CH 91

In the end, Cui Xie did not drink the strong alcohol.

After seeing the distilled alcohol, the two rode the horse back to the farmstead, changed into fresh robes worn for lounging and ate. Colonel Xie only allowed for the servants to serve a refined wine that had only been refined once in the steamer. Two glasses for lunch were prepared and he told Cui Xie to have a drink while eating, so as to taste something new. After downing two glasses, the wine was confiscated and Cui Xie was only allowed to drink artificial lychee soup made from simmered sour plums to relieve him of the meal’s greasiness.

The lunch served at the farmstead was not as exquisite as the one served at Colonel’s Residence in the capital, but it was fresher: a pig was freshly slaughtered and porcelain altar steamed meat was made using the lean meat located under the ribs. The Xisha meat is made of ground meat wrapped in lard oil,  as well as red, tender, sweet and sour meat tenderized with lychee fruit. There was also a large piece of mutton roasted using an iron prong, which was served and cut directly at the table. Suet dripped with the knife, the white fat mixed in with the lean meat. The skin was crisp while the meat was well-cooked and soft, the slightly sweet sauce seeping into the meat. Even without adding cumin,  the flavor was beyond expectation, extremely fragrant and tender.

On the other hand, the side dishes were ordinary, seasonal vegetables harvested from the vegetable fields behind the farmstead. Gathering the youngest and fullest shoots, one could stir-fry with meat and oil according to one’s taste. Or, one could boil some clear soup, and using bamboo shoots, garlic shoots and leaves, and shiitake as seasoning, the fragrant scent was melted in, not inferior to the taste of meat.

Besides, Cui Xie did not usually have a lack of exercise and he did not need to consider the issue of consuming too much fat. As such, he ate whatever he was given and he ate it happily. This was the kind of guest that hosts liked to see the most.

Seeing him happily feasting, Xie Ying’s appetite seemed to increase as well, as he picked up a few more mouthfuls with his chopsticks. However, he was a drinker and ate slowly, taking care of Cui Xie throughout the entire meal. When he became drunk, Xie Ying got up and asked someone to fetch his straight sword, practicing his swordsmanship in the front of the main hall.

The blades of grass in the courtyard swirled up in the air due to his movements and Cui Xie also set down his drink, getting up to walk to the edge of the stylobate, watching the other wielding the knife. Thrusting, stabbing, turning left, turning right, jumping into a downward strike….it looked to be composed of simple movements, but watching Xie Ying perform these moves was so wonderful, brilliant and varied that one’s two eyes would not be able to keep up with the others’ movements. Focusing on the sword’s tip, one would lose sight of how Xie Ying’s two legs advanced and retreated. Looking at his legs and feet, one would overlook how the wrist snapped and turned. Looking at the wrist, one was afraid of missing the sight of the youth’s waist turning and twisting…

At the beginning, Cui Xie desired to learn the movements from Xie Ying, but after seeing it, he crammed the idea to the back of his head. Instead, he concentrated on watching the other slashing and striking in the courtyard, ducking and changing direction this way and that.

The red robe shone with the gleaming light of the sword and the shadow of the sun, the brilliance was so bright that it was dazzling to the eye. After collecting the sword, Xie Ying halted sharply, standing firmly on the spot. But, the hem of his robes still spun a half circle in the air, hitting his legs, wrapping around to reveal the straight and slender shape of his legs before falling down gently.

Cui Xie immediately burst into applause, his gaze falling onto the skirt. But an inexplicable thought floated into being: it was better not to wear skirts when practicing martial arts.

Xie Ying beckoned him to come down, “Here, I will teach you a few moves.”

Cui Xie demurely ran down, but it was only once he was in the courtyard that he remembered that he had never practiced with straight swords before. Not only had he never practiced it before, he did not have such a sword at home. Saber skills and sword skills were also different. Even if he returned with passable skills, he was afraid that he would not be able to train out anything presentable.

Cui Xie sighed and consulted, “I am but an ordinary scholar, the Imperial court does not allow me to wield a blade. I cannot practice even after learning it. Why don’t we talk about this next time when we have swords?”

Xie Ying seemed to be a little intoxicated and tipsy, and the outer rims of his eyes slightly red. He unknowingly revealed a strong aura that did not tolerate refusal. Clutching the xiuchun[1] sword in a reverse grip, he stuffed the handle into Cui Xie’s palms, smiling, “Learning swordsmanship is not for the sake of fighting people in the street, but to strengthen your body. Isn’t learning the saber the same? You can practice both. I will teach you first. If you want to practice in the future, just come to my residence.”

He pressed against Cui Xie’s shoulder with one hand, and the other one led Cui Xie to hold the handle of the blade. Lowering the blade vertically as it was raised aloft with both hands, the left hand drifted horizontally along the blade and the right hand gripped the handle, slashing from bottom to top, making a gesture akin to sword seeking out its enemies.

The palms of those hands were slightly hot, scorching hot as it pressed against Cui Xie’s shoulders and the back of his hands. The sun above his head was too bright and Cui Xie was so dazzled that he could barely see how the long blade had arrived in his hands.

But, he remembered that teachers hate students who were distracted in class and couldn’t remember anything. The same went for physical education teachers. Even though he hadn’t clearly seen how Xie Ying’s hands had moved just now and added on to the fact that the weather was terribly warm, Cui Xie still tried his best to recall Colonel Xie’s movements when he had practiced. Relying on his foundations built from practicing at home, he was able to reconstruct most of the movements.

Fortunately, it was just a basic attacking sword skill.

Cui Xie lifted his arm high, pointing the tip of the knife at a 45-degree angle to the ground, the blade facing the sky, the patterns layered on top of the stainless steel blade rippled like waves of water in the sunlight.

Xie Ying patted Cui Xie lightly on the shoulder, praising, “Your posture is good and the strength is there. You must have worked hard. Not to mention anything else, just looking at your airs and spirits, even standing with scholars taller than you, others will notice you at first sight.

That’s right, we don’t look at the numbers, just accounting for visual effects!

Cui Xie felt that what Xie Ying had said was simply too reasonable. He was only sixteen-years-old at the moment and it was ignorant to compare numbers with those strong men in the military or adult college students in their thirties or forties. As long as one kept fit and supplemented calcium, increasing one’s visuals to a higher level was enough.  Wasn’t it said that one could still grow at twenty-three or even twenty-five? He had still so many years to grow, he wouldn’t compete with others for now.

Cui Xie was particularly touched and said, “Then I will practice for a while and try to master this movement.”

Xie Ying gripped the sword hilt in Cui Xie’s palms and told him to take a rest, “You just ate quite a lot. No need to rush practice, careful not to upset the stomach. Later, I will teach you how to draw a sword and how to fight with one. You can do the same when you practice later on.”

This afternoon, the two rested and then practiced. Xie Ying then suggested, “We should prepare to leave now. We have to rush back before the city gates close. Today, we cannot keep you for dinner. Next time, I will entertain you at my residence, so you can stay a bit longer.”

Cui Xie had to attend the College tomorrow, so he did not dare to stay overnight at Xie Ying’s house. Hence, he agreed immediately.

The servants of the Xie Clan brought them the garments they had worn when they had first arrived and Xie Ying’s outfit also had a cloak. Putting it on, Xie Ying promptly appeared valiant and formidable-looking, outstandingly handsome.

While Cui Xie admired the scene, he was also secretly proud——These are the clothes he made and they looked good. Look at Colonel Xie’s long legs, the proportions were very good. When he walked, the skirt swished upwards, exposing white trousers and black boots, making the calves appear slender and long. There was no issue of cutting the legs off that made it seem shorter.

The three youngsters who had worn those cheap knockoff yesas and had blocked his path, even when riding a horse and wearing a belt, it made their torso look long and their legs short. They were simply not the same species as Colonel Xie!

Cui Xie was secretly using the genuine product in front of him to attack the three pirated copies in all directions. Xie Ying suddenly inclined his head and glanced at him, asking with a half-smile, “Why are you only looking at me? Hurry up, we must rush towards the city.”

Cui Xie quickly shifted his gaze to the wall next to him, quickened his pace and replied softly, “Got it.”

When they arrived in the rear courtyard, the carriages and horses had been prepared and saddled up. Xie Shan was still the driver. Cui Xie could not help but sigh when he remembered how the carriage had shook. He went to pull the carriage door open with a bitter expression.

Before he could walk to the back of the carriage, Xie Ying grabbed his shoulder and said, “Get on the horse, I’ll take you through this section. You can take the carriage once we reach the outer official roads.”

But there were people along these roads.

Although he was not some famous person, Cui Xie was still a young man. It wouldn’t look good for two men to ride the same horse, right? This piece of land was the private property of Colonel Xie’s family and the people they came across were all from his own family, hence it had been nothing. But what would outsiders who saw the sight think?

He hesitated to refuse, but Xie Ying had already made preparations. Xie Ying took a wide-brimmed hat attached with a veil and tucked it over the other’s head. Then, he untried his cloak and fastened it around Cui Xie, wrapping it tightly before pressing on his hat, “Isn’t this all right? Outsiders will not be able to tell that it is you and once we reach the official roads, you can switch over to the carriage.”

Xie Ying had donned a conical bamboo hat himself and arranged himself on the saddle first, stretching out a hand towards Cui Xie: “With you wearing a hat, if you sit in front of me, it is easy to blow my vision of the road. Sit behind, it is only a short distance, not too much of a problem.”

Both of them were wearing wide-brimmed hats and he was also wrapped up in a cloak. No one should recognize them right? The Great Ming was not like modern society, a world full of paparazzi and cameras….

Cui Xie paused and then grabbed the other’s hand, sitting astride on the horse’s back. He pushed back the brim of his hat and then gently used his fingertips to grab hold of Colonel Xie’s leather belt made out of one tael of silver and five copper coins, the belt inlaid with gold and jade embellishments.

Xie Ying seized his hand, pressing it to his own waist and shouted, “Hold tight!”. Xie Ying clamped his legs and the horse reared with its front two legs, stood to attention and galloped away along the road.

Cui Xie immediately tightened his grip and hugged Xie Ying’s waist tightly, his fingertips unknowingly picking out a pearl, his movements causing it to loosen. He was also afraid of damaging the belt but also afraid of touching the other’s flesh, so his hands were loose and fisted, there was nowhere to put them. The dilapidated  road located outside the farmstead was full of potholes and the journey seemed to take longer than the carriage from when he had first come. He hated that they were not at the official roads yet.

Xie Ying had also sensed his nervousness and casually grabbed his hand, pulling it higher. Pressing Cui Xie’s hands together, he shifted to turn around and said, “Hold tighter, just grab your own hands, no need to pay attention to the robes——the robes are only worth a few taels. If it is damaged, can’t they be repaired? What compensation is there if I break someone?”

After riding with his hands locked together and pressed down against Xie Ying, Cui Xie got used to the sensation, the side of his face leaning obediently against the other’s back. He endured this until they reached the official roads.

Seeing that there was not a trace of people around, Xie Ying stopped the horse and instructed Cui Xie to go down and rest for a while. Not long after, Xie Shan arrived with the carriage and Cui Xie switched to the carriage. Sitting inside the carriage was much more relaxing than sitting on a horse. When he pulled the curtains from the window to view the scenery outside, he could see the sight of Xie Ying riding a horse more clearly.

The only regret he had was that the other was disinclined to wear the white cloak. Otherwise, the sight of a cloak soaring as one rides a horse would have been beautiful.

Cui Xie regretfully made a ‘tsk tsk’ sound and leaned against the car road for the rest of the journey. Perhaps it was because of the timing of the day, or maybe it was because Xie Ying was wearing a bamboo hat, but no one came to disturb them as to why he was following the carriage and who was sitting inside.

Although no one had come to ask questions, their procession had still been noticed by others. One by one, the carriage and horse entered the city through the Xuanwu Gates, passed the Elephant Training Station in the south of the city and bumped into a commander who had just finished their duties for the day by accident. It was just that the man saw that the person on horseback was dressed brightly and was accompanying a carriage. The man did not dare to disturb him at the time, merely turning around and telling his colleagues what he saw.

It was a pity that the others were a step late and had not seen Xie Ying, but after hearing the commander say the man’s garments had been especially form-fitting and perfectly complemented his figure and appearance, they exclaimed, “It is definitely him! Last time, he was the one to wear that white yesa. Others are rushing to wear such simple and neat outfits and no longer desire wearing bright colors. Who could predict that now those robes have a red set too!”

The next day, at the Northern Administrative Division, Li Long, a Colonel in the Elephant Training Office directly confronted Xie Ying face to face, “Yesterday, Commander Wang saw a man in the streets wearing a red yesa, accompanying two carriages. Was that you? He said the rear view had held quite a resemblance, but those garments were truly two good-looking and he had never seen you wear such a thing and it was also from far away so he did not dare to venture a greeting.”

Lu Xi sighed, “Was it gifted to you by that Qian’an prodigy again? It was said that there were two sets and we were still waiting for you to wear them out. You don’t even wear them for us to see but you wore it secretly when you went out to the countryside. Don’t you feel pity for those clothes?”

Xie Ying admitted frankly, “I also want to wear them out, but I am afraid someone will see the new garments and insist on making an imitation in a hurry. The commotion will cause several shops to be out of silk and satin, would it not be a waste of money and people? Also, yesterday, I was not on duty so I changed my clothes and visited the family’s winery to have a look. I brought some real steamed wine for everyone in passing.”

Hearing them squabble about clothes, Zhu Ji became annoyed and waved his hands, “Why are you all arguing about some robes? It is not like we haven’t seen it before. It is tightly sticking to the body, a little bit of the stomach will be exposed, how good looking can it be? Your wine is really good, bring some over later. I’ll add a few dishes for you and ask the cook to prepare a few things. Let’s all gather in the dining hall later.”

Several people chuckled, “Zhu da-ren is so generous, could it be that the Furen is loosening her grip these days? It is rare for the da-ren to treat, we must naturally join in, eat more dishes and drink more of the Xie family’s beautiful wine.”

Zhu Ji also laughed, “It is not being generous without reason. But, some of my servants found a Southern Goods shop that is about to close down in a few days and all its products were discounted. I saw that they had bought some ham, scallops, dried ginseng and dried shrimps…all of them are not bad and are about 30% cheaper than the usual prices. I will ask them to buy a bit more later.”

Colonel Xu from the Rear Office asked, “Cheap Southern goods? Is it from the Cui family’s Southern Goods Shop that has had their clerks yelling outside about their closing these days?”

When Xie Ying heard the word “Cui”, his ears immediately perked up and his eyes shifted over there, asking, “Which family is it?”

Xu Fu then said, “It is the Cui family’s Southern Goods Shop located in the east of the city. I heard that the family is backed by an official who later committed some crimes and was sent away to serve a penal sentence. The residence is out of money and the head of the household is still but a child. That child did not understand anything and wanted to put the shop up for sale. They are first clearing out the goods and will be selling the shop in the future.”

Not to mention the penal sentence….this Cui Clan sounded a bit like the Cui family he knew?

Xie Ying asked, “Can’t this family’s things be sold?”

Zhu Ji had already tasted the products and said that it was good. It was just a pity that the store was closing. But, another Colonel Yao who had bought their goods shook his head and complained, “Don’t go to their shop. The things inside only look good on the outside. The products near the front are good, but there are older goods located deeper on the inside, but the price is still the price of a high quality product. It is still too expensive after the item has been discounted!”

He then turned to Zhu Ji, “Da-ren had bought it early and caught up with all the good ones. I am afraid we will not be seeing any good ones in the future. It is better to ask Xie da-ren to treat us to the food and let us eat to our heart’s content——who told him to be so good looking that his stomach doesn’t even show when wearing form-fitting clothes? Us fat people want to wear good garments but cannot. We can only blame him, it is justified for him to treat us as guests.”

Xie Ying shook his head and helplessly replied, “With Yao da-ren’s words….forget it, in order not to make you stout and strong, I will ask my subordinates to go to that store to buy some dry goods later. That way, you all can lose your appetite after seeing it and eat less. Later on, you will all be so hungry that you become so thin that you can finally wear tight-fitting robes that can fit over your body.”

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