TL: Hua
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Yin Yanjun somewhat flusteredly pulled the long robe from the clothes rack and meticulously put it on, though the hand tying the sash trembled slightly.
The rogue young master couldn’t help but click his tongue inwardly. The Taoist Master looked truly like a young maiden being teased by a dissolute youth in the street—so beautiful.
Yin Yanjun tidied his clothes and calmly looked up towards the doorway. The young master, leaning crookedly against the doorframe, had eyes faintly gleaming, lost in thought.
His ear tips slightly reddened, Yin Yanjun could only feign calmness, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. “Young master is up early again today.”
The Taoist Master, already seated upright at his desk, was writing scriptures with a brush. His posture was still tall and straight, sitting as erect as a pine tree, making Xu Yanqing, the salted fish who never sat properly, want to give a thumbs-up to express his endless admiration.
He slowly walked into Taoist Master Xuanchen’s room. This room was originally where his elder brother had lived. After his brother left Xu Family Village, the room became vacant. Now, looking at the entire room again, apart from some more books and the Taoist Master’s clothes, everything else was still empty, looking a bit desolate.
The young master couldn’t help but click his tongue. The entire room was as cold and detached as its owner. So, sometimes he wondered if the Taoist Master was imitating the ascetic monks in temples, living an extremely austere life despite being an emperor.
“Taoist Master is as diligent as ever.” Xu Yanqing walked over to the desk and sat down, leaning towards Taoist Master Xuanchen to look at the densely written scriptures. After only two glances, he felt his head swelling. As expected, the salted fish understood nothing.
However, the salted fish young master still had an appreciation for beauty. Cupping his cheek, he blandly exclaimed, “Taoist Master’s calligraphy is truly excellent.”
Taoist Master Xuanchen’s calligraphy was indeed exceptionally beautiful. His brushstrokes were delicate and fluid yet powerful, embodying the strength of robust bamboo and carrying the Taoist Master’s unique elegance and serenity. In short, it was very pleasing to the young master’s eye.
After all, Xu Yanqing’s brushwork was only slightly better than a dog’s scratchings, so seeing someone else’s calligraphy so beautiful, he couldn’t help but express his admiration.
“Young master’s calligraphy indeed needs practice.” Remembering the young master’s flamboyant family letters, Yin Yanjun couldn’t help but tease him.
This made Xu Yanqing even more reflective. It turned out Marquis Yin’s uneasiness about him was justified; hadn’t he corrupted the Taoist Master? Now, the Taoist Master was becoming more and more skilled at teasing people. However, it seemed that he was always the one getting hurt. The salted fish declared he would just lie flat and accept the mockery, because practicing calligraphy was simply not going to happen.
So the salted fish young master casually picked up the brush and ink from the desk and scribbled on a blank piece of paper. Yin Yanjun chuckled and continued writing his unfinished scripture.
The salted fish didn’t have any superb drawing skills; he could even turn a simple cartoon drawing into something unrecognizable. Finally, he drew a few random strokes, and an ancient abstract painting was freshly produced.
As if inspired, the young master casually took another blank piece of paper, dipped his brush in ink, and continued to scribble. By the time Yin Yanjun finished the scripture he was writing, there were already seven or eight of the young master’s “masterpieces” on the desk.
Yin Yanjun picked one up, feeling somewhat puzzled. He really couldn’t tell what the young master had drawn. As he was guessing inwardly, the young master eagerly leaned over. “Look, does the chubby doll I drew look like him?”
“Is this Ah Ning?” Yin Yanjun could tell from a few lines that this was a crooked little person, but please forgive his poor eyesight for not being able to tell what chubby doll the young master was referring to.
The salted fish young master blinked and pointed at the two dark circles on the drawing, explaining, “These are the lucky doll’s big eyes.”
Yin Yanjun nodded, reluctantly agreeing that the two big circles were a pair of big eyes.
Xu Yanqing then pointed to an arc on the little person’s belly. “This arc represents his bulging belly; isn’t that a chubby doll?”
Although Yin Yanjun was puzzled, he still indulged him with a nod. “Indeed, looking at it this way, the drawing is truly vivid.” After all, the essence of the chubby doll was captured by the young master.
So he took another one, examined it briefly, and still couldn’t quite guess who it was, since he had never seen anyone with eyes that could spark fire.
“This is Young Marquis Yin. He has such a bad temper, always finding fault; isn’t he just like a big flame?” Xu Yanqing clicked his tongue in explanation.
Yin Yanjun found it somewhat amusing. Yuancheng was also a gentle and elegant young gentleman in the capital, but whenever he met the young master, he would indeed become impatient. Looking at the drawing this way, it was indeed very vivid.
Then, Yin Yanjun picked up another drawing. This time, he didn’t ask the young master to explain but guessed with a hint of uncertainty, “Did Young Master draw me in this one?”
It was still the same simple and clear drawing style, still a few crooked black lines, but Yin Yanjun seemed to have grasped the key to the young master’s drawing.
The young master nodded proudly. “How is it? It looks very similar, right?”
It was indeed very similar. The horizontal line represented a poker-faced mouth, the two faint, smudged gray lines were his beard, and the black lump on top of the head should be his topknot.
The young master had truly drawn many pictures in a short while: Mu Yu squatting on the ground feeding chickens, Wen Jing pouring tea, Aunt Li washing vegetables, Aunt Zhao making soup, and Qi Chen rolling medicine pills…
Yin Yanjun looked up and asked, “Why didn’t the young master draw himself?”
“I did!” Xu Yanqing found the drawing of Taoist Master Xuanchen among a pile of drawings. He pointed to a few crooked lines on it. “This is me.”
A lightning-shaped line represented the reclining chair, and two lines forming a closed pattern on the reclining chair looked like a fish. Yes, that was the salted fish himself, nestled in the reclining chair.
The young master’s self-perception was indeed this clear and straightforward.
Taoist Master Xuanchen didn’t understand, but he didn’t say anything.
Aunt Li was called to help and had also taken leave today. Aunt Zhao had prepared breakfast and called out from the courtyard.
“Let’s go!” Yin Yanjun walked over to the young master and helped him up. “Last night, you said you wanted to eat wontons, so Aunt Zhao got up early this morning to make them.”
The further along his pregnancy progressed, the more Xu Yanqing felt his tastes were changing. One day he’d want something light; the next he might crave something strong. In the morning, he’d want steamed buns and flatbreads, and by afternoon, he’d want soup and bones.
Sometimes, the salted fish felt he was being too demanding, practically making things difficult for Aunt Zhao. Yet, Aunt Zhao would still comfort him, saying that pregnancy was just like that and he shouldn’t feel any pressure.
With that, the young master’s inexplicable little emotional turmoil completely vanished.
The pork and celery wontons were tender and smooth. Aunt Zhao had also drizzled some sesame oil on top, instantly making the wontons even more fragrant.
The young master ate with great relish, finishing two large bowls and still wanting more. However, Qi Chen, using the excuse that the young master needed to control his food intake, snatched away the last bowl.
The salted fish sighed. Sure enough, Qi Chen was becoming more and more annoying. Once the troublesome little bean was out, he would definitely ask Aunt Zhao to make a large pot of wontons, then he would tie Qi Chen up and then eat in front of him, surely making Qi Chen drool and wail in frustration.
Qi Chen felt a chill down his spine, but as he ate the fragrant wontons in his bowl, he didn’t care if his back was cold or not. Any other matters could wait; for now, he needed to eat first.
—
Xu Lin’s house was decorated with lights and red silk, and the yard was bustling with people coming and going.
Most of the people in Xu Family Village were somewhat related, and coupled with the village chief’s family’s good reputation, the idle uncles and aunts in the village all voluntarily came to help. After breakfast, Aunt Zhao cleaned up the kitchen and brought a few guards to help receive guests. Xu Lin’s courtyard was already quite large, yet it still couldn’t accommodate all the people coming and going, so there was a constant flow of people even outside.
The busy Xu Chuan, from a distance, saw Taoist Master Xuanchen in his robes accompanying the loosely dressed young master Xu walking towards them. He quickly went to greet them. “Ah Qing, Taoist Master Xuanchen, welcome!”
Xu Yanqing shook the money pouch in his hand and, with a smile in his eyes, said to Xu Chuan, “Brother Chuan, please take us to present our gift first!”
“Good, good, good!” Xu Chuan smiled and quickly led Xu Yanqing and Yin Yanjun to the front to present their gift.
There were many people at the gift-giving area, but when they saw the young master accompanied by Xu Chuan and the immortal-like Taoist Master Xuanchen approaching, everyone voluntarily made way for them.
Xu Yanqing felt a bit amused in his heart. Sure enough, an emperor was different; his dignified and aloof demeanor even gave him an advantage in queuing. The salted fish expressed that he was very happy to cut in line.
“Xu family’s second son presents ten taels of silver, Taoist Master Xuanchen five taels of silver!” The man calling out the names looked at the two people in front of him with some alarm. As far as he knew, Xu Lin’s family’s bride price was only twenty-five taels. This instantly earned them fifteen taels from these two. He really didn’t know the relatives of Xu Lin’s family were so generous.
“Ah Qing, isn’t this too much of a gift?” Even Xu Chuan felt a jolt of alarm. He knew Ah Qing’s family was wealthy, but money shouldn’t be spent like this, especially since Ah Qing was recuperating in the village and there were plenty of places to spend money.
Xu Yanqing grinned, “Brother Chuan, don’t worry. Just consider it as my father and mother presenting the gift together. When I write a family letter and send it back, I’ll ask my father to secretly reimburse me from his private stash.”
With so many people around, Xu Chuan was afraid that the comings and goings would bother Xu Yanqing, so he quickly led them to a room. This place held some of the congratulatory gifts everyone had sent. Xu Chuan was still busy outside, so he had Xu Yanqing and Yin Yanjun sit in the room to drink tea, and even specially prepared fruits and snacks for them.
Yin Yanjun took a sip of tea and slightly frowned. “Young master, are you thirsty? Shall I go to the kitchen and get some hot water?”
Xu Yanqing shook his head. It was noisy outside, but quiet in the room. He casually grabbed a handful of melon seeds and munched on them with relish. It had been a long time since he had eaten melon seeds, and eating them suddenly felt very addictive.
In a short while, a large pile of melon seed shells had accumulated. Yin Yanjun found it somewhat amusing, but he still reminded the young master a couple of times, then carried the tea set to the kitchen to ask Aunt Zhao to boil some water for him.
Yin Yanjun didn’t stay long outside, afraid that the young master might be jostled by people while alone in the room, so he gave Aunt Zhao some instructions and returned to the room.
Xu Yanqing was still cracking melon seeds, and being bored, he spread all the melon seed shells on the table, using them to create a picture.
However, his drawing skills were already abysmal, and what he made with melon seed shells was even harder to describe. In the end, he barely managed to “draw” a chubby bird missing a wing and a leg.
Before Yin Yanjun returned, several old women walked in, carrying a pile of festive quilts and blankets. They were chatting and didn’t notice the young master hunched over the table drawing with melon seed shells.
This caused the young master to startle the old women when he sat up from the table. Seeing the well-behaved young master, they, having nothing else to do, gathered around and started talking to him.
“Whose relative is this young man? He is really outstanding in appearance.”
“Yes, yes, young master, why aren’t you going out to play? Isn’t it boring sitting here?”
“Young master, have some candy, wedding candy, it’s sweet!”
Xu Yanqing was surrounded by a group of old women. This feeling was so novel that he was momentarily stunned. In the blink of an eye, his hands were filled with wedding candies.
The flustered young master could only pull the corners of his mouth into a sweet smile and slowly chatted with these seemingly warm old women. “I’m a distant relative of the village chief’s family; I call the groom ‘elder brother’.”
“I’ve been weak since childhood, so Brother Chuan was afraid I’d be jostled, which is why he had me stay here.”
“It is indeed a sickness, but not too serious. I just need a period of quiet recuperation.”
—
When Yin Yanjun returned from the kitchen, he saw that the young master, who had been engrossed in cracking melon seeds, was now chatting lively with a group of old women.
These old women were all elders, and elders of their age liked well-behaved and sensible younger generations, so they chatted with the young master without any reservations.
Finally, when it was almost time for the banquet to start, Xu Yanqing and Yin Yanjun were both enthusiastically pulled along by the old women.
“Young master, come sit with us. If you sit with those men, they’ll only focus on drinking and won’t eat properly.”
“That’s right, young master, you’re frail and still sick right now. Avoid alcohol if you can. Eating well is more nourishing.”
“Our table is farther from the stage, so it’s quieter. When the bride arrives later, they’ll set off firecrackers, so be careful not to get startled.”
Just as they were speaking, outside, firecrackers exploded and gongs and drums roared. The sedan chair carrying the bride had returned.
The surroundings suddenly erupted with activity, and their voices became indistinct. Yin Yanjun saw the young master frown slightly, seemingly unaccustomed to the noise, so he gently raised his hand and covered the young master’s ears.
Xu Yanqing felt as if he was completely enveloped in Taoist Master Xuanchen’s embrace. He couldn’t smell the pungent scent of firecrackers; only the Taoist Master’s faint, cool aroma filled his nostrils. The deafening sounds of gongs and firecrackers in his ears also quieted down.
The old women at the table, seeing this, all smiled approvingly at Taoist Master Xuanchen. He was a brother who would take care of his younger brother, and even though he was a monastic, he was still a very fine young man.
Suddenly, many people, both men and women, old and young, poured in from outside the courtyard. People gathered on both sides, cheering as the newlywed couple, holding a red silk ribbon adorned with flowers, slowly walked in.
Xu Lin’s face showed the joy of starting a family, while the bride held a fan, shielding her blushing shyness.
Xu Lin’s parents were pushed to the main seats, and the newlywed couple stood below the hall. Then someone was heard calling out the ceremony chants:
“First bow to Heaven and Earth!”
“Second, bow to the respected elders!”
“Husband and wife bow to each other!”
“Ceremony complete, into the bridal chamber!”
Then, a burst of joyful laughter erupted from the crowd again, and the two elderly parents on the high seats were beaming with happiness.
It was the custom in Xu Family Village for wedding banquets to be held at noon. The groom and bride were sent into the bridal chamber, and then the sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums resumed, with the music from the stage becoming even more joyous and lively.
“The banquet begins!”
With a loud shout, many men and women carried large trays, laden with various cold and hot dishes, and served them.
The dishes were served quickly and were very rich. The old women at the same table knew the young master was frail, so as soon as the food arrived, they urged Taoist Master Xuanchen to serve food to his younger brother.
At first, Xu Yanqing felt a little awkward, but gradually the awkwardness faded, and he accepted the Taoist Master’s considerate and thoughtful serving with peace of mind.
When Xu Chuan came over to serve dishes, he saw Xu Yanqing and Taoist Master Xuanchen among a group of old women at the table and couldn’t help but laugh. “Just now, Aunt Zhao and I were planning to arrange good seats for you two, but I didn’t expect you both to find comfortable spots for yourselves so early.”
“Chuanzi, you go and be busy. We’ll help you look after your little brother,” a group of old women very generously offered to take over.
In the middle of the lively meal, the young master, having parched his throat from cracking melon seeds earlier and then drinking too much water, now wanted to go to the toilet.
“I’ll go with Young Master,” Yin Yanjun said, feeling a little uneasy.
The salted fish was bewildered. Did he need the Taoist Master to accompany him even to the toilet? Had he become a kindergarten child? In the end, he firmly rejected Taoist Master Xuanchen’s suggestion to accompany him.
The toilets in the countryside were naturally not as clean as those in the capital, so the young master could only pinch his nose, find a slightly cleaner one to relieve himself, and then quickly run out.
Even so, the young master still felt a strange lingering smell on himself, so he decided to walk back slowly to let the smell dissipate. However, he ran head-on into a girl who had twisted her ankle. The girl let out an “ah” and fell towards Xu Yanqing.
In a moment of desperation, Xu Yanqing could only hold the girl by the waist; luckily, the girl didn’t hit his stomach.
After regaining her footing, Xu Yanqing quickly pushed her away and shook his slightly sore wrist.
The girl’s face was flushed with embarrassment as she softly thanked the young master.
Xu Yanqing had no experience interacting with girls, so he waved his hand and quickly walked back towards the courtyard.
The girl behind him stared intently at Xu Yanqing’s receding back, a hint of shyness and an ambiguous gleam flickering in her eyes.
The young master went to wash his hands outside the kitchen before returning to his seat. Yin Yanjun frowned slightly. “Why did you take so long?” He was about to go look for him if he didn’t see him soon.
Xu Yanqing shook his head. Neither the toilet incident nor the girl incident was suitable to discuss at that moment. So he looked down at the bowl in front of him, somewhat dumbfounded. “What’s going on here?”
He had only been out for a short while, and the bowl in front of him was already piled high with food, almost forming a small mountain.
“Young master, hurry and eat! These are all good things your elder brother specially saved for you,” the group of old women said with smiles.
The young master found it a bit amusing. It must have been these elders who told the Taoist Master to save the food for him. He curved his lips, his delicate and beautiful face full of smiles.
Thus, under the care of the elders, Xu Yanqing enjoyed the banquet very much. Fortunately, Taoist Master Xuanchen was there to watch over him, preventing him from stuffing his belly even further.
In the end, when it was time to go home, Taoist Master Xuanchen helped the young master out. The two walked along, chatting and laughing softly, appearing very harmonious from a distance. The remaining three people at home were not idle. The weather was getting hotter, so Wen Jing went to town to make some summer clothes for His Majesty and the young master and also made two for Young Doctor Qi to show fairness.
At this moment, the three of them were busy tidying up clothes when they looked up and saw Taoist Master Xuanchen walking in, supporting the young master.
Qi Chen couldn’t help but laugh, “Young master, young master, you look exactly like a pregnant woman about to give birth!” Then he shook his head and added, “No, no, young master, you should hold your waist with your hand; that would look even more like it.”
Xu Yanqing: He wanted to kill that talkative Qi Chen with his eyes.
Mu Yu, however, ran over with a worried expression, “What’s wrong, young master?”
The nonchalant young master replied, “This young master is deeply loved by the elders, so—I ate too much!”
“Ah?” Mu Yu was shocked. So, it was just from eating too much.
“Hahahaha!” Qi Chen laughed even more arrogantly. However, seeing the young master’s “fierce” eyes that seemed to want to kill him, he wisely shut his mouth and ran to the kitchen to brew a pot of digestive tea for the overstuffed young master.
Xu Yanqing strolled around the courtyard a few times, drank the digestive tea, and finally settled into his reclining chair. Stroking his belly, he couldn’t help but sigh, “Being too popular is also a kind of stressful headache.”
When Aunt Zhao returned from Xu Lin’s house in the evening, she carried many fresh vegetables, all leftovers from the wedding feast. Xu Lin’s mother had asked Aunt Zhao to take some back.
Learning that the young master had eaten too much at the wedding feast today, she also couldn’t help but smile. In the evening, she simply made a bowl of shredded chicken noodles for the young master.
After a wedding banquet full of delicious fish and meat, Xu Yanqing suddenly felt that a simple bowl of shredded chicken noodles could be so delicious.
At Xu Lin’s home, there was another feast in the evening to entertain everyone who had helped out today. In the bridal chamber, a girl was chatting with the bride.
“Really, that young man is so handsome that you’re so smitten after just one glance?” The bride couldn’t help but tease.
The girl sitting on the stool blushed, but she still bravely managed to say to the bride through her shyness, “Cousin, please just ask brother-in-law which family that young man is from.”
The bride smiled and reached out, gently poking the girl’s forehead, “Alright, alright, don’t worry. For my sister’s happiness, your cousin will definitely help you find out, okay?”
The bride’s words made the girl feel embarrassed and annoyed. She couldn’t help but pull the bride’s hand and act coquettishly. In the end, she ran out of the bridal chamber after being teased.
When the banquet outside ended, Xu Lin stumbled into the bridal chamber. The bride quickly held up a fan to cover her face.
Xu Lin went up to her and started to pester her shamelessly. The bride blushed and took away the fan. Xu Lin’s eyes were full of amazement, and he suddenly picked up the bride and pressed her on the bed.
—
Much later, the candles in the room were still burning. The bride, sleepy, lay on Xu Lin’s chest and suddenly remembered her cousin’s request. She asked, “Does your family have a young man who also attended the wedding feast today?”
“Young man?” Xu Lin didn’t react immediately; many people came to the wedding feast today.
The bride smiled, “Yaoyao met an exquisite-looking young man outside today. You know my cousin has always been proud since she was little and hasn’t fancied any young men. But today, she saw someone at the wedding feast, and her heart just flew to him!”
At this, Xu Lin chuckled, “Then your sister indeed has good taste. The person she saw should be Ah Qing.”
“Ah Qing?” The bride was a little puzzled; she had never heard her husband mention such an outstanding young man.
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Obrigada pela tradução 😘💞