Chapter 23: Honghailou
After morning court ended, Xie Qianbing and He Leyong were left behind, and only approaching midday did they leave the Palace. He Leyong had only just entered the capital, and hadn't had the opportunity to purchase a residence, and so she was temporarily living in Xie Qianbing's home. Yet the two didn't return together; Xie Qianbing, seeing He Leyong had gotten into a carriage, herself actually happily rode a horse to Honghailou.
Honghailou was located in the most flourishing part of the capital; those who came and went were all high-ranking officials and nobles. As soon as Xie Qianbing dismounted her horse, she saw a number of familiar faced. But today, she hadn't actually come to acquaint herself with these people, and so didn't pay much attention to them, heading directly into Honghailou.
The waiter had a sharp eye, and with a single glance, was able to tell that Xie Qianbing was wearing a third rank official's dress, and so hurried to approach her. "Daren, please, come upstairs."
It was the first time that Xie Qianbing had come to this sort of restaurant, and, seeing a young girl suddenly appear by her side, she was rather startled. Once her spirit returned, she waved her hand. "Stir-fry a couple dishes and I'll just take them with me."
The waiter blinked, not astonished in the slightest, and took a break, opening her mouth to inform her of the dishes' names. Listening to them, Xie Qianbing felt dizzy, and she hurriedly interrupted, looking at her and saying, "Just two signature dishes is fine."
"Of course!" the waiter replied loudly, and turned to head into the kitchen in the back. Xie Qianbing looked for a place to sit down, propping up her head and looking out the window.
"Yoh, could it be Xie-daren?" a male voice rose, and, immediately afterwards, Xie Qianbing realised that, by her side, another black shadow had appeared. She raised her head, her brows unconsciously furrowing. She only remembered that this person was an official in the Ministry of War, and they'd met a few times at court, but the specifics of his surname or name or who he was, she couldn't remember in the slightest; the two weren't familiar at all. Now, he'd taken the initiative to greet her, and Xie Qianbing felt it was strange.
"I hadn't thought I'd be able to run into Xie-daren here. Wu Dongmu is going to come over in a while; wouldn't it be better to come upstairs to a private room and gather with us?" that person, paying attention to himself, pulled out the chair across from Xie Qianbing and sat down, with a familiar expression.
"No need, I still have business." Xie Qianbing wasn't willing to speak much with him, and rose, straightening her clothes and heading to the front counter, hands behind her back, with the face of someone who didn't want a stranger to come over.
That person's face flashed with a thread of impatience, but it was suppressed quickly, and he followed Xie Qianbing towards the counter. Luckily, at this moment, the waiter who had greeted her previously came out, holding the packaged food, and smilingly passed it to Xie Qianbing. "Daren, thank you for your patronage; that will be five liang of silver."
Xie Qianbing's hand, reaching for the money, stopped, an expression of awkwardness that was hard to avoid revealing appearing. Although she knew that Honghailou's prices were expensive, she hadn't imagined that they'd be this expensive. She'd always been someone accustomed to simplicity, and had only just purchased a new residence, and naturally, she didn't have much surplus money. Today, leaving court, she only had a bit more than four liang of loose silver on her person.
The waiter was also somewhat astonished; after all, from her experience, these sorts of officials of such high status always had never lacked money.
That official who'd just then chased after Xie Qianbing to worm his way into friendship approached, and called out loudly, "Ah, but this is our Xie-daren, put all her expenses on my tab."
Xie Qianbing wasn't willing to be connected to him, and considered speaking and discussing having an outstanding account with the waiter. But, before she'd managed to open her mouth, she head a female voice drift faintly down from the second floor. "Would your distinguished self be willing to have a word with me?"
She followed the voice to look upwards, and saw a woman wearing a crimson outfit slowly descending from upstairs. Seeing this, the waiter by her side hurriedly greeted her, calling out a "Zhangguide".[1]
Xie Qianbing looked at the proprietor, and then pointed at herself. After seeing her nod, she wasn't too hesitant, and took a step, about to follow her upstairs. The official who'd been following after her the entire time was also about to follow after, but he was halted by the waiter. "Dear patron, our proprietor didn't invite you."
Saying once more that Xie Qianbing had followed that proprietor upstairs, she felt that this Honghailou was a place of exceptional charm and beauty. There were carved beams and painted pillars, incredibly stunning. She only thought that Honghailou was rich and splendid, and in the midst of that was a degree of lack of confidence. Thinking of if she herself had earned her affections, she couldn't say what sort of price she'd have to pay.[2] She was still thinking of it when that proprietor had already led her to the innermost room.
"May I ask whether your distinguished person is Xie Qianbing, Xie-daren?" The proprietor poured a cup of tea for her as she asked.
"I am," Xie Qianbing nodded, yet didn't take the proffered tea, only standing as she spoke. "I still have matters to attend at home; forgive me for being unable to keep you company. Today, when gathering money, I didn't bring along enough, and only have these four liang of silver on me. The rest of it, I'll send along in the evening; I ask for Zhangguide to give me some leeway."
"Xie-daren jests," the proprietor said with a soft laugh. "This humble one, Chen Xun, heard of daren's name early on; who could have guessed that today we'd be able to meet? If daren doesn't regard the goods of Honghailou with disdain, then the fees you incur can all be placed on my account."
Xie Qianbing's expression froze, and she thought some obscenities in her mind. She invented some excuses to refuse, and then, in a great rush, dropped all four liang of silver in her breast onto the table, flicking her sleeves and leaving. Chen Xun watched her retreating figure, still sitting in her original spot, her gaze holding a degree of laughter. "How interesting."
Having been delayed at Honghailou for a while, when Xie Qianbing returned to her own home, it was already almost weishi.[3] The residence was in the suburbs of the capital, and counted as distant from the city. The courtyard's gate was thick and heavy, and atop it, there were some vestiges left by the previous owners. Before the gate was a pair of guardian lions, a degree of charm seeping through their dignity. A great locust tree stood erect in the middle of the courtyard, and beneath it, a round table made of stone and a few bamboo chairs were set out. He Leyong was sitting on a bamboo chair, shaking a fan.
Seeing Xie Qianbing had returned, He Leyong spoke. "Ah, you've returned; I'd assumed that you'd forgotten this old woman."
"How could I?" Xie Qianbing scratched her head, embarrassed, not raising the matter of Honghailou with He Leyong. "Business at the restaurant is bustling, and it was a bit slow; as soon as this matter was done, this student hurried back."
The inside of the residence was furnished simply, and there weren't many adornments. But it was incredibly tidy, and a few landscape paintings hung on the walls, all painted by Xie Qianbing's hand. She brought the food out from the boxes, only daring to eat once He Leyong had moved her chopsticks. If one were to ask Xie Qianbing, He Leyong was no less than Jiang Changbai's benefactor.
In their youth, it had only been He Leyong's sharp mind, discerning eye, and excellent recommendation which had distinguished her from out of a few dozen, selecting her as Jiang Changbai's study companion. Xie Qianbing's family had been merchants, and although they couldn't be said to be without wealth or riches, anyone could pass for someone with adequate provisions. But in the eyes of the commoners, especially to those in the mercantile class, there wasn't a single better position than being able to become the study companion of a princess from the imperial family.
As a result, even though, afterwards, He Leyong had been banished from Prince Ling's residence due to falsifying her identity, Xie Qianbing had always seen her as her only teacher. Originally, she'd assumed that, in this life, she had no chance of ever meeting He Leyong once more; yesterday, seeing her had truly caused her to be incredibly shocked. Now, the two sat facing each other, and Xie Qianbing's emotions were hard to restrain. Raising her cup, substituting tea for wine, her voice was choked with emotion as she said, "Laoshi, I truly hadn't thought I'd be able to see you again."
He Leyong's heart was naturally deeply moved, but, constrained by the status of teacher, she wasn't willing to show it on her face. But, faced with Xie Qianbing's true emotions being revealed before her, how could she maintain her dispassion? So, she drew a deep breath, and sighed. "I had still thought you'd blame me."
Translator's notes:
[1]: 掌柜的, an address for a proprietor.
[2]: In terms of a bride price.
[3]: Around the start would be around 1:00pm, as weishi lasts from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
Thank you for translating this!
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