C07: Duan Zi and Xuan Mei

The next morning, they packed their belongings and set out on their way. As they walked, they could see the sun slowly rising in the distance and the breeze refreshed their hearts.

Aunt Zhang was the first person Lu Ziqu sought out, as she lived nearby and was only half a day's walk away. Aunt Zhang was Lu Yun's elder sister, and although she was not like the master, she still belonged to the same family, so she cared more for the two young men, even inviting them warmly for the night. Lu Ziqu wanted to get information from her about the event, but Aunt Zhang knew little about Lu Yun's situation after leaving the family home. Naturally, she did not know who his close friends had been.

"I'm sorry I can't help you," Aunt Zhang said apologetically, Lu Ziqu said he was fine, but he couldn't hide the disappointment in his eyes.

"It's okay, brother." Lu Qing took it easy and said this was the first of many people, "You barely ate during the meal, didn't you like it, wasn't it well prepared?"

Lu Ziqu shook his head, saying that the dishes Aunt Zhang had prepared were really rare and the smell alone told him that they were of the highest quality, but he was so focused on finding out that he was not interested in the wine and what went into his mouth was no more than what came out.

"That's not good, brother. If you can't find out anything, won't you eat?" Lu Qing scolded him, then took half a cloth-wrapped steamed bun out of his pocket, saying that it was a leftover from this morning's meal, and that he intended to tear it into pieces and feed it to him.

"I can eat it myself," he said, not knowing how to behave on other people's grounds, and what if people saw them being so intimate? So he took the bun and bit into it.

When Lu Qing saw that he had achieved his goal, he didn't insist and waited until he had eaten half of the bun before smiling at her with satisfaction.

"Eat well and sleep well, isn't that what my brother always tells me? You should do the same for yourself."

"Qingqing has grown up and is now teaching me a lesson, hehe."

The first night passed without incident, and the two only kissed each other on the forehead and cheeks before going to bed, but the rest was blocked by Lu Ziqu, who finally gave him an ultimatum, saying that if Lu Qing continued his roguish ways, he would go to bed in his room, which made him mutter "stingy" and calm down.

 "Let's leave tomorrow." 

"Okay. Where do you want to go now?" said Lu Ziqu that in order of proximity, the next stop would be Xu Qingbiao, Lu Yun's playmate since his youth.

As an orphan, he had lived in Lu Yun's master's house for a while until a better place was found for him.

But even though the bond was broken, it didn't mean they were separated, and when they were reunited as adults, they were even better off than before.

"Qingqing may not know that Master took me to Uncle Xu's wedding."

Lu Ziqu remembered it well because at that time Lu Qing had started asking him for strange and witty things, and he always bothered him when he came back from his travels, so it became a habit to bring back something that might please his younger brother.

"Is that so?"

"Have you forgotten? That time I brought back coloured candy balls with a thick layer of icing and you said they were delicious."

"What happened in the end?" Lu Qing's memories came back and became clear. It was always like this when he was young, it was only the details that stuck in his memory.

For example, she remembered that her older brother wore a dark blue robe, which brought out the brightness of the brightly coloured candy balls, and that it was before dinner, and that Lu Yun then put the candy balls away, saying that if he ate them now, he wouldn't be able to eat them later. Every memory was wrapped around Lu Ziqu.

"Once you slipped and fell and the three candy balls rolled in the mud, you held them and tried to wash them, but even the icing fell off. I couldn't take it, so I bought you candy balls every time I went out."

"So that's how it was. No wonder I always had more candy balls than I could eat for a while...". Lu Qing laughed and rubbed against his arms, saying that he had eaten every day for a while and had broken his teeth. 

"Let me see... your teeth are fine."

 "The candy ball is one of my brother's favourites, so I can't break my teeth." He also said that, if he had known, he wouldn't have eaten all the candy balls.

"How many ants must be born there?" Lu Ziqu laughed and said that it was late, and that regardless of tomorrow's purpose, it was not a good idea to sleep until dawn in someone else's house, so it was better to get some sleep and then to send a kiss through the finger that was still on his lips. It took a while for Lu Qing's face to redden at this unexpected gesture of affection, and he pestered his brother to do it again, because he had caught him off guard and hadn't tested him as he should have!

"Go to sleep, silly" laughed the man who took the initiative for a rare moment.

***

The weather before the Qingming Festival was cold and treacherous and changeable. The two wasted time on the road, looking around, and the raindrops were so heavy that when they arrived at their destination, they were particularly miserable, their clothes all wet.

Xu Qingbiao was quite surprised that they were visiting and then welcomed them.

When they borrowed hot water to take away the cold and warmed themselves with ginger tea prepared by Madam Xu herself, Xu Qingbiao said that her son was getting married in two days' time and that they had come to add to the joy.

"Congratulations to your son!" Lu Ziqu didn't expect such a coincidence, so apart from congratulating him, he apologised that he didn't know before, so he hadn't prepared any congratulatory gift and wasn't really in a position to enter the table.

"You are also my nephew, and your master and I were friends, so it is appropriate for me." Xu Qingbiao said that it had been almost half a year since he got the news and he didn't even know where the two brothers had gone because he couldn't help. So he wanted to make it up to them.

"Uncle Xu is very kind, we are having a great time." Lu Ziji broached the subject carefully. By then, he and his younger brother had long since settled down, and Xu Qingbiao naturally couldn't find them both.

 "Needless to say, consider it a small token of my appreciation, stay and let me entertain you! Consider it a celebration for my son, okay?"

Lu Ziqu couldn't talk him out of it, so he agreed.

Xu Qingbiao was a hospitable man and sent his men to the market to buy some food, so the dinner table was sumptuous, with chicken, duck, fish and meat. And the seasonal vegetables and delicacies that are hard to find in ordinary households were a revelation to Lu Qing, who exclaimed that they were delicious.

"If it's good, eat more. You are like Yun-ge, printed from a mould."

Lu Qing smiled foolishly. She didn't even notice the sauce running down the corner of her mouth when she heard a soft "ugly" from someone beside her, who then told her to turn her face away and wipe with a handkerchief to prevent her neck from being stained by the sauce.

"Oh, look at you. It reminds me of when your master was young and had to be taken care of like this, and he was handsome, so many people were crazy about him, but unfortunately, no matter how attentive Duan Zi (sister Duan) was, she still couldn't make your master fall in love with her."

Xu Qingbiao's words gave Lu Ziqu a jolt, forgetting to fold the dirty towel properly.

"Uncle Xu, you said Duan Zi..."

"Hmm? What, you don't know how popular Yun-ge was back then? I'm telling you, there were a bunch of girls who fell in love with him!"

The two were confused, so Xu Qingbiao smiled and said that Lu Yun must have been afraid of ruining his good name in his children's hearts, so he didn't say anything about this part.

"Uncle Xu, can you tell us more?" Lu Ziqu simply followed his words, "We both know nothing about our master's youth, I am fine, I followed him for five or six years after all, but my shidi lost his parents at the age of two. Could you do me this favour?"

Xu Qingbiao saw Lu Qing's face full of anticipation. It had been many years since a young man had pestered him to tell him a story, and Lu Qing was urging him to listen to her.

"There is nothing I can do about it. I've been friends with your master for years, and I call him Yun-ge," he said.

Lu Ziqu Lu Ziji had mentioned all these things to Lu Qing, but he still acted as if he was interested. Xu Qingbiao was so impressed that he couldn't stop talking about what happened when they were young, and while his curiosity hung in the balance, the man from the story had finally grown up.

Xu Qingbiao said he still remembered that it was the height of summer and no one could stand in the hot sun for a quarter of an hour, but he had to climb onto the roof to repair the house, and when he saw a figure running towards him from afar, he didn't react until someone came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder and called him "good brother".

"I remember your master was travelling at that time, and I remember he was accompanied by two girls, one of whom was Duan Zi, who was so fierce that she would not allow us to call her by her name."

 "Was she fierce?"

"Yes!"

Xu Qingbiao still looks back in fear, and even in private only dared to call "Zi" (sister).

He added: "The other girl was much gentler. I'm ashamed to say that I even trusted Yun-ge to connect me with that girl back then. Of course, they didn't like me. I didn't have ink on my belly and I couldn't beat others in martial arts. But Yun-ge was good at everything, no wonder they like her.

Xu Qingbiao's words struck a chord with Lu Ziqu.

"Uncle Xu, can you be more specific? How long had those two girls been travelling with my master? Was the other nicer girl my master's wife? Y..."

The question was so urgent that Xu Qingbiao couldn't answer right away, but Lu Qing picked up the grapes from the table and put them in his mouth and said not to rush.

"I'm not sure how much... but Yun-ge said it had been a while, and at that time your mother didn't know Yun-ge yet, or else she wouldn't have been able to to have a friendship with him. I'm afraid Duan Zi would have forced me to go back a few dozen blocks!"

"Oh my goodness, that's awful." Lu Qing was surprised. It seemed that the rumors were not just false.

When Xu Qingbiao turned his words around and said that only Duan could be like that, other girls were known to be rude and capricious at best, but Duan was so charming that no man would mind her being so bitter and jealous.

Lu Ziqu thought to himself that this man must like her, and he couldn't hide his tenderness when he mentioned her.

Xu Qingbiao went on to say that when Lu Yun stayed with the two girls, he did not favour one over the other. When he went outside, he would buy a handful of sugar gourds for each of them, and when he saw something new, he would give one to each of them, and even when he went out, he would accompany them once or with them. There was no favouritism.

"Uncle Xu, did the two girls... say anything about wanting to marry my master?" Lu Ziqu asked cautiously.

He wondered if his master's murder had something to do with his feelings. If you love someone but can't have them, you'll feel resentful and it wasn't impossible to kill them.

"Even if they did, I couldn't hear it!" he said. How could Xu Qingbiao say that such talk of love could be easily overheard by strangers?

"But as far as I know, they both liked Yun-ge so much that it made sense that they wanted to marry him."

Xu Qingbiao said that they had a great time during that time, but later, as Duan Zi had to leave first because of a family matter, Lu Yun, who was good, went with her and there was no need to talk about the other girl.

It was several years before they met again at each other's wedding banquet, and he was particularly surprised that his sister-in-law was someone else.

"I mean, my master didn't choose anyone.... But he married my mother."

The fact that Lu Ziqu had some calculations in his heart said nothing.

"Yes, I said I knew it was her at first sight, I rarely saw Yun-ge like that, as if she had lost her soul." (very much in love)

He went on to talk about what had happened to Lu Yun before the couple's wedding, but it wasn't very relevant. Lu Qing listened with great interest, but Lu Ziqu was pensive, feeling that he had gained very little from the journey, except that he knew that there were two people close to his master, one of whom was fierce and the other gentle.

The two of them were lying in bed at night, and Lu Qing was acutely aware of his brother's depression and uncertainty, but he kept silent and hugged him tightly.

 "... Qingqing, do you want to take revenge?" Lu Ziqu suddenly asked.

If it wasn't for that man, Lu Qing would have grown up under the care of his parents, he wouldn't be rich but he wouldn't have to worry about food and clothes, and the children his master had adopted before he died were all older than Lu Qing, so he would have been favoured by his brothers and sisters, which was better than . having to live outdoors and worry about day to day life.

The fact that Lu Qing didn't say anything, but continued to rub against his chest, cuddling him, elicited a soft grunt and a "childish" sound.

It was late at night and he had promised to get up early tomorrow to help with the wedding details, so he couldn't go back on his word.

"Don't be lazy tomorrow," he said.

She reprimanded him, pinching the tip of her brother's nose. Lu Qing muttered that he wasn't lazy and rubbed his chest like a puppy, and the person he was rubbing just smiled fondly.

***

The next day, Lu Qing was not as lazy as he said he would be, but he still had a hard time getting up, and Lu Ziqu almost had to hit him on the shins!

"You've always been a good morning walker, but why have you been so lazy lately?"

"My brother's body is so warm, I want to sleep when I hug him..."

Lu Ziqu's skin was so thin that he gave him a quick tap on the head to stop screaming, did he want everyone to know they were sleeping together?

"Ah, did you sleep well?" In the hallway, Xu Qingbiao greeted the two of them cheerfully, saying that there were many people here today to help, so he couldn't greet them properly, and that they shouldn't be too polite and should take whatever they wanted from the table.

Lu Ziqu was a serious person, and since he had been taken care of last night and this morning, he rolled up his sleeves and joined the work, he couldn't do the hard work, but he could do the details of the work, so he asked Xu Qingbiao for the inventory and checked it.

"Oh my god, Duan Zi, Xuan Mei, why are you here early?"

Lu Ziqu was counting the number of cups and plates on the table when these two names hit his head like a hammer, and when he looked towards the door, he saw two lightly dressed women exchanging pleasantries with Xu Qingbiao. Duan Xiangxiang was dressed in a trouser suit, but not the vermillion colour she was rumoured to be wearing, but a dark purple colour, perhaps because she feared it would steal the bride's elegance; the woman next to her, was even more elegant in a turquoise dress, with silk gathered and simple make-up to match her temperament, although at first glance it would not catch your eye, it would stay in your heart for a long time, like a poem or a painting. 

"Are you joking? Your son is getting married, why wouldn't we come to help?"

Duan Xiangxiang was not a small person and his words were particularly cheerful, which was very pleasant to hear.

"Xu-gege doesn't mind that we came uninvited, right?" The girl next to her spoke in a low and gentle voice, in contrast to Duan Xiangxiang.

"No way! It's the opposite, Xuan Mei!" Xu Qingbiao was genuinely happy, but then sank back and said it was a pity: " If Yun-ge was still here... we would have met again, after so long" The world was unpredictable, no one could predict how it will change, it was important to live a good life.

"It's okay, maybe God knew Yun-ge was gone and has sent his two sons to cheer things up."

The two girls were surprised by the news.

"Children?"

"Yun-ge has children?"

Lu Ziqu knew that they would then turn their attention to themselves.

It just so happened that Xu Qingbiao happily led the two girls towards him, shouting "nephew" and apparently treating them as if they were his relatives.

"Uncle Xu."

"Come, nephew, these are the two girls I told you about yesterday, Duan Zi and Xuan Mei.

Lu Ziqu pretended to be surprised, saying that, if Master was still alive, he would be happy about this, because he loved to have a good time when he was alive.

"Master?

Duan Xiangxiang frowned and said, "Why not father?"

The question was followed by a glance at Xu Qingbiao, intending to blame him for the lie.

 "It's a slip of the tongue, don't look at me like that..."

"You know what he was like, so he would treat his disciples and his children equally." The other girl helped to ease the situation.

The fact that Lu Ziqu was not part of the conversation gave him time to observe the two women, one aggressive, the other calm, one bold, the other kind, and they complemented each other.

From those few words, he could see that Duan Xiangxiang was always more frank like a man, while the other girl was good at thinking and not impulsive.

"Sorry, little brother, she didn't scare you, did she?" The woman introduced herself as Ding Xuan, and Lu Ziqu noticed that the hairpin in her hair and the pendant around her neck were yellow and white, reflecting her dress.

"No, Aunt Ding is very kind." Duan Xiangxiang was a simple person, so she didn't take it personally after a few words of sarcasm, and it was hard not to like the way she rolled up her sleeves and carried several wooden chairs. Ding Xuan, on the other hand, was not a girl used to hard work, and stood watching with interest, asking questions from time to time, without going into depth.

"Were you Yun-ge's senior disciple?" she asked.

"Yes." Lu Ziqu also gave his name to Ding Xuan.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw Ding Xuan smiling, "Green Penis."

"Yun-ge and sister-in-law have chosen these names for you two, you really are elegant people." Ding Xuan lowered his eyes and sighed in sorrow that only ten years had passed but things had changed. "And the second guy...?"

"The other one should be on the stage," Lu Ziqu replied, "Do you wish me to call him...?"

"Don't worry. I miss Yun-ge very much. After what happened a few years ago I didn't think I'd see him again, but I didn't know he still had descendants."

When she spoke of her sadness, her eyes were red and her voice choked with sobs, Lu Ziqu understood that she really loved her master.

Ding Xuan took out her handkerchief and pressed it against the corner of her eye, smiled apologetically at him and then left in the direction of the stage. Lu Ziqu looked back at her but sensed that something was wrong. This seemingly weak girl walked briskly, making each step graceful. She was so light and graceful in every step that she shouldn't have been an idle person to travel with Lu Yun, but.... What was different now?

"Nephew, nephew!" her thoughts were interrupted by an urgent call, and Lu Ziqu turned his head to see a group of men carrying a large pig through the gate, followed by several others, all with a variety of ingredients.

Xu Qingbiao said that these were all the ingredients for tomorrow's banquet and they had to put them away as well as tidy them up, so he was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave for a while and asked Lu Ziqu to watch the place for him.

"It's okay, uncle, you're busy."

Xu Qingbiao then shouted to everyone to put the ingredients in the kitchen, his voice was particularly energetic, but Lu Ziqu was a bit distracted, and after restraining himself a couple of times, he declared that he couldn't help but drift towards the stage. As soon as he approached, he saw Lu Qing and Ding Xuan chatting. He couldn't hear the chatter, but her laughter was particularly light, like a song.

It should have been a harmonious and warm scene, but Lu Ziqu felt a strange sensation.

No matter how Ding Xuan spoke and behaved, she was no different from ordinary women, or even better, but her eyebrows and smiles seemed strange to him. He couldn't quite make it clear, he thought it was stupid How could he think Ding Xuan was strange?

"Ah..." A strong breeze blew at that moment, and his eyes were caught by something and felt sore. He couldn't open them for a moment, so he covered his eyes with his hand and reached for some cold water to reduce the pain.

"What's wrong, what's wrong? Your eyes are so red, did you get stung by a bee?" Coincidentally, Duan Xiangxiang was also leaning against the water tank to collect some water, and when she saw Lu Ziqu approaching, she politely made room for him, but couldn't help but tease him when she saw his eyes.

"No, the wind blew rubbish into my eyes," Lu Ziqu said.

"The wind is very strong. That's how it was when your master got married. The wind was blowing everywhere. Not to mention the girls, even Sister Xuan cried terribly, screaming that fate had made things worse." The words were too much, as if they were accusing Lu Yun, and Lu Ziqu was so upset that he couldn't hide it from his face.

Duan Xiangxiang probably knew she had gone too far and coughed awkwardly.

This woman wasn't really devious and delicate, more like a man, she was always simple, and all those modifications and restrictions didn't belong to her.

"I don't even know what I'm talking about" she said she was too surprised to see Lu Yun's son, she had a thousand thoughts in her mind but didn't know where to start, and the result of all this nonsense was that she didn't know how to assimilate it.

Lu Ziqu just looked at her and said nothing to ease the situation.

"Anyway, don't mind me, I'm like that, I'm in a hurry!" She laughed twice, not as if it really bothered her," Don't take anything I say seriously!

"I won't" Lu Ziqu could feel the sincerity in her words. Perhaps because he and Lu Qing no longer kept secrets from each other, the younger one was becoming more and more like a big dog, always thinking of everything and being so honest that once he didn't notice it, but more often he became familiar with it.

"If your eyes still hurt, you can come and see me later. I have medicine in my bag that can cure your eyes, if not the root cause, at least the symptoms."

Lu Ziqu said thank you and watched Duan Xiangxiang leave.

After drinking the water, she joined the hard work, not even tired, and stood out from the crowd of rough men.

This was the reason why Duan Xiangxiang was so popular in the Jianghu, and if she were a man, it would be a different story.

As he watched the busy figure, some vague thoughts cleared in his mind, like the white smoke of lit fireworks, a wisp of smoke that could not be touched.

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