Chapter 118

I Won’t Accept Her as Your Concubine or Maid (2)

Xiaotao's forehead was still oozing sweat . She tugged at Dangju's sleeve and said, “I asked the gatekeeper Xiaoshun to follow them . He returned back soon and said that he saw the carriage driving into the grove of peach trees outside the entrance of the alley . After that I immediately rushed back and told Lady about this . ”

Sheng Mansion was located in a good area and not far away from it, there was a grove of peach trees . Although the grove was uneven and few people would go there and enjoy the scenery, it had a rustic charm . Minglan pondered for a while and guessed that Cousin Cao must have come to see He Hongwen alone . Since they wanted to talk about their old times alone, they would choose a secluded romantic place . He Mansion and Cao Mansion were both unsuitable for a chat . In this case the grove of peach trees was the best place for them to chat .

Minglan counted the minutes with her fingers . It would take about seven or eight minutes to reach the grove of peach trees by carriage from Sheng Mansion . Xiaoshun and Xiaotao were good at running . So up to now, Cao Jinxiu and He Hongwen had just talked to each other for half an hour . Minglan conjectured that they had just finished talking about their experiences because Cao Jinxiu must have cried for a long time according to Minglan's reading of the character of Cao Jinxiu .

After hearing Xiaotao's words, Dangju stammered, “… So, my lady, what are you going to do?”

‘Is Lady Minglan going to catch them red-handed?’ Dangju was dumbfounded by her own thought .

“Nothing,” Minglan answered .

The carriage stopped and the curtain was slightly lifted by a gentle breeze . A faint fragrance of peach flowers came in . Minglan opened her eyes, smoothed the wrinkles on her skirt and pushed upright the golden ornament on her hair while she said lightly, “I have run out of patience . ” With that she stepped out of the carriage with the help of Xiaotao .

‘Damn it! I’m tired of all the speculation . The average marriage age of people in ancient times is 16 . Youth is the most precious time of life and I can't let my youth slip idly by . Furthermore, there are plenty of other fish in the sea . If he doesn’t want to marry me, I will change my mind at once,’ Minglan thought to herself .

The noon sun was fierce in late August and there were few people in the grove of peach trees . This area was in the inner part of the capital and had a good public order these days because it was under the state of siege during the Autumn Imperial Examination and idle persons were not allowed to walk around . Minglan wore the curtained hat and walked toward the depths of the grove with Dangju, Xiaotao and the two young men of Huang family .

Xiaotao walked fast forth to detect the positions of He Hongwen and Cao Jinxiu . After a while, she hurriedly came back and whispered to Minglan, “The carriage of Cao family is in the west of the grove . Young Master He and Lady Cao are over here . ” She pointed to tall trees thick with leaves ahead .

Minglan asked the two young men of Huang family to wait here and then led Xiaotao and Dangju to walk on . When they came near to the shade, they heard a woman crying and a man gently consoling her . Minglan, Xiaotao and Dangju promptly hid behind a big tree .

“… Cousin, I have suffered a lot in Liang Prefecture . There was even no clean water to drink . The water fetched from the well was salty and bitter . After drinking it, my parents’ faces swelled up…” Cao Jinxiu said with sobs, “But that was not the worst thing . A few years later, we ran out of money and had nothing to bribe the officials . My family was unable to continue living, so they married me… married me… to him… He’s a military official garrisoning the Liang Prefecture… Cousin, I really wanted to kill myself at that time but I couldn’t do that . If I had died, my parents would have been in a hopeless situation . ”

With that she cried sadly and He Hongwen comforted her in a low voice . Cao Jinxiu sounded emotional . Minglan heard a rustle of clothes and it seemed that Cao Jinxiu was tugging at He Hongwen's sleeve . Cao Jinxiu cried and continued, “Thank goodness, I finally see you again . Cousin, I have kept all things we did as children in my mind over the years… When I was a child, I liked the flowers on the pomegranate tree, so you climbed up the tall tree to pick the flowers for me . Then you fell from the tree by accident and Aunt was angry and worried . But you didn’t tell her that you fell down because of picking flowers for me; instead, you took all the blame… I still remember that you made a little lantern with your own hands for me every Lantern Festival . I received the lotus-shaped and rabbit-shaped lanterns from you . . . Every time I awoke in the middle of the night, what I feared most was being forgotten by you . ”

He Hongwen became a bit excited and replied, “Calm down! Don't cry anymore, Cousin Jinxiu . I’m here, so don't be afraid . Now you and your family have returned to the capital . Everything's going to be just fine . ”

Cao Jinxiu kept crying for a few seconds and slowly calmed herself down . “A few months later, a general amnesty was proclaimed to the whole country . My parents gave the military official all their money and took me home . He didn’t like me and thought that I would bring ill luck to him and do harm to his official career because I cried every day . I wanted to kill myself but I was afraid that my parents would be broken-hearted for my death . Besides, I longed to see you again before my death . Now that my wish has come true, I can die content . . . ” she said with sadness .

He Hongwen gently scolded, “Don’t talk nonsense . You are still young and you will live a long life . ”

Cao Jinxiu said with sorrow, “… I have met Lady Sheng . She’s beautiful and elegant . She comes from a good family and your grandmother likes her . That’s great! Cousin, you will have a good marriage . Lady Sheng is gentle and kind, and she will surely take good care of Aunt and you…My mother wants you to accept me as your concubine, but I know it is too much to hope for . I’m not a maiden now . I have lost my chastity . So, Cousin, let me be your maid . I’m willing to wait upon you and Lady Sheng as long as I can see you every day…”

Dangju’s face reddened with rage . Xiaotao gritted her teeth and wanted to rush out and bite that shameless woman . Through the branches Minglan could see that Cao Jinxiu had rested her head on He Hongwen's shoulder and sobbed quietly like a helpless child, her thin body constantly trembling . He Hongwen let out a long sigh and stroke her back with his hand to console her while saying under his breath, “… Sister Minglan is really a nice girl…”

Xiaotao trembled with anger and couldn't bear it any more . She stepped on a twig on the grass and it broke with a sharp snap . He Hongwen and Cao Jinxiu cried out in alarm, turned around and looked towards the tall tree behind which Minglan was sheltering .

“Who's there?” He Hongwen shouted .

Dangju gave Xiaotao a stern look . Minglan calmly straightened her clothes, got out of the bushes unhurriedly and then stood gracefully erect in front of He Hongwen and Cao Jinxiu . Xiaotao and Dangju followed her out with their heads bowed .

He Hongwen turned pale at the sight of Minglan and then blushed with shame . For a long while he remained speechless . Finally, he came to his senses and asked dully, “Sister Minglan, why are you here?”

Minglan waved her hand to her maids . Xiaotao and Dangju immediately retreated and left the three of them under the shade of trees . Minglan cast a glance at He Hongwen’s coat and saw a patch of the darker color on it . It was wetted by Cao Jinxiu's tears . She forced a smile and said with massive understatement, “I come out to deal with something . When I passed by the grove of peach trees, I saw the carriage of Sister Cao . So I walked into the grove and wanted to say hello to her . But Brother Hongwen, I didn't expect you would be here . ”

He Hongwen was panicked and asked in embarrassment, “You… Did you hear everything I said to her?”

Minglan smiled at him and answered, “No . What I heard is fragmentary . ”

Sunbeams filtered through the soft, green shade of the peach trees and shone on Minglan's white delicate face, flattering her translucent skin and classically beautiful features . She looked truly beautiful in the sunshine and her black eyes quietly stared at him .

He Hongwen stood in a trance . He knew clearly that he liked Minglan for her good nature and vivid personality, and wanted to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her . But when he twisted his head sideways and saw Cao Jinxiu trembling like a leaf, he hesitated . The poor girl was skinny and haggard with a wan and sallow face, completely different from the cute cousin in his memory . He Hongwen didn't have the heart to hurt her, so he felt in a dilemma .

Seeing the hesitation on his face, Cao Jinxiu gave a cry of sadness and fell to her knees at Minglan's feet, tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried sorrowfully, “Lady Sheng, please don't blame him . It’s all my fault . I knew Cousin Hongwen would arrive in the capital today, so I had someone keep an eye on the wharf and inform me as soon as he disembarked . Then I followed Cousin to Sheng Mansion . I know what I have done is improper, but Cousin Hongwen is innocent . You have to trust him . You are the only one he likes . ”

Minglan nodded and replied calmly, “This is between your cousin and me . As an unmarried girl, you’d better speak with caution and not take nonsense . Don't bring troubles to others . Now please get up off the ground . If someone saw you kneeling before me, they would mistakenly regard me as a bully . ”

Cao Jinxiu was stunned for a while before she nodded and apologized, “Lady, you are right . It’s all my fault . I have lost my chastity, and I can't compare with you . You are highly cultured and steeped in propriety . Please don't be angry with me . ” While saying that, she still knelt on the ground .

He Hongwen hastened to bent down and tried to help Cao Jinxiu up but she refused to get up; instead, she tugged at the lower hem of Minglan's skirt and implored with tears, “Lady Sheng, look at me . I'm not a patch on you . Please have mercy on me . . . Over the years, I have led a miserable life . More than once, desperation drove me to attempt suicide . But when I thought of Cousin Hongwen, I regained the courage to live on . Please! Please allow me to stay by his side . . . ”

Her voice was full of sadness and sorrow and she knelt before Minglan in the submissive posture of a mere supplicant . Then she raised her head and gazed at He Hongwen with imploring eyes as if he was her only hope . On the verge of tears, He Hongwen, who was always soft-hearted, looked imploringly at Minglan and stammered, “… Sister Minglan, you see, she is …”

Words failed He Hongwen when he met Minglan's calm eyes .

A strong current of anger surged through Minglan . It seemed that she would be considered as a malicious woman if she didn't agree to Cao Jinxiu's request in such a situation . Minglan walked a few steps and stood under the shade of a tree, and then she looked at Cao Jinxiu who was groveling on the ground, and said lightly, “Please don't cry, Cousin Jinxiu . I have something to ask you… Brother Hongwen once told me that you have two illegal older sisters and an illegal younger sister . How are they now?”

Cao Jinxiu raised her head and looked blankly at Minglan as she didn't understand what Minglan meant . The question was difficult to answer . Cao Jinxiu thought for a long while and finally answered, “They… They are fine . They stay on in Liang Prefecture and haven't come back with us . ”

He Hongwen was dazed for a second and asked, “Why do they stay on in Liang Prefecture? Uncle and Aunt have both returned to the capital . Why didn't they come back with you?” Cao Jinxiu replied in a weak voice, “They are… They are all married . ”

He Hongwen promptly understood what had happened to them and his face suddenly changed .

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