Luna de Luzhou

Capítulo 48

He realized something almost the instant he saw it.

Within an hour, his men had figured out the situation.

The grandmother she had been searching for all her life had moved to the opposite side of their address several years ago. She was fortunate enough to be rescued by her father's nephews and nieces, but due to her physical limitations, she could only be cared for at home.

The two generations spent their entire lives searching for each other.

He changed into mourning clothes and went to burn incense, much to the surprise of everyone in the neighboring house.

He bowed deeply, sincerely, on her behalf.

Is this what life is like? Fate often plays cruel tricks on us. What we pursue throughout our lives usually eludes us. The saying "effort will bring rewards" is less a form of self-comfort and more a reflection of people waiting for a miracle.

Miracles are mostly just wishes that are almost impossible to achieve.

For a woman as powerless and helpless as her, the family she had been searching for all her life was always within the same province, and for many years, they were just separated by a wall.

However.

But it's a wall, for a lifetime.

Chapter Twelve, Late Night

The "Propaganda Officer" function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!! Ziyuan suffered from numerous ailments during his early years as a field researcher, including not only heart problems but also countless other ailments such as rhinitis, rheumatism, arthritis, and eye diseases. It was only thanks to the Wu family's generations of medical expertise that they were able to continuously regulate their health through diet. If it were someone else, their home would have long been filled with the smell of medicine.

Disturbed by this matter, Madam Wu hurriedly went down to prepare the medicine that He Ziyuan needed to relieve his hangover, fatigue, and illness, and Su Chen and the other took the opportunity to leave.

Su Chen waited for He Su Shi in the room as instructed. Dong Kui was doing embroidery when she remembered the things from last night and asked, "Dong Kui, last night I saw everyone with something that looked like torches on their heads. What were those?"

Inside the room, a maid named Biluo was cutting a thread. Hearing this, she replied, "A torch? Wearing a torch? It's probably not a fire bayberry, is it?" Dongkui, while threading a needle, replied, "It should be a fire bayberry." She then laughed, "Only you, young lady, think it's a torch. That thing is made by pounding ripe dates into charcoal balls, stringing them on an iron branch, and lighting them. It's food, how did it turn into a torch?"

"But I haven't seen them eat anything." Was it food? It doesn't seem like it... Who plugs food into their hair...?

Biluo smiled and said, "The thing is nominally edible, but I never actually eat it. I just wear it to attract attention. Even though there are lights everywhere at night, wearing a bright flame on your head will still draw attention."

Dongkui laughed incessantly: "Don't talk nonsense. How could it attract attention? Everyone on the street is wearing them on their heads. I noticed that more people aren't wearing them. Where did this idea come from that wearing them would attract attention? Before I went to Suzhou, this thing wasn't so popular. Back then, it was considered food. How did it become something for decoration in your eyes?"

Biluo said, "My sister, you've been in Suzhou for many years now. Things change every three years in the capital. When has it ever been the same all the time?"

Dongkui frowned. "But does that mean everyone has to wear it?"

“This also came out during the Lantern Festival a few years ago, so it’s no fault of anyone else.” Biluo laughed. “Speaking of which, Sister Dongkui should still remember her. Ten years ago, Miss Li Er from Xishuimen was the jewel of the capital. Her family was very picky and wouldn’t let her marry, always saying they wanted to find someone to marry into the family. There wasn’t a single playboy in the city who didn’t have his eye on her, but unfortunately, Miss Li had very high standards and had also won the favor of the Empress Dowager, so no one dared to force her.”

Seeing the interest in Su Chen and Dong Kui's expressions, she became even more enthusiastic in her storytelling. "It was quite a coincidence that year. She was riding in a sedan chair to see the Lantern Festival. She was so engrossed in the scenery that she didn't even notice that her earring had fallen out of the curtain and onto the road. A scholar picked it up."

.

Su Chen was losing interest. It was the same old story of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman.

Biluo continued, "Although she didn't see it, the scholar remembered it. He followed her all the way up. It was only because the Second Miss Li bought a bayberry on a whim and wore it in her hair that the wind blew up the curtain, accidentally revealing her face to the scholar. When the Second Miss Li went to Xiangguo Temple, the scholar returned the earring to her and spoke kindly to her. Somehow, he persuaded her to agree to date him in secret for a few months. Eventually, people found out. To save face for their daughter, the Li family had no choice but to take the scholar as their son-in-law."

Dongkui frowned deeply: "The Li family is a wealthy and noble family for generations. How could they possibly let a scholar accompany them for several months? That Li family girl is raised in seclusion. How could she possibly be involved with him? Could this be just a wild rumor?" Biluo covered her mouth and laughed: "My sister, you must have lived in Suzhou for too long. Where in the capital are people so particular? Favored daughters go out every few days. That Li family girl is using the excuse of praying for the Empress Dowager to move into Xiangguo Temple for several months. Do you think the Li family patriarch and mistress would object? Besides, that scholar is quite promising now. He was promoted to the third rank at the beginning of the year. Such a diligent person is rare indeed. All the纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats) and down-on-their-luck scholars in the capital are counting on this as a stroke of good fortune. Otherwise, why do you think so many people are wearing red bayberries?"

"Wearing the Fire Bayberry will bring good luck?" Su Chen was skeptical.

Biluo seemed a little unsure, "No, it's just for good luck. The scholar and Miss Li learned about it through the fire bayberry. Those playboys thought that thing could attract peach blossoms, so they wore it every day. Later, they got used to it, and almost everyone wore it at big banquets and parties."

Dongkui spat at her, half-seriously and half-jokingly saying, "If Granny Sun hears you say that, she'll give you a good dressing down! You'll blurt out all sorts of 'meat' and 'vegetarian' stuff, aren't you ashamed!"

Biluo blushed slightly and tried to defend herself, "What are you saying, sister? Am I, a mere maid, not allowed to speak? Besides, I didn't just say anything. Everyone in the capital knows about this thing's origin." Seeing this, Su Chen quickly said, "It's not a big deal. I'm quite interested in hearing about it. Dongkui doesn't need to worry too much. Granny has been gone for many years; she doesn't really know much about the capital."

Biluo's anecdotes are quite amusing. I'm actually looking into how I behave in the capital.

Before Dongkui could answer, He Su Shi had already arrived. Upon seeing this, Biluo became even more disregarded and got up to find freshly boiled water to make tea. Dongkui accompanied Su Chen as they rose to greet each other. He Su Shi chuckled as he carried in a pile of books, saying, "You're having fun gossiping here, don't you see how exhausted I am?" Dongkui then went over and placed the books he had brought on the table.

He Su Shi accepted the tea and immediately sent two maids away. Bi Luo hesitated as she left, lagging behind, seemingly wanting to stay but having no reason to. Dong Kui gave her a look, so she had no choice but to hurry away.

"Enough with the small talk," He Su Shi pushed the book in front of him toward his sister, "You still remember most of it? Are you sure?"

Su Chen hesitated, but still said, "Although I can't be sure, I should remember most of it. But do you really want to do this? You and Cui Shiran have only just established yourselves in Beijing, and you don't have much money. How can you afford such a big event? What if you lose money?"

He Su shook his head, "We're in a hurry to do it, but we're also in a hurry to know the details. We need to find out the exact address first and have someone investigate thoroughly. That will take at least three or four years. If we don't do these things now, it won't be time to be so meticulous when the time is right. Besides, even after we find the location, we still need to slowly experiment to see which tea is suitable. We're not even sure if those kinds of teas you mentioned are still available, and those places will take a long time to find."

Su Chen thought for a moment, picked up a book, read a couple of pages, and said, "I still don't understand what you're so anxious about, He Su Shi. You're not short of money, so why are you rushing to find ways to make money and exhausting yourself? You've already gained a little foothold in the tea industry by leveraging the names of Tea Pavilion and Longhu Mountain, and now you're eager to expand your tea gardens. I really don't know what you're thinking. You're one thing, you could say you're just bored and have nothing better to do, but what about Cui Shi Ran? If he wants to make money, Grandma said that his family's resources are enough for him to manage for a lifetime. Why does he need to start his own business?"

“You can’t understand the feeling of starting from scratch. When you’ve succeeded, I’ll give you a share of the profits, and then we’ll see if you still say that.” He Su Shi smiled and put down his tea. “I’ll go find Cui Shi Ran first. You can take your time looking through the books. If you don’t find enough, there’s a bookcase against the inner wall in He Zi Yuan’s study that’s all about tea, tea varieties, and tea-producing areas. If you can’t find it there, go look through the books.”

She sighed, "I really envy you, you get to go out every day."

He Su replied, "What do you think I am? Exhausted. If it weren't for Granny Sun always standing in my room, I wouldn't want to run out every day."

"What does this have to do with other people's nannies? If you want to go out, just say so, don't bring other things into it."

"road.

He Su Shi looked even more pained, "Others are one thing, but don't you understand the immense damage that the nagging of an old nanny who cares about you to the extreme can do to a normal personality?"

Su Chen was speechless. After he left, she slowly searched for the tea-producing regions whose names she recognized, but it wasn't enough. She then spent a long time looking in He Ziyuan's study, telling the maid that she had something to do there and not to look for it that night. She ate something quick to tide her over. There were many things going on in the manor that day, and Madam Wu didn't notice that she hadn't eaten on time. As she looked around, a high stack of books had piled up in front of her. Feeling sleepy, she slumped onto the table and fell asleep.

She was asleep when she felt something strange. When she woke up, she realized it was already pitch black. Just as she was wondering how she had slept until this time, she suddenly noticed that the door was open a little.

Just as I was filled with fear, wondering if it was some kind of ghost or monster, I realized that old houses were often inhabited by spirits. I was too scared to move, when a human head emerged from the opening.

Terrified, she dared not move or light a lamp; her mind was blank. Only after the person had fully entered did she realize it was a man dressed in black, his face covered with a black cloth. He crept in and quietly closed the door. Because the book was blocking her view, she hadn't even seen Zijian.

She was frantic, not knowing what to do. The location wasn't ideal, and she wasn't sure if anyone could hear her. However, the man had already approached. Unable to move, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration and smashed a vase holding scrolls on her right. The loud crash was piercingly clear in the night. She yelled again, "Thief! Help! Thief!!!"

The man was furious when he saw someone shouting inside the room. He reached behind him and pulled out a sliver of light, which slashed towards Su Chen's face. Although Su Chen was terrified, he instinctively dodged backward and blocked with his right hand. He felt a sharp pain in his hand, and the intense pain quickly spread throughout his body through his nerve endings.