Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Forty-Fourth Story

After leaving Li Saner's home, Lian Cheng mounted his horse and returned to the pastry shop, buying two packets of candied green plums in syrup—one for himself, one for his sixth brother—along with some other snacks for the family.

On his way home, he opened his packet and leisurely ate it all. A child's taste was indeed reliable—sour and sweet, with a delightful crunch.

From afar, Lian Cheng saw many people standing at his doorstep. Curious, he dismounted and led his horse forward more slowly and cautiously.

What commotion?

Had the house been raided early?

Lian Cheng considered mounting and fleeing, though the odds of escape were nearly zero—he had no travel pass and likely couldn't even leave the city. Yet he was no wealthy young master; he could simply remove his official cap, blend into the beggars' guild, change his name, and become Qiao Feng.

As he drew closer, his figure came into view. Qiu Fang, lantern in hand, ran down the steps, her face anxious. "Why have you only just returned, young master? The master, the eldest brother, and the sixth brother all came back early. They've already had their evening meal, and madam has been waiting at the entrance for two hours, braving the wind."

Ah, it wasn't a raid—they were waiting for him. Lian Cheng's icy heart warmed. A servant took his horse and led it through the side gate. Lian Cheng hurriedly gathered his bags and ran to the main gate, calling out "Mother!" several times from the steps, melting Zhang Ailian's face as stiff as an iron plate.

"If you come back after curfew tonight, I swear I won't protect you—you'd have gotten a flogging!" Zhang Ailian lightly tapped Lian Cheng's forehead, then turned to the others. "Speak with your brothers—they've been worried about you."

Lian Cheng greeted Lian Feng, then turned to Lian Xiusheng, handing him a packet of candied green plums. "Here, I bought these especially for you."

"Thank you, third brother." With so many people around, Lian Xiusheng remained calm, though when he saw his third brother produce another packet, saying it was specially for the eldest brother, and another for their mother—well, how very special.

Lian Cheng gave the rest to Qiu Fang, asking her to have them delivered to the various courtyards.

Qiu Fang said, "You're generous, young master. Can your monthly salary cover all these fruits and pastries?"

Uh-oh. Lian Cheng couldn't answer. Since he transmigrated into this novel, he'd never worried about money.

Judging by Qiu Fang's tone, his monthly salary might not even cover the snacks he'd bought today—his first day on the job and he was already losing money from his first day's salary.

Ah! This wretched feudal era was really ruining him!

"Thank you for the reminder, Sister Qiu Fang. I'll be more frugal from now on," Lian Cheng said quickly.

Zhang Ailian smiled. "Look at you putting on such an act—if we all starved, we'd never let you go without."

They chatted a while, then entered the main gate, which closed behind them. They parted ways, each heading toward their own courtyard through the covered corridors. From afar, Huqiu came rushing from the side gate with his hands tucked in his sleeves to meet Lian Cheng, his voice choked with emotion as he said how much he'd missed his young master in just one day. Lian Cheng gave him the remaining packet of candied fruit, which delighted him—he said he'd share it with the two maids.

"I haven't had dinner yet. Why don't you go ahead and prepare the dishes for me? I can eat as soon as I arrive," Lian Cheng urged Huqiu.

"Alright."

With the third person gone, Lian Cheng hurried to catch up with Lian Xiusheng, tugging at his belt. "Give me some of your candied plums to eat."

Lian Xiusheng turned to look at his third brother. "Aren't these specially bought for me by third brother?" He stressed the word "specially" heavily.

But even grinding his teeth wouldn't work against his third brother. Lian Cheng insisted, "I did buy them especially for you. I tried some and thought they were good, so I bought some for you too."

"Why not buy some for Father, Mother, Second Madam, Third Madam, Fourth Madam, Fifth Madam, Sixth Madam, Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Fifth Sister, Seventh Sister, Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, Yun Jieer, and Qing Geer?"

Lian Cheng was stunned by the long list. He thought he saw a fierce glint in Lian Xiusheng's eyes, but it vanished in a blink, leaving only an immortal-like countenance. "I bought them for you because you like sour-and-sweet flavors, and you don't care for overly sweet things. Since I didn't know what the others liked, I naturally only bought for you."

Lian Xiusheng felt a stir in his heart. "You know my tastes, third brother?"

"Only that you don't like sweets."

Lian Xiusheng opened the packet of candied plums; the sweet scent of syrup and fruit wafted up. He picked one and fed it to his third brother.

Lian Cheng didn't stand on ceremony—he took it in one bite and also fed one to Lian Xiusheng.

Lian Xiusheng looked down at his third brother as he bit into the green plum. His third brother asked, "You don't like me like that anymore, do you? I mean, the way you kissed me before."

Lian Xiusheng mumbled, "A little less."

"That's good." Lian Cheng cheerfully pulled Lian Xiusheng toward the direction of Penglai Pavilion and One Mound. "Let's enjoy the night together, hearts united. Our brotherly bond must never be broken by this."

Lian Xiusheng allowed himself to be led, thinking that a thousand days like this evening wouldn't be bad. If in the future his third brother were to marry, he could help find a suitable match. But marriage didn't necessarily mean harmony like playing the zither and lyre; a wife could die young, leaving the husband with the reputation of having "killed" his wife.

-

After dinner, Lian Cheng walked around with a small bowl of insects, searching for Blue Sky and Yellow Earth. He couldn't find the chickens. Instead, Tong Xue and Qiong Hua knelt at his feet, kowtowing, saying the chickens were gone.

"Gone?" Lian Cheng was dazed. He told them to stand up and not speak while kneeling.

"It was after lunch. Madam came to our courtyard to check if we lacked anything. But Blue Sky and Yellow Earth were fierce—they flew at her and pecked her. Though Madam wasn't hurt, several of her young maids and Yuan Shun were badly bitten, losing chunks of flesh."

"Then..." Lian Cheng already had a guess.

"Seeing the roosters so vicious, Madam decided they couldn't stay with you. Qiong Hua and I begged her, but she was determined. She had Sister Qiu Fang catch them."

Qiong Hua, head bowed, said in a trembling voice, "The evening meal tonight included chicken. Though I don't know if it was Blue Sky and Yellow Earth, Sister Qiu Fang returned the red and green rope rings and said that from now on, no livestock is allowed in Penglai Pavilion. If we keep any, they won't kill the animals—just give us servants a good beating."

Lian Cheng knew his two chickens, raised like brothers, were gone. He couldn't deny his sadness. "They hurt people. Punish me, then—why kill them? And threaten me?"

Tong Xue said, "Madam just doesn't want you to be harmed by ungrateful creatures in the future."

"But we got along well from day one." Lian Cheng almost wanted to cry. Was this what a family of origin was like?

"So, young master, don't keep them anymore. And it'll bring you good karma, won't it?" Tong Xue said softly.

Lian Cheng was heartbroken. He threw away the insects, skipped dinner, didn't practice his sword at the Orchid Garden, washed up early, and went to bed.

He thought, once he became the head of the household, he would still raise chickens. He would open a chicken farm—let's see what Zhang Ailian would say then.

Later, Qing Zhu spoke to Zhang Ailian in the Orchid Garden. "The young master didn't come to practice today? Sister Qiu Fang has been waiting for him."

"After killing his precious chickens, he wouldn't come." Zhang Ailian was drinking her medicine, with the candied fruit Lian Cheng had bought her as a chaser. She found it better than anything else for taking bitter medicine.

"Madam, you should tell the young master that the two roosters were only sent to the farm, not killed." Qiu Fang entered, holding aside the curtain. "Yuan Shun said the young master went to bed without dinner, truly heartbroken. Why not send someone to tell him?"

Zhang Ailian smiled. "Do you think I did this to show off? As his mother, why would I threaten my own child?"

Qing Zhu was still confused, but Qiu Fang, who had heard about the former crown prince's autumn hunt from Zhang Ailian, understood. She bowed and left, warning Yuan Shun to keep his mouth shut: if anyone asked, the two chickens were dead, not even a feather left.

Just as she finished instructing the Orchid Garden staff, Lian Pu stormed in with his hands behind his back, face flushed with anger. Ignoring the maids' announcements, he entered the courtyard shouting Zhang Ailian's name. "Zhang Ailian! What's the matter with you? Why bully Minzi? If I hadn't known you killed his chickens for no reason, would you have killed me next?"

Qiu Fang tried to greet him, but Lian Pu pushed her aside with a dismissive "Hey!" He threw aside the curtain and stormed into the room, confronting the frail, sickly woman seated calmly. Though she looked weak, her demeanor was fiercer than a man's. He stepped back, then shook his sleeves and sat on the eastern chair. "You, a mother, why are you so harsh with your own child? I heard third brother got those two chickens from Wu Huajie three years ago. He loved them dearly, even dug earthworms to feed them himself. And you kill them just like that? You're a shrew!"

Qing Zhu bowed and said, "The two animals hurt Madam. Madam..."

"Don't argue with me. They were just animals. Did your madam expect them to be perfectly polite to her? Even a princess, even the Retired Emperor, wouldn't have such high demands." Lian Pu's face was purple with rage.

Zhang Ailian said calmly, "You're quite right, my lord. But since they were just animals, and I killed them, why are you so upset?"

Lian Pu was left speechless. Standing up, facing Zhang Ailian—who was unyielding to both soft and hard approaches—he swallowed his harsh words. Then he threw a teacup to the floor, shattering it. "I'm afraid you don't have me in your heart!"

The atmosphere in the room shifted. Zhang Ailian's hand trembled as she reached for the candied fruit, coughing incessantly. Lian Pu, sorrowful, said that tomorrow he would send someone to Wu Huajie's farm to get two more chickens to cheer up Lian Cheng.

But Zhang Ailian, who had just seemed remorseful, immediately slammed the table and forbade it. She declared that if Lian Pu dared to send more animals to her child, she would kill one for one, a pair for a pair. "I'm not afraid of committing murder, nor of falling into the deepest hell!"

The big quarrel at Orchid Garden was impossible to conceal; the entire household learned of Lian Pu and Zhang Ailian's fight and commotion over two chickens, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others.

Wu Huajie was terrified—her own estate's chickens had caused trouble, and Lian Pu, having been upset by Zhang Ailian, might come to vent his anger on her. Though she usually longed for Lian Pu's visits, today she wanted none of it. She shut her courtyard gate early, blew out the lamp, and had thought to scold Lian Ying and his wife once more, but they had already moved out of the Wisdom Fish Pavilion. Now alone, Wu Huajie sobbed bitterly again before sleep.

Sixth Madam was the quickest to act; she immediately sent her maidservant to inquire where fine roosters could be bought, bought two, and planned to deliver them to Third Brother the next day.

Fifth Madam didn't bother buying any chickens—she was afraid of the things anyway, and knowing how the lady detested them, she didn't want to court trouble. Instead, she rose from her bed, took two banknotes from a drawer, wrapped a bit of silver into two packets without measuring too carefully, and sent them to Penglai Pavilion, to be delivered to whichever young maid or to Qiu Mama. It was all for Third Brother to spend on cheering himself up—she came from a wealthy family and believed that spending money freely could cure any sorrow.

Lian Yi lounged on the same bed with her. "Fifth Mother, Third Brother is sad. Can I go see him tomorrow?"

Fan Yuchun stroked her child's hair. "Better not. Your Third Brother has just started at his post; he hasn't yet gotten a handle on all his duties, and after work he still has sword practice. He has no time to entertain you. You also have your studies. If you insist on going, I'll have a maidservant first ask when he's free, to avoid being rude."

What a fuss—Lian Yi's eyelids drooped with boredom, but Fan Yuchun continued: "At the New Year's Eve dinner a month ago, your Fifth Sister publicly helped your Third Brother out of a tight spot. He's bound to treat her better than he treats you. Don't harbor any jealousy toward your Fifth Sister. With your Fourth Sister married off, only the two of you—sisters—remain. Don't harm your sisterly bond over a moment's rivalry."

"Fifth Mother, stop lecturing me. I treat my elder brothers, sisters, and younger brother very well. It's them who have more tricks up their sleeves than I do. Fifth Sister even tricked me out of my hairpin!"

"Shut up!"

Fifth Sister Lian Yu failed to wait for Lian Pu at the entrance of their building. Back in her room, she couldn't stop crying. "With such an incident, Father didn't even come to our Liu Yuntai. Why doesn't Third Madam assert herself?"

"Why care about a family of treacherous ministers?" Third Madam, dressed in a plain silk gown, sat at the square table reading a book. "Since you covet wealth and luxury, tomorrow I'll write to your maternal grandparents to find you a wealthy family to marry into, fulfilling your wish."

Feeling humiliated, Lian Yu threw down her fan. "Third Mother thinks so little of Father and the Lian family, why did you enter this household in the first place? With Grandfather's high rank and title, you could have been a palace consort, yet you willingly became a concubine, reducing me to the level of a singing entertainer!"

"I'm tired tonight. I won't slap you. Go rest."

That night, the Lian family truly put on quite a few plays, one after another. Lian Cheng had gone to sleep early, unaware of what was happening in the courtyards outside. He was disturbed by his pre-sleep mood, suffering nightmares for half the night. Suddenly, one of those faces dropped down from the tree—Lian Cheng kept shouting "My mother, my mother!" But the face stuck to his palm and wouldn't shake off. He was so scared tears poured down like a torrent. Through his blurry tears, he saw a trace of his own expression on the face stuck to his palm.

The nightmare came out of nowhere and left just as suddenly. Lian Cheng slept soundly for the latter half of the night, sprawled out on the bed. Through the window lattice, moonlight filtered in dimly, and pear tree branches stirred a curtain of white snow in the wind.

Early the next morning, Lian Cheng groggily dressed and washed his face. He still had to rely on the two elder sisters to tie his hair, but he could now put on his futou by himself. Stepping out of the inner courtyard gate, he saw a figure in crimson standing in the outer courtyard of Penglai Pavilion.

Not fully awake, Lian Cheng yawned and said, "Good morning."

Lian Xiusheng, holding a black gauze cap, smiled warmly. "I was worried about Third Brother, so I waited here specially today to go to the office with you."