Chapter 27: Chapter 25: The Timidity of Homecoming
Before long.
Li Yaozu, his wife, and their guest, Wei Tu, were also seated on stools at the dining table.
"Brother Wei..."
Li Xingye was the first to greet Wei Tu. He addressed him formally as "Brother Wei," forgoing the more familiar term his parents used.
And his face held not the slightest trace of arrogance.
Humble and serene, his etiquette toward his guest was impeccable.
Wei Tu raised an eyebrow, his impression of Li Xingye improving. He sighed to himself. ’No wonder the County Town gentry have been flocking to the Li Mansion to curry favor with the Li Family since hearing about his County Examination results.’
’If he’s this courteous to me,’ Wei Tu thought, ’he must be perfectly gracious and eloquent when speaking with the gentry.’
"I’m not home often, as I’m always studying at the Prefecture School, so we haven’t had many chances to meet, Brother Wei. I never imagined that despite your humble station, you would still harbor such great ambitions..."
"When my father told me of this remarkable news, I was filled with admiration for you, Brother Wei."
A smile on his face, Li Xingye brought his hands together and gave Wei Tu a respectful salute from his seat.
"With your martial arts, Brother Wei, you’re sure to excel in the Military Examination. When the time comes for the Prefecture Examination... we could travel to the Prefecture City together. We could look out for one another..."
he said with sincerity.
Hearing Li Xingye’s proposal, Wei Tu froze, unsure of how to respond. He felt a little awkward.
Aside from Shan Yanggong, he’d never really interacted with the scholars of this world. He couldn’t tell if Li Xingye’s enthusiasm was appropriate or excessive.
Traveling to the Prefecture City with Li Xingye would certainly be a good thing, but he didn’t want to be further indebted to the Li Family for their "care."
If he weren’t so short on funds, and if Xinghua weren’t at the Li Mansion... he wouldn’t have wanted to knock on their door at all.
"My master’s eldest son runs a private school in the Prefecture City, and his home is quite large..."
"When I left the Shan Family, Brother Yanguo already invited me to stay with him during the Prefecture Examination. So, I wouldn’t want to impose on you, Brother Xingye."
Wei Tu thought for a moment before shaking his head and declining the offer.
As his words fell,
The smile on Li Xingye’s face stiffened slightly. It only relaxed after he heard what Li Yaozu said next.
Upon hearing this, Li Yaozu said, "Scholar Shan has lived in the Prefecture City for a long time. With Brother Wei having left the Shan Family, knowing Scholar Shan’s character, he would certainly insist that Brother Wei stay with him..."
"I was being presumptuous."
"I hope you won’t take offense, Brother Wei."
Li Xingye couldn’t tell if his father was just giving him an excuse to save face or telling the truth. In any case, he showed no sign that he cared about the matter.
Once the dishes were served,
The people in the dining room fell silent, observing the rule of etiquette: "Do not speak at meals, nor in bed."
...
After finishing dinner in the inner residence,
Wei Tu knew not to overstay his welcome in the family’s private quarters. After giving a cupped-fist salute, he followed the maid, Chunlan, out of the inner residence.
Just as he was about to leave, Wei Tu thought he heard something. He paused for a moment, looking up at a tall, straight ancient cypress planted deep within the courtyard.
The courtyard wall obscured the tree’s trunk, but its lush branches rose above the tiled roof, their tips swaying gently in the moonlight.
Wei Tu shook his head. A knowing, relaxed smile spread across his face as he stepped through the courtyard gate.
Since achieving a level of mastery in the Health Cultivation Technique, his senses had become exceptionally sharp. His hearing, in particular, was far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to detect the massacre of the Baiyang County Blademen by the Zheng Country Official Soldiers outside the inn that night he was returning home.
Wei Tu had heard it—the ancient cypress in the inner residence had been kicked. Kicked hard.
And the one who delivered the kick, he surmised, was none other than the humble and polite Li Xingye from a moment ago.
’Like father, like son...’
’There’s no doubt about it.’
Wei Tu thought.
...
When he reached the front courtyard of the Li Mansion,
Wei Tu saw Xinghua standing with a lantern before the door of the main room where he had lived half a year ago.
"Brother Wei..."
"You, you’re back..."
Seeing Wei Tu, Xinghua didn’t rush forward to excitedly embrace the man she had known since she was little. She started to take a step, then hesitated and drew back.
Her gaze drifted downward, as if her eyes could see right through his purple, wool-padded jacket to the bare torso beneath.
More than half a year had passed. Xinghua could tell his chest was firmer and broader than when he’d left. His waist was wider, too. The seams she had sewn on his clothes had been let out and restitched with even finer needlework...
Familiar.
And yet, unfamiliar.
Especially the formidable aura of a seasoned Martial Artist that clung to him; it was intimidating.
Most people would feel a touch of fear upon seeing him and give him a wide berth.
When speaking with him, they couldn’t help but be more polite, choosing their words with greater care.
Xinghua decided, ’I must be afraid of that aura, too.’ After all, she was just a sheltered maid, a delicate woman who hadn’t seen much of the world.
Wei Tu stopped in the courtyard. He had seen her take that slight step back, had seen the timid fear in her eyes.
"That meal in the inner residence was too formal. I’m still hungry. Are there any flatbreads in the room?"
"Grab a few for me, and draw a bath. I’ve been on the road all day."
Wei Tu ordered Xinghua around as if she were a common serving maid.
Hearing his words, Xinghua, still standing in the doorway, felt a pang of disappointment. But along with the disappointment, she also felt that she was no longer useless to him.
At least she could serve as a common maid for her husband, a man with prospects in the Military Examination.
To this,
Xinghua was resigned to her lot.
She was used to it.
She turned and went inside to fetch the flatbreads that had been made fresh in the kitchen just a quarter of an hour ago.
However,
just as she turned,
Wei Tu silently came up behind her and pinched her bottom.
Xinghua’s face instantly flushed crimson. She spun around and shot a glare at Wei Tu, her face a mask of displeasure.
This time, he had pinched her much harder than ever before.
"Get yourself washed and wait for me in bed. I’ve been holding back for too long at the Shan Family."
Wei Tu spoke with a forwardness that would make anyone blush.
"You eat first."
Xinghua shoved the scalding-hot flatbreads into his arms, stomped her foot, and hurried out of the main room, obediently heading to the maids’ washroom to bathe.
’I suppose...’
’This must be her own version of the anxiety of homecoming...’
Wei Tu watched her retreating figure, shook his head, and mused to himself.
He was different from Xinghua, after all. He’d had a modern education. The thoughts she believed she’d hidden so deeply couldn’t escape his notice.
At that moment,
Xinghua was timid around him.
She was afraid that once he became successful and famous, he would cast her aside—the wife who had been with him through hardship.
Less than an hour later,
Xinghua returned to the main room. She deliberately kept her head down, trying to hide her neck, which had been scrubbed red with soap.
Her worries were unfounded.
Wei Tu closed the door, blew out the candle, then slung her over his shoulder and tossed her onto the waiting bedding.
A moment later.
A tempest tossed the crimson sheets.
The bed frame swayed.
Late in the night, the two of them stirred from their exhausted sleep. They held each other tightly, all traces of the awkwardness from a few hours before completely gone.
"Brother Wei..."
Xinghua opened her eyes, kissed Wei Tu’s forehead, and then, utterly content, went back to sleep.
