Chapter 89 Back Street (Bonus Chapter for 920 Pink Votes)
Fu Tingyun didn't notice A Sen's unusual behavior. She was deeply engaged in pleasant conversation with Wang Furen until they parted ways at around 9 PM.
Returning to her retreat and lying in bed, she pondered the matter of Feng Shi.
A woman who, after being scolded for wrongdoing, would threaten to jump into a river with her child, then sit wailing at the threshold of the main hall like a shrew—regardless of frightening the child, ignoring others' pointing fingers, and disregarding Lord Liu's official dignity—just to win an argument and force his concession. Such a woman would willingly abandon maternal compassion, feminine dignity, and even masculine propriety... What wouldn't such a woman do? What would she dare not do?
The next morning, she asked Wang Furen's housekeeper: "How is Lord Liu handling things?"
Though Wang Furen forbade her servants from gossiping, gossip was women's nature. The housekeeper had restrained herself for propriety's sake, but as Fu Tingyun was Wang Furen's honored guest and had asked directly, she couldn't resist. After glancing around, she whispered: "That concubine Feng... ever since bearing Lord Liu a son, she throws tantrums at the slightest displeasure. With her seductive tricks, they often quarrel by day only to reconcile by night..." Suddenly remembering Fu Tingyun was an unmarried maiden, the housekeeper flushed awkwardly and laughed loudly to cover her discomfort. "A distinguished deputy commander like Lord Liu wouldn't stoop to her level. Any displeasure would be addressed privately—outsiders wouldn't notice!"
Fu Tingyun understood perfectly.
Her fourth uncle's concubines would dress elaborately to curry favor when wanting gifts. If they could make him spend the night, their requests were usually granted. She also knew how her fourth aunt would summon him for discussions in anger, only for him to break his promises upon seeing his concubines again. Clearly, Deputy Commander Liu was much the same. Expecting him to discipline Feng Shi would likely prove futile!
As she pondered this, A Sen approached.
"Miss," he said nervously, his face flushed, hesitating before asking: "Can I... really become Ninth Master's sworn brother?"
Fu Tingyun smiled and beckoned him to sit beside her. "Would A Sen like to be Ninth Master's sworn brother?"
"Yes! Yes!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I've... I've dreamed of it..."
"And does Ninth Master treat you well?" she asked gently.
"Very well!" A Sen nodded vigorously.
Fu Tingyun wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Being Ninth Master's sworn brother won't be easy!" she teased. "With him often away at camp, you'll need to study hard, practice martial arts diligently, learn social graces, manage household affairs... When grown, you'll have to take care of me and Zheng San and the others..."
"Yes!" A Sen declared loudly, clenching his small fists. "I'll protect everyone! I won't let Feng Shi bully you!" His face shone with youthful determination.Fu Tingyun smiled and patted his head. "Alright then, today you'll copy 'Spring Dawn' ten times, and you must understand the meaning of each character. I'll check your work this afternoon."
A Sen giggled, took out his writing tools, and sat properly by the kang table. He ground his own ink and began practicing his calligraphy.
Having left her sewing supplies at home, Fu Tingyun sat nearby watching him write.
The two Wang sisters arrived.
Seeing A Sen writing, Eldest Miss Wang's eyes lit up.
But Second Miss Wang ran to the kang table. "Brother A Sen, what are you doing?"
Eldest Miss Wang pulled her sister back. "Don't disturb A Sen, he's doing his studies." Then she asked Fu Tingyun, "Sister, are you teaching A Sen to read?"
"Just helping him recognize a few characters." Knowledge was as deep as the sea, and Fu Tingyun didn't consider herself qualified to be a teacher. Noticing the sewing basket in Second Miss Wang's hand, she smiled. "Has Second Miss come to learn embroidery?"
Second Miss nodded.
Eldest Miss already said, "My sister said you would teach us embroidery, so we brought our sewing materials." Glancing at A Sen who was concentrating on his writing, she added, "We didn't know A Sen had morning studies. We can come back this afternoon!" With that, she prepared to leave.
"It's alright, we'll just keep our voices down."
Having company would make the atmosphere livelier, and the sisters weren't eager to leave. Hearing Fu Tingyun's words, they immediately softened their movements. Fu Tingyun quietly asked them to show their embroidery patterns. Seeing the designs already sketched out—two lotus flowers for Eldest Miss and a plum blossom branch for Second Miss—she was surprised. Though simple with just a few strokes, they were vivid and showed skill, perfectly suited for the young sisters. "Did your mother draw these?" she asked.
Both sisters nodded.
Fu Tingyun smiled. "Your mother must be excellent at needlework too!"
The sisters smiled proudly, though Second Miss whispered, "But if we don't embroider well, Mother will be unhappy. I don't want to make her unhappy."
Fu Tingyun paused.
Wang Furen, living far from her parents in this unfamiliar place with two young daughters, must have her moments of melancholy.
Fu Tingyun's gaze softened as she looked at the children. "I'll teach you how to embroider."
The sisters beamed with joy.
Fu Tingyun carefully explained the stitching techniques and when to change methods... The sisters focused intently, and the room was filled only with the soft sound of brush on paper.
Looking at the three rosy-cheeked faces before her, her heart was filled with peace and tranquility.
The thought that had been lingering in her mind grew stronger.
That afternoon, Fu Tingyun bid farewell to Wang Furen. "Since Lord Liu has reprimanded Feng Shi, she'll likely behave these days. I think I'll return to Back Street tomorrow morning."
Wang Furen was utterly surprised."This simply won't do!" She frowned slightly. "You're a sensible child, and there are things you should understand even if I don't say them. Feng Shi is currently in a state of shame and resentment—who knows what she might do. You should stay with me for a few more days in peace. It won't be too late to make plans once Wei Shi returns." She then teased, "Could it be that you're in a hurry to return to Back Street because Jing Tong and Jingyi are too noisy for you?"
"The young misses are lively and adorable—I couldn't possibly dislike them," Fu Tingyun replied with a smile, waving her hand. "I'm just worried about things at home."
Wang Furen looked surprised.
"There's still over a thousand taels of silver buried in the courtyard," Fu Tingyun confided. "That's Ninth Master's hard-earned money and our family's savings. If I don't go back, I won't feel at ease. If anything were to happen, I wouldn't know how to explain it to Ninth Master when he returns."
Is money more important than people?
Wang Furen swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.
Every family has its own difficulties. Perhaps this thousand taels was truly important to Fu Tingyun.
She felt slightly disappointed, but then thought that true confidants were rare in this world, and it was already good to have someone to talk to. With this, she let go of her reservations. She didn't press Fu Tingyun to stay further. The next morning after breakfast, she personally escorted Fu Tingyun to the main gate of the General Military Headquarters.
The two young misses of the Wang family clung to Fu Tingyun's sleeves—one asking, "Will you come back to our house again?" and the other saying, "I've only just embroidered one petal"—both reluctant to see her go.
Fu Tingyun bent down and smiled at them. "Once I've settled things at home, I'll come visit often."
The two young misses nodded happily.
After chatting with Wang Furen for a while longer, Fu Tingyun finally returned to Back Street with Zheng San and the others.
Spring came late in Zhangye. The sunlight was warm, and the morning breeze gentle. Some households had their doors wide open, airing out quilts and cotton-padded clothes. Seeing them walk down the alley, some stood on tiptoe to watch, while others nodded and smiled. Only Qi Taitai called out loudly, "Where have you all been? I haven't seen you for days!"
Fu Tingyun exchanged pleasantries with her. "I stayed at Wang Furen's for a couple of days. I missed home, so I came back."
"Ah, so you were visiting!" Qi Taitai laughed as they stopped in front of their own gate.
A yellow copper lock hung quietly on the door, covered in a thin layer of dust.
When the door opened, two large black dogs and several small yellow ones rushed over, barking wildly.
A Sen grinned and patted their heads. "All of you, get back!"
He fed them daily, so the dogs naturally were fond of him. They whined and retreated to the side, watching him eagerly.
Linchun struggled out of her mother's arms and toddled over to the big black dog, hugging its neck. The dog responded by enthusiastically "washing" her face with its tongue, making everyone burst into laughter.
Zhangye was dusty, and after just two days away, the house was covered in a fine layer of grit.
Zheng Sanniang and the others rolled up their sleeves and began cleaning.
Lu Shi's maid, Xuemei, walked in with a smile. "Miss Fu, you're back!"
Fu Tingyun nodded with a smile.
Xuemei said, "Our mistress would like to invite you over for dinner this evening.""Thank you!" Fu Tingyun said politely. "I merely had a cup of tea at your place and was chased by a mad dog. If I were to eat a meal there, I might as well lose my life. I'm too timid, so let's skip it!" As soon as her words fell, a basin of dirty water was splashed right beside Xuemei's feet. The water, mixed with dust from the ground, splattered onto her white Hangzhou silk embroidered skirt, leaving behind yellow mud stains.
"Oh dear!" Zheng Sanniang hastily dropped the copper basin and hurried over with a rag in hand. "Miss Xuemei, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you standing there. Your skirt is dirty—let me wipe it for you!" With that, she crouched down and began wiping the skirt with the rag. The mud stains only spread further, turning the fabric into an even more conspicuous mess of dirt.
"You—" Xuemei flushed with anger and wanted to push her away, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Fu Tingyun watching her with a cold, disdainful smile. Her heart skipped a beat, and she had no choice but to suppress her fury. She snatched her skirt back from Zheng Sanniang first. "Thank you, Sanniang. It was just an accident—no need to trouble yourself." Then she took a few steps back, avoiding Zheng Sanniang's seemingly helpful but actually malicious gesture, and smiled at Fu Tingyun. "Miss, Grandma Feng has known our mistress for many years, and our mistress never expected her to do such a thing. You must remember—if our mistress hadn’t sent me to mediate, Grandma Feng wouldn’t have withdrawn so easily. Our mistress had intended to see you after sending Grandma Feng away, but by then, you were no longer home. She’s been worried for days. As soon as she heard you’d returned, she immediately sent me to invite you for dinner—to make amends!"
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Today is June 1st—wishing all the big kids and little kids a happy holiday!
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: The pink votes for May totaled 1,349. I’ll work hard to repay the debt...
(End of chapter)
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