Chapter 116
Chapter 116: Qiu Shi Dong Arrives
On the second day of the seventh month, the weather was still hot.
Early in the morning, there was no wind in the courtyard. The air felt stuffy and hard to breathe, and it seemed as if a heavy rain might fall again.
Lin Zhao saw Luo Ning carrying water to wash her face. She went over to help and, as she passed, looked into the inner room. She only saw Qiu Lan inside, straightening the bedding.
Originally, this job of carrying water was done by the maidservant Qiu Hua.
As Lin Zhao poured water into the copper basin, she asked casually: “Where is Qiu Hua?”
Luo Ning said: “She went to the South Mountain Summer Retreat Villa to inform Grandmother that A’You is leaving for Spring Mountain Academy today.”
“Is he leaving today?” Lin Zhao asked.
Luo Ning answered softly while washing her face.
Lin Zhao then praised Luo You for being so promising and said he would have a bright future and so on.
Luo Ning just replied casually.
After breakfast, Luo You went around to the different courtyards to say goodbye, then went to the gate.
The Zhou family next door had also prepared a carriage.
The academy did not allow pageboys or maidservants, but students could bring their own books and bedding. They could even bring a small copper brazier to boil hot water for drinking.
Once both families were ready, they told the coachmen to be careful and set off.
Madam Bai did not come out to see him off.
From the East Main Courtyard, Nanny Zhen said: “Madam was angered into falling ill yesterday and cannot get out of bed today. Second Young Master, please forgive her.”
No one answered her.
On Luo Ning’s side, she watched the time. Less than half an hour later, she went to tell Luo Chong Ye: “Grandmother sent a note. The old lady is going to the Thirty-li Post Station to see A’You off. Father, let’s go too. You have not seen Grandmother for many days.”
From Shengjing City to Spring Mountain Academy, the best place to rest and to meet was the Thirty-li Post Station. Otherwise, they would have to stop on the official road, where dust flew everywhere and you swallowed sand every time you spoke.
Luo Chong Ye said impatiently: “What is all this fuss about?”
He was in a bad mood. Yesterday, Bai Yu Lin had come to the house and only made him feel more blocked up. He still had not calmed down.
The Bai family had always looked down on him. It was not just a matter of today. Old grudges and new resentments piled together, and Luo Chong Ye almost hated Bai Yu Lin to death.
He hated the Bai family, but he did not vent that anger on Madam Bai.
Madam Bai was only a weak woman who depended on him. In Luo Chong Ye’s heart, he was the one above her. His trust in Madam Bai was actually his confidence in his own status.
Luo Ning was asking him to go outside the city again to see his younger son off one more time. He did not want to go.
The younger son was not that important.
Luo Ning said: “If you do not go, then Second Uncle and Third Uncle can go.” She added, “I thought you might go ride a horse and clear your mind.”
This finally moved Luo Chong Ye.
He really should go out and ride.
“It is true I have not seen your Grandmother for quite some days,” Luo Chong Ye said. He went on: “I will go to the Summer Retreat Villa too, and tell your sisters-in-law and aunts to come home. I will stay with your Grandmother.”
Luo Ning said: “You can talk to Grandmother about it. As long as Grandmother agrees.”
In fact, Grandmother would never agree.
At the gate of the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s manor, six carriages were lined up. The whole family was going out in force. This grand scene was noticed by a servant boy from the Zhou family next door.
The servant boy went in to report to his master.
The Zhou family madam then told the master of the house and the old duke.
The old duke said: “Something unexpected may have happened. You should go along too. They probably have not gone far yet.”
He added: “If anything seems wrong, bring Zhou Huai back. It is fine if he does not go to this school. We cannot cause trouble for our neighbors.”
The master of the house agreed.
When the Zhou family madam heard that all the men and women of the Luo family had gone, she also wanted to go.
Zhou Huai’s parents, of course, had to go as well.
So in the end, the Zhou family also set out with six carriages.
All of them left the city in a mighty group.
At a roadside tea shed, Madam Bai and Bai Ci Rong finally met Qiu Shi Dong.
Qiu Shi Dong wore a sapphire-blue summer robe embroidered with auspicious clouds and dark blue cloth shoes. His clothes were rich and elegant, his hair bound with a jade hairpin. He looked very noble, like the head of a powerful noble household.
From his clothes and bearing, no one would guess he was a merchant.
He was almost fifty, yet he was still tall and strong and had not grown fat.
His features were handsome. The double eyelids of his eyes drooped a little with age, but his pupils were still dark and clear, so when he looked at people, his gaze seemed especially gentle.
Standing beside him, Bai Yu Lin was completely overshadowed and looked like an ordinary shopkeeper.
“Brother Yun.” Madam Bai called to him gently, as if she had gone back to her girlhood. Her voice was soft and lingering.
Qiu Shi Dong’s childhood name was Mo Yun. He changed to this formal name later.
“You have grown haggard these days,” Qiu Shi Dong said with a smile.
He had an outstanding manner, and his smile was especially charming.
Tears filled Madam Bai’s eyes at once. She said: “I have worried too much. Have you heard about A’Yin?”
A sharp pain stabbed through Qiu Shi Dong’s chest.
He let out a soft breath, as if releasing all the pain in his heart, and said: “The past cannot be changed. Is A’You doing well?”
Luo Yin was already dead. Nothing could change that. Luckily, they still had their son, Luo You.
“He is very well. He will be here soon, just wait a little,” Madam Bai said as she wiped away her tears. “A’You is going to study at Spring Mountain Academy. Brother Yun, how long will you stay in Shengjing?”
“When everything in Huzhou is arranged properly, I can stay and keep you company for a year or two, especially to keep A’You company,” Qiu Shi Dong said.
“That is wonderful,” Madam Bai said. “You should visit the academy often to see him. He will be studying away from home, so it will be easy for you to meet. If you treat him well, he will grow close to you. A’You is not the kind of child with no conscience.”
Qiu Shi Dong nodded.
Madam Bai added: “When we go back later, Brother Yun, you can ride in my carriage…”
Standing to one side, Bai Yu Lin gave a soft cough.
Madam Bai’s cheeks flushed, and she stopped speaking.
While they were talking, Luo You’s carriage arrived. Madam Bai hurriedly waved.
The coachman knew her and stopped the carriage.
Luo You got down and saw his mother and cousin, and then remembered his uncle. Surprised, he asked: “Mother, were you not resting quietly in the courtyard? Why are you here?”
“You are going to study. How could I not see you off?” Madam Bai said. “A’You, this is Qiu Shi Dong. He is a great merchant from Huzhou, with vast wealth. He will soon become an imperial merchant.
“He and your uncle are old family friends. He has traveled all over and seen a lot of the world. From now on, you should visit him often. You can ask him about anything.”
Luo You glanced at Qiu Shi Dong.
He felt no warmth toward him.
The man was dressed up so grandly, slick and polished, like a pampered old fop.
“Mother, did you and Cousin and Uncle come here specially to wait for me?” Luo You asked with a frown.
He strongly disapproved of this behavior.
Why sneak around?
It was not as if the Marquis Manor would forbid them from seeing him off.
“Yes. There is a cool pavilion over there. Let us drink some tea and talk,” Madam Bai said with a forced smile.
Luo You frowned even more deeply: “Mother, I have to hurry on the road. It is getting late.”
“It will not delay you,” Madam Bai said.
Bai Ci Rong smiled and added: “A’You, my father has gift money for you. It is your private spending money. Keep it for yourself. Come have a cup of tea, all right?”
Luo You thought of what his eldest sister had said the night before.
His uncle had insulted his sister and now wanted to buy him off. What did they take the people of the Luo family for?
Monkeys they could trick with money?
“I have not yet become an official. I am only going to study. I cannot accept gift money. Uncle, I appreciate your kindness, but I really must be on my way,” Luo You said.
Madam Bai could not help wanting to lose her temper.
Qiu Shi Dong had already stepped forward with a smile and said: “Second Young Master, I would like to ask you something: what is filial piety?”
Luo You’s frown deepened.
“The Son of Heaven now governs the world through filial piety. This lesson of ‘filial piety’ is the first question for anyone who wants to become an official. Second Young Master, I am not a scholar. Could you teach me a little?” Qiu Shi Dong said with a smile.
Just as Luo You was about to refuse, the sound of hooves came from far away. He looked into the distance and saw a line of carriages coming from the direction of South Mountain.
On the official road from Shengjing City, there were also many hoofbeats and carts.
Everyone was drawn by the sound of horses from both sides and looked around. They soon saw the Luo family’s coachmen.
The people coming from both directions were all from the Luo family. Behind the carriage team from Shengjing City, there were even more carriages, stretching on and on.