JOY OF LIFE

[VOLUME 1]Chapter 34: Reminiscing on a rainy night

The ocean breeze in March was exceptionally gentle in Danzhou Spring was in the air; an unknown breed of yellow flowers littered the mountains, and every household was using the petals from this flower to brew tea. People can be seen chatting outside their houses while they enjoy the tea. A light, clear fragrance could be detected as one strolls along the streets of Danzhou It was neither too faint nor too overwhelming, and it certainly cheered one's mood.

But the rain came when night fell, penetrating the night along with the breeze and nourishing the earth soundlessly. Every ebony eave and blue stone road in Danzhou was covered with a misty film of water.

The tiny droplets of rain fell gently upon the tarpaulin of the grocery stall. There was not much sound from the impact and the rain merely washed off the thin layer of dust that was gathering, making the stall look much cleaner than before. However, the grocery stall was not open today. Fan Xian had informed the Old Madam beforehand and stole away secretly to the stall. He was scoffing down peanuts and enjoying wine with Five-Bamboo.

The servants from the Count's Manor knew that he enjoy visiting the grocery stall, but they all presume it was because the young master was fond of the wine that was brewed by the blind man. While it was true that Fan Xian was really fond of good wine, Fan Xian also needed an excuse to meet Five-Bamboo. Although their interaction was not really a secret, it was better to be careful lest people find out the true reason for their meetings.

The vegetable knife was left on the chopping board. The chopping board was dry and the edge of the blade was also free from scraps of vegetables; it seems like it has not been used for a very long time now.

The cracking sound of the peanut sh.e.l.ls echoed. Fan Xian popped one into his mouth and chewed slowly until it became a smooth and fragrant paste. He grabbed the small ceramic cup that was about three thumbs wide (Seriously, is there even a need to describe cups like that? ), placed it upon his lips and washed down everything in a gulp.

It was not rice wine today; it was tribute wine (No idea what this is though ~) sent from the Capital. He was not in a hurry to ask questions. He knew that Uncle Five-Bamboo was a simple person and would not let him wait too long.

the concentration was slightly greater, Fan Xian got the same feeling as he did from drinking Wuliangye (It's a type of wine in China made of five different grains )

Five-Bamboo did not sit directly opposite him. He was situated at a dark corner of the room with a bowl of rice wine in his hand. Eventually, he spoke faintly.

"The Mistress' full name was Ye Qing Mei (I'll be using the direct hanyu for this. I get that Ye could be Ip in Cantonese, but hey, I'm not Canton. ). I was a servant in her household. Many years ago, the Mistress and I left the house..."

"Ye Qing Mei..." Fan Xian felt an inexplicable warmth when he first heard his mother's name. He smiled gently and drank another cup of wine and did not ask where home was. If Five-Bamboo was willing to, he will eventually tell him.

"We stayed in the Eastern Yi City for a few years. The Mistress was naturally gifted and was also a compassionate soul. When she was fifteen, she started a business in the Eastern Yi City. She was too young at that time, however. She could only let the shopkeeper pretend to be the owner while she worked behind the scenes.

Fan Xian stopped the wine cup in his hand in mid-drink, and could not help but ask, "What does starting businesses have to do with being compassionate?" He was not really curious about why his mother was such a genius or how she was able to start a business at a mere age of 15. All these years, he had already deduced that, when it comes to his mother, no logical explanation can be used on such a person.