Chapter Twenty-Three New Friends

  On the painted barge, the music stopped abruptly and the curtain fell. Yong Qing thanked everyone, Ma Jun Xian yielded, but Cao Gong was extremely uncomfortable on the side, Peony was too close to him, so close that there was almost no distance between them, because he was being held in Peony's arms.

  The peony carefully measured Cao Cao from head to toe, afraid that he had lost a single hair, and only put his mind at ease when he saw that he was indeed unharmed.

  Ning Chun, who had run into the painting boat earlier, walked out with a silk curtain wrapped around her waist that she had pulled down from one of the windows. She instructed the boatwoman to dock while saying to Peony: "Ah, my good sister, can Brother Cao still recover? Hurry up and get someone to cook fish soup and heat some good wine to warm them up, their bodies are precious!"

  "Yes, yes, I'll listen to Master Ning!" Peony bowed her head and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. She ordered someone to heat up the soup and warm the wine while having others help a few people into the painted barge. Meanwhile, she personally helped Cao Gongzi aboard.

  Cao Gong smelled the fragrance of powder and perfume around Peony's body, and his mind began to wander. Could it be that this Peony was his own father's mistress? Otherwise, why would she look at him with such a different gaze? If it were said that she was worried about something happening to the few noble young masters and couldn't bear the responsibility, then she should have been more anxious about Yongqing instead. After all, Yongqing's father was a second-grade general, several ranks higher than his own father, the Jiangning Weizhao.

  The four of us returned to our seats, looking at each other in disarray. Even Ma Jun, who hadn't gone into the water, was soaked from rescuing people. Everyone was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say. Cao Kun saw the golden silk steamed buns that had fallen on the table in front of Yongqing and said to Peony, "In addition to the fish soup, simmer another pot of egg drop soup."

  After a while, the painting boat approached the shore, and Peony sent a few women to buy clothes for Cao Guang and others.

  Fish soup and egg drop soup were served, along with two jugs of hot wine. Peony led two young maids to serve the soup and pour the wine for everyone.

  Ning Chun's clothes were scattered on the bow of the boat, not wet, and were picked up by a little maid and brought in to wear. He had just rescued someone from the water and was blowing air with his bare body, feeling cold, when he saw the fish soup was fresh and hot, so he drank down a bowl in two or three mouthfuls.

  Yong Qing ordered a bowl of egg drop soup, took two sips, picked up the wine jug, and personally filled Ning Chun's cup to the brim. Then he poured himself a cup, raised it with both hands, and said to Ning Chun: "The favor of saving my life will be repaid in the future. Here, I'll first toast Brother Ning with a cup. I'll drink it all as a sign of respect!" After finishing speaking, he drained the wine from his hand, not a single drop remained.

  Ning Chun saw Yong Qing being overly polite, and hastily stood up to lift the wine cup in front of him: "Brother Yong Qing is too courteous, it was just a small effort!" As he spoke, he drank his own wine.

  Yong Qing poured wine again and filled up Ma Jun's cup, still thanking him for his great kindness, then toasted. Ma Jun's face turned red as he raised the wine cup and drank.

  Jing finished Ning Chun and Ma Jun, Yong Qing poured a cup of wine for Cao Kun and said with a straight face: "I accidentally pushed you into the water. If anything happens to you, I'll accompany you with my life! After drinking this cup of wine, I won't owe you anymore!"

  Although it was Yongqing who pushed him into the water, seeing that Yongqing couldn't swim but still jumped in to rescue him, Cao Guang's anger had dissipated. Having interacted with him for half a day, Yongqing's personality was indeed arrogant, but he was soft-hearted and not a bad person, so Cao Guang's impression of him improved. He was a responsible man, although his apology was a bit stiff, but I won't hold it against him.

  Cao Gong drank Yongqing's wine and went to see Ning Chun, thinking about whether to respect Ning Chun. Thinking of the situation when he fell into the water just now, it was really thrilling, and there were no other tourist boats around. When Ning Chun grabbed Cao Gong's braid, he had already choked on water and was dizzy. If Ning Chun hadn't jumped into the water or if Ning Chun had jumped in half a moment later, whether his life and Yongqing's could have been saved is still uncertain.

  Before Cao Kun decided whether to toast or not, Yongqing spoke again: "After drinking the wine, you have to agree to compete with me in archery. I don't believe I can lose to you!"

  After hearing Yongqing's old story again, not only did Cao Yun feel strange, but also Ning Chun and Ma Jun both felt unexpected.

  "Why must you compete with me?" Cao Gong asked calmly.

  Yong Qing's eyes revealed a hint of pain, his right hand tightly grasping the wine cup. With a "crash", the wine cup shattered, fresh blood flowing from his palm onto the table.

  Cao Gong and the others all stood up, Ma Jun frowned, pulled Yongqing's hand over, saw that it was covered in blood and flesh, with shards of a wine cup deeply embedded in the flesh, and couldn't help but scold: "The body hair and skin are given by one's parents, how can you be so reckless?"

  Peony called Ya Dang to bring a clean white cloth, Ma Jun picked out the fragments from Yongqing's palm wound and then bandaged him with the white cloth.

  Ning Chun sat beside Yong Qing, still thinking he was angry with Cao Yun, fearing he would take action against him. He advised: "Brother Yong Qing, why must you insist on competing? If you lose, what's the point? If you win, what's the glory in that? Cao Sheng is only eleven years old, his stature is not enough, and his strength is small. Even if you win, what honor is there in that? It would be laughable!"

  Yong Qing's face turned pale and his eyes were red as he muttered: "Yes, he is just a child, what am I competing with him for? I'm really confused!"

  Cao Gong saw that Yongqing's expression was not right, as if there was something hidden, so he ordered Mudan to take the maids of Ruyi's painting boat to withdraw, and those who were originally playing the piano behind the curtain also retreated.

  "Is it not, to try with me, for the favor of the age of ten thousand?" Cao Guang asked out his heart's conjecture.

  Yong Qing nodded: "If I can be appointed as a guard by the Emperor, I can return to Beijing and go back to the Marquis's mansion. Otherwise, I will have to wait for three years until Ama's term is over, and who knows if I'll still have the qualifications to return then!" Seeing that everyone didn't understand, he continued: "The Marquis's mansion is an old residence in the capital, my grandfather was the brave and martial Marquis Mu Tai."

  "Brother Yongqing's parents and family are all in Jiangning, why can't you forget about returning to Beijing?" Ma Jun asked solemnly.

  "I don't know if it's because I've been suppressing my feelings for too long, or if the few cups of wine have gone to my head, but Yongqing's eyes are red-rimmed as he says angrily: 'Parents are parents, but are they kin or enemies? My mother had a difficult labor giving birth to me, and from a young age I was raised by my grandmother. It wasn't until I was ten that I returned to my parents' side. When I was younger it was fine, my mother and father may have favored my siblings, but they could still tolerate me; now that I'm older, they can no longer stand me. In the capital city, my grandparents protected me, so they didn't dare do anything rash; but after we arrived in Jiangning, they began to find fault with me and accuse me of being disobedient!' As he speaks, a line of clear tears falls from his eyes."

  Ma Jun's heart was the softest, and he hurriedly comforted him, saying: "Brother Yongqing must have misunderstood his parents. Is there a parent in the world who would scheme against their own children?"

  "Preposterous!" Yongqing sneered, "I heard it with my own ears, and yet you say it's a misunderstanding? Driving away the eldest son who's in the way, just to make sure the precious second son is qualified to inherit the title and family business - how calculating!"

  Everyone was speechless for a moment, and Yongqing poured himself a cup of wine and started drinking alone. Ning Chun picked up another wine jug, poured himself a cup of wine, and smiled bitterly: "Brother Yongqing, don't be disheartened. There are many children in the world who are disliked by their parents, not just you. I'm one of them too! The saying 'having a stepmother means having a stepfather' is true. My mother died early, and my father remarried a young lady from a wealthy family. Naturally, he looked down on me, the son of his previous wife. He didn't think about how he was able to become an official thanks to my mother's dowry. The two sons born by my stepmother are growing up, and I, as the eldest son, am just in name only. If not for seeing that I'm incompetent, I'm afraid I would have been driven out long ago. You're better off, with your grandparents' protection and a place to rely on. My grandparents and great-grandparents have all passed away, leaving me alone in this vast world." As he spoke, he drank cup after cup, filled with sorrow. He raised his cup to the sky and said: "Mother, your son misses you! This nickname was given by Mother, and now that she's gone for thirteen years, no one calls me by my childhood name anymore!" By then, his voice was choked with emotion.

  Cao Gong's eyes turned sour upon hearing this, never expecting that behind the glamorous facades of various families, there were so many shocking secrets unknown to others.

  Ma Jun saw Yongqing and Ning Chun's true feelings, was moved, and poured himself a cup of wine: "Parents, parents, the most difficult people to understand in the world are parents! Every time my father sees me, he only scolds me, saying I'm clumsy, saying that even begging can't bring back food! My mother only knows how to cry, doesn't have any ideas at all, and every day is trembling with fear serving my father, afraid that he's not satisfied. From a young age, I made up my mind 'if not a good prime minister, then a good doctor', but when I read medical books, my father scolded me for not focusing on my studies; when I read historical books and strategies, my father lectured me for taking the wrong path, only letting me practice the eight-part essay."

  Cao Gong saw the appearance of several young people in front of him and also had the urge to nag.

  It's been almost four years since he came to this world. Although he is extremely dependent on the old lady, he can handle everything in the Weaving Department with ease. However, he himself is confused and doesn't know how much of his behavior is a result of learning from his memories of Xiao Cao, and how much is his true nature. A mature soul trapped in a young body, he interacts with children who are not much older than him. His personality is introverted, and he doesn't like to show off, although he has accepted the reality of returning to the Qing Dynasty, he still has the confusion of Zhuangzi's butterfly dream.

  "My father and mother should be fond of me!" Cao Gong said with a sigh after drinking a cup of wine.

  Ning Chun glared at Cao Gong with discontent: "You are the only son of the Weaving Mansion, and you are also the eldest son of the main room. If they don't spoil you, who will they spoil?"

  Cao Gong smiled bitterly: "I, like Yongqing, was raised by my grandmother and have few memories of interacting with my parents. From their expressions, I can tell they care about me, but also don't know how to get along with me. Not too far, not too close, only at a distance where everyone feels more comfortable."

  "That's also your fault! You look polite on the surface, but you can't hide the estrangement in your eyes. Who would dare to get close to you!" Yongqing accused bluntly.

  Cao Gong nodded and did not refute Yong Qing's words: "Yes, maybe it was all my fault! I'm confused, I don't know whether to be an ignorant child or a responsible man!"

  This time even Ma Jun shook his head: "You're still young, you think too much, this is the age when you should be innocent and carefree!"

  Cao Guang just took the opportunity to say what was on his mind, and didn't expect everyone to understand. He said a couple of sentences, then started drinking wine in silence.

  "Haha! Haha! Haha!" Ning Chun clapped his hands and burst out laughing: "It's really fate, I didn't expect that today would be a gathering of us poor kids! Come on, let's raise our glasses, let's drink together, we'll worry about tomorrow when it comes! Cheers!"

  Cao Gong and several others were all slightly drunk, listening to Ning Chun's words with relish, they all raised their cups: "Cheers!"

  Ning Chun stood up, put down his wine cup, looked at the three of them, and added a few more serious expressions to his face: "Brothers, I originally invited you all with the intention of getting close to some noble young masters in Jiangning City. It's inevitable that we would have some conflicts, so I wanted to make friends with you all ahead of time over wine, and then give each other some face later on. But I didn't expect that you all would be true to your nature. I, Ning Chun, don't want to pretend anymore or do anything fake. If you brothers don't mind, from now on we can just be friends."

  Yong Qing also stood up, with a genuinely happy smile on his face: "Good, good, good! I didn't expect to make a few good friends in Jiangning. It seems that even if I can't return to the capital, I have nothing to worry about."

  "Ning brother, Yongqing brother, Cao brothers are all genuine people, Ma Jun can get to know each of you, it's really fortunate!" Ma Jun stood up afterwards.

  Cao Gong finally stood up, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, and with a few more friends added, he felt pretty good.