tallest building

Chapter 26 Lingyue Pavilion

To avoid trouble, Madam Song stayed put, so Zhang Ma led her people to quickly clean up Lingyue Pavilion.

On an auspicious day, Wen Mingqian and his mother moved in.

Gong Xu accompanied the head of the department on an inspection tour and will be back in about half a month, leaving only Wen Mingqian and his mother in the mansion.

Even the housekeeper was temporarily replaced by Zhang Ma, because Housekeeper Chen was still recovering from his injury.

Actually, his foot was fine a long time ago, but since neither Song Shi nor Gong Xu were home, he simply asked for leave as well.

So that if anything goes wrong during this time, it will not concern him.

Early that morning, Wen Mingqian led his son through the moon gate.

Zhu Mama, who had been transferred back from the village outside the city, was sweeping the courtyard when she saw Wen Mingqian. She immediately stopped what she was doing and came forward to greet him.

"Greetings to Madam, thank you for your help. My son-in-law can now get out of bed again." Madam Zhu said with red eyes, "The doctor Zhou from Xinglin Hall said that in three months at most, he will be as good as a normal person."

"That's a good thing, now you can rest assured," Wen Mingqian said with a smile.

Actually, Zhu's son-in-law wasn't seriously injured, but he couldn't afford a good doctor, which delayed his treatment.

He is young and has a good constitution; as long as he is treated properly, he will recover quickly.

“This is all thanks to Madam’s kindness,” said Madam Zhu with a tearful smile. “Chun’e said she will definitely come to the mansion to kowtow to Madam another day.”

"No need for kowtowing, just come and see her. It's been so many years since we last met, I've been wanting to see her too." Wen Mingqian spoke kindly, showing no airs even towards his servants.

Her past experiences taught her that arrogance is a terrible thing, and that only those with both virtue and skill can be successful in everything they do.

"Yes! Yes!" Mother Zhu responded repeatedly. "She was overjoyed to hear that Madam still remembered her. She's been tidying up the house these past few days and is coming to pay her respects to Madam."

Zhu Mama came to this courtyard because Zhang Mama asked her to. Almost everyone in this mansion is from the Song family, and they also need to find a way to cultivate their own people as soon as possible.

After finishing her speech, Zhu's mother went back to work. Wen Mingqian not only allowed the family of three to come to the city, but also gave her son-in-law money to treat his illness.

The whole family was deeply grateful and didn't know how to repay them, so they could only do their best to finish their work.

“Young lady, this courtyard has been abandoned for many years. Although we have tried our best to tidy it up, there are still some things that are not satisfactory. Do you think there is anything that needs to be changed?” Zhang Ma asked.

Wen Mingqian looked at the clump of bamboo hiding behind the winding railing, the half-pond of water lilies spreading out on the pond, and the pavilions and corridors vaguely resembling their former appearance, but his state of mind could never return to what it was back then.

"They're all about the same, let's leave it at that," Wen Mingqian said.

"The curtains in this room have all been replaced with new ones, and a few windows are out of shape and can't be closed properly, so we've already had them measured and remade."

I instructed them to have the paint applied outside before bringing it in to replace the old one, to avoid a strong smell. "Fortunately, the weather's warm now, so it'll be fine for a few more days," Zhang Ma said.

"No rush, there's plenty of time." Wen Mingqian said as he walked across the covered walkway. To the east, there was a rockery with a half-withered osmanthus tree next to it.

She reached out and touched the tree trunk, recalling the autumn when she left the Gong family, and how the osmanthus tree was in full bloom.

At that time, the whole courtyard was filled with a sweet fragrance. Ah Shou and Ah Hui discussed picking more to make osmanthus candy.

Because Wen Mingqian loved osmanthus candy so much, the child in her belly also liked it.

She was full of hope when she was expecting her child to arrive, never imagining that her fate would suddenly take a turn for the worse just a few days later.

She lost too much, and nothing could be recovered.

From then on, she was like that osmanthus tree, with only half a life left.

"Is Mother thinking about the past again?" Gong Chang'an's eyes, as clear as glass, were filled with concern and worry. "Mother still has you," Wen Mingqian lowered his head and smiled, more relieved than heartbroken, "The hardest days are over."

“The young lady is right. Look at the spring colors in this garden; they will surely outlast the harsh winter of Shuangxi,” Zhang Ma sighed softly.

Yes, the harsh winter of the past did not ultimately kill Wen Mingqian; she struggled until spring arrived.

Since seven years of hardship failed to extinguish her vitality, she will only become more composed and resilient in the future.

"Zhang Ma, I want to go to the back room to burn some incense. Could you prepare some paper and pen for me?" Wen Mingqian released his son's hand. "Chang'an, you play in the yard for now!"

Zhang Ma understood, turned and went out, and returned shortly after, carrying a large copper basin containing paper, pens, incense, and candles.

Wen Mingqian stepped into the back hall, lifted the faded embroidered curtain, and entered the small compartment on the west side.

The place wasn't sunny to begin with, and since no one had lived there for a long time, there was an unpleasant musty smell in the house.

An old roll of bedding lay draped over the headboard, somewhat disheveled, with faint traces of how it had been turned over in the past.

Zhang Ma had said long ago that she wanted to clean this room as well, but Wen Mingqian wouldn't allow it.

She looked up at the roof beam, where there were marks from a knife chopping.

In any house where someone has hanged themselves, a cut is made in the roof beam, supposedly to prevent the hanged ghost from seeking a replacement.

This was Ah Shou's bedroom back then, and also the place where she hanged herself.

Wen Mingqian squatted down, spread out the paper, picked up a pen, and wrote a paper memorial tablet for Ashou.

It was placed on the table, and incense was lit again.

For many years, Wen Mingqian has burned paper money to pay respects on the anniversary of A Shou's death, but because she lives in Shuangxi, he can only offer his respects from afar.

The firelight shone, illuminating Wen Mingqian's face.

Her lips were tightly pressed together, her eyebrows and eyes drooped, and although there were no tears, sorrow permeated her entire being.

She knew that Ah Shou had died unjustly.

She wanted to know the truth about Ashou's death.

But back then, so many people stopped her from getting close.

"Ah Shou, what injustice have you suffered? Why haven't you even appeared in my dreams all these years?" Wen Mingqian murmured. "I'm back. I will avenge you and clear your name. If your spirit is not far away, remember to witness the evildoers get their comeuppance."

When the incense was almost burned out, Wen Mingqian took over Ah Shou's paper memorial tablet and burned it in the copper basin as well.

Just as the last embers were about to go out, the ashes in the basin suddenly swirled up, dancing like butterflies, and one of them gently landed on Wen Mingqian's hand...

Zhang Ma lifted the curtain and said in a low voice, "Miss, the eldest mistress of the Zhou family has arrived."

Wen Mingqian quickly composed himself, stood up and said, "You serve her tea first, I'll change my clothes and then go see her."

Liu Cuiyi brought her two daughters with her today, the older one is six years old and the younger one is four years old.

"I saw you talking to Madam Feng the day you hosted the dinner, so I left first," Liu Cuiyi said with a smile. "I heard you moved to a new house today, so I brought the children to congratulate you. We'll have lunch here, so please have someone prepare it for us!"

“The other day, when Zhao Mama brought some things, I told her that you must come over today if you’re free.” Wen Mingqian picked up Liu Cuiyi’s youngest daughter and looked at her closely. “She’s so pretty, she looks just like you.”

(End of this chapter)