Линьфэнчунь

Глава 9

Danmei should have kept quiet; the moment she asked, the old man let out a long sigh and lamented, “Madam Wen, you don’t know this. In previous years, my chrysanthemums would have already bloomed by this time. But this year, perhaps because the cold hasn’t arrived yet, they haven’t opened at all. Unfortunately, I received a deposit early on from the Zhao family in Banqiao. They invite friends to admire the chrysanthemums every year at this time, and in previous years, they’ve always sent the chrysanthemums from my house. Now, with only a few days left until the deadline, my chrysanthemums have barely formed a few buds. I was thinking that even if I lost money, I would buy more from other families and send them on time, but after searching everywhere, I found that none of them had bloomed. Now it’s too late to get my deposit back. I’m truly worried to death.”

After Huang Huahu finished speaking, he squatted down on the ground again, staring blankly at the chrysanthemums in the garden.

The weather this year is indeed somewhat different from usual. Danmei thought for a moment and then said, "Uncle Huang, don't be too anxious. I have a folk remedy that I'll teach you to try. It might work. If it really doesn't work, you can explain it to that Master Zhao. What can you do if the weather is uncooperative? If he's a reasonable person, he probably won't do anything about it."

Chapter Twenty-Two

As soon as Danmei finished speaking, she heard someone behind her repeat her words loudly: "When the heavens are not on your side, what can man do? Indeed." Turning around in response, she was slightly taken aback. She saw a man dressed in a light blue long robe, holding a purple bamboo cane, standing in front of the gate of the Huanghua family's house, followed by several family members, and a sedan chair parked on the ground. He was clearly the owner of the Hibiscus Garden whom she had met several months ago.

Upon seeing the young man, Huang Huahu hurriedly ran up to him, greeted him, and then said with a distressed expression, "Master Zhao, I am truly ashamed. I accepted your deposit early on, but now that it's time to pay, I have no money to pay. I hope you will forgive me, and I am willing to return double the deposit."

The young man surnamed Zhao glanced at the chrysanthemums in the garden, their calyxes still tightly closed, shook his head, sighed softly, and looked at Huang Huahu with a smile, saying, "This year's season is unusual; the chrysanthemums are blooming late. Although I live deep in the countryside, I've heard a little about it. I remembered this morning and came to check, and it's true. It's a little disappointing, but as the woman who bought the flowers just said, it's truly Heaven's will that things don't go as planned, and what can we do? Don't worry about it, sir. I'll send you more flowers when they bloom, and I'll ask my friends to choose another day."

Huang Huahu was deeply grateful upon hearing this, bowing repeatedly in thanks. The young man nodded slightly, then turned and walked towards the chair behind him. A family member stepped forward to help him, but Huang Huahu avoided him, slowly making his way to the chair with his purple bamboo cane and sitting down.

"Please wait a moment, Master Zhao. Just now, Madam Wen said she would teach me a method to make the flowers bloom faster. I will go and ask her now. If it really works, then Master Zhao will not need to choose another day."

Huang Huahu seemed to suddenly remember something, and hurriedly ran to Danmei again, bowing respectfully.

The old man, Huang Huahu, had asked her for a favor, but Danmei didn't want to accept his courtesy. So she returned the greeting with a smile and said, "My method is extremely simple. You just need to move the chrysanthemums into a well-ventilated room, cover the doors and windows with black cloth, and make the room as dark as night. Keep it closed for a few days and see if it blooms."

When Danmei revealed her method, not only was Huang Huahu speechless, but even the young man surnamed Zhao, who was about to leave in his sedan chair, turned around and looked back with a slight look of surprise on his face.

Chrysanthemums prefer shade. If they are slow to bloom, keep them in a dark room for a few days, and they will most likely bloom sooner. Seeing that Huang Huahu seemed unconvinced, Danmei smiled and said, "Why don't you try it, sir? If it can make them bloom, that would be great. If it can't, there's no loss."

Huang Huahu snapped out of his daze and hurriedly bowed to thank her again. Danmei waved her hand to let her pass, told him to bring the peony over as soon as possible, and then left with Miaoxia.

The young man surnamed Zhao remained by the gate, seemingly listening to their conversation. Seeing Danmei emerge, he nodded and smiled at her, appearing quite relaxed. Danmei returned the gesture with a slight bow, then, without stopping, pulled down her hat brim and hurried towards the entrance of the estate, where Ding Da was waiting.

Huang Huahu was very quick; that very afternoon, she personally delivered the peony in a flatbed cart. She also said that she had prepared an empty room to place the potted chrysanthemum as she had instructed. Her own house was not big enough, so she had specially borrowed an empty room from a neighbor. She sounded very expectant as she spoke.

Danmei paid the full amount and saw Huanghua off. She examined the peony plant, noting its robust growth and apparent that it hadn't been divided in four or five years. She then had someone break the large earthenware jar, carefully remove the soil from the roots, and carry it to an empty room to be placed in the shade overnight. The next day, she personally separated the branches, using a sharpened knife to divide it into three plants, leaving some root system. Each plant had three to five suckers near the root. After dividing, she trimmed the excessively thick roots of each plant, disinfected the wounds with ash water, and then planted them in a pre-selected plot of high, deep, loose, and well-drained soil, allowing the roots to spread naturally and evenly in the planting hole. After planting, she gently pressed down to ensure the roots were in contact with the soil, then watered thoroughly. For the next month, no further watering or fertilization was needed. Fearing they would get sunburned by the midday sun, a straw curtain was hung over them, and the replanting was finally finished. As Danmei went in to wash her face and hands, she was already thinking about what to do next year. Once the two seedlings that had been separated survived, she would let them grow naturally, and then use the mother plant to graft rootstock to see if she could cultivate any new varieties.

Four or five days later, early one morning, because of the sudden rain the previous night, Danmei was worried that the newly divided peony plants would rot from waterlogging, so she got up early to check the water level. Seeing that the location she had chosen was on higher ground, and that two drainage ditches several tens of centimeters deep had been dug nearby, there wasn't much water, she felt much relieved. Just as she was about to go inside, she heard some noises at the door, seemingly from the Huang family. She went over and, sure enough, saw the couple standing in the distance, carrying a basket covered with a cloth, talking to the gatekeeper, asking him to announce the arrival of Lady Wen. As Danmei drew closer, the old woman in yellow hurriedly pointed at her and said, "Lady Wen has arrived!"

Hearing this, the family member guarding the gate chuckled and said, "What a country bumpkin! She really has no taste. My master is a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Works of the Imperial Court, and this is the lady."

Hearing the gatekeeper's words, the two elders of the Huang family were extremely surprised and hurriedly knelt down. Danmei quickly stepped forward and told them to get up, inviting them in and offering them seats. The two old men were poor, honest people who had only ever known how to deal with mud flowers. They had never known Danmei's identity before, thinking she was just an ordinary village woman, and had even spoken to her politely. Now that they knew she was an official's wife, they dared not sit down, and simply stood there, not daring to take another step.

Danmei knew that the two of them were feeling awkward, so she didn't back down any further. She just smiled and asked, "Did you two come here today for something?"

Seeing that she looked as cheerful as ever, Huang Yu felt a little relieved. Remembering the purpose of her visit, she stepped forward and said, "Madam is truly a remarkable person. She understands the intricacies of this matter better than we have, who have been growing flowers all our lives. A few days ago, my husband and I followed your instructions, and in just three or four days, all the flowers bloomed. Yesterday, we delivered all the potted flowers to Jinli Garden. Master Zhao was very pleased, saying that his garden was the only place in the whole city where we could admire chrysanthemums at this time of year. He gave us the full amount of money and even more as a reward. We dared not accept more. If it weren't for Madam's guidance, we don't know what would have happened to us. We came here today specifically to express our gratitude to Madam. We are just country folk and don't have anything of value to offer..."

As Old Huang spoke, a look of shame appeared on her face, and she gripped the basket tightly, appearing somewhat hesitant.

It turned out that the couple had initially assumed Danmei was just a flower grower from this family because of her ordinary attire, which was why they brought some eggs to express their gratitude. Now that they knew her identity, they were afraid she would find their gifts too shabby, so they hesitated to give them away.

Seeing her expression, Danmei understood what she was thinking. If she didn't accept it, it would only upset the old couple more. She glanced at Miaochun beside her, who stepped forward and took it. Danmei then smiled and thanked them, reminding them to let her know if they knew of any good peonies for sale, especially white ones. The Huanghua family took this to heart, quickly agreed, and left, profusely thanking them.

From then on, the days flew by, and nothing much happened. Danmei ate and drank as she pleased, slept as she pleased, and lived a very carefree life. On this day, the steward came and brought yet another letter from Xu Jinrong.

It had only been a month and a half since Danmei sent her last letter. Following the normal travel time, even if Xu Jinrong received the letter and replied immediately, it would still take at least two months. Now, however, it had arrived half a month earlier than expected. Danmei was initially surprised, but then she realized that he must have sent it before receiving her letter, which made sense. She then put the letter away and nodded to Steward Xu.

Steward Xu outwardly agreed as usual, and seeing that everything was settled, he bowed and left the garden to return home. In truth, however, he was extremely surprised. It turned out that this letter hadn't been sent to the capital via ordinary post roads, but rather through a communication route that Xu Jinrong had established years ago. From the prefecture to the capital, a secret contact point was secretly set up at each location. If there was news, it would be transmitted by fast horses at each contact point, day and night, much faster than ordinary official methods. This method wasn't used much on a daily basis, only for major news. Steward Xu, being Xu Jinrong's trusted confidant for many years, naturally knew this. Now, seeing that it was just an ordinary family letter, yet his master had used this route, he was naturally extremely astonished. However, being a usually composed person, he didn't show any unusual reaction on his wife's face.

Danmei had no idea of the intricacies involved, assuming the letter had been sent by Xu Jinrong before she received hers. Looking down at the words "To My Dear Mother" on the envelope, she naturally couldn't open it yet. Remembering that her grandmother always inquired about her well-being whenever she visited, she dared not delay and hurriedly set off for Shangfang Temple.

The old lady had been eagerly awaiting the letter, and when it finally arrived, she was overjoyed and urged Danmei to open it and read it to her.

When Danmei took out the thin paper from the envelope, she felt inexplicably nervous, her hands trembling slightly. After opening the envelope, her eyes first scanned the signature side, and sure enough, she saw another line of small print. Her heart skipped a beat, and she didn't dare to look closely, quickly averting her eyes to read it from the beginning.

"...Although I am away from home, I always keep in mind my mother's teachings and dare not overstep my bounds. Fortunately, I have not failed the Emperor's orders and everything is going smoothly. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, I will be able to set off for the capital at the beginning of next month to report to the Emperor. I have no other wish than for my mother's health and happiness. Your unfilial son, Ziqing, kowtows and respectfully presents this."

Danmei finished reading the letter in one breath, then clutched the letter and lowered her head slightly.

"The letter mentioned early next month, isn't that around this time? So he's about to set off, maybe he's already on his way?"

The old lady across from her calculated the days and was overjoyed. She didn't even notice Danmei's expression and jumped up, urging Xiqing and the maids to pack their things and go home. She even forgot to pick up the letter. Danmei glanced at it again, then folded it and quietly stuffed it into her sleeve pocket, helping to pack some odds and ends.

The old lady happily returned to the garden, which naturally caused another flurry of activity before things settled down. Danmei had mentioned to her earlier that she was growing some flowers, and Xiqing, having already received Danmei's instructions, added that even the current Empress Dowager was a flower lover and used to frequently visit the Yizhang Buddhist Garden. The old lady, silenced, didn't say anything when she saw the extra pots and jars in front of Danmei's room.

That evening, Hui-jie fell asleep beside her. Danmei, as usual, started reading a book, but after a while, she couldn't concentrate on reading more than a few words. Finally, she sighed, put the book aside, and turned off the light.

For the past four or five months, Danmei had been carefree and relaxed, gaining weight and almost forgetting she had a husband. Now, suddenly knowing he would be returning at the end of the month, she felt a little lost, her first thought being that her idyllic life was probably over. Lying in her tent, she tossed and turned for a while, remembering the two sentences he had added at the end of his letter today. Just like last time, it was short, only eight words in total: "If you don't gain weight soon, you'll be subjected to severe torture."

Danmei pondered for a moment. Although she knew he was just teasing her, there was a hint of threat in his words. Even though it was autumn, the more she thought about it, the drier and hotter her mouth became. She got out of bed, poured herself a glass of water in the dark, and drank it. She opened the window and stood there to let the night breeze blow through her face. Only then did she feel the flush on her face slowly subside.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ever since they learned that Xu Jinrong was about to return to the capital, the atmosphere in the garden changed. The old lady was naturally overjoyed, craning her neck to look forward to it every day. Danmei, however, had some worries on her mind, but she didn't show them to others.

That day, Steward Xu brought the latest news, saying that the master would be arriving in the capital the next day. The emperor praised him for his meritorious service in suppressing the bandits and ordered all officials below the fifth rank in the capital to go out of the east gate to welcome him. The scene should be extremely glorious.

After delivering the message, Steward Xu saw that the old lady was overjoyed and kept saying "May the ancestors bless us, may Buddha bless us," while the lady next to her only smiled and did not show any particular joy in her eyes. This made him even more puzzled. He thought to himself that the young lady from the Prime Minister's mansion was indeed different from ordinary women. Although she was much younger than his master, she seemed to be a very shrewd person.

That evening, as usual, Hui-jie slept next to Dan-mei, pestering Dan-mei to give her riddles. It turned out she'd recently become obsessed with riddles. Dan-mei racked her brains and came up with several questions like, "If a cow turns east and then west, which way will its tail face?" Hui-jie couldn't guess most of them. When Dan-mei gave the answer, she lay there clapping and stamping her feet, lamenting how stupid she was, unable to even think of something so simple. After a while of laughing and joking, she suddenly sighed, reached out and hugged Dan-mei's waist, leaning close, and said sullenly, "Is my father really coming back tomorrow? If he does, he wants you to sleep with him. I can't sleep with you like this anymore."

Danmei chuckled and hugged Huijie back, coaxing, "Your father is a busy man. He'll be back for a few days and then he'll be off somewhere else. You can come and sleep here when he's not around."

Hui-jie's eyes lit up and she said, "Aren't there still Aunt Zhou and a few others in the mansion? Why don't you ask my father to stay with them..."

Before Sister Hui could finish speaking, she seemed to realize that it was somewhat inappropriate, so she stopped talking and looked up at Danmei with a slightly uneasy expression, as if afraid that she would be unhappy.

Danmei smiled, reached out and ruffled the hair that covered her forehead, and softly said, "Go to sleep," before getting up to blow out the candle.

A moment later, Sister Hui beside her fell into a deep sleep, while Danmei herself was somewhat dazed. Sister Hui's half-hearted remark had struck a nerve, leaving her in a state of utter confusion.

Danmei has been rethinking how she should face her husband, whom she will see every day from now on.

Since marrying into the Xu family, she had only spent a few days with Xu Jinrong before he hastily left the capital. For the past six months, she had lived a quiet, secluded life, barely thinking of her husband, let alone the three men who had married Xu Jinrong earlier and lived in the west courtyard of the mansion in the capital. If things continued this way, everything would remain the same, and she wouldn't have to worry about the future. However, the problem had always been there; she had simply chosen to ignore it, living day to day. Now that the man was returning, the problem had suddenly resurfaced.

She had planned before her marriage to maintain a respectful but distant relationship with her husband, living separate lives and managing her own business as a future support. Now, however, she realized how naive that was. Her husband, Xu Jinrong, was not as easy to deal with as she had imagined. In their limited encounters, she had mostly ended up losing and looking rather pathetic. Although she wanted to avoid him, given his current attitude, she was unlikely to do so. Therefore, that idea was truly becoming increasingly unlikely.

Since she couldn't distance herself from him, she would treat him as a business partner, truly wielding power within the inner quarters and suppressing the women of lower status. She wouldn't object when he wanted to stay overnight, nor would she tolerate him sleeping with other women. In the end, she would just endure it, seeing whether he or she would outlive her. The one who died first would be the loser, while she would strive to be the ultimate victor.

Danmei felt this was a wiser choice. But she knew that if she were to live like this for the rest of her life, even if she eventually emerged victorious, what then? She would never be happy. That wasn't the life she wanted.

Or, is it possible to treat him like a real husband, try to make him fall in love with her, and even be together with him for life?

The thought had barely surfaced when, like a tender bud just emerging from the spring mud, it was immediately plucked by Danmei.

Xu Jinrong was indeed a good man, and it wasn't true that she hated him. She even felt it wasn't impossible for her to fall for him. But such a feeling was destined to be fleeting, like the strange sensation she felt when she saw his teasing letters home—it vanished without a trace.

A lifelong commitment to one person has always been a luxury. Not to mention in this era, even thousands of years from now, how many men could achieve that? She wouldn't be so arrogant and blind as to run into a brick wall.

The night was very deep, and Danmei pondered repeatedly, her mind becoming increasingly chaotic. Finally, she let out a long sigh.

No amount of planning can outsmart fate. What's the point of constantly agonizing over it? Guard your heart, and take things one step at a time, slowly paving your way forward. Heaven will never completely shut out all paths.

Danmei gradually calmed down, yawned, and began to feel sleepy.

Outside, the moon was high in the sky, and all was quiet in the village. The gatekeeper of Xu Family Garden was dozing off on the wooden bed in the gatehouse when he suddenly heard a series of chaotic hoofbeats at the door, followed by knocking. This startled the guard dogs in the nearby houses, which barked incessantly. He jumped up with a start, opened the door, and was dumbfounded. Standing outside was a line of people, and the one at the front was none other than his master, who was supposed to be returning tomorrow.

The gatekeeper hurriedly opened the door wide, and Xu Jinrong entered. Knowing that the guards behind him would leave, the gatekeeper closed the door and then cautiously ingratiated himself, saying, "Why did you return so early, sir? Weren't you supposed to arrive tomorrow? I'll go and wake the people inside right away..."

Before the gatekeeper could finish speaking, Xu Jinrong stopped him, crossed the vegetable garden, and went to the back house. The gatekeeper was left puzzled for half a day, thinking to himself that his master had started to have this strange habit of barging in here in the middle of the night.

Xu Jinrong arrived at his mother's house, only to find it pitch black inside. Not wanting to wake her, he quietly approached. After navigating a corridor, he saw Danmei's house. A slight ripple stirred within him. Just as he was about to knock, the silvery moonlight caught his eye, and he noticed several potted plants in the garden in front of her. He was surprised. He wondered when she had managed to persuade his mother to lend him the land to plant flowers.

Xu Jinrong arrived at the door and knocked twice.

Danmei had been pondering her thoughts for ages, and was just about to drift off to sleep when she suddenly heard a knock at the door. She woke instantly. Her heart tightened; for some reason, her first thought was that Xu Jinrong had returned. She remembered the time before he left the capital, when he had also come late at night like this. She quickly sat up, grabbed a robe, put it on, slipped on her shoes, went to the inside of the door, hesitated for a moment, and then opened it. Sure enough, there stood her husband.

Although Danmei and Xu Jinrong had been intimate a few times, aside from those intimate moments, they barely communicated in the few days they spent together. Plus, he had been gone for half a year. Seeing him suddenly standing before her now felt almost like seeing a stranger. She stared blankly for a long time, her hand still on the doorframe, not uttering a single word.

Xu Jinrong had some ulterior motives when he rushed over in the middle of the night. Seeing that his young wife showed no joy at seeing him, he was slightly disappointed and went into the house.

Seeing him head towards the bed, Danmei suddenly remembered that Huijie was still lying there, wearing only a bodice. Although the rules between men and women were not as strict as they would be hundreds of years later, it was still indecent for an eight or nine-year-old girl like Huijie to be seen by her father like this. She quickly stepped forward to stop him and said, "Wait a minute."

Xu Jinrong was grabbed by the arm by Danmei. By the moonlight, he turned around and saw that her expression seemed a little strange. Suddenly, an absurd thought came to his mind. He was both shocked and angry. He strode to the front of the tent and lifted it. He vaguely saw that there was indeed a raised body under the covers. He was furious. He did not expect that an ordinary man would be so short. He turned around and grabbed Danmei's shoulder from behind.

Suddenly, Danmei was grabbed by him, his grip incredibly strong, as if her shoulder was about to be crushed. Seeing his ferocious expression, she was momentarily confused and struggled in terror for a moment before suddenly realizing what was happening. She quickly suppressed the pain and whispered, "Don't think nonsense. That's Sister Hui inside."

Xu Jinrong was startled, but the hand was still gripping hers. Danmei, annoyed by the pain, brushed the hand away and went outside.

"where you go?"

Xu Jinrong grabbed her shoulder again and forcibly turned her around.

"I asked Aunt Zhou to come and carry Sister Hui over. I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow, so I let Sister Hui sleep with me. I didn't expect to offend you."

Danmei looked at the ground and said calmly.

Xu Jinrong released her hand, lifted the curtain, bent down, wrapped Hui-jie in the blanket, and carried her outside. Danmei followed to the door and soon saw the light on in Hui-jie's room, presumably the wet nurses had been awakened.

Danmei sighed inwardly, then knocked on Miaochun and Miaoxia's door, asking them to prepare clothes and water for Lord Xu to bathe in the bathroom. She then returned to her room, rolled up the curtains, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Xu Jinrong returned shortly after, looking as if he had just finished showering. When Danmei saw him close the door and come in, she was immediately enveloped by his figure, and a sense of unfamiliarity arose in her heart, causing her to shrink back slightly.

"I misunderstood you just now, and I used a bit too much force. Does it still hurt?"

Xu Jinrong sat down beside her, placed his hands on her shoulders and gently rubbed them, then asked in a low voice.

Danmei shook her head slightly stiffly, but still didn't look at him.

Silence followed for a long time.

Danmei felt as if he was staring at her, and she wondered what he was thinking, which made her slightly uneasy. Finally, she couldn't help but look up. She saw that his brows were slightly furrowed, and he looked somewhat displeased.

"You were quite bold when you replied to my letter. 'Thinking of you but not seeing you, I grow thinner than a yellow flower.' Now that I've rushed back, where has your courage gone? Is this how you miss your love?"

Danmei heard him speak to her so coldly.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Danmei pondered the meaning behind his words, as if he were blaming her for using suggestive language in her letter to seduce him, and now that he had actually returned, she had been so clueless. Actually, she had only written those two lines out of momentary resentment at his flirting, a mere reciprocation. Now, seeing him use those two cobbled-together lines to question her, seemingly taking them seriously, she was both surprised and amused, and her expression unconsciously revealed some emotion.

Xu Jinrong saw a faint smile in her eyes in the candlelight, and his earlier displeasure dissipated. He then reached out and hooked her chin, lifting her face slightly.

Are you laughing at me?

He stared at it for a moment, then slowly asked.

Danmei bit her lip slightly and shook her head, saying, "My lord, you hold a high position and great power, how could I dare to laugh at you? I was just laughing at myself."

"Oh, tell me about it."