Chapter 6 – Hospitality

In the blink of an eye, Xu Chun had thrown himself against the railing, calling out, “Prince Helan!”

The galloping steed was reined in, and the youth on horseback looked up at him, his eyes flashing from beneath the brim of his hat. The two riders behind also halted their horses, falling in line behind the youth, all eyes fixed on Xu Chun.

The rain poured down heavily. Afraid that his voice wouldn’t carry through the storm, Xu Chun shouted, “Come in and shelter from the rain? This road leads nowhere!”

The young man stared at Xu Chun without speaking, but he didn’t move away either. Xu Chun hurriedly rushed down the stairs, darted across the corridor, and reached the garden’s rear gate, pulling back the bolt and opening the door. Sheltering under the eaves, he called out urgently to the trio not far away, “The rain is heavy; come in and wait it out? I’m not lying to you. If you continue down this road, the Imperial Guard will stop you—it’s a dead end.”

Xie Yi’s gaze flickered as he dismounted, his two bodyguards quickly following suit and leading his horse while one of them unfurled an oiled paper umbrella over his head. Xie Yi approached the door, the dark cloak he wore soaked with rain, the drops pattering against the umbrella. Xu Chun could barely meet the chillingly beautiful face before him, lowering his lashes and saying softly, “Please, come upstairs. I’ll have the servants bring you hot tea. Your… clothes are wet. Would you like to change? I have clothes here, all new and unworn! Tailors sent them as a gift to the proprietor for autumn wear. They’re loose-fitting and should fit you well enough… what I mean is… I’m worried about you catching a cold…”

He hardly knew what he was saying, his heart pounding wildly as he couldn’t help replaying the fleeting glimpse of the youth’s indifferent features when he drew near. Xie Yi stepped inside, asking, “How do we get upstairs? Lead the way.”

Xu Chun hurried ahead, guiding him up the stairs. He felt slightly frustrated that the place wasn’t tidier, but he led them up to the open pavilion on the upper floor, fetching a stack of clean towels for them to tidy themselves. He personally poured Xie Yi a cup of hot tea, inviting him to sit down before saying, “Please make yourself comfortable. I’ll go downstairs and have someone bring clothes and toiletries.”

Xie Yi took the hot tea in his hand, giving him a long look. He had spotted someone on the upper floor while riding from afar, and as he drew closer, he saw the boy’s clear eyes fixed on him, his concern and warmth evident. For some reason, he had reined in his horse.

Perhaps he wanted to see how this spoiled brat would react to learning that ten thousand taels had been exchanged for his mother’s title?

He glanced around, noticing that the windows of the pavilion were open on all sides, allowing the fresh scent of rain to permeate the room, yet only adding to its coolness. The windows were adorned with large green glass and mother-of-pearl, creating elegant patterns.

Through the translucent green glass windows, he could see bamboo branches swaying in the rain, the vast expanse of Spring Clarity Lake shrouded in mist. The floor was covered in exotic-patterned woolen carpets, thick and soft. The entire pavilion was furnished with rosewood furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl, all painted a deep color, with exquisite white mother-of-pearl inlays depicting graceful flowers, leaves, and birds.

On the south side, by the window, stood a celadon vase filled with water, holding several branches of heart’s-ease orchids. At the head of the hall was a marble table, displaying a red coral bonsai, its color as fiery as flames.

Xie Yi mused inwardly that it was no wonder people said sea merchants were rich. The small building looked ordinary from the outside, but once inside, it revealed such luxurious splendor.

One guard stood at the door, while the other helped Xie Yi remove his outer cloak and hat. They heard the sound of footsteps on the floorboards as an old woman accompanied by two boys ascended the stairs. One boy carried neatly folded clothes, while the other held a copper basin. The old woman held a large copper kettle in one hand and a bucket of water in the other.

Her face was weathered and red, her coarse clothes revealing strong arms as she bowed and said, “Greetings, young master. I am here to bring water. Also, the young master asked me to inquire whether our esteemed guest would like something to eat? It’s dinner time, and the dishes are already prepared. May I ask if the young master would care for some? My cooking isn’t bad, and in this heavy rain, a hot soup would be nice. We have chicken broth and top-quality abalone.”

Xie Yi watched as the old woman poured boiling water from the kettle into the basin, steam rising, her movements quick and her speech forthright. He said, “I’ll leave it to you, Mother.”

She smiled. “Is there anything the young master doesn’t eat?”

Xie Yi replied, “No.”

After pouring the water, she curtsied. “These two boys will assist the young master in washing and changing. I will go downstairs to prepare the meal.” With that, she went straight downstairs, while the other boy, astutely stepping forward, offered the clothes. “Please change your wet clothes, young master. There’s a side hall behind the screen where you can freshen up.”

Xie Yi lifted his gaze and saw that the six-paneled screen depicted wild cranes. Several white cranes flew or rested among the reeds, their snow-white wings and long necks gracing the scene vividly. Walking over, he observed that the cranes and the deep green reed leaves were crafted from mica and mother-of-pearl, shimmering with a lustrous finish, a true masterpiece.

Seeing him admiring the screen, the boy said, “Our young master painted the picture on this screen. The lady liked it so much that she had the artisans replicate it.”

Surprised, Xie Yi glanced at the boy. “What’s your name?”

The boy spoke in a crisp voice. “I’m Qiuhu. The other boy is Donghai. I will be serving the young master.”

He set down the tray and proceeded to help Xie Yi undress. Xie Yi stretched out his hand and indeed removed the outer cloak, saying, “Since there’s Autumn and Winter, there must be Spring and Summer?”

Qiuhu replied, “That’s right. We have two other pages, Spring Sunshine (Chunxi) and Summer Morning (Xiachao). They accompany the young master more often when he goes out, while Donghai and I mainly attend to the young master’s internal affairs, such as clothes and stationery-related matters.” He held Xie Yi’s clothes and exclaimed, “This crane cloak of the young master is precious and of excellent quality.”

Xie Yi gave him a look. “For someone so young, you have quite an eye.”

Qiuhu flashed a shy smile. “My family has always been in the silk and cloth business, so I have some knowledge in this area. This cloak of the young master is made of high-quality feather gauze fabric, likely woven with silk warp and wool weft, with bird feathers intricately embroidered into it. It’s not easy to make, and there’s even a hidden qilin pattern on it. It’s too elaborate—no less than a year’s work to weave such fine feather gauze. If it were just regular rain, it wouldn’t have gotten wet, but unfortunately, today’s rain is too heavy. I’ll take it downstairs and make sure it’s restored to its original condition for you.”

Seeing that Qiuhu had brought an entire set of clothes, including boots and socks, everything meticulously prepared, Xie Yi looked at the inner robe made of white gauze and the outer robe in sky blue, the fabric shimmering with a pearly sheen. He asked, “What fabric is this outer robe of your young master made of?”

Qiuhu laughed. “These two fabrics are rather common. The inner robe is made of a material called ‘misty soft gauze,’ chosen for its lightness, softness, and thinness, making it comfortable to wear close to the skin without causing sweat.”

“The sky blue color is derived from Tian Shui Bi Luo. What’s remarkable is the color. Other families dye it using indigo flowers, but no matter how well they dye it, it never achieves such purity. Look at this pure emerald green with a hint of translucence. That’s because the silk itself is green. It’s the jade-green silk spun by the specially bred dragon-silk caterpillar, which allows for weaving a uniform shade of Tian Shui Bi Luo.”

“The young master used to say that wearing it would be a waste, but now that the young master is here, he specifically instructed me to find it for you, saying that only you are worthy of it.”

Xie Yi glanced at him, a faint smile playing on his lips. “You seem very adept at speaking highly of your young master.”

Qiuhu hastily draped the sky-blue outer robe over Xie Yi, saying, “I’ve grown up helping my parents in the cloth shop since childhood, always eager to please customers. I’ve been influenced by my surroundings, becoming quite smooth-tongued. Please don’t hold it against me, young master.”

Xie Yi wore a half-smile. “I won’t argue with you children and old mothers. I can only accept his kindness, can’t I?”

Qiuhu marveled. “The young master truly is a first-class intelligent person! Our young master told Liliu, ‘Liliu, are your dishes ready? It’s raining heavily outside. I want to invite a guest to dine with us tonight. Liliu, please help me persuade him to stay?’ At the time, I was wondering why the young master didn’t invite the guest himself and instead had Liliu do it. Now, hearing what the young master said, I understand that he was counting on your kind and benevolent nature.”

Observing the boy’s quick wit and his constant smile, devoid of fear or timidity, every word defending his young master, Xie Yi surmised that he must have grown up in the bustling marketplace. He secretly admired him and refrained from further questioning, simply changing into the dry clothes, including replacing his wet shoes with clean silk socks and soft boots.

Stepping out, he saw that his two guards had also changed under Donghai’s assistance. Accepting the hot towel from Qiuhu, he wiped his face, head, and hands, loosened his hair bun, dried it with the towel, combed it with a wide-toothed comb, and loosely tied it behind his head. Indeed, his entire body felt refreshed and comfortable.