Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 84 A Lament for the Long Rain and Green Mountains, A Song Asks the Thunder and the Gentle Breeze

The chilly rain lingered for a long time, but finally the clouds parted and the sun shone brightly, warm and clear, inviting one to go outside into the courtyard.

"Would you like to go for a walk, Miss?"

"Let's just take a walk around the yard..."

The young girl followed her mistress downstairs. The scenery filtering through the latticed windows was somewhat alluring, making her feel itchy and wanting to go outside for a stroll.

Liu Jiao'an's hesitant manner left the young girl somewhat confused about what her young mistress was planning to do. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Liu Jiao'an call her name: "Qingmiao, who named you?"

"She's Qingmiao's mother." Qingmiao hadn't expected her young mistress to suddenly ask about her name. "Is it hard to pronounce 'Miss'?"

Shaking her head, Liu Jiaoan turned back and looked Qingmiao up and down: "It's a good name."

This name doesn't seem like something someone who hasn't studied could come up with, but why did Qingmiao end up working as a servant in the Liu family?
"How did you come to the Liu family?" Liu Jiao'an stopped and did not intend to let the topic pass easily. "It sounds like your mother must be a well-educated and virtuous lady from a prominent family."

"My mother's family was scattered in the flood, and my maternal grandparents' family also disappeared in that flood." Speaking of her maternal grandparents' family, Qingmiao didn't have much emotion, perhaps because she had never met them since she was a child, and of course, she didn't have any deep feelings for them.

"The shop my parents built and the newly built courtyard were all washed away by the flood."

"Originally, with my parents' hard work, we were able to rebuild our home, but the imperial court... not only did my parents not see any of the disaster relief funds that were issued, but my mother was also seriously injured in the flood and passed away after giving birth to me." As she said this, Qingmiao was still able to control her emotions.

The floodwaters are clear and turbulent, causing countless lives to be lost. Those who unknowingly drank the floodwaters fell ill. If a clear stream could be obtained, ordinary people would have disaster relief funds and a chance to rebuild their lives.

“My father wanted to raise me alone, so he found a stepmother to take care of me and went to do business in another city by himself.”

“At first everything was fine.” Qingmiao’s voice was choked with sobs. “Later, when Father was returning home, he was murdered by villains… Because there was no evidence, the yamen refused to handle the case.”

Is it simply because there is no evidence? As the saying goes, "the emperor is far away and the sky is high," Qingmiao and her stepmother, two women, are fighting a lawsuit in a place far away from Huizhou. There are countless possibilities for the case to be "not accepted," but the only one that is impossible is "no evidence."

Mountain bandits robbing people on the road is definitely not a one-off incident, nor is it the first time. If they dare to rob caravans with bodyguards, they have long been a force to be reckoned with!
"Later, my stepmother couldn't support me on her own, so she brought me with her to work at the Liu family's house."

At this moment, Qingmiao finally couldn't suppress her emotions. Tears welled up in her eyes and covered her face. She sobbed as she told Liu Jiao'an what had happened: "My stepmother had a hard time raising me all these years. When I came to the Liu family, because I was not young, I had to do all the dirty and hard work. After a little over a year, she left me too."

"When my father passed away, the neighbors said I was a jinx, that it was because of me that my mother and father died one after the other..."

It's truly laughable. If the parents died early, how could they have had a child? Liu Jiao'an was extremely annoyed by these people who couldn't even manage their own affairs but insisted on meddling in other people's business.

"Is there no one in your tribe to stand up for you?"

“My stepmother has already driven those people away. The clan gave my stepmother some silver, and with that silver, my daughter and I managed to get by for a while.”

Of course, it's not the mother and daughter's fault for not knowing to work. With a child still in swaddling clothes, it's already very difficult for the stepmother to take care of both of them. Looking up, she saw the symbols of fortune, prosperity, and longevity on this side, and the figures from the opera stage carved on that side. The breath that Liu Jiao'an wanted to exhale was pressed into her chest.

Originally, Liu Jiao'an wanted to ask Qingmiao whether she would be willing to continue following her or return to her own home if she were to leave the Liu family again one day and take Qingmiao away from this high-walled place where she had to be careful at all times and where life was extremely difficult.

It seems there's no need to ask now, unless Qingmiao is willing to live alone at that time.

"Miss, you don't need to worry about Qingmiao."

“My stepmother told me that my parents’ deaths were not my fault…it’s because there are too many people in this world who disregard the lives of others for their own benefit.”

Looking at Qingmiao's still wet eyes, Liu Jiaoan opened her mouth, but found herself suddenly unable to say anything.

“Miss is not that kind of person, Qingmiao can see that clearly.”

If I am not that kind of person, then is the owner of this courtyard that kind of person? There are so many honest and upright officials in the local chronicles, will my father's name be recorded in the future?
Turning back, the rapid shift between the dimness of the room and the blinding sunlight in the yard made it difficult for the eyes to adjust immediately, leaving Liu Jiao'an feeling somewhat dazed.

"Qingmiao, do you think... the saying 'the sins of one's children should not be visited upon them' is correct?"

"Qingmiao doesn't know."

Indeed, Qingmiao was born into a family that had already fallen on hard times, so she naturally didn't have many opportunities to learn more about life.

"Qingmiao may not know anything else, but Qingmiao knows... If these children are the children of those bandits, I feel sorry for them, but I also hope that they can experience the same situation as Qingmiao, so that their parents will know what kind of evil they did back then and what kind of harm they caused to people."

"So what do you think of the saying 'the son pays for the father's debts'?" Liu Jiao'an didn't immediately answer Qingmiao's question, but instead posed a second question to her, "Do you think this saying is right or wrong?"

"Qingmiao thinks it's right, otherwise what about the people who borrowed money?"

"But what if the child doesn't know?"

"But Miss, didn't his father spend the money he borrowed on him?"

Qingmiao's words made sense. Liu Jiao'an remained silent for a long time—even if the father spent the money on gambling, drinking, and brothels, he didn't touch much of the family's money, and he didn't sell his children to get money for gambling or drinking...

"Miss?" Qingmiao was a little worried that her words might have made the young lady think she was too cruel.

"Does Miss think Qingmiao is being too calculating?"

Qingmiao's question made Liu Jiaoan speak again from her silence: "You're not being petty."

"Qingmiao, you are right."

"It is only right for children to pay for their parents' debts. Children have benefited from their parents' protection, so naturally, the sins should also be borne by the children."

Qingmiao sensed something unusual in her young mistress's words, as if she were making a vow or oath, rather than speaking solely to her.

"Go and rest. I have something to say to my father." Liu Jiao'an finally managed to send Qingmiao away and decided to talk to her father alone.

Let's talk and see if there are any debts owed by the father that the son needs to repay.

"Master shouldn't be back yet. Miss, why don't you take a stroll in the courtyard? The weather is really nice today."

Yes, my father took a few days off recently because I came home, and he still has to deal with the work that has piled up from the past few days.

"it is good."

What should have been an easy afternoon felt incredibly long because Liu Jiao'an was preoccupied with waiting for someone.

"Qingmiao, has Father not returned yet?"

"Miss, it's still early. Master won't be back until 5 PM."

The sun was just beginning to set, and Liu Jiao'an's heart was already pounding with anxiety. Qingmiao, seeing this, thought it was too hot and wanted to make her young mistress a cup of tea, but just as she got up, Liu Jiao'an stopped her: "Qingmiao, you don't need to go." "Has Father not returned yet?"

“Miss, it’s only early morning now, and it will be a long time before Master returns… Why don’t you go back and rest for a while?”

"No need."

As the clouds passed, they brought with them a chorus of birdsong. Liu Jiao'an glanced at the hourglass beside her and, through the door, smelled the incense burning inside the room. Wisps of smoke were carefully creeping out along the window frame.

"clear……"

"Alright, Qingmiao, let me pour you and me two cups of tea."

"Yes, ma'am."

A cup of tea finally calmed her anger considerably, and Liu Jiao'an was no longer so impatient. She simply sat on a chair in the courtyard, looked up at the sky outside the courtyard.

Looking out at the sky, the original golden color had been tinged with orange-red. Liu Jiao'an spoke again: "Qingmiao, shouldn't Father be back soon?"

"Miss, the master just sent someone back to say that he will be back later today and that the cooks in the manor should prepare the food for you first."

After waiting all afternoon, this was the news Qingmiao received, and she was almost embarrassed to speak.

"Oh."

Liu Jiao'an wasn't as disappointed as Qingmiao had imagined. After responding, she tidied up and told Qingmiao to go upstairs to rest together.

However, Guan Yin, who had just returned to the private school, could not rest.

"Is this Mr. Cheng's private school?"

"Yes." Guan Yin returned a little early; the students wouldn't be back for class until the next day. He had just finished a quick clean of the room when someone knocked on the door.

"You are?"

After looking the visitors over, Guan Yin realized that he did not recognize them and had never seen them before.

The newcomer was also sizing up Guan Yin, and after a while, he chuckled softly—a chuckle filled with disdain and mockery that could not be mistaken.

For a moment, Guan Yin panicked.
But Guan Yin knew that no matter what happened, he couldn't lose his composure: "Who are you people, and what do you want with me?"

"Looking for you? We're not here to see you, we're here to see Mr. Cheng."

"Mr. Cheng?"

"Mr. Cheng?"

"Mr. Cheng!"

Guan Yin frowned, wanting to push the person out the door, but he didn't expect that in addition to shouting louder and louder, the person kept trying to force his way into the house by taking advantage of his numbers and strength.

"This is my home, what are you doing?"

"go out!"

"How did this become your home?" The newcomer clearly knew Guan Yin's identity. "You're not Mr. Cheng. You've been occupying this place for so long that you really think it's your home?"

"What makes you say I'm not Cheng Jianwei?"

"What proof do you have that you are Mr. Cheng?" The newcomer shrugged, looking as if he already had all the evidence, as if they were just leisurely watching Guan Yin make his final struggle.

When reading novels, Guan Yin often felt that the protagonists were stupid, and why they were always forced to make certain reactions. But when it really happened to him, Guan Yin realized that everything was not as easy as he thought.

Even when you're being pushed along by everything around you, it's already incredibly difficult to avoid falling down or being easily crushed like an ant!
"Do I need to prove to you who I am?" Guan Yin kept this in mind, having heard countless times online about not falling into the trap of self-proving.

"If you are Mr. Cheng, then the Cheng Jianwei who took the exam in the capital would be a fake, wouldn't he?"

"When the time comes, will the charge of deceiving the emperor be yours or his?"

Guan Yin knew that Liu Jiao'an's return to the Liu family and Cheng Heng's departure from Liu's father's territory would definitely alert the latter, but he did not expect the latter's people to arrive so quickly.

Who I am is none of your business.

"If you continue to cause trouble here, I'll report you to the authorities." This was said to the neighbors. The people in front of him were backed by officials; if he reported them, wouldn't he be like a lamb to the slaughter, just giving Liu's father an opportunity to deal with him?

Perhaps sensing that there were no students in the private school today, the visitor knew that this would not have a significant impact and needed to conceal the identity of the person behind him. He uttered a few harsh words and left the private school before Guan Yin could respond.

"tomorrow……"

The private school won't be open tomorrow, but there's always the day after. The day after tomorrow, and the day after that... This isn't something that can be solved by running away. Guan Yin was determined to face it head-on. All he could do was wait for these people to cause trouble again and use his existing knowledge to quell their doubts.

If you are perceived by students and parents as a better teacher than the "real Cheng Jianwei," and your words are not subject to deliberate challenges or tests, then you have nothing to worry about.

The people sent there dared not easily reveal the source of their information, otherwise, if their identities were exposed, the people behind them would not let them off easily—unless "Cheng Jianwei" was admitted to high school. But at that time, Cheng Heng, who had this identity, also had the right to speak for Guan Yin.

When night fell completely, Mr. Liu finally returned home. Before he could even eat, he heard his daughter asking him all afternoon when he would be back.

"There's nothing else to my daughter's reason for looking for her father. I just heard about the family background of the girl who's with me, and I feel a bit down. I don't know what I can do for such a girl."

"Her mother died in childbirth, her father died at the hands of bandits, and her stepmother died from overwork. Her maternal grandparents perished in a flood."

“It’s her good fortune to have come to the Liu family,” Liu Jiao’an said with a sigh. “What about those who went to the brothel? And those who died violently in the streets…”

"Father, you are a local official, how do you feel when you see things like this?"

“Once you’ve seen enough, you’ll realize that the suffering in this world can’t be relieved.” Liu’s father didn’t comfort Liu Jiao’an. “What’s the great compassion of Guanyin Bodhisattva, or the savior of all people? Even gods can’t save us. What can we ordinary people do?”

"But not everything is hopeless..."

It was clearly caused by humans, so what can't humans do?

Before Liu Jiao'an could speak, her father interrupted her: "Today, a former classmate sent me a letter mentioning the marriages of our children. What do you think?"