Chapter 182 He Niang

Chapter 182: He Niang

A few days later, Lu Su returned to Luqiao Town, walking hesitantly into Nongmei Alley. He made his way to the courtyard at the very end of the alley, hesitated for a long time before finally raising his hand to knock.

After a moment, a young woman, about eighteen or nineteen, pushed open the door and stepped out. She was simply dressed, with no makeup on, a slender figure, slightly drooping eyes, and a gentle, innocent look that made her seem hardly like a prostitute who'd swindle men out of their feelings and money. Yet the first words out of her mouth were, "Master Lu, have you come because you've scraped together enough money?"

Lu Su's heart ached. The joy he'd felt at seeing her instantly cooled. "I..."

Maybe sensing the shift in Lu Su's expression, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her voice carrying that soft, lilting Jiangnan dialect. "Master Lu must've just gotten back from the county seat. I'm just too eager to see you, after all, it's about our marriage. Please, come in and sit a while. Let me fix you a few dishes."

Lu Su followed her into the small courtyard. Her soft, gentle words turned his mood from gloomy to bright again. "Thanks, He Niang."

The yard was tiny—more like a hallway than a real yard. On one side, a neat row of firewood was stacked; on the other, a low wall facing the neighbor's house. You could see into the next yard just by standing on tiptoe. It was laid out about the same and just as tiny. Both yards were quiet right now; the neighbors were probably catching up on sleep inside, getting ready to receive guests at dusk.

By the doorway, there was a little more room, where a small basin of dirty laundry was piled up. He Niang had probably been washing clothes in the yard just now. She pushed the basin into the corner, and Lu Su's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of a man's long gown tucked underneath.

A bitter taste crept into his mouth. "I won't come in. Let's just talk out here in the yard for a bit."

He Niang seemed to have anticipated something. In no time, her eyes glistened with tears, and her voice sounded both sad and sighing. "So in the end, we're just not meant to be, Master Lu?"

The more she acted like that, without saying anything to pressure him, the more it tore him up.

"The day I lost my parents, I was in a daze, as if I'd fallen into the underworld. You took me in, urged me to get it together and try for the exams again. My parents gave me life, their kindness as heavy as Mount Tai, but your gentle words pieced me back together, a debt of rebirth."

Lu Su closed his eyes. A grown man, and he couldn't hold back the tears. He choked out, "He Niang, I just want to ask you one thing: if I really can't come up with the silver, will you really marry Squire Wei as his concubine?"

He Niang looked elsewhere. The tears from before might as well have been a trick of the eye; she pulled them back in an instant, her voice turning cold and harsh. "What's the point of saying all that now, Master Lu? In your eyes, I'm just a money-grubbing whore anyway. We're not meant to be. Let's not see each other again."

She was so cold and heartless—what more did Lu Su need to understand?

He let out two bitter laughs, called out to He Niang, who was about to turn and go inside. He wiped his face and pulled out several silver notes from his bosom. "Here is a hundred taels. Take it all. Whether you still insist on becoming someone's concubine or keep it for your own expenses, it's up to you."

Lu Su stepped back, presented the silver notes with both hands, and kept his eyes fixed on the figure before him. He watched her take the notes, turn around without a backward glance, and enter the house. Only then did his heart finally die completely.

He laughed mockingly to himself, but his face remained stiff, unable to even cry. Every step he took out of the courtyard was unbearably heavy.

Outside the gate, his friend Zheng Yuan was waiting. "So? I told you she was only with you for the money. Now you can finally see her true face. After all the times I begged you, you wouldn't believe me. It took Lord Song's words for you to trust."

It took a long while for Lu Su to speak. His voice came out hoarse and dry, as if a wad of cotton were stuck in his throat. "I gave her the silver notes."

Zheng Yuan came from a modest family, similar to Lu Su's former circumstances. His entire family's assets didn't add up to a hundred taels. Upon hearing this, he nearly jumped. "What! A hundred taels! You sold your house and gave it all to her?"

Lu Su solemnly cupped his hands and bowed to Zheng Yuan. "Brother Zheng, I know you have my best interests at heart. Let me end this fruitless relationship. From now on, I will devote myself to my studies, waiting for the provincial examination in two years."

Zheng Yuan helped him stand upright. "You... ah, if that's the case, so be it. But don't come back to He Niang."

Their figures gradually disappeared at the end of the alley. Only when she could no longer hear their footsteps did He Niang come out again, sit on the doorstep, and resume washing clothes.

The door of the neighboring courtyard opened, and a woman dressed in a peach-pink cotton outfit came out, hands on her hips, standing on a high step to look down at He Niang. "You are truly heartless. It's rare these days to encounter a devoted man like Scholar Lu. What harm would it be to marry him?"

Without looking up, He Niang replied, "Then why don't you ask him in? Maybe he would marry you too."

"Hmph!" The pink-clad woman gave a light snort, combing her hair with a comb as she said, "If I were your age and met..."

With a "smack," He Niang threw the clothes she was holding into the basin. "Met what? Why did you stop? That student candidate who said he would marry you the year before last—didn't he say he would redeem you from Brother Hei? He took your two silver hairpins and never came back, did he?"

Stung to the quick, the pink-clad woman nearly pulled out a few strands of her hair. Her face dark, she turned and went into her house, tossing over her shoulder, "Scholar Lu must be blind. He could have matched with any decent woman or xiaoge, but he had to waste his true heart on an unfeeling wretch like you."

Today was a rare, cloudless good day. He Niang lowered her head again to wash clothes. Droplets fell into the basin, forming ripples. She murmured softly to herself, "That's right. He is so good. He could match with any proper woman..."

——

"Mortgage? That scholar borrowed money from you and mortgaged his house to the government?" Meng Wan picked up the document on Song Tingzhou's desk and asked him.

Song Tingzhou was not particularly surprised that Lu Su actually gave the money to He Niang. "Consider it a way to end his infatuation. He is so loyal and devoted; in the future, he will at least not be a greedy official."

"You think highly of him? Is he promising material?" Meng Wan himself was someone who could bend and stoop when necessary and was self-interested. He could understand such a person but felt no affinity.

Song Tingzhou commented, "I asked the Instructor for his essays. His writing style is solid and original. In Lingnan, where education is neglected and literary culture is weak, this is already rare."

Meng Wan was okay at writing and painting but was clueless about essays. However, with a top second-rank scholar—fifth in the whole country—by his side, "Compared to you back then?"

Song Tingzhou gave a helpless smile. "Wan'er."

Meng Wan moved closer to him and was embraced. He pretended to have a sudden realization. "Understood. Far inferior to my husband."

Song Tingzhou was amused and pecked him on the corner of his lips. "My old books should be copied by the county school students and then stored at the county school entrance. All scholars in this county can copy them freely." With only two scholars, they might be passable in Lingnan, but if they truly passed the provincial examination and went to the capital, this level would be hard to even glance at.

Meng Wan nodded. "What you said is actually right. No matter how good one's learning is, if their heart is not upright, it's better to have someone sincere like Lu Su. But it has both pros and cons. His future superior should be someone like you."

"Your husband understands. We'll see how he does in the provincial examination in two years." Song Tingzhou had a feeling—he had been in Heshan for two years. Officials were evaluated every three years. Based on his achievements, he would likely be promoted.

But Heshan was his creation from scratch. He needed a successor who would be dedicated to his duties, wholeheartedly serve the people, and lead this newly revived town along the path he had laid out.

Meng Wan stayed with Song Tingzhou at the county office for a while. In the evening, they walked home hand in hand. Along the way, unmarried girls and xiaoge would greet them shyly or enviously before hurrying away.

"They're selling oranges now. A Yan loves them. Let's buy some to take home?" Meng Wan thought of his son whenever he saw good food.

Song Tingzhou led him to the orange vendor. The oranges were small, half-red, half-green, and didn't look sweet. Meng Wan only picked a dozen or so. Each of them carried five home.

Back home, Chang Jinhua peeled one and took a bite, and her teeth nearly went sour. "My dear Wan Ge'er, these are way too sour. No, no, A Yan can't eat these."

Song Tingzhou didn't like sour things anyway, but upon hearing this, he stopped peeling. To prove his husband's choice wasn't bad, he forced himself to eat one. "Mine is okay. Wan'er picked them for a while. It must be the variety that's not sweet."

Chang Jinhua watched him eat oranges and drink tea but didn't bother replying. She only stopped A Yan. "A Yan, don't eat them. Don't listen to your father's nonsense. The October oranges from Shakeng County must be ripe now. Have Xue Sheng buy some another day."

Meng Wan stuffed the orange from Song Tingzhou's hand into his own mouth and ate it. "October oranges are sweet. Dad will go buy some for you."

Chang Jinhua was puzzled. "You're going too? Isn't the sugar workshop getting busy now?"

They were in Chang Jinhua's room. Meng Wan found a pack of candied fruit from an adjacent room, and the three adults started snacking. Meng Wan picked a piece of honey-stuffed plum blossom for A Yan. "Busy is busy, but the workshop is on track now. A few minor supervisors have been selected to manage things. Bi Yun can handle it well on her own."

Chang Jinhua hesitated. "Don't push him too hard. You should give him time to have a child. Otherwise, the Tao family might complain."

"Ah, cough." Meng Wan nearly choked on the candied fruit. Song Tingzhou quickly handed him tea. After catching his breath, Meng Wan said, "Mother, what do you mean? How am I not giving him time to have a child? Besides, if the Tao family dares to gossip because Bi Yun has no heir, we'll just bring him back home. Bi Yun can support himself."

Xue Sheng, who had also grabbed an orange to eat nearby, winced sourly but nodded in agreement.

Chu Ci, seeing his expression, threw the unpeeled orange in his hand toward the door. A huge white wolf darted out, swallowed it whole without chewing, and then whimpered, drooling profusely.

A Yan watched it through the window, looking pitiful, and said to his grandmother, "Grandma, Wu Wu ate an orange, failed."

Chang Jinhua didn't understand him. "Tong'er hasn't woken up from his nap yet. He's too young to eat oranges, you know?"

A Yan pointed outside. "Not Tong'er, it's Wu Wu!"

Chu Ci slipped to the door and glared at the white wolf. The wolf, drooling and aggrieved, slunk back to its small courtyard. So Chang Jinhua still didn't see anything.

Meng Wan complained about Fang Jinrong and Ge Quan being unreliable, leaving their son behind to go out and play every three days. Yet when he himself stepped onto the carriage heading to Shakeng County, his mood was as bright as could be.

"Huang Ye, your mother will be released from her sentence in three years, right?" Meng Wan asked Huang Ye, who was sitting beside him.

Jin Gu happened to be sentenced to hard labor in Shakeng County—harsh enough on its own—but because Song Tingzhou had instructed the constables escorting her to pass along a few words when handing her over to the Shakeng County officials, she was spared mistreatment while laboring there.

Huang Ye wanted to visit his mother, but he couldn't always find someone to accompany him—being a young man, it was inconvenient for him to travel alone—so this time Meng Wan brought him along.

"Yes, three more years. Though she has to work hard every day now, it's better than her days in the Huang family, and she smiles more. Husband, my mother actually has dimples when she laughs—unfortunately, I don't." Huang Ye was filled with joy at the thought of seeing his mother, his eyes lit up.

Meng Wan chuckled, "You may not have dimples, but your eyes and nose look like Jin Gu's, so you're still good-looking."

Huang Ye shyly cupped his cheeks with both hands, his eyes shining like stars. "Husband, you are the best-looking. In our village… no, in the entire county, there's no one as handsome as my husband."

Huang Ye had never imagined life could be this comfortable for the first decade or so of his life; back then, he only wished for a day without being beaten. Now in the Song family, he ate well, dressed warmly, the old lady of the house taught him how to cook, and Fulang taught him even more—accounting, social skills, how to conduct himself. He had a monthly allowance and year-end bonuses, allowing him to buy fruit and meat for his mother.

Three years—as long as his mother endured just three more years, even if they couldn't be together every day, there would be hope.

Meng Wan liked Huang Ye's personality; the conflicting blend of timidness and resolve when he had rushed out for his mother was touching. "Once your mother finishes her labor, I will release your indenture so you can live with Jin Gu."

Huang Ye hadn't expected Meng Wan to bring this up suddenly. When Bi Yun got married and Meng Wan sent her off as family, Huang Ye was envious. He also secretly wondered if, when he got married in the future, Meng Wan would release his indenture too.

But he secretly resolved that even if Meng Wan told him to leave then, he wouldn't go.

So now he shook his head at Meng Wan. "Husband, I've calculated it. I've been saving all the monthly allowance you gave me. By the time my mother finishes her sentence, I'll have enough to buy her a small courtyard near the Song residence, and then I can visit her several times each month. Your kindness to us, mother and son, is as deep as the ocean; I will repay you for my whole life."

Meng Wan patted his head. "You're a good child. You've been very attentive in caring for A Yan. Don't let gratitude bind you; you still have a long life ahead of you."

Huang Ye said nothing. He was a stubborn young man, and he had already told his mother what he now said to Meng Wan—that even if he never married, he would stay by my husband's side.