Nu Shang – Chapter 117
“Like this…”
“No, you can’t touch…”
“Too long…”
“Usually it’s twice, once on each side. If you’re especially close, then three times…”
La bise. Social etiquette popular in the Victorian era. Young men and women politely lean close, like dragonflies touching water, skin not meeting, as if whispering a secret, touching and immediately withdrawing.
It could be done with perfect propriety. It could also appear infinitely ambiguous, as if necks were intertwined in passionate embrace, tender and lingering.
Su Minguan’s brow gradually reddened, first instinctively retreated. This girl was slyly wicked, deliberately leaning over, her face covered in fine down, approaching his, half-closing her eyelids, lashes gently swaying, purely seducing him.
The young woman had grown up in dust and dirt, dark worldly affairs couldn’t crush her, fierce winds and sudden rains had washed her clean and pure. She quietly bloomed toward spring, letting him witness the most precious moment of blossoming.
An itch arose from somewhere, perhaps his back, perhaps his heart. Traceless and elusive, impossible to scratch or eliminate. Making him want to fiercely embrace that small body just inches away, set a fire to burn away all that itching.
Yet she wouldn’t allow it. The game’s rules were no touching, no kissing, only exchanging unattainable body heat.
He gently gritted his teeth. Retribution. He hadn’t realized before how well she could play.
But he wasn’t one to admit defeat easily. After a few tries, forcing composure, deliberately acting nonchalant as if very experienced. One hand rested on her shoulder, but from nervousness, unconsciously applied force, pulling her somewhat painfully.
She felt each attempt more outrageous than the last, simply twisting away: “Enough, enough. Consider yourself graduated.”
Su Minguan still felt unsatisfied, smiling: “Once more.”
Lin Yuchan had started this herself, so could only reluctantly nod, pushing away his hand gripping her shoulder, bringing her face close.
He didn’t move, eyes lowered, pupils dark and deep, as if concentrating on aiming.
After all, moving one’s entire head precisely to align cheek center point to point with the other person, while leaving space for that “muah” sound, yet not touching, did require some skill.
Especially when the participant was light-headed and dizzy…
Su Minguan studied that exquisite face. The curve of her cheek was smooth and full, also touched with a faint blush. Her nose was small, mouth small, only her eyes large, long brows freely relaxed, carrying a hint of small wildness she herself hadn’t realized.
Ordinary girls mostly had light brows, needing azure paint to make them obvious; hers were the opposite, each fine brow hair distinct, eyebrow tips elongated like small bird feathers, the color so black no snake-adding-feet coloring was needed. When she trimmed them clean with a small razor, they became refined willow-leaf brows, three parts more charming than any painted ones.
His heart was needle-eye small, couldn’t help thinking somewhat jealously: with how many people had she shared la bise, and how many men had appreciated these distinctive, beautiful eyes and brows?
The little girl stretched her slender neck, still obediently waiting.
He leaned down, lips gently pressing between her brows, pausing for a moment.
Lin Yuchan’s face suddenly boiled, eyes flying open in shock, cheeks to ear roots red as cherries, looking at him in panic.
“That’s not how…”
Suddenly a gust of wind came, blowing her smooth hair into disarray, sticking to her cheeks and neck. The wind carried several raindrops, water beads rolling at her eye corners, looking exactly like she’d just been bullied.
Su Minguan half-closed his eyes, blood surging within, touching his chin in obvious concealment, humbly seeking instruction: “What’s this ritual called?”
After a long while, he heard her helpless, soft voice: “It’s not any ritual at all…”
Good then. He relaxed, lip corners slightly raised, feeling he’d won back a round, gazing at her with heated eyes, reminding in a low voice: “You can slap me now.”
Just like you do to those ill-intentioned rogues.
But she made no sound, her brow bone flushed red, turning her face away, wiping raindrops from her face, looking through the railing gaps at the busy people on deck, her expression strange.
Su Minguan pressed his advantage, gripping her shoulders, turning her around, studying her nose and lips with ulterior motives, as if selecting the next target for conquest.
Lin Yuchan suddenly covered her face, feeling heated gazes penetrating through her finger gaps, deliberately wandering over her face. She was on the verge of tears.
Cultivation was a lifetime’s work, corruption was an instant’s affair. He learned too quickly!
The sins one commits, one must bear the consequences. Retribution though delayed will come. In just these few minutes, she was the one blushing!
Both wrists suddenly warmed, light returned before her eyes as he gently but firmly pressed them down.
Her heart was confused, stammering a warning: “I, I’ll slap you.”
Su Minguan slowly smiled, radiance blooming, then suddenly his arms powerfully pulled, forcefully bringing her into his embrace.
Her arms brushed the wet wooden railing, falling hard into that solid, warm chest. Two hearts pressed together, racing. Lean palms gently caressed her back, fingertips arousing a series of tremors.
The lookout platform was narrow, unable to accommodate violent movements. He leaned back slightly, and she nearly sank into his body.
Both hands still tightly confined by him, she stiffened her body, futilely kicking twice, feet unable to touch solid ground. Time seemed to suddenly stop. Surrounding water sounds and steam whistles suddenly disappeared, only boundless quiet.
The lookout platform gently swayed, Su Minguan’s voice burning, sighing as he called: “A’Mei. A’Mei.”
Young men and women’s emotions were vigorous and intense, tearing away protective masks from the mundane world, instinct carrying impulse in wild flight while reason couldn’t catch up.
Heavy breathing crashed into her eardrums. Burning palms clasped her waist, movements beginning to lose control, male strength easily building a cage, wrapping around those sweet and fragile bird wings.
Many shallow, greedy, narrow thoughts flashed through his mind. All things a young lady probably couldn’t imagine, even with exhausted imagination.
He reviewed them one by one, then swept them into his heart’s cold palace. Simply closing his eyes, repeatedly kissing her black, soft forehead.
Even with such restraint, the person in his arms still instinctively sensed danger, gasping and forcefully pushing him, struggling out in complete disarray, face flushed red, throwing herself against the railing, hanging her upper body outside, helplessly looking at that steep, slippery ladder.
Strange heat rose in her body. Raindrops splashed on her face, wind sounds softly whimpering, sweeping across her burning cheeks in waves strong and weak.
Over a hundred ships on the Huangpu River, over a hundred lookout platforms slowly coming and going. She thought desperately: what was I just doing…
This was too different from her imagined “puppy love”!
Su Minguan also retreated, straightening his wrinkled front, forcefully suppressing his breathing, the red tide on his face receding seven parts, eyes lowered, lashes blocking the gradually extinguishing flames in his pupils.
The surging tide in his heart receded, revealing barren yellow sand and scattered stones. He suddenly felt utterly ashamed.
Rain pattered intermittently. What should have been a brief spring shower was dragging on today, stingily leaking drops from the sky with no sign of ending.
He needed to go down immediately and argue with people, discuss ten or eight deals. Yet he was trapped on the small high platform, trapped on Luna’s heart tip.
He quietly leaned against the wet railing, letting spring rain dampen his hair, water beads hanging on his hair stubble, dropping one by one, disappearing in mid-air.
He suddenly spoke, saying:
“I was betrothed.”
Lin Yuchan turned in shock. His expression was peaceful, as if just casually commenting on the weather.
She asked softly: “Are you talking to me?”
Su Minguan nodded very slightly, turning to look at the rain and mist outside.
Her heart suddenly panicked, then felt inexplicably sour, immediately saying: “You don’t have to tell me.”
“I was betrothed.” He stubbornly continued, saying softly, “When I was six, my father found me an official family young lady. A second-rank official’s concubine-born granddaughter. A match he bought with tens of thousands of taels, fawning and flattering. The young lady had survived smallpox, face covered in pockmarks, eight years older than me. No one from families of equal official rank proposed marriage, so it fell to me, a merchant’s son.
“I was still young then, but knew beauty from ugliness. I made trouble for half a month, and knelt in the ancestral hall for half a month. He said this was my responsibility, my fate. I was his trading house’s successor; my life’s major event must help his career, otherwise… otherwise what was the point of raising this son?
“Two years later, that second-rank official was implicated in the grain transport case, stripped of rank, whole family was exiled. This time, it was their turn to beg my family, wanting to send the concubine-born lady over early, making her a Su family member to avoid implication. My father naturally wouldn’t let them drag us down, used some unsavory methods to force them to break the engagement.
“For a proper young lady, a broken engagement meant ruined reputation. My fiancée, struck by this blow, fell ill and never recovered, dying at sixteen.
“While my family just paid some money, appeased the in-laws, and suppressed public opinion. After two or three months, no one gossiped anymore.”
Lin Yuchan unconsciously held her breath, gripping the small lock on the railing, softly gasping.
Su Minguan gave her a desolate smile.
“At eight, I already carried a life on my back, had countless nightmares. Later, when I made my living, I once sought that young lady’s grave, already overgrown with wild grass, even the tombstone removed. I can’t even remember her surname.
“You won’t believe this. That wasn’t my only betrothal. Just as the official family’s young lady died, I was arranged a second match. Supposedly a new scholar’s only daughter, well-read in poetry and books, virtuous and gentle, a renowned, talented woman. My father had people calculate that this in-law would eventually become a high official, certain to spare no effort promoting me.
“But within a year, word came from the capital about settling accounts with the Thirteen Factories. The other party, wise to protect themselves, decided to break the engagement, sending people to my house with many harsh words, thoroughly humiliating me, a child. So that marriage also fell through.
“My second fiancée understood propriety and righteousness, but was chaste and virtuous. The day after her family arranged another match for her, she began fasting, never eating another grain of rice until death.
“She was my age. Being young when she died, she didn’t even have a grave.”
The rain and mist outside the lookout platform gradually cleared, washing out the crisscrossing fields across the river. Su Minguan’s expression was solemn, gazing south, eyes lowered.
His expression suddenly became somewhat self-mocking, gently playing with his injured finger. She had tied a beautiful knot on the handkerchief. Only belonging to a girl’s dexterous hands.
“For this girl I’d never met, I also began fasting. I wasn’t as good as her; it only lasted seven days. Only because my mother was frantic enough to jump into a well, I secretly got up and drank rice porridge.
“So my father had fortune-tellers read my fate, concluding I brought misfortune to wives. The solution existed, though – first take concubines, then marry a wife. You know what he did? One day I returned from school to my room, wet nurse gone, two personal maids in the room… don’t laugh, wealthy households commonly do this, like a girl’s dowry, prepared early to serve daily needs… but I was still terrified, ran to my mother’s room, only to be driven back. I completely can’t remember their faces; I only remember their crying sounds, missing their parents.
“By then, my family’s business was declining daily. Soon, we couldn’t afford idle people. I watched those two being led away by a brothel madam, two innocent family daughters, crying themselves out of shape that day.
“I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, I just felt everything was not right. Something must be wrong somewhere. Perhaps… perhaps my entire being was wrong.
“At eleven, I saw my father for the last time. He wore heavy shackles, barely alive, departing for Ili.”
Su Minguan spoke as if it didn’t concern him, eyes always carrying a layer of gentle mist. But reaching this point, his expression suddenly darkened, extremely cold light flashing in his eyes, then he raised his head, looking directly into Lin Yuchan’s eyes.
Her heart also chilled, turning away, asking softly: “Then what?”
“By then, I was already under Heaven and Earth Society protection, not on the list. I secretly snuck to the prison cart. Seeing me, he was overjoyed. But he didn’t ask about my mother, didn’t ask where I’d been hiding, he only repeatedly instructed, saying… Xiao Bai, father had a son in old age, doesn’t ask you to distinguish yourself or restore the family business, you must study hard, achieve scholarly rank, marry early, have many children, so after I die, there’s continuous incense, only then can I face the Su family ancestors…
“I sneered, swearing before his prison cart that in this life, I would never enter officialdom, never marry a wife, never leave a son, the Su family line ending with me, father, rest assured.”
After Su Minguan finished the last sentence, the cold smile in his eyes hadn’t faded, making one feel chilled throughout.
Lin Yuchan suddenly felt the spring rain cold, shivering several times. Suddenly the platform shook, foreign military camp drill firing a huge cannon, directly scaring tears from her eyes. She wiped her eye corners with her sleeves.
Su Minguan looked at her apologetically, expression slowly calming, returning to that gentle scholarly youth manner, even smiling warmly.
“So… when I say I bring misfortune to wives, it’s not entirely false, really had masters calculate it…”
“You don’t bring misfortune to wives.” She softly interrupted, pulling his hands over, caressing that small wound. “It’s this society that devours people.”
Su Minguan remained silent for a long time, finally smiling bitterly.
“So what then?”
He had endured enough in this people-eating society. Unable to wait to grow up, he chose to use his promising life to declare war on the conventional life, declare war on this absurd, unchanging millennial world.
It was a childish spirit then, but not angry words, not for revenge against anyone, all deeply considered thoughts. Nine years had passed, his experience had grown, personality had greatly changed. But…
“Having sworn an oath, it must be kept.” Su Minguan’s voice grew lower, some bitter smile spilling from his lips. “Until today, I… I don’t regret it.”
The last few words were spoken with unusual firmness, voice raised, as if competing with some invisible audience.
Finished, he exhaled slowly, gradually shifting his gaze, not daring to immediately meet the eyes of the girl before him.
But she didn’t have as big a reaction as initially, somewhat embarrassedly blushing, but immediately smiling again, thoughtlessly gripping his hands tightly.
His whole body shook, instinctively contracting.
“Don’t regret it, this is very good, I respect your choice…” Lin Yuchan said softly, as if comforting. “A person’s lifetime is too short; they must have some different pursuits. Around us, too many madmen and fools; temporarily can’t handle them all, but we can’t just go along with them either. I especially support… having persisted so long, never give up easily…”
Su Minguan looked up in surprise.
These were thoughts not tolerated by the world, and he hadn’t told many people. In youthful ignorance, he’d spoken with some society elders, thinking since they dared rebel against the emperor, these anti-conventional aspirations shouldn’t matter either. Who knew he was immediately lectured, using the same reasoning as his father. Incense, clan, family business, continuing the surname, bringing glory to ancestors…
“That’s your father. Fine clothes and food raising you ten years, not being grateful is one thing, how can you be unfilial?”
“Of the three forms of unfilial behavior, having no descendants is greatest. What about when you’re old?”
“Brother Minguan, be a normal person.”
…
Unable to out-argue his elders, he learned to seal these bad thoughts in his heart, pretending to be normal.
Only occasionally sneaking into the ancestral hall, standing in that small hollow where he often knelt as a child, facing overhead those neglected and thus crookedly seated ancestors, he quietly repeated his anti-social declaration over and over, feeling supreme pleasure in his heart, imagining in what postures those thousands of old men surnamed Su would collectively emit white smoke in heaven.
This showed Xiao Bai was born bad, rebelling against ethics and eighteen generations of ancestors, not even sparing ghosts.
But he had ultimately thought things too simply.
From that unworldly, pampered young master, he fell into mud and dust. He became his life teacher, tempering unexpected tenacity.
In his youth, he lived in hardship with self-satisfaction and didn’t feel that this oath affected his life at all.
Pretending to be normal was easy.
Until one day, wild flowers grew on frozen earth, fierce winds swept across, spring returned to the land, like a blind person in eternal night seeing the moon for the first time. Though that light wasn’t burning, it made him tremble profusely.
Today, she mustered the courage to reveal old wounds to her, only hoping she wouldn’t pour salt on them.
How did she seem quite happy about it!
This girl was beyond saving.
Still disbelieving, in a joking tone, understated, he warned her: “Think carefully. I won’t take responsibility for you.”
“You’re stealing my lines, aren’t you ashamed?” She reached up to pinch his face. “Told you how many times, I’m underage, I’m afraid you’ll run off with my money, young master’s misplaced affection, please absolutely don’t marry me.”
He lowered his eyes, gritting out three words: “Little monster.”
“It’s the nineteenth century now, haven’t you seen enough strange things?” She laughed easily. “You like me, I like you, no need to rush into marriage and childbearing promises, just happily stay together like this first. Believe me, in the future such monsters, pair by pair, will become more and more common. Do you dare try?”
Su Minguan kept a straight face, saying softly: “You’ll regret it.”
She met him needlepoint to wheat awn: “I’m afraid you’ll regret it.”
“I won’t.”
“Then neither will I.”
Both held their positions, competing gazes unyieldingly.
The light rain had stopped some time ago. A dragonfly flew high, wings cutting through silent air, lightly skimming past the lookout platform.
Machines rumbled loudly. People on deck chatted and laughed, sweeping accumulated water from the deck, raising a small rainbow.
After a long while, Su Minguan asked softly: “Your rural so-called coming of age, what age was that again?”
Guangdong regions had vastly different customs, ten li different practices, and a heap of strange taboos. Lin Yuchan usually had some odd concepts, which he just took as local customs, laughing them off.
Lin Yuchan startled, replied: “Eighteen years old. Next year will be…”
“No marrying before coming of age?”
She thought, hesitantly nodded: “Roughly like that…”
She wouldn’t use laws from a hundred years later. By Qing standards, that would be too outrageous.
Su Minguan thought, What strange custom. No wonder it raised such a strange creature as her.
His expression gradually softened, saying softly: “Three rules. Before you’re eighteen, I’ll accompany you being a monster. After next year, we’ll both be grown up. Then you’ll just have finished mourning period, if you want to consider marriage, I won’t stop you.”
What he didn’t say was that the mischief couldn’t go too far, must avoid people more, and couldn’t damage her reputation. He knew this in his heart.
Lin Yuchan smiled and immediately nodded.
If this could reduce his psychological burden… whatever.
She asked with a smile: “Anything else?”
Su Minguan’s eyes suddenly darkened, reaching out to brush half her face.
“Also…” He mischievously pinched her cheek, warning: “I’m very selfish. Before mourning ends, don’t let others kiss you.”
“Haha, Minguan, you’ve finally come down – oh my, who’s this? Haha, what a coincidence.”
Lin Yuchan wanted nothing more than to climb back up using hands and feet – people were waiting at the bottom of the lookout platform ladder!
More than one!
She wailed: “Mr. Rong, how did you come…”
Unfortunately she didn’t have cloud-stepping light martial arts. The stairs were slippery, startling her into not daring to move, hanging there neither up nor down for people to watch.
Su Minguan was also somewhat embarrassed, but quickly adjusted his emotions, expression normal as he supported her under her arms, carrying her down the last few feet.
Rong Hong laughed heartily: “These are some friends of mine who heard there was a steamship here, very eager, wanting to visit. Would you honor us?”
Beside Rong Hong stood three strangers, one around thirty, two around fifty, all traditional Chinese scholar types, wearing long robes and carrying umbrellas, faces bearing polite smiles, waiting to meet this legendary promising young Chinese shipowner.
Unexpectedly, a girl followed down behind. Several people coughed, feeling that this “promising youth” should be changed to “romantic youth.”
Su Minguan remained composed. The test came so quickly.
While everyone still didn’t know each other well, the best method was cold treatment. He turned back, saying softly to Lin Yuchan: “Wait in the cabin.”
Then he turned forward, naturally greeting the several men: “May I ask distinguished gentlemen…”
In moments, he had changed to a different face for social interaction. Lin Yuchan momentarily had the illusion that he had a twin.
Rong Hong quickly introduced, saying these were all colleagues compiling Tongwen Academy textbooks, corresponding with him for some time, today coming to see the steamship was their first meeting.
“Mr. Li Shanlan, uncle of Mr. Yin Mei from Customs, Miss Lin saw his calligraphy that day… This is Mr. Xu Shou, this is Mr. Hua Hengfang, all Jiangsu talents deeply versed in natural philosophy and mathematics. We’ve all ridden Western steamships and roughly understand the principles, but previously, foreigners wouldn’t let us go down to look. Today, learning that the steamship belongs to Chinese merchants, besides rejoicing at Chinese self-strengthening, we privately wish to examine closely to resolve daily doubts…”
Su Minguan alertly noticed these guests differed from Chinese merchants watching excitement – they all carried paper, ink, and rulers. That Hua Hengfang even brazenly held a triangular level, industrial espionage intentions obvious.
He smiled coldly. Rong Hong was his customer, true, but still an American pseudo-foreign devil. His “pen friends,” meeting for the first time today, who knew their background.
Foreigners were all watching him like tigers eyeing prey – why should he be generous?
His momentary hesitation, Rong Hong had already seen, also somewhat embarrassed, smiling with nearby friends, self-deprecating: “Look at us coming without notice, truly discourteous…”
Su Minguan was about to find an excuse to refuse when suddenly someone forcefully pulled his sleeve.
He was surprised. The little girl hadn’t left!
Moreover, her face was flushed, eyes bright, urgently saying softly: “Agree, agree, these are all big shots… It’s fine, quickly invite them in!””Like this…”
“No, you can’t touch…”
“Too long…”
“Usually it’s twice, once on each side. If you’re especially close, then three times…”
La bise. Social etiquette popular in the Victorian era. Young men and women politely lean close, like dragonflies touching water, skin not meeting, as if whispering a secret, touching and immediately withdrawing.
It could be done with perfect propriety. It could also appear infinitely ambiguous, as if necks were intertwined in passionate embrace, tender and lingering.
Su Minguan’s brow gradually reddened, first instinctively retreated. This girl was slyly wicked, deliberately leaning over, her face covered in fine down, approaching his, half-closing her eyelids, lashes gently swaying, purely seducing him.
The young woman had grown up in dust and dirt, dark worldly affairs couldn’t crush her, fierce winds and sudden rains had washed her clean and pure. She quietly bloomed toward spring, letting him witness the most precious moment of blossoming.
An itch arose from somewhere, perhaps his back, perhaps his heart. Traceless and elusive, impossible to scratch or eliminate. Making him want to fiercely embrace that small body just inches away, set a fire to burn away all that itching.
Yet she wouldn’t allow it. The game’s rules were no touching, no kissing, only exchanging unattainable body heat.
He gently gritted his teeth. Retribution. He hadn’t realized before how well she could play.
But he wasn’t one to admit defeat easily. After a few tries, forcing composure, deliberately acting nonchalant as if very experienced. One hand rested on her shoulder, but from nervousness, unconsciously applied force, pulling her somewhat painfully.
She felt each attempt more outrageous than the last, simply twisting away: “Enough, enough. Consider yourself graduated.”
Su Minguan still felt unsatisfied, smiling: “Once more.”
Lin Yuchan had started this herself, so could only reluctantly nod, pushing away his hand gripping her shoulder, bringing her face close.
He didn’t move, eyes lowered, pupils dark and deep, as if concentrating on aiming.
After all, moving one’s entire head precisely to align cheek center point to point with the other person, while leaving space for that “muah” sound, yet not touching, did require some skill.
Especially when the participant was light-headed and dizzy…
Su Minguan studied that exquisite face. The curve of her cheek was smooth and full, also touched with a faint blush. Her nose was small, mouth small, only her eyes large, long brows freely relaxed, carrying a hint of small wildness she herself hadn’t realized.
Ordinary girls mostly had light brows, needing azure paint to make them obvious; hers were the opposite, each fine brow hair distinct, eyebrow tips elongated like small bird feathers, the color so black no snake-adding-feet coloring was needed. When she trimmed them clean with a small razor, they became refined willow-leaf brows, three parts more charming than any painted ones.
His heart was needle-eye small, couldn’t help thinking somewhat jealously: with how many people had she shared la bise, and how many men had appreciated these distinctive, beautiful eyes and brows?
The little girl stretched her slender neck, still obediently waiting.
He leaned down, lips gently pressing between her brows, pausing for a moment.
Lin Yuchan’s face suddenly boiled, eyes flying open in shock, cheeks to ear roots red as cherries, looking at him in panic.
“That’s not how…”
Suddenly a gust of wind came, blowing her smooth hair into disarray, sticking to her cheeks and neck. The wind carried several raindrops, water beads rolling at her eye corners, looking exactly like she’d just been bullied.
Su Minguan half-closed his eyes, blood surging within, touching his chin in obvious concealment, humbly seeking instruction: “What’s this ritual called?”
After a long while, he heard her helpless, soft voice: “It’s not any ritual at all…”
Good then. He relaxed, lip corners slightly raised, feeling he’d won back a round, gazing at her with heated eyes, reminding in a low voice: “You can slap me now.”
Just like you do to those ill-intentioned rogues.
But she made no sound, her brow bone flushed red, turning her face away, wiping raindrops from her face, looking through the railing gaps at the busy people on deck, her expression strange.
Su Minguan pressed his advantage, gripping her shoulders, turning her around, studying her nose and lips with ulterior motives, as if selecting the next target for conquest.
Lin Yuchan suddenly covered her face, feeling heated gazes penetrating through her finger gaps, deliberately wandering over her face. She was on the verge of tears.
Cultivation was a lifetime’s work, corruption was an instant’s affair. He learned too quickly!
The sins one commits, one must bear the consequences. Retribution though delayed will come. In just these few minutes, she was the one blushing!
Both wrists suddenly warmed, light returned before her eyes as he gently but firmly pressed them down.
Her heart was confused, stammering a warning: “I, I’ll slap you.”
Su Minguan slowly smiled, radiance blooming, then suddenly his arms powerfully pulled, forcefully bringing her into his embrace.
Her arms brushed the wet wooden railing, falling hard into that solid, warm chest. Two hearts pressed together, racing. Lean palms gently caressed her back, fingertips arousing a series of tremors.
The lookout platform was narrow, unable to accommodate violent movements. He leaned back slightly, and she nearly sank into his body.
Both hands still tightly confined by him, she stiffened her body, futilely kicking twice, feet unable to touch solid ground. Time seemed to suddenly stop. Surrounding water sounds and steam whistles suddenly disappeared, only boundless quiet.
The lookout platform gently swayed, Su Minguan’s voice burning, sighing as he called: “A’Mei. A’Mei.”
Young men and women’s emotions were vigorous and intense, tearing away protective masks from the mundane world, instinct carrying impulse in wild flight while reason couldn’t catch up.
Heavy breathing crashed into her eardrums. Burning palms clasped her waist, movements beginning to lose control, male strength easily building a cage, wrapping around those sweet and fragile bird wings.
Many shallow, greedy, narrow thoughts flashed through his mind. All things a young lady probably couldn’t imagine, even with exhausted imagination.
He reviewed them one by one, then swept them into his heart’s cold palace. Simply closing his eyes, repeatedly kissing her black, soft forehead.
Even with such restraint, the person in his arms still instinctively sensed danger, gasping and forcefully pushing him, struggling out in complete disarray, face flushed red, throwing herself against the railing, hanging her upper body outside, helplessly looking at that steep, slippery ladder.
Strange heat rose in her body. Raindrops splashed on her face, wind sounds softly whimpering, sweeping across her burning cheeks in waves strong and weak.
Over a hundred ships on the Huangpu River, over a hundred lookout platforms slowly coming and going. She thought desperately: what was I just doing…
This was too different from her imagined “puppy love”!
Su Minguan also retreated, straightening his wrinkled front, forcefully suppressing his breathing, the red tide on his face receding seven parts, eyes lowered, lashes blocking the gradually extinguishing flames in his pupils.
The surging tide in his heart receded, revealing barren yellow sand and scattered stones. He suddenly felt utterly ashamed.
Rain pattered intermittently. What should have been a brief spring shower was dragging on today, stingily leaking drops from the sky with no sign of ending.
He needed to go down immediately and argue with people, discuss ten or eight deals. Yet he was trapped on the small high platform, trapped on Luna’s heart tip.
He quietly leaned against the wet railing, letting spring rain dampen his hair, water beads hanging on his hair stubble, dropping one by one, disappearing in mid-air.
He suddenly spoke, saying:
“I was betrothed.”
Lin Yuchan turned in shock. His expression was peaceful, as if just casually commenting on the weather.
She asked softly: “Are you talking to me?”
Su Minguan nodded very slightly, turning to look at the rain and mist outside.
Her heart suddenly panicked, then felt inexplicably sour, immediately saying: “You don’t have to tell me.”
“I was betrothed.” He stubbornly continued, saying softly, “When I was six, my father found me an official family young lady. A second-rank official’s concubine-born granddaughter. A match he bought with tens of thousands of taels, fawning and flattering. The young lady had survived smallpox, face covered in pockmarks, eight years older than me. No one from families of equal official rank proposed marriage, so it fell to me, a merchant’s son.
“I was still young then, but knew beauty from ugliness. I made trouble for half a month, and knelt in the ancestral hall for half a month. He said this was my responsibility, my fate. I was his trading house’s successor; my life’s major event must help his career, otherwise… otherwise what was the point of raising this son?
“Two years later, that second-rank official was implicated in the grain transport case, stripped of rank, whole family was exiled. This time, it was their turn to beg my family, wanting to send the concubine-born lady over early, making her a Su family member to avoid implication. My father naturally wouldn’t let them drag us down, used some unsavory methods to force them to break the engagement.
“For a proper young lady, a broken engagement meant ruined reputation. My fiancée, struck by this blow, fell ill and never recovered, dying at sixteen.
“While my family just paid some money, appeased the in-laws, and suppressed public opinion. After two or three months, no one gossiped anymore.”
Lin Yuchan unconsciously held her breath, gripping the small lock on the railing, softly gasping.
Su Minguan gave her a desolate smile.
“At eight, I already carried a life on my back, had countless nightmares. Later, when I made my living, I once sought that young lady’s grave, already overgrown with wild grass, even the tombstone removed. I can’t even remember her surname.
“You won’t believe this. That wasn’t my only betrothal. Just as the official family’s young lady died, I was arranged a second match. Supposedly a new scholar’s only daughter, well-read in poetry and books, virtuous and gentle, a renowned, talented woman. My father had people calculate that this in-law would eventually become a high official, certain to spare no effort promoting me.
“But within a year, word came from the capital about settling accounts with the Thirteen Factories. The other party, wise to protect themselves, decided to break the engagement, sending people to my house with many harsh words, thoroughly humiliating me, a child. So that marriage also fell through.
“My second fiancée understood propriety and righteousness, but was chaste and virtuous. The day after her family arranged another match for her, she began fasting, never eating another grain of rice until death.
“She was my age. Being young when she died, she didn’t even have a grave.”
The rain and mist outside the lookout platform gradually cleared, washing out the crisscrossing fields across the river. Su Minguan’s expression was solemn, gazing south, eyes lowered.
His expression suddenly became somewhat self-mocking, gently playing with his injured finger. She had tied a beautiful knot on the handkerchief. Only belonging to a girl’s dexterous hands.
“For this girl I’d never met, I also began fasting. I wasn’t as good as her; it only lasted seven days. Only because my mother was frantic enough to jump into a well, I secretly got up and drank rice porridge.
“So my father had fortune-tellers read my fate, concluding I brought misfortune to wives. The solution existed, though – first take concubines, then marry a wife. You know what he did? One day I returned from school to my room, wet nurse gone, two personal maids in the room… don’t laugh, wealthy households commonly do this, like a girl’s dowry, prepared early to serve daily needs… but I was still terrified, ran to my mother’s room, only to be driven back. I completely can’t remember their faces; I only remember their crying sounds, missing their parents.
“By then, my family’s business was declining daily. Soon, we couldn’t afford idle people. I watched those two being led away by a brothel madam, two innocent family daughters, crying themselves out of shape that day.
“I didn’t know what I’d done wrong, I just felt everything was not right. Something must be wrong somewhere. Perhaps… perhaps my entire being was wrong.
“At eleven, I saw my father for the last time. He wore heavy shackles, barely alive, departing for Ili.”
Su Minguan spoke as if it didn’t concern him, eyes always carrying a layer of gentle mist. But reaching this point, his expression suddenly darkened, extremely cold light flashing in his eyes, then he raised his head, looking directly into Lin Yuchan’s eyes.
Her heart also chilled, turning away, asking softly: “Then what?”
“By then, I was already under Heaven and Earth Society protection, not on the list. I secretly snuck to the prison cart. Seeing me, he was overjoyed. But he didn’t ask about my mother, didn’t ask where I’d been hiding, he only repeatedly instructed, saying… Xiao Bai, father had a son in old age, doesn’t ask you to distinguish yourself or restore the family business, you must study hard, achieve scholarly rank, marry early, have many children, so after I die, there’s continuous incense, only then can I face the Su family ancestors…
“I sneered, swearing before his prison cart that in this life, I would never enter officialdom, never marry a wife, never leave a son, the Su family line ending with me, father, rest assured.”
After Su Minguan finished the last sentence, the cold smile in his eyes hadn’t faded, making one feel chilled throughout.
Lin Yuchan suddenly felt the spring rain cold, shivering several times. Suddenly the platform shook, foreign military camp drill firing a huge cannon, directly scaring tears from her eyes. She wiped her eye corners with her sleeves.
Su Minguan looked at her apologetically, expression slowly calming, returning to that gentle scholarly youth manner, even smiling warmly.
“So… when I say I bring misfortune to wives, it’s not entirely false, really had masters calculate it…”
“You don’t bring misfortune to wives.” She softly interrupted, pulling his hands over, caressing that small wound. “It’s this society that devours people.”
Su Minguan remained silent for a long time, finally smiling bitterly.
“So what then?”
He had endured enough in this people-eating society. Unable to wait to grow up, he chose to use his promising life to declare war on the conventional life, declare war on this absurd, unchanging millennial world.
It was a childish spirit then, but not angry words, not for revenge against anyone, all deeply considered thoughts. Nine years had passed, his experience had grown, personality had greatly changed. But…
“Having sworn an oath, it must be kept.” Su Minguan’s voice grew lower, some bitter smile spilling from his lips. “Until today, I… I don’t regret it.”
The last few words were spoken with unusual firmness, voice raised, as if competing with some invisible audience.
Finished, he exhaled slowly, gradually shifting his gaze, not daring to immediately meet the eyes of the girl before him.
But she didn’t have as big a reaction as initially, somewhat embarrassedly blushing, but immediately smiling again, thoughtlessly gripping his hands tightly.
His whole body shook, instinctively contracting.
“Don’t regret it, this is very good, I respect your choice…” Lin Yuchan said softly, as if comforting. “A person’s lifetime is too short; they must have some different pursuits. Around us, too many madmen and fools; temporarily can’t handle them all, but we can’t just go along with them either. I especially support… having persisted so long, never give up easily…”
Su Minguan looked up in surprise.
These were thoughts not tolerated by the world, and he hadn’t told many people. In youthful ignorance, he’d spoken with some society elders, thinking since they dared rebel against the emperor, these anti-conventional aspirations shouldn’t matter either. Who knew he was immediately lectured, using the same reasoning as his father. Incense, clan, family business, continuing the surname, bringing glory to ancestors…
“That’s your father. Fine clothes and food raising you ten years, not being grateful is one thing, how can you be unfilial?”
“Of the three forms of unfilial behavior, having no descendants is greatest. What about when you’re old?”
“Brother Minguan, be a normal person.”
…
Unable to out-argue his elders, he learned to seal these bad thoughts in his heart, pretending to be normal.
Only occasionally sneaking into the ancestral hall, standing in that small hollow where he often knelt as a child, facing overhead those neglected and thus crookedly seated ancestors, he quietly repeated his anti-social declaration over and over, feeling supreme pleasure in his heart, imagining in what postures those thousands of old men surnamed Su would collectively emit white smoke in heaven.
This showed Xiao Bai was born bad, rebelling against ethics and eighteen generations of ancestors, not even sparing ghosts.
But he had ultimately thought things too simply.
From that unworldly, pampered young master, he fell into mud and dust. He became his life teacher, tempering unexpected tenacity.
In his youth, he lived in hardship with self-satisfaction and didn’t feel that this oath affected his life at all.
Pretending to be normal was easy.
Until one day, wild flowers grew on frozen earth, fierce winds swept across, spring returned to the land, like a blind person in eternal night seeing the moon for the first time. Though that light wasn’t burning, it made him tremble profusely.
Today, she mustered the courage to reveal old wounds to her, only hoping she wouldn’t pour salt on them.
How did she seem quite happy about it!
This girl was beyond saving.
Still disbelieving, in a joking tone, understated, he warned her: “Think carefully. I won’t take responsibility for you.”
“You’re stealing my lines, aren’t you ashamed?” She reached up to pinch his face. “Told you how many times, I’m underage, I’m afraid you’ll run off with my money, young master’s misplaced affection, please absolutely don’t marry me.”
He lowered his eyes, gritting out three words: “Little monster.”
“It’s the nineteenth century now, haven’t you seen enough strange things?” She laughed easily. “You like me, I like you, no need to rush into marriage and childbearing promises, just happily stay together like this first. Believe me, in the future such monsters, pair by pair, will become more and more common. Do you dare try?”
Su Minguan kept a straight face, saying softly: “You’ll regret it.”
She met him needlepoint to wheat awn: “I’m afraid you’ll regret it.”
“I won’t.”
“Then neither will I.”
Both held their positions, competing gazes unyieldingly.
The light rain had stopped some time ago. A dragonfly flew high, wings cutting through silent air, lightly skimming past the lookout platform.
Machines rumbled loudly. People on deck chatted and laughed, sweeping accumulated water from the deck, raising a small rainbow.
After a long while, Su Minguan asked softly: “Your rural so-called coming of age, what age was that again?”
Guangdong regions had vastly different customs, ten li different practices, and a heap of strange taboos. Lin Yuchan usually had some odd concepts, which he just took as local customs, laughing them off.
Lin Yuchan startled, replied: “Eighteen years old. Next year will be…”
“No marrying before coming of age?”
She thought, hesitantly nodded: “Roughly like that…”
She wouldn’t use laws from a hundred years later. By Qing standards, that would be too outrageous.
Su Minguan thought, What strange custom. No wonder it raised such a strange creature as her.
His expression gradually softened, saying softly: “Three rules. Before you’re eighteen, I’ll accompany you being a monster. After next year, we’ll both be grown up. Then you’ll just have finished mourning period, if you want to consider marriage, I won’t stop you.”
What he didn’t say was that the mischief couldn’t go too far, must avoid people more, and couldn’t damage her reputation. He knew this in his heart.
Lin Yuchan smiled and immediately nodded.
If this could reduce his psychological burden… whatever.
She asked with a smile: “Anything else?”
Su Minguan’s eyes suddenly darkened, reaching out to brush half her face.
“Also…” He mischievously pinched her cheek, warning: “I’m very selfish. Before mourning ends, don’t let others kiss you.”
“Haha, Minguan, you’ve finally come down – oh my, who’s this? Haha, what a coincidence.”
Lin Yuchan wanted nothing more than to climb back up using hands and feet – people were waiting at the bottom of the lookout platform ladder!
More than one!
She wailed: “Mr. Rong, how did you come…”
Unfortunately she didn’t have cloud-stepping light martial arts. The stairs were slippery, startling her into not daring to move, hanging there neither up nor down for people to watch.
Su Minguan was also somewhat embarrassed, but quickly adjusted his emotions, expression normal as he supported her under her arms, carrying her down the last few feet.
Rong Hong laughed heartily: “These are some friends of mine who heard there was a steamship here, very eager, wanting to visit. Would you honor us?”
Beside Rong Hong stood three strangers, one around thirty, two around fifty, all traditional Chinese scholar types, wearing long robes and carrying umbrellas, faces bearing polite smiles, waiting to meet this legendary promising young Chinese shipowner.
Unexpectedly, a girl followed down behind. Several people coughed, feeling that this “promising youth” should be changed to “romantic youth.”
Su Minguan remained composed. The test came so quickly.
While everyone still didn’t know each other well, the best method was cold treatment. He turned back, saying softly to Lin Yuchan: “Wait in the cabin.”
Then he turned forward, naturally greeting the several men: “May I ask distinguished gentlemen…”
In moments, he had changed to a different face for social interaction. Lin Yuchan momentarily had the illusion that he had a twin.
Rong Hong quickly introduced, saying these were all colleagues compiling Tongwen Academy textbooks, corresponding with him for some time, today coming to see the steamship was their first meeting.
“Mr. Li Shanlan, uncle of Mr. Yin Mei from Customs, Miss Lin saw his calligraphy that day… This is Mr. Xu Shou, this is Mr. Hua Hengfang, all Jiangsu talents deeply versed in natural philosophy and mathematics. We’ve all ridden Western steamships and roughly understand the principles, but previously, foreigners wouldn’t let us go down to look. Today, learning that the steamship belongs to Chinese merchants, besides rejoicing at Chinese self-strengthening, we privately wish to examine closely to resolve daily doubts…”
Su Minguan alertly noticed these guests differed from Chinese merchants watching excitement – they all carried paper, ink, and rulers. That Hua Hengfang even brazenly held a triangular level, industrial espionage intentions obvious.
He smiled coldly. Rong Hong was his customer, true, but still an American pseudo-foreign devil. His “pen friends,” meeting for the first time today, who knew their background.
Foreigners were all watching him like tigers eyeing prey – why should he be generous?
His momentary hesitation, Rong Hong had already seen, also somewhat embarrassed, smiling with nearby friends, self-deprecating: “Look at us coming without notice, truly discourteous…”
Su Minguan was about to find an excuse to refuse when suddenly someone forcefully pulled his sleeve.
He was surprised. The little girl hadn’t left!
Moreover, her face was flushed, eyes bright, urgently saying softly: “Agree, agree, these are all big shots… It’s fine, quickly invite them in!”