Placing this painting aside, Lu Zheng once again let his brush flow, painting a Peach Grove Ladies Painting.
The background of the painting featured a peach tree large enough for two people to circle with their arms joined; beneath the tree stood a lady in a trailing phoenix-tailed skirt in pink and red gauze, wearing a Hundred-Cui Flying Sparrow Gold Hairpin, with lipstick and eyeshadow applied. Her eyes were bright as water, gazing outside the picture.
This was precisely the image of Shen Ying who appeared in Lu Zheng’s dream that night.
One shouldn’t favor one over the other!
The next day, Lu Zheng sent both paintings for mounting, and to avoid any mishaps, he specifically delivered them to a modern shop, instructing them to use traditional mounting methods.
Thinking it over, Lu Zheng returned to the past, buying a blank stitched book from a bookstore.
Two days passed by in a flash.
The Qixi Festival arrived as scheduled.
Early in the morning, Lu Zheng already heard the bustling noise outside.
It was a rare festival day, and rural farmers from the countryside came to town carrying goods, adding to the Qixi Festival’s lively atmosphere.
"Brother Lu! Are you there? Sister asks you to join us for a walk!"
Lu Zheng stepped out in agreement and saw Liu Qingyan and her sister waiting outside the door.
Liu Qingyan was dressed in a water-green plain silk cloud water skirt today, with her hair simply coiled into a bun with a copper hairpin, facing him without makeup, yet appearing even more fresh and beautiful.
Indeed, after hearing Lu Zheng’s compliment the other day, Liu Qingyan’s appearance truly perfectly matched that line of poetry.
"It’s busy in town today, so I have to ask Lu Lang to keep us company."
"That is exactly what I wish for!"
Liu Qingyan smiled as she linked her arm with Liu Qingquan, walking ahead.
Lu Zheng smiled, swiftly taking a few steps forward, following just behind Liu Qingyan.
The trio left Tongyi Lane, and Elder Liu and Madam Liu peeked their heads out stealthily from the main gate.
"Qingyan is really falling for him."
"What’s there to fear? Lu Lang is great."
"I’m just afraid that when Lu Lang learns the truth, he might not be willing!"
"He won’t. He even said at that time..."
"Those were just words. Look, he’s highly skilled in martial arts, excellent in literature, has already succeeded in cultivation, and obviously has a promising future. He’ll surely hold a prestigious status in the future; how could he marry her?
Even if Qingyan were to humble herself, future mistresses might bully her!"
"What should we do? Move again?"
"Sigh, I don’t know either..."
"If you don’t know, don’t interfere. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I see that Lu Lang doesn’t aspire for fame and title but rather values freedom in the world."
"I hope so. As long as Qingyan has a good life in the future, I will be satisfied."
"Don’t worry. Anything is better than forcing Qingyan to marry that brute!"
"Pah! What nonsense. Even if Qingyan were to be a concubine to Lu Lang, we can’t push her into a pit of fire!"
"Isn’t that settled then! Fine, the festival brings many people today; an unexpected situation might occur. I’ll go sit in the store and see patients."
"Go on, go on. Take it slow. I’ll bring you lunch at noon."
On the street, it seemed like everyone from miles around came into town.
Lu Zheng accompanied Liu Qingyan by her side, indeed warding off several eager scholars.
"There are so many people!"
"Yes, yes, and so many delicious foods!"
Liu Qingquan had a piece of osmanthus cake in her left hand and a skewer of candied haws in her right, her eyes fixed on a vendor making sugar figurines with a cart.
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan stopped intermittently, intrigued by a nearby acrobatics show.
Breaking stones on the chest!
Blindfolded knife throwing!
Indeed it was thrilling, making Liu Qingyan exclaim repeatedly.
Especially during the blindfolded knife throwing segment, Liu Qingyan covered her eyes, not daring to watch, nearly burrowing into Lu Zheng’s arms.
At the end of the performance, Liu Qingyan stood aside blushing, while Lu Zheng gleefully rewarded the acrobats with a handful of copper coins.
Along the way, Liu Qingyan and Lu Zheng wandered and strolled, snacked, and watched performances, also noticing literary scholars and beautiful ladies in pairs along the way.
They strolled around and it was almost noon.
"Let’s go to Yu Ling Garden. There’s a play in the afternoon, and we can have lunch there. If we’re late, we won’t get good seats." Liu Qingyan’s tone revealed a rare hint of playfulness.
They booked a private room, ordered four dishes and a soup, and Lu Zheng saw endless streams of people coming in from the window.
"My goodness, I never knew there were so many people in Tonglin County."
"Today is Yu Ling Garden’s signature play, and it’s Qixi Festival; of course, there are a lot of people."
"Brother Lu, you really don’t care much about plays, not knowing even this." Liu Qingquan’s small mouth was stuffed full, her appetite seemingly endless, "It’s ’Dongling Spring,’ a story of a talented scholar and a beautiful lady."
Well, except for the name, the rest of the sentence was redundant.
Doubtless, a romance play was to be performed on Qixi Festival. Even in the modern era where Lu Zheng was from, Valentine’s Day was for airing romance films.
They quickly finished their meal, Yu Ling Garden cleared the bowls and chopsticks, and served fragrant tea and snacks. Relaxedly sipping tea, Lu Zheng noticed the stage downstairs was set with tables and chairs, ready to start.
Then, in the afternoon, Lu Zheng watched with a bewildered expression as this melodramatic play unfolded from start to finish.
The classic pairing of a poor scholar and a rich young lady.
The classic misunderstanding beginning.
The classic display of talent and revelation of beauty.
The classic love at first sight and loss of appetite.
The classic breaking of romance and classic aid from friends.
The classic scholar achieving fame and the young lady in despair.
Followed by the classic helping hand, classic promise of marriage, and classic happy ending for the lovers.
What could I say, even as Huaxia evolved from ancient times to contemporary, many story formulas remain unchanged.
It’s just that, while the formula is constant, character design, plot, twists, etc., reflect the creator’s prowess.
Take ’The Western Wing;’ it follows a similar formula to this play, yet ’The Western Wing’ is a classic, whereas this play before Lu Zheng felt just barely watchable.
Glancing at Liu Qingyan’s perfect profile, Lu Zheng wondered whether to bring her some romance novels from modern female-literature.
Hmm, on second thought, better not to court trouble.
At 3:00 PM, the play ended, and Liu Qingyan and her sister stretched lazily but unwillingly.
"Today, my mother cooked pork and chicken and specifically asked me to invite you for dinner." Liu Qingyan said with feigned indifference.
"Alright." Lu Zheng smiled, "Then let’s go to Renxin Hall and head back with Uncle Liu."
The two of them, joined by a little sidekick, waited briefly before heading downstairs, avoiding the surging crowds, strolling toward East Street’s Renxin Hall.
However, just as the three arrived at the entrance of the medical shop, they heard a young voice shouting inside, "Please, doctor, save my mother, I’m begging you!"
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan exchanged glances, hurriedly stepping inside, with Liu Qingquan following behind, taking a glance into the room.