Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Back in the room, Qiong Hua put away two umbrellas and followed him in, fuming: "Why give them that satisfaction, young master? Who knows if this ointment Lian Xiusheng sent isn't laced with poison? If it causes sores and pus, they'll get the good reputation, and who will we wronged ones complain to?"

Lian Cheng smiled at her, "Don't be mad, I have a plan."

Qiong Hua and Huqiu both looked at him.

Qiong Hua stopped cursing the people from Yi Qiu. She sat down by the couch, "Young master, we should keep a low profile at home these days. Nothing big has happened before, but this time we've stirred up quite a mess. The whole family is displeased. Tomorrow the master and madam will surely hold us accountable. We need to be careful and not go out causing trouble."

"Sister Qiong Hua is right," Huqiu said.

"I don't intend to cause trouble." Lian Cheng guessed they still thought he was his old self, looking for a new way to get back at Lian Xiusheng.

Actually, that's not it. Lian Cheng said, "I plan to work hard, revitalize the family, bring glory to our ancestors, and make a name in history!"

Qiong Hua was horrified, tongue-tied. After a long pause, she reached out and touched his forehead, "Eh, no fever, so why talk such nonsense?"

Lian Cheng didn't expect them to take it seriously. Wrapped in his blanket, he said, "Let's discuss it in detail when Sister Tong Xue returns."

Huqiu pointed at the sandalwood box on the small table, "What about the ointment?"

Qiong Hua stood up, "It's an eyesore. I'll throw it away."

"No, don't throw it," Lian Cheng pulled her back, "Let me try it."

"Absolutely not!" Huqiu also blocked him, "Our two courtyards have never gotten along. We can't use anything they send."

Lian Cheng rested his cheek on his hand, "Then I ask you, has Lian Xiusheng ever harmed anyone's life before?"

Huqiu was taken aback, then shook his head, saying no.

"There you go. Give it to me." Lian Cheng held out his hand.

Huqiu gritted his teeth, "Let me apply the medicine for you, young master. If something goes wrong, I'll accompany you even in the underworld, carrying you across the Bridge of Helplessness."

"No need. We each live our own lives; no one owes anyone." Lian Cheng thought to himself.

He didn't like the notion of people's lives being as cheap as weeds under the emperor's feet, so 'loyalty' was a positive word to him, but 'blind obedience' was not.

After applying the medicine, Tong Xue returned with a late-night snack. Hot food was spread on the table—not just the two items she mentioned earlier, but also some small sour and spicy appetizer dishes and a bowl of steamed milk curds drizzled with flower dew.

Lian Cheng was almost overwhelmed by the aroma. While she was still arranging things, she said, "The milk for these curds comes from our own cows. They deliver it in the morning, and it's made into curds by evening. Much better than what you buy outside. I just went to the kitchen, and Old Woman Chen on night duty tried to fob me off with two flatbreads. So I brought out the Sixth Brother's name—Sixth Brother never said we couldn't have food from Penglai Pavilion. You should have seen the look on her face; her face was purple with rage."

"Eat while it's hot, young master."

Lian Cheng didn't have a huge appetite, and he'd already eaten a few flatbreads and drunk a pot of water earlier. The flatbreads had expanded in his stomach, so no matter how good it smelled, he couldn't finish it. He only took a few bites and gave the rest to his maids and page boy. Luckily, his original self probably wasn't too formal with them, so they didn't refuse and ate it, saving Lian Cheng from having to go through that old-fashioned rigmarole of politeness.

After the snack, Qiong Hua took the initiative to ask, "Young master, what are these new plans you mentioned earlier?"

Lian Cheng sipped his tea, "I plan to be an upright person from now on."

Qiong Hua: "How are you not proper, young master? Could it be that some gossiping busybodies have been badmouthing you, and you've taken it to heart?"

Huqiu nodded vigorously, feeling his young master was perfect in every way, "Young master, why listen to them? Or tell me which old sow has polluted your ears, and I'll drag them out tonight and skin them."

Even the normally level-headed Tong Xue seemed to have lost her wits, "Young master, don't talk nonsense. Belittling yourself only makes others look down on you. You are the best of the best."

Seeing that these people all had Lian Cheng's blind devotion, Lian Cheng had to rephrase it, "I've been thinking tonight. I want to earn a good future, be a good son, a good elder brother, and also earn some face for all of you in front of the other courtyards. That way, we won't always be at a disadvantage in every argument..."

"Young master!" Tong Xue knelt down with tears in her eyes, "Why do you torment yourself so? When Madam brought me back, Sister Qiong Hua and I only had one padded jacket to share. If not for Madam, we would have died long ago, or ended up in some brothel. I would gladly die for you, young master, without you needing to do anything for us servants."

Qiong Hua knelt as well, "Young master, rest assured. With me here, even if our Penglai Pavilion is outnumbered a thousand to one, we won't lose to anyone!"

Huqiu knelt in line with them, saying, "Me too, me too."

Lian Cheng's ears hurt from all this. He told them to get up, completely defeated, "Let's sleep. We'll talk later."

Tong Xue was always in charge of making the bed. Today, Huqiu specially reminded her to use a thicker quilt, saying the young master had become sensitive to cold. Tong Xue was somewhat surprised but didn't overthink it, because their young master was always changing his mind. Even his talk about wanting to change just now, she didn't take it seriously, but she was happy to go along. As long as the young master was happy, the whole Lian family could drop dead for all she cared.

-

The rain drizzled all night. By morning, the courtyard was still shrouded in mist.

The servants of the Lian family had been up since before dawn, boiling water and sweeping. The family's discipline wasn't strict, so the servants could chat a bit while working, but it varied by courtyard. In some courtyards, if caught slacking off, they'd get two slaps and two cane strikes and be thrown out.

Lian Cheng woke up and sat in front of the mirror, letting Qiong Hua do his hair. Probably because ancient life lacked modern technology and harsh chemicals, and his original self seemed to take good care of himself, the young man in the mirror had jet-black, lustrous hair that would have warranted its own insurance policy in modern times.

Also, Lian Cheng studied his reflection. It wasn't much different from his own face, but his original self had never suffered hardships. Lian Cheng had suffered all his life, so his original self looked more youthful and radiant. Being a rich young master, raised in the best conditions, it was no wonder unofficial histories gushed about him endlessly.

"What cap would you like to wear today, young master? And a hairnet too; I'll get them together," Qiong Hua said.

"Whatever." Lian Cheng didn't know the details.

His original self was twenty, having undergone the capping ceremony a few months ago. The madam, his birth mother, had given him the courtesy name Minzi, meaning intelligence and diligence.

Unfortunately, his original self possessed neither, and Lian Cheng coincidentally didn't either.

Qiong Hua quickly brought a green jade magnolia cap and a black, shapeless object. Lian Cheng let her do her work until his unruly hair was all tied up. Then the cap was placed, the hairpin inserted, and the hairnet fixed over it with its ring. The whole effect made him look fresh and neat.

Tong Xue pushed open the door from outside, "We have to go pay respects to Madam this morning. Don't dress the young master too flashy, or it'll invite her scolding."

So Qiong Hua didn't pick any of the overly flamboyant clothes. She chose a cloud-patterned, gold-threaded plain silk robe and a blue satin Daoist robe with yuanbao and gourd patterns. Even the sash for the waist was nothing remarkable. Before handing them to the young master, Qiong Hua's heart was pounding. The young master had always loved beautiful clothes; these would seem like rags to him, even though just this set could buy a common family's three years' worth of food!

But to her surprise, the young master put them on without a word. Qiong Hua quickly hung his fan and pendant at his waist.

"A bit cold," Lian Cheng muttered.

"Then I'll get a cape."

After fastening the cape, Lian Cheng indeed felt warmer. Not only that, but when he got up this morning, his bottom didn't hurt anymore.

It seemed Lian Xiusheng, that kid, hadn't turned dark yet and still had some regard for his elder brother.

A rotten piece of wood can be carved. Indeed.

So Lian Cheng felt the future was bright, and he was already on a flourishing, flower-strewn path toward greatness.

In the Orchid Garden, where the primary wife, Lady Zhang, resided, quite a few people had already gathered, and many had come and gone. Those who stayed were either idle or wanted to gawk and watch the excitement. The two maids in the hall had already refilled the tea for the two concubines who stubbornly refused to leave, and they still hadn't shown any intention of moving. The usually reclusive Lian family aunt had also come this time, along with two young ladies...

The two maids pinched their palms behind their backs, constantly looking outside the curtain, thinking, "Third Brother absolutely must come today, or else these people will go back and laugh at the madam for raising a useless, spineless little turtle."

"Qing Zhu, come, fill my tea again. There's nothing like this tea in the madam's courtyard! I really enjoy it!" The second concubine of the Lian family was particularly fond of gold and silver. Her hair bun was studded with gold leaves, her face decals were gold, and the centerpiece was a large gold flower. She was slightly plump and seemed the most easygoing, but that was because her background and insight didn't allow her to be subtle. The other concubines in the household maintained their airs and didn't confront her much.

Qing Zhu refilled her tea, and the fifth concubine beside her also spoke up.

She was a delicate, warm little woman, not as showy as the second concubine, but her words were sharp, "Madam, did you know? Yesterday, Third Brother suffered greatly at the hands of Sixth Brother. It was a whipping on the rear! For brothers and sisters in the same family, how could he be so insolent to his elder brother?"

The second concubine snorted dismissively, "He's young and hot-headed. Does he know that if this gets reported to the imperial court by a censor, it would bring calamity to the entire Lian family?"

"We've only just produced such a promising one in the Lian family. Sigh."

Madam Zhang was seated at the head, without any makeup, her face etched with illness. She rested her wrist on the table and said, "Are you trying to say that because I failed to discipline Minzi properly, I have implicated Sixth Brother and brought trouble upon the Lian family?"

"Oh, we never said that."

"Minzi was indeed reckless this time," spoke Aunt Lian, who was seated in the corner, her face dark. "Sister-in-law, I know you don’t like to meddle in household affairs, but Minzi is the legitimate son. You should at least say something to him. You’re not unaware that he has never shown respect to us elders. If it weren’t for Eldest Brother, he would be the firstborn legitimate son. Every word and action of his concerns the honor and reputation of the Lian family. Such a shameful incident has occurred, and my brother, Eldest Brother, and Sixth Brother have had to spend money and goods everywhere to smooth things over. Last night, just two lashes on him, and he hid himself away, refusing to see anyone, even abandoning you, his own mother. Our Lian family is of meritorious service; my father is enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. How could he—”

"How could he what?" A clear and bright male voice came from outside. The maid lifted the curtain, and a young man with a face as lovely as a peach blossom entered, his head slightly lowered.

He was truly handsome—one in ten thousand. In the lifeless courtyard of Lan Yuan, he was like a flower bud sprouting from a withered orchid leaf, lighting up the entire hall with his presence.

Lian Cheng took no notice of the others in the room who averted their eyes. He walked straight to the center of the hall, bowed to Zhang, neither humble nor arrogant, and said, "I pay my respects to Mother."

Zhang was taken aback. She turned her head, held back her tears, and barely managed to speak. "I’ve told you to dress more warmly many times, but you never listened. Why did you listen today?"

"Last night, I had a dream. I dreamed of a flock of crows cawing loudly, trying to come down from a tree to peck at me. This morning, I asked Qiong Hua to find me some thicker clothes, lest the crows really peck me. It turned out as I walked here, I did indeed see many crows circling Lan Yuan and cawing. It seems I made the right choice in dressing like this." Lian Cheng spoke unhurriedly, a slight smile on his lips.

Zhang was amused and laughed. "You glib-tongued rascal. Now go and greet your Second Madam, Sixth Madam, and your Aunt."

Lian Cheng did not linger. He turned around and, drawing from his predecessor’s memory, first walked to the woman glittering with gold. He bowed and said, "Greetings to Second Madam. You've had too much of Lan Yuan's tea; I fear you won’t need to eat lunch or dinner. But in my opinion, missing these two meals would do your health more good. Second Madam, why aren’t you laughing?"

He then walked to Sixth Madam and bowed again. "Sixth Madam, you seem to have lost weight. Perhaps you are upset about your brother selling the house to pay off gambling debts. But a man is iron and rice is steel; you must take care of your own health. Do not make the younger generation worry."

Finally, he reached his Aunt. He bowed and remained bent, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Aunt, your nephew misses your husband. How about we have a talk tonight, aunt and nephew?"

Lian Biyun, the Lian family aunt, who had started a new romance without telling anyone, turned purple with suppressed anger.