LC chapter 6

 

Lin Ruan led Meng Zhen into the house. Tong Bo was in the living room and saw the two of them.

“This is my classmate, Meng Zhen,” Lin Ruan said, introducing him to Tong Bo. Then, he turned to Meng Zhen. “This is our butler, Tong Bo.”

Meng Zhen greeted him, saying, “Hello, Mr. Tong. I’m Meng Zhen, Lin Ruan’s classmate.”

Mr. Tong gave a slight nod. “Please, have a seat.”

As a guest, Meng Zhen received proper courtesy from Tong Bo.

Lin Ruan and Meng Zhen sat down on the sofa. A Yue brought tea, and Meng Zhen thanked her politely.

“Is it warmer inside now?” Lin Ruan asked. “We usually serve Biluochun tea[mfn]碧螺春 (Bì luó chūn) is a famous Chinese green tea. Literal meaning: “Green Spiral Spring” or “Green Snail Spring,” because the leaves are tightly rolled like a snail and picked in early spring.[/mfn] to guests. I wonder if you’ll like it.”

“It’s quite good,” Meng Zhen replied, taking a sip from his cup. “This place is quite different from what I imagined.”

Lin Ruan smiled. “The interior is mostly like this. If you’d like to see more, I can take you to the back garden. There’s a lovely glass greenhouse there.”

Before Meng Zhen could respond, Zhan Xi descended the stairs. Lin Ruan rose immediately upon seeing him, and Meng Zhen followed suit.

“Sir,” Lin Ruan introduced, “this is my classmate, Meng Zhen.”

Zhan Xi turned to Meng Zhen. “I’ve heard of the second young master of Ruyi Brocade Manor. The Meng family upholds fine traditions, and the second young master himself possesses a distinguished bearing.”

At the mention of his family name, Meng Zhen instantly straightened his posture and became more formal.

“Mr. Zhan, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Lin Ruan glanced at Meng Zhen but remained silent.

Zhan Xi exchanged polite pleasantries. “Second Young Master Meng, you’re too kind. If you don’t mind, please let Lin Ruan show you around. I won’t accompany you further. Please forgive my poor hospitality.”

With that, Zhan Xi ascended the stairs as if he had merely come down to greet them briefly.

The moment Zhan Xi left, Meng Zhen exhaled in relief. Zhan Xi commanded such an overwhelming presence that Meng Zhen had to stay alert and avoid embarrassing his family.

Noticing his discomfort, Lin Ruan suggested, “Why don’t we go to my room?”

Meng Zhen nodded.

Just then, A Yue approached and told Lin Ruan, “Your room has been moved upstairs. It’s the one at the end of the corridor.”

Lin Ruan glanced upstairs. Zhan Xi had only mentioned changing his room yesterday—he hadn’t expected it to be ready so quickly.

Lin Ruan led Meng Zhen upstairs. His room was next to Zhan Xi’s. As they passed Zhan Xi’s door, they both instinctively quieted their footsteps.

They opened the door to find a sofa and coffee table. A beaded curtain separated the inner and outer sections. The inner area contained a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. The desk was by the window and was draped with deep gray curtains that lent an air of refinement.

Meng Zhen looked around and sighed, “Your room is so bright and spacious. It’s even bigger than mine.”

Soft carpet covered the floor, and the ceiling lamp was simple yet bright. Beside the sofa stood a small side table with a lush green plant in a pastel porcelain pot.

Meng Zhen’s expression grew increasingly serious. “Tell me honestly—are you really just a servant at the Lan Mansion?”

Lin Ruan nodded. Meng Zhen looked at him with an expression that said, “Don’t lie to me.” “What servant gets such good treatment? I clearly heard that man call you ‘young master’!”

“That’s because we were outside. Shi Ning gave me face,” Lin Ruan explained, “I am truly a servant at the Lan Mansion. The master treats everyone well. A Yue got to study Western pastry making, and Shi Ning even went abroad with the master.”

Meng Zhen seemed convinced, his voice tinged with envy. “Then, does the Lan Mansion still hire? The benefits sound incredible!”

Lin Ruan chuckled. “Just stick to being a young master!”

After a few more lighthearted exchanges, Meng Zhen sighed. “Seeing you do so well really puts my mind at ease.”

Lin Ruan relaxed his posture. “Why the sudden act of maturity? You were nervous as hell downstairs just now.”

“Pfft!” Meng Zhen scoffed. “It was my first time meeting him. I wasn’t prepared! Besides, he’s the Third Master! Everyone in Beijing would kill for a glimpse of him. Of course I was nervous!”

Lin Ruan looked at Meng Zhen. “Is he really that formidable?”

Lin Ruan spent most of his time at school or the Lan Mansion, so he didn’t know much about Zhan Xi’s public persona.

Meng Zhen was cocky now; none of the seriousness from earlier remained. “You probably don’t know, but word is that Third Master returned with an entire fleet of goods—everything from imported liquor and fabrics to cameras and automobiles, and even pharmaceuticals and military supplies. It’s all docked at Tianjin Port. Everyone in Beijing wants a piece of the pie. My dad and brother have been talking about it nonstop these past few days, but they have no connections to get into the Lan Mansion. Who’d have thought I’d actually meet the man himself?”

Meng Zhen snapped to attention. “He was so polite to me. Could it have been just to save face for you?”

Lin Ruan chuckled. “No way.”

Meng Zhen said that offhandedly; it wasn’t based on anything. Downstairs, the clock chimed slowly and loudly.

Meng Zhen glanced at his watch and stood up. “I should head home. If I get back too late, my mom will be upset.” He looked at Lin Ruan. “Come with me to say goodbye to Third Master. I’m a bit nervous about it.”

Lin Ruan nodded and followed Meng Zhen out.

Upon hearing that Meng Zhen was leaving, Zhan Xi politely offered to stay a little longer but soon had Shi Ning escort him home.

The next day, Lin Ruan had barely sat down in the classroom when Meng Zhen burst in, panting heavily and wearing his backpack. He skidded to a halt beside his desk, staring at Lin Ruan without speaking. His face was flushed crimson.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Lin Ruan asked. “Did something happen?”

Meng Zhen exhaled a long breath, sat down beside Lin Ruan, and spoke softly, though visibly excited. “This morning, my dad told me that Third Master Zhan discussed business with him. He gave our family the batch of fabric he brought back from abroad. If this deal goes through, our silk shop might finally open a branch. Lin Ruan, I owe it all to you!”

“Me?”

“Yes! If you hadn’t invited me to your home, I never would’ve met Third Master. He’s probably doing business with us because of you!”

Lin Ruan thought for a moment, then smiled. “You’ve got it all wrong. The Third Master had already planned to do business with your family. You just happened to be at our place that day, so he came down to greet you—all to establish ties between our two families. Besides, what standing do I have?”

Meng Zhen remained skeptical. “Really?”

“Absolutely,” Lin Ruan replied. “Master doesn’t do anything without reason. Every move he makes has its purpose.”

Meng Zhen cupped his face in his hands and pondered. “Actually, when I met Third Master that day, I felt like he treated you differently. There was this indescribable feeling.”

Lin Ruan placed his book on the table. “That day, the master only said one sentence to me. Where exactly did you see him treat me differently?”

“The tone of his voice, his body language, the distance he kept, the way he looked at you—everything was different.” Meng Zhen nudged Lin Ruan with his shoulder.

Lin Ruan laughed. “Have you been reading too many of those sappy romance novels? The way you describe it, I almost believe you.”

Meng Zhen shot him a look, and they both burst into laughter.

Behind them, Li Mingwen’s gaze remained fixed on them, tinged with disgust. He stood up, walked over to Lin Ruan, and tapped his desk. “Could you two keep it down?”

Instantly, the rest of the classroom fell silent. A few boys playing cards in the back couldn’t stop in time, and their shuffling sounded deafening.

Lin Ruan looked up at Li Mingwen and bowed slightly. “Sorry.”

Li Mingwen shot him a glance before returning to his seat.

Meng Zhen frowned. “Hey! What’s with that guy?”

Lin Ruan tugged at his sleeve. “Forget it, forget it.”

Meng Zhen sat back down, and the noise in the classroom surged back to life.

“Not that I’m saying anything, but I always feel like he has something against you.”

“I know. It’s about the speech contest.”

“No, no, no,” Meng Zhen insisted. “This didn’t happen overnight. We’ve been classmates for so long. Has he ever given you a friendly look? This kind of persistent hostility can’t stem from just one incident. Most likely, he’s just annoyed whenever he sees you. He dislikes you. Every move you make grates on him.”

Lin Ruan’s expression was hard to read. “Am I really that annoying?”

Meng Zhen chuckled softly.

Lin Ruan looked at Meng Zhen seriously and said, “I suddenly realized—how come you’re so articulate all of a sudden? My master likes that, too, as does Li Mingwen. They both analyze things so clearly. Can you really learn this kind of stuff just from reading novels?”

Meng Zhen chuckled. “To be honest, I took an elective psychology course earlier. With finals approaching, I’m just reviewing.”

Lin Ruan snorted. “Don’t use me as your study material.”

As the bell chimed, the professor entered the classroom clutching lecture notes, and the chatter in the room gradually died down.