Zhou Shaojin also noticed people arriving. Without waiting for Pozi Shang to come over, she had already tugged at Ji Ying and said quietly, “Let’s go back to the carriage! Who knows what kind of people are coming?”
Ji Ying didn’t think much of it, but she was now Cheng Chi’s maid. Since she had come out with Old Madam Guo, she naturally had to respect her status and position, and respect the people around her.
She smiled and nodded, returning with Zhou Shaojin to Old Madam Guo’s side.
The group walked toward their carriages parked by the embankment.
The approaching carriage came to a halt with a “whoa.” A young man in his early twenties jumped down from the carriage. Seeing Zhou Shaojin and the others, he appeared very surprised and quickly turned back, speaking in low voices with someone inside the carriage.
Soon, the carriage curtain lifted. An elderly scholar in blue robes, about sixty years old, descended from the carriage with the young man’s support. He cupped his hands toward Cheng Chi and said, “I didn’t expect to encounter you, young master, in such a remote place. This old man’s surname is Song, from Changsha Prefecture. I’ve specially brought my descendants out for an outing. Meeting while traveling is fate—might our two families share this place to watch the tidal bore together?”
Cheng Chi observed that the elderly scholar had a vigorous spirit, elegant speech, and skin like a baby’s. He guessed the man was either a great scholar or an elder from a family with generations of literary tradition. Seeing that the young man, though only in his early twenties, was refined and cultured with naturally graceful movements, he became more certain of his assessment.
“Elder sir, no need for formalities,” he smiled. “Fine weather and beautiful scenery should be enjoyed by all. Please feel free, elder sir!”
The elderly scholar surnamed Song smiled slightly upon hearing this, stroked the goatee under his chin, and said to the young man, “Yijun, please help your sister and nephew down. This young master is surely not one of those pedantic types.”
The man called Yijun smiled in acknowledgment. From the accompanying carriages, several sturdy servant women jumped down, holding footstools to assist a young woman in her prime down from the carriage. Then they brought down a child about eight or nine years old.
As soon as the child got off the carriage, he ran toward the beach.
The servant women behind him cried out “Fifth Young Master, be careful!” and chased after him.
The young man laughed heartily at the sight.
The young woman, however, frowned and said, “You’re all going to spoil him rotten like this.”
The young man smiled and said, “Sister, you’re just too cautious. Fifth Brother has just been cooped up too long. When I was his age, I even climbed onto the roof to catch swallows, and Father didn’t say anything about it. How could Fifth Brother be spoiled?”
“You always have your reasons,” the young woman said helplessly. “I can’t out-argue you, so I won’t debate with you. Nanny Huang, quickly go bring Fifth Brother back.” With these last words, the young woman was instructing her own servant woman. But it was clear the siblings had a good relationship.
The young man scratched his head with a smile. After exchanging a few words with the elderly scholar, he returned to the carriage to retrieve a gift box and walked toward Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi initially didn’t wish to engage. But turning around, he saw Old Madam Guo watching him. Thinking that if he just walked away, his mother would surely nag him about it later, he simply nodded goodwill toward the man and said, “My surname is Cheng, from Jinling. I’m accompanying my mother and niece to watch the tidal bore.”
The young man quickly said, “My surname is Huang. I’m accompanying my family’s elder and my sister and nephew on an outing. These are pastries from Wufangzhai. We’ve disturbed your refined enjoyment. I truly apologize—please don’t blame us, Old Madam and young miss.” As he spoke, he presented the gift box.
Qin Ziping hurried over to receive it, then turned and handed a packet of tea leaves to Huang Yijun.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, “A few days ago, a friend brought this rock tea from Fujian. Please have the elder sir and young master try it.”
Huang Yijun quickly bowed in thanks.
Suddenly, a thunderous sound came from the river.
People on the embankment involuntarily looked toward the sound.
They saw a white wave rushing forward like lightning, surging down as if the river were flowing backward, crashing against the embankment. The splashing water reached several zhang high, like a water monster opening its great mouth to swallow people. Even Zhou Shaojin, sitting in the carriage, cried out in panic and leaned backward, as if this could help her avoid the giant wave.
“The tide has come!” Cheng Chi’s eyebrow didn’t even twitch. With his hands behind his back, he appreciated the tide retreating with a “whoosh,” wetting the ground, and said calmly, “It’s a few quarters of an hour earlier than I calculated.”
Huang Yijun’s face changed dramatically. He cried out “This is bad!” and quickly looked toward the beach.
The child was being held tightly in the arms of the woman serving him.
He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The child’s face was pale. Only after the tide receded did he react, bursting into tears with a loud “wah.”
The elderly scholar surnamed Song walked over.
The child immediately threw himself at him, calling out “Grandfather” in an aggrieved voice.
The elderly scholar surnamed Song laughed and said, “I always tell you, but you never listen. Now you know how powerful it is, don’t you?”
The child nodded repeatedly, tears the size of soybeans hanging on his tender little face, looking quite pitiful.
The young woman also walked over, about to say something, when another wave surged forward.
The young woman and the elderly scholar protected the child and retreated repeatedly.
The splashing tide was even more fierce than before. Blocked by the embankment, it rumbled like an angry water beast and turned to crash against the small hill nearby, water flowers dancing in midair like dragons.
At such a moment, who had the mind to worry about propriety between men and women?
Zhou Shaojin cried out and lifted the carriage curtain. Holding Old Madam Guo’s arm, she said urgently, “Quick, look! Quick, look!”
Old Madam Guo laughed and said, “I see it, I see it!” As she spoke, she extended her hand.
Nanny Lu quickly helped Old Madam Guo down from the carriage.
Zhou Shaojin and the others also got out.
Cheng Chi quickly said, “Stand back further, be careful not to get swept away by the tide.”
Only then did everyone believe his words were true.
The lake water surged forward wave after wave. The roaring sound was endless, washing and surging between the embankment and the small hill, making even the air become moist.
People suddenly became as small as ants.
The elderly scholar surnamed Song couldn’t help but clap his hands excitedly and exclaim, “The sky arrays clouds like a thousand thunderclaps, the earth rolls silver mountains like ten thousand galloping horses. Magnificent! Magnificent! To see such a spectacular sight in this life is enough! Enough!”
Everyone couldn’t help but smile slightly upon hearing this.
After a while, the tide gradually diminished.
Like a child tired from playing, it temporarily quieted down.
The embankment was damp.
The elderly scholar surnamed Song, his excitement uncontainable, waved to Huang Yijun and said, “Come, let’s go to Xiaoshan’s Tide-Watching Tower.”
Huang Yijun said with difficulty, “Sister…”
The elderly scholar surnamed Song paused, then sighed softly with disappointment, “Then let’s return to Hangzhou City.”
Hearing this, the young woman’s eyes reddened. She said, “Yijun, you accompany Father-in-law to Xiaoshan. I’ll be escorted back to Hangzhou City by the servant women.”
The elderly scholar surnamed Song seemed somewhat moved by this.
Huang Yijun, however, was hesitant and indecisive.
The woman bit her lip, then suddenly bowed to Old Madam Guo and said, “Old Madam, could I possibly follow you? When my father-in-law and younger brother return from Xiaoshan, they can come fetch me.”
Cheng Chi said nothing.
But Zhou Shaojin could sense his displeasure.
She couldn’t help but look toward Old Madam Guo.
Old Madam Guo had already smiled and said, “Helping others is helping oneself. Young madam, no need for such formality. If the elder sir doesn’t mind, you’re welcome to come with us.” As she spoke, she pointed in the direction of the Zong family villa and said, “We’re staying as guests at the home of Old Master Zong, Jiangnan’s wealthiest man.”
Upon hearing this, the elderly scholar surnamed Song became somewhat embarrassed and said, “Why don’t you all come with us to Xiaoshan to watch the tide instead? I hear the tidal bore there is somewhat different from here…”
Zhou Shaojin noticed what seemed like a trace of annoyance in Cheng Chi’s eyes.
She said quietly to Old Madam Guo, “There will definitely be many people there, otherwise Elder Song wouldn’t have hesitated about whether to bring this madam along. We should go back. Even if we go to Xiaoshan to watch the tide, it would just be watching from afar on the Tide-Watching Tower. How could it compare to this? Those waves seemed to fly right over our heads. If I hadn’t come to the Qiantang River and seen it with my own eyes, I would surely think what’s written in books is all exaggeration.”
Zhou Shaojin’s words made Old Madam Guo laugh.
She said, “Good. We’ll listen to you. Let’s return to the villa.”
Zhou Shaojin smiled sweetly, though from the corner of her eye she glanced toward Cheng Chi.
Cheng Chi’s expression remained warm and gentle. But somehow she felt his mood had improved considerably.
The elderly scholar surnamed Song and Huang Yijun ultimately felt uneasy. They personally escorted the woman to the Zong family villa where they were temporarily staying. They also produced a calling card and handed it to Cheng Chi, saying, “I’ll trouble you with this daughter-in-law of mine. Just find a side room to settle her in.”
Cheng Chi calmly accepted the large crimson gold-dusted calling card that only jinshi graduates who passed both examinations could possess. Looking at it, he too couldn’t help but be greatly surprised.
The calling card the elderly scholar surnamed Song presented was actually that of Minister of Revenue, Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, and Hanlin Academy Expositor Song Xu—Song Jingran.
Cheng Chi smiled and had someone fetch one of Cheng Jing’s calling cards to give to the elderly scholar surnamed Song.
The elderly scholar surnamed Song laughed heartily and said, “So these are Minister Cheng’s family members. This is truly a case of the great flood washing away the Dragon King’s temple—family not recognizing family!”
Cheng Chi smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the elderly scholar surnamed Song for a while. Only then did he learn that this elderly scholar was Song Jingran’s father, Song Min; Huang Yijun was Song Jingran’s brother-in-law; the young woman was Song Jingran’s second wife, Madam Huang; and the child was Song Jingran’s fifth son, Song Sen.
With this connection established, Song Min set his mind at ease and became completely unconstrained.
The two families exchanged greetings. Song Min entrusted Madam Huang to Cheng Chi’s care. He had the carriage driver unhitch the horses from the carriage, gently stroked the horse’s neck, and except for the carriage driver, left all the accompanying servant women behind. He and Huang Yijun mounted horses and headed toward Xiaoshan with Song Sen.
Cheng Chi’s gaze flickered slightly.
It was said that Song Jingran came from a merchant background, which was why he was skilled in calculations.
With a father from the Two Lakes region who was skilled at horseback riding, it was clear the Song family wasn’t just ordinary merchants dealing in goods from south to north.
Over there, Old Madam Guo and Madam Huang had struck up a conversation.
It turned out that Song’s mother had passed away over ten years ago. Song’s father had never remarried and had been living alone in their old home in Changsha. This past February, Song’s father had caught a cold and had been bedridden for over a month before recovering. Song Jingran was very worried and had specially asked his brother-in-law to accompany his wife and son to bring Song’s father to the capital to enjoy his remaining years in comfort. But Song’s father loved to travel, so he had brought them along touring all the way until they reached Hangzhou… which led to today’s meeting.
“This truly is fate!” Old Madam Guo had been paying attention to Song Jingran ever since Cheng Chi mentioned him. Now that she had actually encountered Song Jingran’s wife, she was naturally very enthusiastic. She said, “Madam, please feel at ease waiting here for Elder Song and Master Huang to return. Though I’m staying as a guest at Old Master Zong’s villa, I’ve brought my own people to serve me. Whatever Madam needs, please just ask.”