The Eighth Day of the Month.
Clear weather.
Auspicious for burial, memorial ceremonies, delivering the coffin to the grave, and inappropriate for--
A brothel in the county caught fire.
The fire was raging fiercely.
The flames were as bright as the scorching sun.
The blazing fire consumed the dark corners.
Warming the buried bones of many unknown young girls under the ground.
The bones that never received sunlight would be cold.
A fire was just what they needed.
...
The grand Buddha statue at Qingyuan Temple was shining brilliantly under the sun.
My merciful Buddha saves all beings.
They ate vegetarian meals.
Bowed to the Buddha.
Chanted sutras.
And made generous donations.
After spending a night there,
Jiang Wan and her grandmother headed back to their mansion.
Jiang Wan did not seem very happy, feeling that she had missed something profound.
Moreover, she did not sleep well the previous night, dreaming of the Buddha's tears falling like stones, hitting her head and causing it to bleed.
She saw an infant's face several times in her dreams, waking up in fright repeatedly.
In the morning, she did not look well.
When her grandmother asked about it,
She only said she was not used to sleeping in the temple's guest room, which was not as comfortable as home, but did not mention her nightmares.
She knew her grandmother disliked hearing unpleasant things.
So she chose to share something pleasant instead.
"There was a small tree in the temple that smelled wonderful. The master said it was a myrtle, with a calming fragrance. Grandmother, I asked someone to transplant it into a pot and bring it back to place in the Buddha hall."
The Old Lady nodded in agreement.
She seemed to have slept poorly as well, with half-closed eyes.
After returning to the mansion, there were quite a few matters to attend to.
The Lady of the House, Wu, did not manage any household affairs as long as her husband treated her well and she had no authority over the household.
There was one rather important matter.
The bodyguard of Rong Young Master, Wu Liu, had gone missing for three days.
Wu Liu had been diligently guarding the young master, but recently had a conflict with Jiang Feng.
This matter involving Jiang Feng caused the Old Lady's brow to furrow deeply.
Yao spoke up to the household manager beside the Old Lady: "Go and summon someone from the local magistrate's office."
It seemed as though the county magistrate's office was owned by the Jiang family.
This showed that although the Jiang family was not prominent now, they did have a profound background.
Soon, a man resembling a private advisor arrived.
Jiang Wan accompanied her grandmother and did not excuse herself.
When the private advisor heard that a household bodyguard had been missing for two or three days, he inwardly scoffed, thinking this was not a significant matter at all. The bodyguard might have just gone to visit a prostitute and fallen asleep. It was such a trivial matter, yet he was summoned here.
However, there would certainly be a generous reward.
And upon arriving, with the fragrant incense and a gorgeously beautiful young lady present, the private advisor considered it an opportunity to broaden his horizons.
He politely inquired about the case details.
When he learned it involved Jiang Feng, the wayward son, the private advisor hesitated for a moment and said, "Unfortunately, there is a case at the magistrate's office involving Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng and his gang captured a couple who were human traffickers, claiming they had abducted his two younger sisters and another village girl."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan was stunned for a moment.
But then she breathed a sigh of relief, not expecting...
She also felt somewhat uneasy, not realizing that the couple she had kindly rewarded were actually human traffickers.
The Old Lady's prayer beads also paused momentarily.
"Amitabha Buddha, are the children alright?"
"The children are fine, but those two human traffickers were severely beaten."
"Why would they commit such a heinous act that harms virtue and incur retribution? Are they not afraid of the consequences?" The Old Lady spoke word by word, her prayer beads moving faster.
"Well, it's quite pitiful. Those two traffickers said they had a sick child at home who needed medicine to survive, so they had no choice but to resort to this. They claimed it was their first time and they had never done it before, panicking and getting caught in the act." The private advisor carefully chose words that would appeal to the wealthy family.
The maid Yao remained observant and silent, thinking to herself that those two traffickers clearly looked like seasoned professionals, so how could it possibly be their first time?
The Old Lady chanted a Buddhist phrase: "Amitabha Buddha, although their act was despicable, it is also pitiable. All parents share the same heart for their children. The crime does not warrant death."
The beautiful young lady beside her also sighed softly, "How pitiful, the heart of all parents."
The private advisor praised them verbally, "The Old Lady and young lady truly have compassionate hearts."
In his mind, he thought those traffickers deserved to be beaten to death. Why did he speak up? But facing the Old Lady and young lady's stance, he had no choice but to convey the message when he returned to the County Magistrate to have the sentence reduced.
Fortunately, he did receive a generous reward, equivalent to a month's salary.
He happily returned and ordered his subordinates to apprehend the person responsible.
No matter where that bodyguard was, they should capture the wayward son Jiang Feng first.
Then he hurriedly went to see the County Magistrate.
...
At the largest restaurant in the county town, Qingfeng Restaurant,
A few young men drank a bit of wine and became intoxicated, vomiting in a corner of the courtyard.
While vomiting, they lamented,
What a pity, such good food.
Jiang Feng did not vomit, surprisingly having a good alcohol tolerance.
One could not tell at all that he rarely drank.
He and his friends had accepted an invitation from two young masters of the Bao family to dine together.
Everyone had changed into their most presentable clothes,
With the least number of patches possible.
Even so, they all looked quite unkempt and disheveled.
Some had injured faces, some had missing limbs, and others were lame.
Their demeanor was also lacking, standing without proper posture and sitting without grace. Moreover, due to nervousness, they displayed unsightly behavior.
After all, they were just wayward youths, street urchins without any education or exposure to the world.
Their origins and knowledge were far inferior to the bodyguards of those young masters.
On ordinary days, they would not even dare to beg for leftovers at Qingfeng Restaurant.
Yet today, they had ascended to the upper floor.
Feeling constrained.
In fact, the two young masters mainly wanted to invite Jiang Feng.
But Jiang Feng did not accept the invitation alone, instead bringing his friends along.
This action of his did not make Meng Shaoxia and He Chen feel that he was overstepping, but rather appreciate his loyalty, considering him a decent person.
Jiang Feng did not have particularly extensive knowledge, only sharing some local customs, scenery of the nearby mountains, speaking in a composed manner without being arrogant or humble. His pleasant voice, clear gaze, and good impression won him favor.
"I was worried that you would not be able to come today, seeing how injured you were yesterday. By the way, how are your sisters doing?" Meng Shaoxia asked.
"My elder sister was quite frightened last night and had a low fever, but she recovered in the morning. My younger sister is alright. Thank you, young masters, for your brave assistance. We brothers have a bad reputation in the county, so if we had turned those traffickers in to the authorities, we might have been caned first before they were accused of false charges," Jiang Feng responded with a wry smile.
Meng Shaoxia and He Chen were not surprised, for although they were young masters, their wealthy upbringing and extensive knowledge allowed them to understand the predicament faced by Jiang Feng and his companions.
Hearing Jiang Feng speak so candidly only made them appreciate his honesty even more.
As Jiang Feng spoke, he took out two packages wrapped in leaves, about the size of bricks, tied with ropes and each adorned with a small red cloth square.
They looked plain yet beautiful.
"These are gifts of gratitude from my sisters to you two, young masters. We are poor and have nothing of value, so it is just some smoked and dried game meat from our hunting in the mountains. If you are traveling and cannot find lodging, it can serve as provisions."
Meng Shaoxia and He Chen had never received such humble gifts before.
Dried game meat?
But seeing the respectful young man before them, without a hint of shame and full of sincerity, cherishing the game meat as a treasure,
Recalling how his friends wolfed down the food, though Jiang Feng ate quickly, they did not seem to have their fill.
They were quite astonished.
After their journey, the two young masters no longer uttered such phrases as "How can one not consume finer delicacies?"
So this impoverished gift must be truly precious for Jiang Feng.
The gift was valuable, and the sentiment even more so.
They gladly accepted the gifts.
Initially, He Chen only took an interest in Jiang Feng because of his brother Meng's favorable impression. But now, he genuinely liked this young man as well.
Doing good deeds is a pleasant thing, satisfying one's expectations of oneself.
Doing good deeds and receiving gratitude from the beneficiaries is a more pleasant experience, fulfilling one's expectations of this world.
Meng Shaoxia looked at the dried meat, thinking to herself, "The little girl's words are indeed unreliable. At first, she said she would offer herself, then she pushed her brother forward, but now even her brother is not offered, and it's just a package of dried meat."
The little square of red cloth on the dried meat looked quite adorable.
The little round face smiled.
...
