Chapter 54: My Surname is Meng
Wooden huts, farmhouses, fertile fields, dogs, trees, and cooking smoke.
This is the favorite scene for pastoral paintings by scholars.
In reality, there should also be dog feces, chicken droppings, urine, and gaunt, disheveled old men by the roadside.
The old man’s ribs.
The old man’s wrinkles.
A running fool.
When the two youths on fine horses stepped into this dilapidated village, both of them actually felt a slight sense of regret.
Meng Shaoxia felt the place was too run-down. Looking at the villagers’ worn-out clothes, he worried about seeing Jiang Feng and his sister in an embarrassing situation, and he worried they would feel uncomfortable.
He should have sent word first; one shouldn’t visit unannounced, but he had run out of time.
Young Master He Chen had always been pampered. At this moment, the image of that girl Wan’er’s sweet, dimpled smile kept flashing through his mind. He felt that her every movement was beautiful, and he even felt that she was looking at him—there was light in her eyes, and there was him.
However, as a foul odor brushed past his nose, that sweet first encounter faded away gloomily.
It stank; the pony had stepped on some indescribable excrement.
The two rode up the mountain, leaving the densely populated village area, and felt the air smelled a little better.
They even heard laughter, which made them feel suddenly refreshed.
They had a little hope.
Finally, they climbed up to the house the villager had pointed out.
What met their eyes were two large trees, a broken earthen wall, black tiles, and a wooden hut.
Under the tree were a few bamboo chairs and a stone stool.
A youth in ragged clothes, holding an infant, saw them and immediately stood up, supporting the baby with one hand and saluting with the other.
“Brother Meng, Brother He, I didn’t know you would come over. Quickly, please sit.”
Jiang Feng was pleasantly surprised.
He never expected that these two noble young masters from prominent families would actually visit in person.
In truth, by the time he went to sleep last night, that excitement had slowly worn off.
When he told Father, he had been very excited, feeling that he had gained a lot of face and was quite impressive.
But when he lay in bed, he seriously reflected on himself again.
The core of face is power and strength.
Face cannot be given by others.
He was very weak right now; forcing self-esteem was just bluffing, and in the end, it was still inferiority.
If Brother Meng and Brother He hadn’t spoken up yesterday, and he had been dragged away to receive dozens of cane strikes, let alone the physical pain, where would he have any face left?
He could not rely on luck; good fortune wouldn’t last forever.
He still needed to become stronger himself.
Jiang Feng gently stroked the scar on his forehead, reminding himself not to drift along and waste his days like in the past.
After giving himself a pep talk, Jiang Feng thought that the next time he saw Brother Meng, even if he had to shed all shame, he wanted to beg him to teach him some sword techniques or something.
It didn’t need to be elite; what the guards learned would suffice.
In this world, regardless of anything else, while the poor might lack face, they did have some brute strength.
If his martial skills were good, he wouldn’t be easily bullied.
And that ill-intentioned bandit, Brother Hu, who was eyeing him covetously from the shadows, was also a source of worry for Jiang Feng.
Seeing the two of them actually appear at his doorstep now, Jiang Feng was overjoyed.
Both Meng Shaoxia and Young Master He Chen could feel the smile and joy of the impoverished youth, Jiang Feng.
There was no polite panic on the youth’s face, only overflowing surprise.
His clothes were even more tattered than when they had seen him yesterday, full of patches, and the parts without patches were washed white. His robe was also a bit short, revealing his sturdy calves, which bore some scars.
He was wearing straw sandals.
Yet, he felt no embarrassment, instead greeting them with a heartfelt smile.
When he smiled, his teeth were very white.
The scar on his forehead was still there, but it didn’t affect his appearance at all; it even looked a bit like the flower embellishments that ladies pinned to their foreheads.
Holding an infant in his arms, he didn’t look awkward at all.
He felt even more approachable, peaceful, and comfortable than yesterday.
The two youths on fine horses instantly became happy again.
They felt their trip was worth it.
It was not in vain after the winding journey.
Moreover, although Jiang Feng’s home was also in the village, it seemed to possess a certain elegant, rustic charm that distinguished it from the other households.
His home was kept very clean and tidy, with no foul odor.
On the door lintel next to the broken wall, there was a carved wooden couplet.
At the top, it read: “Home.” The first line: “Propitious clouds herald the sun.” The second line: “Fragrant grasses welcome spring.”
It was a very ordinary couplet, but the calligraphy was excellent. He didn’t know who had carved it, but it showed great skill.
Meng Shaoxia didn’t have much of a feel for calligraphy; he just thought it looked quite nice.
He looked left and right but didn’t see Brother Jiang’s round-faced younger sister; only the little baby sister seemed to be asleep in his arms.
However, he had just heard a young girl’s laughter, yet she was nowhere to be seen.
Young Master He Chen, however, found the old door lintel more and more delightful the longer he looked at it; there was a unique, pleasant surprise in its archaic simplicity.
The calligraphy had an extremely elegant charm, with excellent character and style.
It was like discovering a treasure among a pile of junk.
He asked curiously, “Who wrote the couplet on the door?”
“It was my Father,” a crisp voice replied from the tree.
Meng Shaoxia looked up.
He saw a girl sitting high up in the tree, dangling her legs.
She had a round face and a grinning expression.
Suddenly, she stood up, just like an agile little monkey.
Young Master He Chen also opened his mouth wide; when had he ever seen a young girl climb a tree?
“Brother, I’m going to jump down!” Jiang Yu shouted, and as she spoke, she jumped down from the tree.
Jiang Feng, holding little Mianmian, immediately dodged.
Meng Shaoxia, however, dashed forward.
Jiang Yu leaped down and heavily slammed Meng Shaoxia to the ground.
She sat on the square-faced youth, saying very apologetically, “Sorry, sorry, Young Master Fang, I was just playing around with my brother.”
Feeling the heavy girl on top of him, Meng Shaoxia felt that this impact made him see stars, and everything about Jiang or Wan vanished into thin air.
He didn’t dare look at the girl on top of him and just stared at the bird in the tree; that bird was truly white.
He spoke up, “My surname is Meng.”
