Volume 1 Chapter 9: The Past is Like Smoke
Wang Pofang sighed and said, "It's been twelve years, and I have never mentioned it to anyone. Now that Lan'er has been kidnapped, I really feel that the three of them are destined to be together..."
Lin Longqing trembled and asked, "Auntie just said that they are a family of three?"
Wang Po nodded and continued, "First, Lan'er's father passed away and there was no news from him. Then his mother also disappeared without a trace. Now it's Lan'er..." Two turbid tears rolled out of Wang Po's eyes.
Lin Longqing said blankly: "But, Auntie said that Lan'er's parents are both dead, how come?"
Wang Po wiped her eyes and said, "I don't know whether they are dead or not, but there has been no news from them in the past ten years, and they have never returned to this small courtyard." Wang Po told the story as if she had returned to twelve years ago.
"At that time, the spring breeze was warm, and the pear blossoms on the tree were still in full bloom. The couple drew their eyebrows in front of the mirror every day, and read books at night with the red sleeves. Although Lan'er's father was a scholar who was well-read in poetry and books, he did not want to seek fame, but only wanted to live a peaceful life with his wife and mother-in-law. At this time, Lan'er's mother was pregnant. With this happy event, the family was even happier. The son-in-law was especially caring for her. He usually didn't even let her go out of the courtyard, for fear of any accidents.
"One day, my daughter suddenly wanted to go out for an outing and pick flowers, so my son-in-law went out with her. They didn't pick any flowers, but they brought home a stranger who said he could fight ten people at once and had great martial arts skills. The couple happened to be there at the time and they admired him very much. They got along very well and invited him to their home.
"The stranger had three long tufts of beard, a face like a jade crown, and a white dress. He walked into the yard, but did not enter the house. He looked up at the pear tree in the yard, and suddenly he tiptoed and jumped to the branch of the pear tree like a swallow. The branch trembled, and he also trembled. I was really afraid that he would fall. He picked a branch of pear flowers, flew down the tree, landed gracefully, and walked to my son-in-law with a smile and said: "This branch of pear flowers is a thank you gift for drinking your good wine!" Lan'er's father smiled but did not answer. He took the pear flower and put it in my daughter's hair.
"My son-in-law is well-read and conceited. Most people don't take him seriously, but he highly respects this man. He took out the fine wine he brewed himself, which he usually doesn't show to others. The two of them talked all night long, drinking and chatting. Sometimes they talked about martial arts and military tactics, and sometimes about how harsh policies harm people. My daughter and I were too tired to accompany him, so we went to rest. But the two of them kept chatting until dawn.
"The son-in-law wanted to ask him to stay for a few more days, but the man had important business to attend to in the Jiangnan area, and insisted on leaving at dawn. The son-in-law went out to see him off. After returning, he somehow wanted to seek officialdom and go to Kyoto to take the imperial examination."
At this point, Wang Po sighed and said, "To be honest, my son-in-law's family and I have a long history of friendship. They are all from scholarly families and have served as officials. According to the legend passed down by our ancestors, they were framed by villains in the officialdom and were not only forced to resign, but several people were also implicated and lost their lives. They agreed to move their family here to live in seclusion and live a simple life. There is only one thing, the children are only allowed to study, but not to serve as officials. There was a child in my great-grandfather's generation who secretly participated in the provincial examination and came back with a broken leg! So I told you not to ask Lan'er to seek fame. Alas, the bloodline has continued to this day, and the family is so deserted that it is very difficult to live. Who would take the advice of the older generation seriously? Therefore, although my daughter and I tried hard to persuade him, my son-in-law would not listen. Instead, he laughed and said, 'With my talent and learning, how could I stay in Kyoto? I will definitely become famous in one fell swoop. Then I will take leave and return to my hometown to accompany you. After the child is born, we can go to Kyoto together.
"However, his daughter was adamant about not agreeing, so he had to give up for the time being. Unexpectedly, more than a month later, someone sent him a letter from Kyoto. It was the stranger who came to my house that day. The tone of the letter was extremely polite and tactful. He said that he was waiting for Mr. Lin in Kyoto. He also said that if the young lady was worried, she and the old man could go to Beijing together. A small house had been prepared for them there.
"The letter probably also discussed some matters of the court. My son-in-law sighed and lamented every day, often talking about how many lives were suffering. My daughter was pregnant and it was really inconvenient for her to travel long distances. Seeing him like this, I had no choice but to relent and let him do what he wanted.
"Ah, I still remember when my son-in-law was leaving, they were both reluctant to part. They had never been apart since they got married, and my daughter cried until her eyes were red and swollen. She repeatedly told him to send letters home frequently after he went to Beijing, and to return home after the big exam, whether he passed or not."
Lin Longqing asked: "Will there be no news from him after he leaves?"
Grandma Wang said, "At first, he sent two letters home, saying that the man in white was very kind to him and arranged everything very thoughtfully. Oh, the man in white's surname was Zhang. The letter said that the two of them had become sworn brothers, and he called the man in white Zhang Big Brother."
Lin Longqing asked anxiously: "What happened next?"
Wang Po sighed and said, "There was no news after that. Whenever someone in the village or town went to the capital, my daughter and I would pay a large sum of money to ask people to help us get information. Alas, there was no result. My son-in-law's name was not on the list of candidates who took the exam that year..." After she finished speaking, she was already in tears.
Lin Longqing said: "This matter is really strange and inexplicable. Why is Lan'er's mother also missing?"
Speaking of Lin Jianlan's mother, Wang Po became even more sad, with tears flowing, and she could hardly speak: "After the son-in-law left, there was no news, and there was no clue at all. My daughter cried almost every day, hating her son-in-law and blaming herself for not keeping him. I kept persuading her every day, fearing that her excessive sadness would be bad for the baby in her belly. Alas, after much persuasion, the due date finally came, and Lan'er was born, and she seemed to have a little spirit."
Lin Longqing asked: "If that's the case, why did you run away from home again?"
Grandma Wang cried, "My daughter has a miserable life. Since she had Lan'er, she often hugged Lan'er. Sometimes she would talk to herself for a whole day, and sometimes she would stare blankly outside for a whole day. Seeing her like this, I was afraid that she would commit suicide. I really hated Lan'er's father in my heart, and often advised him: 'Even if he is dead, we mother and daughter will raise Lan'er. After all, he is your flesh and blood. You can't ignore such a young child.'"
Lin Longqing smiled bitterly and said, "It would be better if you didn't persuade Lan'er's mother with these two words..."
Grandma Wang said, "I really thought he was dead at that time, and since mother and child are closely connected, my daughter would never ignore Lan'er. But when my daughter heard me say that, she just shook her head and said, 'He's not dead, we will meet again.' Alas, I didn't understand what you meant at that time. As a result, when Lan'er was nine months old and could be weaned, her mother left a note one night saying that she was going out to look for Lan'er's father, and then she ran away from home. She has been gone for more than eleven years, and like her husband, there has been no news of her since then."
At this moment, Lin Longqing finally understood why Wang Po always advised him to be indifferent to fame and fortune, and was unwilling to let Lan'er seek fame and fortune. It turned out that her family was separated because Lan'er's father had the idea of seeking fame and fortune.
"Lan'er lost her mother and cried all day long. I had no choice but to focus on taking care of Lan'er and asked people to find out where my daughter was. Just like that, Lan'er grew up slowly. We were old and young, and it went on like this day after day."
Lin Longqing said: "I never thought that my benefactor's family would suffer such a great misfortune. Alas, does Lan'er know?"
Wang Po said: "I have never told Lan'er about this. Rather than watching helplessly unable to find his biological parents, it is better to tell him that he is dead and stop thinking about him."
Lin Longqing said: "The root of this matter lies with the man in white. I will definitely find a way to find out the whereabouts of Lan'er's parents."
Wang Po shook her head and said, "I'm not asking you to look for them. Go to the Kuangyi Gang to look for Lan'er. Even if you find her, you know that the Kuangyi Gang is full of experts. How can you, who is no longer the leader of the gang, come and go as you please? Even if everything goes well and you rescue Lan'er, it will take you a year or two to come back here."
Lin Longqing said: "No matter what, I will do my best. Why do you say such discouraging words? Don't you trust me?"
Grandma Wang said sadly, "The world is so vast, and looking for them is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I'm already old, and I don't know if I can live long enough for Lan'er to come back and call me 'Grandma' again, let alone hear my daughter call me 'Mom'. I told you about what happened to Lan'er's parents, just so that you can tell him about this past event after you find Lan'er. If they ever have the chance to meet again..." She was already in tears at this point, and it was very sad.
Lin Longqing also felt sad, and forced a smile, "Auntie, why do you say that? I think it's okay for you to live to see Lan'er get married, and then give you a great-grandson..." At this time, he choked up in his throat and said, "Auntie, don't be sad. Lan'er's parents may have left one or two things, so that he can find them for verification later."
Wang Po said, "You are very thoughtful. Alas, almost everything in the house has been sold, leaving only these cabinets of books. I put away the books my daughter read before she left. You can take them!" She turned around, took out a wooden box from the cabinet and handed it to Lin Longqing.
Lin Longqing opened the wooden box and saw that it was carefully wrapped in a piece of floral cloth. It was obvious that Wang Po cherished it very much. Lin Longqing carefully opened it and found an anonymous poetry collection. On the inside of the book cover was a short poem written neatly. The handwriting was elegant and heroic:
The horizontal waves are cold and green, the hairpin flowers are rolled up into the evening clouds. And I am glad that the place where the beauty is hidden is not as deep as Guanghan.
The style of the following inscription has changed, and it is written in running script: "Lin Xiaoyu wrote this short song as a gift to his beloved wife. " The handwriting is well-arranged and unrestrained.
Lin Longqing just recited it silently, but heard Wang Po sighing beside him: "This is a gift from him to my daughter the day after his wedding. Alas, my daughter's maiden name is Cuiyun."
Lin Longqing thought to himself, "This poem is elegant and beautiful, and it contains my wife's maiden name. When I read this poem, the loving scene between the two seems to be right in front of me. This shows how talented Lin Xiaoyu is." As he was sighing with emotion, he saw something fall from the pile of books onto his clothes. He bent down to pick it up and saw that it was a branch of withered and yellowed pear blossoms.
The peach and plum blossoms are in full bloom for a few days, I am thinking of the magnolia, smiling at the spring breeze, and walking around the short pavilion. The setting sun is intoxicating for thousands of miles, and the swallows are singing and the orioles are chirping. Why do you need to urge me to throw away the golden cup? Just keep your feelings.
Jiangnan has been a beautiful place since ancient times. Spring is the busiest time of the year. Trees of pink peach blossoms, white magnolias, red camellias, and golden jasmines are in full bloom, looking gorgeous. Rows of willows on the road are like a green mist, blocking the pedestrians in groups of two or three. Many officials and their wives are out for an outing, with luxurious cars, beautiful clothes, and unusual noise. On the painted boats, there is also the sound of clinking glasses and stringed instruments.
At this time, the Qiyun Tower in Yangzhou was full of guests, shouting and chanting. A waiter stood at the door of the restaurant and said with a smile: "Dear gentlemen, I am sorry, we are full today!" It turned out that Qiyun Tower was the most famous restaurant in Yangzhou. Not to mention that the chefs there were good at cooking, even the century-old wine "Qiyunjiao" brewed by the family in this restaurant was also a local specialty. Even a jar of a younger wine cost more than ten taels of silver. Fireworks in March in Yangzhou, it was the spring season, and after playing, one had to find a good restaurant to have a good meal. Many guests came here because of the reputation of Qiyun Tower. When they heard that it was full, they couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh and leave.
The waiter saw everyone shaking their heads and leaving, so he turned around to get a rag and wiped everywhere. While wiping, he heard a series of silver bell-like laughter coming from far away. He looked up and saw three snow-white horses standing in front of him. On the middle horse sat a girl, about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a fiery red dress and smiling with dimples. Her face was slightly red, probably because she had just been riding a horse. A peach blossom was inserted diagonally in her temples, which made her face look more like a peach blossom. The waiter had never seen such a beautiful woman before. He only felt that the girl's pair of big watery eyes looked at him, and he was stunned for a moment.
The men on the two horses next to him dismounted quickly, and seeing the waiter was just stunned, they shouted angrily: "Hey! Don't you want to do business?" The waiter suddenly came to his senses and saw that the girl had dismounted, and one of the ugly men with pockmarked faces had tied up the horse. The man who had just scolded her laughed and said: "Junior sister, why do you have to practice on this guy? If you are looking for a target, I am willing to be your target for practice..." The girl scolded lightly: "Nonsense, who is wasting energy on him?" The man said again: "Oh, it turns out that he was stunned. Hehe!" The waiter turned around and looked at the man who scolded him. He looked handsome, but his face was a little pale, and the corners of his mouth were raised, with an indescribable frivolous and evil spirit.
The pockmarked man came over and said in a muffled voice: "Junior sister, the horse is already tied." The girl saw him coming and deliberately took his arm and said intimately: "Big brother, let's go up! Don't pay attention to the second brother, he doesn't say good things!" Then she walked into the store. The pockmarked man's face suddenly flushed, which made him look even uglier. The young man bit his lip and deliberately turned his face to the side, whispering: "Humph, don't be complacent, Junior sister is just using you to get angry with me, don't you see your character."
