Chapter 86: The Fourth Young Lady of Prince Jing's Mansion?
"Sir, we're from the Imperial City. We're here to find someone. Could we get inside to rest for a while and have some tea? Of course, we don't take things for granted." This time, when one of the servants saw that a young but cold and serene man opened the doors, he smiled to create a good impression on the other and took out a silver. He believed that the other would become polite and invite them to get to the house and rest. In fact, the chief manager and momo* were more than fifty years old. How could they endure the summer heat like this!
(momo/ 嬷嬷- can be used as a suffix for an elderly lady or a wet nurse)
Moreover, it was a whole silver! To the people in such a rural and poor village, it was enough for one person to live on for the whole year. Such a good deal, he didn't think that this man, although not like a rural person at all, would deny.
"Apologies, we're not a tea house or an inn. Guests, please leave. At your four-horse carriages' speed, I think you can return to the lively city where you can find everything in less than fifteen minutes." Lin Si Yao stood at his door, stopping the others, his face emotionless. Compared to Situ Yun's excuse to shoo them away, it was not much better.
"Sir!" When the servant called after him, he felt cold air gathered around Lin Si Yao. He was suppressed, trembling backward to the old man.
"Cough... Cough..." The old man pretended to cough. He turned to look at the elder woman, who couldn't endure the blazing sunlight anymore and she already got a fever, shaking his head. "We should go to the city and rest first." Though they didn't have much time, they didn't know if they could find the Fourth Young Lady before the Elder Wangye (Prince Jing)...
"But..." The old woman was surprised, looking at Liang An. He... Wasn't he always more worried than I am? Why would he... The old woman tried to support her body which was about to faint, leaning against the wall.
"No more talking. Your body can't endure such a long wait." Moreover, the old man thought his head, his intelligence report wasn't completely sure either; perhaps, the woman in this house wasn't Prince Jing's Mansion's Fourth Young Lady. They had come here without rest or sleep for several days. But now, their hope has slowly diminished.
"A Yao... They..." Su Shuilian followed Lin Si Yao to the main gate. She was curious, pointing at the group of people standing by her doors. Lin Si Yao cursed under his breath.
"Damn it!" Because he was listening to the other two's conversation, he didn't close the doors. It was too late: Su Shuilian had seen them.
"Fourth Young Lady!" the group of maids cried in surprise.
"Fourth Young Lady!" the servants inhaled.
"Fourt Young Lady!" ...the two elders exchanged looks after they cried, both disbelief and astonishment.
Facing the Fourth Young Lady of Prince Jing's Mansion, whom they hadn't met for a year and a half, pregnant, there was no need to mention how shocked they were. The rapid train of thoughts from Lin Si Yao's consideration was interrupted by Su Shuilian's next words.
"You guys... mistook me with someone else..." Su Shuilian was perplexed, turning around to see Lin Si Yao and then looked back at the others. She said immediately, but then, she got a big possibility arising in her head: This body was actually the Fourth Young Lady that the others had mentioned. Oh my God, she had tried hard to hide but she still had to face them so soon?
"Fourth Lady... You don't recognize this momo?" The old woman shivered. Her two maids were trying to support her to walk to Su Shuilian.
Su Shuilian shook her head. "Auntie, did you mistake me with someone else? I'm not the Fourth Young Lady you've mentioned. I'm Su Shuilian, and now I'm Madam Lin," she answered with a smile. Although she felt guilty that she had possessed the girl's body, she knew that, no matter what, she couldn't give in and disclose the details.
"The others may mistake you, but I will never. You're the Fourth Young Lady of Prince Jing's Mansion. The Elder Princess (Wangfei) has been searching for you for one year." The old woman shook her head and rejected Su Shuilian's excuse. "The exact appearance. And the tiny black mole on your right earlobe. It's exactly the same with the late Yiniang* Jing."
(姨娘 / Yiniang: a concubine)
"I... I don't remember... the past stories.." Su Shuilian half closed her eyes.
If they confirmed her identity like that, the best excuse was to pretend a case of memory lost?
"Poor child," the old woman had teary eyes. She took out a silk handkerchief and rubbed her eyes. "My Lady, you have suffered for a year and a half."
"Ahem..." When the old man saw their Fourth Young Lady actually in this small house, he was able to calm his anxious heart. He cleared his throat and talked to Lin Si Yao, who was watching Su Shuilian talking with momo. "Ahem, Sir... Can we get into the house and talk? I think the Fourth Lady can't endure this scorching heat."
Lin Si Yao put his tangling thoughts aside, reaching out to hold Su Shuilian and support her belly. Turning around, they walked to the main house. He neither invited the others nor closed the door in front of them.
Is it... the way they treat the guests? The old man and the old woman exchanged looks, forcing a smile.
"Guests... Please come and have a cup of tea. Our yard is small so I'm afraid the carriages have to wait outside." Su Shuilian was supported to the living room by Lin Si Yao. She turned and tenderly smiled at them. As they had believed that she was their Fourth Young Lady, she couldn't let them outside at noon like this.
Four people sat face-to-face at a square table.
After Prince Jing Mansion's delegation entered the yard, Situ Yun had taken some corn steamed rolls and left to the new house through the backdoor. Although he didn't know how the beautiful sister was related to Prince Jing's Mansion, before the accumulated wrath of his Uncle Si Ling explodes, he should get as far away as possible. His little life was more important, wasn't it?
"Young Lady, Chief Manager An and Xia-momo* weren't polite enough. We shouldn't sit at the same table with you..." The old women signaled the two maids to leave. She looked at Su Shuilian lovingly.
(She's referring to herself in third-person)
"No need to be polite. Although I have no impression of the Fourth Young Lady identity you've said, if you guys have crossed thousands of miles from Feng Cheng, you must have endured hardship on the way..."
Su Shuilian poured them tea, talking tenderly.
The Imperial City Feng Cheng, she had read about it in Da Hui's geography document, was more than one thousand and three hundred miles far from here. If the four-horse carriage ran fast, it would take more than two days and two nights. Moreover, the two in front of her, one was over fifty and the other was over seventy years old, had to endure a lot during the journey.
"I carve your mercy in my heart. But, Young Lady, after lunch, can you go with us to meet the Elder Wangye(Prince)?" The old man couldn't suppress his worry, asking directly.
Su Shuilian was bewildered. She turned to see Lin Si Yao sitting next to her and saw his perplexed, but frowning face. "Chief Manager An, you see, my body..." She was six-months pregnant. And because it could possibly be twins, she looked even bigger and heavier.
"Don't dream about that," Lin Si Yao said darkly. Immediately, he turned to Liang An, who sat opposite him. "I don't know if she's the one you want to find. What I know is, she's my wife. She is pregnant with twins. If you worry for her, you shouldn't say these kinds of thoughtless things."
"A Yao..."Su Shuilian reached for the clenched fist he placed on his thigh, smiling mildly. She wanted to comfort him, erasing his worries. She turned to Liang An and the momo who was said to be the dowry maid* of the Elder Wangfei.
"Do you have any urgent matters?" She asked as she could see these two wouldn't have a low position in the Prince's mansion, even though they were old. They had been traveling for a long time, how could they endure that? Why had the Prince's mansion sent them to search for her, ah, no, for the Fourth Young Lady?
"Miss, I don't want to lie to you. After you went missing, the Elder Wangye was so sick he couldn't even get up. We've hired many detectives to find you. We got nothing. As Wangye's situation is getting worse, he often calls your name in his sleep. Her Highness knows His Highness missed you a lot. If he couldn't cure his ill heart, his body wouldn't get better.
Early this year, De Wangye(Prince), who is Miss' elder half brother from another mother, had abdicated his imperial position because the Elder Wangye had gotten sick. And early this year, the Elder Wangye and Wangfei (princess consort) of the Xiang Prince's Mansion, who have a good relationship with His Highness, had passed by the Fan Luo City to visit a pagoda to pray. They saw you by chance. Her Highness immediately sent some detectives to this city to find you for several months. When they got your address, we were sent to take you home. Her Highness asked me to send you this message: "Xu-er, you've always behaved and been nice. You won't hate us for a long time. The Prince's mansion is your home. When you've played enough, you should go home." Sending the message of the former Wangfei of Prince Jing's Mansion, the old man looked at Su Shuilian with hope. "Fourth Young Lady, the Fifty Young Lady is grounded because of this. Her Highness ordered her not to talk and not to go out much before she gets married. Though it is not my place to say, she has been punished enough for what she had done. About Yiniang Jing, your mother... After you went missing, her memorial tablet has been welcomed and placed in the Liang family's ancestral temple. His Highness and Her Highness accepted her. Young Lady, will you..."
"I told you I don't remember the stories of the previous times." Su Shuilian smiled and shook her head. She didn't pretend. She really didn't remember and she would never be able to remember.
However, listening to this elder lady's unclear explanation, she somehow understood why she had to hide in Mount Da Shi alone: Her mother passed away, and her memorial tablet hadn't been placed in the ancestral house of the Prince's mansion. If so, she was an illegitimate daughter that the Prince's mansion didn't accept? No wonder... She ran away from the mansion as the Fifth Lady mocked her. She didn't want anybody to find her so she hid in the deep, rural area like Mount Da Shi. That's why she was gone and Su Shuilian got the chance to take her body.
Su Shuilian sighed inwardly. Liang En Xu? Could it be possible that you have replaced me and lived in Suzhou, China? Are you living well? From now on, you're the famous eldest legitimate daughter, Su Shuilian, of the Su family in Suzhou, China. And I am now the Fourth Young Lady, Liang En Xu, of the Jing Wangye's Mansion in the Imperial city of Da Hui Empire... It's really mysterious, isn't it?
If it's true, I hope that you, in the other dimension, can find a man who loves you and protects you like I do. I hope you would treat my mother, who has endured hardship half of her life, well. And me, I will do the same for you...
Chapter 087: This is My Family
NSFW warning~
"Xia-momo*, Chief Manager An, I understood your idea. However, no matter what had happened previously, I'm now someone's missus. Moreover, I'm pregnant. I shouldn't go to the Imperial City to visit relatives. Please send my regards to them." Su Shuilian tenderly bowed. However, Lin Si Yao interrupted her bowing.
(-momo/嬷嬷- suffix used to address an elderly lady or wet nurse)
Who cares what they are, be it Chief Manager, Her Highness, or His Highness! Even if the Emperor comes here, he shouldn't take her bow. You're pregnant and you want to bow to someone. Don't you think it's too much work?
"But... Fourth Young Lady..." Hearing her, Chief Manager An wanted to persuade her, but the old woman had signaled him not to.
"Yes, the Fourth Miss is right. We didn't think carefully. So, Chief Manager An and I will return to Imperial City first. After several days, we will send some goods for the babies. When His Highness got your good news, he'll get better soon." The old woman was the wet nurse from the Xia family by the Elder Wangfei's (Princess's) side. She fondly patted Su Shuilian's hand, smiling.
"Thank you for your understanding, ma'am," Su Shuilian nodded with a smile. Lucky for the twins in my belly. Or else, I have to go to the Imperial City this time, right? Today, she knew that the mother of this body had passed away and her memorial tablet had been recognized by the Prince's mansion. She should live happily in this quiet but beautiful Fan Hua Town and enjoy the happy life of her little family with A Yao.
For the Elder Wangye of Prince Jing's mansion, her father by the name, seemed to be like her father of the previous her. Except for the possible respect she has for them, there would be no emotion attached. Sorry, Su Shuilian didn't like a father with a bunch of wives and concubines and children. He wasn't worth her love, respect, or harmonious caring.
Looking at the two four-horse carriages rublingly moving far away, Su Shuilian closed her doors. Turning around, she wanted to reach the main house.
Lin Si Yao stood quietly behind her, his eyes so deep she couldn't see through.
"A Yao?" She smiled, walked over to pull his hand and caressed the callus on his palm, asking tenderly. "Are you okay?" Since lunch and the meeting with the two elders from Prince Jing's mansion in the Imperial City, he had never pulled a happy face.
"Shuilian..." He stooped his head, his voice hoarse, "You... Are you really the Fourth Young Lady of Prince Jing's Mansion?" He held her small hand tight. Leaning over to shade her from the dazzling sunlight so as she could feel cooler, he slowly pulled her toward the living room. He let her sit on his legs as he tenderly asked her the matter that had wound around his heart for a long time.
"What if it is and what if it's no? A Yao, I'm your wife and this is my home. Unless you don't need me anymore... A Yao!"
Lin Si Yao didn't wait for her to finish. He used his lips to stop her little noisy mouth.
"You shouldn't say "don't need" ever again!" He lingered on her lips for a while before giving her time to gasp for her breath. As their foreheads touched, he pitched his voice to warn her.
"Yes," Su Shuilian laid her hands on the sides of Lin Si Yao's face. She couldn't help but lean forward to brush the corner of his lips with hers. "You're mine..." she muttered. He was Su Shuilian's alone. No other women could share him with her.
"We belong to each other," Lin Si Yao followed her brush, increasing the intimacy between them when they let their tongues twisted together again. Both of his hands had slithered into her shirt, massaging her mounds, which had become bigger as she was pregnant. Then, he buried his head onto the nape of her neck.
"Can we?" He tried to press his passion, asking huskily.
"Yeah...." she answered shyly.
After she got pregnant, although the doctor said that they could still make love with caution, he had just hugged her to sleep. He had tried not to touch her.
Receiving her consent, Lin Si Yao couldn't endure anymore. Immediately, he brought her to the bedroom, gently placed her on the big bed. He stripped her outer coat and the thin dress. He undressed himself and besides her, caressing her growing lower belly. Then, he extended his hand to explore her already damp crevice. Smiling, Lin Si Yao lifted his head to check her expression, he found she seemed to be more passionate ever since she had gotten pregnant.
This change pleasantly surprised him. She's trying to learn how to respond and satisfy me. She used to be a decorous, well-bred young lady, and now, because of me, she has lifted her shyness away. Having a wife like her, what else should I wish for?
"A Yao..." She called his name tenderly. She proactively arched her body so as they wouldn't put pressure on the babies. She clutched his head, embarrassedly inviting him.
He gave her a deep kiss before moving his body to enter her tight and wet slit. After several patient moves, he found no strange reaction besides some passionate groaning. Thus, he lifted his restraint, kneeled down and began to move, facing up.
She gritted her teeth to restrain her moaning and groaning. She supported herself with both hands, arching her body to coordinate with his rhythmical movement. His move was tender but it hid his endless vigor.
After a long time of restraint, a single spark can start a prairie fire. It had ignited the flame he had tried hard to hide. The burning heat was so hot she couldn't bear it...
-----
The carriages steadily moved eastward. Stopping by the biggest inn in the Fan Luo City, they rested one day to recover before starting their journey back home to the Imperial City.
"Why did you..." While having dinner, Liang An, who didn't get it, rolled his eyes at Xia-momo. However, he didn't know what he should say.
The Fourth Young Lady's pregnancy was beyond their estimation.
They had never thought that the calm Fourth Young Lady had married a stranger not even two years after she had left the mansion. Moreover, she was pregnant. How could they explain this to the Elder Wangye, who was on his sickbed?
Thus, Liang An wanted to bring the Fourth Young Lady back home with them. At least, the Elder Wangye would ease his mind and rest well after seeing her. And, if the Fourth Young Lady brought her big belly to explain to Wangye herself, it wouldn't be a bit involved with Xia-momo and himself. Because this sort of news was truly frightening.
"You're not a woman..." Xia-momo glanced at Liang An, talking slowly.
"You... What are you talking about! Of course, I'm not a woman!" Liang An felt angry, blowing his long mustache.
"That's why you don't know how difficult it is to be a pregnant woman..." Xia-momo wasn't in a hurry. She continued, "As we found the Fourth Young Lady, our trip isn't gone in vain. And, whether she wants to return to the Prince's mansion or not..." Xia-momo squinted her eyes, looking at people moving back and forth on the main road, smiling. "Don't you think that when His Highness knows the Fourth Lady got married and pregnant, he would anxiously rush here to visit her?"
"You mean..." Liang An suddenly got it. He studied Xia-momo for a while then sighed. "Is the woman's heart always that complicated?"
"Perhaps it's me who's complicated..." Xia-momo answered, disagreeing with his thoughts.
"Yong Chun, are you still blaming me?..." Being the chief manager of the Prince's mansion, could it be any matter he had never seen? However, to the woman in front of him, he had never had a solution.
"Blame you what? You and I are the two who have made one step to the grave. Do we still have anything to blame each other!" Xia-momo answered indifferently. Then, she continued her meal and drank tea. She made no effort to hide that she no longer wanted to talk with Liang An anymore.
Liang An sighed. He knew she hadn't let go of the past. Anyway, she's right. They are old now. Perhaps they would... soon. What else would they hold on to?
However, recalling the old stories, he couldn't help but ask himself: Was his decision wrong that year?
Yong Chun was Xia-momo's maiden name.
She was a lonely refugee, the Lady of the Xia family – Xia Zi Ying – rescued from a group of refugees during her trip to the pagoda.
To repay for her life-saving favor, Yong Chun changed her surname to Xia and stayed in Xia's Mansion to serve the Lady. Although she looked like a maid that was close to her Lady, Xia Zi Ying of the Xia family had never considered her a maid but a sister. Without a labor contract or a slavery contract, whenever Yong Chun wanted, she could leave. Her Lady had prepared her money to leave, too.
However, Yong Chun didn't have a home to return to anymore. She decided to stay and serve the Xia House to serve her Lady.
Eventually, she had become the dowry maid and came to Prince Jing's mansion.
Time flew, and slowly, she developed an affection she couldn't tell with the servant named Liang An who served Prince Jing.
When Wangfei found out, she wanted to match Yong Chun and Liang An. Unfortunately, Liang An was a permanent servant of the Liang family. Generations of his family had served the Liang family. When he knew that Yong Chun wasn't a permanent servant, and she actually wasn't the Xia family's servant, either. She was a free citizen. Liang An rejected Wangfei's good intention, which also meant he rejected the possible love he could have with Yong Chun.
He, Liang An thought about himself as the permanent servant of the Liang mansion, the Wangye's servant. He had become the chief manager of the Liang mansion, but he had stayed single and never considered any match afterward.
And Yong Chun, from that day afterward, had never mentioned the subject of marrying. She put herself in the attic. Years after years, she had been promoted to the Wangfei's momo from a dowry maid. She had helped Wangfei to deal with all internal matters of the Prince's mansion. It was until the Elder Wangye had retired from his position, she was finally lifted from her important roles and began to enjoy her retirement with the Elder Wangfei.
Every time he recalled this, Liang An would feel waves of hurt and regret. Yong Chun, you shouldn't restrain yourself like that. You should marry a free man and become a normal wife out there. You shouldn't chain yourself to this mansion and stay locked for the rest of your life.
"Alright, why are you sighing? You should go to your room and rest when you finish here..." It was a long journey and she felt her joints loosening. Xia-momo glanced at Liang An. This man must still be regretful because of his decision that year.
However, his matter wasn't the only reason she didn't want to get married. Perhaps, it was because she couldn't meet any man she liked after that. After thirty years old, her mind wasn't laid on that matter anymore. The internal matters of the mansion kept her too busy; she didn't have a bit of free time for herself. Thus, she didn't want to have a family of her own anymore. Anyway, the Elder Wangfei had promised her to take care of her when she was old. She would be able to live happily and leisurely in the end.
"Yeah, this time when we come back, His Highness will ease his mind..." Liang An put his worries aside, driving back to their topic.
"Ease his mind? I don't think so. The Fourth Young Lady didn't want to come back to the Prince's mansion. She got married on her own, and she got pregnant. How could he ease his mind..." Xia-momo squinted as she chuckled.
"Yong Chun! How could you talk behind His Highness' back like that!" Liang An bellowed and stopped her.
"Alright, continue with our meal..." Yong Chun focused on her dish, and didn't pay attention to the man anymore. She was always like that and he knew that, too. The Elder Wangye and Wangfei didn't mind it, why would he be so anxious!
Chapter 88: Grape Wine
It was mid summer in Fan Hua Town, and all of the fruits in every household were ripe.
Grapes, pears, apricots, plums, nectarines, loquats... Almost all summer fruits could be found in Fan Hua Town.
The two black grape vines taken from Mount Da Shi that were transferred into the yard also hung in lots of ripe clusters.
"Pretty jiějiě (elder sister), there're a lot of grapes. It would be really regrettable if we couldn't eat them all. Why don't we pick them and make some wine?" Situ Yun lay on a cherry tree branch, holding a bunch of shiny black grapes in his hand, asking in a lazy tone.
"Right, I did want to make wine last year. And now, they are all ripe..." Su Shuilian's eyes turned bright. "Yun'er, do you know how to make wine?"
"Nah, I don't. I just know how to drink wine..." answered Situ Yun, not at all politely.
"Oh..." Su Shuilian was discouraged, slumping her shoulders. She slightly thrust her belly outward as she leaned against the soft couch. "Sigh, A Yao wouldn't allow me to do that."
"Uncle knows how to make wine, doesn't he?" Situ Yun chewed his grapes, squinting on the large tree branch and enjoying the breezes brushing through Fan Hua Town after the sun set behind the mountain.
"He knows how to make wine?" Su Shuilian was so surprised. He has never told her that he knows how to make wine. Last time they made osmanthus scented wine*, he had to follow the book step by step.
(Chapter 49 and 50)
"Ah? He doesn't? Then who buried the jar of good wine under this tree?" Situ Yun accidentally disclosed his previous move. He had yearned for that good wine for a long time.
"Yun'er!" Su Shuilian covered her mouth, screaming. "How did you know there's a jar of wine buried under the tree?"
"Argh... Not me. Xiao Chun dug it out..." Situ Yun hurried to cut off his ties.
"Situ Yun," Su Shuilian called his full name for the first time. It was the jar of wine she had tried very hard to make. If it were unsealed before two years, it would be a big waste.
"Don't worry. I buried it back. I'm sure it won't evaporate or change. I promise..." Situ Yun threw his arms into the air as if he surrendered. He didn't forget to cock his head to bite a grape from the cluster in his hand.
----
"Also, how could uncle refuse your request to make wine? He will do anything to please you." Situ Yun dangled his legs as he was sitting on the cherry tree, talking to Su Shuilian who was cleaning a big basin of grapes in the shade of the tree. "Even if you want the moon in the sky, I think he will try his best to fly up there and take it for you. Tsk tsk, pretty jiejie, my uncle treats you so well. No wonder why shifu and the others want..."
"They want what?" Su Shuilian heard just half of what he was saying. She didn't get it so she lifted her head to ask.
"What else do they want... They're so jealous..." Situ Yun laughed, trying to change the topic.
Well, his shifu sent him here to join the fun, right?
Supervising the construction was just an excuse. Spoiling his uncle's marriage and the private life of the couple, was actually what they wanted to do!
His shifu, who didn't have a right conscience, and the other two mysterious uncles actually didn't like the current nice, worry-free life of Uncle Si Ling, did they? Sigh, they should blame their tough lives as they were earning their living on a knife's edge.
However, thinking about the big house that was being shaped day after day, Situ Yun couldn't help but squint his eyes. Is it true that Shifu and the others are going to bid farewell to their assassin life and move in here to have a secluded life?
No matter what, Feng Yao Court had constantly been suppressing his shifu. Lucky for him and his other peers didn't join that organization. His shifu and his brothers had established a separate organization.
Even if his shifu quit the relationship with the Feng Yao Court, he knew that his shifu wouldn't complain about being bored and having nothing to do all day long.
His brothers in 'Guangci House' had pledged to achieve their goal as to become the number one Information House of Da Hui Empire. It was their direction to move further. They had eyed a location in Fan Luo City. And they'd planned to make it a branch office. Actually, Situ Yun's trip here included that mission, too.
Of course, after several days eating well, (well, since the day his uncle knew he could cook, he was in charge of three meals every day), and sleeping well, (sigh, spending every single night on the cherry tree branch, he had almost forgotten how it felt on a soft bed), and he could chat with the beautiful pregnant sister, he was so free and unfettered that he had almost forgotten that mission.
Sigh, he should seize the time and get it done early. Otherwise, when the shifu finds out that he was enjoying his time around here, he would get angry and beat him up.
"Beautiful jiejie, I'm going to the city this afternoon. Do you need anything?" After making up his mind, Situ Yun swiftly jumped off the cherry tree. He was about to obediently enter the kitchen to cook lunch.
"Oh, you're going to the city? Please get some white cotton cloth for me. Two empty jars for the wine, and gauze to filter the wine."
Su Shuilian tilted her head, thinking for a bit. She was checking in her head what consumable goods the family needed. She confirmed that they ran out of white cotton cloth, and they needed jars and more gauze to make grape wine. Then, she nodded to confirm the order to Situ Yun.
"Oh, I was just asking out of courtesy. You shouldn't take the offer for real..." Situ Yun groaned as he held his forehead. The cloth shops were something he disliked, just like the kitchen. They were absolutely the places only women should visit. Thinking about him, a man, oh, nope, a handsome teenager, and he had to visit the cloth shop to choose some white cotton thing. Oh, kill me please.
"..." Su Shuilian was speechless, looking at him. This kid asked me if I wanted to buy something! But when requested, he acted like this? Is it really difficult to buy the items? Well, I didn't ask him to buy anything special! At least... I haven't asked him to buy... toilet paper!
"Alright, alright, don't look at me like that. If Uncle sees this, he will think I'm bullying you. White cotton cloth, gauze, and wine jars, right? No problem!" Situ Yun repeated the items. When Su Shuilian nodded, he wielded his hands and pretended to be calm, walking into the kitchen. He caused trouble for himself. Oh, Situ Yun, next time you shouldn't mind those manner things. Yeah, it's true that somebody doesn't understand when someone's trying to be courteous...
In the next several days, Su Shuilian immersed herself in the process of making grape wine. Remembering her elder brother's explanation and the reference for making fruit wine from the books, Su Shuilian tried to make her first batch of grape wine.
Of course, the laborious steps were done by Situ Yun. Lin Si Yao wouldn't let her do that. Although he would allow her to entertain herself with some hobbies to forget her difficulties during her pregnancy period, he wouldn't let her do all the work by herself.
Anyway, Su Shuilian was already happy as it is.
The grapes Situ Yun harvested were soaked in the big wooden basin. The broken and the dried ones would be eliminated. After they were cleaned, they would be crushed and placed into jars. Each jar should be around seventy or eighty percent full. Then, the jars were sealed with gauze.
Three days later, the gauze was taken off and ice was placed into before stirred. During the next five days, the process was repeated daily.
After five days, she fished the floating grapes skin and poured the juice into the cleaned jars. The grape meat would be filtered using gauze to extract more juice.
The juice in the wine jar was now pure filtered grape juice.
Then, she added whipped egg-white, stirred evenly, and sealed the jars. This time, it was a real seal with dried leaves and wet mud. It would prevent the fluid from evaporating.
"How is it? When can we drink wine?" Situ Yun clapped his hands. Successfully accomplished. He drooled, his face yearning, asking Su Shuilian.
"At least one month. Come here. Bury it under the cherry tree..." Su Shuilian pointed at the spot where she had buried the osmanthus scented wine, asking Situ Yun to bury the grape wine there, too.
The underground would have lower temperatures. Under this scorching weather, the wine wouldn't go bad.
"Jiejie, sooner or later, you would torture this cherry tree to death..." Situ Yun rolled his eyes, accepting his fate by taking the hoe out to dig the hole.
"Oh... How about under the jujube tree?" Su Shuilian rubbed her heavy belly. She blinked and thought about the jujube tree in the Southern courtyard. But it's where it received the most sunlight. Wouldn't the temperature be too high?
"Can we not choose to bury under a tree!" Situ Yun grumbled. If they kept burying the wine under the tree, that tree's roots would suffocate to death!
"So... Then you tell me where to bury them?" Isn't it cooler under the tree shade! Moreover, wasn't there a song that goes: "Bury the jar under the tree. Year after year, it will be so aromatic..."
"Sigh, you should ask Uncle to dig a cellar..." Situ Yun shook his head reluctantly. He could see that the woman, who was sinking in the halo of motherhood, in front of him would have her mood surging again to make more wine. If they didn't have a wine cellar, she would destroy his cherry-bed soon.
"Cellar?" Su Shuilian sat on the stone bench, her hands supporting her chin. She looked at Situ Yun digging up a hole a few steps away from her, thinking about the possibility of this suggestion.
It wasn't practical here. This house was dozens of years old. Although it looked new after the renovation, it was really weak. Otherwise, A Yao wouldn't be so hurried to build a new one.
Anyway, they could build a cellar in their new house. Not only to store wine, but also to keep rice, dried meat or dried fish for the winter. Moreover, it would be better to have a cellar than a storage house. It could be a big construction, but it was a good suggestion, wasn't it?
"Thanks for your labor, Yun'er..." Su Shuilian's eyes narrowed when she smiled at Situ Yan who was working hard. Then, she clutched her belly, walking into the study room to find some books for the cellar design.
"Ai, are the pregnant women all like that? Always change their minds. After finishing the grape wine, she was just talking about making pickled plum soup, and now she changed her mind again. Sigh, I really want to drink pickled plum soup. Xiao Chun, do you want it too?" Situ Yun talked to Xiao Chun. The dog was taking a lunch nap. A trickle of transparent fluid oozed from the corners of its mouth.
'Woowoowoo...' I'm not drooling for that pickled plum thing. I want meat for dinner. Meat! Xiao Chun wagged his tail and grunted before leisurely walking to the riverside in the Southern courtyard to watch the fish to ease his thirst.
Leaving the unfortunate Situ Yao, who was still wielding the hoe to dig the ground to bury the wine jars, behind....
Chapter 89: Lotus Field
By the end of the seventh lunar month, the lotus seeds thrown into the brook behind the house had unexpectedly budded.
Those were the lotus seeds Lin Si Yao had found from somewhere and thrown into the brook behind their house. In early spring, they didn't see any sprouts. They were not very expectant of any blooms, so the pair did not specially care for the seedlings.
Unexpectedly, as the summer sun rose high, lotus leaves had covered the entire place. The pink buds surrounded by the leaves were waiting for the right time to bloom.
Between the lotus leaves, the fish and shrimps 'played' the water, it was a captivating sight.
Su Shuilian seized the time in the early morning when it was still cool to stand by the shore. While enjoying the scenery, Su Shuilian exercised by spreading her arms and taking in plentiful breaths of fresh air. Then, she went into the study room, wielding her ink brush to draw
After cleaning her brush, Su Shulian rolled the sketches and put them into the large round vase on the table. She planned to use them to make some embroideries.
Actually, she had made up her mind. She would embroider these drawings on her *. By the next summer, the twins would be able to crawl. Wearing the dudou with embroidered red carps playing with lotus, how adorable they could be!
(- undergarment covering the chest and abdomen)
"If you like it, we'll dig a pond in the new house and grow some lotus..." Lin Si Yao approached her from behind. He reached out his hands to embrace her waist, which wasn't slim anymore. Rubbing her round belly, he suggested, chuckling.
"Can we?" Su Shuilian batted her black, feather-like eyelashes. Her bright eyes were filled with joy and surprise.
"If you like, what can't we do?!" Lin Si Yao pinched her nose lovingly. "Moreover, we got two acres of land. We will use one acre to build the house, and you can do whatever you want with the other acre."
"Mmm... Then let us have a little pond..." Su Shuilian leaned against him, letting him hold her as they sat on a chair.
In her previous Su Household, she recalled also having a small but fine lotus pond. It was filled with pink and white lotuses and a pair of black-and-red koi carps.
In the summer, the karps would show their vigorous lives. They would remain so until autumn. After all of the lotus finished their blooms with only the green hue of the leaves remaining in the calm water. The autumn rain rattled the window of one's heart, it would be another foreign scenery.
"I heard from Situ that you wanted a cellar in the new house?" Lin Si Yao watched the sun just rise above the treetops. He decided to sit at the chair by the table and bring Su Shuilian onto his lap. Placing his chin on her shoulder, he began to discuss their new house's design.
The house that was built over the four acres of land for Si Tuo and the other two had almost come to the final stage.
Besides planting some bamboo, grass, and flowers to decorate the house, all it needed to be cleaned and furnished with regular household items.
Thus, with autumn just at their doorsteps, and the weather turning cooler, Lin Si Yao decided to start the construction of their new, two-acre house. Perhaps they could finish before his wife's delivery. Then, they could move into the new house to prepare for her labor and convalescence*. And he... he could focus better on taking care of her and the babies.
*(To convalesce for a month following childbirth, following a special diet, and observing various taboos to protect the body from exposure to the "wind")
Even if they couldn't finish it, at least, it would be seventy to eighty percent complete by the end of the year. When the spring came next year, they could complete the remaining parts, clean it, and then move in.
"What do you think? Digging up a cellar, is it a little too big of a labor?" Su Shuilian turned to see him. The cellar had many benefits. Not to mention storing the food or items they hadn't used yet, mostly, it was the summer time and they got various kinds of fruits, which could be fermented to make fruit wine. They would have some place to keep them. Just like Yun'er had said, if they kept digging up the ground to bury the jars under the trees, they could damage the roots.
"It's okay. I've asked the workers to prepare for some designs. Although they haven't built any houses with a basement, but..." Lin Si Yao stooped and brushed the corner of her mouth with his lips. They weren't in a hurry to move out. It would only delay one or two months for a cellar. As long as she liked it, it was okay with him.
"You look at this. Is it to your liking?" Hearing him, Su Shuilian took out a drawing of the cellar design from her drawer. She just had the idea and she drew it several days ago. It was the sketch of the cellar in her grandparents' house she used to visit with her cousin when she was a little girl.
"This is....?" Lin Si Yao opened the drawing, studying it for a while. Then, he smiled at her. "So they don't need to squeeze their brains a lot..."
"Is it really okay?" Su Shuilian looked at him, feeling unsure. "I'm not an expert. I only casually drew it."
"Don't worry, it's detailed enough..." Lin Si Yao stole a kiss from her again. Trying to press down his flame of desire in his lower abdomen, he talked in a husky voice, "You're truly a chest that hides treasures; giving me joy in any moment."
"I'm not..." Su Shuilian blushed. She wasn't as good as he said.
Perhaps her fate was good enough. From young, although she hadn't learned a lot of things, the books she had read and the interesting things she had heard were quite a lot. Combining the two sources, she has twenty years of knowledge and experiences.
However, facing Lin Si Yao's sincere compliment, she felt a little guilty. It seemed everything was just the memory she had plagiarized from. It wasn't fair, was it?
"You are. Anyway, only I can see it and that is enough..." Lin Si Yao couldn't control his affection anymore. He kissed her sweet, red lips deeply. She was his. Her beauty and her goodness were only his to enjoy alone.
"A Yao..." She sat on his thighs, tilting her head to receive the rolling heat he had created.
Oh, my heavens, I'm getting bolder and bolder. This is the study room, and we are in broad daylight!
"No one will come here..." During the recent several days, Situ Yun had gone to the city to do his mission. Tian Da Bao was working under his instruction to check the big house's construction. If they needed any item, they would have to go to the city. That way, it would save a lot of construction time.
Thus, except for the two of them who would climb the walls (if the gates were closed) to get into the house, Lin Si Yao didn't worry that someone would break into his house.
"But..." Su Shuilian buried her head to the nape of his neck. She could die from embarrassment.
"Haha..." His beautiful lips parted and his quiet laughter escaped. He immediately took her back to their bedroom. Although she had become more passionate lately, she didn't have the courage to have sexual intercourse with him in the study room. Moreover, lying on the bed would support her better. She didn't need to deal with him and her heavy body at the same time.
Su Shuilian let him take her back to their bedroom. Her blushing pink body had revealed her shyness. It hadn't even been two hours since she put these clothes on, and now, he was about to take them off...
"A Yao..." She couldn't help but let out a slight moan.
"Be obedient... Relax, and it'll be fine..." He caressed her smooth and soft skin. After she got pregnant, Su Shuilian hadn't developed many freckles like most pregnant women. Quite the contrary, her skin became more soft and white, which made Lin Si Yao admiringly tease it.
Even he didn't understand, a previously cold-hearted assassin, once fallen in love, could be so passionate. So much so that he couldn't restrain himself.
It seemed she had ignited the affection he had been suppressing in the bottom of his heart for more than twenty years. Once it was ignited, the fire would never cease.
"Shuilian..." He groaned as he used his lips to ask for her hot response...
The scorching summer sun was overwhelming outside. Inside the room, heat waves of passion were burning the two.
Beads of sweat rolled down his handsome, proud face, dropping on her white chest. His deep eyes showed an unfathomable amount of love.
He crouched between her thighs, his hands supporting her full, round buttocks. Two groans, one low and one satisfied, came after a thrust. He had smoothly entered her body...
It'd been a while since they had last done it. After it was ignited, the fire couldn't be controlled. Moreover, being crazy about her, he was willing to do so...
-----
"Shifu, my father said that the house is done. Do you want to go there and check?" In the afternoon on an early eighth lunar month day, Tian Dabao ran into his yard as Lin Si Yao was about to take Su Shuilian for their lunch nap.
"Oh? That fast?" Lin Si Yao raised his brow. He thought that it would take ten or fifteen days more before everything was done.
"Yes, my father said that we should seize the time of good weather to build the two-acre house, too..." It could be convenient for his workers to have a nice Lunar New Year's holiday.
If this project was to continue smoothly, they could earn the salary that would usually take two years to get.
Of course, Tian Dabao wasn't too foolish to tell the others the reason. He had overheard it from the workers' chat during break time.
"We should carry out the work as your father has suggested..." Wasn't this what he had in mind? Lin Si Yao nodded indifferently. "I will give him the sketches later."
"Sure..." Tian Da Bao smiled until his eyes narrowed and nodded. He was about to head back to report to Tian Dafu when a thought flashed in his mind. He turned around and asked, "Shifu, where has Situ been lately?"
Situ Yun had stayed here long enough to befriend the innocent Tian Dabao; their relationship was neither too close nor too distant.
Befriending, but they are actually more like partners. They were partners that were ordered to protect Su Shuilian by Lin Si Yao.
"He went to the city for some business..." Lin Si Yao helped Su Shuilian onto the bed and pulled a thin blanket to cover her, "Rest well. I'm going to the Tian House. I'll be right back."
"Okay..." Su Shuilian nodded. "If you have time, you should rest too. Don't overwork yourself."
During the summer time, there were many things to do with the fields. Seeing him getting up early in the morning and busying himself until late night without much time to rest, she worried for him.
"I know. Sleep..." The corners of Lin Si Yao's mouth curved up. He pecked her lips as he asked her to rest. Then, he called Tian Dabao, who was drinking tea in the main house. "Let's go. Let's find your dad so we can talk about the new house."
"Oh hey, teacher, after you got the new house, what would you do with this house?" This house was decorated much more beautifully than his own house. It would be wasted if no one lived here.
"Demolish and build a new one..." Lin Si Yao walked ahead of Tian Dabao, striding toward the Tian family's house.
"What? Demolish... Rebuild? You still want to build more houses?..." Tian Dabao was bewildered for a while. Then, he beamed sillily. "Dad and uncle Fang are gonna smile till their teeth fall off!"
Working on three big constructions continually, even if they didn't work the next year, they wouldn't need to worry about their living expenses. Not to mention the other things, the carpenters and workers, who didn't get a job in the other two towns, would have their eyes red in jealousy.
However, there are just two people, Shifu and Shi Niang, ah, and the sisters or brothers in her belly too... still only four people in total. How could they live in two houses? Sigh, I would never understand Shifu's thoughts. I should just remain as an obedient construction supervisor...
Chapter 90: Fan Hua School
"Town Elder, you must say something for justice. Why is it that they can use the wasteland in the west?" A shrill female voice arose. It belonged to the Hua family's oldest daughter-in-law who acted as if she was greater than her previous generations.
"This... I agreed to it..." muttered the Town Elder, Wang Geng Fa.
"You agreed? Town Elder, you've been the head of our village for so many years. My family always supports you, don't we? How... No matter what, they're outsiders. What will you do when they buy all the wasteland in our Fan Huo Town?"
"Why wouldn't it be good? The wasteland is just barren land, isn't it?"
"Oh my! Elder, if you stay muddled like that, all the land will become someone's property. The entire Fan Huo Town only has so little land. If he becomes a landlord, will all of us become his tenant farmers?"
"Hua family's daughter-in-law, your words aren't correct. He just bought the wasteland. Why did you say he'd become the landlord? If you want to buy, there are a lot of available slots in the West..."
"You talk nonsense! Spending three silvers for an acre of wasteland. Why would I do that? We can't grow anything on such land..."
"But of course. He just bought the land to build a house..."
"There're just two people in their family. Why would they have to build so many houses?"
"You shouldn't mind others' business. Perhaps some of their relatives are going to move in. It means our Fan Hua Town is getting more famous!" Town Elder stroked his beard, smiling until his eyes became a line. He was dreaming about the day when Fan Hua Town would become the biggest town in the Da Hui Empire.
"Tsk, they want to come and live in a place of green hills and limpid water like our Fan Hua Town, but they don't contribute anything..."
"Hua family's daughter-in-law, what do you mean? If they want to live in our town, they have to contribute something? If so, when your Hua family came and settled here that year, my ancestors didn't ask you guys to do anything, did they?"
"Elder, you..."
"Alright, Hua family's daughter-in-law, why do you have to act like that? Not every ancestor of the families in our Fan Hua Town grew up here. They came from many places. It's just a matter of time of who came earlier. Living standards are good now. A Yao has spent dozens of silvers to buy the land and build the houses. He doesn't need your permission to do that." The Town Elder showed his powers when Hua family's daughter-in-law's words had gone beyond boundaries.
"I'm just saying, just saying.."
"You don't need to say anything else. Everybody, listen to me. If any of you need land, you're welcomed to come to the West side and choose. Three silvers per acre. The silvers belong to the common fund of the town. If we save enough, I will invite the theatrical troupe to perform some plays during the Lantern Festival*. We will have a good time."
(*The final event of the Spring Festival is on the fifteenth of the first lunar month.)
The Town Elder didn't mind the oldest daughter-in-law of the Hua family anymore. He talked to the other villagers who were surrounding the ancestral hall to watch the fun.
"Okay!" Before Hua family's daughter-in-law wanted to retort, unexpectedly, everybody had agreed.
You... You people rumored and clamored about the Lin family buying land and building houses. You all wanted to complain to the Town Elder. She was hot-tempered so she took the lead and came here. She hadn't expected them to change their minds as soon as the Town Elder said that, which made her stand out as the only protester against the Lin family buying land and building houses.
Geez, how could this happen?!
She looked around. Hmph. In this group, besides the ones with some grudges against the Lin family that would never talk to them, the others seemed to receive favor, big or small, from the Lins.
For example, the daughter-in-law of the Fang family. Her husband Da Sheng was working as a carpenter for the Lin family. It was easy to understand. When people bought the land and built the house, her husband would have more work to do. If they built houses every year, Fang Da Sheng would have a lot of work.
She looked at the others. When the Lunar New Year came, more or less, they had received the New Year's gifts from the Lin family. But then again, the good wooden cutting board her family was using was also from the Lin family.
When her thought came to this, the Hua family's daughter-in-law rolled her eyes. Right, the Lin family needed to make a lot of wooden furniture. There would be pieces of extra wood... If the Town Elder agreed to let them buy the land, she would go and ask for some extra wood. She could make some small stools for her son. Hmm, it would be idiotic if she didn't take the benefits...
------
"What? School... A school?" When the Town Elder heard that, he had almost jumped up from the kang.
He had just delivered the ideas of the other villagers. He agreed that they had good ideas as he actually hoped that Lin Si Yao and his wife could do something for the town. It could help stop those people with bad thoughts from making rumors.
But he had never thought that Lin Si Yao had had a plan. Moreover, it was good news to them: He said that he would open a school in Fan Hua Town.
School, it would cost a fortune!
"Yeah, after we move into our new house, I'll want this house rebuilt into a school. And, about what or whom we need, we will leave it to you to decide and after I will talk to Shuilian," Lin Si Yao said as he sipped his tea.
He actually wanted to wait until their new house was completed, then demolish the old house, and rebuild it before discussing with the Town Elder about this. However, some people had minded the fact that he had bought six acres of land at the same time and came to trouble the head of the town.
It didn't matter to him. However, he worried that those bad words would find their way to Shuilian. It would affect her time nourishing the babies.
Thus, he decided to tell him that he would build the very first school in Fan Hua Town. Moreover, he would pay for it, doing a good turn for the entire town.
Of course, the first children Lin Si Yao had put in his consideration weren't the mischievous kids in the town, but the babies in Shuilian's belly and the other kids they would have later.
In several years, they would need a place for the children to learn the Four Books and the Five Classics of Confucianism. He hoped his children would be well-educated and well-bred just like their mother.
Besides, instead of letting them go to schools outside of Fan Luo City, which were dozens of miles away from here, he would rather put them under his eyes to control them easier.
Furthermore, he no longer wanted Shuilian to do any more embroidery jobs. He wanted her to teach the kids how to draw and have more free time. No matter what, the embroidering work was laborious, he thought. When the kids were born, she would be busy enough to take care of their clothes and the entire family's clothing. He thought that it would be alright if she no longer accepted work as a chief embroider.
Of course, it had to wait until the contract between her and the Yue Yun Embroidery Floor ended.
Thus, Lin Si Yao had long wanted to rebuild the old house and make it a school.
Fan Hua Town had around eleven kids in the age range of five to ten. But if the villagers from the two neighboring towns wanted to send their kids to study in Fan Hua Town, he wouldn't reject them.
However, if the kids from the other towns came here to study, they would have to travel pretty far and wouldn't be able to go home for lunch. So, they had to take care of their lunches themselves. They had to either bring some money to eat at the cafeteria or bring steamed bread or rations.
No matter what, it was a good turn to Fan Hua Town's residents and the others living next to them. There was no doubt!
The Town Elder nodded after listening to Lin Si Yao's simple explanation.
Lin Si Yao didn't mind it much. Anyway, with the fortune he had saved up, his several generations later wouldn't use it all living in this isolated village . It would be better to use a part of it to do something good for himself and his children.
There was no difference whether he did that from kindness or for his children's sake. In short, he didn't want his blood-soaked hands to affect his later generations with karma.
As the baby in Shuilian's belly was growing, this desire grew stronger in him. He admitted that he was afraid. He was afraid that everything warm in front of him would be destroyed because of his former occupation, because of the blood-puddling road he used to walk.
"Great! Great!" Besides nodding continually, Town Elder Wang GengFa also appraised.
Building a school in Fan Hua Town, and it was free? Who dared to disapprove? Who wasn't convinced?
Let alone a free-tuition school, this town couldn't even open a private school that the kids had to pay to study. First of all, no household would pay to invite the private teacher. And second, the fees collected wouldn't be enough to compensate for the money they had invested in the school.
Gradually, no one talked about opening a private school in the town anymore.
With the little coins that everyone has, sending their children to school in the city for a year or two was already considered a big achievement.
Of course, to the insufficient family, the older kids would take the younger kids to play over the hills or by the rivers. When they grew up, they would follow their parents to work in the fields.
If everything went well, the Fan Hua School would be opened next year. Then, every household in Fan Hua Town would be so thrilled!
Every family's got kids at the right age to go to school.
Moreover, what did A Yao say? He would invite the teacher to teach the kids how to read, write, compose poems, and study morals and ethics!
What a beautiful plan this is! What a grand goal this was!
Wang Geng Fu strongly believed that this little Fan Hua Town would be famous in the Da Hui Empire in the near future.
Wang Geng Fa walked on the village road to home. His head was filled with the good news Lin Si Yao had just told him. He was calculating what to do to open the Fan Hua School. Lin Si Yao would pay all the fees. As the Town Elder, he just needed to invite a teacher who had both integrity and talents and prepared some teaching tools.
It's simple, isn't it? As long as he got money, he could do anything. To him, it wasn't a difficult task.
But thinking back again, where did Lin Si Yao get all of that silver?
The Town Elder stroked his special goatee beard while walking and thinking, frowning.
After raking his mind for an answer in vain, he could only assume that it was from his family.
Yeah, think about it. Since Lin Si Yao and Su Shuilian had moved in this town, they had never seen the young couple worry about money, hadn't they? Never!
Although the couple, one was so excellent in martial arts, and the other got skillful needlework talent, the way they moved also revealed their identity. They must be born from noble families. Perhaps they got into trouble with their family and eloped.
Previously, two luxurious four-horse carriages had come to the Lin family, right? Right! Their family must have come to see the young couple and give them money.
As they were rich, perhaps they had given more than one hundred silvers! Tsk tsk!
The more Wang Geng Fa thought about it, the more logical it became. He even nodded. Eventually, he confirmed that he got the right assumption. He found the most logical reason to explain the origin of Lin Si Yao's money used to fund the building of Fan Hua School.