046 Redemption

The young man, seeing Gong Cheng's profound reaction, stooped to pick up the scroll, earnestly appraising, "The artistry of these paintings is truly remarkable. Whether depicting the ethereal beauty emerging from the water, with bold strokes and graceful figures that lead one into reverie, or portraying figures swaying in the wind with elegant and rounded brushstrokes, seemingly divine and untouchable, the potential of the painter is undeniable!"

The servant chuckled, "These paintings are indeed exquisite."

The young man followed up with a jest, teasing Gong Cheng, "Tsk, it's a pity, though, that some people not only fail to appreciate them but also regard them as raging torrents and fierce beasts."

Pretending to be surprised, the servant said, "How could that be? Yunchi is renowned for his skill in calligraphy and painting. If even he cannot appreciate them, then what does that say about us..."

As the two bantered back and forth, poking fun at Gong Cheng, his emotions fluctuated between shock and laughter, unable to comprehend.

He could only plead for mercy, begging the two to stop teasing him, "Mister Gu, Wengzhi, please don't make fun of me..."

No matter how well the paintings were executed— they were still secret erotic images! Moreover, they featured his old friends as the main characters in these secret scenes. Although he only glanced at them briefly, he could tell that the characters were depicted with remarkable accuracy, albeit not resembling them exactly, the essence was captured vividly. Even though he knew the people of the Northern Wasteland were bold and uninhibited, he was still taken aback.

It was truly shocking for an entire year!

Looking at those paintings was like facing a raging torrent.

The servant remarked, "At least there's some popularity."

After Gong Cheng was rescued, he remained numb and despondent, resembling a withered tree with a dead heart. Recalling Gong Yunchi of the past—well, not too distant, just a year or two ago—this guy had an intense desire for victory, often arranging horse races, ball games, sword competitions, and cuju matches with a group of friends. If he won, he would sing and drink; if he lost, he would argue endlessly. If things didn't go his way, he would even dare to climb through windows in the middle of the night, threatening to compete again with a knife in hand.

Gong Cheng blinked, "I caused you all to worry."

"Worrying is secondary; the most important thing is for you to pick yourself up," the young man replied.

The servant added, "Time heals all wounds."

Gong Cheng nodded, "Thank you for your auspicious words, Mister Gu."

Confirming that Gong Cheng's emotions had recovered, the young man redirected the conversation— Gong Cheng's "brother-in-law" was a variable, appearing seemingly out of nowhere like a chess piece, seemingly detached from the situation, but who could guarantee that "he" wouldn't come out to disrupt things at a critical moment?

The timing of this person's appearance was too coincidental, precisely taking on the task of the secret erotic images, precisely encountering Gong Cheng, who was hiding and recuperating at the Moon Palace, and precisely being Gong Cheng's former "brother-in-law." No, the authenticity of this "brother-in-law" was still in question.

How could such a coincidence exist in the world?

Too many coincidences seemed more like deliberate intent.

The young man tapped the chessboard lightly with his fingers.

"How much do you know about Madam Shen's family? And how much do you know about this 'brother-in-law'?" 

Gong Cheng raised his gaze, pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

He confessed shamefully, "I don't know."

The young man frowned, "..."

The servant added, "..."

If there hadn't been an accident, the two of them would have been legitimately married after the three bows. How could he utter the words "I don't know" about them?

Gong Cheng also felt somewhat absurd.

But—

He spoke sincerely, "I truly don't know."

In fact, even his wedding attire was hastily made. He hadn't seen the betrothal gifts, wedding gifts, or marriage proposal, and the six traditional rites of betrothal, asking for the bride's name, proposing marriage, obtaining consent, setting a wedding date, and the wedding ceremony were all done as quickly as possible. He was urgently summoned back home by his father, only to find out that he was getting married and starting a family in a few days. What could he possibly understand?

At most, he was told the surname, profession, and age of the bride, to prepare him mentally. He knew nothing else, even the bride was seen hastily on the day of the wedding, still with makeup and heavy attire. Recognizing the resemblance between the "brother-in-law" and his bride-to-be was no easy feat!

The servant, hearing this, admiringly patted his shoulder.

It is said that in the Central Plains, blind marriages and dumb unions are common, emphasizing "parental arrangements and matchmaker's words." However, cases like Brother Yun here, so blindly and dumbly entangled, are indeed rare, leaving the young man's expression difficult to interpret.

Gong Cheng could only awkwardly explain, "This grand wedding was not arranged for the union of two families; it was merely to avoid disaster and preserve the family line. Hence, some haste was inevitable..."

As he spoke, even he couldn't continue and felt like covering his face.

This was far from being "hasty"... It was more akin to child's play.

"Madam Shen passed away early, but Brother Shen Tang is still alive. At least there are still surviving members in the Shen family." Gong Cheng composed himself, his face flashing with a hint of endurance and sympathy for his fiancée, who was separated from him after just one brief meeting, "It can be considered a blessing amidst misfortune."

Seeing Gong Cheng's unwavering belief, the young man furrowed his brow, exchanging a knowing glance with the servant.

Silently, they reached a consensus.

Meanwhile, the innkeeper, eager-eyed, ushered Shen Tang and the others out, grabbing her wrist and leading her to a corner. "Have you offended those people?"

Shen Tang shook her head. "I haven't."

The innkeeper asked again, "Do you know them?"

He vaguely heard something about a "brother-in-law"...

Shen Tang replied, "I know one of them, but we have little interaction. The innkeeper can rest assured; there won't be any trouble."

The bookstore innkeeper pondered to himself, understanding her reasoning.

He packed Shen Tang's reward in a purse and handed it to her, instructing, "Be sure to count it carefully. Would you like to borrow a scale?"

Shen Tang weighed it in her hand, knowing its worth.

"No need for a scale."

Even if he gave it to her, she wouldn't know how to use it.

Shen Tang counted the money piece by piece, sighing inwardly at how the money, which had just come into her hands, was about to be spent. The innkeeper said, "I'm acquainted with the manager of the Moon Palace. I can speak up for you, and maybe you can save some money."

"Huh?"

The innkeeper asked, "Aren't you trying to redeem your younger brother or sister? For a young laborer, as long as they don't look as outstanding as you, this amount of silver in your hand should be enough, and perhaps you can even negotiate a lower price."

Shen Tang: "???"

When did she ever say her younger brother or sister was trapped in the Moon Palace?

"I'm not trying to redeem a child; I want to buy an old gentleman."

The innkeeper blurted out his thoughts, "An old man? Old people are even cheaper. The older they are, the less valuable they become."

This hit close to home, but it was the truth. Older laborers had less strength than younger ones, and they couldn't work as much due to lack of energy, so their overall value was indeed lower. If buying, this amount of money should be enough.

Unfortunately, the manager of the Moon Palace was still asleep.

The innkeeper went directly to the manager of the Moon Palace, drumming his fingers on the table and getting straight to the point. "Hey, I've got business for you—a purchase."

The manager looked up at the visitor, recognizing him as the bookstore innkeeper with whom he had collaborated many times, and his face brightened with a smile.

"Oh, who are you buying?"

"It's this young lady here."

The innkeeper stepped aside to reveal Shen Tang.

The manager's eyes lit up at the sight of Shen Tang's face. If this appearance fully blossomed, she would definitely be a money tree!

"I want to buy a laborer working in the kitchen. He's surnamed Chu, with gray hair, looking about forty or fifty."

The manager regained his composure, and after a moment of thought, he realized who Shen Tang was looking for. "You mean Old Chu, that old guy? You want to buy him?"

Shen Tang nodded. "Yes."

The innkeeper interjected, "An old laborer like this can be sold for a lower price. You won't lose out, and it fulfills this young lady's filial piety. It's considered a virtuous deed."

Shen Tang: "..."

Others may have childhood sweethearts dropped from the sky, but she gets a grandfather dropped on her doorstep???

*Děngzi: A kind of delicate small scale used for measuring money.

*Cáoyī chūshuǐ, Wú dài dāngfēng: Two painting techniques for handling clothing wrinkles. 

*Shí guò yú qī, fǒu zhōng zé tài: It's almost like "misfortune to the extreme, luck will come".