Notes on Longevity

Chapter 36 The First Merchant House, Jiu'anju, and the Pear Garden in the Snow, a Small Peace

After hearing what Zhang Ze'an said, everyone frowned, feeling a pang of sadness and deep emotion.

“Brother Zhang, I don’t think that person is very old. Since he passed the imperial examination, why doesn’t he go and teach? Why does he have to do these things?” Yang You’an asked, somewhat puzzled.

"To be honest, I'm quite curious myself now about how you passed the imperial examination," Zhang Ze'an said, looking at Yang You'an with the same curiosity and surprise that Li Chengru had shown him when they first met. All the students who came to take the imperial examination were aiming for fame and fortune; if there were shortcuts, why would they bother with years of hard study?

"Although the Second Prince is not the Crown Prince, he is still a member of the royal family and wields immense power. Furthermore, the throne is no longer passed down by the eldest son, but by the most capable and virtuous. If the Second Prince's virtue surpasses that of the Crown Prince, he is very likely to succeed him. If that happens, his power will be greater than that of some officials." The troupe leader hadn't expected Lin Youran to be a disciple of the Second Prince. If that were true, he would have no way to protect his daughter if he came again. Therefore, when he heard Yang Youan's question and Zhang Ze'an's curiosity, his words were full of helplessness.

"If that's the case, then why is Lin Youran so afraid of you and Brother Li?"

Upon hearing this, the troupe leader's previously helpless expression turned into one of disbelief. He stood on the stage, staring at Zhang Ze'an, his mind racing. Yes! If that's the case, then why is that person so afraid of Zhang Ze'an?

He glanced back at Xie Xiaoshuang, his gaze suddenly hardening. He bowed to Zhang Ze'an and Yang You'an, expressing his gratitude: "Many thanks to you two gentlemen for saving me today. I am deeply grateful. I was also puzzled by what Young Master Yang said earlier, and I did not know Young Master Zhang..."

"My father is Zhang Erhe." Zhang Ze'an smiled knowingly. He knew what the troupe leader was asking, so he simply didn't hide anything and told the troupe leader directly.

"Is it Zhang Erhe from the Jiu'anju trading company?" The troupe leader frowned upon hearing this and asked again.

“It is indeed my father,” Zhang Ze’an said with a slight smile.

When the troupe leader received Zhang Ze'an's reply, his heart skipped a beat, and his legs went weak. He thought to himself: "That's a business with wealth that rivals that of a country. I never expected that he would be this man's son."

The people on the stage were slightly taken aback when they saw this, but Xie Xiaoshuang hurriedly helped the troupe leader and asked anxiously, "Father, are you alright?"

"It's alright, it's alright." With Xie Xiaoshuang's help, the troupe leader steadied himself, waved his hand nervously at her, and then bowed to Zhang Ze'an, "So you are the son of the great philanthropist Zhang, no wonder, no wonder."

The troupe leader was sweating nervously. He bowed to Zhang Ze'an and quickly wiped away his sweat. Zhang Ze'an, who was standing to the side, laughed heartily: "Troupe leader, don't be so formal. I'm just here to see this guy off on someone's behalf."

After Zhang Ze'an finished speaking, he patted Yang You'an on the shoulder. The troupe leader immediately bowed to him and said, "Thanks to Young Master Yang today, otherwise my daughter would not know what kind of grievances she would have suffered."

After the troupe leader finished speaking, he turned around and tried to pull Xie Xiaoshuang to his side, but he saw that her face, which was covered with tears, was slightly flushed. She was quietly lowering her head and sobbing softly.

The troupe leader was puzzled by what he saw. He glanced at the people on the stage and then turned around, looking somewhat awkwardly at the two who were fooling around.

"Tell me, how long have you known Wenren? Did you ask him to make an exception for you in this imperial examination?" Zhang Ze'an put one hand on Yang You'an's shoulder, his words seemingly teasing.

But Yang Youan explained to Zhang Ze'an with a serious expression: "Brother Zhang, I did not know Brother Li before. I also passed the imperial examination step by step. There has never been any leniency between us."

"Alright, alright," Zhang Ze'an laughed heartily at Yang You'an's expression. "I know. It's not uncommon for someone so young to be able to pass the imperial examination, even if they fail."

Yang Youan remained serious and said, "Although I failed the exam this time, I might succeed next time. After I return, I will definitely study hard again."

"Alright, alright, I'll wait for you in the capital." Zhang Ze'an patted Yang You'an on the shoulder: "When you get to the capital, just go to the inn. I'll talk to the innkeeper there and make sure you don't have to pay."

"That's not really appropriate." Although Yang Youan also wanted to do it that way, how could a business not charge customers?

"Why don't you pay first? It seems Wenren left quite a bit of money with him when he left."

As Zhang Ze'an spoke, he groped around in Yang You'an's arms and at his waist, but he couldn't find any money.

“That doesn’t seem right either. If I give it to you, how will I get back?” Yang You’an didn’t avoid Zhang Ze’an, but he refused, after all, it was the travel money Li Chengru had left for him to return home.

"Alright, just kidding." Zhang Ze'an stopped what he was doing and stopped his grinning, then asked, "When are you leaving?"

Yang Youan glanced at the sky and replied, "We should go. It will be hard to find a place to stay if we stay any later."

"Is Young Master Yang leaving?" The troupe leader chimed in as soon as Yang You'an finished speaking.

"Indeed, I failed the exam this time, and I will have to wait three years to try again. In the meantime, I would like to return to my hometown and study hard again."

Yang Youan bowed to the troupe leader.

The troupe leader smiled at Yang Youan, then glanced at Xie Xiaoshuang, whom he had pulled to his side, and said with a smile, "I still don't know where Young Master Yang is from."

Yang Youan replied, "My husband is from Yunzhou, Beishan County."

“Yunzhou is not close to the capital. It will take a year to get there. It would be faster to ride a horse. Are you going to travel back by horse?”

The troupe leader looked at Yang Youan thoughtfully.

“My family is poor, so I will naturally walk back.”

Upon receiving Yang Youan's reply, the troupe leader smiled and said, "If you fail the imperial examination, you don't need to retake it. Instead, you can directly enter the imperial examination next time. Young master, you must be exhausted from traveling back and forth. If you don't mind, you can stay in my pear garden. Although my front yard is sometimes noisy, the back yard is relatively quiet."

"Thank you for your kindness, Master, but I have failed the exam and need to return to my hometown to wait for the announcement. Besides, I have family waiting for me at home, which is really inconvenient."

Yang Youan bowed respectfully to the troupe leader's kindness.

Upon hearing this, the troupe leader felt a little disappointed. He hadn't done this entirely for Yang You'an's sake; his biggest concern was for his daughter, Xie Xiaoshuang.

Seeing how familiar Yang Youan was with Zhang Ze'an, he figured that if he could keep Yang Youan there, he wouldn't be afraid of the other person coming back. But since Yang Youan had a reason for leaving, he couldn't persuade him to stay any longer.

"Although my opera troupe doesn't have many listeners on ordinary days, it still enjoys the reputation of the late emperor, and the daily turnover is not small. Since you are about to leave, please wait a moment, and I will have someone prepare some travel expenses for you so that you can continue your journey."

The troupe leader said to Shuping, who was standing to the side, "Go and get some money."

"Yes."

Shu Ping was about to leave to get the money when Yang Youan called out to him, "Brother Shu, wait a moment." Shu Ping turned around and looked at the equally puzzled troupe leader, only to hear Yang Youan speak again, "Thank you for your kindness, troupe leader. Brother Li has already left me enough travel expenses, so please don't spend any more money."

"There's no need for such expense. If it weren't for you and Young Master Zhang today, my daughter would have been wronged."

The troupe leader shook his head and smiled wryly, while Zhang Ze'an, who was standing to the side, seemed to have noticed something and said, "I wonder what kind of tea the troupe leader usually serves to his guests?"

"The pear orchard isn't big; it uses pine needles from the two mountains." The troupe leader was genuinely puzzled; he didn't know why Zhang Ze'an would ask such a question.

“Brother Li seems to be from the area between the two mountains,” Yang Youan said, looking at Zhang Ze’an.

Zhang Ze'an smiled and said, "What a coincidence. I usually drink pine needle tea from the two mountains. From now on, prepare a pot of tea for me every three days in the morning, and also prepare a play. I will come."

Upon hearing this, the troupe leader instantly understood why Zhang Ze'an had asked the question, and immediately bowed respectfully, saying, "Certainly, certainly."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the troupe leader, along with Xie Xiaoshuang and Shu Ping, escorted Zhang Ze'an and Yang You'an out of the opera troupe.

Originally, the troupe leader wanted someone to escort Yang You'an out of the city, but Yang You'an did not have any belongings with him, so he returned to the inn with Zhang Ze'an.

After watching the two leave, they returned to the stage, but seeing the chaotic state of the courtyard, they shook their heads and helplessly told Shuping to close the gates and shut the garden. Then they walked together towards the backyard.

Along the way, the group remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

The troupe leader walked at the front, thinking that although he now had Zhang Ze'an's help, he wouldn't worry about Lin Xiuran coming again. However, he was afraid of the person behind Lin Xiuran—the Second Prince!

Even if I have the late emperor's personal inscription, I'm afraid I won't be able to get any credit.

Shu Ping followed behind the troupe leader with a serious expression. He blamed himself for his lack of ability. If it weren't for Young Master Yang and Young Master Zhang, Miss would probably have been taken away today.

Xie Xiaoshuang walked at the very back. Although she had just experienced what happened, she no longer looked as pitiful as before. Instead, she sometimes smiled and sometimes looked worried.

She didn't know what was wrong with her, but ever since she first saw Yang Youan, the image of him hiding in that narrow, cramped alley would involuntarily appear in her mind.

Thinking to herself, she lowered her head and quickened her pace without realizing it, bumping directly into the troupe leader's chest.

Xie Xiaoshuang looked up at her father with a delicate expression, her face instantly turning bright red with embarrassment. In the end, she simply walked past her father and quickly went to the back.

The troupe leader seemed to have seen through something and asked Shu Ping, who was standing to the side, "Does Shuang'er like that Young Master Yang?"

"Huh?" Shu Ping looked at the troupe leader with disbelief. "How did you know?"

"Because Shuang'er blushes whenever she sees him, but not when she sees Young Master Zhang. By the way, do you believe in love at first sight?"

The troupe leader continued walking forward, while Shu Ping followed behind, feeling somewhat puzzled. He understood the troupe leader's earlier words, but he didn't quite grasp the last one. Nevertheless, he replied, "They are often sung about in the play, but I've never seen them in real life."

Upon hearing this, the troupe leader burst into laughter, "Then you're a fool too."

Shu Ping was puzzled by this. He wanted to ask, but then he saw the troupe leader quicken his pace and walk towards Xie Xiaoshuang. He followed closely behind.

The group arrived at the backyard. Xie Xiaoshuang originally intended to go back to her room, but because she was looking down, she accidentally walked past it and headed towards a room in front.

The troupe leader followed closely in his footsteps.

Xie Xiaoshuang walked past her room without noticing. The troupe leader, after passing Xie Xiaoshuang's room, arrived at the door of another room ahead. He then pushed the door open and walked towards a bed inside.

This time, Shu Ping did not follow the troupe leader's footsteps, but ran towards Xie Xiaoshuang.

After entering the room, he sat on a stool by the bed, picked up a steaming porcelain bowl containing medicine from the bedside table, and slowly handed it to a pale-faced boy with disheveled hair leaning against the bed.

The boy took a small sip, but then heard a man's worried voice from outside the door: "Snow is drifting into the yard, be careful not to slip and fall."

The troupe leader turned his head at the sound and saw a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old running towards the living room with a smile on her face.

The troupe leader, looking tired, smiled indulgently after the woman ran past. He called out, his voice weak, "Shuang'er, slow down."

As soon as the troupe leader finished speaking, a scholar-looking man walked to the door from the direction the woman had come from. He smiled at the troupe leader and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

As soon as the man got up, the woman peeked out from the other side of the door, looking shyly at the old troupe leader sitting on a stool with a bowl of medicine in his hand, and the young man leaning against the bed.

The old master looked through the gap between the two men at the heavy snow falling outside, smiled helplessly, and said to them, "The snow is heavy and the ground is slippery. Slow down and keep your voices down. Master Ping'an just woke up not long ago, so don't disturb him."

"Yes." The man bowed shyly to the old troupe leader and Ping An.

The woman smiled gently and said, "I understand, Father!"

After saying that, he disappeared again.

Yang Youan wanted to chase after them, but then glanced at the old troupe leader and Ping An in the room.

The old troupe leader was still smiling. He waved to him with one hand and said, "You'an, keep an eye on Shuang'er, don't let her fall."

"Yes." Yang Youan bowed and immediately followed.

After Yang Youan left, the old troupe leader looked at the heavy snow outside the door, his mind filled with the image of the two of them passing by the door. He felt a little emotional, but didn't know how to express it. So he turned around and looked at Ping An, who was leaning against the bed, and asked, "Master Ping An, are you feeling better?"

(End of this chapter)