The poem says:
In a city that captivates both city and country, do not doubt, for even the witching waters and clouds are entranced.
The affections of beauty often wear down noble spirits, while the ties of friendship are weak, lamenting the loss of delicate brows.
In the gentle embrace of the countryside, the spirit thrives, and in the presence of the graceful breeze, one’s demeanor is remarkable.
The village remains oblivious to the stillness of spring, and this evening, a fortune hesitates in the shadows.
One day, when Ximen Qing stepped out of the house, Dai An was holding the horse and they went straight to Li Ping'er’s home on Lion Street. Seeing the door was closed, he knew that Li Ping'er had gone to her family home. Dai An called Mama Feng to open the door, and Ximen Qing went inside. Li Ping'er was in the main room lighting the candles, wearing a floral crown and simple clothes, leaning against the window, waiting for him. When she saw Ximen Qing had arrived, she hurriedly welcomed him with a smile and said, "Why did you come so late? Pan Jinlian and the others are still here; they just left. Today, your aunt went early and said you weren’t home. Where have you been?" Ximen Qing replied, "I went to see the lanterns with Count Ying and Xie Zichun in the morning, passing by your house. Later, I ran into two friends who insisted on taking me to a restaurant, so I ended up being late. I was afraid you would be anxious waiting, so I had a servant go back to inform you, and I slipped in through the back door. Otherwise, I would have been stuck with them and wouldn't have made it here today." Li Ping'er said, "I really appreciate the valuable gift you sent earlier. They didn’t want to stay long, saying there was no one home, leaving me here all alone; it was really dull." Then she refilled the fine wine and laid out some good dishes again, lit all the lanterns in the main room, and drew the warm curtain. She added charcoal to the gold stove and burned dragon’s saliva incense in the incense burner. Li Ping'er poured wine for Ximen Qing, bowed her head, and said, "My husband has died, and I have no relatives. Today, I hope this cup of wine can count on your support; please don’t mind my looks. I’m happy to serve you and be like sisters with the other women; I’m wholeheartedly willing. What do you think?" As she spoke, tears started to flow. Ximen Qing accepted the wine and helped her up, saying, "Get up. Since you think so highly of me, I, Ximen Qing, will certainly remember this. Once your mourning period is over, I’ll take care of everything; no need for you to worry. Today is a good day for you; let’s drink." After finishing his drink, he filled another cup to raise a toast to her. After Li Ping'er drank, she sat down. Mama Feng was handling the kitchen duties. Before long, the dishes were served. Ximen Qing asked, "Who’s singing today?" Li Ping'er replied, "It’s Dong Jiao'er and Han Jinchuan. As they were leaving, they even stopped by Pan Jinlian’s house to ask for some flowers."
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Two people were exchanging toasts at the table, while Xiu Chun and Ying Chun served wine and dishes beside them. At that moment, Dai An came in and bowed to Li Ping'er to wish her a long life. Li Ping'er quickly got up to return the gesture and asked Ying Chun to have Mama Feng keep an eye on the longevity noodles and pastries in the kitchen, and also poured a pot of wine for Dai An. Ximen Qing said, "Finish the wine and go home early." Li Ping'er said, "If your mother asks when you get home, just don’t mention that your father is here." Dai An replied, "I understand; just say Dad is staying inside for the night, and I'll come back to pick him up tomorrow morning." Ximen Qing nodded and handed Li Ping'er some of her favorite things, saying, "Good child, really sensible." He also gave Ying Chun two coins and asked Dai An to buy some sunflower seeds, saying, "Bring a shoe sample tomorrow, and I'll make you a nice pair of shoes." Dai An quickly bowed in thanks, finished the wine, had a meal, and then left. Mama Feng locked the front door tight.
Li Ping'er and Ximen Qing played a guessing game of cards for a while, then took out a set of thirty-two ivory tiles, laying a red mat on the table as they played cards and drank wine. After a while, Li Ping'er asked Ying Chun to light candles in the room. Since Hua Zi Xu had died, both Ying Chun and Xiu Chun had been with Ximen Qing, so they had no qualms and helped him make the bed, bringing wine glasses and fruit. On the bed in the purple brocade tent, Li Ping'er revealed her snow-white skin, and Ximen Qing embraced her; the two of them were very close. As they played cards and drank wine, Li Ping'er asked Ximen Qing, "When will the house over there be finished?" Ximen Qing replied, "We’ll start construction in February, and we’ll renovate your house at the same time to match the elegance of that garden. We’ll build a pavilion shaped like a mountain in front and set up a stage in the garden. In the back, we’ll build three flower-viewing pavilions." Li Ping'er pointed to a tea chest behind the bed and said, "There are still thirty to forty pounds of agarwood, two hundred pounds of white wax, two jars of mercury, and eighty pounds of pepper hidden in this chest. You can sell all of it tomorrow to raise money for the house. If you don’t mind me, when you get home, tell my aunt that I’m willing to be sisters with them, and I don’t care what order I’m placed in. Dear, I can’t bear to be apart from you." As she spoke, tears streamed down her face again. Ximen Qing quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and said, "I understand how you feel. Let’s talk about it after your mourning period is over and my house is built. Otherwise, if I marry you, there won’t even be a place to live." Li Ping'er said, "Since you truly want to marry me, then tomorrow build my house together with Pan Jinlian’s house. I can’t bear to part with her; she’s really nice, and then there’s Meng Yulou, who is very affectionate towards me. They are both really beautiful; they don’t look like sisters but rather like they were born of the same mother. Only your aunt has a short temper and always has a stern face." Ximen Qing replied, "My wife Wu Yueniang is quite nice; otherwise, how could I keep these people under control? Tomorrow, we’ll build three rooms for you here, just like over there, and open two side gates for entry and exit. What do you think?" Li Ping'er said, "Brother, that’s just right!" So the two of them became affectionate again for the night, staying up until the early hours. They cuddled and slept until noon the next day before getting up.
A woman came out to greet Ximen Qing with uncombed hair, bringing him porridge. Ximen Qing had just half a bowl of porridge and a little wine. At that moment, Li Ping'er was on top of Ximen Qing, and he was preoccupied with her. Just as they were having a good time, Dai An knocked on the door and rode up to say he had something to discuss. Ximen Qing told him to talk from outside the window. Dai An said, "Three guests from out of town have arrived at the house and want to do business with Uncle Fu. They need a deposit of one hundred taels of silver, which won’t be settled until August." Ximen Qing asked, "Didn’t you say I was at your place?" Dai An replied, "I said you were at Aunt Gui's." Ximen Qing said, "You really don’t get it! Can’t Uncle Fu just handle it himself? Why drag me into this?" Dai An said, "Uncle Fu said the guests insist that you must go to sign the contract." Li Ping'er said, "They’ve sent people to invite you, and business is important. If you don’t go, won’t the old lady blame you?" Ximen Qing said, "You don’t know, those rude guests drag business out, and when there’s no place to sell goods, they come begging. If business was good, they’d come to me themselves. In all of Qinghe County, my shop is the biggest and has the most shipments, so they have to come to me at any time." The woman said, "If the deal falls through, there’s still goodwill; go home and take care of it first, then come back. There will be plenty of time ahead!" Ximen Qing listened to Li Ping'er, got up slowly, tidied himself up, and rode home.
In the shop, a few customers were waiting to weigh their goods and settle up. After signing the contract, he sent the customers away. Ximen Qing went to Pan Jinlian's room, and Jinlian shot back, "Where did you go yesterday? You better tell me the truth, or I’ll cause a ruckus!" Ximen Qing said, "You were all drinking at Hua's house, and I went to see the lanterns with them, then we drank together and stayed overnight. This morning, the servant came to pick me up." Jinlian said, "I know the servant came to pick you up, but where did your soul wander off to? You heartless man, still lying to me! Li Ping'er summoned us in a mysterious way yesterday. She called you over at night and kept you there all night before letting you go. That kid Dai'an, he’s a real smooth talker. When he came back first, his mother asked him, 'Why hasn't your father come back? Where are they drinking?' He said, 'They went to see the lanterns with Uncle Fu, and they are drinking at Aunt Li Gui's house. They will come back tomorrow morning.' Later, I asked him, and he just grinned and kept quiet. Only when I pressed him did he say, 'At Flower Lady's house on Lion Street!' How did this boy know that we are in cahoots? It must be that you slipped up!" Ximen Qing said, "I didn't tell him!" There was no way, Ximen Qing had to tell the story of Li Ping'er: "She called me over at night, poured me wine, and said she didn't have time for you. She cried and said no one was helping her, her future was uncertain, she was scared at night, and wanted me to marry her, asking when I would take this house. She has some valuables like incense and candles worth a few hundred taels of silver, asking me to help her sell them and use the money to build a house. After the house is built, she wants to live with you as sisters, afraid you wouldn't agree." The woman said, "I’ve got nothing going on here, so it’d be great if she came. It gets lonely here; having someone around is nice. Just like too many ships don’t crowd the harbor and too many cars don’t jam the road, I didn’t mind at first, why worry now? Besides, she's helping me; I just worry she might have some hidden agenda. Ask Big Sister for her opinion." Ximen Qing said, "Even so, she’s still in mourning." After that, the woman and Ximen Qing took off their clothes, and something fell from her sleeve, heavy as a marble; after looking at it for a while, they didn't know what it was.
You can see:
Originally a soldier from a foreign land, recommended to work in the capital. Petite and delicate in stature. Easily gains support from others, able to adapt and charm. Known as the golden-faced brave vanguard. Achieving first place in battle, gaining fame and inspiring future generations.
After looking at it for a while, the woman asked, "What is this? Why does my arm feel numb when I touch it?" Ximen Qing smiled and said, "You don't know, this is called a mianling; it comes from the southern country of Miandian, and the finer ones can fetch four to five taels of silver." The woman asked, "How do you use this thing?" Ximen Qing said, "First warm it up in the stove, then use it; it's simply wonderful." The woman asked, "Have you used it with Li Ping'er too?" Ximen Qing told her all about the previous night. Jinlian listened, feeling aroused, and they closed the door during the day and enjoyed each other's company in bed. It is said that Ximen Qing sold Li Ping'er's candles and other items for three hundred and eighty taels of silver. Li Ping'er kept one hundred and eighty taels for her own expenses, and the rest was given to Ximen Qing to build a house. They started construction on the eighth day of the second month. He gave Ben four to five hundred taels of silver to recruit people to manage the project, buy bricks, tiles, wood, and stones, and keep track of the accounts. This Ben Si, known as Ben Dichen, was young, frivolous, and cunning, capable of many things. He began as a follower, eventually becoming a servant in a wealthy household, and even took away someone else's wet nurse and made her his wife. He worked as a broker in an old clothing store and could play the pipa and xiao. Ximen Qing saw his talent and often had him weigh goods and collect money at the pharmacy. Therefore, everything depended on him. Ben Si recruited people and started construction. First, he demolished the Hua family's old house, laid the foundation, and built pavilions, towers, and buildings. This story is too long to tell in just a few words.
Time flies so quickly; in the blink of an eye, it’s been over a month since Ximen Qing began constructing the garden. On the tenth day of the third month, it marked the hundredth day since Huazi Xu's passing. Li Ping'er had already made arrangements with Ximen Qing to burn Huazi Xu's memorial tablet. "Have you sold all the properties? For those that can't be sold, just have someone keep an eye on them. Hurry up and marry me over! I’m willing to be whatever concubine you want; I’ll gladly serve you by making your bed and folding your linens." As she spoke, tears began to fall. Ximen Qing said, "Don't worry, I've already talked to Wu Yueniang and Pan Jinlian. Once the garden is finished and your mourning period is over, it won't be too late to marry you." Li Ping'er replied, "If you really want to marry me, then hurry up and finish my house. Even if I only stay at your place for one day, I would be content, and it would save me from worrying here." Ximen Qing said, "I understand." Li Ping'er continued, "If it really comes to that, I’ll burn the memorial tablet and stay with Wuniang (Pan Jinlian) for a few days. Once your new house is ready, I’ll move over. You need to let Wuniang know; I’m waiting for your news. The tenth day of the third month marks the hundredth day, and I want to recite scriptures and burn the memorial tablet." Ximen Qing agreed and then spent the night with Li Ping'er.
The next day, after Ximen Qing returned home, he told Pan Jinlian about the matter in detail. Pan Jinlian said, "Great! I can't wait to make room for her to live in! You should also talk to Sister Wu. This way, I won't have to worry about it." Ximen Qing went to Sister Wu's room, where she was combing her hair. Ximen Qing explained the situation of wanting to marry Li Ping'er from beginning to end. Sister Wu said, "You shouldn't marry her. First, she hasn't completed her mourning period; second, you and she had a certain relationship in the past; third, you bought her house and even helped her take care of things. As the saying goes, 'Opportunity only knocks once.' I heard that her family members are troublemakers. If anything goes wrong, it could get messy. I'm just looking out for you. Whether you marry her or not, it's up to you to decide!" Sister Wu's words left Ximen Qing speechless. He sat in the living room, feeling torn about how to break the news to Li Ping'er, but also feeling bad about not going. After thinking for a while, he went to Pan Jinlian's room. Pan Jinlian asked, "What did Sister Wu say?" Ximen Qing repeated Sister Wu's words. Pan Jinlian said, "Sister Wu makes sense. You bought her house, married her, and had a previous relationship with her. Since you are friends, you should explain things properly." Ximen Qing said, "I know, but I'm afraid that Hua Da will cause trouble and use her incomplete mourning period against us. What am I supposed to do? I can't just turn her down now." Pan Jinlian said, "No worries! It's not that hard. When the time comes, just say: 'I told my wife that your things can't be stored upstairs because there are already a lot of medicinal herbs there. Your house is almost finished, and the craftsmen are rushing to renovate and paint it. Your mourning period is also almost over. I will marry you when everything is ready. This way, everything will be in order. It's better than moving to my wife's place, where we’d be crammed together!' This way, she won't have anything to say."
When Ximen Qing heard this, he was overjoyed and immediately went to Li Ping'er's house. Li Ping'er asked, "How is it?" Ximen Qing said, "Five Niang said to wait until your new house is painted before moving in. Right now, her upstairs is filled with things, and there's no place to put your stuff. There's one more thing—she's worried your uncle might say your mourning period isn't over yet. What should we do?" Li Ping'er replied, "He doesn't dare meddle in my affairs. Not to mention anything else, even if we go our separate ways, we wrote a deed when we divided the family, and we have already separated. I first married for my parents' sake, and then I married for myself. As the saying goes: 'Sisters-in-law and uncles need not concern themselves; the elder uncle has no right to my private matters.' I'm doing quite well now; he can't interfere with me. If he dares to make a fuss, I'll make him sit and sleep to death. Don't worry, my dear sir, he wouldn't dare to mess with me." Then she asked, "When will your house be finished?" Ximen Qing said, "I've already instructed the workers to build you three rooms first. Once the painting is done, it should be around early May." Li Ping'er said, "Brother, hurry up. I'm willing to wait until then." After saying this, the maidservant brought out wine, and the two happily drank all night. After that, Ximen Qing visited Li Ping'er’s house frequently, but there's no need to elaborate on that.
Time flew by, and Ximen Qing's house had been under construction for two months. The three flowered rooms were almost finished, with only the roof's covering still needing to be installed. At the start of May, it was the time for:
Every household inserts mugwort leaves at the door, and everywhere hangs talismans.
Li Ping'er set up a table of wine and invited Ximen Qing over, first to eat zongzi and secondly to discuss the wedding. They decided on May 15th, first inviting monks to chant scriptures and burn incense for memorial tablets, and then Ximen Qing would marry her. Ximen Qing asked Li Ping'er, "On the day of burning the memorial tablets, should we invite Hua Da, Hua San, and Hua Si?" Li Ping'er replied, "I'll send each of them an invitation; it's up to them whether they decide to come!" With that settled, they awaited May 15th. Li Ping'er invited twelve monks from Bao'en Temple to chant scriptures at her home for the ceremony.
That day, Ximen Qing gave Ying Bojue three taels of silver as a gesture for his birthday celebration. In the morning, he gave Dai An five taels of silver to buy wine and food, and in the evening, he planned to help Li Ping'er change out of her mourning clothes. He also had Ping An and Huatong follow the horse, and around the afternoon, they headed to Ying Bojue's house. Present that day were Xie Xida, Zhu Shinian, Sun Tianhua, Wu Dian'en, Yun Lishou, Chang Zhijie, and several new friends, not a single one missing. He also called two young performers to play and sing. After a few rounds of drinks, Ximen Qing called over the two performers and recognized the first as Wu Yiner's brother, Wu Hui. He didn't recognize the other one, who knelt down and said, "I am the brother of Zheng Aixiang, named Zheng Feng." Ximen Qing, sitting at the head of the table, rewarded each of them with two taels of silver. By dusk, Dai An rode up quietly to tell Ximen Qing, "Second Mistress asks you to go back early." Ximen Qing signaled him and stood up to leave. But Ying Bojue stopped him, saying, "You, come here and tell the truth. If you lie, I’ll twist your ears! How many birthdays does your father have in a year? Riding over on a horse in broad daylight, who sent you here? Was it a woman from your family? Or was it from Eighteen? If you don’t tell me, even after a hundred years, I won’t tell your father and help you find a wife!" Dai An said, "No one really sent me. I'm just afraid it's late at night, and if you need me early in the morning, I'll come over to serve you." Ying Bojue asked him a few more questions, and when he didn't answer, he said, "If you don't tell me, I'll find out tomorrow and settle the score with you!" He then poured him another cup of wine, handed him half a plate of snacks, and let him go eat.
Xi Menqing changed his clothes and quietly called Dai'an over to ask, "Which people from the Hua family came today?" Dai'an said, "Hua San has gone back to the countryside, and Hua Si has a family member with an eye problem, so no one came. Only Hua Da and his wife came. They had a vegetarian feast, and Hua Da left first, leaving his wife behind. Before she left, Er Niang called her into the room and gave her ten taels of silver and two sets of clothes. She even bowed to Er Niang in gratitude." Xi Menqing asked, "Did she actually say that?" Dai'an replied, "Why would I lie?" Upon hearing this, Xi Menqing felt very pleased. He asked again, "Was the vegetarian meal finished?" Dai'an said, "The monk left early, and the spirit tablet has been burned. Er Niang said to let you go over early." Xi Menqing said, "Got it, you go keep an eye on the horse." Just as Dai'an was about to leave, Count Ying heard a noise in the corridor and suddenly shouted, startling Dai'an. The Count scolded, "You little rascal! If you didn't tell me, how did I hear about it? So it was you two father and son doing something good!" Xi Menqing said, "You crazy dog, don’t talk nonsense." The Count replied, "You want me to keep quiet? I won’t." Then he walked to the table and told everyone about it. He pulled Xi Menqing and said, "Brother, you really are something! With this matter, why didn’t you let us know? Even if Hua Da has objections, we would have talked to him. Are we afraid he wouldn’t agree? If he dares to say no, we’ll sort it out with him. What’s the status of this marriage? Brother, you need to clarify this for us. Our brotherhood has come to this point; if you have any instructions, we brothers would go through fire and water for you! We are all waiting for you, yet you keep it a secret." Xie Xida added, "If you don’t say anything, tomorrow when Li Guijie and Wu Yiner find out, everyone will look bad." Xi Menqing smiled and said, "Let me tell you, the marriage has already been settled." Xie Xida said, "Brother, tomorrow when you marry your wife, we’ll come to congratulate you! Brother, you’ve got to invite a few performers and treat us to the wedding feast." Xi Menqing said, "That’s for sure, I will definitely invite all of you brothers." Zhu Shinian said, "It’s not too late to celebrate tomorrow; why don’t we toast brother with a cup of wedding wine now?" So they asked the Count to bring wine, Xie Xida held the wine pot, Zhu Shinian carried the dishes, and the others knelt to accompany the wine. They also called over two young performers to kneel and sing a bit of "Shisanqiang·Xiyu Jiri," and everyone poured several cups of wine for Xi Menqing. Zhu Shinian said, "Brother, don’t forget Zheng Feng and Wu Hui when you treat us to a meal that day." Then it was decided: "You two must go." Zheng Feng smiled and said, "We will definitely serve you." After a while, the toasts were finished, everyone sat back down, and they ate for a while longer. As it got late, Xi Menqing couldn’t sit still anymore and quickly stood up to take his leave. Count Ying still wanted to stop him from leaving, but Xie Xida said, "Brother Ying, just let him go. Don’t hold him up and make his wife mad."
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Ximen Qing rode his horse straight to Lion Street. Li Ping'er had already removed her mourning clothes and changed into beautiful attire. The room was brightly lit, with a table full of food and a grand chair in the center for Ximen Qing to sit in. A maid held a wine jug, Li Ping'er poured a cup of fine wine for Ximen Qing, kowtowed four times, and said, "Today the spirit tablet has been offered; thank you for not looking down on me, allowing me to fulfill my wish." After finishing the ritual, she stood up. Ximen Qing also stood up, toasted Li Ping'er with a cup of wine, and then sat down. He then asked, "Did Huada and his wife say anything today?" Li Ping'er replied, "After lunch, I called him to the room and discussed the situation here. He readily agreed without any objections. He only mentioned that either tomorrow or the day after, he would let his wife come to our house. I gave him ten taels of silver and two sets of clothes, and the couple was overjoyed. Before leaving, they repeatedly thanked me." Ximen Qing said, "Since he said so, I will let them come over. But if he dares to speak nonsense, he won't be spared by me either." Li Ping'er added, "If he dares to talk nonsense, I won't spare him either." Then, pouring fine wine into silver-rimmed cups, Li Ping'er accompanied Ximen Qing to drink a few cups. Because she was happy, Li Ping'er was even more cheerful than usual, beaming with joy, and asked Ximen Qing, "Just now when you were drinking at Ying's house, did anyone notice when Daian came to fetch you?" Ximen Qing replied, "Ying Baojue figured it out and pressured the servant to spill some details, creating a bit of a scene. The brothers all wanted to congratulate me, called for opera singers, and helped me out by pouring me several cups of wine. I quickly left; they still wanted to stop me, but in the end, they let me go." Li Ping'er said, "It's kind of funny that they let you go." Ximen Qing looked at Li Ping'er's charming drunken appearance, with a tender look in his eyes, he couldn't help but feel touched. The two were intimate, and Li Ping'er hugged Ximen Qing and said, "My dear brother! If you really want to marry me, let's make it happen soon. It's not convenient for you to come and go like this; don't keep me waiting here day and night."
After they finished speaking, the two hugged tightly, truly a moment of warmth.
Feelings run deep with our chests pressed tightly together, our arms gently intertwined; looking into the silver basin, still questioning whether this is a dream.
