Delicate Flower – Chapter 29

Thanks anonymous for your support on Ko-fi! I really appreciate it a lot. >.< There will be a bonus chapter this week and I’ll label it as such. Thank you!!

Chapter 29 – Xiao Chuan

The next day, without waiting for magistrate to come and investigate the theft, Yu Wen quickly set off on his trip to Hangzhou.

Madam Chen and Yu Tang sent him to the harbor.

Near the harbor, Yuwen saw that the pawnshop was manned by Supervisor Tong’s son instead.

Yu Wen couldn’t help but ask curiously. “Where did the Supervisor Tong go?”

Little Supervisor Tong smiled as he replied, “The Pei family has another pawnshop in Hangzhou City. At the beginning of each month, my father will take a trip to check the accounts there. However, with all the recent happenings in Lin’an City, my father was too busy managing things here, and haven’t been able to travel to Hangzhou City for several months. Now that there’s a brief period of lull, he took this opportunity to travel there and take a look.”

The Pei family’s eldest master and grand elder passed away so quickly, one after another, so it’s not surprising that Supervisor Tong didn’t have the time to travel afar.

While Yu Tang was pondering over this, Yu Wen was delighted, saying “The Pei family has another pawn store in Hangzhou City? Where is it? It so happens that I’m traveling to Hangzhou City, so once I’ve reached, I’ll invite him out to have a meal together.” He added, “Had I known that he was also traveling to Hangzhou City, we could have gone together and be companions on the trip.”

After Little Supervisor Tong had instructed an attendant to pour the tea and invited the Yu family to sit and drink, he asked interestedly. “Master Yu, why are you going to Hangzhou City? The Pei family’s pawn store is at Shi yao river in ‘Fangrenli’ area, the store sign is large – five storefronts wide and high above people’s heads – you can definitely see it from afar. My father will stay there for about two or three days. Next to the pawnshop there’s also several bookstores and antique stores. If Master Yu goes there, you can take a look at those shops with my father.”

Yu Wen was disappointed.

He wanted to visit , but Lu Xin’s matter was urgent.

He said regretfully, “Alas, I can only arrange to visit your father another time.”

While they were talking, the boat travelling to Hangzhou City came and Yu Tang and her mother saw Yu Wen aboard.

Before the boat left the pier, another boat arrived. It was a magnificent three-sail boat which docked next to the passenger boat.

All around, people were watching and pointing at it.

Yu Tang saw a dignified-looking man in a green robe briskly making his way over with a group of people, instructing his attendants to lower the boarding plank.

Someone at the side spoke excitedly, “See, that’s Pei Man, the Pei family’s Head Steward.”

“Really?” Someone answered, “Step aside and let me have a look!”

Yu Tang curiously stood on her tiptoes to have a better look.

The man named Pei Man was around twenty-seven or eight years old. He had a slender face with a resolute and unwavering gaze. He had a solemn aura about him and seemed difficult to talk to.

Yu Tang pursed her lips.

The servant really resembled his master.

One look and you will know he’s the kind of person Third master Pei would have around.

He was exactly like him!

She criticized him silently in her heart.

She saw a man in a white brocade coat step out of the large boat. He was in his thirties, with a trimmed moustache and a black-lacquered gold framed fan in his hand and looked arrogant. Just after he alighted from the boat, he said to Pei Man indignantly. “Where is Xia Guang? Why didn’t he come to pick me up? I came from the capital, which is so far away, just to see him! It’s fine that he didn’t go to Hangzhou City to welcome me, but I’ve already arrived at Shaoxi Harbor, and he still didn’t come out! Is this the way to treat a guest?”

Pei Man respectfully bowed low towards the man, addressing him as “First ranked imperial scholar Zhou”, and said, “Our Third Master is troubled by family matters. Otherwise, with your friendship with our third master, how could our third master not come to welcome you?”

First ranked imperial scholar Zhou coldly snorted as he complained, “I told him to leave those troublesome things alone. How is living in the countryside any good? He didn’t want to listen. Now, serves him right, such a beautiful day and he has to sort out those problematic household affairs. Thinking about it, I feel sorry for him.”

Pei Man kept a smile on his face and did not reply.

First-ranked imperial scholar Zhou, who probably did not expect Pei Man to answer, waved his hand and said, “Let’s go! Where is the carriage? Xia Guang is aware of my temper, what type of incense is lit in the carriage?”

Pei Man quickly replied, “This was personally instructed by Third Master Pei. The incense used is the White Pear Blossom made by our family’s Third Master himself.”

As First-ranked imperial scholar Zhou listened, he glanced at Pei Man and snickered. “No wonder Xia Guang chose you to be his right-hand man, just this ability to tell lies unflinchingly and yet not let people dislike you, is sufficient for you to take on this role. Your Third Master doesn’t use incense, let alone make any incense for himself. “

Pei Man was indeed eloquent in speaking as he smiled unbothered, and replied, “Everyone says that the bond between you and our Third Master was as close as brothers, so it’s only you that will know our Third Master so well.”

However, his smile was a little cold and detached.

His words though, clearly made First-ranked imperial scholar Zhou happy and he didn’t bother to make anymore fuss as he ‘swished’ opened his fan and fanned it twice, before saying. “Lead the way.”

Pei Man politely make a gesture to “please go ahead” and accompanied First-ranked imperial scholar Zhou to the carriage parked next to the harbor.

The servants came down from the boat carrying many crates.

Just a glance and Yutang saw that there were at least more than a dozen wooden crates, each painted with good quality tung oil, shining so brightly that it can even chase away a person’s shadow. The four corners of the wooden crates were embellished with auspicious clouds pattern of brass. There were also seven or eight women wearing plain clothing and covered veils standing along the sides of the boat, as if they were waiting to alight. Yutang didn’t know if they were First-ranked imperial scholar Zhou’s maids or his female relatives.

The onlookers around her exploded into a flurry of gossip.

“This should be Third Master Pei’s good friend, right?”

“He came from the capital, and is also a First-ranked imperial scholar! Third Master Pei is really impressive.”

“Look at this setting, this Imperial Scholar must also be from a prestigious family.”

However Yu Tang’s thought drifted off to another matter altogether. It turns out that the Pei family’s third master ‘Zi’ name was “Xia Guang”.

Did it mean “love kept secret in the heart, but desperately yearns to confess”, or “in a million years, remains steady and upright”?

Or is it “mountain views of luscious green, the emerald pines gleams with a mesmerizing light.”₁

The Pei family’s third master was indeed imposing and steady as a bamboo, shining luminously as a pearl and strikingly outstanding in appearance.

Then, there’s this First-ranked imperial scholar Zhou .

She hadn’t heard of him in her previous life and she didn’t know which topic he scored first place in. But that proud and arrogant demeanor is indeed reminisce of Third Master Pei, so no wonder the two were good friends.

Yu Tang thought as the passenger boat ferrying Yuwen sailed away from the harbor.

Her mother and her waved goodbye to her father until the boat had sailed away into the distance, only then she assisted her mother to go to the pawn store and greet little supervisor Tong before heading home.

First-ranked imperial scholar Zhou and Pei Man had long since disappeared, and there was only a man dressed as a steward there instructing the servants to load the crates.

The crates were piled up high in the two horse carriages and there were still many crates to be packed.

Yu Tang was struck silent with shock.

Only a small visitation trip and they brought along so many things with them. From this, you already tell how much attention he paid to such things.

She became curious about the identity of this First-ranked imperial scholar Zhou.

Back home, Ah Cam brought back a small golden haired dog as per Yu Wen’s instructions.

The dog’s small body, soft fur and big, puppy dog eyes warmed people’ s hearts just by looking at it.

Yu Tang couldn’t resist squatting down to pet the puppy and it barked softly underneath her palm.

Her heart melted as she asked Ah Cam: “Where did you find it? Does it have a name?”

Ah Cao smiled and said, “It’s from one of my neighbors in my hometown, called Third Yellow.”

Yu Tang asked curiously, “Why is it called Third Yellow?”

Ah Cam laughed and said sheepishly, “Their dog had four pups at once, and this is the third one, so I just called it Third Yellow.”

Yu Tang laughed, “But this is the only one in our family, so let’s call it Little Yellow.”

Everyone agreed.

Old Aunty Chen gave it some rice mixed with bone broth.

Little Yellow ate it with much enthusiasm.

Madam Chen found it amusing and came over to pet its head.

Yu Tang thought she still had some dried meat in her room given by Ma Xiuniang, so she ran back inside to get it, but she heard some noises near the back door.

Everyone was in the front courtyard, could it be a thief?

As Yu Tang pondered, she took a stick and shouted loudly “Who’s there?!”

Not only did it not grow quieter, but a loud “clang” sounded as someone threw a stone into their backyard.

This wasn’t a thief, it was someone who was unhappy with their family.

Yu Tang was very angry.

Their family has always been good to others, and there has never been a verbal dispute between neighbors, and the theft that happened previously only stole some food away, so perhaps it was just a prank.

She quickly pushed open the back door and saw a boy dress in light blue clothing running away from the back door of their house.

Because it was morning and it was a back alley, there wasn’t anyone around, so Yutang could see clearly who the person was and thus, she couldn’t help but stare in confusion, “Wei Xiaochuan?”

Yes, that boy was the Wei Xiaochuan she had met on her last meeting with the Wei Family.

Why did he come to the back door of their house? And even after knowing his presence was discovered, why did he still throw stones at their back door? It seems like there is some kind of discontentment.

She remembered the last time he took a branch and beat the weeds around him.

He also looked angry and dissatisfied.

What exactly did their family do to upset him?

Thinking of Wei Xiaoshan, she quietly asked Ah Cam to check. “The youngest son of the Wei family, named Wei Xiaochuan, can you keep on eye on him and see what he has been doing lately?”

Ah Cao had previously followed Yu Wen to the Wei family for the funeral arrangements before. He answered, “He should be attending school, right? I heard the people of the Wei family say that he was listening when his brothers were being taught. He could already read and write at the age of three, and at the age of five he could recite the whole book of <Filial Piety>. Although he’s young, he was able to enter the school early, and it is estimated that he will be taking the exam next year.”

Yu Tong was taken aback by this and became more worried if something had happened to this child. According to her reasoning, such a precocious child should not behave so unruly.

Ah Cam went away, and came to tell her shortly that Wei Xiaochuan was obediently attending school.

Yu Tang thought about it and asked Shuang Tao to take a few boxes of snacks and took Ah Cam to the school.

Although Wei Xiaochuan was reluctant, he came out of the school with a tense face and asked Yu Tang coldly, “What do you want from me? Our families doesn’t have anything to do with each other anymore!”

Yu Tang felt that there was something wrong with what he said.

She said, “Don’t tell me that you weren’t the one who threw stones at our house this morning. As a man, if you have courage to do it, admit it. Whatever you want to say, say it. Now this shrinking back and cowering, what kind of conduct is this? “

After all, Wei Xiaochuan was just a young boy. After hearing this, his eyes quickly turned red and he said loudly, “You think I don’t dare to find you? It was my fourth brother who stopped me. You are a vixen, a beauty that brings disaster. My second brother is very good at swimming. Just because he wanted to marry you, he went to the river to catch some fish, and drowned. And my third brother, after hearing that you are beautiful and that your family chose my second brother as your family’s son-in-law, fought with my second brother. Now that my second brother is gone, my third brother regrets it dearly and feels that he spoiled his relationship with second brother and is unable to live with himself. If it weren’t for you, how would my second and third brothers be in such a state!”

Yu Tong was shocked into silence.

“Don’t you come looking for me! If you come to me again, I’ll tell everyone about all the ‘good’ things you’ve done!” Wei Xiaochuan yelled at her and ran away quickly.

Yu Tang felt her body grow cold and she couldn’t even stand up.

In her previous life, Madam Lin also called her a vixen, but Yutang only laughed coldly in her heart. Now, Wei Xiaochuan scolded her, but she remembered Wei Xiaoshan’s eyes that looked at her with pure joy and happiness, as bright as the morning star.

Her tears couldn’t help but fall down.

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1. I tried my best to explain all three sayings, but it’s really hard as they are mostly extracted from ancient poems and songs and seriously, SUPER difficult to translate. In short, they’re just complicated expressions complimenting Third Master Pei.