Chapter 8 Xie Siblings Entered the Secret Room
After eating and taking bath, Yun Xiang and I sat beside a furnace to warm ourselves, told her stories to pass the time.
Today I told about Yang Xiao ganged up with Ji Xiao Fu, one was a tranquil and pure beautiful heroic woman, one was a heretic Buddha protector with murder past, one was a young, beautiful and youthful young woman, one was an uncle who had passed middle age and went through various changes.
Yun Xiang raised a question, "Why is the age difference so large?"
I said, "According to the later generations' textual research, Yang Xiao should be of older than Ji Xiao Fu by a generation, at least ten years plus older."
Yun Xiang said, "Old cow eats tender grass?"
This girl muddled along with me so long already so she learnt a few tricks.
I ecstatically splattered my saliva, "Also, the textual criticism stated that they reached a reliable conclusion: Yang Xiao that year, afraid with Emei extinguished female master had a past affection dispute."
"Isn't that a whole wrinkled face old grandmother?" Yun Xiang was shocked.
I hastily shook my head, "That is Jin old man didn’t like her. Actually, she is not a grandmother! She is a lovely young lady! A lovely young lady!!!"
Yun Xiang was frightened by me, "But she is grumpy and short-tempered, her heart is not good too."
"That is because Yang sent her away. She was so angry that her menopause shifted in advance!"
The discussion was very intense, missed the crashing sounds from outside the courtyard, and then a man lamented in pain, "Ouch -"
Yun Xiang and I strained our ears to listen. I asked her, "In the morning earlier I moved two thorny plants to bask under the sunlight at the corner of the walls, after that did you take them back?"
Yun Xiang said, "I didn’t."
I said, "Oh -"
The door banged as it was pushed open, Xie Zhao Ying like a depressed head with his face and clothes unkempt dashed inside, both his eyes burned with fire.
Yun Xiang jumped up, "This maidservant will pour tea." She ran as if the bottom of her feet were smeared with oil.
I gave a mischievous laughter, "Second Elder Brother, how are you recently? Is there any problem in your life? If there is, you have to say, no problem you can fabricate problem to tell me too…."
Xie Zhao Ying slapped on the table, the fruits plate and I jumped at the same time.
Xie Zhao Ying suddenly held his hand and called, "Quick! Quick! Bring needles here! This elder brother of yours is going to become a hedgehog soon!"
Just like this noisy, spent half an hour then only helped him removed all the thorns cleanly.
I poured a cup of tea for Xie Zhao Ying who was from head to toe emitting medication odour, started to scold him, "You can't always be like this. Since you like Elder Sister Fei Hua, then properly settled down, find a job to do, make some outstanding achievements. Others will not be critic since you have bright future, and will agree to let their daughter marry to you."
Xie Zhao Ying drank the tea, "You don’t have to bother with my matters."
I coldly smiled, "Our parents didn’t bother, why I should bother? Your fall can only serve as a foil to increase my diligent to make progress."
Xie Zhao Ying finished the tea, looked around, "Is there anything to eat?"
I dug around the brazier, several roasted sweet potatoes revealed underneath the ashes. I was quite hungry too so peeled them with him to eat.
Xie Zhao Ying with vague enunciation said, "The taste is not bad, the degree of cook is just nice. In the past, when I was in the arm-" He choked for a second, "In the past, when I was still in study, if I wanted to eat sweet potatoes I need to quietly get them alone."
I smiled with cold shoulder, "Why are you talking like the Xie family ill-treated you, eating sweet potatoes also need to be secretive, how did you get them?"
Xie Zhao Ying said, "In the academy, taking advantage of when the teacher was unaware, I would secretly put the sweet potatoes in the brazier. After the class then only dug them out."
I was speechless, "Why are you not choked to death?"
Xie Zhao Ying was full, drank up my flower tea and smoothly walked away.
I cried to stop him, "Second Elder Brother, I have something need to ask from you."
"Say it."
"Where did you usually get that much money?"
Xie Zhao Ying stared at me, "What are you thinking?"
I spread my hands, "Don’t be so anxious, anyone will have time when they are in trouble. Teach me some tricks."
Xie Zhao Ying's pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes solemnly looked at me, then he stretched out his hand, suddenly pinched my face, sinisterly and craftily smiled, "Little girl, full of life, scheming and playful, quite high level~~~~"
And then removed his hand, hit me with a palm, "Let's go, to rob the rich to give the poor!"
"Huh?" I was stupefied.
Xie Zhao Ying smiled sinisterly, "Are you not lack of money? I'm bringing you to find money."
Therefore, at the night with no moon and strong winds, climbing over the walls to plunder a household, I followed Xie Zhao Ying to steal from our own house. This was the worst criminal offence I had ever done in my 21 years living, however I actually felt the never before excitement and amusement.
Xie Zhao Ying was familiar and at ease with this, bringing me along those small routes that I would never notice during daytime. Approximately ten minutes later, he brought me to a loft.
I raised my head as I gazed, "Second Elder Brother, why do I feel this place is familiar?"
Xie Zhao Ying said, "Of course you feel this place is familiar, this is the library in our family."
"But you said that we are going to scrape money…."
"Hush!" He blocked my mouth, "Just follow me."
Xie Zhao Ying took out a hair clasp and fiddled a little with the lock hole, with a Clang it was opened.
I praised, "Bravo!"
Xie Zhao Ying, "What?"
I translated, "Great handicraft."
Xie Zhao Ying was pleased with himself. He entered the library, bent forward his waist, groped around in the darkness. I only heard a patter sound, something was unlocked, and then Xie Zhao Ying pulled a block. It turned out that the library had a basement.
We orderly climbed down the stairs. Xie Zhao Ying lighted up a fire booklet, I saw all around were walls made of rocks, damp, green moss grew on them, with an unusual mouldy smell. This place was not like the treasure cave in Ali Baba, more like the Harry Potter's secret chamber.
After climbing for around two minutes, we reached the end. Xie Zhao Ying lighted up the oil lamps.
We were in a basement approximately twenty square metres large, everywhere were heaps of large earthen jars of pickled vegetables (the strange mouldy smell was actually spread from here), there were also a few barrels of liquor and a huge heap of materials of undistinguishable original state.
I was so furious that my mouth gaped, "These…. These are…. These are the money you talked about?!"
It was not known what Xie Zhao Ying did, a wall slide open noisily, revealing a dark passageway. Xie Zhao Ying lit up an oil lamp, then I saw the inside was glittering with radiance.
My knees went soft a little for a moment. I pulled Xie Zhao Ying's sleeve, "Second Elder Brother, our father is not a corrupted officer right?"
"What?" Xie Zhao Ying asked.
I pointed at the room of gold, silver and treasures, "He, he, he, is just a Grand Tutor, how much monthly salary he has?"
Xie Zhao Ying hated the iron for not becoming steel[1], caught my shoulders and shook them lightly as if he was shaking a sifter, "Our father is a civil doctorate officer! A civil doctorate officer! Is a marquis! Our Xie family has bestowed fields and estates outside, receiving offerings yearly!"
I almost got shook until I fell apart so I hurriedly cried, "I understand already! I understand already!"
Xie Zhao Ying threw me aside to get some paper money.
I tucked two hundred liang, and then all around sized up those antique pearls and jewelleries. Most of them were covered in a layer of dust, tied with cobwebs, obviously worth several cities but were left here to mould and rot. Xie Master really didn’t have a heart of tender and protective feelings.
I murmured, "As if I can hear them crying…."
Xie Zhao Ying was busy embezzling, he didn’t turn his head, "It's normal. Xie Grand Patriarch's concubine committed a wrongdoing and punished by Xie Grand Madam to be locked inside that room, later died at here."
Incidentally, a cold wind blew from the dark, my fine hairs on my body stood up, screamed loudly and jumped behind Xie Zhao Ying.
Something dropped to the ground because I bumped into. I picked it up.
"There is a book too." I recited, "Records of Qiu Yang?"
Xie Zhao Ying suddenly turned around and grabbed away that book from my hand, "Records of Qiu Yang? It really is at here?!"
I asked, "What is that?"
Xie Zhao Ying said, "This is the notes of the Divine Doctor, Zhang Qiu Yang. It recorded all he had learnt in his lifetime, it is a long lost ancient medical classics."
"Divine Doctor?" My eyes shone and grabbed back the book.
I didn’t know what materials the book was made of, even at this bad environment, only had minimal damage. The book was not very thick but the papers were unusually thin and light, the top was densely packed with handwritten characters the size of a fly's head, plus there was a large amount of fluoroscopy and scale of extremely standard human body diagrams.
My saliva almost flowed out, "Gift this book to me?"
Xie Zhao Ying smiled and said, "In any case, being left in here is a reckless waste of nature products, you bringing back to see is good too. However, this book, not only you need to protect it well, you cannot let others know. There are many people searching for this book outside, many of them love to rob to get it."
I hastily moved the book into my embrace and asked more, "Such a precious book, why is it here?"
Xie Zhao Ying said, "Zhang Master had a friendship with Grand Patriarch. When he had difficulties in the past, Grand Patriarch had once spared no effort to save him, sadly failed to do so. I think, it should be at that time that Master Zhang gave this medical skill for Grand Patriarch to take care. These few years, there is always a rumour that the book is in our house, countless thieves had come before but they left empty handed, so it turns out the book is thrown at here."
I said, "Should be because they assumed Xie family will put it in the pavilion of rare and valuable articles collection, didn’t think that it's the opposite; it's thrown into the basement."
I sniffed the book, the top really had a strand of pickled vegetables smell.
With this holy medicine scripture, I for the first time ignited an enthusiasm towards Chinese medicine, the free time was used to hold the book to read, even gathered a large heap of interrelated data. My dad - not the Xie old man, but the one in the original world - if he knew how diligent I'm now, absolutely would be moved and at once burnt incense to thank the Xie family ancestors.
After all, this world was not like my original world, there were several types of flora and fauna unavailable in my original world. When I saw those that I didn’t understand, I would ask for Song Zi Jing. Whatever I asked, he would answered, he never asked my reason, he was a smart person.
[1] Resentful for failing to meet expectations