Du Lianhua had told him that the Shen family still made a living farming and hunting, selling pork and rabbit meat. They had even built a spacious house where they raised chickens, ducks, and rabbits. People said they had hauled out so much manure for the fields that next year’s harvest was sure to be bountiful.
Whenever the Shen family was mentioned, Lu Wen feigned disinterest, but he never interrupted Du Lianhua. There was no other reason - each time he heard about them, he felt reaffirmed in his decision not to marry into that family. In the Li family, with maids and servants attending to her, life was far more comfortable than being a laborer. Otherwise, tasks like plowing, weeding, and hauling manure would have fallen on him.
As for Lu Gu, with his weak and timid nature, barely able to speak up, if not for stumbling into this marriage, he might never have found a family. Thinking this way soothed him slightly. The matter of the substituted marriage was his fault, but looking at it now, he had practically done Lu Gu a favor by securing him a family.
But what he truly thought, no one else could know.
Luo Biao had recently begun making a name for himself in the brothel, no longer needing to toil as a lowly guard. At night, to prevent disturbances or escapes, he still had to stay alert, but now things were easier. When Shen Xuanqing came to find him, he was in his room drinking alone, humming a flirtatious tune he’d picked up in the brothel. A brazier warmed the room as he sat cross-legged at the low table, wrapped in thick clothing, cozy and content, savoring his wine with quiet delight.
He welcomed Shen Xuanqing inside, pouring him a cup and saying with a smile, “Brother Shen, your timing is perfect. I was just thinking of resting today and visiting you tomorrow, never expected you’d come today.”
Without waiting for Shen Xuanqing to ask, his cheerful expression grew as he continued, “The Li family has been quite lively lately. Every day, at least two or three doctors come and go - some for pregnancy care, others for… unspeakable diseases. It’s gotten so bad the old madam fell ill from rage and worry, forcing them to call yet another doctors.”
In just a few words, he revealed much. Shen Xuanqing wasn’t surprised. If not for the Li family’s troubles keeping Lu Wen occupied, Du Lianhua wouldn’t have been turned away and resorted to targeting Lu Gu instead.
Luo Biao didn’t beat around the bush, lowering his voice as he said, “I was right, Miss Yu has a nasty disease, and she passed it to Li Mingshan.”
He drained half his cup, wiped his mouth, and chuckled. “Miss Yu was quite the charmer. Knowing Li Mingshan loved flowery poetry and pretentious elegance, she played along, ensnaring him completely. Pity her luck ran out with this illness. Otherwise, I reckon Li Mingshan would’ve bought her freedom by now.”
To gather information, one had to show willingness. Seeing Luo Biao finish his drink, Shen Xuanqing refilled it silently, urging him to continue with a look.
“How severe Li Mingshan’s condition is remains unclear. The errand boy I spoke to doesn’t interact much with the master’s personal servants. All I know is Li Mingshan has been bedridden for seven or eight days. As for Lu Wen, the boy saw him from afar. Both he and Luo Hongchou are pregnant, but while Li Mingshan was still carousing in the brothel, the two often crossed paths in the rear garden. Who knows what was said, but Lu Wen burst into tears, and Luo Hongchou, the fierce one shoved him to the ground. They say he started bleeding immediately, but the baby was saved.”
Luo Biao clinked his cup against Shen Xuanqing’s. He had no fondness for social climbers like Lu Wen, and Li Mingshan’s arrogance toward the Shen family, despite knowing of Lu Wen’s prior engagement, disgusted him. Now that both were suffering, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of vindication. Fate worked in mysterious ways, Lu Wen’s near-miscarriage wasn’t their doing, just his own bad luck.
“The Li family is in chaos, even neglecting their gold and jade shop.” Luo Biao tossed a peanut into his mouth. “Such diseases aren’t easily cured. If things go poorly, half his life might be forfeit.”
With that, a weight lifted from Shen Xuanqing’s mind. Li Mingshan was truly hopeless, now he needn’t waste any more attention on him or the Li family. Refilling their cups, he asked, “Do you know of the Xu family in town? A man named Xu Yanrong.”
“The Xu family…” Luo Biao murmured, thinking. “You mean that Xu elder who returned from the prefectural city?”
Shen Xuanqing often visited Fenggu Town to sell game, occasionally noting the restaurants and wealthy households. He hadn’t heard much of the Xu family before, nor the name Xu Yanrong, suggesting the man had only recently returned from the prefectural city. He nodded. “Likely him.”
Luo Biao shrugged. “If it’s him, I don’t know much. A while back, passing East Street, I saw Xu Mansion bustling with maids and servants cleaning and tidying. Out of curiosity, I asked around, but all I learned was that he’d grown old, handed his business to his son, and retired here with his wife to enjoy his remaining years.”
“East Street…” Shen Xuanqing lowered his gaze in thought. Since the man wasn’t a brothel patron, Luo Biao wouldn’t know him. He might as well go see for himself.
“Right, East Street. The Xu family’s gate now has a large new plaque, you’ll recognize it at once.” Luo Biao was illiterate, but he knew Shen Xuanqing could read.
“Brother Shen, leaving so soon?” Luo Biao tried to delay him.
Without ceremony, Shen Xuanqing said, “If you’re free tomorrow, come for a meal. I’ll slaughter two fat rabbits, slice the meat thin, and we’ll try a new way of eating them.”
Seeing no reason to refuse, Luo Biao agreed heartily.
After leaving the alley, Shen Xuanqing headed straight for East Street, where he spotted the renovated Xu Mansion. As he pondered how to meet Xu Yanrong, he noticed a middle-aged man in fine brocade robes climbing the mansion's steps, his face lined with sorrow and anxiety. The gatekeepers called out, “Master!”
“Master Xu!” Shen Xuanqing hurried to the gate, calling out to the man. Judging by age and bearing, this had to be Xu Yanrong. Fortune had smiled on him today.
Xu Yanrong turned, eyeing the stranger. “You are?”
Shen Xuanqing smiled. “This humble one is a hunter from Qingxi Village. Hearing of your return, I came to ask if your family might fancy some wild game.”
Burdened with worries, Xu Yanrong waved a sleeve impatiently. “Be off. My family has no taste for such fare.”
Shen Xuanqing climbed two steps. Though standing lower, his tall frame lent him presence. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Ye Yuzhen was my late mother-in-law.”
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