Chapter 39: Farewell at the Docks

"On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, an auspicious day, the red sorghum is lifted, bearing the bridal finery, an inch of sorrow, hurriedly tailored..."

Fan Jin subconsciously chanted, but once he realized what he was saying, he spat three times onto the ground in succession.

What absolute nonsense, bad luck!

Dressed with the assistance of his maid, Qinghe combed her hair before the mirror. Just in time, a maid from outside the courtyard reported, "Master, Concubine Qinghe, the Mistress is calling for you."

Needless to say, since they were setting off today, Hu Yingying must have sent someone to hurry them along.

"Understood," Fan Jin shouted back at the top of his lungs. "Tell the Mistress that Qinghe and I will be there immediately."

Having received a definitive answer, the maid outside the courtyard acknowledged it with a crisp response, and then all fell quiet—she had likely sprinted off to deliver the message.

After washing up and without further delay, the two of them went straight to the main hall.

At that moment, Hu Yingying was directing the servants to set the table. Fan Jin glanced over and asked, "Has Mother not risen yet?"

According to their usual routine, the old lady was a light sleeper and rose early every day; it was unlikely she would still be abed at this hour, which prompted Fan Jin's question.

"She rose early and is doing her morning devotions in the ancestral hall," Hu Yingying said with a smile, the pearl hairpins at her ears swaying as she stood resplendent in jewels.

Realizing he could not be of much help and finding it dull to sit around idly, Fan Jin said, "I'll go pay my respects to Mother."

Madam Fan loved tranquility and lived in the rear courtyard, so the ancestral hall was naturally located there as well.

"Master..." The elderly servant stationed outside the door waiting for instructions caught sight of Fan Jin from afar and hurried to bow.

Fan Jin nodded slightly. "Is the Old Madam inside?"

He tilted his head to listen, vaguely catching the sound of Madam Fan talking to herself, though the words were indistinct.

"Replying to the Master, the Old Madam rose at the Mao hour today. In a little while, her morning devotions should be finished," the elderly servant replied.

"I'll go in and see Mother."

With that, without waiting for the servant to announce him, he walked straight into the ancestral hall.

Inside the ancestral hall, wisps of incense curled through the air. Madam Fan sat upon a straw kneeling mat, her left hand turning Buddhist prayer beads while her right hand tapped a wooden fish, her lips moving as she either recited scriptures or murmured indistinctly.

Hearing the commotion, she slowly turned her head and smiled with relief. "Ah, Jin-zai is here?"

"Mother..." Fan Jin hurriedly helped Madam Fan to her feet, then glanced around the furnishings of the ancestral hall with a look of surprise. "Mother, how is it that you've changed to worshipping Manjushri Bodhisattva today?"

If he remembered correctly, the ancestral hall had always housed an image of Guanyin Bodhisattva; he had never expected such a stark change today.

Madam Fan patted his hand. "Manjushri Bodhisattva is the Bodhisattva of wisdom. Since you are setting off for the capital today, it is only natural to implore his benevolence for abundant blessings, that you may successfully top the imperial examinations and live up to the learning of a lifetime!"

Fan Jin came to a sudden realization, though inwardly he wondered whether Madam Fan's action could be considered clasping Buddha's feet only when in trouble.

The two characters "Manjushri" meant "Wonderful Virtue" and "Splendid Auspiciousness." Among all the Bodhisattvas, he ranked first in wisdom and served as the left attendant to Shakyamuni Buddha.

Let alone the present day, even in later eras, countless parents made the pilgrimage to Mount Wutai to worship Manjushri, praying for the Bodhisattva to bestow blessings and ensure their children were intelligent and successful in their studies.

After chatting for a short while, they soon returned to the main hall.

Seeing that Hu Yingying had arranged everything thoroughly and properly, Madam Fan could not help but nod inwardly, thinking that Hu Yingying truly deserved to be a virtuous helper behind the scenes, already faintly displaying the poise of the mistress of an official's household.

The family finished breakfast together, and Madam Fan meticulously inquired about all the arrangements for heading north, then softly asked the elderly servant what time it was.

"Replying to the Old Mistress, the Si hour has arrived," the elderly servant replied with her hands lowered.

Madam Fan then looked at Fan Jin. "The hour is not early; we should set off as soon as possible."

With these words, supported by the elderly servant, she slowly stood up and gently smoothed the silver hair at her temples.

Hearing this, Fan Jin followed suit in every regard.

For a time, the servants in the estate were busy hoisting chests and assisting the concubines.

Meanwhile, Old Father Hu was holding a large bundle that he refused to let anyone else touch, lingering outside the estate and chatting with the monk Hui. Upon seeing Fan Jin emerge, the two of them ceased their conversation.

Hu Yingying dispatched a young servant. "Lai San, you have nimble feet. Hurry and check if the boat has arrived at the dock."

With that, she turned back to speak with the two concubines, Red Bean and Qinghe, carefully urging them both to take good care of Fan Jin's health.

"Replying to the Mistress, I took a look from afar at the dock, and the boat is already there," Lai San quickly ran back to report.

Nanhai County bordered the sea, so naturally, it had a corresponding dock. When Fan Jin and his entourage traveled to the capital, they first had to board a ferry, journey along the waterways, make a brief stop in Nanjing, and then rely on carriages and horses to press northward all the way.

Madam Fan was advanced in years and her legs were not very agile; under Fan Jin's repeated persuasion, she finally agreed to remain safely seated at the Fan residence.

As for Hu Yingying, she shared a single carriage with the two concubines, bringing along several maids and young servants to escort the entire group to the dock.

As the carriage came to a halt and Fan Jin just climbed out from inside, he spotted from afar that the two local gentry, Zhang and Zhou, had been waiting there for some time.

Fan Jin hurriedly went forward to greet them with a bow. "Elder Brother Zhang, Elder Brother Zhou, why have the two of you come?"

The two men exchanged a smile, both stroking their beards. "Upon learning that Elder Brother Fan is taking the boat north today, how could we two possibly fail to come and see you off along the way?"

With that, Zhang Jingzhai took a precious piece of jade from his steward and handed it over. "This is an unpolished stone I chanced upon in my early years. After carving, it took on this appearance. Elder Brother Fan may entrust it to skilled artisans to carefully engrave a design."

"This cannot be... this cannot be..." Fan Jin repeatedly declined. This piece of jade was clearly extraordinary; even as a mere blank, its value was likely no less than three or five hundred taels of silver.

"Elder Brother Zhang has always treated me with utter sincerity and been of immense help to me. How could I continually accept gifts from Elder Brother Zhang..."

Ever since Fan Jin passed the imperial provincial examination, Zhang Jingzhai had repeatedly shown favor, bestowing a residence, farmland, and servants, and even guiding him to pay respects to Magistrate Tang. He already owed a vast number of favors.

"Ah, the two of us are dearest friends; what do a few worldly possessions matter?" Zhang Jingzhai would not take no for an answer, still pushing the jade forward. "When Elder Brother places high on the imperial roster this spring and steps onto the path of glory, you and I can share cups of wine and converse once more—that too will be a wonderful occasion."

Fan Jin naturally caught the underlying meaning in Zhang Jingzhai's words; it was nothing more than currying favor in advance with a provincial graduate who possessed the Provincial Education Intendant Zhou as a backer and connections with the Ministry of Personnel's Heavenly Official.

During his tenure as Magistrate of Nanhai County, Zhang Jingzhai's administrative achievements had been mediocre, and coupled with his advanced age, the hope of returning to office and being reappointed was exceedingly slim.

Yet the younger generation of the Zhang family happened to include quite a few promising scholars. If Fan Jin passed the examinations this spring and promoted them somewhat in the future, the Zhang family might sustain its ancestral fortunes for another century.

Compared to generations of wealth and nobility, what did real estate, farmland, and gold or jade truly matter?

After declining for a long time and seeing that Zhang Jingzhai would not relent, Fan Jin pressed the matter no further. He had no choice but to accept it unashamedly, saying solemnly, "Please rest assured, Elder Brother Zhang. I am not someone who forgets morality and turns his back on gratitude. Should the Zhang family ever have a request in the future, as long as it is within my power, I will never refuse!"