LC chapter 22

 

As soon as the weather warmed up, it got warm right away. The winter jasmine flowers that Lin Ruan had seen a few days ago were only buds. Now, they’re in full bloom, hanging on the branches. The slender branches adorned with rice-sized flowers are a beautiful sight.

Lin Ruan saw several female students breaking off branches and tucking the flowers into their buttonholes. Their laughter and the fragrance of the flowers filled the air as they walked.

Tong Bo had called a tailor to his house to make clothes for his family, including two suits for Lin Ruan. Tong Bo went out to the small flower room for something, and Ah Yue was still talking to the tailor. Lin Ruan sat on a chair peeling and eating an orange while listening to Ah Yue talk to the tailor about making a bean-green satin cheongsam.

Lin Ruan asked, “Don’t you like wearing skirts? Why did you think of a cheongsam?”

Ah Yue, who was selecting fabric, replied, “After wearing skirts, wouldn’t it be refreshing to try a cheongsam?”

Ah Yue pulled Lin Ruan over to take a look. “You’re a man, too. Which one do you think looks good?”

Lin Ruan, clutching a handful of melon seeds, replied, “They all look good.”

Ah Yue rolled her eyes at him and turned back to talk with the tailor. She finally chose a bean-green satin fabric embroidered with pear blossoms — it looked refreshingly elegant.

The tailor measured Ah Yue’s waist. Ah Yue sat back down next to Lin Ruan. Lin Ruan offered her a handful of sunflower seeds, but she refused. “One ounce of sunflower seeds equals two ounces of oil. I won’t eat them.”

Lin Ruan spat out the shells. “Are you trying to lose weight?”

“Of course,” Ah Yue replied, glancing at Lin Ruan. “A cheongsam doesn’t look good on a fat person. I just saw the tailor’s note. Our waists are surprisingly similar, and you’re so much taller than me!”

Lin Ruan laughed. Ah Yue looked him up and down and said, “I think you’d look better in a cheongsam than I would.”

Lin Ruan replied, “What nonsense! I’m a man.”

“What’s wrong with being a man? Beauty is universal,” Ah Yue said.

Ah Yue moved closer to Lin Ruan and said, “I just found a piece of red satin. It’s incredibly beautiful. Uncle Tong said it’s been around for ages; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought out such precious satin.”

A Yue looked at Lin Ruan. “Why don’t you ask Uncle Tong to make a cheongsam out of it? A girl’s cheongsam is pretty much the same as your everyday gown!”

Lin Ruan shook his head. “Even if I had nothing else to wear and were about to freeze to death, I still wouldn’t wear a cheongsam.”

A Yue pouted. Then, after a moment, she came over excitedly. “During Chinese New Year, Master gave me a pearl necklace. Do you think it looks good with that cheongsam?”

While girls these days don’t wear gold and silver jewelry like they used to, they still like pearls, diamonds, and so on. Every year, Zhan Xi prepares gifts for Uncle Tong, A Yue, and the others. Uncle Tong calls them annual gifts, while A Yue calls them red envelopes. Since the gifts weren’t going to be displayed for everyone to see, there was no need to be so formal.

A Yue suddenly remembered something and said, “I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Write a letter for me,” she said.

Lin Ruan looked at her. “You can write, so why are you asking me?”

“My handwriting isn’t very good.” A Yue pulled Lin Ruan back to her room and got him a paper and a pen.

The paper was beautiful peach blossom paper sprinkled with gold. Ah Yue had sprinkled it with perfume, giving it a faint peach blossom scent.

Forced to sit on a stool by A Yue, Lin Ruan said, “I’m not as well-educated as you, so I can’t think of any good words. I’ll give you a rough outline, and you can help me write it.”

He looked at Ah Yue. “Who are you writing to?”

Ah Yue smiled and pursed her lips. “His name is Zhong Yan, with a single character, ‘yan,’ meaning ‘language.'”

“Zhong Yan,” Lin Ruan repeated. “Is that a man’s name?”

Ah Yue nodded. Lin Ruan became curious. “Who is he?”

“He’s someone I met at the pastry shop. He works at the bank.” Ah Yue lowered her head. “He’s my boyfriend,” she said shyly.

Lin Ruan was slightly surprised. “I’ve never heard you mention him before.”

“We just confirmed our relationship a while ago,” Ah Yue said. “The night before New Year’s, I was craving chestnuts, so I called him. A short while later, he came to see me.”

Lin Ruan’s eyes widened. “Just for a bag of chestnuts?”

Ah Yue looked at him, puzzled. “Are the chestnuts what’s important? It’s that he came right away just because I said I wanted them!”

“Oh.” Lin Ruan thought for a moment, then began to write.

“I’d like to ask him to visit Xishan with me next weekend,” Ah Yue said. “Ask him to meet me at Dongzhimen[mfn]“東直門” (Dongzhimen) — a famous area in Beijing, historically one of the city gates[/mfn]. If possible, bring me a rose.”

Ah Yue smiled unconsciously as she spoke. Lin Ruan looked at her and asked, “Why are you smiling?”

She didn’t answer but said, “When you meet someone you like, you’ll understand.”

“Like?” Lin Ruan paused and thought for a moment before asking, “What does it mean to like someone?”

Ah Yue thought. “Liking someone is a happy feeling. When I see him, I want to smile. When I don’t see him, I’m still happy thinking about him.”

Lin Ruan seemed lost in thought. “You should write the letter yourself.”

“Why?”

“Since you like him so much, you should write it yourself. When he sees it, he’ll think of you. If you’re worried about your handwriting, I have plenty of calligraphy examples. You can practice.”

“That makes sense!” Ah Yue said. “Alright, alright. You’re not needed. I’ll write it for him myself.”

Ah Yue pushed Lin Ruan out of the room, and Lin Ruan ran into Zhan Xi. Zhan Xi stopped and asked, “What are you doing in Ah Yue’s room?”

Lin Ruan replied, “The tailor just came in. Ah Yue asked me to pick out some fabric for her.”

Zhan Xi nodded and said, “Liu Feng and Hui Xue are coming to stay in a couple of days. Don’t mess around with them.”

Lin Ruan nodded. Zhan Xi explained everything to Lin Ruan and went upstairs. Lin Ruan stared at Zhan Xi’s back, scratching his head, unable to figure out what was going on.

When Tong Bo heard that the Gu sisters were coming, he hurriedly packed their room. Their room was on the second floor with a view of the back garden.

On Friday afternoon, Gu Ji drove the two sisters over. With the weather gradually warming up, the girls’ dresses were as colorful as spring flowers.

They were both wearing off-white cashmere coats, felt hats trimmed with pearl tassels, and freshly picked roses on their chests. Each carried a small bag, looking like beautiful women heading out for a spring outing. Gu Ji followed them in, carrying two suitcases.

Zhan Xi came up from downstairs, and Gu Ji placed the suitcases there. “I’ll leave these two ladies to you.”

Gu Ji seemed very busy. He said goodbye to Zhan Xi and left.

Gu Liufeng sat down on the sofa with Gu Huixue and asked, “Where’s Brother Ruan?”

A Yue served them coffee and snacks. Zhan Xi stood on the stairs with a cup of coffee and said, “He isn’t finished with school yet.”

Gu Liufeng’s eyes lit up. “Then let’s go pick him up.”

“Shi Ning isn’t home,” said Zhan Xi, meaning there was no one to drive.

Gu Huixue sat up straight, looking like a lady from a prominent family. “Cousin, can’t you drive?”

Zhan Xi glanced at the two sisters and asked, “Didn’t you two just get out of school? Aren’t you tired?”

The two sisters exchanged glances, knowing there was no room for negotiation. Gu Huixue set down her coffee and said, “Cousin is too authoritarian. How can our family tolerate him?”

Tong Bo heard this and laughed. “How can you call him authoritarian? Without rules, there’s no order.”

Gu Liufeng snorted. “In Tong Bo’s eyes, there’s nothing wrong with our cousin. But in our place…”

Gu Liufeng didn’t finish her sentence before laughing.

Gu Huixue looked at Zhan Xi. “Brother Ruan has been educated in advanced thought. Doesn’t he also find it authoritarian?”

Zhan Xi glanced at Gu Huixue. “What? Are you two here just to criticize me?”

Gu Liufeng couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by Zhan Xi’s expression. But Gu Huixue wasn’t afraid and continued to smile. “I wouldn’t dare. I wouldn’t dare.”

Lin Ruan didn’t have anything to do over the weekend, so he spent it with the two young ladies. Zhan Xi was busy, and the others at the Lan Mansion didn’t get along with them. While the Lan Mansion wasn’t as old-fashioned or conservative as the Prince’s Palace, it certainly lacked the culture and elegance of the Gu family. To put it bluntly, the Prince made the decisions in the Prince’s Palace, but Zhan Xi makes them in the Lan Mansion. Even the most refined Zhan Xi couldn’t change this fact.

Gu Huixue rose early and set up her sketchpad and paintbrushes in the back garden. She painted a portrait of Gu Liufeng in the shimmering morning sun.

Gu Liufeng wore a long dress with a bullet necklace dangling from her slender neck. Her long, waist-length hair flowed loosely behind her, giving her a uniquely languid air. She sat in a chair with the golden sunlight streaming down the early spring garden behind her.

Lin Ruan brought refreshments and stood behind Gu Huixue, watching. With a brush in one hand and a palette of paint in the other, Gu Huixue asked, “How’s it looking? Does it look good?”

Gu Huixue was delicately sketching a face identical to her own. She was both the painter and the model, which was amusing.

After sitting in the chair for a while, Gu Liufeng felt tired, it was easy to tire from being still. Gu Huixue stopped, and the two sisters sat down at the table to rest.

Gu Huixue wiped her hands and said, “I’m going to finish this painting today.”

Lin Ruan handed her a cup of tea and asked, “Why?”

“Because tomorrow, I’m getting my hair cut.” Gu Liufeng adjusted her skirt.

“Cut it?” Lin Ruan was a little surprised.

“Yes. I wanted to cut my hair, but my mom didn’t want me to. We had a little argument, so I’m staying here for two days!”

Gu Huixue added, “Mother said that if Cousin agrees to let her cut it, then she won’t object.”

“So did he agree?”

“My cousin doesn’t bother with me,” said Gu Liufeng, sitting up straight and mimicking Zhan Xi’s manner. “It’s up to you.”

“That’s what my cousin said.” Gu Huixue looked at Lin Ruan. “Brother Ruan, do you think I should cut my hair?”

Lin Ruan hesitated. “Many of my female classmates have cut their hair, and they all look nice. But I think hair tied up looks beautiful, too. Miss Gu’s hair has been long for over ten years. Cutting it suddenly would be a shame.”

“What’s so shameful about that? I still have Huixue,” said Gu Liufeng. “If she doesn’t cut her hair, then whenever I want to grow mine out, I can just look at hers. We look alike anyway.”

Gu Huixue smiled. She didn’t cut her hair because she thought an updo went well with her cheongsam. She aspired to be a classic beauty.

“Liufeng cutting her hair is the same as me cutting my own. I’ve finally gotten my fill of seeing her cut her hair,” Gu Huixue said.

Lin Ruan found this quite interesting. Doesn’t everyone have two lives to live?

The next day was bright and sunny with a slight breeze. It wasn’t cold, and it was quite comfortable.

Gu Liufeng and Gu Huixue planned to get their hair cut and dragged Lin Ruan along.

Zhan Xi stood on the second floor and leaned against the railing in the corridor. He watched the three of them pack up and prepare to leave. He asked, “Why don’t you ask someone to come over?”

Gu Liufeng put on a light gray hat and replied, “We said we were going for a haircut, but we really wanted to go out for a walk. What’s the fun in staying home all the time?”

Zhan Xi was indifferent and asked, “Shall we have Shi Ning take you?”

“No need,” said Gu Huixue. “We’ll take a rickshaw and stop wherever we want. Who knows? We could see all of Beijing in a day.”

Zhan Xi chuckled but said nothing.

Lin Ruan stood beside the two sisters. He wore a newly made, long, black trench coat with silver, lotus-shaped cufflinks. Underneath, he wore a white shirt layered over a light-colored sweater. His hair was combed up, revealing his forehead and making him look energetic.

When he felt Zhan Xi looking at him, Lin Ruan asked, “Is there something wrong?”

Zhan Xi shook his head and said, “You don’t seem to wear this kind of thing often.”

Lin Ruan looked down at his outfit, feeling a little embarrassed. “Doesn’t it look good?”

Zhan Xi looked down at Lin Ruan. “It looks good.”

Lin Ruan and the two sisters took a rickshaw to a foreign-owned barbershop on Dong’anmen Street. The three of them took a small room. Gu Liufeng got her hair cut and Gu Huixue had it styled. With nothing else to do, Lin Ruan sat aside to read a magazine.

Gu Liufeng peered through the mirror and saw Lin Ruan looking down at the magazine. Lin Ruan was a very special person among Gu Liufeng’s acquaintances. He had a good temper and gentle disposition, and he had known Gu Liufeng for many years. Yet, Gu Liufeng always felt distant from him. It wasn’t a deliberate effort, but a natural consequence nonetheless.

Gu Liufeng had no idea what Lin Ruan liked or disliked. As he sat there, Gu Liufeng had no idea what was going through his mind. If Zhan Xi were sitting there, Gu Liufeng would have guessed it was a business matter. If it were Gu Ji, it would definitely be a military matter. As for Lin Ruan, however, Gu Liufeng didn’t even know where to start.

“Brother Ruan,” Gu Liufeng asked suddenly, “do you like anyone?”

Lin Ruan was stunned and smiled. “Why do you suddenly ask that?”

Gu Huixue asked without turning back, “Do you like my cousin?”

Lin Ruan was caught off guard and was momentarily speechless.

“If you’re hesitating on this question, then the answer is probably yes.” Gu Huixue glanced at Lin Ruan.

“No,” Lin Ruan said, amused. “I was just thinking…”

Gu Liufeng and Gu Huixue were both looking at him. “Well, ladies,” Lin Ruan said. “Could you please explain to me what ‘like’ means?”

Gu Liufeng paused, unsure how to respond. She looked at Gu Huixue. Gu Huixue had never been in love. She had only read novels, so her understanding of love was theoretical.

However, both Gu Liufeng and Lin Ruan were looking at Gu Huixue. She couldn’t afford to lose her composure at that moment.

“Like is…” Gu Huixue looked at Lin Ruan. “You put on a new outfit and didn’t ask us if it looked good. You only asked cousin if he thought it looked good.”

Lin Ruan paused, clearly unconvinced. “Does that mean you like it?”

“Of course!”