Chapter Ninety: Did It Really Ring? (Part Two)

Chapter Ninety: Did It Actually Go Off?

On New Year's Eve, snow fell gently over Dongjing City, instantly adding a touch of elegance. Snowflakes drifted down beside the red lanterns, and under the soft glow, they seemed to turn a delicate pink, creating a truly enchanting sight.

Rouhua Wang cheerfully spread a dark red jacket on the bed and said to her mother, “You’re always the most sensitive to cold, and I’ve always felt that winter is a torment for you. So, daughter made this padded jacket for you. The outside is made of brocade satin, filled with fresh cotton, and lined with cotton fabric. Most importantly, it’s fastened with frog buttons that wrap tightly around you. It’s much warmer than those loose fur coats. Try it on now.”

Wang’s mother glanced awkwardly at the half-eaten fatty chicken on the table, feeling embarrassed and unsure of what to say. After all, the maid who attended her had just relayed the official’s words; she knew she should be lying in bed pretending to be ill at this moment.

Seeing her mother’s discomfort, Rouhua smiled and said, “You look much better eating chicken than lying sick in bed. Hurry and try on the jacket. Heartsource is the only one at home; I’m worried.”

Her mother clasped Rouhua’s hand and said, “Tantan, you only come home once every so many years. Why didn’t you bring my grandson? I heard the child is a prodigy, already blessed with imperial favor and exemption from punishment. Why not bring him for me to see?

“I know you don’t live comfortably in this house. Although the small courtyard near the imperial city is poor, it is peaceful. That’s why I stopped your father from disturbing you.

“But you, so heartless, haven’t come back once all these years. It made me cry every time I saw you busy at the soup cake shop from the carriage.”

Rouhua bit her lip, holding back tears, and whispered to her mother, “Heartsource is an Iron family child. On New Year’s Eve, he should only be at home.”

Her mother sensed the distance in her daughter’s words and sighed deeply. “Who was right or wrong back then doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all a rotten debt. You’ve suffered all you should, endured all the hardships. Don’t dwell on the past. Poor you, such a noble lady, yet you married a village blacksmith.”

Rouhua replied seriously, “Mother, please don’t worry about who my husband is. The happiest years of my life were those two years married to Seventh Brother. Whether a blacksmith or a villager, it doesn’t matter.

“Seventh Brother is a blacksmith, and I am his wife. I help him forge iron, cook, and wash clothes. If he’s a villager, then I’m a village woman. I bear his children and tend the fields. There’s nothing shameful in that.

“I’m grateful to have met Seventh Brother in this life. He is truly my soulmate.”

Her mother scolded, “Shameless! Such intimate words in front of your mother? You’ve always been headstrong. When you were little, I had no way with you.

“That year, Xiaoyu took your hairpin and damaged it. You chased her for half a year and beat her for half a year. Even after your father punished you with a board, you still went to hit Xiaoyu with fresh wounds. Poor Xiaoyu cried every time she saw you.”

Rouhua laughed, “Is there anything I can’t say in front of you?

“As for Xiaoyu’s hairpin, there’s a story. I didn’t like that hairpin. If she took it and wore it, I wouldn’t have asked for it back. But she took it right in front of me, then deliberately dirtied it by stepping on the apricot blossoms. It was ruined. And she pretended it was an accident. If I didn’t scold her, who else would?”

Her mother’s heart skipped a beat, as if recalling something, and softly asked, “Tantan, be honest with me. Did you cause the trouble with Huaien, Huaili, and Yuyu?”

Rouhua shook her head in puzzlement. “What happened to them?”

Her mother saw no sign of deceit and breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest. “You scared me to death. If you had done this, your eldest uncle and third uncle would be in a difficult position. Huaien was tricked into running naked through the marketplace. Now he stays shut indoors, which I think is for the best.”

While the mother and daughter were trying on new clothes in the room, Chong Wang entered with a dark expression. “After the New Year, dismiss Heartsource’s rustic tutor and send him to the family academy. Even if you want Heartsource to acknowledge his ancestry, you must consider the child’s future. That tutor has no ability to help him enter officialdom.”

Rouhua knew her father was always stern at home, despite his genial exterior elsewhere. She took out three sets of underclothes and handed them to him. “I always worry about you, Father. Every year I make you a set of underclothes. The old ones are worn, so here are some new ones from recent years. As for shoes, you know I can’t make them.”

With reddened eyes, Chong took the underclothes, unfolded one carefully, draped it over himself, and nodded. “Your handiwork has improved a lot…

“Forget it, Heartsource is your son. Do as you please. Being an official isn’t all that important these days.”

Rouhua smiled. “Even if he doesn’t become an official, he must have learning. Before the New Year, Mr. Guo told me he can’t continue teaching Heartsource, fearing he might ruin a promising scholar. He suggested hiring someone better.”

Chong grunted. “At least he knows his limits. Tomorrow I’ll write him a hanging scroll to reward his hard work this year.”

Rouhua beamed, “Your calligraphy is priceless. Mr. Guo has found a treasure this time.”

Chong sighed deeply as Rouhua massaged his shoulders like when she was a little girl, pressing her hand to his shoulder. “I was foolish back then…”

Meanwhile, Heartsource Tie and Xiao Qiao poured the last bucket of gasoline into the hot spring. Watching the barrel drift slowly into the canal, they wasted no time, loosening the hemp bindings and securing the hot spring again.

Xiao Qiao took the rack away. Heartsource scattered the piled-up leaves over the messy clearing, but Xiao Qiao stopped him and skillfully scattered dead leaves unevenly—some thick, some thin. Although done in darkness, Heartsource trusted she could cover their tracks well.

Snowflakes fell icy cold down his neck. Reaching out, they realized snow was falling. They had to leave quickly; if they didn’t escape before the snow covered the ground, their footprints would be discovered by the Kaifeng Prefecture’s constables.

Stumbling in the dark, the two left the apricot orchard on stilts.

Near the stable street, Heartsource removed his stilts and quietly handed them to Xiao Qiao. “Burn these when we get back.”

She nodded, pointing to Baozi curled beneath someone’s eaves. “I told Baozi we’re going to see the medicinal puppet show. He’ll escort you home tonight. Remember to give him ten copper coins. Don’t be stingy. The Beggars’ Sect loves dragging children into their Blessing Cave during the festival.”

Heartsource had no time to reply before the sharp-eyed Baozi spotted him. With a loud rumble, he ran over, hoisted Heartsource onto his shoulders, muttering, “It’s you only. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t be working on New Year’s Eve.”

Heartsource wanted to say something to Xiao Qiao but found she had vanished. Baozi, without a word, sprinted toward Imperial City Street.

Baozi habitually set Heartsource down at Tongzi’s house. Heartsource didn’t want this fool to be accidentally shot by city guards due to ignorance of the rules.

But it was needless worry; on New Year’s Day, no one was on the city walls except a faint light in a small arrow tower at the corner.

Baozi was pleased after receiving his money but disliked Heartsource’s clumsy wall climbing. He wanted to help but was refused. After Heartsource climbed into the yard, Baozi dashed home.

Carefully dusting off the dirt and snowflakes, Heartsource crawled into the chilly bed. The only sound in his mother’s room was a fox scratching at the door—she hadn’t returned yet.

After getting into bed, Heartsource wanted to stay awake until the explosion sounded, but exhaustion overcame him. His head barely touched the pillow before he fell into a sound sleep.

When he woke at dawn, his ears were alert. With such a loud commotion last night, Dongjing City must be in an uproar.

Outside, the city was lively. Firecrackers crackled, children laughed and played, and Heartsource even heard Tongzi’s loud voice bullying other children.

His mother seemed in good spirits, singing as she cooked in the kitchen. The fox looked gloomily toward the city walls. The little princess had been taken to incense offerings at the Prime Minister’s Temple by her mother. With no food, the pack of dogs frolicked gleefully in the snow-covered ground, carefree.

Heartsource quietly dressed in the new clothes his mother had left by his bed and calmly asked for hot water in the kitchen. As he brushed his teeth with a willow twig, he secretly observed his mother.

She must have returned very late last night and surely witnessed the explosion at Runan Prince’s Mansion. Yet, why was there no sign of gossip or excitement?

“Ah, son, you’re awake? So young and yet you sleep like a dead pig. When I came back, I couldn’t wake you no matter how hard I pushed.”

Rouhua turned, letting the half-sleeve ribbons on her arm flutter gracefully, and looked at her son. “We won’t be going to the Yu King Temple today. Instead, we’ll visit the newly built Confucian Temple.”

Heartsource spat out the green salty water in his mouth. “What’s so special about that place?”

Rouhua smiled. “Your grandfather said that if you don’t worship at the Confucian Temple, you won’t be admitted to the Sanhuai Hall family academy.”

Heartsource laughed. “Mother, are you planning to return to the Wang family? I have no objections. Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

Rouhua laughed heartily. “Your grandfather might think so, but as a Tie family daughter-in-law, I could never live at my natal home. The Tie family has enough means to support us. I won’t disgrace your father like that.

“But you must attend the Sanhuai Hall family academy. It’s the finest private school in all Dongjing City—better even than the imperial academy.”

Heartsource nodded, recalling the terrible struggles parents faced in later times to secure good schools for their children. He understood now why his mother would set aside pride and return to the Wang family for his future.

Still, that was a minor matter. What he truly wanted to know was whether the Runan Prince’s Mansion had caught fire last night. (To be continued.)