Do you know? Do you know? It should be Green Fat Red Thin Episode 40

  Months later when returning to the capital city and reuniting with the Sheng family, someone had asked Minglan what kind of person Hua Xiang was?

  A good person.

  The He family was a renowned and respected clan. The elder Mr. He had founded the Baishi Spring Academy, which was a pioneer for scholars all over the country, leading the way for several decades. Although the descendants were not as illustrious as their ancestors, they still enjoyed wealth and prosperity. Mrs. He was married into a side branch of the He family. Her third son passed away early, leaving behind only one son, He Hongwen, who was deeply loved by his grandparents.

  He Hongwen had been studying medicine since he was a child. Not long after the boat set sail, he decocted a tea of medicinal herbs to calm the spleen and stomach for Minglan. Although it tasted bitter, its effect was quite good. After drinking only one dose, Minglan felt much better. However, she firmly believed that cultivating her own resistance was the best way, so she refused to drink any more. Not wanting to reject He Hongwen's kind intentions, she secretly poured away the rest of the tea.

  One day, He Hongwen came to visit Minglan and casually asked: "Did you drink the grass tea that was just sent over?"

  Ming Lan's face was straight: "Just finished drinking." Who knew that at this moment, Xiaotao came in from outside with a cup in her hand, saying "Don't worry, Miss, no one saw..." Xiaotao saw He Hongwen and the words abruptly stopped.

  Minglan followed He Hongwen's gaze and saw that the white porcelain lotus-patterned bowl still had a few streaks of familiar blue medicinal liquid on it. He Hongwen quietly turned his head back to look at Minglan, who suppressed her nervousness and calmly said: "Xiaotao, why did you take so long to wash this cup?" Xiaotao was stunned and could only say: "The cup... is very hard to wash."

  Ming Lan's scalp felt dry and she laughed a few times, dodging and not daring to look at He Hongwen, saying: "Hehe, difficult to wash, difficult to wash."

  He Hongwen seemed nonchalant and smiled: "Things on the boat are not as convenient as on land."

  Minglan... =_=, The person beside her, Danju, didn't have such a thick skin and turned her head away.

  The next day, He Hongwen sent over two large bowls of medicinal herbal tea. Minglan, in front of He Hongwen, bravely lifted the bowl and drank the bitter tea in one gulp, then held up the empty bowl for He Hongwen to inspect.

  He Hongwen smiled and nodded, as if a class teacher had just praised a student who had finished copying a punishment.

  Strictly speaking, He Hongwen was the first outsider that Minglan had contact with. Their grandmothers were old friends who hadn't met in years and hid in the cabin to make up for decades of conversation, under the care of a group of old mothers and young maidservants, Minglan and He Hongwen actually saw each other several times.

  In ancient times, when young boys and girls first met, the topic would always start like this: "What books have Little Ming's sister read?"

  Minglan listened to the familiar words, and according to the classic standard of Grandma Jia, she replied with a hint of reserve, covering her sleeve: "I only recognize a few characters, I won't pretend to be blind."

  That's all, I feel very much like a noble lady.

  He Hongwen raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying, and shifted his gaze to the right, fixing it on a stack of practice calligraphy on xuan paper on the desk, with ink stains all over, clearly having written many characters. Minglan felt embarrassed and added, "I just read 'Nü Ze' and 'Xiao Jing'."

  He Hongwen still didn't speak, and turned his gaze to the left again. On the bookshelf, several old books were stacked horizontally and vertically, with their covers open. They included medical, divination, astrology, geography, and other subjects, all of which Minglan had asked Changbai and Changzhuang to help her find as idle reading materials.

  Minglan was caught again and forced a few laughs: "...This is something my elder brother at home asked me to bring over to give to my cousin."

  He Hongwen nodded understandingly and smiled: "Your brother is indeed well-read."

  Ming Lan's mouth twitched, and she forced out a few dry smiles - Heaven and earth, just looking at Zheng Shu made her think of Eldest Brother Chang Bai, looking at account books made her think of Second Brother Chang Song, and seeing words made her think of Third Brother Chang Wu, forgive her!

  He Hongwen is the most thick-skinned, even if he was caught red-handed by Minglan, he could still pretend to be stupid and nod sincerely, showing complete trust in all of Minglan's rotten excuses; since others are so good at it, Minglan can't pretend anymore, so she treats people with sincerity.

  Approaching Jinling, the weather gradually warms up. Last time when I went north to Dengzhou, Minglan had just worn it for a short while, and she was weak and short of breath, and was in a low valley of life, without any spare mood to appreciate the scenery. Now, however, she has a different feeling, seeing only the scenery along the shore becoming more delicate and gentle, Minglan sits by the window looking at the scenery along the shore and the busy boats transporting goods, He Hongwen has come back and forth many times, so he smiles and points out to explain.

  "Big white bird, big beak bird...... gunny sack boat!" Minglan pointed stupidly and said, her words were very poor.

  He Hongwen smiled and explained: "That's a cormorant, best at catching fish; ... that's a gull... no, that's a grain boat..."

  Ming Lan is bright and cheerful, He Hongwen is introverted and steady, the two get along very well.

  "My mother had hoped that I would pass the imperial examination and become an official, but unfortunately, I didn't quite live up to her expectations. I only liked playing with medicinal herbs and needlework." He Hongwen said with a flushed face.

  "Brother Hua is too humble. Reading the classics of sages, it's not just about assisting wise rulers and supporting the country, but also about bringing glory to one's ancestors and benefiting future generations, so that all can return to their roots. Practicing medicine is also a way to bring benefits to the people and honor one's family. Brother Hua's grandmother and father were renowned for their medical skills and ethics back in the day. In their youth, they risked their lives to save others during epidemics, and later on, they held important positions at the Imperial Hospital, issuing medical decrees. People looked up to them so much!" Minglan said sincerely, "Being a doctor is indeed a noble profession, and it can be very lucrative too."

  He Hongwen's eyes lit up, and he smiled warmly at the girl opposite him.

  "My father passed away early and my mother is weak, I couldn't follow my mother's wish to study hard, it's unfilial." He Hongwen was shrouded in a melancholy as thin as gauze, amidst the autumn colors.

  Minglan spread out a pair of delicate white hands, with needle holes visible on them: "I've never liked embroidery, my grandmother asked several masters to teach me, but now the butterflies I embroidered still look like flies, thinking about it is also unfilial."

  He Hongwen smiled and said, "Little sister is still young, with practice she will get better. My cousin Jin'er is best at embroidery, that's also something she practiced day by day." Minglan touched her own fingers, casually asking, "Oh? Does she also live in Jinling?"

  He Hongwen's expression turned gloomy: "No... a few years ago, her father was convicted in the 'Xiaoliangshan Mine case' and the whole family was exiled to Lianzhou."

  Minglan didn't speak again. A few years ago, a small mine in Liangshan collapsed, killing over 100 miners. It turned out that the mine owner colluded with local officials to embezzle compensation funds and instead accused the widows and orphans of the dead men of crimes, nearly sparking public outrage and chaos.

  The emperor was so angry that he almost died, but he also knew that this was just a residual wave of the struggle for the throne. He could only punish some of the main culprits and let the matter go. The people involved were all raised high and then lightly put down, so not many officials were implicated. Unexpectedly, his cousin's family was one of the few who got caught in the crossfire.

  “…Well, since it's exile, the crime shouldn't be serious; serious crimes are punishable by beheading. And isn't there a general amnesty? Your cousin will probably be able to come back.” Minglan could only comfort her like this. The new emperor would grant a general amnesty upon ascending to the throne, and as long as it wasn't one of the ten unpardonable crimes, exiles were usually pardoned. Nowadays, everyone knew that the old emperor's days were numbered.

  He Hongwen was grateful for Minglan's kindness, and after a while, he said: "In those years, my brother-in-law also had his faults, and he deserved to be punished. It wasn't unjust. However, if he could be pardoned, that would be a good thing." He paused, then continued: "I have some self-prepared Snow Shell Cream at home, I'll give it to Little Sister Minglan to apply on her hands. In the winter, when doing needlework, your fingers won't be nimble, and applying this cream can help warm the blood and relax the muscles."

  The young man's words were gentle, his eyes warm and soothing, like the first hint of coolness on a deep autumn day. The last wisps of pale golden sunlight slowly climbed up Minglan's face, illuminating her slightly flushed cheeks.

  After another five or six days of sailing, the ship finally docked at the shore. On the dock stood many attendants and servants, all craning their necks to take a look. Half of them were there to welcome Minglan and her party as they headed to Yu Yang, while the other half looked somber, having come to escort Old Madame He directly to her hometown in Jinling to see her seriously ill father.

  He Lao Tai Tai held He Sheng Tai's hand and chatted for a while before letting go. He Hongwen then instructed Minglan in a gentle tone, "Ming sister should take care of herself, long-distance travel by car and boat is exhausting, it's easy to get sick, after returning home, rest well for a few days before going out to play."

  Minglan nodded vigorously.

  Sheng Wei and his eldest son, Chang Song, personally came to meet the boat. Minglan saw this elder brother for the first time, and saw that he had a slightly dark complexion, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a loud voice, and an open-minded demeanor, very similar to Chang Yu. As soon as he saw Minglan, he smiled and said: "So this is sixth sister Minglan? Father has been mentioning you in front of your sister Pinlan all the time, and she hasn't stopped clamoring to see you these few years!"

  "Has your younger sister ever been to Yangzhou? That's a great place, our Sheng family's old house and ancestral temple are all there. It only takes one incense stick of time by horse carriage to reach Jinling, next time I'll take you and Pinlan out for a stroll."

  "Nanjing has too many officials and nobles, we business people don't fit in with this crowd, it's better to stay at home, the place is big and beautiful, isn't Ming's sister fond of fishing? I'll prepare fishing gear for you later, with dozens of miles of fish ponds, you can just poke a fishing rod and catch fish!"

  "Autumn days are the best time to visit the mountains, hurry up and go before winter arrives, sister. You can see the maple trees covering the entire mountain, it's different from Beijing, not so luxurious, but more wild."

  That day was sunny and warm, with a refreshing autumn breeze. Even sitting in the sedan chair didn't feel stuffy. Sheng Wei and Old Lady Sheng were chatting, while Chang Song's brother rode his horse outside Minglan's sedan, talking to alleviate boredom. Minglan felt like a little friend on an outing, full of joy.

  The Sheng family, although surnamed Sheng, was originally not prosperous at all, but rather had some leftovers. It wasn't until Old Man Sheng seized the opportunity to change dynasties and become rich that he bribed several high officials and took the route of official-business collusion that the Sheng family gradually prospered. They built an ancestral temple, a clan hall, and even constructed a large mansion in their hometown of Rao Yang. As for those born into merchant families, they all liked to take the cultural route. After Old Man Sheng became rich, the first thing he did was to hire a fallen bookish official's daughter as his wife with a large sum of money, and she gave birth to three sons.

  The eldest son inherited the family business but was greedy and lustful, infatuated with a singer-turned-concubine, causing a drama of favoring the concubine over his wife, and it's said that when he died, the family property was almost depleted. The second son is Minglan's grandfather, a refined and elegant young man who married a fiery and proud daughter of a marquis, their relationship was almost hostile, and he died from a cold before the age of 30. The third son is the most extreme, indulging in food, drink, prostitutes, and gambling, yet still lives to this day.

  Ming Lan let out a deep sigh: The introduction of genetically modified crops had failed, and the entire army was defeated.

  There was already a young servant who had gone ahead to the old mansion to report, and when Minglan's group arrived, the main gate of the Sheng residence was wide open. A row of women in bright clothes were standing at the entrance, and as soon as they saw Old Madame Sheng and Minglan get out of the sedan chair, a middle-aged woman with a round face walked up to them, bowed her head and said: "Auntie has finally arrived! Our old lady's neck has grown long from waiting all these years without seeing you. Seeing that you're in good spirits is more delightful than anything else for me!"

  Just then, a lovely little girl appeared behind Old Lady Sheng. "Is this my niece?" he asked tentatively. Old Lady Sheng smiled and said, "It's this little monkey, raised by me since she was young, just right to keep company with Pinlan."

  Then he glanced at Minglan with his eyes.

  Minglan immediately stepped forward, respectfully standing in front of her and bowing: "Greetings to Aunt, wishing Aunt good health."

  Mrs. Li's eyes narrowed into a line, repeatedly saying: "Good good good, good child." She also gently stroked Minglan's face, and her gaze showed approval: "This child is really well-behaved, and so obedient. This time you can stay for a few more days, teach that wild and unruly Pinlan, she's like an unbridled horse." Then she pointed to a young woman beside her: "This is your eldest sister-in-law, if you need anything, just tell her."

  Minglan bowed again: "Greetings, Eldest Sister."

  Wen immediately helped Minglan up and said softly, "Sister, don't be too polite. After meeting the old lady, take a look at the house prepared for you, do you like it? If not, we'll change it immediately. This is your own home, sister, so don't be restrained."

  Li's dignified demeanor, warm and gentle yet solemn and majestic, led the way as she spoke, guiding Old Lady Shi and the others to walk inside, passing through the second door and the tea house door, proceeding along the corridor into the inner residence, circling around the screen wall, and entering the main hall where the elderly lady lived. As Minglan entered, she saw an old woman with silver-white hair sitting in the center, her face gaunt and frail, but with a pair of eyes that shone brightly. The moment she saw Old Lady Shi, she immediately stood up, opening her arms to support her.

  The old lady hurriedly walked a few steps and called out: "Sister-in-law."

  "Little sister, it's been many years since we last met. You're not in good health and have been following your husband to various postings, I didn't want to trouble you too much, but I've always hoped that in my lifetime I could see you again, today my wish has come true, truly thanks to the blessings of Buddha."

  As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion, Old Lady Sheng was deeply moved and also said a few affectionate words. Then she called Minglan to kowtow and pay respects. The old lady carefully examined Minglan, nodding repeatedly: "This child is born well, elegant and has good fortune."

  This is the second time today that someone has complimented herself on her beauty, Minglan made a great effort not to touch her own face. A 12-year-old girl can be beautiful to what extent? I guess it's just relatives who only know how to flatter, they can't say "your child looks like a pumpkin" when they meet, right?

  Always straightforward and outspoken, Chang Yu was somewhat shy today. Since Ming Lan congratulated him with a sentence "Congratulations, Brother Yu", he became like a cooked prawn, blushing and responding to Old Lady Shen's words with a few awkward sentences before standing upright with his head lowered, cultivating the temperament of a new groom.

  Watching Sheng Lao Tai Tai and Da Lao Tai Tai talking, Li Shi pulled Minglan over and pointed to a girl of the same age as Minglan standing beside her, saying: "This is your cousin Pinlan, it turns out you two are of the same age."

  Minglan looked at the girl with her eyes, and saw that she had a round face and big eyes, resembling Li Shi. A pair of elegant eyebrows stood upright, making her whole face look full of vitality. She was also looking at Minglan. When their eyes met, Minglan smiled slightly to greet her: "Good, Pinlan sister."

  The girl's eyes sparkled as she replied, "Meilan is also good."

  As she spoke, she stole a glance at her mother and saw Li Shi serving the two elderly women. She winked at Minglan with her left eye, startling her. Minglan quickly glanced around, her playful heart rising, and also winked back at the girl. Then, she swiftly lowered her eyelids, putting on an innocent and obedient expression.

  Pinlan's eyes widened, and her big eyes were filled with a smile.