Chapter 63: The Dampened Pillowcase
The young heroes returned at night. The stars lit the path. Frogs and insects provided the accompaniment.
The two of them had ultimately bid farewell to that small courtyard.
That small courtyard where one corner of the earthen wall had collapsed, where a table had its leg replaced, where a young man had proudly said he had a well.
That small courtyard with only four bungalows.
That small courtyard where, when it rained heavily, one had to use bowls to catch the leaks, and when the wind blew hard, one had to be careful that the roof tiles didn’t fly away.
That small courtyard with two trees in front of the door.
It was very late, and the night would not keep its guests. They ultimately had to take their leave, for they still had to be on their way early tomorrow morning.
Yet Meng Shaoxia’s horse wouldn’t move no matter how they dragged or carried it. It was very awkward.
Meng Shaoxia wondered if this horse had secretly glimpsed his intentions. The horse was more sensible than him.
So he left riding the guard’s horse. The young heroes returned at night, accompanied in silence by the guard.
The two of them usually liked this kind of weather; when they encountered darkness while traveling on the road, they would both get a bit excited.
They would talk loudly and discuss things, and sometimes Meng Shaoxia would mischievously tell some unspeakable cases that shouldn’t be heard at night. It left Young Master He Chen both terrified and excited.
But tonight, there were no words. Perhaps there was too much they wanted to say, and they didn’t know how to begin.
When they came, they felt the journey was long, with winding, tortuous roads through deep villages. When they left, they felt it was too fast; in a moment, that small courtyard behind them vanished, hidden away in the darkness.
When the two reached Ming County, there was no curfew, and people selling snacks on the roadside were still calling out.
Passing through that street, they even heard the laughter of young women and smelled the scent of cosmetic powder.
Yet the expressions of the two youths were exceptionally grave.
Upon arriving at the inn, they saw the gifts that the Jiang Family had sent them.
Learning they were to return tomorrow, the Jiang Family had thoughtfully prepared a great many things for them.
Not to mention food and drink, there were thick cloaks to prevent catching a chill when the weather changed, ornate felt rugs in case they needed to camp out, and local specialties of Ming County—medicinal herbs and porcelain—all of which were suitable gifts to take back for others.
There were also sachets prepared by Miss Jiang Wan, said to repel mosquitoes and refresh the mind.
There were prayer beads prepared by Old Madam for their elders, consecrated by a master at Qingyuan Temple.
There was so much. The items filled half the room. It was full of sincerity and incredibly thoughtful.
Both of them fell silent.
In the morning, they had visited the Jiang Mansion.
Lord Jiang was graceful, with a bright personality, skilled in both literature and martial arts.
Madam Jiang was gorgeous and beautiful.
Old Madam Jiang was filled with Buddhist nature and had an elegant temperament.
Miss Jiang Wan was exceptionally talented in literature, learned, and as beautiful as a flower.
Jiang Rong was plump and looked prosperous.
The Jiang Family had deep foundations, and their household was well-organized, leaving them with a very good impression.
They had even developed a preconceived aversion toward the Jiang Family’s youngest son, whom they had never met.
Unfilial, disrespectful, and failing to support grandparents and parents, getting married and making merry during the mourning period.
Unbrotherly, lacking fraternal love, harming siblings, and committing unforgivable acts. With such a reputation, he must have committed heinous deeds.
Meng Shaoxia’s family was fine; there were no such people, but he had an uncle who managed the public security of the capital, and there were all sorts of strange cases where the evil of human nature was unimaginable.
Young Master He Chen’s family was complicated; there were indeed unfilial descendants, and some had even been expelled from the family.
But, but all of this… in contrast to the earthen walls and tiled roof of Jiang Feng’s home, it all seemed laughable. Even the generous gifts before them now seemed hypocritical.
They were not children, nor were they ignorant people; they had read books, seen the world, and understood reason. They believed what they saw.
They saw Jiang Feng proudly say his home was very good because it had a well. He didn’t complain about how difficult the mountain road was, didn’t complain about how dilapidated the courtyard was, and didn’t complain about how hard life was.
He only smiled and said that his home had a well, so there was no need to carry water from afar, and washing up was very convenient.
They saw Jiang Yu secretly sweep the pastry crumbs off the table, cup them in her hands, and quietly pour them into her mouth to eat. They had both seen it; it was neither elegant nor refined.
They saw Jiang Yu’s boudoir, with a red rope hanging on the wall.
They saw Jiang’s father returning from work under the stars and moon, covered in dust, smiling gently while holding his child.
They saw Jiang’s mother carrying a basket, drenched in sweat, returning home as she stepped on the afterglow of sunset.
They saw that they suffered, but everyone was smiling. They marveled at how delicious the snacks were and felt happy about the richness of their dinner.
When he first saw the poem written by Brother Jiang, Young Master He Chen found it a bit incredible and even felt some doubt in his heart.
The poem was too sorrowful. The youth always greeted everyone with a smile. He didn’t believe he understood such suffering.
But now he understood. He understood why he hadn’t directly agreed to follow him to Qingzhou, because for an unfilial person, his descendants would not be allowed to take the imperial examinations.
They even realized that Jiang Feng, that day with those hoodlums, had really only accidentally saved his sister; they were indeed robbing people, having been tricked into going outside the city to commit robbery, and the targets of the robbery were the two of them. Yet, they couldn’t bring themselves to dislike him at all.
Mouths full of poetry, books, benevolence, and righteousness, and bellies full of learning, could not compare to a pot of wild vegetable soup.
The rice they couldn’t swallow was the rare fine grain that the Jiang Family had managed to eat, grain that had to be borrowed and incurred interest.
Because they were hosting guests, everyone had a bowl. Little Jiang Yu ate so seriously, so carefully, worried that she might accidentally drop a grain of rice and waste it.
Meng Shaoxia and Young Master He Chen looked at the mountain of gifts before them and remained silent.
The servant asked how to handle them? The two of them were also silent.
Such thoughtful intentions only made them feel even more uncomfortable.
If they hadn’t met Jiang Feng and didn’t know his family, perhaps they would have happily accepted the gifts and had an excellent impression of them.
After all, to remain so down and out yet still retain their integrity was very rare.
But after seeing Jiang Feng’s family, they realized what true poverty was, and what was truly rare.
In Young Master He Chen’s heart, a voice kept saying that these were the elders’ problems and had nothing to do with Miss Jiang Wan, who was generous and kind.
But there was no escaping it. Miss Jiang Wan was gentle and polite even to a maid, while her cousin wore clothes not even as good as those of her maid.
The night was already deep. They had to be on their way tomorrow. They should have rested early.
Both young heroes, born with silver spoons in their mouths, suffered from insomnia.
Meng Shaoxia had a dream. He dreamt he was acting out of a sense of justice and saved a girl in the Prefecture City who was being chased and beaten by others.
The girl had allegedly hurt their young master, and she was beaten very badly, with a broken head and bleeding. But her eyes were like a wolf dog’s, very fierce.
He saved her, but the girl remained unconscious, so he didn’t let Brother He help settle her, but instead kept her by his side.
When the girl woke up, she didn’t know who she was; she was like a child, remembering nothing. So he kept her by his side and taught her.
She was gluttonous and wanted to eat everything. She was a bit scatterbrained and her speech was always not very tactful.
But whenever he saw her eating or heard her speak, he wanted to laugh and felt happy.
He also sent people to the Prefecture City to inquire, but because of the chaos of war, he never found the family who had bought her. However, having been sold into servitude, she surely wouldn’t be from a prestigious family.
His mother saw he liked her and agreed to let him take her as a concubine.
She was very happy; she was still gluttonous, and her speech still always made it hard for people to respond.
But at that time, he had achieved great military exploits and became the General Who Guards the Nation.
Others praised him for being brave and invincible, but in reality, every time he went to the battlefield, he just hoped to return home quickly to bring her something delicious.
He worried about her; she was always scatterbrained and would always offend people. He worried that if he died in battle, without his protection, she would not live well.
Later, he was to arrange a marriage, and the match was the niece of the current Empress. It was also The New Emperor trying to win over his family, as he was suspicious of their military power.
That day, she suddenly returned and wailed. She said she had seen his prospective bride; she said she had remembered everything; she said she no longer had parents; she said if there were a next life, she hoped she would not go to the Prefecture City; she hoped to die before her parents.
The next day, she hanged herself in the room. He went to negotiate the marriage. He settled the marriage, with the three letters and six etiquettes.
The rooster crowed. Meng Shaoxia woke up. His face was covered in tears, and his pillowcase was damp.
