Perfect Encounter - Chapter 5.2
PROOFREAD BY AFREANA
An Ruochen was surprised. She looked into Big Long’s eyes and guessed he suspected something. Was her father involved in some kind of conspiracy and was General Long coming to her residence as a guest to find out the truth?
An Ruochen came up with a bolder idea than fleeing home: “If I have significant information to report, can I exchange it for some benefits with the General?”
Big Long raised his eyebrows, raising An Ruochen’s heart.
“Do you know who I am?” How dare she negotiate terms with him?
“The mighty General condescended to attend the banquet here and still came to this backyard to talk to me, sharing so many thoughts. I guess the General needs assistance.”
Big Long couldn’t help but smile. Really underestimated her, her boldness has no bounds. “What is the big news?”
Big Long’s smiling face, as if the rocks melted, handsome and gentle. An Ruochen, however, did not dare to take him lightly. “The general has not yet asked me what the terms are and has not yet agreed to my request.”
“I am the court’s official. I can’t interfere with the domestic affairs of the people. I came to Zhonglan City to guard the borderland by order of the emperor and have no reason to stop the marriage arranged for you by your father.”
An Ruochen’s heart sank, visibly disappointed.
Big Long looked at An Ruo Chen’s expression and said: “But if it is very important news, on account of the merit of reporting, I can teach you a little. You’re smart and clever, but you’ve been raised in a boudoir and have seen too little. If you can learn more about the hardships of life and how to make a living, you may have other good ideas.”
This is the same as not agreeing, but An Ruochen nodded all the same. She had nothing to lose anyway. At least, the General wouldn’t reveal she attempted to run away from home.
“Two days ago, I overheard the Xu Matchmaker who negotiated my marriage talking to a man ……”
The words were not finished when a person shouted, “General! Lord General is here!” It was the servant of the An family who came looking for him.
An Ruochen swept a glance. She remained calm and smiled, continued to say: “The man asked her to find someone to burn the granaries in the north of the city. I did not hear when it is supposed to happen. I couldn’t see the man’s appearance, only to hear Xu Matchmaker call him Mr. Xie.”
Suddenly, An Ruochen’s tone slightly raised: ” Has the General drank too much? How could you get lost like this? This is not the way to go back to the main courtyard.”
When the words fell, An Ping arrived with several servants and Big Long’s guards. It seems the General’s disappearance in the privy was a big deal.
Big Long was politely requested to leave, while An Ruochen was sent back to the first house by the maids. It seemed the chance to escape today was gone. Big Long gave her a meaningful look when he left, and that look made her shiver. Would he believe her? If he believes her and sends people to guard the granaries, then after they could catch both the thieves and the matchmaker, she should be rewarded for her work. Right, the matchmaker is wicked, and by association the An family would be involved in the crime of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country. Using this this angle reason with her father, can she withdraw her marriage with Master Qian?
An Ruochen was not optimistic. She hoped Big Long believes her. This way, she can earn merit and ask for a reward.
But An Ruochen didn’t know Mr. Xie had taken the rabbit earring to Xu Matchmaker that day and asked her, “Do you recognize this earring?”
She must have seen it before, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen it. “Where did you get it? What is this about?”
Mr. Xie said coldly, “I picked it up outside the window of that house. When we were talking, there was someone outside the house.”
The matchmaker was shocked. Looking at the earring, she frowned anxiously: “This, this ……”
“You often walk around in various homes. Can you recognize this earring?”
“I think it looks familiar, but I can’t remember whose it is.”
“Familiar?” Mr. Xie pursed his lips and pondered, “In that case, that person may have recognized you.”
Xu Matchmaker was frightened: ” Mr. Xie, what should we do?”
“Don’t panic.” Mr. Xie was calm, “Don’t bother about the granaries, don’t contact anyone during this period. Keep going in and out normally. Don’t look for me, instead if something happens, I will look for you.”
Xu Matchmaker was confused but agreed.
Nothing happened for several days in a row. There was no news about the attack on the granaries in the north of the city. An Ruochen was anxious. She failed to escape on the day the General was visiting and lost her baggage. She suspected General Long had taken it, after all, his guards were outside the wall. She inquired, the Long family’s military rules are strict, and soldiers do not dare to seize other people’s belongings. Outside the backyard is a quiet lane, with not many pedestrians, and there were guards there at the time, so naturally, no one picked it up randomly.
By now, she has lost two bags containing most of her possessions, and the were likely to be with General Long, or he knows where they were.
An Ruochen sighed, relying only on this scrap of silver and coins on her body, it was impossible to escape from home. It’s not just about leaving this place, she also has to survive. She planned to go to her mother’s maternal home, Dechang County. After her grandfather’s death, there were no relatives remaining there. When she was a child, she went back with her mother to mourn for her grandfather. At that time, her mother cried in front of her grandfather’s grave in despair, and she did not understand. But after some time, she understood.
Her father did not like her mother. Her mother knew in her heart but also did not want to know. There was no one to talk to, and she was hopeless.
What An Ruochen did not understand was the reason why Mother kept being so persistent. Father disliked Mother because she was knowledgeable and polite, telling him everything and advising him at all times. An Ruochen thought Mother has lost her life because she was too etiquette-oriented. When her father wanted to take a concubine, he said, “If you don’t like it, I’ll divorce you and send you home,” and she didn’t dare to say anything. When the concubines bullied her, she talked to them about the rules of respect, only to end up being ridiculed by them. Her father favored the concubines, and this was a show of ‘respect and inferiority.’ How could Mother not understand? Even An Ruochen understood it later. Therefore, she did not understand why her mother, who would rather shed tears until her death, still asked her father to remember her virtue and put her tablet into the An family’s ancestral hall.
An Ruochen watched coldly as her father hastily organized her mother’s funeral and placed the tablets into the ancestral hall.
An Ruochen watched coldly as her father hastily organized her mother’s funeral and placed the tablets into the ancestral hall.
Even now she doesn’t understand how her mother could possibly fail to figure out that her father cared about the ancestral hall as much as he cares about her virtue, which was far less important than about the silver. This so-called knowledge of books and manners was just for show. In the past, he showed off his wife’s elegance and gentleness, taking pride in her being versed in everything. An Ruochen even thought he was deceiving her grandfather and married her mother to make up for his crudeness. After he became powerful and earned more money, he couldn’t care less about it and made friends with a group of people who were also crude and low-class, leaving the etiquette and shame behind. This is why he hated her mother and also hated her.
When her mother died, An Ruochen kept a strand of her mother’s hair. Her mother wanted to enter the ancestral hall as the An family’s main daughter-in-law. She was afraid An Zhifu would not even follow the rules, but she was the main wife and cared about the name. But An Ruochen thought her mother was mistaken. What is the importance of that false status? She thought if she could get out one day, she would bring her mother’s hair back to her grandfather’s grave so she could reunite with her relatives who cherished her. She would find a place to live near Dechang County and try to live through the rest of her life there. She remembered her mother had taken her to see her two aunts, who were her mother’s childhood friends. If she could get a little help from them, it would be good. If not, she could draw, write, embroider, weave, make shoes, cook, and suffer through hardship. She could always survive.
But General Long’s words woke her up. This plan will not succeed. She doesn’t want to be like her mother. She wants to live, and not just meticulously. An Ruochen hoped the granaries thing would go well. If the General catches the thief and takes down the Xu Matchmaker, she will have an opportunity to claim her merits.