Chapter 12: Birth (Part 7)

As Xu Qianyu entered the flower hall, she saw her grandfather taking small bites of something from a small bowl, the food a bright red and unclear in origin.

Shui Rushan caught a glimpse of her gaze and wiped his mouth, setting down the bowl. “Someone, serve this blood swallow to the young lady as well.”

The butler hesitated, as Shui Rushan was getting on in years, feeling weak and dizzy. This blood swallow was a rare delicacy bought to replenish his vitality. The young lady, still so young and strong, had no need for it. However, Shui Rushan was always like this; as long as Xu Qianyu looked at something, no matter whether it was appropriate or not, he would have it served.

Just as Xu Qianyu sat down, a maid brought over a steaming white porcelain cup, lifting the lid to reveal the same bright red contents. She was momentarily taken aback, unsure of how to respond, and turned her head slightly to smile at her grandfather with a hint of shyness.

Xu Qianyu’s expression was typically cold and proud, her rosy lips curving down slightly, appearing difficult to please. Yet when she smiled, it was disarmingly innocent, as sweet as a hundred flowers blooming at once.

Shui Rushan’s hand holding the spoon paused slightly.

In that moment, Xu Qianyu reminded him of Shui Weiwei as a child.

Xu Qianyu was born after Shui Weiwei carried her for ten months. Her face shape, lips, nose, skin tone, and thick black hair all resembled Shui Weiwei, but her temperament was more akin to another person.

Shui Rushan had witnessed her as a child riding horses and shooting arrows, and he remembered the look in her eyes when she played with a slingshot in the courtyard. When she picked up a sparrow she had shot, she would hold it with a handkerchief, bringing it to her face to see if the shot had pierced its heart, her delicate features showing a kind of naive cruelty.

Shui Weiwei was different. Shui Rushan had spent most of his life drifting outside for business, so the image he most frequently recalled was of his daughter at four or five years old. Shui Weiwei would even be saddened by the sight of a sparrow’s corpse after the rain, shedding tears and pointing it out to him, saying, “Father, the poor little bird.”

Qianyu had a kind of chaotic destructiveness within her.

Over the years, he indulged her, allowing this force to grow ever more chaotic and morally ambiguous. In these tumultuous times, fragility was easily shattered; only danger could resist danger.

Thus, the only response he could muster to this flower-like smile was a sculpted, serious expression that remained unmoved.

Xu Qianyu slowly stopped smiling, lowering her head to quietly eat the bird’s nest.

Shui Rushan sighed inwardly, putting down his chopsticks; he could no longer eat.

Ever since he made the decision to raise this child, his heart often felt like it was being torn apart.

Qianyu was clingy as a child; she didn’t want the golden and jade rattle drum but insisted on holding his thumb and not letting go. Later, when Qianyu learned to walk, one day while he was standing in the courtyard discussing business with someone, she toddled over and hugged his leg from behind, laughing gleefully. He asked the wet nurse to take her away.

The wet nurse pulled and tugged, picking her up and walking through the corridor. Soon after, the sound of the child’s heartbreaking cries came from that end.

The crying gradually lessened. Later, when she had her hair in two braids, she stood dazed in the courtyard, looking at him with a mixture of nervousness and wariness, unsure of what expression to show as he approached.

Shui Rushan asked her about her studies and inquired about her daily life and meals, typical small talk. After speaking, he walked away, sneaking a glance at her as he passed the pavilion. The little girl stood expressionless in the courtyard, her shadow stretching long. The maid carefully tugged at the young lady’s sleeve, asking her to continue kicking the shuttlecock. She then turned back to do so.

Xu Qianyu never called him grandfather nor did she bow; he allowed her to be.

The two often faced each other in silence, speaking only when necessary, which formed a kind of light and equal relationship.

In the flower hall, everyone usually ate snacks while discussing business.

The great demon was wreaking havoc, and people in the city weren’t going out, which significantly affected the Shui family’s business. Although they could afford the losses, the topic was unavoidable every day.

Guan Niang said, “Several herbal shops in the south are doing business, and there are rumors saying that burning mugwort can ward off demons. Because of this, other items aren’t selling, but the mugwort is sold out, and orders are booked months in advance. However, the price of mugwort is cheap; in total, it’s just a drop in the bucket. What’s frustrating is that neighboring shops are envious, saying we started the rumor, and there’s quite a bit of cursing in the city.”

The steward remarked, “Oh my, what’s the value of fresh mugwort? If they wanted to profit, they should have raised the price long ago.”

Shui Rushan asked how much mugwort was left. Guan Niang replied, “Not much, it’s all from one season. Just yesterday, we took the risk to bring in another cart, and it should last for another ten days or so.”

Shui Rushan mused, “Then let’s clear the orders and give away the rest for free.”

Before Guan Niang could speak, Xu Qianyu interjected, “I disagree.”

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

Not only did Xu Qianyu sit at the same level as her grandfather, but she also had the freedom to interject at the dining table, which Shui Rushan indulged. The steward had long been used to it and turned a blind eye at this moment.

Shui Rushan lifted his chin slightly, “What do you suggest?”

Xu Qianyu said coldly, “Why should we give it away for free? If others say this about us, are we supposed to just accept it? In my opinion, let’s make it substantial: we can dry and chop the remaining mugwort, then at our silk shop, use some fabric to make individual sachets. Anyway, there’s no mugwort in the city; whoever wants mugwort can buy the sachets, take them home, and burn them. But the sachets have fabric, thread, and labor costs; we should sell them for five coins each.”

As she spoke, she dipped her silver chopsticks into the wine and calculated the gross profit on the table.

Xu Qianyu spent money like water, but that didn’t mean she didn’t care about her family’s finances. No matter who wanted to squander her Shui family’s money, she would be the first to oppose it.

Shui Rushan originally didn’t intend to teach Xu Qianyu about business; she was born into wealth and didn’t need to engage in such hard work. The tutors he hired for her were all great scholars in the city, and inevitably, a few of them looked down on her when they saw her with an abacus, admonishing her that business was an inferior pursuit, lacking elegance.

Xu Qianyu was very rebellious. The next time the tutor came, he found five abacuses in her room and became furious, reprimanding her. Xu Qianyu, who had never endured such humiliation, retorted on the spot, saying that if officials couldn’t do accounts and the treasury was empty and weak, that was their own fault.

Infuriated, the tutor complained to Shui Rushan and refused to come to their house again. Shui Rushan formally apologized and expressed his regrets, but privately he had Guan Niang teach her how to use the abacus and stopped avoiding discussions about business, allowing her to audit, and from then on, it became an unstoppable trend.

However, Xu Qianyu usually listened in silence; this was the first time she spoke so astonishingly. Seeing her calculate at the table, everyone was amused, and Shui Rushan said, “Guan Niang, you’ve taught her well.”

Guan Niang also laughed and begged off, “I dare not.”

Shui Rushan took a sip of fragrant tea and finally stopped smiling: “Not bad, she knows how to do business. If she is fortunate enough to take over the family business in the future, being a female tycoon wouldn’t be bad; she won’t lose money.”

Xu Qianyu was poking at the bird’s nest. Because it had no flavor, she only took a bite and stopped eating. Hearing this, she found it strange: what did he mean by “fortunate in the future”? The Shui family’s business, if not given to her, who else would it go to?

In the past, she had also heard some rumors, saying the Shui family was prosperous but had no male heir, and her grandfather wanted a grandson to inherit the family business. The evidence was that her grandfather had given her a boy’s name; no girl would be named “Qianyu.”

When she heard this as a child, she immediately ran to question Shui Rushan. At that time, Shui Rushan was practicing writing in his study and said lightly, “It’s just a name; what does gender matter? I am a mountain in the water, and you are an island in the water; what’s wrong with that?”

After hearing this, Xu Qianyu actually felt a bit of joy. Because her grandfather’s words contained rare affection and implied a desire for her to bring joy to him, highlighting their intimate blood connection. But that day, she insisted on questioning, “Why are you the mountain, and I’m the island? I want to be the mountain too.”

Shui Rushan had long been accustomed to her “why” question and smiled, saying, “When the little island grows up, it will become a mountain.”

At this moment, Xu Qianyu recalled this and felt a warning bell ringing in her heart.

She wondered whether those male servants who suddenly appeared in her room were… potential candidates her grandfather was preparing to recruit as her husband.

Instantly, she developed hostility towards the male servants who diligently accompanied her in play and decided never to get too close to any of them.

“Qianyu,” Shui Rushan suddenly called her. He gently wiped away the calculations she had made with a handkerchief and said, “Look, this portion of profit, we are deliberately not taking it. This is an act of charity.”

“Charitable act?” Xu Qianyu looked back at Guan Niang in confusion.

Guan Niang nodded, agreeing with Shui Rushan’s words: “The people in the city are anxious. I told Xiao Sanzi to place the remaining mugwort at each door so that everyone won’t have to go out to buy it. At this time, the less one goes out, the better.”

Xu Qianyu gazed thoughtfully at her face with her dark, bright eyes.

Shui Rushan asked her again, “I heard you gave some of the pearl flowers in your room to the maids a few days ago.”

“Yeah.”

“That can barely be considered a charitable act,” Shui Rushan said. “But you must remember, true charity isn’t measured by how much you help when you have plenty, but by whether you are willing to give when you have little and are in need yourself.”

Xu Qianyu lowered her eyelashes, blinking.

Shui Rushan thought about how she had never lacked for anything, waved her hand, and said, “Never mind, you don’t have to understand now. You’ll get it when you grow up.”

Xu Qianyu took a small bite of the blood swallow, finding it tasteless, and after a moment of hesitation, asked, “Then can I go out to play in a couple of days?”

Seeing that she was still a child at heart, Shui Rushan felt helpless and put on a stern face:

“Stay at home; you can’t go anywhere.”

*

It rained again these past few days.

Xu Qianyu propped her chin on her hand, staring at the rain curtain in frustration.

“I have to remind you of one thing,” the wild ghost suddenly said. “It often thunders and rains near your house because you are feeling down and don’t know how to control your spiritual power. If you don’t want it to rain and want to go out, just be a bit happier, and there won’t be any thunder.”

“Oh.” Xu Qianyu responded absentmindedly, but in her heart, she thought: It’s getting more and more absurd; it sounds like I have the power of Lei Gongdian Mother.

However, ever since Qianyu had Xiao Dong by her side, and they secretly talked every night, the rain indeed stopped. Xu Qianyu then called Songbai to come play in the yard.

Songbai was the young man Guan Niang had pointed out to her. He was two years older than her, looked robust, and wasn’t her type, but his nervous demeanor made it interesting for Xu Qianyu, so she took him wherever she went.

She wanted Songbai to help her climb the wall. Songbai couldn’t imagine what climbing a wall would be like and was afraid to agree, especially after being pestered by her for two days.

Songbai hesitated, saying, “Miss, there are thorns on the wall. What if you get hurt?”

He was referring to the shards of glass embedded in the high courtyard wall, a precaution taken by the wealthy Water family to prevent theft at night.

But Xu Qianyu insisted on going. Songbai regarded the young lady as his sister, sighed, and secretly compromised, saying, “I found a spot without glass. I’ll take you there.”

Xu Qianyu looked up at the section of the wall without glass shards, where a person could pass through, and patted Songbai, telling him to crouch down so she could step on him.

Songbai was worried about dropping her and tried to persuade her to reconsider.

Xu Qianyu said, “Are you worried you’re not tall enough? Afraid I won’t reach if I step on you?”

A teenage boy couldn’t handle that kind of provocation. Upon hearing this, Songbai immediately straightened his back and squatted at the wall base: “No way.”

Xu Qianyu shoved a fan into his hands and had already touched the wall: “I’m stepping on you.”

“Go ahead.”

Xu Qianyu lifted her skirt and stepped onto his shoulders, one hand reaching for the wall’s edge. She raised her knee and fumbled for a while before managing to hook it onto the top of the wall, the dark green embroidered gold-threaded dress spreading open like a peacock’s tail.

As soon as Xiao Yi stepped out of the house, he saw this scene and stopped in the yard.

Songbai almost immediately regretted it, gritting his teeth to support her: “Miss, if you don’t touch anything, just hurry up and come down. It’s too dangerous.”

However, Xu Qianyu had already climbed halfway up, pretending not to hear. With a graceful flip of her white wrist, she easily lifted herself and sat atop the wall.

A breeze blew, lifting the red ribbon in her hair.

Xiao Yi, or Xie Yuzhen, with his dark pupils, stared at her silhouette, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. Seeing Xu Qianyu laughing and joking with Songbai, he maintained a blank expression.

Xu Qianyu sat high and looked far, feeling exhilarated, but that only lasted for a few seconds. The back courtyard was connected, and her view was blocked; sitting on the wall, she could only see the neighboring courtyard.

There was no one in the courtyard, the gate tightly shut, and only a few pots of wilted flowers were displayed inside.

Xu Qianyu missed the scene from her dream, where she could ride on a sword, fly on a giant kite, and glide over the water—much more enjoyable than her current predicament.

After thinking for a moment, she sharply turned her head and saw Xiao Yi standing in the distance, staring at her.

The boy smiled when he saw her turn: “Miss, why are you sitting so high?”

Xu Qianyu hated it when others talked too much and coldly replied, “None of your business.”

With that, she turned around, swinging her legs, calling for Songbai, preparing to jump down. There wasn’t much to see up there anyway.

No one knew how Xiao Yi had moved so quickly in that brief moment. Songbai was still squatting at the wall’s base, caught off guard. When Xu Qianyu leaped down, Xiao Yi caught her perfectly.

This boy looked slender but was quite strong, able to hold her with one arm while using the other to pluck a peach blossom petal that had drifted into her hair. His dark eyes turned to her, fixed on her face, smiling as he said, “Miss, do you want to go up again? You can go up again.”

After speaking, he gently pushed her back onto the wall.

Songbai watched, dumbfounded.

“Impudence.” Xu Qianyu barely steadied herself on the wall, glaring at Xiao Yi, but scolding Songbai instead: “Songbai, what good are you?”

Songbai finally came to his senses, his face turning red as he pushed Xiao Yi aside and spread his arms beneath the wall: “Um, Miss, let’s go back.”

Xiao Yi took a step back, watching Xu Qianyu and Songbai leave with wide eyes.

Xu Qianyu walked quite far before glancing back, noticing that the boy was still following them from a distance, his expression innocent as if he was troubled by something he couldn’t understand.

He said, “Miss, you chose me that day. How can you just abandon me now?”