Chapter 556: A Conversation Before the New Year [Many Thanks

"Miss, are you awake?"

Watching Chai Chai Zhengzheng open her eyes,

Yun Mu, standing in attendance at her side, said with a smile.

"Mm."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng nodded, draped a thin quilt over her shoulders, and sat up from the couch.

Hearing the exchange between mistress and maid,

a female servant inside the room approached, carrying warm water and a face towel.

After pressing the warm Mao Jin against her face, Chai Chai Zhengzheng took the offered tea to rinse her mouth; once she handed the teacup back out, she stared blankly at the incense burner not far away.

A moment later,

"Miss?"

Holding a cup of awakening tea, Yun Mu called out softly, a hint of puzzlement in her eyes.

"Hmm?"

"Oh!"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng took the tea and began to sip it.

Seeing Chai Chai Zhengzheng lapse into a daze once more, Yun Mu asked, "Miss, what was wrong just now?"

Holding the tea bowl with both hands, Chai Chai Zhengzheng took a deep breath, looked at Yun Mu, broke into a smile, and said, "Nothing! I just had a dream."

Yun Mu nodded, smiled, and reached out to take the teacup Chai Chai Zhengzheng handed over.

Stretching her arms, Chai Chai Zhengzheng said,

"By the way! Are the stewards and clerks of the shops under my name paid the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes, Miss!"

"Mm, with the New Year approaching and a year of hard work behind us! At that time, give the stewards an extra five months' wages and the clerks an extra three months' wages; for those working in the shops around New Year's Eve, give an additional half-month's wages."

"Yes, Miss!"

"As for you few... double it."

Yun Mu performed a curtsy and said with a smile, "Thank you, Miss!"

After speaking, Chai Chai Zhengzheng rose from the couch and walked toward the desk inside the room.

She had not been seated for long

when Miss Miss Fuyi emerged from behind the screen and said, "Miss, the shop has delivered bolts of fabric; the Lady specially selected some and asked you to see how they are."

Without lifting her head from her writing, Chai Chai Zhengzheng said, "Mm, bring them in!"

Miss Miss Fuyi assented and went out.

Ziteng, standing nearby, approached with an account book and said, "Miss, just now when I went out to fetch the ledger, I saw dark clouds drifting over from the north!"

"Hmm? Dark clouds? Will it snow?" Chai Chai Zhengzheng asked, keeping her head lowered.

"As for that, this humble servant does not know."

Very soon,

bolts of intricate-patterned, brilliantly colored silks and satins draped over several wooden racks were carried into the main hall.

Behind the desk,

Chai Chai Zhengzheng, having finished writing the last few characters, lifted her head and looked at the brocades draped upon the wooden racks.

Among them, the color of several bolts matched that of the hair ribbon worn by Miss Rong Feiyan in her dream just now,

while the remaining ones were all in the colors rumored to be Xu Xu Zaijing's favorites.

This caused Chai Chai Zhengzheng's expression to freeze instantly.

Yun Mu and the other close-attendant maids, who knew quite a bit, exchanged glances, their eyes full of amusement as they looked at the colors of the fabric.

Just as they quietly waited for Chai Chai Zhengzheng to joyfully smile and select some bolts,

"Mother truly has a thoughtful heart! But! Discard these few colors of fabric; I do not wish to wear them!"

After Chai Chai Zhengzheng spoke, the several close-attendant maids in the room exchanged glances, their eyes full of surprise.

Chai Chai Zhengzheng continued, "If there are any bolts with patterns or embroidery in these three colors, regardless of the base color, bring them for me to see!"

"Yes, Miss!"

Yun Mu and the others responded in unison.

Very soon,

all the fabric that had been sent into the Autumn Sound Courtyard was carried back out.

In the Main Lady's courtyard,

Lady Chai, seated in a chair, watched Miss Miss Fuyi enter the courtyard to report with a face full of smiles, asking, "How was it? Did your Miss like those bolts of fabric?"

The steward of the Chai family's silk shop and brocade store, standing to one side, also wore a smile, awaiting praise from his masters.

Miss Miss Fuyi performed a curtsy and, with a troubled expression, said, "Lady, the Miss said..."

Listening to Miss Miss Fuyi's report, the smile faded from Lady Chai's face; knitting her brows in puzzlement, she said, "What has come over her today? This should not be happening!"

As Lady Chai spoke, Miss Miss Fuyi, standing below, nodded repeatedly.

Waving her hand, Lady Chai said, "Very well! Do as she said and go find more!"

Once the stewards of the silk shop and brocade store, along with Miss Miss Fuyi, had all left the room,

Lady Chai, still in her chair, exchanged a glance with her close-attendant matron-steward and said softly,

"What kind of wind is blowing through this girl today? She is so difficult to serve!"

"Had I known this would happen, I would not have troubled myself so much to find these bolts of fabric for her!"

The matron-steward at her side said, "Lady, why not keep a few bolts of fine color? Have clothes made from them for the Miss; perhaps someday her mood will change, and she will wear them then?"

"Good! Make a few pieces in all three colors!"

In the afternoon,

when Chai Chai Zhengzheng woke up, the sky outside was still clear,

but after one double-hour had passed,

dark clouds drifting from the north obscured the sun that had not yet set behind Luoshan, and the sky grew dim.

On Quyuanjie,

within Hou Fu of Marquis Marquis Yongyi,

in the study of Xu Xu Zaijing's courtyard,

Xu Xu Zaijing, seated behind his desk, looked up at the darkening sky outside, rinsed the brush in his hand within the brush washer, and set it aside.

The ink on the calligraphy exercises upon the desk was not yet dry; Xu Xu Zaijing pressed them down with a paperweight, then stretched his waist and walked over to the fish tank.

Clearing his mind, Xu Xu Zaijing scattered a few pinches of fish feed and watched the fish swimming in the large white tank with a distracted gaze.

At the study door, Hua Xiang pushed open the room door and said,

"Young Master, a message has come from the second gate: the second young master of the Zheng family has returned to the capital and invites you and several other young masters from prominent families to gather at Pan Tower this evening."

Standing before the fish tank, Xu Xu Zaijing nodded, glanced outward, and said, "Mm! Second Brother Zheng truly knows how to pick his timing."

On an overcast afternoon like this, the light is gray and dim, hardly an ideal time for study.

"In that case, Young Master, shall you go by carriage or on horseback?"

Hua Xiang asked.

Xu Xu Zaijing brushed the crumbs of fish feed from his hands and said, "By carriage. All three of you will accompany me!"

Hearing this, Hua Xiang's face broke into a smile; she performed a formal curtsy and said, "Yes, Young Master."

After dressing properly,

Xu Xu Zaijing took the three female attendants aboard the spacious carriage, while Brother Qingyun rode a horse alongside.

Exiting the main gate of Hou Fu,

the carriage traveled a distance along Quyuanjie

when the sounds of gongs and drums came from outside the vehicle, interspersed with shouts of "Exorcise evil spirits!" and "Bestow rewards!"

Listening to the commotion outside,

Seeing Qingcao, seated on one side of the carriage compartment, lifted the curtain and looked out at the street; seeing people holding drums and gongs, wearing masks and dressed in various costumes, she smiled and said, "Young Master, it is Chu Zhan and the others."

"Performing Da Ye Hu—do you want reward money or not?"

With that, Seeing Qingcao, along with Yun Xiang and Hua Xiang, drew several strings of copper coins from their pouches and tossed them out.

The few lads following Chu Zhan hurriedly scrambled to pick up the coins.

Chu Zhan pushed his mask up onto his forehead, smiled, and bowed with clasped hands toward Seeing Qingcao and the others in the carriage: "Thank you, three elder sisters! Thank you, Fifth Young Master!"

Xu Xu Zaijing, inside the carriage, smiled and nodded.

Brother Qingyun, nearby, said, "Chu Zhan, return early today; tomorrow you must accompany me to Yichun Lane!"

"I know, Elder Brother Brother Qingyun!"

Saying this, Chu Zhan bowed deeply once more, put his mask back on, and led the others to continue beating their gongs and drums, performing Da Ye Hu along the street.

Leaving Quyuanjie,

while traveling on the road to Pan Tower,

although the overcast sky was dim and felt much colder than when the sun was out, it did not hinder the common people of the capital from conducting their business.

The varied cries of street vendors occasionally drifted into the carriage compartment.

Seeing Qingcao and the other two female attendants also occasionally lifted the carriage curtains to look outside.

Moreover, each time they lifted the curtain, the cool, crisp afternoon breeze blew in, chilling the cheeks of the three attendants, yet the trio never tired of it.

Xu Xu Zaijing, seated in the center of the carriage, caught a glimpse through the gap in the curtain lifted by Yun Xiang of an elderly man setting up a stall with a child by the roadside, and said, "Brother Qingyun! Buy some good sugarcane to take along."

"Yes, Young Master!"

By the roadside,

seeing Brother Qingyun, well-dressed and dignified, ride over from beside the noble carriage, the old man selling sugarcane immediately smiled, bowed with clasped hands, and said, "Honored guest, do you seek sugarcane? My sugarcane comes from..."

Brother Qingyun smiled, dismounted, and said, "Old sir, please peel a section first for me to taste."

A moment later,

"Pah."

Brother Qingyun spat out the sugarcane pulp, wore a troubled expression as he walked to the carriage parked nearby, passed a few small pieces of sugarcane through the window to Seeing Qingcao, and said, "Young Master, in my taste, it is slightly less sweet than the southern variety delivered to our home."

Seeing Qingcao and the other two attendants looked at the street, each tasting a small piece; afterward, Yun Xiang smiled and said, "Elder Brother Brother Qingyun, it is actually quite acceptable; rather sweet."

Chewing on a piece of sugarcane, Xu Xu Zaijing nodded slightly: "Take it; upon reaching Pan Tower, let them choose for themselves."

"Yes, Young Master."

After speaking, Brother Qingyun returned to the old man, haggled for a while, and handed him a small piece of silver.

Subsequently,

the old man tied up two large bundles of sugarcane and was about to shoulder them on a pole, leading his child to follow the carriage.

Inside the carriage compartment,

Yun Xiang, witnessing this scene, turned her head to glance at Xu Xu Zaijing: "Young Master..."

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled but said nothing.

Outside the carriage, Brother Qingyun, who had not yet mounted his horse, had already spoken: "Old sir, do not shoulder it; give the goods to me!"

Saying this, before the old man's astonished eyes, Brother Qingyun took one bundle in each hand and placed the two somewhat heavy bundles of sugarcane onto the seat where the coachman sat.

The Xu family's carriage and horses had already departed from that place,

A street vendor with a stall nearby looked at the old man carrying a child with some envy in his eyes and said, "Elder Zhang, you can head home earlier today; no need for you and the child to suffer the cold."

The old man smiled, bowed with clasped hands to those around him, hoisted the pole carrying the sugarcane onto his shoulder, glanced at the carriages and horses in the distance, and then walked toward home with the child whose nose was running from the chill.

Xu Xu Zaijing's carriage and horses arrived at Pan Lou Main Street.

The sky grew increasingly dim.

Compared to the road they had traveled,

this Pan Lou Main Street was much livelier, with far more vendors lining both sides of the street than elsewhere.

The Yuxian Yuxian Zhengdian and wine houses on both sides of the main street had already hung up lanterns; candlelight glowed from the elegant rooms along the street, and the sounds of strings and wind instruments drifted out from the buildings on either side.

After Brother Qingyun carried the bundled sugarcane off to one side,

Xu Xu Zaijing finally stepped out of the carriage, accompanied by his female attendants.

Standing at the entrance, Min Ge'er, a tea-and-wine attendant skilled in greeting guests and seeing them off, spotted Xu Xu Zaijing and Brother Qingyun, hurried forward with a smile, bowed with clasped hands, and said, "Brother Yin, it's been quite a while since I last saw you!"

Having said this,

Min Ge'er bowed deeply to Xu Xu Zaijing with clasped hands and said, "Greetings, Han Wulang! Please, Han Wulang, come inside."

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded, then entered Pan Lou through the cotton curtain that a door attendant was holding aside with a grin.

Brother Qingyun, following behind, smiled, patted Min Ge'er on the shoulder, pointed to the two bundles of sugarcane behind them, and said a few words.

"Rest assured, Brother Yin, the goods will be sent up immediately."

"Thanks for your trouble," Brother Qingyun said with a smile.

Xu Xu Zaijing entered the building.

Many lanterns were lit inside, making the light far brighter than outside.

The Shopkeeper on the first floor walked quickly toward them, bowed deeply with clasped hands to Xu Xu Zaijing, and said, "Han Wulang, it's been quite a while since we last saw you!"

"Shopkeeper Ran, it has indeed been a long time," Xu Xu Zaijing said, nodding.

Shopkeeper Ran's face lit up with joy; he gestured invitingly with his hand and smiled, saying, "Ah! You actually still remember me! Please, go upstairs; Young Master Zheng's elegant room is on the third floor."

As they walked toward the stairs,

many people in the main hall on the first floor turned to look at Xu Xu Zaijing.

The reason for their gazes was that Xu Xu Zaijing was quite tall, and the great cloak he wore had been bestowed by the Empress.

One glance at its quality made it clear that Xu Xu Zaijing was no ordinary wealthy household of Bianjing; moreover, Xu Xu Zaijing carried himself with an impressive demeanor, and behind him followed Brother Qingyun, dressed respectably, along with three female attendants.

They watched as Xu Xu Zaijing and his party ascended the stairs.

From time to time, guests dining on the first floor would stop a waiter in the building.

At one table,

a waiter set down dishes from his tray and, looking at the inquiring guest at the table, smiled and said:

"Oh? You're asking about that young master who just went upstairs? To be frank, he is a frequent patron of our Pan Lou—Han Wulang of the Xu family from Hou Fu of Marquis Marquis Yongyi."

"Hiss! So that young master is here in person; truly, hearing about him a hundred times is not as good as seeing him once!" the guest said, nodding.

"You are quite right, honored guest," the waiter continued, pointing to a certain spot on the first floor. "Back in the day, more than a dozen of Bai Gao's famed fierce generals were right over there—" he pointed to a place in the main hall and went on, "and that young master disabled every single one of them all by himself!"

The guests at that table leaned forward to look where the waiter was pointing and asked, puzzled, "Just now, that young master didn't look very old!"

"Honored guest, you haven't been in Bianjing long, have you?" Seeing the guest nod, the waiter said, "If I recall correctly, it was several years ago during the Lantern Festival lantern viewing; though that young master was not yet grown, he acted—"

On the third floor of Pan Lou,

Shopkeeper Ran, who had guided Xu Xu Zaijing and the others to the door of the elegant room, had already taken his leave and gone downstairs.

"Tap, tap."

Xu Xu Zaijing stood at the door and knocked lightly several times.

The door opened.

Zhi Que, who had opened the door from behind the screen in the elegant room, saw Xu Xu Zaijing at the entrance, bowed, then turned back and said, "Young Master, Han Wulang has arrived!"

"Jing Ge'er has come?"

Gu Gu Tingye's voice rang out.

A figure emerged from before the screen; it was not Gu Gu Tingye, but Zheng Xiao, wearing a broad smile.

"Thump, thump, thump, thump."

Zheng Xiao stepped forward, embraced Xu Xu Zaijing, and warmly patted him on the back.

After they separated, Zheng Xiao said, "Jing Ge'er, come, come inside."

As Xu Xu Zaijing untied his great cloak and handed it to Seeing Seeing Qingcao, he smiled and said, "Second Brother Zheng, we've only been apart for less than a month; why so enthusiastic?"

Liang Han, who was in the elegant room, said, "Jing Ge'er, Second Brother Zheng is in high spirits because of some happy event; when I arrived, he patted me just like that too."

Xu Xu Zaijing looked at Zheng Xiao, puzzled, and asked, "What happy event?"

Zheng Xiao waved his hand at Liang Han and said, "Go on, go on! Liang Liu Lang, why are you stirring up trouble? There's not even a hint of anything yet."

Meeting Xu Xu Zaijing's gaze, Liang Han smiled and said, "Jing Ge'er, on the very day Second Brother Zheng returned to the capital, besides going back to the Zheng family, he went to visit the Zhang family! My mother said that the Lady of the Duke of Britain intends—"

"Liang Liu Lang, stop talking!" Zheng Xiao shouted, somewhat embarrassed.

"Very well, your humble brother won't say another word!"

Hearing this, Xu Xu Zaijing looked at Zheng Xiao with a smile and said, "Could it be that the two families are about to exchange the grass letters?"

Exchanging grass letters is the first step in arranging a marriage.

Zheng Xiao, somewhat embarrassed, waved his hand and said, "Not at all... it's far too early! The Lady of the Duke of Britain was merely joking with my elder sister-in-law."

At that moment, Zheng Xiao's personal attendant said from the doorway, "Young Master, the Little Duke has arrived downstairs."

"Good, I'll go welcome him."

With that, Zheng Xiao walked outward.

Xu Xu Zaijing took his seat and, by the candlelight, looked at Gu Gu Tingye beside him and said, "Yuan Erlang, you've arrived rather early today."

After forcing out a faint smile, Gu Gu Tingye inexplicably twitched the corner of his mouth.

"What's wrong with you?"

Xu Xu Zaijing asked in confusion.

Gu Gu Tingye's face flushed with embarrassment as he said, "Brother Jing, don't ask."

As he spoke, Gu Gu Tingye bared his teeth and shifted his shoulders and back.

Xu Xu Zaijing frowned at Gu Gu Tingye's movements and asked, "Are you injured?"

Gu Gu Tingye was startled, then nodded slightly.

Xu Xu Zaijing said in a low voice, "What did you do? Those few opponents in the capital shouldn't be able to injure you in a fight!"

Recalling Gu Gu Tingye's fondness for his family's dragon steed, Xu Xu Zaijing's eyes darted before he hesitated, "Yuan Yuan Erlang, surely you didn't... because of the dragon steed foal I promised to give Brother Xing?"

Gu Gu Tingye's eyes widened: "Brother Jing, you! I... I am that kind of person? Brother Xing is my nephew; how could I..."

Xu Xu Zaijing: "Then why is this happening?"

Gu Gu Tingye pressed his lips together and said with some shame, "Father said I am addicted to women."

Hearing this,

Xu Xu Zaijing glanced around the private room and indeed saw no sign of Gu Gu Tingye's personal maidservant, Cheng Cheng Qiuniang.

Then, by the candlelight, he examined Gu Gu Tingye's somewhat exhausted expression, shook his head, and said, "Yuan Yuan Erlang, you really need to exercise some restraint."

(End of Chapter)