Vender ropa y traer vino para beber contigo

Capítulo 1

【text】

It is the best time of year in Jiangnan

In the fourth year of the Yongxi reign of the Song Dynasty, in Jiangning Prefecture.

Songyue Tower.

A light drizzle was falling outside the eaves; April in Jiangnan is always damp and gloomy like this. Ye Changsheng rubbed his aching shoulders; every time it rained, the days were never easy.

"Sir, your wine is here." The waiter brought the wine and dishes with a forced smile. Jia Ling, who was already impatient, was tapping the table and complaining of being hungry. Ye Changsheng poured himself a cup of wine and stared blankly at the few pedestrians on the street outside the window.

Jia Ling, standing to the side, kept muttering to herself, complaining that the wine wasn't mellow enough and that the dishes were too simple. She held her chopsticks, lingering between a dish of pickled vegetables and green beans. After a while, she finally put them down with a "snap," looked up at Ye Changsheng, and said, "I'm telling you, we can't eat this every day, can we?" She turned her head slowly, gave a soft "ah," smiled, nodded, and then turned back.

Young Master Jia rolled his eyes, wishing he could slap her across the face. Ye Changsheng had poor eyesight, was timid and cowardly, and acted in a slow and hesitant manner—he had known this person for five years, and despite claiming to be a divine doctor, she had never demonstrated any diagnostic skills, and her prescriptions, aside from one for typhoid fever and one for heatstroke, were practically nonexistent. Yet, those who knew her name treated her like a goddess, calling her "Divine Doctor" this and "Divine Doctor" that—he even guessed that it might be because Ye Changsheng's appearance was too deceptive, giving off an overly kind impression, or perhaps the glamorous name "Changsheng" truly matched the standards of a divine doctor, rightfully earning her the gleaming title of "Number One Divine Doctor in the Martial World"—she never talked about her own affairs, and he never asked.

Helplessly glancing down at the pickled vegetables on the table, Young Master Jia, besides regretting not bringing any money with him, once again questioned what he had been doing following Ye Changsheng so desperately.

Ye Changsheng was an itinerant doctor who claimed he couldn't cure illnesses. Five years ago, while crossing an unknown river, he happened to find Jia Ling, who was on the verge of death due to a relapse of her old illness. Although he believed that such a small act of kindness should be repaid many times over, Jia Ling, after recovering, refused to stay at home. Instead, she dug up the wall to follow Ye Changsheng, saying that someone who had spent their youth within the walls of a mansion was now determined to roam the world with the divine doctor.

Jia Ling's family were renowned silk merchants in the Jiangnan region. Master Jia, having only Jia Ling as his son, was naturally determined not to allow it and immediately dispatched wave after wave of servants to capture him. Jia Ling, as clever as a monkey, leaped and bounded through the streets, making him difficult to subdue.

It is said that Young Master Jia prided himself on being a dashing and talented scholar, the number one playboy in Lin'an. He could draw circles with his left hand and squares with his right, and when in danger, he would remain calm and composed, as if divinely aided—in fact, he later reminisced countless times about his "divine inspiration."

According to Young Master Jia, on that day, more than twenty servants swarmed onto the street of the horse market in Lin'an. They suddenly rushed in from all directions and were about to catch up with him in a few steps. Seeing that there was no hope for the martial arts world and his dream was not going to come true, he simply closed his eyes and fell to the ground, pretending to be dead...

The servants who arrived later, seeing that their young master had fallen ill from being chased, dared not be careless. Their cries rose and fell, and some of them ran to the pharmacy to fetch a doctor. The remaining servants carefully helped Jia Ling and were about to carry her back to the mansion when, after a moment, they saw the young master slowly wake up, muttering to himself, counting from Wang's sesame cakes on the east street to Mapo tofu on the west street. The servants, not daring to be careless, guessed that their young master might be hungry, and hurriedly went to buy sesame cakes... The last servant carrying Jia Ling on his back was also hit on the head.

And so, Jia Ling, with the speed of the wind, reached the inn at the end of the street without stopping, grabbed the bewildered Ye Changsheng, and left in full view of everyone, beaming with pride.

Time flies, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

"Have you heard? Master Zhu has suddenly fallen ill with a strange disease and has been bedridden for three days. Doctors have come and gone, but they all say there's no cure. Tsk tsk... What a pity..." Jia Ling came to her senses and suddenly heard someone sitting next to her say.

"Master Zhu? Is it the wealthy and powerful imperial merchant Zhu Yun?" another person asked.

"That's right. It's said that the Zhu family has searched all over Jiangling for famous doctors without success. Now, the Zhu family has posted a notice that anyone who can save Master Zhu's life will be richly rewarded!"

"My aunt's sister-in-law's neighbor, Old Wang's son, works for the Zhu family. Master Zhu recently married a seventeenth wife, and he spoils her rotten... Could it be that this seventeenth wife is too powerful... Hehe..."

Ye Changsheng looked over with great interest, and their eyes met—she saw a dark-faced man with a thunderous mouth give her a meaningful smile.

"You don't know, I've heard that this Eighteenth Madam is no ordinary woman. She's beautiful and talented, a true beauty! If I were lucky enough to meet her, my life would be complete!"

Young Master Jia snorted dismissively, picked up a green bean, and said with disdain, "These greasy-haired, filthy country folk, when they're bored, they just gossip about trivial things to satisfy their cravings. Which courtesan isn't beautiful?"

Ye Changsheng smiled and nodded, then suddenly stood up and pointed to the stairs: "Let's go—"

"Where are we going?" Young Master Jia was clearly bewildered by her sudden action.

"The Zhu residence."

"What? You're not going to treat that old man Zhu, are you?" Jia Ling's eyes widened, and she added at the end, "With your medical skills?"

"You want to improve your meals? I only have two taels of silver left." Ye Changsheng patted his pocket and smiled gently.

Although Jia was unwilling—or rather, uneasy—he really didn't want to live a life of pickled green beans and vegetables. With a determined heart, he jumped off the stool and said, "Let's go!"

Leaving the restaurant, the two walked along the street under oil-paper umbrellas, taking in the bustling scene of Jiangning Prefecture. The bluestone pavement under their feet was spotless after the rain, and the various shops on both sides were not crowded due to the weather.

After asking around, they finally arrived at the Zhu family mansion.

"The Zhu family is truly wealthy. Just look at this facade; it surpasses even my own." He stepped forward and knocked on the vermilion gate of the Zhu mansion, which was studded with gold nails. After a moment, a series of light footsteps came from inside. A young boy with his hair in two buns, dressed like a servant, opened the door. He stared at the young man in brocade robes, who was smiling with dimples and waving a gold-edged folding fan, with wide, round eyes.

"You are..."

"We're here to treat your master's illness," Jia Ling said with a smile, snapping her folding fan open. "Please lead the way, young man."

The young boy looked at the young man in brocade robes and assumed he was the young master's friend, but he didn't expect him to be a doctor who had come to treat the master's illness after accepting the proclamation.

He nodded quickly and said, "Please, both of you."

"Good boy." Young Master Jia pulled Ye Changsheng behind him. "Let's go then."

They followed the children through the garden, where artificial hills and flowing water surrounded the tortoise-shell patterned jade path, ancient trees reaching for the sky, with covered corridors, stone bridges, pavilions, and waterside terraces. A flower field nearby was filled with purple cinnabar blossoms, swaying gracefully in the breeze after a light drizzle, alluring yet dignified like royalty.

Golden teapots and delicate leaves, a thousand blossoms dancing in the air. Who remembers me, my temples now streaked with gray, coming here to share this feast?

Ye Changsheng suddenly remembered someone.

After passing several artificial hills and winding corridors—just as Ye Changsheng was getting dizzy, the group finally arrived at the main hall. The boy turned to them and said, "Please wait a moment while I go and fetch the young master."

The two sat on the armchairs in front of the hall, and a maidservant had already served them tea.

Ye Changsheng sat properly, smiled politely at the girl serving tea, and looked around the living room with great interest.

The house was large and divided into several rooms. In the center of the outer hall stood a bronze four-cornered incense burner with two animal figures, about half the height of a person, facing a painting of a white tiger lying in the shade on the wall.

Ye Changsheng touched the table, then tapped the stool, and finally exclaimed sincerely, "Good wood." Young Master Jia looked at her with disdain, thinking that this person was really ignorant of the world. He waved his fan with a self-assured air and said, "It's just rosewood, what's so special about it?"

As they were talking, a man in a blue robe, who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and an old man came out to greet them.

"I am Zhu Rui, the eldest son of the Zhu family." Zhu Rui narrowed his eyes, sizing up the "expert" the boy was talking about.

A woman, around twenty years old, smiled, her features delicate and her skin fair, though her face was haggard and weary. She had waist-length black hair, casually tied back with a single silver ribbon. She wore an old, greyish-white cloth dress, incongruously adorned with exquisitely flowing lotus patterns. A long belt reached her armpits and was tied high at the back. A faint, sweet aroma of candied fruit wafted from her movements.

Another young man, dressed in fine clothes, had a pair of deep dimples when he smiled. He was quite cute and charming. Although he was pleasing to the eye, the problem was that this person had come to treat his father's illness, so he couldn't help but feel very uneasy.

"If you two can save my father, the Zhu family will be eternally grateful and will certainly offer a thousand taels of gold as a token of our gratitude."

Jia Ling wasn't sure if Ye Changsheng had taken her words to heart. Seeing her nod solemnly, she paused and then said, "May I see Master Zhu first?"

“Of course, please follow me,” Zhu Rui said, cupping his hands in greeting. “May I ask how you are addressed, young lady?”

"Uh..." Ye Changsheng returned the greeting, bowing and saying, "I am Ye Changsheng."

Zhu Rui's hand trembled, his face changed, and he suddenly raised his voice: "Could it be Ye Changsheng, the number one divine physician in the martial arts world?"

"Ah, no..." Under Zhu Rui's piercing gaze, Ye Changsheng shrank back, looking ashamed. "This... actually... it's not that you can't say it like that..." He straightened his clothes and cupped his hands, saying, "You flatter me, you flatter me."

Jia Rui sighed inwardly, never expecting that the number one doctor in the martial arts world, who could restore flesh to bones and bring life back to life with his hands, would be such a pale and sickly little girl.

Ye Changsheng is an enigma. Her teacher, the location of her clinic, her age, her family background, her appearance, and even whether she is male or female are all unknown. But none of this prevents her from becoming a legend that everyone in the martial arts world is curious about.

Five years ago, when Ye Changsheng had just started out, Huang Jian, the second master of Renyi Manor, was ambushed and poisoned. He had been dead for several days, but after being placed in a coffin for three days, he was miraculously saved by Ye Changsheng who happened to be passing by.

A year later, the wife of Chief Escort Liu of Tingwei Escort Agency suffered a miscarriage and was heartbroken. Unexpectedly, Ye Changsheng prescribed only one prescription, and five months later, Liu gave birth to a boy.

From then on, Ye Changsheng became the number one divine doctor in the martial arts world, capable of reviving the dead and restoring life to the dead. A legend known to everyone in the martial arts world.

After walking through a long corridor, Ye Changsheng followed Zhu Rui into Zhu Yun's room. She had an eye ailment, and the room was dimly lit, so for a moment her vision was blurry and hazy.

Zhu Rui lifted the heavy curtain, revealing the inner room. Ye Changsheng followed, and after a few steps, she smelled a faint, almost imperceptible floral fragrance. After a moment, her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and she began to examine the bedroom of this "wealthy and powerful" imperial merchant.

Facing the window was a carved bed. To its left, on a shelf, were about three or five pieces of Yue ware celadon porcelain, and a Tang dynasty mirror depicting sea creatures and grapes from the Western Regions. On the opposite wall were Gu Kaizhi's "Ducks and Geese," "The Beauty of the Prince of Guiyang," and another painting whose name I couldn't recall, depicting a beautifully blooming cinnabar-colored zither. On the table beside the bed, besides a yellow jade horse turning its head, there was also a pot of unidentified small yellow flowers.

—The room was filled with antiques, plus a pot of delicate little yellow flowers. Ye Changsheng found this Master Zhu quite interesting.

Ye Changsheng slowly walked to the bedside, bent down, and carefully examined the unconscious Master Zhu. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, turned to Zhu Rui and smiled, "Well... I am treating patients and do not like others to be on my side. Please wait outside."

Zhu Rui quickly agreed, while Jia Shao snorted again, thinking that it would be best if Master Zhu woke up on his own. Who knew what that quack doctor Ye Changsheng might do in the dark? He didn't want to be implicated if Master Zhu died from her treatment.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ye Changsheng lifted the curtain and came out, smiling slightly at everyone. Zhu Rui quickly stood up and stepped forward, asking respectfully, "Divine Physician, could you please tell me how my father is doing now?"

Ye Changsheng's expression was solemn. He coughed lightly and said seriously, "Master Zhu has been afflicted with a kind of drowsy illness. After contracting the disease, he will fall into a deep sleep for many days and then die in his sleep..."

Zhu Rui was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Is there any way to save them?"

Ye Changsheng comforted him, "Brother Zhu, there's no need to panic. I've already given Master Zhu my secret recipe, uh... a divine medicine. If nothing unexpected happens, Master Zhu will wake up by this time tomorrow."

Zhu Rui bowed deeply: "I have no way to repay the kindness of the divine physician. I will prepare wine and food to entertain you both. I hope you can stay at the Zhu residence for a few more days to express the Zhu family's gratitude. A thousand taels of gold will be presented to you later."

Ye Changsheng waved his hands repeatedly, saying that it was what he should do. He then pointed to the inside of the curtain and said that he really liked that pot of small yellow flowers and wondered if he could give it to him as a gift.

Zhu Rui readily agreed, then turned and called an old servant, who, along with Xiao Huanghua, led Ye Changsheng and his party to the South Water Courtyard in the East Wing for a temporary rest.

Ye Changsheng and Jia Ling followed the old servant through the long, seemingly endless corridor. They could faintly hear footsteps approaching. Ye Changsheng looked up and saw a woman. In fact, she was an extremely beautiful woman. She wore a crimson gauze dress with a slender waist and a low neckline. Her skin was as white as snow, and her full breasts were faintly visible. Her black hair was tied into a high snake bun, and her delicate eyebrows were raised. What was most captivating was her pair of mesmerizing watery eyes.

The old servant bowed and stepped aside. The woman's bright red lips curved slightly upward, and her gaze lingered on Ye Changsheng's face until they brushed past each other. Ye Changsheng didn't feel uncomfortable being stared at by the beauty and smiled politely at her.

They turned away and went their separate ways.

Jia Ling snapped her fan shut and tapped Ye Changsheng on the head with a "smack." Staring into her eyes, she said, "I just don't understand why she didn't look at me, this dashing, handsome, well-dressed, refined, and elegant young man, whose looks rival Pan An, but instead stared at your insecure woman's face for so long?"

"I think she must be curious about what kind of seemingly reserved but undoubtedly excellent person I am, standing next to such a dashing, handsome, well-dressed, refined, and elegant young man, whose looks rival those of Pan An." Ye Changsheng said to Jia Dashao very sincerely.

“That’s right,” Jia Ling nodded. “I think so too.”

As darkness fell, the wind and dew changed, and a light drizzle continued outside the window, while the Long River murmured. The chrysanthemums by the railing were sparse, and the paulownia trees by the well were scattered.

Life ended in the west of Yaochi

The sky was clear and the Crimson River was shallow and shallow, making the night, without the bright moon, seem somewhat gloomy.

A fine drizzle drifted into the room on the night breeze. Ye Changsheng leaned against the window, counting the frogs that hopped over her windowsill. When she reached the seventeenth, she stood up, deciding she shouldn't waste such a beautiful night. She flicked her sleeves and left the room.

She went next door and knocked on Jia Ling's door, but no one answered for a long time. She guessed that Jia Ling was a fun-loving person and had probably gone out for a stroll around the garden early in the morning.

Ye Changsheng simply wandered aimlessly along the extended corridor. In her words, it was raining outside, and she was a delicate and frail woman who shouldn't go outside and get soaked in the rain.

The crisscrossing corridors, suspended over a large lake, allowed her to lean against the long, carved railings and clearly hear the sound of water droplets cascading down the lotus leaves. As the saying goes, "the noise of Zen makes the forest seem even quieter," and the surroundings were all the more serene.

Inside Zhu Rui's room, however, the scene was quite different.

Madam Zhu, who had just returned from praying for Master Zhu at Guoan Temple, sat upright in the hall, holding a teacup in her hands, her expression unreadable. Although Madam Zhu was over forty years old, her skin was taut and fair, with a rosy glow. She had slanted eyes and willow-leaf eyebrows, and was not only no less beautiful than a typical seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, but also more voluptuous, exuding the charm of a mature woman.

Zhu Rui was furious; his usual gentle demeanor had vanished. There was another person in the room, a handsome man in black robes and a red belt, casually seated at the table. It was Zhu Luan, the youngest son of the Zhu family.

"You finally know how to come back. You have a perfectly good home, but you insist on going to Yinshan Changmen. How long has it been since you last came home? You probably can't even count the days yourself." Zhu Rui slammed his hand on the table. "If it weren't for Father's accident, you don't know when you would have been able to step into this house again."

Zhu Luan raised her delicate eyebrows, lowered her eyes slightly, and said calmly, "Brother, I am very touched by your unexpected concern for me. Whether my absence from this family is good or bad for you, you can weigh it for yourself. In the future, please don't get so angry again, lest you harm your health."

She tilted her head slightly, looked to her left, and raised the corners of her mouth: "Mrs. Zhu, don't you think so?"

"You...you dare..." Zhu Rui didn't expect that he wouldn't even bother with pretense anymore, tearing apart the facade of harmony that the Zhu family had always maintained.

As if remembering something else, Zhu Luan tapped the chair with her slender fingers and said lazily, "Ah... also, please remember, Madam Zhu and elder brother, even if I'm not here, even if I don't care—this family still belongs to the Zhu family. The old man had better live well."