Chapter 93: A Glass of Strong Liquor and the Dissolving of Old Grudges

By the time dusk settled over the manor’s plum garden, Madam Zhou Man Yun, with swollen red eyes, was personally directing the servants as they hurried dishes into the room. Inside, the broad banquet table was already laden with delicacies of every sort.

“Send someone to see whether the Cangshan ox tongue is ready. Tell them to hurry,” she urged anxiously.

Her close maid, Xin Yun, quickly ordered another servant to prod the kitchen. The whole evening, the Hall of Lingering Radiance had been in a frenzy, so busy that not even a breath of rest had been spared. Anyone uninformed might have assumed some exalted guest was arriving, when in truth all this fuss was merely to entertain the family son-in-law.

What was more, the madam had even sent the eldest young master to wait at the entrance to the Brook Garden. Had it not been wholly improper, Xin Yun felt the master and madam would likely have gone there themselves to welcome him. Such a thing was truly unheard of in the Shen household.

On Lu Jin’s side, the steward’s invitation had also left him stunned. It was already dark—what sort of dinner was this? In a wicked little flight of fancy, he even wondered if his old father-in-law had arranged five hundred knife-wielding ambushers, waiting only for the crash of a cup to begin the slaughter.

Of course, this was merely Lu Jin’s habitual nonsense. Apart from his mother-in-law, his relations with his father-in-law were quite harmonious now. Men’s matters, once spoken plainly, were usually left behind—and these were, after all, his elders.

Lu Jin held Shen Yanxi’s cool little hand as they made their way toward Brook Garden. By now, he had grown quite accustomed to holding her hand at home, and felt no unease whatsoever.

Shen Yanxi had been embarrassed at first. How could he be like this? Holding her hand wherever they went, did he want people to laugh at them to death? But she could not resist that fool; held often enough, it became natural, and the servants of Brook Garden had grown used to it as well. Once she had grown accustomed to it, Shen Yanxi even thought it rather nice. Sometimes if Lu Jin forgot, she would feel a little hollow inside. Then she would simply take his hand herself.

“Is that Big Brother?” Lu Jin saw from afar that the figure at the gate ahead seemed to be Shen Yancheng, along with several servants. Were they waiting for someone?

“Young master, the eldest young master has come out to receive you,” the steward said beside him.

Lu Jin was startled. Why was he coming out to receive him? He and Shen Yanxi were not returning from somewhere else; they were already in the same household. For the eldest brother to wait at the gate and welcome him was a very heavy courtesy.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Shen Yanxi said when she saw him about to dash forward. She quickly tugged at him.

“Big Brother’s waiting at the gate. We should go over at once,” Lu Jin said anxiously. These matters of rank and seniority had long since become casual in later generations. Even where they still remained, they were no longer so formal—mostly just for show. But in this age, that would not do.

He did mean to test the Shen family and secure some say of his own, but that did not mean he could behave recklessly and ignore propriety. Elder brother is like a father; that was no idle saying. The eldest brother’s coming out to welcome him showed regard, but it did not mean Lu Jin could swagger in and accept it with perfect ease. This was not like returning from Shangqing last time—that had been a long journey, and besides, with Wu You’s matter in the way, he had not even had time to think about such details. Having his father-in-law come to the dock to meet him had already been improper.

Shen Yanxi had just been about to speak when Lu Jin had already released her hand and sprinted ahead.

Shen Yanxi was half amused, half exasperated. What a simpleton! Yet in her smiling eyes, tears already shimmered.

She knew her parents were hosting Lu Jin precisely to apologize to their son-in-law. But she had long feared that, because of recent events, her husband might grow estranged from her family. In such a moment, how could she not be glad?

“Big Brother, why did you come out? We’re still inside the estate. It’s only a few steps,” Lu Jin said as he reached him and hurriedly greeted Shen Yancheng.

“Mother was anxious from waiting, so she urged me to come look,” Shen Yancheng said with a smile.

“We got the steward’s message and hurried over as fast as we could. It’s just that this garden is truly too large,” Lu Jin explained.

“You came, yes, but why did you bring things with you?” Shen Yancheng asked, noticing that the two maids behind Lu Jin were each carrying a jar.

“Big Brother, these were brought specially by my husband. You’ll know what they are in a moment,” Shen Yanxi said with a smile as she arrived beside them and greeted her elder brother.

The party entered and walked in. Lu Jin secretly took Shen Yanxi’s little hand again. Shen Yancheng did notice, but whether to say something or not, he could not decide. Holding hands in broad daylight was hardly proper, yet then again, was this not proof of how deeply his brother-in-law cared for his younger sister?

“Jin’er, you and Xi’er are here!”

Lu Jin nearly stumbled.

Mother-in-law, your change of tone is so sudden that I can hardly bear it.

“Greetings to Mother. It was my fault to keep Mother waiting for so long,” Lu Jin said quickly, stepping forward to bow.

Seeing the two of them greet one another, brother and sister finally relaxed. What mattered today was settling the conflict between these two; at the very least, this was a good beginning.

“Come in quickly, my son. Xi’er, you too, come in,” Zhou Man Yun said anxiously.

But with her calling him “Jin’er” one moment and “my son” the next, Lu Jin was almost bewildered. His mother-in-law had turned into an auntie.

“Father!”

Once they entered the room, he saw his father-in-law seated on the couch.

“Sit down,” Shen Hao said with a calm expression. No joy or anger could be read from him, yet the dignity of a family head was unmistakable.

Naturally, Lu Jin could not truly sit down so casually when his mother-in-law and eldest brother were still standing.

“Mother, please take the seat...” Lu Jin was just about to invite his mother-in-law up when he noticed that Zhou Man Yun’s eyes were swollen nearly to the size of peaches. He had not seen it clearly outside in the dark.

Without hesitation, Lu Jin dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.

“I was thoughtless in my actions and caused Mother to be implicated, making her suffer such grievance. It was my fault!”

Zhou Man Yun, standing there, froze.

After the old matriarch’s stern lesson earlier that day, she had indeed recognized her own mistakes, and that was why she had arranged this banquet—to express her apology. Yet because of the difference in rank and age, that apology was not easy to voice. She had not expected that the moment her son-in-law arrived, he would be the first to kneel and admit fault, giving her all the dignity she could have hoped for. The last trace of grievance in her heart vanished at once.

Such a son-in-law—so pure of heart, so filial—she had truly been blind as well as foolish. In an instant, tears burst forth uncontrollably.

“My child, get up quickly. It was your mother who was wrong. It was your mother who was blind and foolish and made my son feel cold at heart,” Zhou Man Yun cried, clutching Lu Jin tightly as she wept.

Lu Jin rose with the flow of it. By this point, their reservations and formalities had all fallen away.

After some more comfort and greetings between Lu Jin and Shen Yanxi, the family finally sat together in harmony. Shen Yanlun was there as well, and the boy was much more obedient now.

“Father, your son-in-law has brought you some fine wine today,” Lu Jin said, taking the bottle handed over by a servant and placing it on the table.

“It’s only wine. What wine have I not drunk? Do you think I care about a couple of sips from you?” His father-in-law was still rather proudly stubborn.

“Then since you say that, later when we drink to our fill, don’t go wishing you had more,” Lu Jin said.

As he spoke, Shen Yanxi had already poured the wine into the cups.

“Nan Qing, aren’t you being a bit stingy? You only poured so little?” Shen Yancheng said with a smile, looking at the cup before him.

“That’s already too much. I was afraid Big Brother couldn’t take it.”

“Wait... don’t tell me this wine is truly strong. Clear, pure, with a rich fragrance—now I’m getting curious,” Shen Yancheng said, lifting his cup and sniffing it, already sensing its unusual character.

“This wine is more robust than what we usually drink. Mother should have only a little as well, just to taste it,” Lu Jin said, turning to Zhou Man Yun.

“Good, good. I’ll drink a little with my son,” she replied.

The wine had been poured, the dishes were ready, and the others had already withdrawn. Only Zhou Man Yun’s close maid, Xin Yun, remained nearby to attend them. But Lu Jin could not recklessly raise a cup first to show off while his father-in-law was still seated there.

“Your mother has already told me about what happened today. Though she is your mother, she truly handled the matter poorly...” Shen Hao began.

Now that the banquet had begun, it was only natural for the family head to speak of the purpose of this small gathering. But as a son-in-law, Lu Jin could not simply sit and listen to his in-laws confess their own fault, so he hurriedly took over the conversation.

“Father speaks too severely. I have only been in the household for a short while, and Mother is still not very familiar with me. In her urgency, there was only a slight misunderstanding. The fault was not Mother’s; it was mine for not considering matters thoroughly enough.”

“Since I chose to remain in the Shen household, I have regarded the Shen family as my own home. Father and Mother are my closest parents, and Big Brother and Little Brother are naturally my own brothers as well. So I have always wished to do whatever little I could to help the household.”

“During this period, I took in several children, and also my younger sister Lu Caiwei. They are just at the age for study, so I thought I should instruct them a little, lest they waste these years. Then I thought Yanlun was about the same age, so it would be best to teach him together. Since I had not spoken much with Yanlun before, I thought to simply bring him in first and teach him gradually later. This is no boast: the learning I possess is understood by very few in this world. Since I have already taken the Shen household as my own, there is no reason not to teach Yanlun as well.”

“It was my carelessness in handling things. I beg Father and Mother to forgive this rashness of mine.”

Lu Jin’s long explanation was reasonable and well-founded, first giving the cause and then taking the fault upon himself. Shen Hao and Zhou Man Yun could not fail to feel the sincerity in it.

“Good, good! Jin’er is thoughtful. This old father is deeply comforted! For Xi’er to have found such a splendid husband for our Shen family is indeed a source of great relief!” Shen Hao said, moved.

Shen Yanxi sat to one side, her face slightly red, secretly pleased in her heart: This good husband of yours was brought home by me.

“My child, you truly are...” Zhou Man Yun sat there with tears falling again and again. What in the world had she done all this time?

Shen Hao and Zhou Man Yun naturally understood that there was more to Lu Jin’s actions, but since he had taken the proper path, they themselves were the ones left at a disadvantage. So each knew it well enough and saw no need to mention it further. The family raised their cups together, and the old grievances of the past dissipated like smoke.

“Hm... ah, this...” Shen Hao, accustomed as always to a full swallow, had barely taken a sip when it nearly seemed to burn the top of his head off. His face turned scarlet, his expression wonderfully vivid.

“Jin’er, what sort of wine is this? I only took a little sip, and it almost scorched my throat raw,” Zhou Man Yun said after taking a small taste as well. She was likewise struggling, her cheeks flushed and sweat beading on her brow.

“Mother, you don’t know this, but my husband had me taste several kinds of wine. Each one was stronger than the last. The one we brought today is actually the mildest,” Shen Yanxi said.

“The mildest?” Shen Yancheng exclaimed, his face already as red as a temple statue.

“Good heavens, what exactly is this wine, and where did you get it?” the old father-in-law finally said after recovering somewhat.

Lu Jin turned the bottle so the label could be seen.

“Father, please look. It is called Blue River Spring. The wine was made by your son-in-law, and the name was chosen by your daughter.”

Shen Hao took it and looked. It was indeed called Blue River Spring, a name he had never heard before. Yet his heart suddenly soured.

So you pride yourself on your talent, and in the end you went off to make wine?

“So you plan to make wine yourself?” Shen Hao’s expression had already darkened.

He had gradually come to understand his son-in-law’s abilities and held high hopes for him, even planning his future. He had thought to secure an official post for him here in Jiangzhou so he could enter government while remaining close to home. But since the young couple had only just married, there was no hurry, so he had not yet brought it up. He had not expected this son-in-law to turn to trade.

“Father, please do not be angry. Your son-in-law is not a man who acts without weighing the consequences, nor do I intend to engage in commerce. I have other plans. Let us not speak of it at today’s family banquet; another day I will explain everything to Father in full,” Lu Jin said. Of course he knew the taboos of this age.

Only then did Shen Hao finally relax. This son-in-law was not a fool after all.

“Brother-in-law, it was I who was mischievous and caused you anger, and also made you and Mother suffer grievance. All of it is my fault...” At that moment, Shen Yanlun, who had been sitting quietly to one side, stood up.

Lu Jin turned to look and saw the little fellow with his head hanging low, eyes full of tears. Lu Jin had never blamed Shen Yanlun. To put it plainly, it was he who owed the boy; he had chosen to treat him as a blade for testing the Shen family. Besides, at such a young age, how could he not be mischievous?

Lu Jin patted Shen Yanlun’s head and asked, “Then do you still want to go tomorrow?”

Shen Yanlun’s face immediately brightened.

“I want to go every day from now on. Brother-in-law, will you still tell stories?”

Shen Yanxi said anxiously, “Your brother-in-law teaches you learning, and all you care about are stories?”

Lu Jin laughed. “I tell stories, first to liven the class, and second to let you know how those heroes and great men conduct themselves. Youth admires heroes—better to become one yourself!”

The meal lasted in complete harmony, with host and guests equally pleased, and all former grudges washed away. Even Lu Jin’s final concerns were finally laid to rest.

Of course he knew that after a single meal, Zhou Man Yun could not possibly change completely at once. But he had offered a sincere heart, and the Shen family was not a cold or heartless house. There was no point in lingering on the matter any longer.

The father-in-law’s family saw him all the way to the gate of Plum Garden and stood there for a long while. He had felt the Shen family’s sincerity for himself; the rest could simply be left to the wind.

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On the way back, Lu Jin suddenly remembered something amusing.

Didn’t people say that great noble families had their men surrounded by wives and concubines? Why had he not seen a single one?

“Madam, do Father and Uncle, and Third Uncle, not take concubines?” Lu Jin asked curiously.

“What, you can’t even handle me, and you’re already thinking of taking a concubine?” In the night air, after a few light drinks, Shen Yanxi’s face was bright and lovely.

Lu Jin nearly spat blood. He had merely been curious. What do you mean, can’t even handle me? Just wait until you’re the one begging for mercy!