noffsinger Chapter 14 Fetching Water from Bamboo Basket
Chapter 14 Fetching Water from Bamboo Basket
Upon hearing that Princess Wan'er was leaving for a marriage alliance the next day, Su Muyang quit his job and returned to his hometown that very day. He thought that with his older brother, younger sister, village chief, and a group of good buddies in the village, he would definitely be able to successfully abduct the bride.
But that very night, when his parents heard that he had thrown away his rice bowl in order to steal the bride, they were furious and made him stand facing the wall all night to reflect on his actions! If Su Yuning hadn't kindly given him half a cornbread, he probably wouldn't have been able to eat until the next morning.
In the dead of night, Su Muyang tried to sneak out to find someone to help him while his parents were asleep, but Su Yuning blocked his way outside the door.
"Where are you going, Second Brother?"
Su Muyang put his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, signaling her not to wake her parents.
"Second brother, let's talk about it during the day. It's too late and everyone's asleep. You won't be able to wake them up even if you knock on the door," Su Yuning advised kindly. Su Muyang thought it made sense, so he gave up on going out to ask for help.
Unable to leave the house, Su Muyang had no choice but to tiptoe back to his original spot, kneel down, and continue to reflect on his mistakes while facing the wall.
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye. Just as dawn was breaking, Su Yuning went out with her mother to dig for wild vegetables. Unexpectedly, Su Muyang followed them. The woman was secretly pleased; her son was becoming sensible and knew to help dig for vegetables. But as they walked, Su Muyang separated from them.
"Where did your brother go?" the woman asked her daughter.
Su Yuning shook her head. "I don't know. It was just behind me a moment ago. Could it have gone back to the city?"
The woman nodded. "That's possible!"
And so, the carefree mother and daughter began their new day of foraging for wild vegetables.
Meanwhile, Su Muyang arrived at the village chief's house. The village chief's wife invited him to sit down for a meal, but Su Muyang hesitated and refused, saying, "No, no, I'll just wait here."
The village chief asked directly, "What's the matter? Why are you knocking on the door so early?"
"Village chief, I want your help to abduct the bride. The girl I like is about to get married, and I'm not happy about it!" Su Muyang replied frankly.
The village chief nearly choked on his porridge. "Cough, cough! You want to steal a bride? How am I supposed to help you? Isn't this ridiculous?!"
Su Muyang said dismissively, "I like Princess Wan'er. She told me that the marriage procession happened to pass through Xinghua Village today, so I thought of kidnapping her to be with me."
The village chief trembled with fear. "No, no, no, you absolutely mustn't do such a thing! Su Muyang, listen to me, quickly abandon this idea!"
Su Muyang was a little angry. "It seems you're not planning to help me? Then I'll find someone else to help me! Goodbye!"
At this moment, the village chief gave his wife a look, and then the two of them worked together to tie up Su Muyang, even stuffing a rag into his mouth.
The village chief said to him, "Nephew, I'm sorry, but I'm doing this for your own good. Please let Princess Wan'er go, and let the villagers go too. The princess's marriage is a serious matter, and we can't afford to offend her!"
Su Muyang gave him a speechless look and could only stay silently at the village chief's house.
In the city, Princess Wan'er was surrounded by a group of palace maids. Some of them combed her hair, some did her makeup, some prepared her dowry, and some prepared snacks for Wan'er to take on her journey.
Wan'er stared intently at the phoenix coronet and wedding gown reflected in the bronze mirror, as if time itself had frozen at that moment.
The dazzling phoenix crown, inlaid with countless sparkling gems and pearls, resembled the brightest star in the night sky. Each gem emitted a mysterious and enchanting light, captivating the eye. The magnificent bridal gown, on the other hand, was like a vibrant, colorful sunset, light and graceful, breathtakingly beautiful.
The phoenix coronet and embroidered robe complement each other, creating a breathtaking scene. The radiance and aura they exude are filled with nobility, elegance, and sacredness. It's as if this phoenix coronet and embroidered robe are not merely garments, but symbols of glory and happiness.
Just as Zhao Shouyi arrived, Princess Wan'er tried to find Su Muyang, but he did not come.
Zhao Shouyi presented Princess Wan'er with a box of jewelry and a calligraphy and painting as a memento. He also reminded her, "Sister Wan'er, don't be too willful outside. Take good care of yourself." Princess Wan'er nodded in agreement. Then, the matchmaker came over, covered her head with a red veil, and helped her into the festively decorated carriage.
The auspicious hour has arrived, time to depart! Led by guards carrying a wedding plaque at the head of the procession, followed by a band playing music for the wedding, then the princess's carriage, accompanied by a matchmaker and several personal maids. At the very back is the procession carrying the dowry, composed of highly skilled guards tasked not only with ensuring the safety of the dowry but also with protecting the princess.
The crackling and popping of firecrackers continued all the way. Hearing that Princess Wan'er was being married off, the people of the city lined the streets to see her off. Finally, the entire entourage left the city in a grand procession and headed towards the grasslands.
When Princess Wan'er's carriage passed through Xinghua Village, she still lifted the curtain and looked around, trying to catch another glimpse of Su Muyang. But no matter how many times she looked, she couldn't see her beloved. Urged by the matchmaker, she could only close the curtain again and continue on her journey to the marriage alliance.
By the time Su Muyang was released by the village chief, it was already dark. He knew it was too late to do anything now, so he could only sullenly borrow a carriage to go to the city. He wanted to settle accounts with Young Master Zhao and make him pay back his house deeds, land deeds, and gold and silver treasures.
However, when he arrived at the restaurant, it was already closed. He went straight to Young Master Zhao's backyard and started shouting loudly.
"Young Master Zhao! A person should be honest! Where is the house? Where is the carriage? Where are the shops?"
Young Master Zhao walked out of the room looking impatient, and said angrily, "I've already stated your demands for you, and the truth is, there's nothing there."
Su Muyang didn't believe him at all. "Tch! Who would believe you?! Since Princess Wan'er promised me wealth and a title, she will definitely keep her word, because she is a person of her word."
Young Master Zhao crossed his arms and watched him quietly, only responding after he finished speaking.
"Your father and mother did promise you wealth and status, but who knew you would cause trouble in the palace?"
Su Muyang was truly suffering in silence, unable to express his bitterness. He hadn't caused any trouble at all; he simply wanted to meet Princess Wan'er.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Instead of waiting for something for nothing, you'd be better off working diligently at the teahouse. Stop thinking about all that nonsense; it's all just a pipe dream," Young Master Zhao kindly advised.
Su Muyang's efforts had come to nothing. He lost his girlfriend, his wealth, and his status. He hated himself for being so foolish as to give up a job so easily. So he went to the teahouse to plead with the owner, hoping that the owner would be magnanimous and give him another job opportunity.
However, reality is often disappointing, the teahouse owner said impatiently to him.
"You don't even look at your work schedule! You're only working sporadically. I've wanted to fire you for a long time, but who knew you'd actually resign yourself? Well then, I'll just have to comply!"
Su Muyang lowered his head awkwardly and said with great remorse, "I'm really sorry. I haven't been doing a good job lately. I've been dealing with this and that, so I'm often late or leaving early. I won't do that again. Please give me a chance to work, even if it's a pay cut."
To my surprise, the boss laughed. "I was even planning to give you a raise, and you're talking about a pay cut? That's utterly ridiculous. I've seen and appreciated your abilities. You not only do a great job in all your tasks, but your customer service is also excellent. Many customers praise your eloquence and attentiveness. Here's what I'll do: I'll give you a week off. Finish up what you need to do, and then get back to work!"
"Okay, I will definitely do my job well! Thank you for giving me this opportunity, boss!" Su Muyang was very excited and quickly made a promise to his boss.
Getting his job back was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. That evening, just as Su Muyang was about to rest, Young Master Zhao unexpectedly came to find him.
Su Muyang initially didn't intend to pay him any attention, but then he thought that since it was so late at night, Young Master Zhao must have something urgent to discuss. So Su Muyang followed Young Master Zhao outside to talk.
"Why are you looking for me so late at night instead of sleeping?" Su Muyang asked casually, leaning against a big tree.
Young Master Zhao didn't say anything, but handed him a purse. Su Muyang took the purse, opened it, and found a large silver note inside, also known as a Jiaozi.
“I know Wan’er has wronged you, and I also know that Father and Mother have done wrong. You have suffered a lot of grievances, so please keep this hundred taels of silver. In the future, you can open your own shop and do some small business when you have time. It’s better than working for others your whole life and earning more,” Young Master Zhao said earnestly.
However, Su Muyang didn't care about any of that. Instead, he asked him, "Did Wan'er leave me a letter?"
Young Master Zhao remained silent for a long time, refusing to hand over Wan'er's letter, until Su Muyang proposed this condition.
"Young Master Zhao, I'll return the silver notes to you. Could you please show me the letter she left behind?"
"Alright." Then the two exchanged money and a letter.
Su Muyang held the letter Wan'er had left him as if it were a treasure. He excitedly ran to the brightly lit shop entrance to read it, only to find that there was a blank sheet of paper inside the envelope, without any words written on it. He then realized that he had been tricked by Young Master Zhao.
Now he couldn't sleep anymore, so he drove straight to the restaurant, knocked on the door, and strode over to Young Master Zhao to question him.
"Are you making a fool of me? How could Wan'er's letter be a blank sheet of paper? Where did you hide the real letter? Give it to me right now!"
Young Master Zhao pulled a folding fan from his sleeve, opened it with a swish, and then slowly fanned himself. He gestured for the waiter to bring over a wooden box, which he then opened with a key.
Su Muyang then realized that Princess Wan'er had written him many, many letters, but they had been hidden away. He read them one by one, and in the end, his tears flowed like a river. Only then did he realize his importance in Princess Wan'er's heart.
"Don't cry, it looks ugly, okay?" Young Master Zhao comforted him, but Su Muyang grabbed his wrist, treating him like a lifeline.
"Please. Please help me steal the bride! I don't want to regret this for the rest of my life."
Young Master Zhao waved his hand, "Go away! Get out of here! Do you think this is child's play? If the princess gets lost, not only will the leader of the grassland alliance blame us, but Father and Mother will also spare no effort to find her!"
"How about we find a palace maid who is about the same height and looks as Princess Wan'er to be her stand-in? That way, Princess Wan'er will be replaced, and I can marry her," Su Muyang suggested.
Zhao Shouyi was truly at a loss. Helping was wrong, not helping was also wrong; he didn't know what to do. Then, he turned to the shop assistant and asked, "Xiaoshan, do you think I should help Su Muyang?"
The fellow had no idea about this, so he could only use a rather naive method to help him make a choice: to flip a coin!
"Let's decide by flipping a coin. Heads means we'll help, tails means we won't," the waiter suggested. The other two nodded in agreement. However, sometimes the coin didn't work. When it landed on the ground, it landed neither heads nor tails, but just spun around like a top.
"I reckon the princess will arrive on the grasslands tonight, so your plan to switch princesses won't work," Young Master Zhao replied helplessly. "Since you have a plan, why didn't you implement it this morning or at noon? Why wait until tonight to make a decision? I really don't understand you!"
At this moment, Su Muyang was discouraged. He slumped to the ground and recounted his ordeal in detail.
"Since that's the case, just focus on your work. You still have family to take care of, and friends to help you through your troubles. Be content with what you have," Young Master Zhao reminded him. Su Muyang forgot about asking him for the silver notes and drove back to his hometown in a sullen mood.
That night, there was another person who couldn't sleep either, and that was Zhou Xi. She hadn't told Su Yuning the truth, but Su Yuning didn't blame her. Instead, she felt quite sorry for Su Yuning, so she went to her younger brother's room, woke him up, and told him what was on her mind.
Zhou Dong replied sleepily, "Sister, if you still want to be friends with Sister Su, find some time to meet her, explain your feelings to her, and if you can be friends, then be friends; if not, then forget it."
At this moment, Zhou Xi said with an embarrassed look, "How about you help me invite Su Yuning out? I feel embarrassed to go to her house, I feel like I'm not being very kind."
Zhou Dong nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'll help you. But I'm so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open, can you let me sleep a little longer?"
Zhou Xi replied, "Okay, okay, go to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow!"
At this moment, the wedding procession was almost at the grassland, but it was quiet and peaceful; no one came to greet the bride. The matchmaker was puzzled.
"Doesn't the leader of the grassland alliance want to get married? Why isn't it lively on one side?"
At this moment, Princess Wan'er also lifted the curtain to check the situation. Indeed, there were only a few yurts of varying sizes in the distance, and no lanterns or decorations were hung to welcome them.