Chapter 66 — If He Doesn’t Belong to Anyone, Would You Want Him?
Edited by DancingDolphinsYo
After the meal, Wu Xingzi walked a few rounds around the courtyard to aid his digestion. They were currently living in one of the properties owned by the Peng Society in Xingyi. It was a small and exquisite compound. The courtyard had been taken care of exceedingly well, and there was also a small patch of tung trees. The snow-white petals had fallen down gently, as though covering the ground in a layer of snow.
Rancui had originally wanted to accompany him as well, taking the opportunity to sow discord. It would be best if Wu Xingzi completely gave up all affections for Guan Shanjin.
Who would have guessed that Hei’er would first step forward and stop him, shaking his head with an unfriendly expression and exuding a faintly threatening aura? Hei’er was very clear that Rancui did not like Guan Shanjin, and he was not naive enough to believe that this little fox would not take the chance to sow discord.
Fine, just let him stop me! Rancui snorted, bad-tempered. Pulling his hand back, he gave a fake smile. “Tell me, what plans does Man Yue have?”
“Man Yue?” Hei’er frowned. He was not surprised that Rancui knew he had met Man Yue, but he was astonished that Rancui knew Man Yue wanted to send him a message.
“You’ve met him already. It’s impossible that he doesn’t have any messages he wants to pass on to me. That fellow is like a mooncake filled with bean paste. It looks sweet, but when you bite into it, you end up biting into knives,” Rancui sneered.
“He does have a message for you…” Hei’er sighed. He recalled, what did Man Yue say about Rancui? Was it not that the manager looked as though he was like a water lily, rising up unsullied from the mud, but his core was entirely black. In Hei’er’s eyes, neither were easy to deal with. “Man Yue says that he hopes the manager would not go back on what you’ve agreed upon. How the General treats Mr. Wu has nothing to do with the manager at all, and he also hopes that you’d consider how delicate your neck is. If you go too far, you’d best be prepared.”
This was an undisguised threat and reminder. Rancui’s face darkened. Glaring at Hei’er, he did not speak.
“You know you don’t like the General, but the General truly likes Mr. Wu.” Hei’er’s heart could not help but soften when he saw Rancui huffing with anger. “Why must you take the responsibility of Mr. Wu’s matters?”
“Hah! I’m happy to do it,” Rancui spat. He thought about the ten years he spent, going all out to matchmake the members of the Peng Society. Now that he had met Guan Shanjin, this bandit, how could he not be angry? People who already had someone in their heart, but still went on to flirt with and provoke others were all scumbags!
What was even more frustrating was that in truth, Rancui knew that he was powerless. At most, he could vex Guan Shanjin a little, but he was not able to protect Wu Xingzi.
Hearing him, Hei’er could only sigh secretly.
Over on another side, Wu Xingzi was not aware of the surging tension between the two people standing on the porch. There was a deep frown on his face. He was very worried over Guan Shanjin staying on guard in Qingcheng County, yet he was at a loss as to what he could do. Like this, he walked one round after another, and he only stopped after his clothes were soaked in sweat.
“Is Mr. Lu in Qingcheng County as well?” Wu Xingzi’s sudden question caught Hei’er by surprise, and it took him a moment before he hurriedly nodded.
“Yes, Mr. Lu is also in Qingcheng County, accompanying the General… Mr. Wu, don’t think too much about it. You’re still the one whom the General misses the most.” Guan Shanjin had only used the pretext of bringing Mr. Lu on a tour and keeping him by his side to prevent any slip ups.
Unfortunately, this was something Hei’er could not say, and he could only worry over it in silence and anxiety.
“Oh…” Wu Xingzi sighed, wiping his forehead with his sleeve as he sat down on a wooden bench by the side. “It’s been hard on Mr. Lu.”
“What’s so hard for him? He’s the General’s beloved, and who in the world doesn’t know that the entire bloodline of the Protector General, all of them believe in and only have their one true love? There would no longer be anyone fighting over the General’s affections with him anymore.” Rancui lazily fanned himself with a Chinese K’o-ssu fan, and he did not hold his vicious tongue back despite Man Yue’s warning.
“That’s true.” Wu Xingzi nodded, convinced. He seemed to not think any deeper about the reason why Guan Shanjin was trying to intercept him at Qingcheng County, and even had the time to worry over Lu Zezhi.
This made Rancui a little surprised.
Anyone could see what Wu Xingzi felt towards Guan Shanjin, to say nothing of Rancui, whose eyes were very sharp. Not only could he see that Wu Xingzi liked Guan Shanjin, he even noticed that Wu Xingzi had placed Guan Shanjin in the most important position in his heart. If the timing, the people, and the place were right, it would be no exaggeration to say that he would remember Guan Shanjin forever, and would even live and die for him.
In principle, in such a situation, learning that the person he liked was able to do something so extreme for him, and even express a determination to once again keep him by his side, who would not be moved? Who would not have multiple thoughts running through their head, imagining a future where the two were mutually set on each other?
Or else, he should at least be unsettled, and believe that he held a rather weighty position in the other person’s heart. Even if Wu Xingzi was a person who never took anything to heart, and was the happy-go-lucky sort, he should not be completely unmoved and secretly pleased.
However, right from the start, the only thing Wu Xingzi was concerned about was cleaning his ancestors’ graves.
He was anxious and upset, but he was only worried that he would not be able to perform his filial duties to his ancestors, as though no matter what Guan Shanjin did, it was not as important as Qingming. It was fine if he liked him, and it was also fine if he did not. Wu Xingzi was completely not bothered by it at all.
“Mr. Wu, don’t you think that the General still holds affection for you?” Unable to repress his curiosity, Rancui hesitated for a moment, then displayed a concerned front and asked Wu Xingzi.
“He still holds affection for me?” Wu Xingzi blinked, and unexpectedly laughed. “Naturally, but it will all be in the past.”
Rancui suddenly realised that he might not understand Wu Xingzi as well as he thought he did.
Gracefully, he sat down next to Wu Xingzi. Pulling open the brocade purse tied to his waist, revealing the melon seeds within, Rancui invited Wu Xingzi to share them.
Did he want to have a casual chit chat? Wu Xingzi looked a little distressed. He grabbed a handful of the seeds, and after eating a few, he finally could not bear Rancui’s curious gaze any longer. Furthermore, they could now be considered friends, and it was fine for them to share confidence.
“It’s embarrassing to say this, but although I’m not talented, I’ve still worked in the magistrate’s office for over twenty years.” Wu Xingzi did not know where to start. Unconsciously, he straightened his back, and ate a few more melon seeds.
“Qingcheng County is a small place, but just like every place that has humans living there, how can there not be any conflicts or various mean acts?” Wu Xingzi sighed, and finished up all the melon seeds in his hand, not knowing how he should share his thoughts. He had always buried his matters deep within his heart, and had never shared them with anyone before. For him to suddenly share such confidences, he really did not know where to start.
Rancui was not in a hurry either. Seeing that Wu Xingzi had finished his melon seeds, he passed him another handful. He then turned his head, raising his delicate chin at Hei’er, “Prepare some tea.”
Hei’er glanced at him apathetically, then instructed Mint and Osmanthus to brew some tea and prepare some snacks.
Clicking his tongue, Rancui spoke, “It seems like you wouldn’t have any issues becoming a manager.” He then flicked the shells of the melon seeds at Hei’er.
Frowning, Hei’er caught the shells and placed them one by one on the railing.
Rancui pursed his lips and ignored him, turning back and silently eating the melon seeds with Wu Xingzi.
“In the southern part of Qingcheng County, there’s a family with the surname Mao. The eldest son in the family, Master Mao, is a merchant, and he can be considered the richest person in the county. Both rich and good-looking, he’s polite and modest, as well as a filial child, and a good brother. He takes care of everything very well, and whoever speaks about him will always praise him,” Wu Xingzi suddenly spoke. His voice was gentle and pleasant-sounding.
“Master Mao and his wife could be considered a pair made in heaven. Both of them grew up next to each other, and Madam Mao had married him before she was even of age. At that time, the Mao family had yet to make their fortune. Their family wealth was truly built upon their own efforts. As for me, I’ve met Madam Mao before. We are close in age, about 4 to 5 years apart, and I used to call her jiejie as a child. Master Mao was very good to his wife. He invited a teacher to teach her how to read, and so my father would go to their house every few days, bringing me along.” Wu Xingzi seemed to have fallen back in time. The distress on his face had faded away, and replacing it was a joy of reminiscence.
By then, the two girls had brought over the tea and snacks. Rancui deftly poured out a cup for Wu Xingzi, and he also stopped eating melon seeds, so as not to disturb Wu Xingzi from his recollections.
There definitely was no happy ending to the story, or else the magistrate’s office would not have been involved.
Sure enough, Wu Xingzi continued, “Later on, Madam Mao took over the accounts for Master Mao, and the person Master Mao trusted the most was also Madam Mao.”
“Whether it was housework, or the finances of the shop, Madam Mao managed all of them herself. Unfortunately… Madam Mao never bore a child. She tried many prescriptions, and sought out many famous doctors, but it was all fruitless.” As people said, there were three ways to be unfilial, and to have no offspring was the worst of all. Wu Xingzi did not say much any longer, but the others could roughly guess what had happened.
Master Mao most definitely had taken in a concubine, and he might have even taken in more than one. Madam Mao must have been pained, but as a woman, what could she say? She could only blame her womb for failing to live up to expectations.
The concubines later naturally gave birth to children, and that only caused Madam Mao’s position to become more awkward.
“Madam Mao never resented Master Mao for it, and Master Mao also still respected her greatly. After all, they had been a couple since they were young, and their relationship was different from that of others. However…” Wu Xingzi sighed, hesitating for a bit. In the end, he did not continue his sentence, and only said lightly, “After that, Master and Madam Mao separated, parting peacefully. A separation request has to be stamped and confirmed by the magistrate’s office before it would be considered official. We also need to ensure that the request has been personally signed by both the husband and the wife, and no coercion was involved. If we find that both parties have agreed to it, then the separation will be approved.”
As the advisor working in the magistrate’s office, Wu Xingzi was naturally the one who handled this himself. There was sorrow upon his face. Even though this was a matter that transpired many years ago, he still felt melancholic over it.
“Master Rancui, in this world, the one thing that should never grow old would be affection. Once the affection ages, it can only come to a sorrowful end. Now, towards me, Haiwang feels more anger than nostalgia. He already has Mr. Lu, and he’s only feeling unreconciled to not being able to have someone he wants. This would definitely not last long.” Wu Xingzi smiled at Rancui, his gentle voice drifting out into the night. It clearly was like warm water, but it left others choking, speechless.
Rancui had great confidence in his ability to read people. However, when faced with Wu Xingzi, his skill became somewhat ineffective. He seemed to have completely made a wrong judgement. This seemingly shy, ordinary and carefree middle-aged man who seeked no fame nor fortune, although he was the sort to have enduring and lasting feelings, he always kept himself in a very proper manner, so proper to the point where he even seemed a little callous.
As an advisor, Wu Xingzi had seen too much of life, whether good or bad, and he understood too well the ruthlessness of the world. If he did not present such naivety, or rather, it was because he had seen too much and yet he still could preserve his own sense of self, this naivety was really too unadulterated, and it instead even became sharper than a blade.
When he said he was leaving, he really meant it. The worries Rancui had earlier completely did not exist.
He would not turn back, as he was well aware that he no longer could control his love for Guan Shanjin. He had truly fallen for Guan Shanjin, and so he would never turn back. He would not give himself even a moment to miss him, swiftly and deftly cleaving the connection between the two of them decisively.
If Wu Xingzi did not truly fall for Guan Shanjin, he might have returned to him now, or he might not even have left in the first place. That was the Lanling Prince of pengornises! If he passed on this one, would he still be able to find another one like it? However, he had to fall in love…
“When I was young, I never had this realisation, and was once bound by a perfume sachet. A past affection, may only be worth a few coins, but those coins were enough to last me quite some time.” Wu Xingzi started eating the melon seeds again. The sounds he made when eating the seeds were not loud, and his habit was to suck on the seeds, softening them before peeling them. The shells slowly piled up in a neat arrangement. “Ai, I’m just worried about how I’m going to clean up my ancestors’ graves. I can’t be waiting for half a month like this. I’m afraid that my parents would end up coming into my dreams to scold me.”
“Hmm…” Rancui fanned himself with his fan, narrowing his eyes at Hei’er, who was standing there silently with his head bowed. “I have an idea, but I don’t know if Commander Hei will be able to help me out.”
“Please tell, Manager.”
“Go tell Man Yue, that having someone following behind us might not be beneficial to Mr. Wu. As for what would happen later, Man Yue knows what to do.” Rancui smiled winsomely, lazily fanning at the fireflies that were gradually appearing. He assured Wu Xingzi, consoling him, “Mr. Wu, don’t worry. According to my estimations, there’ll at most be four or five days before you’ll be able to go home, or even two to three days if things move fast.”
As such, spending only four hours in Xingyi and without even a good night’s rest, Hei’er had to make his weary way back to Qingcheng County again.
Before he left, Rancui and him had a discussion. Rancui would make his way to Qingcheng County with Wu Xingzi and the two maids tomorrow, so as not to waste travelling time for Hei’er.
“After all, I still hope to be able to bring Mr. Wu back to the capital around mid-June.” Rancui covered his smile, his charming brows displaying a sense of him being up to no good.
Hei’er looked at him silently. Even without asking, he knew that Rancui definitely had nothing good planned.
“Is there something happening in mid-June?” Wu Xingzi was very curious.
“It’s something interesting, you’ll definitely like it.” Rancui tapped on his lip, putting on an enigmatic front. He turned and hurried Hei’er, “Why are you still standing here? Quickly, scram! I don’t want to bump into Guan Shanjin in the outskirts of Qingcheng County.”
“Don’t command me, you’re not my master.” Hei’er’s anger had been stoked by Rancui. Despite standing in front of Wu Xingzi, he still threatened Rancui darkly.
“There’s no way I’ll ever want a bastard like you! Why? Do I still have to perform rites to make a request for you to do things? Hush! It’s enough that I throw you a bone for you to chew on.” Rancui even pulled out a counting rod1 from somewhere and tossed it at Hei’er.
Hei’er reached out and caught the counting rod. Other than glaring at Rancui, there was actually nothing Hei’er could do about him, and he gloomily turned and left.
When Hei’er left, Rancui found an excuse to send Mint and Osmanthus away. When he turned to look at Wu Xingzi, his always present smile faded away. “Mr. Wu, I need to ask a question now. Please don’t take offence.”
“Huh? Ai, Master Rancui, please don’t be so formal, just ask, go ahead and ask!” Wu Xingzi jolted up, straightening his back. His hands clenched uneasily on his knees, and he seemed to be frightened by Rancui’s unusual expression.
“If the General also holds true and deep affection for you, would you be willing to continue your relationship with him?”
Wu Xingzi’s mouth fell open, but he was unable to make a sound. He stared at Rancui, dumbfounded, as he never expected that he would ask this question.
A moment later, Wu Xingzi closed his mouth, licking his dry lips. Smiling wryly, he said, “Master Rancui, an aged affection is over.”
“Things are unpredictable, and there’s always the possibility of an old flame rekindling.” Rancui picked up his teacup, sipping at his tea. Sincerely, he spoke, “Mr. Wu, you probably are aware that I dislike the General. No matter how I look at him, I feel that he’s unworthy of you. This man is too harsh, too cold, and I won’t be going overboard to say that he’s heartless and disloyal. However, you’re different. I dare not make claims to any other matters, but I’m still decent at reading people. Have you never thought of finding someone to spend the rest of your life with? Not everyone is like that perfume sachet, only worth a few coins. At the very least, Guan Shanjin is worth a few thousand taels.”
“No matter Guan Shanjin’s value, he still belongs to someone else.” Wu Xingzi bowed his head and chuckled. His expression could not be made out in the night, but Rancui felt as though he was weeping silently.
“Then, what if he doesn’t belong to anyone? Would you… want him?” Rancui did not let him off, but continued pressing him.
A shudder ran through Wu Xingzi’s thin body. Even his breathing had turned faint, and he did not respond for a long time.
Rancui sighed deeply in his heart. Was there anything more that he did not understand?
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