TRCT_04
Chapter 4: Renaming — Tit for Tat
"Don't blame your grandmother either. So many people are dying on the European battlefield every day, we were already on edge, and then the news came that you had been hit by a shell. Never mind your grandmother, even your father nearly fainted from the shock..."
The second young master of the Xie family's bedroom was located directly above the small sitting room, reached by going up the east staircase to the second floor and turning right.
Pushing open the heavy door revealed a large room filled with bright sunlight.
Ji Qingzhou, following behind the mother and son, was momentarily dazzled by the slanting rays of light.
He narrowed his eyes and began quietly observing the room he was about to move into.
The room was large, approximately forty square meters.
Black walnut floors were laid in a herringbone pattern throughout. To the right upon entering was a two-meter-wide Windsor bed, and to the left was a door leading to the washroom and bathroom.
On the cashmere rug near the windows on the left side of the room sat two sofa chairs, and beside them, pushed against the wall, stood a set of black walnut chest drawers of varying heights, with a blue and white porcelain vase on top holding several blue irises.
Opposite the bed was the same octagonal configuration as the sitting room downstairs, fitted with three tall black fixed-frame glass lattice windows.
In front of the windows hung milky white lace curtains and dark green velvet drapes, and outside the windows swayed several chinaberry tree branches reaching in from the front of the house, their flowers and leaves lush and full of greenery.
It had to be said, the interior designer hired by the Xie family had quite good taste. The color palette was just right, elegant without being ostentatious, and Ji Qingzhou was very pleased.
"Military merit is important, serving the country is also important, but your health matters more to us than anything.
"What use is being awarded the rank of colonel after suffering such serious injuries? You can only stay home and recuperate like anyone else."
"Mom, I need to rest."
The implication being: please leave.
Shen Nanqi helped him sit down on the sofa and said patiently, "I only have these two days free to keep you company. There is still so much to do at the school. I will be leaving for Suzhou first thing the day after tomorrow, and by then you won't even be able to hear me nag if you wanted to!"
"Your students need you more than I do."
Shen Nanqi was at a loss for words.
After years of separation, and less than half an hour of reunion, it was as though her son's few words had drained every last drop of her maternal love. She turned her head and beckoned to Ji Qingzhou:
"Yunqing, look after him. He has difficulty moving around now, so it is best that you keep an eye on him every moment."
"Every moment, is it? Very well."
As those words fell, Ji Qingzhou noticed the corner of the second young master Xie's lips dip slightly, and thought to himself that Madam Xie's gesture was most likely tinged with a bit of a vengeful spirit.
That said, Shen Nanqi was still a mother who doted on her child. Before leaving, she made a point of reminding Ji Qingzhou:
"The brass bell beneath the light switch connects to the tea room. If there is anything you are unsure of, or if you need to step away for a while, press the bell. A' You is usually waiting there and will come to attend to you when he hears it."
Ji Qingzhou gave a nod, paused for two seconds, and added: "Don't worry, Auntie."
The form of address was fitting for his assumed identity as a 'cousin by marriage'.
As for 'mother-in-law' or 'Mom,' those were words he simply could not bring himself to say.
Then again, Madam Xie most likely had no wish to hear such terms of address from him either.
The moment Shen Nanqi left and the door closed behind her, Ji Qingzhou's entire body relaxed at once.
He slouched lazily into the other single-seat sofa, sitting face to face with his 'husband'.
Taking advantage of being the only pair of fully functioning eyes in the room, he openly pulled out his phone from his bag, brought up the blurry photograph, and held it up against the young master before him.
The more he compared, the more similar they appeared, and he was almost certain they were the same person.
Xie Yu'an had no idea what he was doing, only hearing the faint rustling sounds, which irritated him for no particular reason.
After a brief silence, he said, "You, go outside too."
Ji Qingzhou put away his phone and replied in an unhurried tone, "That won't do. You can't see, and if you bump into something and something happens, I'll be the one in trouble."
Knowing he could not drive him away, Xie Yu'an simply leaned back against the sofa to rest and said nothing more.
Despite the room's owner radiating an unmistakably unwelcoming air, the intruder poured himself a cup of tea with complete ease.
He drank it down in one go to wet his throat, then leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, "Let me ask you something. Do you know Qiu Wenxin?"
Upon hearing that name, the young master, who had been facing toward the window as though basking in the light, turned his head ever so slightly.
Ji Qingzhou had not expected to get a straightforward answer from him at all. He only wanted to gauge the result through his reaction.
Seeing that he remained silent, Ji Qingzhou continued, "Your family's house in Suzhou is built right next to the Guoxue Study, isn't it? I heard that is Qiu Wenxin's hometown, so I figured you must know him.
"Don't read too much into it. I only came across Mr. Qiu's articles in the newspaper, and I admire him greatly. It just came to mind, so I asked on a whim. No other meaning behind it."
"Admire what exactly?" Unexpectedly, the young master actually replied, "His Hangzhou shrimp and eel noodles, or Shaoxing's stinky fermented tofu?"
Ji Qingzhou raised an eyebrow. He had asked the question precisely because he recalled that Qiu Wenxin had already begun publishing novels and essays in newspapers from a young age.
So at this point in time, could Mr. Qiu still be in his food critic phase?
"Let's drop that," After a brief moment of awkwardness, Ji Qingzhou smoothly changed the subject, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ji Qingzhou, I came from the capital, and I was originally a Peking opera performer."
"Not Ji Yunqing?"
"Ji Yunqing is my stage name. I have changed my name now. It is Ji Qingzhou."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yu'an let out a sudden snicker.
In an instant, Ji Qingzhou's expression turned cool, "What are you laughing at?"
"A well-chosen new name," said Xie Yu'an, his tone laced with a cold barb, "Quite fitting for the way you carry yourself*."
*t/n; Qingzhou (輕舟, Qīng Zhōu) literally means "light boat" or "small, unburdened boat". The way Xie Yu'an's cold remark was that the name is implying that Ji Qingzhou is someone who "Travels light with no real ties or loyalty, drifting wherever is most convenient for him" or "Latches onto the Xie family like a boat attaching itself to a bigger ship, then considers himself free and unburdened".
That was clearly not a compliment.
Ji Qingzhou turned it over in his mind and figured the other man was either mocking him for going whichever way the wind blows, or ridiculing him for latching onto the Xie family and thinking he could now rest easy without a care in the world.
Either way, it was certainly nothing kind.
Interesting. Having lived for over twenty years, Ji Qingzhou had encountered plenty of people who took issue with his character, but someone taking issue with his name was truly a first.
He mimicked the other man's snicker and said shamelessly, "Never mind what methods are used. If it solves the problem without harming anyone's interests, it is a perfectly good method. At most, it just makes you uncomfortable."
Xie Yu'an offered no comment on this, maintaining the same indifferent expression as before.
But Ji Qingzhou was quite sure that inwardly, the man was rolling his eyes.
Bearing in mind that he could not afford to completely alienate his employer, having just landed one blow, he quickly softened his tone:
"Actually, there is no need for the two of us to be at each other's throats like this. We are not in a real arranged marriage. This is simply a working arrangement, each getting what we need."
As he spoke, he kept an eye on the other man's reaction, "Since things have already been decided and you cannot defy your grandmother, let us just make do for now. Once you have recovered, we can go our separate ways.
"As for the present, you can set your mind at ease. Since I have accepted your family's offer, I will take good care of you. Just think of it as hiring a caretaker.
"Well, was that not sincere enough?"
Xie Yu'an leaned back against his chair, utterly unmoved, like a statue with no response whatsoever.
"Then I will take that as agreement," Ji Qingzhou quickly picked up the old madam's way of communicating.
He then asked in a breezy tone, "You have not introduced yourself yet. Your name is Xie Yuanyuan? You do not look particularly round though."
"Xie Yu'an."
"How do you write it?"
Xie Yu'an shut down his language system once more, coldly silent.
"Alright then," Ji Qingzhou slapped his knee and stood up, intending to do something else to redirect his attention.
Truth be told, if Xie Yu'an did not have such good looks, continually softening his anger through sheer appearance alone, Ji Qingzhou would long since have lost control of his temper and thrown a basin of cold water right in that mute's face.
He got up and walked to the window to take in the view, then stepped into the washroom to have a look at the bathing facilities of the era.
Coming back out, he was just about to take a closer look at the paintings on the wall when he heard a knock at the door.
Ji Qingzhou went to open it and found the shaved-headed manservant he had seen earlier standing in the doorway, holding his suitcase and trunk.
"Sir, would you like me to unpack your luggage for you?"
The manservant was lean and sharp-featured, roughly the same height as Ji Qingzhou, and actually had quite a striking look about him. Yet when he spoke, he instinctively lowered his head slightly, curved his spine, and adopted a deferential, unassuming manner.
"No need, I will do it myself," Ji Qingzhou took the luggage, "By the way, where is the wardrobe room?"
"The room directly across from you is the one. The door is unlocked," The manservant turned and gestured toward the room opposite.
"Thank you," Ji Qingzhou flashed a bright smile, never having felt how pleasant it was to speak with an ordinary person until this moment. He then asked, "If I recall correctly, you are A' You?"
"Yes, sir." The manservant gave a shy smile and replied in a mild tone, "My name is Huang Youshu. I have worked by the second young master's side since childhood. You may call me A' You or A' Shu, whichever you prefer."
Ji Qingzhou gave a nod and was just about to close the door when another thought came to him, "Is there any lunch to be had?"
"The meal hour has already passed," said Huang Youshu in Mandarin tinged with a slight Wu dialect accent, "but I can go to the kitchen and have the cook prepare something. I will bring it to the small dining room next door. What would you like to eat?"
"What are the options?"
"That depends on your taste. There are cooks for Beijing cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, and local Shanghai cuisine, and someone who can also prepare Fujian and Sichuan dishes. There is also one who specializes in Western food and pastries. Whatever you fancy, it is available."
Ji Qingzhou, thinking he would keep it simple, said, "Bring me a steak then, medium-well, and a cup of coffee with milk but no sugar."
"Very good, sir. I will have it brought to you right away."
Closing the door, Ji Qingzhou turned around to find that Xie Yu'an had stood up at some point, cane in hand, and was making his way toward the bed one cautious step at a time.
"What are you doing?"
"Sleeping." Xie Yu'an's tone was completely flat. He reached the bedside in a few steps, "You may leave now."
Seeing that he genuinely intended to rest, and that it made no difference whether the curtains were drawn or not, Ji Qingzhou agreed, "Alright, you sleep. I will go have lunch."
.
Perhaps genuinely tired, Xie Yu'an slept through the entire afternoon.
In the meantime, Ji Qingzhou quietly pushed open the door and peeked in twice, and seeing him still sound asleep both times, chose not to go in and disturb him.
Making use of the free time, he wandered through every accessible part of the Xie mansion, including the garden, and gained a general understanding of the layout and purpose of each room and hall.
In the process, he also struck up friendly conversations with the servants, the gardener, the driver, and even the guards at the gatehouse, piecing together from these exchanges a rough picture of the Xie family.
The master of this residence, that is to say, the patriarch of the Xie family, was named Xie Jianshan. He was the undisputed 'property magnate' of present-day Shanghai, and beyond that had invested in and founded numerous enterprises spanning shipping, mining, finance, and textiles, and currently served as chairman of Jinfeng Co., Ltd.
His wife, Shen Nanqi, was the daughter of a wealthy Cantonese merchant. She had studied abroad in the United States in her earlier years and upon returning to China had turned to education, and now served as the principal of the Suzhou Women's Sericulture School.
Xie Jianshan and his wife had only two sons. The elder, Xie Yuchuan, was married with one daughter.
The younger, Xie Yu'an, could more or less be considered married as well.
As for the wealth and standing of the Xie family, Ji Qingzhou had already formed his own impression from the sheer size and decor of the mansion, and so accepted all of this with little reaction.
Only one detail came as a mild surprise: in an era when keeping concubines was commonplace, the Xie family had a house rule strictly forbidding it.
When the gardener mentioned this rule in a gossipy tone while trimming the rose bushes, Ji Qingzhou's first thought was: no wonder Xie Yu'an looked at him with such hostility.
Even so, regardless of all that, he was already married into the family. Until he had the means to stand on his own in this turbulent era, Xie Yu'an would simply have to bear with it.
.
That evening, Ji Qingzhou met the Xie family patriarch and Xie Yuchuan's wife and daughter in the main dining room on the ground floor of the west wing.
Xie Jianshan was a gentleman of around forty, tall and well-built, dressed in a traditional Chinese long robe, with a neat and scholarly short beard and his hair combed smoothly back behind his ears. He had a spirited and distinguished air about him.
In terms of appearance, Ji Qingzhou felt that Xie Yuchuan bore a greater resemblance to his father. Both father and son had the same double-lidded peach-blossom eyes and lips that curved ever so slightly upward, giving them a look of warmth and gentle refinement.
Xie Yu'an, on the other hand, clearly took more after his mother, with jet-black hair, cool pale skin, a straight and prominent nose bridge, and lips of an even, light tone. Ji Qingzhou imagined that beneath that black gauze band, there must be a pair of sharp phoenix eyes much like Shen Nanqi's.
Coming back to the matter at hand, when Ji Qingzhou encountered Xie Jianshan in the dining room, the man was sitting with a broad smile, holding his granddaughter in his arms while reading an English newspaper with her.
Ji Qingzhou had assumed that a business magnate of his stature would carry an air of stern authority and rarely smile, so the sight caught him somewhat off guard.
And when Xie Jianshan saw him, his 'son-in-law,' he dropped any semblance of a patriarch's airs entirely. He set his granddaughter down and beckoned Ji Qingzhou over, offering a few words of fatherly advice, before suddenly steering the conversation in an unexpected direction:
"Nanqi mentioned you were a celebrated performer in the capital and had even worked with Master Tan?"
Not quite sure how to respond, Ji Qingzhou simply gave an easy smile, "That was all in the past."
Xie Jianshan took this as a tacit confirmation, leaned back and reminisced, "When I was in my teens, I was very fond of Kun opera¹, and would even join others in rehearsing and singing a few passages of the sheng role², though I was not particularly good at it.
"After coming to Shanghai, I rarely got to hear Kun opera anymore. Occasionally I would go with Nanqi to watch Peking opera. If you have skill in that area, do find an occasion someday to sing a few pieces and treat us to something special."
Ji Qingzhou at that moment actually wished he would be more serious, as what he said left him with absolutely no way to respond.
Fortunately, at that moment the servants brought in the food, and Shen Nanqi also walked into the dining room with Xie Yu'an, who had just woken up from a nap, so Xie Jianshan's attention naturally shifted to his son who had returned home injured.
Since there were few people, the seating arrangements for the Xie family's meal were easy to distribute.
Xie Jianshan and his wife sat at the head of the rectangular dining table, with the eldest son's family and the second son seated on either side.
The old madam only ate vegetarian food and did not dine with them.
So when the family sat around the large mahogany dining table, across from Ji Qingzhou were Xie Yuchuan's wife and daughter.
Xie Yuchuan's wife, Zhao Yanzhi, was someone Ji Qingzhou should properly call sister-in-law.
She was currently pregnant, and perhaps for that reason her figure and face had become somewhat rounded, though one could still make out her gentle and delicate features.
As for Xie Yuchuan's daughter, Xie Linlong, she was not yet five years old.
Ji Qingzhou had initially assumed she was a shy and timid little girl, because during the meal the girl kept sneaking glances at him from time to time, looking as though she wanted to talk to him but was too embarrassed to speak up.
Until her mother noticed her little gestures and gently reminded her: "Is this your first time meeting your uncle? What should Linlong call him?"
The little girl blinked her big eyes and immediately called out: "Little Auntie!"
That 'little auntie' hit him square in the face, and Ji Qingzhou nearly lost his composure.
After all, children speak without inhibition, and both Xie Jianshan and Shen Nanqi heard it and could not help but laugh.
Only Xie Yu'an paused the hand holding his chopsticks and said: "Who told you to call him that?"
Hearing this sudden question, Xie Linlong shrank back into her mother's arms and answered, both timidly and fearlessly: "Daddy said so. He said little uncle married a new uncle who just arrived, so I should call him auntie."
"Cough, cough..."
The exposed Xie Yuchuan's expression turned somewhat awkward, and he lowered his voice to instruct his daughter: "Daddy was right that technically you should call him that, but this uncle is also your grandmother's cousin's son, which makes him your daddy's cousin, so you should call him cousin-uncle instead."
"That's so complicated," Below Xie Linlong's furrowed brows, those big eyes identical to her father's stared fixedly at Ji Qingzhou.
"Linlong should listen to daddy," Zhao Yanzhi leaned close to the girl's ear and asked softly, "so how should you call him?"
Xie Linlong hesitated for two seconds, then answered in a clear voice: "Cousin-uncle."
Xie Yuchuan and his wife had just breathed a sigh of relief when the little girl said something startling again: "Can little uncle and cousin-uncle get married? How come you didn't invite me to the wedding banquet?"
"Enough," Seeing the topic gradually drifting off course, Shen Nanqi quickly cut off her granddaughter's questions before her youngest son could react.
"Eat your meal properly, you'll understand these things when you grow up."
Xie Jianshan glanced at Xie Yu'an's deflated expression, cheerfully took a sip of his plum wine, and changed the subject at an opportune moment:
"The Luo family boy heard you were back and said he's coming tomorrow with his Brother Xin to see you.
"It's been a few years since you've all seen each other, hasn't it. You grew up together from childhood, so it's only right to reconnect."
Ji Qingzhou sharply caught onto a name he had read about in the books and could not help but ask: "The Brother Xin you mentioned, is that Qiu Wenxin?"
Xie Jianshan picked up a tender tip of braised bamboo shoot and placed it in Xie Yu'an's bowl, nodding gently: "That's him. Did Yuanyuan mention him to you?"
"We talked about it," Ji Qingzhou answered vaguely.
After speaking, he instinctively turned his head to glance at the man beside him, and happened to catch a faint smile rising at the corner of the other's lips.
An ominous feeling immediately welled up in his heart.
"If Qiu Wenxin knew someone admired his writing so much, he would surely consider you a kindred spirit," Xie Yu'an's tone was clearly calm, yet it made people feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
This fellow really would not pass up any chance to give him a backhanded remark.
"So what if I like his writing? Do you look down on Shaoxing stinky fermented tofu?"
Ji Qingzhou, Shaoxing-born at heart, instinctively shot back.
Then he looked up and met Zhao Yanzhi's somewhat startled gaze, and immediately cooled down, wondering if he had just shattered Ji Yunqing's carefully maintained persona with a single sentence.
"It seems the two of you get along quite well," Quite the opposite, Xie Jianshan and Shen Nanqi not only harbored no suspicions, but were actually pleased to see it.
Xie Jianshan even came to his rescue: "Brother Xin has genuine talent and learning. Since you enjoy his writing, it's simple enough, tomorrow let Yuanyuan introduce him to you."
"Tomorrow won't work," Shen Nanqi took over, "Tomorrow I've made an appointment with the owner of Yuxiang to have some clothes made."
Then she looked toward Ji Qingzhou: "Mainly for you. With such fine looks, yet dressing so carelessly, come with me tomorrow and pick out a few proper outfits."
Ji Qingzhou glanced down at his hoodie. He had come out traveling, so naturally he was going for a casual style. How was that careless?
"And Yuanyuan too, he needs a few outfits made as well, but it's not convenient for him to go out right now, so have Aunt Liang take his measurements later and bring them along tomorrow.
"Did you hear me, Ji Yunqing? Don't oversleep again tomorrow morning."
Shen Nanqi was clearly still bothered by Ji Qingzhou's muddle-headed near-miss with the train that morning.
"Understood," Ji Qingzhou answered.
Then after a brief pause, he spoke again: "By the way, please don't call me Ji Yunqing anymore. I've already changed my name to Ji Qingzhou, the qing of lightness, the zhou of drifting by boat. After all, now that I've left the opera troupe, it's no longer convenient to use my old stage name."
"That's fine too." Shen Nanqi nodded thoughtfully and sighed softly: "Qingzhou is a good name. I hope our Yuanyuan can also soon pass through these many trials and tribulations."
Hearing this, Xie Yuchuan and the others nodded in agreement without exception, while the one being blessed, Xie Yu'an, ate the food in his bowl as if he had heard nothing at all.
Clearly he could not see, yet his chopsticks could accurately deliver food into his mouth, and one could not tell how he managed it.
Eating and chatting, Ji Qingzhou felt that his sense of detachment from this world seemed to have lessened somewhat.
Come to think of it, his luck was not too bad. He had arrived in this era completely unprepared, yet had encountered no danger, nor ended up on the streets as a beggar.
Though he had run into a few things beyond the ordinary, the people he had met were at least outwardly friendly, and even the unapproachable Xie Yu'an had never truly made things difficult for him.
Of course, there would still be plenty of friction ahead in dealing with this fellow.
Thinking this, Ji Qingzhou picked up another deep-fried shrimp and popped it into his mouth.
The Xie family's chef was quite skilled, and all the dishes were very appetizing. Though he had only been here for less than a day, it seemed he had already come to peacefully accept all of this.
—
A/N
1). Kun Opera (昆曲 / Kūnqǔ)
Kun Opera, also called Kunqu or Kunshan Opera, is one of the oldest and most refined forms of Chinese classical theatre, originating in the Kunshan region near Suzhou during the 14th century. It reached its golden age in the 16th–17th centuries and became enormously influential among educated elites.
Kun Opera originated from the "Kunshan Tune," a local music style developed in the Kunshan area during the late Yuan Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the musician Wei Liangfu reformed its rhythms and singing methods, blending the flowing qualities of Southern Opera with the structural rigor of Northern Opera. He also expanded the instrumentation, bringing together the flute, pipa, and xianzi to create a softer style known as the "Water Mill Tune".
2). Sheng Role (生 / shēng)
The sheng role is the category of male character types in traditional Chinese opera. Within Kun opera, sheng roles are further divided into subtypes:
• Xiaosheng (小生): young, elegant scholars or romantic heroes; this is the most prominent in Kun opera, requiring a high, delicate falsetto voice.
• Laosheng (老生): older, dignified men, often statesmen or generals, sung in a natural chest voice.
• Wusheng (武生): martial male heroes known for acrobatics and fighting choreography.
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