Chapter 151

Chapter 151: An encounter with a dejected Tang Gang

Xin An’s smile widened; she was in an excellent mood, almost a little giddy.

Seeing her so pleased, Tang Mo laughed as well, thinking that their relationship was steadily warming. [When the time comes, we should set up the wedding hall anew and formally bow to Heaven and Earth. To have just drifted together like this, what would that be.]

The marquis’s garden was not large, but it certainly counted as small and beautiful. The night breeze brushed their faces with a faint floral fragrance, and under the glow of several lanterns the scene gained extra charm.

After the round moon slowly slipped behind the clouds, the sky blossomed with brilliant stars; a meandering river of starlight unfurled before them. Xin An looked up and said: “The night sky is truly bustling.”

Tang Mo looked up as well; the stars twinkled, bright and dim. It was indeed lively.

They took their seats. With delicacies before them and wine to accompany, Tang Mo lifted the pot and poured; they raised their cups and drank. Then, before Tang Mo could move, Xin An handed him a chicken leg and took one for herself. Using the chicken legs as wine cups, they clinked their “cups” with a laugh, then bit into them, still laughing.

Although inelegant, it was wonderfully unrestrained, and soon the pavilion rang with talk and laughter. Chun Yang and the other maids waited from a distance, watching their second young master gesture animatedly in the air, making their Second Young Madam laugh nonstop. The cheerful scene infected the maids; smiles tugged at the corners of their mouths.

“Young ladies, have a little bite first,” Lai Lai said.

He had become adept at managing things. When he sent someone to buy crispy fried chicken, he had bought two extra and had the cook cut them up; now he eagerly delivered them to Chun Yang and the others, saying: “There is still a bit of warmth, and the skin is still crisp.”

Chun Lv teased, saying: “Brother Lai Lai is getting more and more clever.”

“That’s only because I learned from you ladies,” he said.

They did not dare eat too much; each tasted two pieces to pad her stomach, then buckled down to their duties. Lai Lai, however, took large bites of several pieces. He couldn’t help it; at times like this his young master was unlikely to send him off to do anything.

“Brother Lai Lai,” someone called softly.

A servant of the marquis’s household about the same age as Lai Lai stood in the shadows and spoke in a low voice. When Lai Lai turned, the man stepped out, bowed, and said: “Brother Lai Lai.”

“Liu Chang?” said Lai Lai.

He was the son of Steward Liu, who handled procurement.

Lai Lai walked toward him and said: “Looking for me at this hour, what’s the matter?”

“Brother Lai Lai, may I have a word aside?” Liu Chang asked.

Adept at handling matters, Liu Chang drew Lai Lai back into that patch of shadow and stated his purpose. It turned out that ever since Steward Liu had bought mung beans for Xin An the other day, he had set his sights on Tang Mo.

Or rather, on the position at Tang Mo’s side.

As an old-timer in the residence and the man in charge of procurement, Steward Liu’s strengths were sharp eyes and keen ears. From the time Tang Rong and Tang Mo married, people like him had kept their gaze fixed on Chun Hua Courtyard and Qiushi Courtyard. As the two courtyards competed, such men kept their own inner scales.

Steward Liu believed Tang Mo would amount to something. Setting aside that he had originally belonged to Madam Wang’s side, the changes in Tang Mo over the past few months were clear to him. After several considerations, he decided to let his son try first. If his son could stay by Tang Mo’s side, there was a strong chance he would be put in charge of procurement for Qiushi Courtyard, and that would be no small thing.

Helping those old soldiers required real silver. Previously, that part of the household’s affairs had been in the hands of Steward Zhang and his son; Steward Liu had envied them for quite some time.

Lai Lai sized him up and said: “You want to serve at Second Young Master’s side?”

Liu Chang nodded and said: “To tell you the truth, I’ve asked around. At Second Young Master’s side it’s only you and Er Shan, and Er Shan only came not long ago. Second Young Master is visibly getting busier; aren’t all matters, big and small, falling on you alone? In such a situation, how can there not be another couple of runners? My father serves Madam, so naturally I should serve Second Young Master.”

“And I ask Brother Lai Lai to put in a good word,” he added.

A weighty pouch of silver slipped into Lai Lai’s hand as Liu Chang said: “Whether it works out or not, I thank you, Brother Lai Lai. This is for you to drink a couple of cups of tea.”

Lai Lai instinctively wanted to push it back, but then he thought that his young master truly needed another person at his side. All day long, he himself was simply too tired.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll find a few moments to ask Second Young Master’s view. But Chun Hua Courtyard is not a place just anyone can enter; it will also depend on Second Young Madam’s wishes.”

Liu Chang nodded repeatedly and said: “I understand. As long as I can serve before Second Young Master, I will faithfully serve him and Second Young Madam and will never overstep Brother Lai Lai.”

Lai Lai pocketed the silver and said: “Go back and wait for word.”

After Liu Chang left, Lai Lai touched the silver, both dazed and excited. It was not the silver that excited him, but the thought that perhaps his young master had finally stood up. In the past, the most sought-after serving lad in the residence had been Qing Mo, who served the Heir Apparent; everyone gave him face. Lai Lai had seen with his own eyes several people slip benefits to Qing Mo. He could only envy them, for his own young master’s position in the residence had not been easy. Now… it seemed things were different.

After the meal, Tang Mo and Xin An took a stroll to aid digestion and, without noticing, walked a bit too far. They encountered Tang Gang, pacing alone under the moon in the courtyard. The night masked his expression, but his body was taut; clearly he was beset by worries.

“Father, out walking alone?” Xin An spoke first.

She had startled Tang Gang, who had been walking and thinking; his heart skipped a beat. Seeing the two strolling with three or four attendants, he grew displeased and said: “So late and not in your rooms, what are you doing here?”

Xin An smiled and said: “Tonight the breeze is gently cool and the moonlight is clear. My husband and I dined in the small garden and then took a walk to aid digestion.”

“I did not know Father was here,” she added. “Had I known earlier, we should have invited Father and Mother; it would have been best for the whole family to dine under the moon together.”

The son he valued now lay in bed, and he himself was tangled in troubles. He had come to the courtyard for some quiet because he was already dejected. Who knew he would still run into these two, and hearing how carefree they were made his anger rise. Unfortunately, before he could speak, Xin An said: “Father, do you have worries on your mind?”

Feigning innocence as though unaware of the situation, she said: “If Father has encountered troubles, you might talk with my husband. As they say, the onlooker sees clearly what confuses the one involved; perhaps my husband has some good solution.”

From start to finish, Tang Mo had not spared Tang Gang a proper glance; father and son were all but at the point of tearing off the last shred of civility. No, they had already torn it off.

Tang Gang suddenly had no wish to tangle with them and said: “If there is nothing, then go back early and rest.”

Seeing he was about to leave, Xin An poked Tang Mo. Only then did Tang Mo, unwillingly, speak and say: “Father, earlier I was impulsive. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Tang Gang lifted his eyes and stared at him. Seeing him stand beside Xin An, the two quite well matched, and seeing that he was a head taller than her, a wave of powerlessness rose in his heart. It was not that he felt he owed Tang Mo; he just suddenly felt old, lately a bit lacking in strength.

Xin An stepped forward and said: “Father, while I was dining with my husband just now, he mentioned his clashes in words with Father and felt quite remorseful. He knows Father has not had it easy lately and that he has not shown enough consideration. He wants to share Father’s burdens but has no way to begin, and it weighs on his heart.”

Tang Mo’s eyes almost popped. [Remorse? My belly holds only anger.] But he quickly guessed Xin An’s plan, lowered his head in a hurry to keep up appearances, and managed to show a touch of remorse.