LC chapter 31

 

Zhan Xi said this, undoubtedly giving Lin Ruan a choice. Lin Ruan was not actually shy about such matters. He looked up at Zhan Xi, who showed a boldness in the night that was not present during the day. His eyes stared straight at Lin Ruan, captivating him as if they could ensnare his soul.

Lin Ruan felt a surge of heat from his gaze. He liked Zhan Xi and enjoyed being close to him. Moreover, Zhan Xi was extremely handsome, exuding the charm of a mature man.

Lin Ruan’s face flushed softly. He rose, knelt on the bed, and tilted his head back to kiss Zhan Xi, following the instructions in the book. His tongue darted out, touching Zhan Xi clumsily.

Zhan Xi was like a deity in a temple waiting for his followers to offer tribute. When Lin Ruan was unsure how to proceed, Zhan Xi took control, placing his hand on Lin Ruan’s neck and forcing him to retreat.

In the stillness of the night, even the slightest breath stirred the imagination. After they kissed, Lin Ruan’s entire body turned red. He withdrew and covered himself with the blanket, drawing more attention with his blushing and silence.

Young people’s bodies are always vulnerable to teasing. Zhan Xi chuckled and asked, “You want to learn now?”

Lin Ruan nodded, then shook his head. He just stared at Zhan Xi eagerly, perhaps not even realizing what he was thinking.

Zhan Xi pinched the back of his neck and said, “You didn’t take anything today, so I can’t teach you. If you want me to do anything, you have to beg me.”

Lin Ruan’s face flushed red, making it hard to tell whether he was embarrassed or anxious. Seeing Zhan Xi’s hand withdraw, Lin Ruan quickly grabbed it. “Please.”

Zhan Xi paused, his breathing suddenly heavier. “Say it again.”

“Please,” Lin Ruan said, blushing. “Sir, please.”

The night was long, concealing many secrets. Occasionally, a faint sound appeared, like a subtle clue revealed in the darkness, inviting speculation and discussion.

The apricot blossoms in the backyard were blooming one by one. After it rained lightly the previous night, the buds the next morning were as charming as a young girl fresh from her bath.

It was another misty Qingming Festival[mfn]The Qingming Festival (清明节), also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival that usually falls on April 4th or 5th.[/mfn], and the Lan Mansion had prepared ingot candles for tomb sweeping.

Zhan Xi’s parents died during the decline of the dynasty, so their tombs were not located outside the imperial mausoleums. Instead, according to feng shui advice, they were buried at the foot of West Hill.

Zhan Xi wore a long black satin gown with a string of five simple silver ornaments dangling from his chest. He took a jade ring from Lin Ruan and slipped it onto his index finger. The jade in the ring was more beautiful than any other jade Lin Ruan had ever seen: a translucent, pure green.

It was the ring that Zhan Xi’s father had left for him.

Lin Ruan followed Zhan Xi out. He wore a light gray gown and white satin flats, with a neatly buttoned collar. His shoulders were straight and flat, giving him a uniquely refined demeanor.

Tong Bo and Shi Ning went to sweep Shi Ning’s mother’s grave while Zhan Xi and Lin Ruan went to visit Zhan Xi’s parents. Tong Bo put the items in the trunk of the car and explained everything to Lin Ruan.

Soon, Zhan Xi drove away with Lin Ruan.

The scenery in Xishan was beautiful, and many people were out for a walk. Some came with their families, some were young men and women meeting up, and many came with incense, paper, and candles to clean the graves.

On this day, the exuberance of youth and the sorrow of the deceased achieved a strange harmony.

Lin Ruan followed Zhan Xi up the stone steps. Newly sprouted, faintly green weeds grew in the cracks between the steps. Pine trees of varying shapes and sizes stood on either side of the steps. The cemetery was home to many white pine trees, a highly prized species. Lin Ruan wasn’t sure what made them so valuable, but he had seen Aunt Cao smoke bacon with branches from these trees, and it was indeed better than ordinary bacon.

At the top of the steps, they reached a stone tablet. Passing it, they entered the cemetery. The cemetery contained an ancestral hall and a memorial hall. Perhaps due to a lack of visitors or neglect by the caretakers, weeds had overtaken the corners of the open space in front of the halls.

Since the passing of the dynasty, everything associated with it, whether the palace or the mausoleum, has become desolate.

Lin Ruan and Zhan Xi lit paper money and set out ingot candles. In addition to these items, Zhan Xi brought his jinghu. He played it for his mother.

The sound of the jinghu startled many birds from the mountains. Zhan Xi’s music wasn’t mournful. He played it for his mother in his spare time, just as he had when she was alive.

When the music faded, Zhan Xi called Lin Ruan forward. Together, they lifted their clothes and performed a formal kowtow.

They completed all the rituals of burning incense and offering sacrifices. The sun was high in the sky, its rays shimmering across the landscape and adorning the outlines of the distant mountains with a golden rim.

Zhan Xi rolled up his sleeves and began weeding the courtyard. Lin Ruan looked at him in surprise, finding it hard to imagine those hands, which were usually holding a cup of coffee or a pen, pulling weeds.

Zhan Xi glanced at him. “What?”

Lin Ruan shook his head and joined Zhan Xi in cleaning the courtyard. Lin Ruan was adept at these tasks, and Zhan Xi didn’t seem unfamiliar with them, either.

“These things were done every year before I turned twelve,” said Zhanxi. “The Manchu rulers didn’t favor pampering children, and my father was especially strict. Besides studying the Four Books and Five Classics[mfn]四書五經 (Sìshū Wǔjīng) means “Four Books and Five Classics.” These are the core texts of Confucianism that were central to Chinese education and civil service exams[/mfn], I also had to learn horseback riding and archery when I was little. He always said that on the grasslands, children as young as eight or nine could kill a wolf.”

Lin Ruan listened attentively to Zhan Xi. He knew that Zhan Xi and his mother had a close relationship, but Zhan Xi rarely mentioned his father.

“The ancestral hall in the palace is usually off-limits. Every New Year, I clean it alone,” Zhan Xi said. “I have to clean the bluestone floor tiles one by one. I also have to pull out the weeds and thorns that fill the courtyard outside.”

“These are the rules my father set for me,” Zhan Xi continued. “Of course, after he died, I stopped doing these things.”

Lin Ruan looked at Zhan Xi. Everyone in the Lan Mansion had to follow many rules, and Zhan Xi was no exception. But he was different. He followed some rules when he wanted to and others when he didn’t. In the eyes of others, however, he was a strict adherent.

Lin Ruan realized that if he were the one who made the rules, he could make ones he was happy to follow.

In a moment of distraction, Lin Ruan cut his hand on the serrated edge of a grass leaf, and bright red drops of blood fell one after another. Zhanxi clicked his tongue and pressed a gray checkered handkerchief to Lin Ruan’s hand.

He looked at Lin Ruan, his brow furrowed.

“I’m sorry,” Lin Ruan apologized.

It was unreasonable for Lin Ruan to apologize to Zhan Xi for accidentally cutting his hand, yet Zhan Xi took it as a matter of course, and Lin Ruan didn’t see anything wrong with it.

Zhan Xi sent Lin Ruan to sit on the steps and watch him leisurely weed the courtyard.

The empty mountain was serene. The laughter of tourists enjoying their spring outing was beyond reach. Lin Ruan propped his head up and looked at Zhan Xi.

Zhan Xi crouched down with his head slightly lowered and his brows slightly downcast, looking intensely concentrated. He carefully plucked each weed with an unhurried but measured demeanor. Brown soil emerged from the cleared areas.

Zhan Xi’s figure was slender, and his strength radiated beneath his clothes. He had the physique of a mature man. Lin Ruan had once felt it was unfair. Compared to Zhan Xi, who always needed help from others, Lin Ruan clearly did more, yet he always presented himself as gentle and demure, as if he were completely without strength.

Could it be because he had been riding horses and shooting arrows since childhood? Lin Ruan wondered if it was too late to start practicing now.

It was almost noon when Zhan Xi finished cleaning the entire courtyard and led Lin Ruan down the mountain. Lin Ruan bounded along joyfully over a hundred steps. With no one around and Zhan Xi, his most trusted companion, by his side, Lin Ruan felt a rare sense of ease and freedom.

Having just returned from Xishan, Uncle Tong hurried over and said, “The palace invites you back.”

Zhan Xi didn’t even glance at him. “No.”

“The maid who works for Concubine Li personally came to invite you. She looked very anxious.” Uncle Tong asked, “Could something have happened?”

Zhan Xi paused and asked, “What did they say?”

“They only said it’s about paying respects during the Qingming Festival,” Uncle Tong replied. “I think there’s something else, but the maid won’t tell me no matter how much I ask.”

Zhan Xi frowned slightly. He turned to look at Lin Ruan and asked, “Do you want to go back to the palace?”

Lin Ruan has been researching Chinese architecture lately, so the palace would be a good subject for his research.

Lin Ruan nodded, and Zhan Xi’s frown relaxed slightly. He said, “Then let’s go.”

After lunch, Zhan Xi and Lin Ruan went to the palace. Concubine Li met Zhan Xi in the East Wing Hall, as usual.

In just a few months, Concubine Li had grown much more haggard, and the gray circles under his eyes could not be concealed by makeup. When Concubine Li saw Zhan Xi enter, she exchanged a few pleasantries and said, “I invited you back this time to discuss the marriage of the Seventh Princess.”

The Seventh Princess was Concubine Li’s daughter and was exactly eighteen years old this year.

Zhan Xi didn’t react and asked, “What does Concubine Li think?”

Concubine Li replied, “Prince Yu’s eldest son is about the same age and quite handsome.”

Zhan Xi raised an eyebrow slightly. Most Manchu descendants didn’t have a good life. They looked down on merchants, believing them to be of low status. Therefore, most of them didn’t engage in business but instead lived off their modest assets, like the Prince Chun family.

Prince Yu was one of them. None of them had serious jobs, and Prince Yu’s eldest son spent his entire life wandering the Eight Great Hutongs, doing nothing productive.

Zhan Xi asked, “Has Concubine Li met his eldest son?”

“I have, and I think he’s very good.” Concubine Li didn’t seem interested in Zhan Xi’s opinion. She said simply, “Their families have always been close. Marrying our children would strengthen the relationship. We’d be able to visit more frequently, and it would be easier to look after them.”

Even Lin Ruan sensed that something was amiss. Concubine Li was being too impatient; her words hinted that she wanted this matter settled immediately.