Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Once the fourth month rolled around, the rains started coming down a lot more often.

The rain fell heavily that day, so Sun Yunniang didn't head over to the old house and stayed home to sew clothes instead.

Chen Xiaorong lived nearby, so he still braved the rain and came over bright and early to make incense with Zhong Yizhu in the side courtyard.

He had a steady, patient nature and could really focus on learning. By now, he could already help Zhong Yizhu out a ton. Zhong Yizhu paid him five hundred wen a month as an apprentice's wage, with the deal being that once he could make incense on his own, he would receive one tael of silver per month.

Chen Xiaorong had been to town before—apprentices at the medical halls and carpentry shops got at most room and board, no silver at all. Zhong Yizhu was teaching him a craft and paying him wages on top of that—how was that fair? Both sides were worried the other was getting ripped off, and after some back-and-forth, they ended up cutting it by another hundred wen.

Chen Xiaorong took a hundred wen less but threw himself into the work. Before this, he'd never dreamed a young man like him could become an incense maker and earn so much money. He knew damn well this was his big break. He didn't understand grand principles, but he knew that at a time like this, he had to grab hold of this chance and not let go.

Today's lunch was made by Zhong He. Per Pei Mu's orders, he now stuck close to Zhong Yizhu wherever he went.

Zhong Yizhu was a very good master. Zhong He just had to do odd jobs around the place, and he ate and drank right alongside his master. Compared to his old life at home, where he worked himself ragged and still couldn't get enough to eat, his life now was already more than he could have asked for.

Zhong Yizhu and Sun Yunniang were both kind people. Although Pei Mu had warned him before, he hadn't given him a hard time. In fact, once Zhong He agreed to learn martial arts to protect Zhong Yizhu, Pei Mu started paying him a monthly wage.

Two hundred wen a month, put in his hands the very day he agreed. That night, Zhong He sat on the edge of his bed, counting the copper coins over and over, unable to hold back the tears, crying silently.

Since his master's family treated him so well, he naturally had to pay them back for their kindness. He knew Pei Mu didn't need him to do anything specific, so he put even more care and patience into looking after Zhong Yizhu. He quietly kept track of everything Zhong Yizhu liked to eat. If there was a dish he couldn't make or couldn't get right, he'd ask Sun Yunniang to teach him. He practiced the martial arts moves Pei Mu taught him every morning and night, dead set on keeping Zhong Yizhu safe and sound until Pei Mu came back.

His master's household had good meals, with meat on the table every single meal. Before, he never counted himself in when it came to the meat portions and only ate the veggies. Both Zhong Yizhu and Sun Yunniang had spoken to him about it, so after that, he started buying enough meat to include his own share. He figured he should eat what he earned, and with that kind of good food and all the heavy work of hauling water and splitting firewood, he'd even filled out a bit over the past few weeks.

Since it was raining that day, Zhong He didn't have any chores to do. He used the time to make a fancy pastry—one Sun Yunniang had taught him. It was his first time making it, but luckily Sun Yunniang was there to walk him through it, and it turned out great.

When Zhong Yizhu walked into the main hall and saw the pastries on the table, he broke into a smile. He turned to look at Zhong He: "He Geer, you worked hard on this."

Zhong He saw that he genuinely liked them and smiled back: "The mistress taught me everything."

The three of them sat down to eat. Chen Xiaorong had gone home to eat with Wang Pingan—it wouldn't look right for him to keep eating at Pei Mu's place all the time.

Now Wang Pingan was taking care of the farm work at home, and in his spare time, he made wooden boxes. Zhong Yizhu would take everything he made, no questions asked. The Bamboo Fragrance Shop received large orders from time to time, and it might not be long before they'd need to bring in more hands to keep up with demand.

Zhong Yizhu's appetite had picked up a lot after getting that letter two days ago, and Zhong He's cooking was right up his alley. When she saw him go back for another bowl of rice, Sun Yunniang's eyes crinkled with a smile. She told Zhong He to eat up—this kid was honest and good-hearted. With him by Zhu Ge'er's side, she really felt a lot more at ease.

This household didn't have any rule about staying quiet during meals. Sun Yunniang thought of something and said to Zhong Yizhu: "You asked me before to take on Qiaozhen from next door and teach her. I can tell she's got some talent, and her hands are quick. And since you asked me to keep an eye on her, I put in a little extra effort. Now she's the one whose embroidery passes inspection the most out of everyone. She's earning quite a bit of money now. Zhao Daniang doesn't yell at her the way she used to anymore."

Zhong Yizhu thought of that skinny little figure and smiled, nodding: "That's really good news."

Sun Yunniang let out a sigh, a little emotional: "So whether you're a girl or a young man, it's best to have a skill to fall back on. Only when you can earn your own silver can you hold your head up high."

Zhong Yizhu picked up a dish for Sun Yunniang with his chopsticks: "Mother is already helping many girls and young men in the village hold their heads up high now. Mother is amazing."

A smile tugged at Sun Yunniang's lips: "Always so sweet-tongued. Clearly you deserve the most credit, yet you pile it all on me."

But what she was doing now was indeed interesting, Sun Yunniang thought—far more interesting than staying in that wealthy yet stifling Zhong mansion.

Her enthusiasm rising, she turned to look at Zhong He and urged with great interest: "He Geer, would you like to learn too?"

Zhong He hastily swallowed the rice in his mouth and mumbled: "My hands are clumsy. I couldn't learn that." At most he could make clothes—the fine work of embroidery was truly beyond him. He was afraid of disappointing the mistress and making her unhappy, so he answered cautiously.

Zhong Yizhu picked up the thread: "Just because you can't do embroidery doesn't mean your hands are clumsy! Our He Geer's skills are things others would love to learn but can't."

"That's true," Sun Yunniang laughed. "He Geer is already busy enough. But if you want to learn, just tell me. You're family, different from outsiders—I'll give you special lessons."

Zhong He was stunned, his nose tingling at their words. He nodded firmly and replied: "Yes, mistress. I understand."

The rain outside was falling heavily, drumming against the eaves in a dense, continuous sound. That was why, when the courtyard gate was pushed open and people burst in, those inside the house didn't notice at first.

Zhong He was the first to hear the noisy commotion outside. He got up and looked through the window to see several people in straw rain capes hurrying toward the eaves. He barked out: "Who are you? What are you doing?"

The newcomers were startled by his shout, and Zhong Yizhu and Sun Yunniang inside the house were startled too. Zhong Yizhu reacted quickly—he set down his chopsticks, ready to shield his mother into the inner room if things turned bad.

From outside came a breathless voice carrying a strange familiarity: "Second Mistress, Third Master, I've been sent by the old mistress's orders to escort you back to the mansion to attend Fourth Miss's wedding ceremony."

So they'd come after all. Zhong Yizhu frowned in disgust: "I'm not going. Get out."

He called to Zhong He: "It's fine, He Geer. Come back and eat."

Outside, Wang Shun wiped his face in embarrassment. After entering the village, he had first gone to the Zhong family's old residence, but the door was locked. That reminded him of the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain that the Wu family had mentioned.

But he had never been there. He wanted to ask a neighbor for directions, and after knocking for a long while, a cursing older woman finally came out. Yet the moment she saw them, her expression turned wary. When she heard them ask where Pei Mu's house was, she slammed the door right in the face of the one who had asked, and her loud, sharp voice came from behind the door.

"I don't know! How dare you people from the Zhong family's third branch come back after doing such heartless things? Aren't you afraid Zhong Er Ye will come collect you?"

The servant who had knocked on the door looked stiffly at Wang Shun. Wang Shun's expression was equally sour. The rain was coming down hard, and he was already soaked through, miserable—and on top of that, everything was going wrong.

These farmers who had fawned over them last time must have eaten some kind of bewitched elixir to be so protective of Zhong Yizhu and his mother. He had thought only this one household was like that, but when he asked two more households, they all slammed their doors in his face too.

Fortunately, there were always reasonable people. Wang Shun and his group found out the way and hurried toward the east end of the village.

The rain at this time of year was cold, and the weather turned chilly as soon as it fell. Wang Shun and the several servants were all shivering, their lips blue. When they saw the single small courtyard at the foot of the mountain, Wang Shun didn't even bother with pretense—he led his men straight in.

Zhong Laotai had originally planned to send someone this month to call Sun Yunniang and Zhong Yizhu back. Upon learning that Pei Mu had left home, she immediately decided not to wait for the wedding date and to send for them directly.

Although Wang Shun had dispensed with propriety when entering the courtyard since no one was outside in the rain, he had spoken respectfully and politely when issuing the invitation, invoking the old mistress's authority. He never expected such a reply.

Wang Shun's temper flared. With the old mistress's orders behind him, he had no scruples and shot back: "I'm afraid the Third Master has no choice. The old mistress said that Fourth Miss's wedding is a great occasion, and close relatives must be present. If the Third Master refuses to cooperate, don't blame the servants for being heavy-handed."

Zhong Yizhu's face darkened, and Sun Yunniang was equally furious. What did Zhong Youtong's marriage have to do with them? Using this as an excuse to forcibly drag them back to the mansion—they were surely after the Bamboo Fragrance Shop.

A wave of fear washed over her, and she looked nervously at Zhong He. Pei Mu had gone to such lengths to leave this person by Zhu Ge'er's side—it truly was about to prove useful.

Outside, Wang Shun reached out to push the door open, but then he heard voices coming from beyond the courtyard.

"Hurry! Village chief, they went inside."

"Stop them! I could tell at a glance they're no good—probably up to no good again."

"Zhu Ge'er! Zhu Ge'er, are you alright!"

Following the clamor of shouts came a crowd of people braving the rain with umbrellas or straw capes. They walked through the courtyard gate, and the man at the front—Wang Shun recognized him—was the village chief of Liushan Village.

He was about to speak when the main hall door opened and Zhong Yizhu and Sun Yunniang came out. Zhong Yizhu stepped aside: "Village chief and everyone, please come in and get out of the rain. Thank you all for your concern."

He then looked at Chen Xiaorong and his husband, who had just shouted out, and replied: "I'm fine."

Someone had already run to the village chief's house to report the moment Wang Shun started asking around for Zhong Yizhu's whereabouts. Now Zhong Yizhu's family was the village's benefactor—they were all afraid something might happen to him. The crowd rushed over in a flurry and saw that the Zhong family's third branch had indeed come with ill intentions.

Wang Shun was completely bewildered, unable to understand why the villagers were so protective of Zhong Yizhu. Those with umbrellas went inside the house, while those in straw capes that were inconvenient to remove stood under the eaves to avoid tracking mud into the house. The crowd jostled together and somehow managed to squeeze Wang Shun and his servants out into the courtyard to get drenched in the rain.

Wang Shun's face turned iron-gray with rage. Seeing that they were outnumbered, he repeated what he had said before, emphasizing that this was the Zhong household's family matter—the old mistress merely wanted the two ladies and the young master to attend the wedding send-off. By all reason and propriety, his position seemed quite solid.

He had thought that with so many people watching, Zhong Yizhu would have to show some filial respect and decency. But Zhong Yizhu said the same thing again.

"I said I'm not going."

Zhong Yizhu, seeing that Wang Shun was still trying to use filial piety to coerce him, decided to spell it out: "If I hadn't opened an incense shop, would Grandmother even remember she has a grandson she sent a hundred li from home? I doubt anyone would even acknowledge me if I showed up at her door. Everyone knows what you're really after, so drop the act."

The villagers who had rushed over naturally sided with Zhong Yizhu. The uncles and aunties immediately piled on, and even Liu Mingtao couldn't find a chance to get a word in.

"Exactly! That's not what you said when you brought Zhu Ge'er back to the village last time."

"Dear sister, my foot! One's from the second branch, the other from the third. After the third branch framed Zhu Ge'er and Mrs. Sun like that, you still expect them to go back for the wedding? Yeah, right!"

"They're probably jealous that Zhu Ge'er has the skill to run his own shop. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree—Zhong Er Ye's young man's got real skill, unlike some folks who raise nothing but sneaky rats that just know how to burrow!"

Wang Shun, soaked by the rain and stung by their snide remarks, could barely keep his eyes open. He glared at the ragged villagers before him and roared in fury: "How dare you! Who the hell are you to talk trash about our Zhong family!"

An older uncle shot back immediately: "Who are we? Go ask Zhong Laotai and Zhong Laohan—if our village hadn't taken them in, would they even be alive? Two ungrateful old coots."

Then Liu Youzong, who had remained silent until now, looked at him and said: "Zhu Ge'er and Mrs. Sun's household registrations have already been moved back to our village. You handled that yourself, Manager Wang, remember? You can't just take our people away whenever you please. If you're not willing to leave on your own, we wouldn't mind helping you along."

Although all the counties and prefectures of Great Yan were governed according to its laws, beneath the counties lay towns and villages, each with their own clans and customs. Many disputes were settled entirely within the village. Not only did Liu Youzong have cause to drive them out, but even if the villagers had shut their doors and given them a good beating, there would be nowhere to appeal. Wang Shun, having grown up in a village himself, knew this all too well.

Seeing that Liu Youzong's expression was clearly not a joke, Wang Shun suddenly felt like a chicken with its neck caught, unable to even utter a threat.

He was utterly baffled by the villagers' change in attitude, but he knew better than to push his luck. He led his men back to the carriage waiting at the entrance of the small courtyard, not even daring to seek shelter from the rain at a villager's home, and drove straight out of the village.

Not only had he failed to accomplish what his master had ordered, but recalling the humiliation he had suffered today, his face hardened with malice as he turned the carriage toward the neighboring village by the river.