/
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Guests of the Cheng Family Banquet (Part 2)
Shaoshang stood coldly in the corridor, taking several deep breaths of the deep winter cold air and numbing her lungs.
She would like to forget her childhood, but after coming to this crappy place, she had been subject to gossip, pointed at, and gawked at… it all came back to her again! She went through hell to pass the college entrance exam, get into the best department in one of the top 10 universities, and had a crush on a popular, kind senior. With such a promising future ahead of her, she now had to work hard all over again. She felt naïve and didn’t know what to say!
The more Shaoshang thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn’t even stay in the corridor, so she asked Lian Fang to get her a fur coat and stomped off out of the courtyard. No maid was to follow her.
When she was annoyed or frustrated, she loved to be by herself, wandering around aimlessly. When she became too tired, she had no energy to be angry or annoyed or frustrated. At this moment, the main hall and east courtyard of the Cheng Mansion were filled with the sound of voices. The guests were like clouds and the servants like shuttles. Shaoshang glanced around indifferently and went to the west courtyard without looking back.
The mansion covered a large span of land. After the Cheng family moved in, they lacked manpower and time, so many places had not been sorted out yet. For example, the small hillside in the west courtyard was said to be secluded and neglected by Madam Wan. Shaoshang looked around and saw two or three twisted rocks, a small frozen pond, and more than ten old withered trees that she couldn’t name.
With the strength of her last life, Shaoshang could have trampled up and down the hill’s slope four or five times. But now she was gasping for breath just reaching the hilltop. After slipping back to the bottom of the hill, her legs began to shake. She moved to the side of the pond to find a dry and cold boulder to lie on.
Settling down on the round stone, Shaoshang suddenly remembered an old story she had read in her previous life…
A newly retired courtesan had rejected the infatuated person who had been chasing her for many years for the umpteenth time, said that she was exhausted of the world and had no intention of getting married and then disappeared. Many years later, the infatuated person met the ex-courtesan again, and found out that she had married an ordinary man and had children.
The infatuated man collapsed and said, “Since you are willing to marry someone, why not marry me? Your husband is not much richer than I am.”
The ex-courtesan said, “You can play the piano and sing, he can’t even understand music scores. You read all the books, he only likes to read magazines and newspapers. You have a dignified appearance; he is three inches shorter than me. There is one advantage, he has never seen or heard of me before. He doesn’t know about my past. He only thinks that I am a lonely widow, and married him.”
The infatuated man said, “I never cared about your past.”
The ex-courtesan said, “It’s better not to know if you don’t mind. I’m tired and not a strong person, and I don’t want to worry about the past anymore.”
Something resonated in Shaoshang with the sentence, “It’s better not to know if you don’t mind.” People were not so fragile and didn’t need so much sympathy and comfort. She could handle it herself; she just didn’t want others to know about it.
So, she especially understood that the ex-courtesan couldn’t accept the more noble, beautiful, and gentle infatuated man. In the end, she chose the silly, sweet man. It wasn’t that the infatuated man wasn’t good, but that she didn’t need his empathetic eyes, empathetic persuasion, she just needed to have him never see her past.
In her early years and high school, Shaoshang also envied the female classmates who went to the cafeteria for self-study, playing and laughing. It wasn’t like they hadn’t extended the offer to her, but it seemed there was a strange barrier between them that prevented them becoming friends no matter what.
On the contrary, in university, the four roommates from all over the world with vastly different habits and temperaments stayed together day and night, fought and made up, and lived harmoniously together.
The reason for that was because they had never seen Yu Cai Ling’s embarrassing childhood.
But in this unfamiliar world, where could she find a girl who didn’t know about Cheng Shaoshang’s embarrassing past? Thinking of her friends who would never see her again, Shaoshang felt a sense of melancholy and looked down at the hard ice.
“…Young Mistress, are you alright?”
A clear and familiar male voice came, and Shaoshang straightened up, sliding off the boulder to stand.
In front of her was a young scholar dressed in a royal blue brocade robe with a curved train, standing four or five steps away from her at the edge of the pond. He looked to be in his early twenties, a few inches taller than Eldest Brother Yong, and had a beautiful and thin physique.
Shaoshang immediately became guarded and cursed herself for being confused and not bringing anyone with her.
She didn’t care about her sore legs and politely bowed. She tilted her eyes slightly and politely said, “Does Young Master need something?” She thought that even if Madam Xiao were there, she couldn’t find any faults with her words and actions.
The young man frowned slightly when he saw Shaoshang’s unfamiliar expression. “I just saw you at the Lantern Festival a few days ago,” he said. “The Young Mistress has already forgotten about it?”
Shaoshang felt a moment of embarrassment. She had two romantic encounters during the festival and didn’t know which one was in front of her. But she wouldn’t admit defeat. She immediately said, “Although I have seen you before, I don’t know your name.”
The young man smiled. “The surname is Yuan, the name is Shen, and the cursive characters are easy to see.”
Shaoshang let out an ‘ah’ and looked up. She saw that Yuan Shen had handsome eyebrows and a gentle and elegant demeanor. Just standing there, he made the desolate hillside look as elegant as a star tower cloud platform.
Eldest Brother Cheng had mentioned this person in his talks with Shaoshang these days. Born in the Jiaodong family, his father was a feudal official somewhere. Three years ago, when His Majesty the Emperor first summoned the world’s great scholars to preach scriptures, he was at the age of eighteen and had already gained a great reputation as a teacher debating scriptures. Later, he was appointed as an official attendant by the emperor.
If still measured by numerical values, it would mean that this Master Yuan came from a prestigious second-class family, and his father belonged to a high-ranking official of the 1.5th class. He achieved great success at a young age, and it was projected that he could become a first-class cabinet minister in the future. Well, if he didn’t make any mistakes.
So, why did he deign to come to the Cheng banquet? Could it be another invitation by the Wan family?
Shaoshang shook her head and respectfully said, “Master Yuan, you are welcome. The Cheng family is shining brightly, but…” She was not good at making excuses and had to just say it. “My father and others are that way!” She thought the handsome man might have lost his way.
“I know,” Yuan Shen’s smile was gentle. “I came intentionally to look for a young lady.” His voice was soft and enunciation was clear, especially the word ‘intentionally.’ He deliberately weighed down two points, and hit her heart.
Shaoshang stopped smiling, and slowly smoothed the hairs on the back of her left hand with her right sleeve. She looked at him quietly before saying, “Could it be that I have offended you?”
After the Lantern Festival that day, she had already forgotten about her romantic encounter and her experience in her past life told her not to be too affectionate. Sister Wenmei* had made up a deep-seated crush on her own because someone had given her two balls at the pool table, and then ruined herself for many years and cheated on her boyfriend. She used this story to educate Shaoshang many times.
[Wenmei is the name of the girl who was the ‘leader’ of the gang Yu Cai Ling was in. Finally got a name!]
Being affectionate could harm one’s health. As a woman, being less affectionate could also lead to a healthier and longer life.
Yuan Shen’s smile deepened.
He had secretly inquired about the Cheng family and ultimately identified the Fourth Young Lady of the Cheng family to be the best marriage candidate. Originally, he thought that if she were an ordinary young girl, even if she had a bad temper, he might as well add sincere words and a gentle smile, which would surely impress her enough to do things for him.
He was fortunate when he went to take a special look at her at the Lantern Festival. With only a few glances, he had an intuition that Fourth Young Lady Cheng was different from what was rumored outside.
“Young Mistress, why don’t you ask me why I’m here today?” Yuan Shen circled around her. “General Cheng, the battle in Yi Yang that day…” Before he could finish speaking, Shaoshang had already taken a few oblique steps and was about to bypass him to return to the main hall.
Yuan Shen’s figure moved and he took a few steps to block Shaoshang’s path. At this moment, he put away his relaxed expression and said with a heavy tone, “Young Mistress Shaoshang, that is a bit impolite.”
“You and I don’t know each other,” Shaoshang said, looking indifferent, “and our two families have no previous relations. It’s impolite for the Master to stop me here.”
In fact, the customs of men and women during this time were not strict. Not to mention that the young men and women who sang and played together were common in the countryside, even unmarried couples traveled together in aristocratic families, and there were young men and women who meet for a private meeting in the river.
However, in any era, there was no advocacy of indulgence and promiscuity in sexual relationships. It was always right to be cautious. And her situation was a special one. Why wasn’t the powerful Director Xiao here? She would turn around, pinch her, and scold her again.
“Master, even someone as humble as I am has heard of your name.” Shaoshang slowly moved back a few steps to maintain their distance. “If you have something to say, you may as well speak directly. At this moment, the cold wind is blowing and I am frail. Do you still want to start from Pangu opening the world?”
[Pangu is a primordial being in Chinese mythology who split heaven and earth.]
The corner of Yuan Shen’s mouth twitched. “Okay, since Young Mistress Shaoshang speaks quickly, I’ll be straightforward.” He paused. “Young Mistress, you might not be aware of it, but I have something to ask of you…”
Shaoshang was puzzled. “To ask of me?” This Yuan, regardless of his social status, talent, and reputation, was far superior than herself. What could she do for him? Hmph! If a king asks for bronze, he will either cheat or steal!
“I only ask the Young Mistress to give a message to your Third Aunt, Madam Sang.” Yuan Shen flicked his sleeves out, raised his arms and gave a respectful bow.
Shaoshang was even more puzzled. “My family is not pedantic. If Young Master Yuan has something to say directly to my Third Aunt, why bother going through such a roundabout way…”
“It would be great if it could be so simple,” Yuan Shen said with a bitter smile. “There are some reasons why I cannot directly speak to Madam Sang due to the circumstances. Therefore, I can only ask Young Mistress to trouble herself. It’s not a big deal, it’s a small matter…”
“Yes,” Shaoshang said.
Yuan Shen hesitated for a moment. “What did you just say…?”
“I agreed,” Shaoshang said simply. “Whatever you want me to ask, just say it.”
Yuan Shen remained silent for a moment. He didn’t expect anything from this girl’s words and actions. Although he was much older than her, he had a sense that they were on par with each other. He used to have the smile of an adult teasing a child but now he couldn’t help but solemnly say, “Thank you very much. The Young Mistress needs to only say to Madam Sang, ‘To speak falsely and hope for sincerity, I hope to leave the palace in the south of the city. To climb the Orchid Terrace and gaze afar, and to listen to the divine voice while engaging in excessive activity outside. What my friends ask for is only the sound of wind and water.’”
Shaoshang’s mouth twitched and she said to herself, ‘Is that enough?!’
Yuan Shen saw her expression and asked, “Is there difficulty for the Young Mistress?”
“Yes,” Shaoshang said after a moment of hesitation, “can you remove the previous lines of the poem and only say the last one?”
“…”
Wild slopes, withered trees, and broken rocks.
Cold sun, cold wind, icy pond.
Yuan Shen felt that he had really seen a lot today.
“Those two lines are not poetry,” he said blandly. “They are the Fù* passed down by Master Sima.”
[Fù is like a poetic essay. I’m keeping it as Fù because the different between a poem and poetic essay doesn’t really read nicely.]
Shaoshang remained expressionless. “It seems that Young Master is asking me to do something.”
“…”
So, because of seeking help from others, it was necessary to erase the hearts of scholars and turn FĂš into poetry. Was she a child born from Zhao Gao?!
[Zhao Gao (d. 208 BCE) is considered one of the most vile, corrupt, and powerful eunuchs in Chinese history. He was instrumental in the fall of the Qin Dynasty.]
Yuan Shen closed his eyes, reminding himself that he wanted to argue with a little girl who hadn’t read more than a few books. “Sure. Just say, ‘I’m worried about my old friend, but just ask for a few words to reassure me.’”
Shaoshang nodded and bowed to Yuan Shen. She quickly walked around him and headed back with a crisp and neat approach.
Yuan Shen turned and watched her leave.
Just then, when he had first arrived, he saw the girl shrink into a small ball as she sat on the round stone, disheartened, like a homeless little quail soaked in rain, with sparse and scattered feathers, looking extremely pitiful. Upon hearing someone approaching, she immediately pricked up her bristles and was full of vigilance. In an instant, the quail transformed into a hedgehog.
Since he was fourteen years old, when the little girls outside saw him, they would either blush shyly or admire him, and they also deliberately did strange or arrogant behaviors to attract his attention. But it was the first time in his life that someone did not pretend to be suspicious or fearful at all, and even ran away in a hurry.
Yuan Shen would soon learn that his knowledge of the Cheng family’s Fourth Young Lady was still very shallow.
That’s right, because someone simply wasn’t going to keep their promise.