Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 106 A loquat tree in the courtyard, its branches adorned with blossoms, a testament to affection; fallen petals, lingering fragrance.

"Tuk Tuk Tuk!"

"Why aren't you up yet? Aren't you going to work today?" The mother's knocking was always just a signal; as long as Guan Yin didn't respond, the mother would immediately push the door open.

"Resting time off in lieu of leave."

"Oh." Mrs. Guan nodded and stepped halfway out the door.

Seeing that Guan Yin was about to go to sleep again, Guan's mother couldn't bear it any longer. She pushed the door open again and leaned in, saying, "Are you going to eat or not? Even if it's a day off, it's getting late. You should get up."

"okay."

Having finally gotten two days off, Guan Yin really didn't want to get up early, so she rolled over, wanting to linger in bed a little longer...

"No, I was just..."

Once fully awake, Guan Yin opened his eyes and saw the familiar roof beams—returning home was ultimately just a dream.

I originally thought that time travel was a vague dream, then I thought that meeting Cheng Heng was just a fleeting dream, and now, returning to the place I am truly familiar with has become a dream.

Guan Yin was glad that in the novels he had read, every protagonist's time travel was a deal where they had no more attachments in their original world, or that their regrets were exchanged for a second chance.

He had higher expectations for the meaning of education and saw the significance of the stories on the stage. However, Guan Yin did not know if he would have the chance to stand on the three-foot-wide platform, face his students, and put his views on everything into practice.

Sitting up, Guan Yin saw the letter still in front of him and confirmed once again that the sender was no longer the Cheng Heng she knew—Cheng Heng's experiences made Guan Yin truly feel the influence of every teacher she had ever encountered.

Good or bad, lifelong benefits... or perhaps it simply solves the immediate problem. Teaching and nurturing students—the content in textbooks is important, but nurturing students is of paramount importance.

Before Guan Yin could continue contemplating life, another letter arrived at the private school.

"Don't you want me to go to the capital?" Guan Yin knew the worries of the people on the other side of the letter, and even knew that Cheng Jianwei's worries were not wrong at all.

I know I can't possibly win against Zhang Shuwen. Putting aside Zhang Shuwen's letters, even I'm starting to believe in his true feelings for Ling Xiao. Considering the latter's identity, I'm just throwing an egg against a rock.

Guan Yin wasn't the type to make decisions on a whim. The idea of ​​"braving danger for this or that" was utterly foolish to him.

Acting impulsively might seem cool to young people, but in the end, it only brings pain to loved ones and joy to enemies. If Guan Yin really did rush to the capital, he would be letting down the thousands of years of history etched in our minds...

"How did you come?"

Cheng Jianwei had already sent an invitation to Zhang Shuwen's butler, explaining that he would be coming this morning. However, when the latter saw Cheng Jianwei, he still acted as if he knew nothing, digging the ground bit by bit with a hoe.

"I wanted to have a chat with you." Cheng Jianwei didn't express any dissatisfaction with Zhang Shuwen's behavior. Instead, she stood quietly to the side, occasionally scooping a ladle of water from the wooden bucket next to her and handing it to Zhang Shuwen. "After all, I've never seen anyone die in front of me."

"Um……"

"Stop crying, or Brother Zhang will never need my water again."

Zhang Shuwen's tears came quickly, but lingered for a long time.

As soon as he cried, his hand stopped moving. The trumpet creeper vine, which was not suitable for growing in the capital, but whose owner had specially transplanted it from somewhere, finally managed to survive thanks to Cheng Jianwei's ladle of water.

"Now that Lingxiao is gone, Brother Zhang's marriage is no longer bound by the debt of gratitude from back then, Brother Zhang..."

Zhang Shuwen summoned a servant to brew tea for Cheng Jianwei. It was a cup of this year's new tea, a cup of tea from her hometown, its fragrance of orchids filling the small room. "My love for my wife has nothing to do with any favors or kindnesses," he said.

“This courtyard was originally intended to be a place for Ling Xiao’s parents, but who would have thought that in the end…” Zhang Shuwen quickly steered the conversation back to his own emotions.

“Yes.” Cheng Jianwei took the tea that Zhang Shuwen handed her.

The tea smelled wonderful, and Cheng Jianwei's original sorrow faded away, replaced by a smile that seemed to grace her eyes: "But it's good, she'll probably be depressed by all the infighting in the capital."

Zhang Shuwen raised his eyes and glanced at Cheng Jianwei. Seeing that the latter was also looking over, he looked away and sighed, "Brother Cheng is truly good at comforting people."

After finishing his tea, Cheng Jianwei shook his head at the former.

“Brother Zhang, we must always look forward. If you continue to be so depressed, you will be letting down your mentor and yourself.”

A silvery line of tea was poured from the teapot and settled steadily into the cup. Only Zhang Shuwen and Cheng Jianwei were in the room. Without needing anyone to serve them, Zhang Shuwen treated the tea like wine and drank cup after cup down his throat.

Suddenly, a hand blocked Zhang Shuwen's movement. Zhang Shuwen looked up along the direction of the arm and saw Cheng Jianwei's face.

A pair of bloodshot eyes stared at Cheng Jianwei, her gaze carrying a peculiar emotion.

"The tea has gone cold. Go and ask someone to bring some freshly boiled water." Cheng Jianwei knew who Zhang Shuwen was thinking of, but she still spoke her words of concern.

"you……"

Standing up, Cheng Jianwei picked up the cooled kettle and placed it on the charcoal fire beside her, quietly listening to the subtle crackling sounds produced by the burning charcoal.

Occasionally, flames would suddenly leap up, illuminating Cheng Jianwei's face even brighter.

“What you just said sounds like something Ling Xiao would say.” After a brief moment of distraction, Zhang Shuwen picked up the kettle and put it back on the table. “Just like that trumpet creeper flower is very much like her.”

"Wind, rain, sunshine, snow, none of them seem to be able to harm her."

“The person is gone, but Brother Zhang must still move forward.” Cheng Jianwei had already refilled the tea, poured a cup for himself and Zhang Shuwen, and shook his head at the latter, “The person is gone, but those who are alive must look forward.”

Zhang Shuwen took the tea and swallowed it in one gulp, regardless of whether it was hot or cold. It wasn't until he put the teacup back on the table that he realized his fingertips were red from the heat. Cheng Jianwei didn't stop him from drinking the scalding tea—but Zhang Shuwen seemed completely oblivious.

“I’ve been away from home for a long time, and this tea was sent to me by her.”

As if explaining why a regular tea drinker might accidentally swallow scalding hot water, Zhang Shuwen picked up a tea canister from the side and tapped it gently.

Is she really gone?

"she?"

"Ling Xiao, my wife."

"Brother Zhang, did you perhaps see something?" Cheng Jianwei looked around warily, as if searching for some hidden figure... or perhaps, a ghostly figure that only Zhang Shuwen could see.

“Brother Zhang, I am presumptuous, but I think that if your wife were still alive, she would not want you to be so depressed.”

"When did you become so understanding?" Zhang Shuwen asked without looking up, toying with the teacup in his left hand and using his right hand to wipe away the tea that had spilled from the rim.

"Ling Xiao is gone. Having witnessed life and death, he also saw the deep affection between Brother Zhang and the ghost."

"Do you think she's really gone?"

This was the second time. Cheng Jianwei suspected that the other party already knew something—Zhang Shuwen was able to become the top scholar, and he was able to take this risky move, using Ling Xiao as a target. He was willing to go all out, so he must have left himself a way out.

"Ling Xiao is a very good girl. Whether you meet her once or a few times, you will inevitably pick up some of her features."

“Just like that trumpet creeper.” “I’d rather she were still here.” Zhang Shuwen’s gaze shifted from Cheng Jianwei to the table not far in front of him.

"As long as Brother Zhang is here, Miss Lingxiao is here too."

Zhang Shuwen didn't understand Cheng Jianwei's words. He put down his cup and turned his attention to the window beside him, as if trying to see the trumpet vine that had just been planted outside: "If I am here, then she is here?"

"But we haven't known each other for very long."

"Knowledge is worse than acquaintance." Cheng Jianwei waved his hand at Zhang Shuwen, who was about to pour tea again. "If we were to judge everyone by the length of their acquaintance, then even the closest of friends could not compare to how parents understand their children... Do you think this applies to everyone?"

"Can we be considered to know each other?"

"We're from the same hometown and took the same exam, how can we not be considered acquaintances?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Zhang Shuwen hadn't laughed so heartily in days.

"Tonight, Brother Cheng, let's get drunk together."

"I am not good at drinking, but... for my dear brother, I will get completely drunk this time, hoping to relieve your worries together."

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of laughter and tears, three months passed. The autumn winds swept through the capital, and only then did Zhang Shuwen begin to recover somewhat from Ling Xiao's death, occasionally returning to the city to visit his mentor.

Most of the time, he would stay in the outskirts of Beijing, drifting between drunkenness and sobriety, watering the trumpet creeper vine when he was sober. When drunk, he would simply stay away from the court—he had heard that Zhang Shuwen's mentor in Beijing had been imprisoned, and when he was released, the emperor had rewarded him with a lot of gold and silver as compensation.

"Brother Zhang, aren't you going to visit your revered teacher?"

“My mentor is now more successful than ever before, and for me to visit him now would seem like flattery.”

"Too……"

"Brother Cheng, are you not staying today?"

"No, recently some people have offended His Majesty with their words, and all departments are extremely busy."

"With Madam gone, I feel like I'm half a cripple!"

"Brother Zhang will get through this." Of course, Zhang Shuwen will get through this.

Cheng Jianwei faced the wind, and even though she wrapped her clothes tightly, she still felt the wind filling her up and seeping into her bones and blood through her skin—Zhang Shuwen had truly exploited Ling Xiao's "death" to the fullest extent.

With the case settled with the word "bandit," Zhang Shuwen's men captured all the refugees and bandits in the surrounding mountains and received their reward while lying in the courtyard.

This also conveniently avoided the factional infighting in the imperial court.

All things considered, Ling Xiao truly could be considered Zhang Shuwen's lucky star. However, as the rumors circulated, only Zhang Shuwen gained a reputation for being "devoted," leading to numerous fabrications by storytellers…

"With a stroke here and a stroke there, one can ruin a person or glorify another. No wonder Mr. Lu Xun said, 'Studying medicine cannot save the Chinese people.'"

Even today, teaching is a good way to make a living, but the stories written by Yin Yunshan seem to prove his innocence even better than black and white words on paper. Guan Yin looked at the group of students in front of him and felt a bit bitter.

Ling Xiao should still be alive, but where did she go? And what should she do for her? Ever since the last letter arrived, Cheng Jianwei hasn't said a word. Guan Yin waited and waited, only receiving occasional letters from Cheng's parents, which made Guan Yin feel that she wasn't all alone here...

"gentlemen?"

The teacher was checking his homework when he saw a half-dried petal of a trumpet creeper and suddenly became lost in thought.

"Hmm..." Guan Yin refocused his attention on the students' studies and nodded slightly. "Not bad, but don't write outside next time, it's getting cold."

"Yes..." In late autumn and early winter, the trumpet creeper has already withered and is no longer in bloom. This student is just trying to fool them with his past coursework.

Fortunately, it seems that the gentleman did not notice today.

"Are the trumpet creeper still blooming now?"

"It's still... still blooming! There's one on my wall, it's climbed so high!"

"Oh, it's still open in October too."

Trumpet creeper flowers usually bloom until October in the Gregorian calendar, which is the end of autumn in the ninth month of the lunar calendar. Now it's winter... These trumpet creeper flowers that have been dried for several days are clearly old flowers being passed off as new.

"Sir, this is what I wrote earlier."

"Go and rewrite it." Guan Yin decided to make a trip to the capital.

The information provided by Cheng Jianwei was too outdated, and Guan Yin had not received any messages from Ling Xiao in the past few months... Guan Yin knew he was not capable of meddling in other people's business.

However, Cheng Heng transformed back into Cheng Jianwei on the way to the capital, and Ling Xiao was Guan Tongtong's best friend. Therefore, Guan Yin had to make a trip to the capital!
Having prepared the money and made arrangements for the students, Guan Yin headed to the capital without hesitation.

The journey to the capital was long and tiring, so once they arrived, they had to rest and then inquire about Zhang Shuwen's whereabouts.

"The newly appointed top scholar dared not emulate Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai's transformation into butterflies, but he spent his days weeping. These tears fell into the soil, and who knew that a loquat tree, which can only grow in the south, would grow from them!"

"It is said that the courtesan's nickname was Loquat!"

The stories in the teahouse unfolded in detail, and Guan Yin used the little money he had left to buy a cup of tea.

"I wonder if any of you have heard this story..."

Finding Zhang Shuwen's current residence from such a story is certainly impossible, but Guan Yin's money is no longer enough to bribe him.

Teaching in the capital? Guan Yin dared not even dream of it.

Then he could only use the original name "Yin Yunshanren" again to attract Zhang Shuwen to come over. Guan Yin believed that even if he could not achieve much, Cheng Jianwei was interested in this matter and would definitely help him.

Sure enough, a month and a half later, the play written by "Yin Yunshanren" became a hit on the stage, and an invitation from the outskirts of Beijing was delivered to Guan Yin.

"I have no relatives or friends in the capital. I wonder why your esteemed household has invited me?" Guan Yin did not come out from behind the screen; his gaze remained fixed on the ink marks in front of him.

“My wife has an old friend who happens to share the same name as me.”

"I see."

Those waiting outside thought Guan Yin would come out after saying that, but the latter didn't make a sound for a long time: "It seems we are destined to meet."

"Have you heard a story?" Guan Yin's voice still came from behind the screen.

"Please speak, sir." Since they had come to invite him, the person who delivered the invitation waited respectfully for Guan Yin to speak.

"There is a loquat tree in the courtyard, which my wife planted in the year she died. Now it stands tall and spreading like a canopy... I just happened to hear someone tell this story in a teahouse a few days ago, and it is quite touching."