang," Han Jiuhua suddenly called out to him as he lifted the bamboo curtain. "You must be careful on your way back! I don't know what to listen to next time you come. I suggest you listen to 'Requiem'." Han Jiuhua emphasized the word "must." Tang Feng frowned, sensing something was off about the statement, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Just as he was about to ask, the bamboo curtain was lifted open.
Tang Feng turned around and saw it was Chang Sui, the girl who had been rowing the boat. Chang Sui lifted the bamboo curtain and hung it on the boat's awning, then bowed to Tang Feng and said, "Young Master Tang, please come this way."
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