Xiaoman was matching colors to the flower pattern. The apricot blossoms on the fan and the pavilions and towers in the background were already embroidered, leaving only the lady holding the flower. The round fan watched with undisguised delight, scratching its head and cheeks.
A cheerful voice suddenly rang out from the poplar grove: "Round Fan, isn't it time to return my fan today?"
After saying this, a man walked out from inside with his hands behind his back. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look. They saw that the man was wearing an ordinary cloth shirt, was tall, a head taller than the average person, about forty years old, with a very handsome face, and his eyes were bright and sharp, reminiscent of an eagle soaring in the sky.
Upon seeing him, Lian Yici scurried behind the wall, and Gengu followed, puzzled.
Tianquan and Zexiu were both slightly taken aback, but then their expressions returned to normal as they continued playing chess. Yelü Jing showed no reaction and continued his ungentlemanly behavior.
Xiao Man glanced at it and continued with the color scheme.
Only the fan girl's expression changed upon seeing him. She snatched the painted fan from his hand, hugged it to her chest, and said urgently, "I won't give it back! You stingy guy, I've only borrowed it for a few days! You're always coming to urge me to return it. I haven't had enough time to enjoy it yet!"
The man walked over and laughed, "Only a few days? It's been almost a year! You're not old yet, but your memory is failing you. No matter what you say today, you have to return the fan to me."
He stretched his hand out in front of the fan and asked for it directly.
The man with the round fan squatted down, clutching his fan, and said urgently, "I'm not going to return it! Let me enjoy it for a few more days!" Even Zexiu felt ashamed of his shameless behavior. This was no well-known master in the martial arts world; he was just a rogue. The person who borrowed the item had come to his house, and he still had the nerve to refuse to return it.
The man was at a loss, both angry and amused. Suddenly, he saw Xiaoman bowing her head and embroidering, just like the painting on the round fan. She was skilled at needlework and had beautiful color matching. The painting was just laid flat on the fan, but with her embroidery, the flowers, grass, and people seemed to come alive.
He was also somewhat surprised and couldn't help but lean closer to take a closer look. Xiaoman stopped what she was doing and looked up. As soon as the man saw her face, his expression changed drastically, as if he had seen a ghost. He took a step back, but then immediately returned to normal and smiled, "Young lady, you are so young, yet you have such excellent embroidery skills."
Who is this person? So rude! Is she so ugly that she would back away just by looking at her?
Xiao Man didn't say anything, she just smiled.
The man with the round fan was still clutching it, squatting on the ground with a pained expression, muttering to himself, refusing to return it. Xiao Man gently tugged at his clothes and said with a smile, "Mr. Round Fan, don't worry, I can finish embroidering the fan tonight, and I guarantee it will be a hundred times better than the original. You borrowed someone else's fan, so you should return it."
As she spoke, she displayed the half-finished product in front of the round fan. The large patch of apricot blossoms alone was stitched using different techniques, and with the shifting light and shadow, it was lifelike, as if it were truly drifting down and dancing in the wind inside the fan. The round fan's eyes widened in disbelief, and it returned the fan to the person in a daze, as if it had lost its soul.
The man laughed and said, "Indeed, I should have asked you to embroider one for me too. It's even more beautiful than the original painting. May I ask your name, young lady?"
Seeing that he spoke politely and was not as out of control as before, Xiaoman replied, "My name is Xiaoman. I am not a professional embroiderer, but if you would like, I can embroider a round fan for you."
It seems he is the owner of the fan. Should we ask him who painted the picture on the fan?
The man said, "How could I trouble you with your embroidery for nothing? I would like to pay you to embroider another one of these fans."
Did she hear that right? He's going to invest! If she had known embroidery could make money, she should have set up a stall in Wutong Town long ago. She might be a little rich woman by now. Why would she need to travel around like this?
Overjoyed, she couldn't help but feign humility: "Sir, you're too kind. It's just a piece of embroidery. But I have a question, and I wonder if you could enlighten me. I find this lady holding flowers extremely beautiful and admire her greatly. Could it be that you painted it?"
The man smiled and shook his head: "I am but a rough man, how could I have such a skillful brush? The origin of this fan is quite coincidental. One year I passed through Suzhou in Jiangnan and saw it in Lianfang City. Mr. Guo Yusheng was planning to sell it in his shop as an ordinary silk product. I liked it very much when I saw it, so he generously gave it to me. This painting was done by Mr. Guo himself."
It was indeed related to her mother; it turned out to be painted by her maternal grandfather. Looking at the ambiguous emotions flowing in the painting, could it not be her mother? I'd heard my mother say before that she looked about 80% like her maternal grandmother. Could the person in the painting be her maternal grandmother?
Sigh, these questions are getting more and more complicated. Oh well, they're none of her business anyway. Her mother is dead, her maternal grandmother is probably dead and nowhere to be found, and her maternal grandfather doesn't even recognize her. She doesn't need to ask so many questions.
Xiaoman picked up her needle and thread and continued working.
When the man told Tuan Shanzi that he intended to have Xiaoman embroider another one and that he would pay for it, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "You, Yelü Wenjue, are trying to act serious with me. You forget the old one as soon as you see something better."
Yelü Wenjue, Yelü Wenjue… How strange, where has she heard this name before? Why does it sound so familiar?
Upon hearing this name, Yelü Jing, who had been watching Tianquan Zexiu play chess, suddenly turned around, pointed at Yelü Wenjue's nose, and exclaimed, "So it's you! Yelü Wenjue! You're actually here!"
***********
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Hey! You're praising your older brother to the skies, trying to act as matchmaker for this princess? How old are you? Go on, copy the Three Character Classic a hundred times!
Oh! That's my rouge! Not paint! How did you manage to use it for painting? You're so young and you've already learned to eat rouge! Go on, learn a hundred sets of military boxing!
Hey, Prime Minister, factional strife shouldn't be started from childhood. Put away your Machiavellian tactics!
Um, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, palace intrigue isn't something you cultivate from a young age. Take your XXX back!
Who dares to pollute the children in the kindergarten? Do you think I, a time traveler from the 21st century, can't protect them?
Let's cherish the flowers of our nation, starting with the Royal Kindergarten!
The Scroll of Chaos, Chapter Five: Ladies Picking Flowers (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-04 15:09:26 Word Count: 3934
Sunday, two updates a day, this is the second one.
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He spoke very bluntly, which even surprised the fan-wielder.
Yelü Wenjue bowed slightly and said, "I do not know you."
Yelü Jing strode over and said, "You don't need to know me, just know Li Shisan."
As if struck by lightning, Xiaoman suddenly remembered. Yes, yes! Li Shisan! He's Li Shisan's father! The man who abandoned his wife and children to become infatuated with some wealthy young lady from Jiangnan!
She jumped up suddenly, pointed at his face, and exclaimed, "Yes! It's you! So you were here!"
Now the fan was even more confused, and Yelü Wenjue was also somewhat bewildered, saying softly, "Did I know these two people before? Li Shisan, are you referring to Lian Yu? He is indeed my son..."
Yelü Jing said, "Back then, you abandoned your wife and children to follow a woman from Jiangnan. Don't you feel ashamed? Now your son has grown up so much, with a beautiful face and a pure and elegant demeanor. He runs his own restaurant, cooking Jiangnan cuisine every day, and he and his mother are both longing for your return. Why don't you ever think of going back to visit him while you wander around outside like this?"
His questioning was righteous and eloquent, but why did it sound so strange? A face as beautiful as a flower, a figure as cold as ice and snow? What kind of description is that? Can it be used to describe a man?
Yelü Wenjue pondered for a long time, then looked up at him, then at Xiaoman, and suddenly laughed, "I know who you are. This young lady is the young mistress of Cangya City. Please forgive my rudeness earlier."
He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and bowed slightly to Xiaoman. She asked in surprise, "You...how did you know..."
Yelü Wenjue smiled and sighed, “To be honest, I returned to Luzhou the day before yesterday and met Lianyu. He mentioned this matter to me. It turns out that you were all at Brother Tuanshanzi's place. It is truly a great coincidence that we meet here today. I am very grateful for your care for my son. I am quite ashamed.”
Yelü Jing said, "That's good. Now that you have a family business, you should act like a man. With such a handsome son, his mother must be a beauty as well. How can you continue to philander..."
Fearing he might say something inexplicable again, Tianquan immediately stood up and interrupted, saying, "So you are Mr. Yelü. I have long admired you. I am Tianquan from Bugui Mountain."
Yelü Wenjue raised an eyebrow upon seeing him, and when he saw Zexiu sitting beside him with an expressionless face, a smile appeared on his face: "So it's Young Master Tianquan and Nephew Zexiu. Are you all here to escort the young master?"
As he spoke, he walked over with the round fan.
Xiao Man then remembered what Tian Quan had said: Yelü Wenjue was a member of the Tiancha Shifang. What was the Tiancha Shifang? It was the person who destroyed Cangya City! Ugh, to have such a bizarre encounter with her "enemy" in this kind of place. Should she find a place to hide and avoid trouble?
She was starting to panic when she suddenly saw Tianquan turn around and look at her, gesturing with his eyes for her to go inside quickly and not stay outside.
This was exactly what Xiaoman wanted. She packed the things and quickly entered the underground manor.
Strange, strange. This Tian Sha Shi Fang doesn't seem like a bad person, unlike that red-clad female ghost we encountered in Bai Yang Village last time, who scared her half to death. And he seems very polite to Tian Quan, and Tian Quan is also very courteous. Is this what's commonly known as "face-saving"?
It seems that Tuan Shanzi has a good relationship with Tian Sha Shi Fang, even borrowing his fan and not returning it for a year. Yet he is also very polite to Tian Quan, which is really strange. These things in the martial arts world are a mess. Everyone is nice to each other on the surface, but behind each other's backs, they stab each other in the back and wish they could kill each other.
Xiaoman ran back to the guest room and saw Lianyi standing at the door, her face pale. Gengu was asking her something, but she didn't say a word and just stared blankly.
"What's wrong?" Xiaoman walked over.
Lianyi was startled and quickly shook her head: "No... Recently, Mr. Fanzi has been giving me acupuncture, and it's made half of my head hurt. I want to sleep for a while."
"Then come in and take a nap." Xiaoman pushed open the door, and seeing that Gengu was reluctant to come in, she blocked him with the door: "Kid, get out. Men are not welcome here."
Gen Gu said hatefully, "If I had known, I wouldn't have asked the old man to save you. You're still so hateful!"
Xiao Man chuckled and patted his head, tossing him a few new beaded pendants: "You little rascal, you're so petty. Men shouldn't just wander into a girl's boudoir, that's the rule, learn that. You can play with these, you're not such a bad person after all."
Gengu rolled his eyes at her, then tossed the pendant and walked away.
Xiaoman closed the door and looked back. Lianyi was already lying on the bed, her eyes wide open, looking uneasy.
She went over and sat on the edge of the bed, touched her head, and asked softly, "Does it still hurt?"
Lianyi stared at her blankly, her eyes suddenly reddening. She gripped her hand tightly and whispered, "Master, you are so good to me."
Xiaoman laughed and said, "Save your breath. You say that ten times a day. I'm sick of hearing it. If you're not feeling well, just go to sleep. I'll finish embroidering the rest."
Lianyi stopped talking, closed her eyes, turned her back, and went to sleep.
Xiaoman lit two large candles on the table, spread out the items, and carefully examined the lady on the fan.
Recalling Li Lianyu's words, about his father abandoning his wife and children for a wealthy woman from Jiangnan, and being completely infatuated with her, Tianquan said that Li Lianyu's words couldn't be entirely trusted. But seeing this fan today, she still felt that at least part of Li Lianyu's story was true.
The fan was a gift from her maternal grandfather to Yelü Wenjue. The fact that he could paint the woman's face on the fan, with such deep affection, shows that her grandfather truly loved the woman in the painting. Xiaoman guessed that something might have happened later, which is why her grandfather abandoned that woman and even sold the fan with her image on it—not for money, but purely out of revenge.
Could it be that because her maternal grandmother angered her maternal grandfather, her mother also suffered misfortune, was kidnapped by thieves who demanded 10,000 gold coins, and her maternal grandfather ignored her, leaving her to wander in the borderlands, where she eventually died with resentment?
Thinking about it this way, it seems to make much more sense.
I remember her mother mentioning once that children born out of wedlock are considered inferior, and it's better not to have them at all. So her maternal grandmother must not have been her maternal grandfather's legal wife; she might have been a concubine or even a maidservant. Being born out of wedlock, and with her mother having offended her father, it seems plausible that she was abandoned.
Yelü Wen thought that upon seeing the fan, he might have become interested in the woman in the painting. By a twist of fate, he met the woman in real life and may have become madly infatuated with her. Later, she disappeared.
Xiao Man felt a chill run down her spine. Could this be her mother? Her mother had never mentioned a Khitan man who was fanatically infatuated with her. If it wasn't her mother, then... it must be her grandmother?
Li Lianyu is twenty-three years old. Twenty-three years ago, Yelü Wenjue came to Jiangnan. At that time, her mother was only fourteen or fifteen years old, just beginning to blossom. By analogy, her maternal grandmother should have been around thirty years old at that time, still quite attractive.
Judging from the appearance of Yelü Wenjue, he was probably in his forties, and in 2013 he would have been around twenty. It's possible for a man of that age to be attracted to women who are fourteen or fifteen or around thirty years old.
Ugh, this is a complete mess. The question now is: is the woman he's so infatuated with his mother or his grandmother?
Xiaoman knew this was a crazy idea. No matter who he was infatuated with, he never got them in the end, so it was meaningless who he liked back then. The reason he was so shocked when he saw his own appearance must be because she looked like her mother and grandmother.
She even wondered if he would show mercy because she looked like her, and not kill her just because she was a concubine.
Well, if he really wanted to kill her, in that critical moment, she wouldn't care about anything else and would have to tell the whole truth. He might spare her out of consideration for their past "affection," and maybe even give her some money to send her home...
Xiao Man was lost in her thoughts, but her hands moved swiftly, and the beautiful figure of the lady on the fan gradually appeared, her eyes sparkling as if she were smiling at her.
Finally, it was finished. Xiaoman twisted off the last thread, gently lifted the fan, and examined it closely in the light. Her mother seemed to come alive on the fan, smiling at her gently in a posture and expression she had never seen before.
She had never embroidered such exquisite pieces before, but this time she embroidered them so well that even she was stunned.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door, and then the door was pushed open, revealing two children, Xiao Tuanzi and Xiao Shan.