Zhan Chun - Chapter 81
Yichun held the egg pancake like a precious treasure, gently licking it with her lips. It was too hot to eat yet, but she couldn't resist the aroma, so she took a small bite, which burned her brows.
There was a large market just around the corner, the innkeeper had told her, where she could buy cheap and durable cloth shoes and coats. Now that she had some money in her pocket, she felt confident and planned to go on a shopping spree.
Just as they turned the corner, they heard a quarrel coming from the alley next door. A woman's clear voice, tinged with anger, said, "If you're looking for Shu Jun, go find him yourself! Why keep bothering me?! Who am I to him?"
Upon hearing the name Shu Jun, Yi Chun stopped in her tracks.
There was another faint male voice, very low, saying things like "Suzhou perfumer boss", "There must be something strange about him coming to Jiankang City instead of doing business", and "Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you've repaid the favor to Young Master Yan".
The woman retorted angrily, "Does the Yan family have to interfere whether I do business or not? That's meddling way too much. I don't even remember selling myself to the Yan family."
Yichun walked over and peered out, just in time to meet the woman's gaze. Both of them were startled.
She was a beautiful woman dressed in purple, as beautiful as an orchid, so captivating that one couldn't look away. Her eyes lit up immediately upon seeing Yichun, and she turned around, calling out loudly, "The person I've been waiting for has arrived! Please make yourselves at home and don't disturb me any further!"
After saying that, he walked straight to Yichun's side, took her arm, and whispered, "Miss Ge, if you do me this small favor, I'll give you twenty taels of silver."
Twenty taels of silver! Yi Chun's retreat immediately turned into compliance. She looked up at the few young men in the alley, who were also looking at her with wary expressions. The man at the back said softly, "Let's retreat first."
The group walked away dejectedly, glancing back at Yichun every now and then with unfriendly looks.
The woman in purple breathed a sigh of relief, grasped Yi Chun's oily hand, and said softly, "Thank you, Miss Ge."
Yichun asked in surprise, "How...how do you recognize me? Have we met before?"
The woman looked embarrassed, probably not expecting someone to have seen her and forgotten her. She forced a laugh, her voice soft and tinged with guilt: "It wasn't a pleasant memory, so it's normal that you don't remember. Surely you still remember the lady from Xiangxiangzhai in Suzhou?"
Yichun frowned and looked at her for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Ah! It's you! That... boss!" She was a little embarrassed that she couldn't remember his name.
"Just call me Zuixue." Zuixue smiled again. "I admire you greatly for not holding grudges. I was only repaying a favor back then, and I didn't mean to make things difficult for you. I hope you won't take it to heart."
The way she looked at Yichun was strange, as if she wanted to see through her completely, and her eyes were so bright that it was very uncomfortable.
Yi Chun became suspicious and simply said, "I have other things to do and must go. You don't need to be so polite. Here are the twenty taels of silver."
Zui Xue couldn't help but chuckle: "Miss is indeed a straightforward person. Zui Xue is eager to invite you; would you do me the honor?"
Yichun wanted to refuse, but remembering that she hadn't given him the twenty taels of silver yet, and not wanting to rush her, he had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Traveling westward, the scenery along the way is bustling and quite different from other places.
A clear stream flows under the bridge, its banks lined with green-tiled, white-walled, glazed houses. Pink lanterns hang from the eaves, swaying in the wind. Occasionally, young girls come out of the buildings to wash the toilets, most of them still sleepy and disheveled.
In broad daylight, there were hardly any people on the road. Many exquisite painted boats were moored along the shore, their curtains hanging low, obscuring the view inside.
Yichun asked softly, "Where is this...?"
Zui Xue smiled mysteriously: "Miss, just come with me, don't worry."
Finally, we arrived at a teahouse, which was almost empty.
Leaning against the window of a large ship, Zui Xue softly called out, "Brother Du, we have a guest."
As soon as the words were spoken, a tall, slender man jumped out. He was dressed in coarse cloth shorts and had a yellowish sweat towel tied around his head, looking quite rough and unruly. Most frightening was his face, which was covered with countless crisscrossing scars, making it impossible to recognize what he looked like.
He seemed somewhat excited upon seeing Zuixue, his voice trembling: "Zuixue, you really came... I... I'm still packing..."
Zui Xue walked over with a smile, gently took out a handkerchief from her bosom to wipe his sweat, and said softly, "Who am I? I said I would come, and I would come even if it meant going through fire and water. I just encountered some minor troubles on the way, and I am very grateful for the help of this Miss Ge, otherwise I don't know how long it would have taken."
The man surnamed Du nodded to Yi Chun in gratitude, but his eyes never left Zui Xue's face as he said softly, "Then... you can leave anytime..."
Zui Xue shook her head: "Wait, let me offer Miss Ge a cup of tea first. Don't be stingy with any good tea you have, bring it on quickly."
The tea was served quickly; it was this year's newly harvested Longjing tea.
Zui Xue took out a small cloth bag from her bundle and pushed it in front of Yi Chun: "It is not easy for a girl to travel alone in the world. This is a small token of my appreciation and also my compensation for what I have done in the past. If you are willing to forgive me, please do not refuse."
The silver in the cloth bag was definitely more than twenty taels; a rough weighing revealed it to be over fifty taels. This was the first time Yichun had received such a large sum of money, and he was inevitably short of breath and his hands trembled. He carefully opened the bundle, picked out about twenty taels of silver, and pushed the cloth bag back: "I can't accept something for nothing. It's agreed to be twenty taels. There's no need to discuss the past."
Zui Xue smiled and didn't press her further.
Yi Chun asked her, "Are the people from Yanmen here to ask you about Shu Jun? You... you're no longer doing business in Suzhou? You're leaving?"
Zui Xue nodded: "Now that the Yan Clan has come, of course I have to leave, otherwise I'll be played by them. They come to ask me about Shu Jun, how would I know? Hehe, I'm no longer that silly girl who used to think about Shu Jun all the time."
She glanced back at the man surnamed Du, a hint of pride in her eyes: "Are there no good men in the world besides him? Of course, there are people who are devoted to me and infatuated with me."
My words are inevitably sentimental, tinged with a defiant tone. It's as if you don't want me, and there will always be someone else who loves me to death. I must live a happy life and make you regret it.
Yichun chuckled twice, unsure how to respond.
Zui Xue looked at her quietly for a while, then suddenly whispered, "You...are you with Shu Jun?"
Yichun was stunned.
Zui Xue bit her lip: "I... I've heard about it too. He's always been with you, loving you like a treasure... I know he's never looking for someone like me. All these years have just been my wishful thinking. In fact, it's not just me. Many women who have met him have also been wishful thinking. He seems too good to be true."
She seemed lost in memories, her expression lingering, but finally she let out a soft sigh.
"I first met him five years ago. Anxiufang in Lin'an Prefecture held a fragrance appreciation banquet, and I, who am skilled in perfumery, was invited to attend. And then... I saw him."
That day, he was probably the first person many people saw.
He wore a light green robe, looking relaxed yet elegant. He held a small perfume box in his hands, sniffed it lightly, and finally frowned slightly: "It has cloves in it. I don't like the smell."
The owner of Anxiu Workshop was extremely polite to him, and hurriedly recommended many new perfumes to him, as if it would be a great honor for him to choose even one or two. Of course, Zuixue later learned that this was because the owner of Anxiu Workshop owed him five thousand taels of silver and had usurious loans to pay off, so he could only treat him with utmost respect.
Zui Xue couldn't resist going over, taking out the incense she had just blended and handing it to him, saying softly, "Take a look at this scent."