Chapter 5, the bright moon hides in the ravines

That Dan Yu is a young girl who usually refrains from speaking even half a sentence. At this moment, after being scolded, she covers her face and cries so hard that she can hardly catch her breath. The Gao family is flustered and hurriedly calls for a maid to bring water, comforting her, "Do not be anxious. Why must you marry Pei Zhen? Do you not know that the matriarch of his family is a tyrant who devours people? Once you enter that household, will you still have a way to live? You are still young; in a couple of years, let your brothers and sisters find you a good family. Once married, you will be the mistress, enjoying endless wealth and glory. With our Yu Jier's beauty and grace, how could she settle for being a concubine? A concubine is but a servant, forever suppressed by the legitimate wife, and in the future, your own son would not even be able to call you mother. Would you still be willing to accept that?"

The young servant observed that the secret passage was not favorable, and hurriedly advised, "Sir, let us leave. We can discuss matters further once we find the old uncle and grandmother."

Pei Zhen is a person who can remain calm. Upon hearing this, he thought to himself, "What kind of major issue could cause my aunt to be so angry? This girl really does not understand the situation; it is only right to send her away." Saying this, he sat down leisurely, sipping tea and enjoying the moment, which made the Gao family feel somewhat awkward. After a while, he finally smiled and said, "Tomorrow, I will have Zhou Shun send two capable maids to assist my aunt, and their monthly wages will be deducted from my own expenses."

Dan Yu, in a fit of pique, said, "If I could marry my cousin, I would be willing to be a concubine."

In a moment of impulsiveness, the child blurted out, "Shrew!"

Pei Zhen brushed his sleeves and said slowly, "When I first got married, she was a new bride and had to maintain some face. Now that the household is under my control, the old lady no longer inquires about matters, and her audacity has grown. She even dares to lay hands on me. If it weren't for the fact that the master still remembers some past affections, I would have long since kicked her back to her mother's house with a swift kick."

The child hurriedly crawled to the feet of Gao and bowed, repeatedly expressing gratitude

Pei Zhen revealed a look of disdain on her face and scoffed, "She has always been a jealous and petty person, and it is absolutely impossible for her to agree. However, given her current condition, it wouldn't be difficult for her to nod in agreement. The other day, she made a scene at home and ended up losing face. The old lady has made it clear that if she continues to be unreasonable, she will be sent away according to the seven reasons for divorce."

The young servant, named Zhu Er, was quite clever. Seeing his master in such a state, he said, "My good master, it is not worth getting so upset over your health. That Liu girl is merely a young lady; how could she have such grand ideas! It must be her uncle and aunt who are trying to demand a higher betrothal gift, which is why they are being evasive and not agreeing. Let us find Aunt Qi and have her speak on our behalf. It is priceless to have your favor, so giving a little more is certainly acceptable."

She... Pei Zhen gritted his teeth, his fists clenched and then relaxed, only to clench again. He was unwilling to marry her as a concubine, thinking it was due to her pride, but little did he know it was for this foolish boy in front of her, a feeling he could never swallow! His heart was ablaze with anger when he heard the girl say: "Thank you, doctor, for treating my uncle. Please take care, and I won't see you off, Spring Jun." Her voice was soft and delicate, making one's heart melt, and Pei Zhen's anger initially subsided by half, but in less than a moment, it flared up again. What doctor, what doctor? Did she really take him for a wandering physician? If it weren't for her, how could he have ridden for several hours in a day, traveling from the distant county to this remote Mantou Village! They had only exchanged a single sentence in their two meetings, yet each word was precious. Who would have thought that Pei Zhen would have such a worthless moment, toiling all day just to see her laughing and chatting with others in the fields!

Gao finally regained his composure and politely said, "How can I let you go to such expense? This girl can manage well with proper guidance."

That Dan Yu said, "I know, that one who tends to the cow is named Zhang Cheng, and he has been childhood friends with Liu Wu Wang."

Gao was so angry that he yanked the peony off her head, threw it to the ground, and stomped on it several times, scolding, "What a shameless girl! What did you just say? What childhood sweethearts! When your father comes back, I will definitely have him teach you a lesson!"

Gao naturally understood his daughter's concerns, not even raising his eyelids, and asked, "Do you want to demean yourself? Do you still wish to become a concubine to someone?"

What is so good about Liu Wuwang! Dan Yu stomped her foot and rushed out, crossed a small river, evaded a few wild dogs, and directly barged into Wuwang's room

Dan Yu looked at her gentle face, and even though she felt a bit angry, she could not express it. She could only say with some resentment, "I heard that you promised my cousin?"

The assistant proudly said, "It is an eastern pearl, as large as a longan, surely one that was secretly kept in the past"

Gao was persuaded for half a day with kind words, but it was all in vain. In the end, he became angry and shouted, "What good is his agreement! I do not agree! Even if you cry to death right now, I still will not agree!" After saying this, he waved his hand and left, leaving Qi Danyu standing there in a daze.

Gao questioned, "When one is so impoverished that they are forced to sell their daughter, how could they possibly come by twenty taels of silver without reason?"

Do not expect to connect with the line, "It is a plum blossom, not a begonia. What brings you here today at such leisure?"

Why Pei Zhen was so furious is naturally not something that can be disclosed to outsiders. Only the assistant knows the reason, and he can only lament his own loose tongue, regretting it to the point of feeling blue with remorse, trembling in fear.

At that moment, Gao's daughter, Dan Yu, walked out from behind the screen, greeted Pei Zhen with a bow, and called him cousin. Pei Zhen immediately felt a chill run through him... That cousin had dark skin, was quite tall, and wore a crimson short coat with a purple skirt, with a half-wilted peony tucked into her hair, resembling a poorly made plum vase. Pei Zhen exerted great effort to refrain from asking her why she was dressed like this. Named Dan Yu, one would expect her to be as gentle as a chrysanthemum, yet he could not understand how fate had gone awry, resulting in Dan Yu's appearance being so alarming to him.

Gao was in a difficult position, slowly sat down, and after pondering for a while, said, "Nowadays, I no longer dare to make any guarantees. For several days, Chun Jie'er’s aunt has been avoiding me, and whenever your master’s matters are mentioned, she brushes me off with vague words. Now that Liu Hong's leg has been healed, I fear there are even fewer reservations. I do not know where the money has come from, buying cattle and eating meat, wanting to take Chun Jie'er... it is not easy!"

Pei Zhen took a deep breath for a long time, and seeing that he was truly frightened and pitiful, he snorted and said, "If it weren't for the sake of your old aunt, you would have been sent to the servant's quarters as soon as you returned to the residence today"

Why listen to what others say! Dan Yu said, "My mother is a matchmaker, how could I not know."

"How precious can the daughter of a criminal official be? Times have changed, and I fear that even the concubines of wealthy families may not compare. Rest assured, as long as the lady of the house agrees, this matter will be easily resolved"

Pei Zhen shot a glance over and scolded, "Slap her! When will it be your turn to spit at her?"

It would be the greatest favor if Aunt could arrange a marriage for us brothers! You have no idea, we brothers have been so distressed these past few days that we can hardly eat or drink, it is truly taking a toll on us servants. Please, have pity on me. Once the new aunt is welcomed into the family, I will set up a longevity tablet for Aunt and offer incense daily, praying to the Bodhisattva for Aunt's long life!

The servant sighed and said, "As servants, we should not speak ill of our masters, but this madam was once a very good person. Now she has become like this, all due to the bad influence of a few maids around her, who constantly incite her."

Without expectation, she flicked the embroidered surface, took scissors to trim the fine fluff that had clustered along the thread, and said softly, "Have you heard that my aunt has already declined this marriage proposal?"

Dan Yu was taken aback, and then quickly exclaimed, "You are not marrying? A person like Pei Zhen, and you are not marrying?"

At this moment, Wu Wang was embroidering plum blossoms when she suddenly rushed in like a gust of wind, startling her so much that her hand trembled, causing the needle tip to pierce into her flesh, making her frown in pain

Zhu Er blurted out, "What is there to worry about? Is there anything in this world that our esteemed master cannot find out?" As soon as he finished speaking, he was kicked in the calf by Pei Zhen, causing him to fall to the ground in a horizontal position, groaning in pain. Pei Zhen, with a stern expression and a glint of coldness in his eyes, resembling a king of hell with his jade-like complexion, pointed at Zhu Er and said, "Usually, I let you be, and you have become increasingly spoiled without limits, spouting nonsense. Is this kind of talk acceptable? If I hear it again, be careful of your skin!"

"Having received twenty taels of silver, it is of no use to only spend without earning; there will always come a time when it runs out, and I will wait for that moment," Pei Zhen said calmly, adjusting the gold crown that held his hair in place, his expression composed and serene. Moreover, Liu Hong's bones had been properly aligned, but he would still need to clear his meridians to be able to move; if one were to consider this as having completed the treatment, it would be rather premature to celebrate.

Dan Yu gazed at his retreating figure for a while, then turned to her mother and complained, "Am I not your child?"

I also feel sorry for you, truly, a day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of affection, one is only allowed to scold oneself, while others cannot utter a word. With a shameless face, I pretended to slap my own mouth, muttering, "How dare you speak so recklessly! How dare you speak so recklessly!" Pei Zhen did not genuinely punish me; after just a couple of slaps on the face, he stopped, and the two of us headed back to the Qi family.

"Oh, are you embroidering the Spring Sleep of the Begonia?" Dan Yu forgot what she had come for, leaned over to look at the flowers on her frame, and sighed, "They are truly beautiful!"

Without hope, he tugged at the corner of his mouth, thinking how nowadays people only listen to half of what is said! He then asked, "Who did you hear that from?"

Dan Yu felt that she had hit the nail on the head regarding her innermost thoughts, and for a moment, she was so embarrassed that her face turned red and her ears burned. Not knowing what else to say, she continued to engage in small talk about family matters for a while before taking her leave and returning home

Gao wished to invite him for a meal, but he politely declined with gentle words and rode away, cracking the whip.

Without hope, she coldly snorted and said, "I do not know what kind of person he is! I only know that I would rather be a poor man's wife than a rich man's concubine! I cannot forget my uncle's life-saving grace, and there is no need to repay it with my body. As for you," she squinted at Dan Yu, "why don't you two become even closer? Since you are cousins, he certainly will not treat you poorly."

Dan Yu stopped crying, pondered for a moment, and although she did not wish to become a concubine, she still wanted to marry Pei Zhen. She said, "You tell my cousin that I want to be his legitimate wife and ask if he can agree to it."

The child lay on the ground, repeatedly bowing his head, which frightened Gao to the point that he nearly lost his senses. He hurriedly intervened and advised, "Just a moment ago, you were criticizing me; how do you feel now? What significant matter could possibly scare this little monkey so much? He was merely caught up in the moment, wanting to show off in front of his master. He has already been beaten and scolded, and since there are no outsiders here, let us spare him this time."

The young man could hardly contain his urge to pounce and tear that big mouth apart! He then saw his master, with a face that seemed to be both crying and laughing, perform a bow and say, "Thank you, sister, for your reminder! It is getting late today, so I, Pei Zhen, will take my leave first. I will invite my aunt and sister to come play in the garden another day."

Pei Zhen listened, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Wu Wang, turned his horse around, and left. Along the way, he felt troubled and sullen, remaining silent the entire time

Pei Zhen asked the Gao family, "Today, the Liu family is plowing the land behind their house. Do you know which one is driving the ox?"

Upon entering, the matriarch of the Qi family, Madam Gao, was scolding the young maid for her clumsiness in not addressing her as "Madam" in front of others, threatening to send her out to be matched with someone. The assistant stifled a laugh, thinking that the more they fell from grace, the more they had to maintain appearances! The old master Qi was originally a brother from the matriarch's family, indulging in all vices of drinking, gambling, and debauchery. In his early years, the family still had some wealth, but later he became infatuated with an actress, selling off the ancestral home, and eventually moved to this Mantou Village, leaving only a rough maid to serve him, who insisted on being addressed as "Madam, Madam, Madam," which sounded quite pretentious. Now, who could he rely on for service!

Pei Zhen slowly said, "How would you know! I see that her demeanor and speech do not resemble that of a country girl. According to my aunt, her father was originally a third-rank official, but later, for some unknown reason, he was sentenced to death. A girl like this is likely to require a substantial dowry to secure her hand in marriage"

Gao sighed, "It turns out that the young man has already inquired thoroughly, even knowing what is being sold!"