Chapter 159 - 156: Delivering Vegetables
Soon, Li Xiu finished writing the letter, and Zhou Lian finished picking the vegetables. Li Xiu packed them into a bamboo basket, tucked the letter away, and left on his bicycle.
Zhou Lian looked at the remaining vegetables in the kitchen. ’They’d really made a dent in them today.’ Some had been picked in the morning to take to Zhang Hongying’s home, and more had just been picked now. However, because Li Xiu and Sister Fang took such good care of them, the plants grew especially lush. There was still plenty for their own family to eat, and they could even send some to the old gentleman every few days.
Sister Fang and Nuonuo returned home as well. Zhou Lian began discussing what to make for dinner with Sister Fang, playfully teasing Nuonuo on the side. Nuonuo could walk quite steadily now, and her pronunciation was clear. But she was still small, so she could only get a few words out at a time.
"Sir, Li Xiu just delivered a basket of things. He dropped it off and left immediately. What should we do?" The guard looked at Elder Ping, troubled. The elder never accepted gifts, but this Li Xiu fellow had just put the basket down, gotten on his bike, and left without saying a word, catching them completely off guard.
Looking at the bamboo basket in the guard’s hands, Elder Ping smiled and took it. He lifted the lid. Inside was a basket full of vegetables with an unsealed letter resting on top. Taking the letter, Elder Ping slowly drew out the pages within. It read:
Dear Elder,
Please don’t take offense. Jin Chen knows of your principles and has no intention of undermining them. I grew all these vegetables myself. My wife has been a picky eater since she was little, and I couldn’t bear the thought of her having no fresh vegetables to eat in the dead of winter. So, I planted some in wooden tubs in our kitchen. Perhaps it’s a result of all the care I put into them, but they grow especially lush every year. There are only three of us in our family, and our daughter is still small, so we can’t possibly eat them all. I always end up picking them to give away. Back in my hometown, I had relatives to give them to, but here in the Capital City, I have nowhere to send them. So, Elder, please do me a favor. It’s a shame to let food go to waste!
And please don’t think about trying to compensate me for this in some other way. Jin Chen is the student of an old friend, as well as a junior countryman. If my master knew his beloved disciple couldn’t even give away the vegetables he grew, he would find it terribly shameful. You and he were good friends, so won’t you please help him save some face?
I swear, these are truly all homegrown. They didn’t cost a single penny, so this certainly isn’t a bribe. Besides, you and my master went through life and death together so many times—that’s an ironclad friendship. Isn’t his beloved disciple also your junior? A junior from the family giving a few vegetables to an elder violates no rules or regulations. So please, do me the honor and give them a taste!
Respectfully, your junior, Li Jincheng
After finishing the letter, Elder Ping felt a stir of emotion. ’The boy is treating me simply as an old friend’s elder.’ Looking at the verdant green vegetables and brilliant red tomatoes and peppers in the basket, he set the letter down and took the items out one by one, placing them on the table. The guard exclaimed in surprise, "To get such a variety in this cold weather is truly something else!"
Six tomatoes, six cucumbers, a bunch of bok choy, a bunch of garland chrysanthemums, a bunch of cilantro, a bunch of lettuce, a bundle of long beans, a bundle of flat beans, and a small pile of green and red chili peppers—each and every one a rare sight in the dead of winter.
"Yes, it’s a testament to his thoughtfulness," Elder Ping remarked, his gaze on the items on the table and his mind on the letter.
"Sir, where did these come from? They’re such a rare find in the dead of winter!" The Secretary-General, who had come to report on his work, saw the items on the table and asked happily. The elder was getting on in years and always ate very little, especially in winter. He was also incredibly principled. With these vegetables, they could finally add some variety to his meals.
Glancing at the elder, who was still looking wistful, the guard explained, "They were sent by that Mr. Ge’s disciple."
The Secretary-General raised an eyebrow. ’A disciple taught by him... no wonder.’ Only that old gentleman could produce such a brilliant disciple with a Seven-orifice Exquisite Heart. He chuckled softly. "So, our elder accepted the gift?"
The guard shook his head gently. He didn’t know the elder’s intentions either. But whether he accepted it or not, this Li Xiu had clearly made a good impression on him.
"Take a look at this," Elder Ping said, handing the letter to the Secretary-General.
Taking the letter, the Secretary-General scanned it in an instant. A thought arose in his mind: ’Just as I expected.’ ’Look at how this letter is written... truly the work of someone with a Seven-orifice Exquisite Heart. What a talent!’ He felt an immediate urge to recruit him and said with a smile, "What is this Li Jincheng doing now? Why not have him come and give me a hand? It would be a pity for such talent to go to waste!"
Elder Ping pointed at him with an amused expression. "If you think you have what it takes, go recruit him yourself!" ’That boy hinted, both directly and indirectly, that his master loved the Wei Jin style, and that he, following his master’s teachings, also greatly admired the Wei Jin style. As if I don’t know what that implies!’
"What, is he unwilling?" the Secretary-General asked in surprise. ’That can’t be right. Isn’t he a young man just in his early twenties? Why wouldn’t he want to get ahead in the world?’
"Unwilling. His greatest love is the Wei Jin style!" Elder Ping said, looking at him teasingly. He savored the rare sight of this glib Secretary-General being put on the back foot. This Secretary-General was the son of another old friend, exceptionally clever from a young age and smooth as silk in his dealings.
"His greatest love is the Wei Jin style?" the Secretary-General asked, his expression turning ugly. ’Is it what I think it is?’ His own father also professed a great love for the Wei Jin style and had forced him to study this so-called "panache" since he was a child. It was utter hell. His father had spent his life in the military; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a brute. It was a miracle he could even recite a few Tang poems, yet he insisted on pretending to be a man of culture. Since he couldn’t grasp it himself, he forced it on the younger generation. The Secretary-General simply wasn’t cut out for it, and he had received more than his fair share of lectures on the subject as a child!
Seeing the Secretary-General’s look of someone who had just swallowed a fly, Elder Ping roared with laughter. In the past, the Secretary-General’s father had been teased mercilessly by Yun Qi. The two of them were the worst kind of friends, always trading barbs. But now, they were separated forever by death. "By the way, does your father know yet?"
"I don’t think so! I haven’t been home yet today," the Secretary-General said after a moment’s thought. His father was currently paying no mind to the happenings of the world, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he hadn’t heard.
"Mm, you should tell him when you go back. He’s been missing Yun Qi for so many years," Elder Ping said, his mood growing somber. ’Not many of the old comrades are left. We’ve gotten old... all of us.’
"Alright. My father often brings up the past and is very nostalgic for Mr. Ge. If he learns that Mr. Ge has passed away, I’m afraid he’ll be heartbroken for a good while," the Secretary-General said, pursing his lips. He had also met the old gentleman as a child. He was about ten years old when Mr. Ge had advised him not to pay any mind to his father’s unreasonable demands. ’So what if you don’t love the Wei Jin style? As long as you act with a clear conscience, that’s all that matters. Life is short, only a few decades. To do what you love, with a conscience clear before heaven and earth, is the foundation on which a man builds his life!’
"Indeed. Yun Qi admired your father greatly. He used to say your father had a heart of utter sincerity. I remember he offered you some guidance as well when you were a boy," Elder Ping said wistfully.
"He did for a few days, but he said I wasn’t the type he admired. I was too much of a worrier, too rigid, and lacked the uninhibited liveliness of a proper youth!"
Elder Ping smiled. "If you have the time, you should meet his star disciple. In some ways, Jin Chen is just like his master, and in other ways, not at all. That boy is even more of a handful than his master was. You’ll see when you meet him. But I think you’ll like Jin Chen’s personality!" ’Such a proud and carefree young man, who understands the ways of the world without being worldly himself... one can’t help but feel a sense of joy just looking at him.’