Chapter 119: The Unintentional Listener
Chapter 119: Chapter 119: The Unintentional Listener
September, also known as the month of chrysanthemums.
The courtyard was filled with autumn chrysanthemums, blooming in charming splendor.
Lately, every few days, one or two more pots of rare chrysanthemums would appear in the small bamboo building. Before she knew it, the place had become a riot of color.
"I still like this Phoenix Feathers one best. It’s a fine specimen, and the name has a good meaning."
"But the Jade Pot Spring is clearly prettier!"
"Says who? This Red Coat, Green Skirt is the most beautiful!"
...
Liang Wan straightened up and glanced back. A few of her maids were gathered in a circle, whispering and bickering among themselves.
She turned around with a smile. "Well, that’s convenient. You can each just pick the ones you like and take care of those."
With so many flowers, caring for them all was a real chore.
The maids laughed and shoved each other playfully, declaring that they didn’t like any of the flowers after all.
Qiuxi suddenly looked up from the group. "Liang Ji, have you decided which pot you’ll choose?"
Her question made the atmosphere turn cold. All the smiles vanished.
The ninth day of the ninth month was the wedding day of Lu Xiu and Cao Luyun.
The closer the day came, the more they avoided the topic. But even if they didn’t speak of it, the frantic, final preparations at the new residence were impossible to ignore unless one was blind and deaf.
The other maids fell silent, busying themselves with their own tasks—moving pots and watering flowers with their heads bowed.
Liang Wan took it all in. ’This deliberate avoidance will only create more tension,’ she thought. ’We’ll be seeing each other all the time in the future. It’s better to clear up any speculation from the start.’
She smiled. "Didn’t you just say there was one with a good meaning? Phoenix Feathers, was it?"
"Huh?" Gu Yu looked over with a frown, hugging the flowerpot in her hands a little tighter. Bai Lu gently nudged her, and she reluctantly placed the pot on the small table.
Liang Wan glanced at the flower on the table, its petals spreading like a phoenix’s wings in stunning beauty. Then she saw Gu Yu’s expression, as if she were giving up a piece of her own flesh. Shaking her head with a smile, she said, "Never mind. If you can’t bear to part with it, then keep it."
Gu Yu’s face instantly lit up, and she shot a wink at Bai Lu.
Qiuxi pointed to another pot beside her. "How about this one called Green Peony? It’s also a rarity. It’s clearly a chrysanthemum, but it’s named after a peony—"
"I like this one," Liang Wan interrupted. "Gu Yu, you’d better watch it for me. No one is to touch this pot."
Gu Yu smiled and quickly agreed.
Qiuxi’s face fell. "Then which one does Liang Ji plan to give as a gift?"
Washing her hands, Liang Wan replied without looking up, "It doesn’t have to be flowers. Aren’t there plenty of objects on the shelves inside?"
’She and Cao Luyun aren’t going to act like real sisters,’ Liang Wan thought. ’A superficial gesture is enough. Using something I myself cherish to curry favor with someone so insignificant is completely unnecessary.’
After drying her hands, Liang Wan went to get the beauty pills she had made for Song Tan. ’Isn’t internal nourishment more important than external application?’
"Liang Ji, the carriage is ready."
Just as she finished packing the jars and bottles, a maid entered.
Liang Wan nodded. After a quick tidying up, she left with Qiuxi.
She had arranged to deliver the medicine to Song Tan today.
The autumn afternoon was still pleasantly warm. The ox-cart moved at a leisurely pace, and Liang Wan leaned against the window. At the stalls lining the street, many people were selling newly harvested rice and millet...
Qiuxi glanced out the window, where a woman was selling bamboo shoots and mushrooms dug from the mountains. She sighed. "Every time I see these women hawking their wares, I think of Chun’er. But I suppose she’s living a good life now."
The Cui Family’s ancestors were not fabulously wealthy, but they were scholars, and the grandfather had even been a local official. However, the family’s fortunes had declined by the father’s generation. Liang Wan knew all this, but she never would have guessed that Chun’er had been Cui Hao’s personal maid since childhood.
If Cui Hao hadn’t confessed it publicly that day, she would still be in the dark. No wonder the two of them were so devoted to each other!
"Yes, her good days are just beginning."
Liang Wan watched the various passersby, her dark eyes narrowing as she suppressed the sarcastic smile that touched her lips.
"I’ve never heard of a live-in son-in-law being allowed to take a concubine. If it weren’t for your help this time, Chun’er would have had no hope. But because of this, I’m afraid Lady Feng..."
Liang Wan glanced back at Qiuxi. ’Should I find some time to have a proper talk with her?’ she wondered. ’She knows perfectly well how Mrs. Zhang and the others treated me, yet she can still feel pity for them—’
After a moment of thought, Liang Wan said sternly, "Qiuxi, not everyone deserves forgiveness, and not everyone deserves help. You must know when to stop helping someone. You can never know how terrifying a person can become once they are overcome with greed!"
She had never truly understood the phrase "blinded by greed" before, but now she felt it deeply. Greed could truly corrupt a person until they were a shadow of their former self.
She still remembered the Cui Hao who had first arrived in Jinye. He was a man who would blush the moment he opened his mouth...
The ox-cart stopped, bringing her reminiscence to an end. Liang Wan collected her thoughts and stepped out.
Manji Clothing Shop was a two-story, time-honored establishment that had moved from the west side of the city to the east.
When Liang Wan entered, the shop was empty except for a single clerk dozing on a stool behind the door. The sight of a customer startled him so much he nearly slid to the floor.
Clearly, that Song Tan was late again.
Liang Wan was a regular customer and knew her way around. She went upstairs to sit and wait. The clerk, familiar with her habits, simply brought her a pot of tea and went back to his own business.
From the second floor, she could see the streetscape, so the wait wasn’t too dull.
Liang Wan had just lifted her teacup for a sip when someone tugged on her sleeve.
"Liang Ji, it’s Miss Cao."
Liang Wan stood up and leaned over to look downstairs. There were two or three young noble ladies of similar age, one of whom was indeed Cao Danqing. Immediately, their voices drifted up from below.
The corner of Liang Wan’s mouth twitched. ’What a coincidence.’
Qiuxi had a worried expression. She had witnessed Cao Danqing’s fierce spirit before. If a conflict broke out, Liang Ji would be no match for her in a physical confrontation.
"We’ve been shopping for so long. Aren’t you tired yet?" one of them complained in a delicate voice.
"How could she be tired? She claims she’s picking a gift for her Sister, but she’s probably using it as an excuse to choose her own dowry!" another teased, followed by a burst of laughter from downstairs.
Cao Danqing retorted irritably, "I’ll let you two have your fun with words!"
"Look at her, acting coy after landing the perfect husband!"
"Exactly! Both of those sisters are marrying better than the next!"
The group chatted and laughed.
Liang Wan glanced at the silent Qiuxi. ’We were here first,’ she thought, ’why are we acting like thieves?’
Besides, she had no interest in listening to such idle gossip.
Liang Wan stood up, preparing to go downstairs.
"But, I heard that woman from the Liang Family is highly favored—"
"More than just favored! I heard from my brother that the Liang woman adores flowers. Anyone who visits the Grand Commandant makes sure to bring rare and expensive flowers with them!"
Liang Wan’s steps faltered. She turned her head to exchange a look with Qiuxi. ’So that’s where all those mysterious flowers came from?’
She pulled back the leg she had extended and stood still.
"What? If that’s true, will your Sister be able to handle her after she gets married? Don’t tell me she’ll have to walk on eggshells around her—"
"She’s just a concubine. Is she even worth talking about?" Cao Danqing scoffed. "Seductive vixens like her, with no sense of propriety or shame, are a dime a dozen in the East Market Music Bureau. How can she possibly compare to my Sister? Once my Sister is married, if that woman doesn’t behave, we’ll have her dragged out and sold!"