Feudal Dregs - Chapter 48

Several strings of Lan Yu's pipa had snapped, and the backboard had split—completely ruined. The instrument was old, a gift from his mother on his tenth birthday.

From the moment he could remember, his mother had been working on a pleasure barge. Many of the women there were skilled in music and the arts, and one in particular played the pipa masterfully. As a child, Lan Yu would hide and watch her practice. She never scolded him, often teasing him instead, asking if he wanted her to teach him.

Women on the pleasure barges weren't supposed to have children. But Lan Yu had been a delicate, lovely boy, and his mother, Sang-shi, was alone with him. Most of the women pitied them.

At first, her offer had been casual. But over time, she realized Lan Yu had genuine talent—though what kind of boy played the pipa?

Originally, the Sang family didn't want Lan Yu to play the pipa either. But in these difficult times, with Lan Yu having no foundation or background, it was better for him to learn a skill. At the very least, even in these lowly professions, there would always be a place for him.

So many years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Back when Madam Sang was gravely ill, Lan Yu had pawned off all the savings she had accumulated over the years, nearly selling the pipa as well. In the end, he had to sign a contract of indenture with the brothel madam while clutching the pipa to secure another sum of money.

Unfortunately, Madam Sang didn't make it. The woman, barely over thirty, was reduced to skin and bones, her remains light as a feather when gathered after death.

Lan Yu spent every last coin of that money to buy her a coffin, burying her on the mountainside. During Qingming Festival, the slopes would be blanketed in vibrant red flowers—a resting place of sorts.

Memories flooded back as Lan Yu's hands trembled slightly around the pipa, the only thing his mother had left him.

Unable to part with the old instrument, Lan Yu placed it in a wooden case and set out with Yin Huan in tow.

Zhang's Music Store had previously replaced its strings and tuned it for him. When Lan Yu brought the damaged pipa in, the shopkeeper frowned at its severe wear and hesitated, "This instrument is far too aged, sir. Not just the backboard, but the interior is damaged as well..."

Lan Yu's heart sank. "Money is no object, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper studied him. "Cost isn't the main issue. I'll need our master craftsman to assess it first. Even if repaired, the tonal quality might be compromised."

"That's alright," Lan Yu said. "This pipa is my late mother's only keepsake. I wish to preserve it as a memento."

With a sigh, the shopkeeper replied, "Then please leave it with us. Once restored, we'll deliver it to your residence."

Lan Yu raised his hands in a respectful bow. "My gratitude."

"Ah—no need for such formalities!" The shopkeeper hastily sidestepped the gesture with a smile. "You're our patron—how could I accept your bows?"

"The repairs may take some time. You'll need to be patient."

Lan Yu nodded. "Understood."

After receiving the shopkeeper's receipt, Lan Yu stepped out of the store, his heart still heavy. It was a fine day-clear skies with wispy clouds, the roadside leaves yellowing at autumn's peak, clinging stubbornly before their eventual fall.

Yin Huan said softly, "Master, don't worry too much. The pipa will surely be restored."

Lan Yu glanced at her and nodded. "It's been long since you left the estate, hasn't it?" He removed the purse from his waist and handed it to her. "Go enjoy yourself for a while."

Yin Huan shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum. "I'll stay with you."

Lan Yu smiled. "I'd like some time alone. Go amuse yourself—buy some rouge or hair ornaments you fancy."

The pink flower adorning Yin Huan's bun had faded with age. "Go on," he urged.

The young girl touched the worn decoration self-consciously, cheeks coloring slightly as she mumbled, "Then please take care, master."

Without accepting the purse, she kept looking back every few steps as she walked away. Amid the bustling crowd and constant street hawkers' cries, Lan Yu stood watching her with tranquil eyes—so still he seemed on the verge of dissolving into the air. When Yin Huan paused, about to turn back, Lan Yu had already disappeared down another lane.

Beijing's vastness presented scenery utterly different from Yangzhou. Autumn arrived earlier here too; fewer people wore short jackets now beyond the rickshaw pullers and laborers.

Despite having lived in Beijing for so long, this was Lan Yu's first proper look at the capital city.

The streets were bustling with crowds, where long gowns and mandarin jackets mingled with Western suits and modern fashion. Among the sea of Chinese faces were also fair-haired, blue-eyed foreigners, most of them exquisitely dressed, their every gesture exuding an air of superiority. Lan Yu glanced at them briefly before averting his gaze. At the street corner lay a few ragged beggars, an elderly woman with a numb expression kneeling by the roadside, clutching a malnourished child as she begged. Lan Yu had seen many such beggars in Yangzhou, and on his journey north from there. Even in this city of Beijing, countless people endured day after day—it was hard to say who suffered more than whom.

It was like purgatory, as if living itself was an ordeal.

Just to survive, nothing more.

Lan Yu recalled Madam Sang's final words before her death—she had urged him to live on. Even when he left Yangzhou, he went to bid farewell to the master who once taught him to play the pipa.

They met at the back gate. A man in his sixties had bought her as a concubine.

Her face was thickly powdered, but it couldn't conceal her exhaustion. She looked at Lan Yu with worry, sighed, and said, "Lan Yu, who in this world doesn't suffer? You have to live to see tomorrow. You're still young."

Lost in thought, Lan Yu was suddenly overwhelmed by an indescribable loneliness that seeped into every fiber of his being. Before he even realized it, he felt so utterly desolate.

Suddenly, someone called out, "Ninth Concubine."

Lan Yu turned his head expressionlessly and saw Tong Ping holding the reins, stopping the carriage beside him.

Tong Ping jumped down and opened the carriage door, saying, "After you."

Lan Yu lifted his eyes and met Li Mingzheng's gaze directly. Li Mingzheng sat inside the carriage, watching him calmly.

Their eyes locked.

Lan Yu stepped onto the footstool and bent down to enter the carriage. Tong Ping closed the door, and the carriage slowly set off again. Inside the confined space with Li Mingzheng, the latter showed no intention of speaking, leaning back with his eyes closed as if resting. Lan Yu watched him briefly before turning away.

Silence filled the carriage, the clatter of hooves and wheels making the street vendors' cries outside seem even louder.

"Where's the anklet?" Li Mingzheng suddenly asked.

Lan Yu didn't even lift his eyelids. "It was broken."

Li Mingzheng didn't press further, but Lan Yu added, "Aren't you going to ask who broke it?"

He answered his own question. "Li Yuqing. He crushed it, so I threw it away."

Li Mingzheng said, "Then it's gone."

His indifferent response made Lan Yu feel like he'd punched cotton. He opened his eyes and stared straight at Li Mingzheng. "Make me another one."

Li Mingzheng glanced at him.

Lan Yu added, "Prettier than the last one. With gemstones."

Li Mingzheng replied, "Fine."

Suddenly, Lan Yu cursed at him, "Coward. Li Yuqing destroyed your things, and you won't lift a finger."

"Worthless."

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