Chapter 201: The Passing of Time
“Ah~ Ah~ Ah~ Ya~”
The melodic, lingering singing voice drifted continuously from the passing boat.
The Jing River surged.
Young Master Liu was somewhat agitated, pouring out his heart in the night.
“In the spring, there is a patch of pear blossoms in my family’s backyard. When they bloom, they are snow-white and beautiful, with a delicate fragrance. You will surely like them; those flowers are as beautiful as you.”
“In the summer, we can go to our estate to escape the heat. There is a river at the estate, and we can watch people fishing. In the evening, fish leap from the water, their scales glittering.”
“In the autumn, many fruits ripen. People in the capital love eating crab, and my Father’s subordinate sends many good crabs every year; they are extremely plump.”
“In the winter, we can watch the snow. We can boil tea in the snow or hide inside the house to read books, with steam rising while we watch the snow outside the window.”
“I have many friends who will certainly envy me for being able to marry the woman I truly love. After I take you back, I will introduce you to all of them.”
The youth was in the throes of first love; his body was hot, his voice was hot, and his breath was hot.
The wind could not blow it away.
Jiang Wan looked at the dark river. She actually wanted to ask: When do you study? What do you rely on for a living? Will you rely on your Father and Mother forever? A woman follows her husband after marriage, and the capital has strict hierarchies. If you have no official position, I will have to bow and kneel to everyone I see in the future. How am I supposed to handle that?
These thoughts were too distant and too disappointing; it was impossible anyway.
She couldn’t do it. There were flowers in the courtyard in Ming County, and they had an estate too. She had seen fishing—it was a bit dirty. She boiled tea in the snow; she made excellent tea, but now, drinking Gongfu Tea was popular in Jingzhou, so there was no need to boil it anymore.
Her desperate gamble was not to live a repetitive life, nor to accompany him in fighting his Father and Mother.
She just wanted to escape. She believed that as long as she told Cousin Chu Xi about the things she knew from her dreams, he would surely keep her, even if she was in a wretched state right now.
In her previous life, she had also been very wretched.
So she said: “Young Master Liu, you should go back tomorrow. I do not wish for you to quarrel with your Father and Mother for my sake. My origins are unknown, and I am not a suitable match. You and Miss Dong are childhood sweethearts; how could you fail her? I love you deeply, so I do not want you to suffer even the slightest harm. Go back, listen to your Father and Mother, and get married. Forget me; I am not worth it.”
At this moment, Liu Tong was truly moved and touched. It was not just physical heat; his heart and soul were moved. He had been procrastinating, hesitating, secretly happy, yet also panicked these past few days. He was worried about regretting it, but he had to face it eventually. He had not expected Miss Qingqing to love him so much, unwilling to let him suffer even a bit of grievance, preferring to suffer herself.
“No, a real man must be able to shoulder his own responsibilities. Have you heard of the young general, Meng Shaoxia? He loved a country girl and was willing to stay at his Father-in-law’s house for three years just to marry her. I, Liu Tong, am no worse than him. If he can do it, so can I.”
Liu Tong steeled his heart.
On the bow of that boat, Chu Xi stood, facing the river. He had arrived in Jingzhou and seen a different kind of Jingzhou. His heart was surging with excitement. He wanted to tell his Father that he would go back to govern Pan City. He could do it too; this was what the world should look like.
The common people lived in peace and contentment, everyone had work to do, and everyone had something to look forward to.
That Jiang the Second was a capable person and would be a true enemy.
The large boat passed by the boat next to it. Chu Xi seemed to see a pair of lovebirds on the adjacent boat. The woman seemed to see him and was somewhat nervous, which made him feel somewhat amused. He also felt that while Jingzhou was indeed nice, it was perhaps too open; these men and women were too casual. He didn’t know whose backyard was on fire.
The night boat swayed.
Jiang Wan steeled her heart to leave.
Liu Tong steeled his heart to love Miss Qingqing.
He let go of Miss Qingqing. Since he loved her, he could not bear to be frivolous with her; he had to respect her more.
He could wait.
Late at night, they returned to their respective rooms.
Liu Tong was very excited; he thought about many, many things even after lying down.
Jiang Wan was also a bit excited. She did not regret following Liu Tong out. If she hadn’t come out, she might have been locked in Ming County forever, never able to leave. She had seen Chu Xi, and she would follow Chu Xi to leave. It was a bit risky, but she could do it. They were, after all, inextricably linked.
Censor He was the uncle of Young Master He Chen.
Meng Shaoxia and Young Master He Chen were good friends and also called him Uncle.
This kinship was established.
This was how the various interconnected marriages in the capital often worked.
A pile of excrement on the roadside in the capital might have been stepped on by at least three high-ranking officials.
Since they were all his own uncles, Censor He had been invited to the Jiang Family that evening.
After many years, Censor He almost didn’t recognize this junior upon seeing him again.
The food at the Jiang Family was too good; his face had become round.
This little Meng had not lost any weight while staying at his Father-in-law’s house; he had gained so much weight.
The others were fine, as they saw him day after day, so the weight gain was gradual and not obviously felt.
When Censor He tasted the food at the Jiang Family—Madam Meng had cooked personally that evening—the old man, who was not greedy for food, sighed internally, “Good heavens, little Meng’s round face is worth it; it’s too delicious.”
This culinary skill was even better than that of the imperial chefs in the palace.
Little Meng looked not only round-faced but also much stronger; he was much more steady after marriage.
It was a pity that his own nephew had not yet married and had no settled life.
Looking at little Meng’s wife, she was also a round-faced girl, laughing boisterously. She had nothing to do with the rumors in the capital that she was as beautiful as Daji and could steal souls. Before coming, his old wife had asked him out of curiosity. When he first saw Commander Jiang and his young daughter, he had really thought little Meng’s wife was exceptionally beautiful.
He finally met Jiang Feng.
Censor He patted Jiang Feng’s arm and couldn’t help but squeeze it—it was so firm. He praised, “It is good to be young. This is a true bronze-boned youth.”
Jiang Feng showed a simple and honest smile and said, “Uncle He is too kind. I only started practicing swordplay after seeing Brother Chen and Shaoxia. They said they persisted day after day, through winter and summer, which inspired me. It was from that time that I began to persist every day. In the end, there were results. I heard that Brother Chen placed high in the imperial examination; I am truly happy for him. We even wrote letters to each other before the exam, and finally, my heart is at ease.”
This conversation brought them closer.
Censor He remembered that when his nephew was preparing for the exam, he had sent him a piece of high-quality felt so he could sit on it to write in the winter, and his whole body would be warm. He said he also had one, gifted by a friend.
Now that he thought about it, it must have been a gift from Jiang Feng.
They hadn’t seen each other for a few years. Aside from the period when Jingzhou was in chaos and there was no correspondence, they had managed to keep in touch later, which was not easy.
This youth was not bad; he felt better than his black-hearted Father.
Censor He ate a hot meal and also observed the Jiang Family.
Although the living conditions were comfortable, there was no sense of palatial extravagance or immense wealth. The overall place seemed less luxurious than the home of the wealthy merchant where he had stayed on the road.
Where did all that money of the Jiang Family go?
Even if it was for his daughter’s dowry, it was impossible to leave so much idle.
As for social interactions, Censor He calculated that at most there was the in-law, the Meng Family, his own nephew, and it seemed a eunuch in the palace with whom they had a good relationship after coming to Jingzhou to accept their surrender.
Censor He suddenly realized that the people of the Jiang Family were truly charming. The relationships he had built up were initially just chance encounters.
Now thinking back, there were actually some connections involving civil officials, military officers, and inner court officials in the capital, which had silently formed a web. Their scheming was truly deep.
The bed he slept on at night was actually the bed from the thousand-tael-a-night Censors Suite. What a loss, what a loss; he should have come directly to find Jiang the Second.
Officialdom elsewhere knew how to directly reimburse expenses, and would even give more.
When it came to Jiang the Second, he was someone who understood the “passing of time” and didn’t mention this at all.
Falling asleep at night, he should have been at peace, but he was inexplicably tossing and turning. Perhaps he had slept too much yesterday?
Censor He got up in the middle of the night, went to the restroom to relieve himself, and prepared to go back to sleep, but he saw that one part of the Jiang residence was brightly lit, and repressed sounds were coming from it.
Although a guest should not be too curious.
But Jiang the Second, whom Censor He had determined to be a great villain, was truly curious.
Since he was already in Jiang the Second’s lair, he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn’t take a look.
Did a scholar’s peeping count as peeping? That was called a thirst for knowledge.
Censor He slowly walked towards the light.
Before he even got close, he heard voices.
“Father, Father, children should sleep early. If I don’t sleep, I’ll become stupid. Father, please calm down. It’s normal not to be able to memorize that text! Big Brother inherited your brain, Elder Sister inherited your cooking skills, and I inherited your face, but no brain! Father, Father, don’t be angry.”
“Mother, Mother, don’t hit me.”
“Father, Mother, I was wrong.”
“I will never be playful again.”
“Great-Aunt, help me.”
“Big Brother, Big Brother, help me.”
“Elder Sister, Brother-in-law, help me.”
Censor He’s face twitched slightly. Just as he was about to turn and leave, a figure suddenly darted out. A pretty little girl threw herself in front of him, grabbed his lapels, and shouted loudly, “Uncle He, help me! Please, quickly persuade my Father. Only a benevolent Father can have a filial child. Look at him! He’s supposed to be teaching a lesson, but he’s actually holding a stick!”
Looking up, he saw the usually calm, collected, and crafty Commander Jiang, his hair in disarray, chasing after her with a stick.
Censor He’s face cracked.
Then, the Jiang Father and daughter chased each other, circling him. Censor He was inexplicably hit several times. He heard Jiang the Second cursing as he chased: “I asked her to explain ‘The passing of time is like this, isn’t it?’, and she said it means a truly powerful person stands by the river and the enemy’s corpse floats down by itself… Shouldn’t she be hit?!”
Censor He: Should be hit, but you should hit her, why are you hitting me? You clearly bumped into her, but in the end, you hit me…
He shouldn’t have been so curious; he should have gone to sleep earlier.
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