Volume 15
Chapter 20: Earthly Dust (Part 1)
Summer.
Summer has many shortcomings. It is hot and suffocating. If you are in the south, the air is filled with a watery vapor that locks the heat firmly against a person’s skin. Just a short rest, and you will be drenched in sweat. If you are in the north, the golden sun is enough to cover half the sky. The sunlight is like a branding iron, piercing straight into a person’s bones, and even the blood flowing in the bone marrow boils.
Mulan is located at the junction of the north and south. It has both the humidity and heat of the south and the viciousness of the north. Mulan is actually not very livable.
But summer, for Lu Li, still has one unique advantage. Looking out, the streets are full of fair legs, fair arms. The young, vibrant girls unsparingly display their young bodies, filling the city’s tree-lined avenues with restlessness and passion. After getting used to the girls at home, Lu Li’s taste had also become picky. A quick glance, and he felt that either there was too much fat around the waist, or the shape of the legs was not good, or the skin was not firm enough.
This was the Capital City. The transportation between Mulan and the Capital City was quite convenient. A round trip could be made in one day. In the morning, he had breakfast at his home in Mulan, and in the afternoon, he arrived in the Capital City. He had not come here for Jingyi; the Silly Goose had already moved into the villa in Mulan the day before yesterday. At this time, there were no girls from Lu Li’s family in the Capital City.
He was here to clean the ancestral hall for Little Qiao.
…
Lu Li arrived at 77 Wutong Road, took off his sunglasses, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on. Have I been overindulging my desires recently? How am I having hallucinations… The place where the ancestral hall was originally located was now empty. The main gate was wide open, and besides the old pagoda tree inside, everything—furniture, spirit tablets, even the water bucket—was gone.
Lu repeatedly confirmed it several times and was sure the address was correct.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Li called Zhu Xi to inquire. Zhu Xi answered cheerfully, “Ah, I know. I had people move the ancestral hall to Chuanhai. This wasn’t my idea. It was an opinion my two brothers proposed at the last royal family resolution. What favor did you do for them? They were singing your praises in the meeting. This moving of the ancestral hall, I see, is for your and Zhu Qiao’s convenience.”
Favors grow larger and larger with constant back-and-forth. For the sake of the proposal, Lu Li had given the two princes two nominal management positions in the Changle Group. The two, in return, had stood up for Lu Li in the royal family resolution.
“Can the ancestral hall be moved just like that? Aren’t there the coffins of the Miko ancestors?”
“The Miko is of royal blood. How could she be buried outside the imperial mausoleum… The things in the ancestral hall are just a few wooden tablets.”
Lu Li was ashamed. Every time he had gone to the ancestral hall, he had been so respectful, always thinking that what was enshrined in the ancestral hall were the ashes or relics of the Zhu family Mikos. It turned out that the ancestral hall was just a residence for the current Miko, with the function of making offerings.
“You went to the Capital City? To help Little Qiao clean the ancestral hall?” Zhu Xi suddenly realized. “No wonder I didn’t see you at noon. That’s right, I forgot to tell Little Qiao about this. It’s fine. You just made an extra trip, just take it as exercise. By the way, when you come back tonight, help me buy some snacks from Qingyuanfang on the street opposite the Yan family. Little Qiao and I used to love their little snacks when we were kids.”
This bad woman was really not polite when she ordered people around now. Lu Li shook his head. He followed the location Zhu Xi had sent and found this Qingyuanfang—it wasn’t a snack shop at all, but a club for noble women. It occupied a vast area, was luxuriously decorated, and all the entrance was hung with cloth curtains printed with verses. A few steps in, and you could see incense smoke swirling, with mountains and water. A closer look, and you would see that the people coming in and out were all young noble women.
Lu Li stood awkwardly at the entrance, not knowing if he should go in. The receptionist at the door saw him and asked neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Sir? Are you looking for someone? Are you looking for your wife or sister?”
“No, I’m here to buy something.” Lu Li heard a chorus of women’s playful banter; it was all women teasing each other. He didn’t know what this clubhouse—no, this club—did.
“Buy something?” The receptionist was stunned.
Afraid she would misunderstand, Lu Li reminded her, “It was the Fourteenth Princess who asked me to come and buy something.”
“Ah! I’ll go and get the manager. Please wait a moment.” This receptionist ran off in small steps. In a little while, a stunningly beautiful woman with an air of allure walked over quickly.
The moment she saw Lu Li, this manager beamed with joy. “Mr. Lu! Mr. Lu! You’ve finally come! Seeing is better than hearing a hundred times! I was just thinking, when would Her Highness the Fourteenth bring you here! Why did you come alone?”
Lu Li had never seen her before, but the other party acted as if she were his old friend of many years. “Oh, I’m just here to bring something back for her. She said your snacks are very good.”
The manager’s smile grew even happier. “That’s right, that’s right. Her Highness loved to eat the pastries our back kitchen made herself when she was a child, and she would even bring Princess Qiao… Mr. Lu, you can just call me Little Li!” She was clearly a woman in her thirties or forties, yet she asked Lu Li to call her Little Li. Lu Li could only give an awkward smile and change the subject. “Manager Li, what does this club do?”
Manager Li led Lu Li inside. Along the way, Lu Li also saw a few handsome but gloomy-looking young men sitting on a bench.. Some of them looked at Lu Li with curiosity, and some let out a small cry of surprise when they saw him. “Gang leader! Gang leader!”
What gang leader? Lu Li’s old face darkened. If people heard, they would think he was the leader of the Beggars’ Clan. So he quickly walked away.
“Mr. Lu, please don’t misunderstand. This is not a clubhouse run by men,” Manager Li said, her expression a little more serious. “Qingyuanfang is a cultural salon exclusively for the unmarried women of the Capital City’s aristocratic families.” Unmarried was just a figure of speech, referring to the women in the Capital City’s aristocratic families who had not yet officially married.
“You should know that the family customs and rules of the Capital City’s aristocratic families are extremely strict, especially for women. The young ladies, besides the internet, have very little contact with popular culture, so most of them have a fondness for literature, art, and music. Qingyuanfang is a place for these artistic young ladies to gather and discuss,” Manager Li said. “And please don’t stare at the guests for too long. The young ladies here are all rather thin-skinned and rarely have contact with men. If they complain to their families later, I’m afraid Her Highness the Fourteenth will not be happy.”
Lu Li was puzzled. Do I look like a pervert?
I shouldn’t. I think I have thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a righteous face, looking like a young, chivalrous hero from a cultivation novel who is not close to women.
Lu Li asked curiously, “Did Zhu Xi used to come here often? Would she bring Zhu Qiao with her?”
Manager Li, while pondering Lu Li’s form of address for the two princesses, answered, “Yes. The two princesses used to sneak in. I was also young at that time. To be honest, I had the intention of currying favor back then, so I just went along with the two princesses and let them have fun in the private room. But later, for some reason, I actually got used to the two princesses’ arrival. I would miss them if I didn’t see them for a month… hehe… Mr. Lu, please don’t mind…”
Seeing Lu Li in thought, Manager Li asked again, “Mr. Lu, would you like to see the photos of the two princesses when they were children?”
Lu Li asked in pleasant surprise, “You have such a thing?”
“Yes. Every time the two princesses came when they were children, we would take pictures for them. The original intention was to keep them as souvenirs… Witnessing the growth of the princesses is also a golden signboard for Qingyuanfang. Please follow me.”
Lu Li couldn’t help but puff out his chest. He was quite curious, what were the now-fierce Zhu Xi and the soft and squishy Zhu Qiao like as children?
