Chapter 109: The Ninety-Nine Cold Relief Diagram

Chapter 109: The Ninety-Nine Cold Relief Diagram

"You can play dumb, but I can't?"

"If we go by age alone, I could be considered of your father's generation." Shu Yuan looked at Lu Mingchao's lively expression, full of youthful defiance, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Being a teenager was truly a wonderful age.

His teenage years had been the same.

But now, he was like a river that had dried up more than a decade ago. The water had long since disappeared.

Few now remembered the days when the water flowed gently; all that remained was the exposed, dirty riverbed.

Xie Huaiqian interjected, "Are you saying you want to be my grandfather?"

"Would my birth father even know?"

That sudden remark snapped Shu Yuan out of his self-pity.

No, he was also lucky.

Time passed, as it always does.

Besides teaching Feng Jinyu to read, Lu Mingchao also taught Shu Yuan how to completely change his appearance.

Learning makeup takes time.

Luckily, Shu Yuan wasn't aiming for beauty, just a transformation. In no time, he went from a fair-skinned, handsome scholar to a tanned, bushy-browed farmer. He fit right in with the villagers in Changxi, with no hint of discord.

Some people privately asked Lu Mingchao why the two brothers looked so different.

Lu Mingchao said flatly, "They take after their mothers."

Afterward, Xie Yan took Shu Yuan to register his household at the county yamen.

Luckily, Shu Yuan's false identity held up perfectly.

In Changhe County, at the Sun's residence...

Handling funeral arrangements, condolences, and burial.

As soon as the mourning decorations were removed, Sun Zhiye let out a long sigh of relief.

Immediately after, he sent Old Master Sun and Madam Sun to a Taoist temple to retreat from worldly affairs.

From that point on, Sun Zhiye had complete control over the vast Sun residence.

However, after all these events, the Sun family wasn't as prosperous as it once was.

"Eldest Young Master Sun, the VIP's reply has arrived."

Candlelight reflected in Sun Zhiye's eyes, with a faint glimmer of joy.

In this world, there's never a shortage of opportunities to turn a desperate situation around.

Lu Mingchao couldn't win forever, and neither could he lose forever.

Suppressing the wild joy in his heart, Sun Zhiye took the letter.

"Agreed."

Words were worth their weight in gold.

But enough to settle Sun Zhiye's heart.

All along, what he had lacked was just a backer.

Lowering his gaze and calming his expression, his ambitious intentions were completely hidden in his gaze.

He put the letter away in a box, his fingertips lightly brushing the flickering candlelight. To partake in a risky endeavor, even if it meant retrieving the chestnuts from the fire, he had no other choice.

For now, if he couldn't be like a proud and evergreen pine in the wind and snow, being a flourishing and climbing trumpet creeper wasn't so bad.

In the future, this reliance would have a more pleasing name.

Sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall.

Sun Zhiye said in a low voice, "I heard that Lu Mingchao's older brother, Lu Lei, once discussed a marriage proposal with the daughter of the local school teacher in Lianhua Town, but it ultimately fell through. Send someone to investigate."

The candlelight reflected in his pupils, his eyes becoming increasingly deep and dark.

"Yes."

The figure vanished.

Heaven and earth daily urge each other on; winter solstice marks the return of yang, and spring follows.

Lu Mingchao discussed with Yunniang about preparing some gifts to visit Master Cheng's family in Lianhua Town on the day of the winter solstice.

In Daqian, the New Year signifies the year's start; winter solstice, the return of yang, both festivals hold equal importance.

In short, the winter solstice is as significant as the New Year, a time for noble people to remain still and tranquil.

In the imperial court, officials halt all duties, and the emperor refrains from politics.

Among the common folk, they choose auspicious times to conduct their activities.

Many people visit relatives and friends on the day of the winter solstice.

Lu Mingchao had always been concerned about Lu Lei and Cheng Zhi's matter but had never found the right opportunity.

A visit on the winter solstice would neither seem abrupt nor tarnish Cheng Zhi's virtuous reputation.

Yunniang, who was in the middle of making shoe insoles, paused. "You should discuss it with your older brother."

Lu Mingchao nodded. "Of course, I'll ask my brother's opinion first."

"Then I'll go see my second brother."

Lu Yao was teaching Lu Xiaoxin to draw a plain plum blossom with a brush. A single plain plum blossom, with nine flowers, each having nine petals apiece.

In Daqian, literati and refined scholars have long favored drawing a plain plum blossom on the day of the winter solstice, with eighty-one petals in total.

Dyeing one petal each day, once all the petals are colored and the ninety-ninth day arrives, spring has deeply arrived.

This type of painting, with its plum blossom, has a beautiful name: the Ninety-Nine Cold Dispelling Chart.

Lu Mingchao sat with her chin resting on her hand and said, "Second brother, how about you draw me a picture? I'll color one petal each day, alright?"

"Sis." Lu Xiaoxin perked up at the sound of Lu Mingchao's voice and looked up happily, causing a drop of ink from the brush to fall on the paper, ruining a plum blossom sketch that was already taking shape.

"Lu Xiaoxin, you're going to get scolded!" Lu Mingchao laughed.

Lu Xiaoxin shook her head, "Second brother will fix the painting."

With a helpless sigh, Lu Yao dipped the brush in ink with his left hand and began to paint with fluid strokes. In no time, the simple plum blossom sketch was transformed into a delicate branch of fresh, young plum blossoms.

The plum branches were slender but full, stretching left and right with abundant blossoms.

The vibrant blooming plum blossoms perfectly concealed the ink stain.

"Second brother, your skill in painting with your left hand is astonishingly precise," Lu Mingchao praised sincerely.

Lu Yao set down the brush, walked over to Lu Mingchao, and poked her forehead, "You're getting better and better at flattery."

"How could Mom bear to kick you out?"

"Did you make Mom angry?"

Lu Mingchao peeled a mandarin, and the crisp, refreshing fragrance filled the room.

"Xiao Xin, have some." Lu Mingchao handed the mandarin to Lu Xiaoxin, then looked over at Lu Yao, "Just now, I discussed with Mom about visiting Master Cheng's house tomorrow to discuss big brother's marriage some more."

Lu Yao lightly sniffed the crisp fragrance in the air and thought that if fate allowed, he would find an ink block that could carry such a crisp fragrance on his fingertips.

"Big brother probably won't be willing," Lu Yao's voice was calm, as if he were simply stating a fact.

"Why?" Lu Mingchao pinched a piece of mandarin peel, looking puzzled.

Lu Yao frowned and grabbed a mandarin segment from Lu Xiaoxin's hand, "I bet big brother has visited Master Cheng in private more than once and heard plenty of unpleasant things."

"Also, when I was copying books at the bookstore, a friend who knows Master Cheng said that Cheng Zhi has been very close with the son of a wealthy local family."

"The wealthy man's son promised Cheng Zhi that he would never take a concubine."

"If they have no children, he can only take a concubine after he turns forty."

"Did Cheng Zhi agree?" Lu Mingchao asked.

Lu Yao gave her a sideways glance, "Since they've reached the stage of making promises, it means both families had already tacitly approved the marriage."

"In my opinion, visiting on Winter Solstice Day would only be asking for humiliation."

Lu Mingchao slammed the mandarin peel on the table, "If I had known this earlier, I wouldn't have overthought and would have gone to ask sooner."

Lu Yao's mouth twitched slightly, "It's pointless."

"Master Cheng dislikes Lu Miao's cunning nature and doesn't like your arrogance and assertiveness."

"He believes women should be gentle, weak, tolerant, and accommodating."

"The disputes between you and the Sun family have spread widely. In his eyes, you are an anomaly that disrupts moral order—unchaste, unrestful, unvirtuous, and disrespectful."

"In comparison, he can accept Lu Miao more."

Lu Mingchao was stunned.

She had just been cursing Lu Minghui for ruining a good marriage.

And had praised Master Cheng for being a doting father who feared his daughter would suffer in a dirty family.

Born to be a troublemaker.