Chapter 4: Fragrance Brings Warmth to Human Relations

  Distant mountains are like a beauty, silently and quietly, beside the gurgling brook, a group of washerwomen are washing clothes, in the icy water that makes people shiver, pairs of white hands are rubbing the clothes quickly, as if competing with the swimming fish.

  As I stood up straight after washing clothes, my waist and back, which had been bent for a long time, ached slightly. I gently patted them, and the black hair that was stuck to my face due to sweat fluttered slightly in the wind as I faced the morning sunlight.

  Not far away, a elegant garden has a red plum blossom that poked out its head, bright red like fire, imprinting on my heart, also with some simple joy, it should be Xī Fēng Wǎn.

  Suddenly an old woman shouted: "Muyatou, Jin'niang has sent someone to find you."

  A pretty girl in a light yellow jacket was standing at a distance, wearing delicate silk gauze like mist. The servant girls all saw that she must be from the garden and stopped their noise, respectfully pointing at me. I thought to myself, could it be that Jinyu has something to say?

  He hastily jumped ashore, pulled down his pants, and when he got to the front, he bowed to the girl, "I'm Mugen, I've met Chohatsu sister."

  The girl's eyes rolled around and she smiled at me: "Have you seen me before?"

  "Returning to the beginning of the painting, Mugen had never seen his sister before."

  "How did you know my name?"

  "Mushan heard that the other day in the village, there was a martial arts competition, and only Chuhua sister and Jinyu's double sword combination won against all the young masters in the garden. The lady specially rewarded only Chuhua sister and Jinyu with the imperial gift of autumn-colored soft smoke gauze from the palace. Just as I saw my sister walking over, looking like a celestial maiden surrounded by misty light, Mushan guessed that you must be Chuhua sister who serves alongside Jinyu to attend to Second Miss."

  That was what Yu Feiyan told me last month, and when he said it, his spittle flew everywhere, his dark face turned bright red, the champion of the knife competition exclaimed that after watching that match of dual sword fusion, he finally understood that he had chosen the wrong weapon in the beginning, and he regretted not learning how to use a sword, otherwise he would have also had the chance to practice the dual sword fusion.

  I'm very proud of Jinzhu, but I also feel heartbroken that she's too sharp and suffered from the criticism of others, my second brother Song Minglei, who was the leader in military strategy at that time, just smiled lightly: "Big brother don't worry, when you have time, go find fifth sister to spar with her."

  Then he turned to me and said, "Fourth sister doesn't need to worry, these six years, fifth sister has been very much liked by second miss and madam, and she is quite tactful in her dealings with others. After a while, she will probably be able to ask madam for leave to come see you and third sister."

  It's been six years already... I didn't realize it, but I've spent six years in this miscellaneous duty room of Xī Fēng Yuàn...

  That girl let out a "heh" and smiled, looking me up and down several times: "No wonder Jin Xiu that little brat always brags about her sister being so intelligent and talented in front of me, turns out it's really true."

  "Thank you for your praise, sister. I don't know why you've come to find me." I still kept my eyes cast downward, not daring to be presumptuous.

  She took out a small bottle from her bosom: "This is what Jinxiu asked me to give you, she accompanied the young lady and madam to Famen Temple to burn incense, it's likely that they won't be back until three months later, so she asked me to send you this new batch of Ren Shen Yang Rong Wan."

  I received the bottle and a letter from Jinxiu, which roughly said that she would be away for some time and asked me to take good care of myself with Biying. No wonder Jinxiu hadn't come to see me for a long time - it turned out she had gone to accompany Missus on a pilgrimage. I felt a slight pang in my heart, but then I was delighted that Biying's Ren Shen Yang Rong Wan had been replenished, as she was almost relying on this to sustain her life now.

  I lifted my head, just about to thank the initial painting, but saw her tilting her small head, full of curiosity staring at me, black and white eyes clear and bright, "You and Jinxiu don't look alike at all, she's much prettier than you, are you really twins?"

  She asked very directly and I didn't get angry either. Almost everyone who knew about my relationship with Jinxiu over the past few years has said so.

  Six years ago, I casually said that the purple air was coming from the east to keep Jin Xiu here. Unexpectedly, three days later, the capital city flew pigeons and sent letters, reporting great news. The emperor summoned the crown prince and the general, and he liked the crown prince very much. He immediately issued a decree to grant marriage, betrothing Princess Zhang to Yuan Fei Qing, the eldest young master of the Yuan family. General Yuan was promoted from Town National General to Temple of Glorious Blessings Minister, and was conferred as First-Rank Pushing Sincerity Marquis, while Madame Lian was also conferred as First-Rank Auspicious Lady. The whole family was honored, and in these years, they became even more powerful, their reputation rising day by day. As a result, Jin Xiu really became the noble person of the Yuan family, just like I said.

  She became the second lady's personal maid and study companion, living with the second lady, eating together, sleeping together, practicing literature and martial arts. The gentle and virtuous Jin Xiu treated people kindly, and after I gave her some guidance on human relationships, the madam soon changed from disliking her to liking her extremely, to the point where some people said that sometimes the madam liked Jin Xiu even more than the second lady.

  I looked into her clear and direct eyes, and seemed to understand why Jinxiu could match swords with her and dominate the Purple Garden.

  Jin Xiu was able to entrust something so important to her, she must have trusted her a lot. I felt a sense of goodwill in my heart and smiled as I nodded: "Yes, but I'm only about ten seconds older than her."

  She looked at me puzzled, then smiled and said: "I was just born a little earlier than her."

  She nodded, walked closer to me, pulled my hand and said: "Actually, I'm the same age as you and Jin Chui. I was born in September of the third year of Yuanwu. To say that I'm even younger than you two, why don't you call me Chu Hua instead? Mu Di Jie."

  Her eyes sparkled with expectation, and I couldn't refuse: "Okay, thank you, Chuhua."

  It seems like I have another sister now.

  At noon, I got a break and grabbed my lunch, rushing back to the small broken house northwest of Xifengyuan. I quietly opened the door, lifted the curtain and came in. A strong medicinal smell hit me in the face. On the bed lay an extremely thin beauty, her skin slightly greenish, all bones visible under her skin. Seeing me come in, she struggled to get up from the bed. I quickly went over to help her sit up: "Don't rush, don't rush, take it easy."

  The sick beauty coughed and gasped for air, looking at me behind: "Jinxiu hasn't come again, is she all right?"

  "She's fine, the maid in the mistress' room said she went to Fahmen Temple with the mistress and Second Miss to burn incense." I said lightly, while moving the table over and taking out the rice from under the quilt, "Look, Li Erniang made your favorite pulled noodles today. I didn't dare add oil and chili sauce for you, but I added it to my own bowl, it smells great! Come, try a small mouthful, don't eat too much or you'll start coughing again."

  I stirred the three-inch-wide flat noodles, and indeed "the noodles were as wide as a belt", I carefully fed her a small mouthful, and then I also had a taste, hmm! It was really delicious. I exaggeratedly said in Shaanxi dialect: "Biangbiang noodles are so good to eat! Biying."

  She looked at me with a silly expression, finally unfolding a faint smile. This smile was light and shallow, but it brought out some of the youthful vitality that should have been on her pale and wan face.

  This is my sworn sister Yao Biying, whose heart was as high as the sky but her life was as fragile as paper.

  Her luck was really no match for Jinxiu's. When I arrived at the second miss's room, I, this third sister, still had the temperament of Lin Daiyu and the airs of a big sister. I offended the second miss's favored maid, Xiangqin, and within less than a month, I was framed and accused by someone. The maids searched under my pillow and found the second miss's missing jade pendant. Without asking for clarification, I was given thirty lashes and expelled from the garden, demoted to the miscellaneous labor room where I am now, doing hard labor with others. Bixiang originally came from a wealthy family, how could she do such rough work? Plus, the manager of the miscellaneous labor room, Zhou Dama, scolded her from morning till night: "A thieving, lowly prostitute who thinks she's something, claiming to be a thousand-gold big sister. Even if you were a princess or an empress, you'd still have to obediently clean toilets and wash clothes for me."

  She was already angry and her injuries hadn't healed yet, but she still had to be punished every day by being forced to scrub toilets, as a result she fell ill.

  At first, Mrs. Zhou wanted to tell the lady to drive her away, I was shocked, using my three-inch tongue, I fabricated that Biying was a descendant of a loyal minister, not only had she suffered from being robbed and scattered in her early years, but also been sold by her uncle, finally making Mrs. Zhou have some sympathy, called the doctor in the garden to diagnose and treat her, the doctor said she was wounded externally, depressed internally, needed slow nursing.

  In recent years, she has become a medicine bottle, especially at the end of each year, and her coughing is getting worse. I worry every day whether she can survive to see the new year.

  Fortunately, in "Wild Five Heroes", except for me and Biying being relatively down on our luck, Yu Feiyan and Song Mingkui were like Jinxiu, shining brightly at the Purple Residence Manor. Yu Feiyan relied on his Nine-Ringed Knife to be unmatched in bravery among youths of the same age. Song Mingkui had been cleverer than others since he was young, calm and adept at planning, becoming the favored disciple of the original family's military strategist and chief steward, Liu Yanshu.

  With the help of the two and Jinxiu, Biying's medical expenses were finally settled. After two years, Biying's illness finally showed signs of improvement, and the doctor said that the key was Ren Shen Yang Rong Wan.

  I remembered the Ren Shen Yang Rong Wan, so I jumped down into the pit and took out that small bottle that Chuhua had handed to me. "Look, Chuhua gave me this Ren Shen Yang Rong Wan. After we finish eating the ice noodles, let's take one pill each."

  Baiying's eyes flashed with a hint of light, and she whispered: "This medicine is too expensive, Jinxiu must have spent her own monthly allowance again. I think it's better not to take it, after all these years without any improvement, don't waste the hard work of you four anymore."

  Here is the translation:

  "Ah, here we go again. I hate Biying's tone: "Oh! You're wrong to say that. After all these years, although it's been tough, you're still alive and well, which means Yama (the King of Hell) doesn't want you yet. Look, things are finally getting better, don't talk like a loser."

  "You haven't been to the underworld, how would you know that King Yan doesn't want me?" She sighed and looked at me.

  I sat on the ground, washing Biying's clothes without looking back. "I just know, and I've seen it before, whether you believe it or not." Then I raised my head and smiled at her: "Actually, if you're really afraid of ruining our relationship, hurry up and get better, have a big fat baby with Song Erge, and give me a nephew, isn't that settled?"

  In the cattle cart of human trafficker Chen Dama, Biying had a good impression of Song Mingkui. She indeed blushed and her pale face added a few shades of color. Ashamed and annoyed: "Mugui, you rascal, you're teasing me again. A sickly person like me, how can I be worthy of Brother Song?"

  I playfully gazed at her annoyed expression, people in ancient times were already mothers of children at her age, unfortunately, a beauty like Biying, if she hadn't fallen ill, would probably have been taken in by some master from the garden.

  I saw her getting angry and about to throw the ginseng ball, then she put away the joke and apologized to me. At this time, a clear voice also came into the small house: "It's so lively, is Sanmei better today?" A tall and slender young man lifted the heavy curtain, and his handsome face appeared in front of me. Speak of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrived, it was Song Mingpei, there were still a few snowflakes on his head, I didn't notice when it started snowing outside.

  Biying's face was as red as a cloud of fire, only I knew that this was the only happy moment for her in these few years. I quickly brushed off the snow for Song Erge, poured hot tea, picked up the washing basin, and smiled as I flashed towards the west wing: "Song Erge, please take care of San Jie for a while, I'll go wash the clothes."

  "We're all siblings, no need to be so polite. Mu Gen, come sit down." His eyes shone brightly like the Sirius in a night sky, with a hint of a smile, yet seemed to be looking at me with complexity, but I didn't dare ruin their good relationship, so I slipped away instead.

  I was carrying clothes to the small stream in front of the house, thinking that I would wash them quickly before the snow got heavy. Just as I was about to squat down, a strong gust of wind brushed past my ear, and I was so startled that I sat down on the frozen ground with a thud. A golden hairpin with a red cherry blossom stuck in my heel was still swaying back and forth, showing how great the force was. My face flashed with a thread of pain, and when I touched it, sure enough, blood was flowing.

  "Wooden head, I didn't get lost this time, but I found you again." Before I could turn around, a tall and majestic black figure with sharp features and firm facial bones blocked my view. His red hair was not tied up in a bun, but instead flowed down his shoulders like a waterfall. His eyes sparkled like fine wine, shining brightly as he stared at me with great excitement. My heart skipped a beat - it was Jue Si Ye, the Fourth Master. How did he manage to find me so easily this time?

  Now that we've reached this point, I need to introduce you to the children of the master of Zǐ Qiū Mountain Villa.

  Yu Qingjiang General, word Ran Zhi, now promoted to Guanglu Temple Minister, has three sons and one daughter.

  Lao Da was originally unclear, but now he is the husband of Princess Chang's daughter-in-law, and this year he is 22 years old. The second miss, Yu Fei Yan, is actually the child of his original wife, Qin Shi, who unfortunately died in childbirth.

  Then, General Yuan supported Qin's dowry maid Xie Shi and gave birth to Yuan Fei Bai, White San Ye, who is 17 years old this year. It is said that General Yuan liked White San Ye the most, not only could he write poetry at the age of six, but also excel in archery at the age of eight, performing in front of the emperor and astonishing everyone with his talent. The Emperor's younger brother, King Jingxia, once praised him saying: "He is indeed a dragon foal and a phoenix chick."

  Unfortunately, when Bai San was ten years old, he suddenly fell off his horse and broke both legs, thus ending his career as a child prodigy. His mother, Xie Shi, also died of a heart attack that night. As a result, Bai San and his mysterious servant, the legendary Mr. Han Xiuzhu, retreated to the hot springs in Xifengyuan.

  That Han Xiuzhu, originally a renowned figure in the martial arts world as "Light Wind and Proud Bamboo" of the Three Friends of Winter Chill. After a battle with the Youming Demon Sect, he was the only survivor among the Three Friends of Winter Chill. It is said that his martial arts skills are profound and unpredictable. General Yuan held him in high esteem, and even Madame Yuan respected him deeply. With such a great reputation and status in the Jianghu world, he willingly became a servant for this young man, leaving one to wonder why.

  The General then married into the Kyoto aristocratic family of Nagaie, his current wife. Unfortunately, she has had no children to this day.

  In the second year after Lian's entry, when General Yuan returned triumphantly from his expedition against the Turks, he brought back a ten-year-old boy with red hair and a loud cry, calling him his fourth son, Yuan Fei, also known as Fourth Master, who is now this extremely arrogant sixteen-year-old youth.

  Rumors say that Jue Siye's biological mother was a Persian dancer. In fact, he didn't particularly like General Yuan, and his red hair and eyes made his stepmother dislike him too. He himself had no interest in Central Plains culture, nor did he have any talent for poetry, music, or painting. Moreover, he was notoriously bad at directions, often ending up in Xifengyuan despite living in Yubei Zhai, which led to White Sanbo, the master of Xifengyuan, mistakenly thinking that he was trying to provoke a fight.

  It was Jiao Siye, who time and again got beaten by Mr. Han to the point of disorientation, but unfortunately, the four words "knowing when to retreat" had never appeared in Jiao Siye's limited vocabulary. He got beaten, yet still got lost, and got beaten again, but instead, Mr. Han's "care" for him turned him into a true martial arts fanatic, with an unstoppable passion for the Western Regions' and Gaoqiang's martial arts. Every day, he would clamor to go to the Western Regions to experience the local customs, his greatest dream being to become a disciple of the number one martial artist in the Jianghu, Jin Gu Zhenren, who was said to be hiding in the snowy mountains of the Western Regions.

  All of the above information was either from what Yingtou's wife gossiped about in her daily life or what Song Mingwei told me during his free time.

  My acquaintance with this young master was also quite dramatic. When I was nine years old, Biying fell seriously ill, and at that time, it was difficult to even eat, let alone take medicine. I racked my brains thinking about how to supplement her nutrition, and finally had to turn to nature. As the sky was about to darken, I secretly put a basket in the lake of Xifengyuan Garden, catching some fish and crabs, and unexpectedly caught a golden snake that shone brightly. I had never seen such a beautiful water snake before - its soup would be a great tonic, and its gallbladder would be an excellent remedy for coughs! Of course, it would be even better if Yu Feiyan could help me sell the golden snake skin. Haha! Just as I was grinning at the water snake, a red head suddenly appeared on my left side, curiously asking: "What are you going to do with this highly venomous golden snake?"

  This was the first time I met the famous Ge Siye of Ben Shan Zhuang, who happened to be lost in Xi Huang again and secretly stared at me for a long time beside him.

  I was so scared that I almost slipped into the water, but when I heard the name of this snake, I froze again: "You're talking nonsense, this is obviously a water snake, where's the venomous snake?"

  In the darkness, his eyes gleamed with a faint light, like the eyes of a beast moving in the black night, staring at me intensely: "This Moxi Lake is dead water, and it's also the protective lake of Xifengyuan. Do you think that old scoundrel Han Xiuzhu can still raise something inside?" At this moment, my face must have turned pale as earth. I slowly retreated from the water surface, but unfortunately, my hand was still grasping that golden fish, neither releasing nor pinching it. Although the moonlight was cool as water, I felt like I was being roasted on a charcoal fire. "Excuse me, young man, can you help me pinch this golden fish's seven inches?"

  "Hmph! Why should I help you?" He straightened up, his hands clasped behind him, and looked down his nose with an arrogant expression. In the moonlight, his uncombed red hair flowed with a soft glow, fluttering in the wind. At once, I guessed his identity and recalled what Song Erge had told me about one of his notable characteristics: "If I receive Lord Jue's favor today, I will certainly repay it by offering him a gift. Let me send Lord Jue back to Yubei Zhai first!"

  He immediately turned around and looked at me, saying viciously: "Who wants you to send me? I naturally know the way back, besides, I'm in Xifengyuan, what can Han Xiuzhu do to me?"

  "But it seems Mr. Han is coming this way." Just as I was saying that, a figure flashed by in the distance. At that time, I hadn't even seen Mr. Han's face, and I was just blindly guessing. Unexpectedly, Fourth Master Zhu believed me to be true, his expression changed, and with one hand, he chopped at the snake with a seven-inch blade, cutting it into several segments. In an instant, he scooped up me, who was still trembling with fear, and flew onto a tree.

  One hand covered my mouth, the other tightly wrapped around my waist, our bodies pressed together, his breath on my face, I turned my head away, while he was intently watching the approaching person. At that time, he was just a thirteen-year-old boy, under the moonlight, with skin as white as jade, red hair like silk, and eyes like wine, so handsome it was dizzying. I seemed to be getting drunk from looking at him too.

  The person below was just a night watchman, he let out a heavy sigh and only then did I realize that I had been staring at him in a daze. He glared at me fiercely and shouted in my ear: "What are you looking at? So what if I have red hair and red eyes? You, a lowly servant, dare to look at me like that?"

  It's indeed very impolite to stare at someone like that, and in that era, the treatment of foreign guests was not as high-end as it is now, so it's easy to misunderstand me as a shallow woman. I rubbed my ears and smiled: "Sorry, Fourth Master Ji, it's just that your eyes are the color of wine, very beautiful."

  "Wine? How could a lowly servant like you have ever seen the wine from Western Regions that was offered as tribute?" He looked at me suspiciously, but his expression had improved a lot.

  In that era, wine was extremely precious and only available when tribute was brought from the Western Regions. I chuckled and was about to explain when I suddenly noticed a tear in his collar, which must have been ripped earlier. I pulled out a needle and thread from my waist, and to be honest, my embroidery skills were far inferior to those of Jin Xiu. However, compared to my past life, I had made significant progress. Unexpectedly, Fourth Master Jiao leaned back and flashed a warning glance: "What do you plan to do?"

  My hand was in mid-air, feeling a bit awkward. I forced out a few dry laughs: "I thought I'd help the young master with his collar." Still stretching out my hand, he retreated backward: "Uninvited kindness is either deceit or thievery. You, a lowly servant, are you trying to assassinate me?"

  Ha! Does he really think he's the current crown prince or a high-ranking official in Zhongnanhai? I'll assassinate you, me?

  "Fourth Master, don't go any further..." I hastily shouted, but unfortunately he insisted on retreating: "You must be sent by the first wife to kill me, otherwise, as a man and woman, you wouldn't be so shameless..."

  "Ah!" He finally fell out of the tree. Actually, I wanted to remind him that the branch wasn't very sturdy, just two days ago I climbed it to pick some lilac flowers for Biying. But he always thinks about me in a shameless way, clearly he's heard that I have no interest in Han poetry, books, etiquette and generosity, but this one thing he learned quickly!

  His lightness is naturally good, and he hasn't fallen much, but below is a muddy pit. I've also been tricked before, alas! As the saying goes, not listening to the old man's words, suffering is right in front of you.

  I slowly borrowed force to jump down, and he actually crawled up with mud all over his body, staring at me with a strange expression. I held back my laughter: "Fourth Master Jue, it's late, men and women should not be close, so I won't see you off."

  I turned around and left, but he grabbed me in one go, "What's your name? I've never seen a girl as bold as you before. Are you Huajinxiu?"

  I was stunned for a moment: "Why am I Huajinxiu?" It seems like everyone knows that my family's Jinxiu is Zitian's, right! Now the sky is dark and it's gotten a bit black, but I can still make out that he has wine-colored eyes, so he should also be able to tell that I have authentic black eyes! Could it be that he's not only as rumored to be directionally challenged, but also colorblind?

  He seemed somewhat disappointed, "What's your name?"

  "Fourth Master Jue wants to know your name for what." I subtly and gently struggled free from his arm, then suddenly looked flustered: "Han, Mr. Han."

  He turned around and ran away in a puff of smoke.

  The second time I saw him, it was a month later. He wore a dark-colored satin robe with several tears in it, and there was still a green leaf stuck to his hair. His expression was haggard. I guessed that he must have gotten lost again in the Western Hills last night.

  Under the big sun, I and the little girls were admiring the cherry blossoms. Originally chattering away, they didn't dare make a sound when they saw him. Dozens of beautiful eyes watched as he walked by under the cherry blossom tree with a cold face. He neither looked at us nor glanced up at the stunning red blossoms on the tree.

  I was walking with a spring in my step, when he suddenly appeared out of nowhere and brushed past me. I thought he had forgotten our encounter that night, but then he suddenly turned his head around: "It's you, I remember the fragrance of pagoda tree flowers on you."

  The other girl had been scared away, leaving only me and him. I smiled, pointing at the cherry blossoms on the tree: "Fourth Master Jue, look how well the green plums have grown this year?" He looked up, glanced at them briefly, nodded casually, and then stared intently at my face: "What's your name?"

  I suddenly realized that he wasn't a road idiot, but had serious eye problems.