Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 43 Extra Show Girl (1)

In the twelfth month of the second year of Guangshun (952 AD), a heavy snow fell. An ebony carriage sped along the official road toward Fengxian County. Inside sat an old man with a white beard, his eyes half closed, dozing. The driver shouted into the carriage, "Master, we can't keep going. The snow is falling so hard that we can't see the road clearly. I remember there's a pavilion not far ahead. Why don't you rest there for a while? The horses are almost exhausted."

The old man with white beard opened his eyes and the butler opposite nodded.

The housekeeper shouted to the coachman outside, "Then go and rest for a while!"

Although it was called a pavilion, it was actually quite dilapidated, with weeds growing all around. The pavilion itself was cleaner. The steward covered the white-bearded old man with a thick cloak and helped him out of the carriage. He wiped the stone bench and covered it with a felt mat. Suddenly, he glimpsed a black mass under the stone table. Startled, he stepped back cautiously and carefully identified it. "Master, it looks like a person, and it's still alive!"

The old man with white beard gestured to bring the person out for a look.

The coachman and the housekeeper took great pains to move the stone table away. They found a child, so dirty that his original appearance could not be recognized. He was about twelve or thirteen years old. His black clothes were very dirty and torn. He had a high fever and seemed to be breathing hard.

The old man with white beard said to the housekeeper, "Go quickly and get the ginseng soup from the cart."

The housekeeper looked embarrassed: "Master, that's you...he is a..."

The old man with white beard said nonchalantly, "You know I'm sick, and it's been going on for more than a year or two. It doesn't matter whether I drink the ginseng soup or not. I won't die anytime soon."

The housekeeper had no choice but to get up and get the ginseng soup.

After drinking the warm ginseng soup, the child finally showed some reaction after a while. He coughed a few times and woke up.

The housekeeper helped him up and leaned him against the stone bench: "Kid, why are you lying here? Where are your family members?"

The kid shook his head and said nothing.

The housekeeper touched the back of his head and said, "Could it be that he is mute? Kid, you know, you are lucky today. If we hadn't passed by, you would have frozen to death here tonight."

The kid nodded obediently again, knelt down and kowtowed three times.

The housekeeper chuckled and said, "It seems that he understands and is not stupid!"

The old man with white beard said, "You're a good child if you know how to be grateful. Let's go. It looks like the snow won't stop any time soon. It's getting lighter now, so let's go!"

The housekeeper helped the old man with white beard into the carriage. The boy stood in the pavilion, stunned and at a loss. The old man with white beard gave the housekeeper a look, and the housekeeper turned around with a look of disappointment: "Hurry up and get in the carriage! What are you standing there for? Our master is kind-hearted and will save people to the end. Come with us to Fengxian County first! We will find a place to stay first. Don't waste the master's bowl of ginseng soup!"

Seeing that the kid was still standing there in a daze, the butler took a few steps forward, lifted him up, and put him on the cart. The kid looked tall, but he was very light. The butler said, "Oh, how thin this kid is!"

----

The Xu family in Fengxian County...

Early in the morning, the auntie rushed into the house, twisting her waist and pushing the uncle lying on the bed: "Uncle, get up quickly! Dad is back!"

The old man turned over and wanted to continue sleeping, a little annoyed: "Come back if you want! Can't you let me sleep?"

The old lady grabbed his ear and scolded him, "You good-for-nothing! Why don't you go and please daddy? You won't have a share of the family fortune in the future! I heard that daddy brought back a dirty kid this time, but after washing him, he found out he was a pretty girl! I heard that she's from Shu County just like our daddy. Her mother died early, and her dad forced her to marry an old landlord as his seventh concubine! That's why she fled to Fengxian County to look for her aunt, but unfortunately she couldn't find anyone. She was homeless, so our daddy decided to take her in!" The old man said in a daze, "Girl? What girl?"

The old lady said angrily, "Who knows where this wild girl came from, so I asked you to get up and find out."

The old man sat up, sighed and said, "She's just a girl, she can't cause any trouble."

The old lady hit him and scolded him angrily, "What do you know? I heard that girl is pretty. Do you think Dad would want to have another wife?"

The old man looked helpless: "Dad is already in his seventies and eighties, how old is that girl? Is she fourteen or fifteen? Is our dad that kind of person? Don't look for trouble!"

The old lady pondered to herself, "That's right, is she going to marry the brat from the second house?"

The first wife's three sons are all married; the second wife has one son named Xu Lizhun; the third wife has only one daughter who has been married for a long time.

The old man sat up, a little irritated: "Can you stop thinking about it?"

The old lady curled her lips, looking aggrieved: "I am doing this for those three little bastards. I just hope that I can get a bigger share of the family property when the family is divided!"

----

Five years later……

Xiuniang, dressed in men's clothing, was rushing to the study when she ran into Erniang. Xiuniang bowed as a greeting. Erniang approached her and took her hand: "Oh, isn't this Xiuniang? You look even prettier after not seeing you for a few days! Have you been busy these days? You look thinner... Go to Erniang's room in a couple of days. I'll make you some clothes. See if you like them. Today, Lizhun took a special leave from school and came back. You two can have a good chat."

Xiuniang felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to take her hand away, but she was holding it too tightly: "Xiuniang thanks Erniang."

"Oh, who was it! Shouting here so early in the morning? Turns out it's a weasel paying New Year's greetings to the chickens!" The old lady came out from the corner while cracking melon seeds and twisting her waist.

Er Niang's face turned red and white with embarrassment: "Who are you talking about?"

The old lady snorted lightly, her face full of disdain: "When Xiuniang first entered the mansion, who was it that looked down on her and suppressed her at every turn? There were even rumors that she wanted to be the master's concubine. You wouldn't have thought that in the past few years, she has followed the master in business and now manages the Xu family's property in an orderly manner. Why would she want to propose marriage to your cowardly son? With his character, he doesn't even take a piss to look in the mirror. He is proficient in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. I heard that he even stole the second master's jade ornaments and sold them a while ago. With such a scumbag, isn't it just a toad wanting to eat swan meat? Don't even think about it. The master will be the first one who won't agree."

Er Niang's face flushed with anger: "Even if I don't marry Li Zhun, can I marry your three stupid sons as a concubine?"

Seeing that the two of them were arguing fiercely, Xiuniang left quietly.

There were bursts of coughing sounds coming from the study. Xiuniang hesitated for a moment, but still knocked on the door.

"Come in..." Mr. Xu's tired voice came.

"Master..." Xiuniang looked at him with a distressed expression and bowed.

"Good girl, sit down..." Master Xu looked at her with a kind smile on his face. "You know, I called you back this time. What's the matter?"

(End of this chapter)