Peach Blossoms Of The World (1)

In Changxiang City, there was a narrow alley called Beiliu Alley. At the entrance of the alley lived two families, one with the surname Nie and the other with the surname Shi. The alley entrance was a prime location, and everyone liked to run small businesses there. Old Nie sold meat, and Old Shi sold ink.

Old Nie and Old Shi were sworn brothers. When they were young, they both enjoyed reading legendary novels. In those novels, sworn brothers often made the following pact: if they had sons, the sons would become sworn brothers; if they had daughters, the daughters would become sworn sisters; and if one had a son and the other a daughter, the children would marry each other. Old Nie and Old Shi found this idea amusing and made the same pact.

Old Nie was four years older than Old Shi, so he got married three years earlier and naturally had children earlier too. Old Nie's wife gave birth to their first child, a son named Xiao Dong. Then she gave birth to a second son, named Xiao Xi. Their third child was also a son, named Xiao Nan. When she had their fourth child, she gave birth to twin boys, named Dongbei and Xibei. Old Nie, lacking formal education, continued the naming pattern accordingly.

Old Nie was terrified that if this continued, his children would end up being named after all the points on a compass.

Old Shi and his wife, however, struggled with fertility. Well into middle age, they still had no children. It wasn't until Old Nie's wife was pregnant again that Old Shi's wife finally conceived.

This time, both families had daughters, born just a few months apart.

Old Nie, with a sullen face, remarked, "Ah, daughters what a money-loser "

He turned around and chopped pig heads to nourish his wife.

Old Shi, however, smiled and said, "Daughters are good, daughters are good."

When his wife went to bed, he hummed all night, "When you reach middle age, everything is over".

Old Nie's daughter was named Xiaotao, with the nickname Nannan; Old Shi's daughter was named Lanyin, with the nickname Lanlan.

When they celebrated the first full month of their daughters' lives, Old Nie planted a peach tree, and Old Shi planted an orchid.

Strangely, Old Nie's wife's remarkable fertility ended there.

Old Nie was a bit troubled. The legendary novels never mentioned this scenario. His family had many children, but Old Shi's family only had one. When Lanlan grew up, who would she marry?

When Nannan was three years old, she already declared to her father with a strong will, "Lanlan is mine!"

So, Old Nie suggested to Old Shi that they make the two girls sworn sisters.

Nannan and Lanlan were very close. They shared everything equally, from delicious food to nice clothes. If something couldn't be divided, neither would take it.

Lanlan had a kind heart and often brought leftover food to Taoist Master Xi, who lived at the alley entrance; Nannan, mischievous, often put a spider in his leftovers.

Taoist Master Xi wasn't a real Taoist; he just liked to mumble mysterious words that no one understood while basking in the sun. If anyone asked him what he meant, he would just shake his head and say, "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed."

When Nannan was seven, her eldest brother was conscripted. He cried bitterly when he left, and Nannan didn't understand, "Didn't they all love playing war games? Why don't they like it now that they're grown up?" Lanlan explained, "When playing, everyone pretends to be generals. Who would want to be a soldier?"

Nannan suddenly understood.

Old Shi restocked his supplies three times a year—not more, as they couldn't sell more. He often sighed, wondering why the people in Qingcheng were so good at business. They would buy the best pine wood by boat, make ink back home, keep the best for themselves, and sell the rest back. Even with shipping costs, their lower quality ink was still better and cheaper than local ink. To make matters worse, they also produced ink in small bottles, shipped them by the boatload, and despite all efforts, the locally ground ink always ended up smelling bad. When he inquired further, he found that in Qingcheng, hundreds of people worked together in the ink-making process, each with a specialized role.

Despite his complaints, Old Shi never missed his quarterly restocking trips. Suppliers chose their buyers carefully, and Old Shi's reputation for paying on time was essential. He was once advised to move his shop to a better location to increase profits within three to five years. However, he couldn't bear to sell the small, ancestral property.

When Nannan was eight, Old Shi brought home a teenager. This boy had traveled with a boat from the Qi family in the north, spending three years studying in Qingcheng, attending classes at a girls' school, and now, he planned to stay in Changxiang City. Old Shi had a spare room and agreed to let him stay.

The teenager, named Qi Xiang, was sixteen and carried only a box of books. After paying a year's rent, he had nothing left, so Old Shi provided meals, and Qi Xiang helped around the shop.

Among his peers, he was notably knowledgeable.

Lanlan once asked curiously, "Doesn't the Qi family have a large house in the Upper City? Why don't you live there?"

Qi Xiang, blushing, explained that as a distant relative in the vast Qi family, no one in the Upper City would care about him. Moreover, he wanted to rely on his own skills and knowledge to make his way without relying on others.

Lanlan admired him deeply, while Nannan scoffed, "My dad says even selling pork requires connections."

Qi Xiang just smiled serenely, dismissing her comment as the words of a child.

Lanlan liked Qi Xiang, but Nannan did not, mainly because Lanlan spent less time with her after Qi Xiang arrived.

Qi Xiang had no interest in playing with the two little girls, and they often couldn't understand his heavy accent.

However, he was excellent at business. Since his arrival, Old Shi's stock quickly sold out. He hadn't done much, just meticulously wrapped each ink stick in rice paper, writing neatly: "Shi Family Old Ink Shop, Qingcheng Special Supply."

That year, Taoist Master Xi went mad, running around with chopsticks, giving everyone fortunes. Each fortune he gave ended with "You will meet a bad end." Old Nie, puzzled at first, found out it meant "You will die horribly." Only his sons' intervention stopped him from beating up the old madman.

But when he read Nannan's fortune, he was ecstatic: "My disciple!"

Nannan refused, thinking learning from him would lead to begging on the streets.

Qi Xiang was not a quiet child; he often roamed the city, occasionally bringing back groups of people. They would gather in his small room, passionately discussing matters, sometimes loudly proclaiming: "Can't we, in Changxiang City, produce a great figure like Lu Qingjue?"

Old Nie warned Old Shi to be cautious, but Old Shi dismissed the concern.

Eventually, trouble came. Qi Xiang led a group to General Yang Dantu's house, presenting a petition. No one knew the contents, but Yang Dantu was furious. When the city guards came to arrest them, most fled, but Qi Xiang stood firm, accusing dozens of people of treason. Seeing his young age, Yang Dantu ordered leniency, resulting in Qi Xiang being publicly humiliated.

Nannan and Lanlan secretly went to see him. At first, he was red-faced with shame, but as days passed, the wooden collar wore him down, and he grew quiet.

Afterward, Qi Xiang returned to bid farewell to Old Shi. Lanlan cried, her eyes red.

Old Shi reassured him, "If things don't work out, you can always come back. There's still a bed for you here."

Qi Xiang moved to the Upper City, to the large Qi family estate. According to Old Shi and Old Nie's gossip, he had to kowtow until his head was swollen to re-establish his connection with the family, all thanks to a recommendation from the senior official, Pei Kujiu, who appreciated his talent.

With his new status, Qi Xiang finally had access to the real upper echelons of Changxiang City. Pei Kujiu further helped him by securing a position for him as a scribe for an elderly editor.

Every ten days, on his days off, Qi Xiang returned to Beiliu Alley to buy ink and bring gifts for Lanlan and Nannan—always identical gifts, as they would accept nothing else.

When Nannan was nine, life began to change. People from all directions flooded into the city, crowding into the middle city, pushing residents to the lower city, which became increasingly crowded and dirty, with more theft and deceit. Old Nie's business thrived, but Old Shi's declined—who buys ink when they can't even afford food?

The adults grew increasingly worried, turning their savings into gold and burying it under the peach tree.

One day, while playing at the alley entrance, a group of men tried to abduct Nannan. Lanlan rushed to her aid, biting one man's hand and refusing to let go until Nannan's brothers came to the rescue. The man fled, and the two girls cried in each other's arms.

Old Nie warned, "Times are unsafe. Girls shouldn't play outside anymore."

He reinforced the doors and took turns standing guard with his sons.

Soon after, Nannan's second brother was also conscripted. Old Nie had no words; sending two sons was customary.

Qi Xiang returned, suggesting Old Shi sell his house for gold and move in with Old Nie. Everyone found it strange, except Nannan, who eagerly agreed.

Old Nie laughed, "Living so close, Lanlan can visit anytime."

Nannan shook her head, "The money people pay for meat is getting weirder and weirder."

Old Shi decided to trust Qi Xiang, feeling the young man had unusual insight.

They buried a second batch of gold under the peach tree.

The house, now crowded with three more people, felt cramped. Lanlan and Nannan shared a bed, each with half a blanket.

When Nannan was ten, her eldest brother returned, hobbling on crutches with one leg amputated, replaced by a small pouch of silver coins.

The silver coins were exchanged for a sister-in-law.

The house was so cramped there was no space to turn around.

The sister-in-law constantly quarreled with Lanlan's mother, who couldn't stand it and discussed moving out with Old Shi. When Old Shi mentioned it to Old Nie, Old Nie roared, "Aren't we brothers?"

Old Nie got angry, holding a butcher knife and standing by the door, "Brotherhood lasts a lifetime; we agreed on that."

Nannan also said to Lanlan, "We will be best sisters for life, right?"

Lanlan replied, "Definitely."

Their eldest brother's temper worsened, and so did their sister-in-law's. The eldest brother often drank late into the night, and when drunk, he yelled at people. Initially, the sister-in-law tolerated it, but eventually, she started yelling back. When the argument escalated, the eldest brother would hit her. She would run away, he would chase her, and when he fell, she handed him his crutch, only for him to hit her again. This continued until Old Nie came out and yelled at them to stop.

The whole family worked hard, but earning money became increasingly difficult.

Fortunately, Qi Xiang still came by every ten days, bringing either money or some goods.

Whenever he came, Old Shi's worried face would light up with a smile, and Old Nie would happily cut meat. Gradually, Nannan also began to look forward to his visits because it meant they would have meat to eat.

Another year passed, and suddenly Qi Xiang stopped coming.

He didn't come for a whole month.

Old Nie said, "He has forgotten about us."

Old Shi disagreed, staying up all night worried. He gathered some money and decided to go to the Upper City to check on him.

Old Shi, not very eloquent, spent the whole day inquiring and finally found out that Qi Xiang, true to his character, had accused an imperial censor of corruption and protecting the second son of the Qu family. Since Qi Xiang was still almost a nobody, such an accusation against someone of higher rank meant he would be severely punished. Moreover, the Qu family was the most powerful family in the land.

It was said that no one in the Qi family dared to intervene. Old Shi, after much thought, dug up half of his share of the gold to bribe officials in the prison. However, that amount was only enough for a single visit. Returning home, Old Shi went straight to Old Nie. The two brothers argued for three days, not speaking to each other, until Old Nie handed over all their savings to Old Shi. Old Shi began making frequent trips to the Upper City, spending money like water, knowing his limitations and not daring to bribe higher officials. He only managed to provide Qi Xiang with some good food, a bit less suffering, and more medicine.

Lanlan's mother and Nannan's mother joined forces, agreeing not to touch their emergency funds. They endured it together, but even Lanlan's mother couldn't accept it, crying all the time over spending so much for an outsider.

Nannan and Lanlan huddled together, watching their parents constantly argue and fight, sometimes breaking the few dishes they had. As they grew older, they wiped away their tears and secretly did the chores.

After half a year, Old Shi's hair turned completely white. When accused of wasting money, he weakly defended, "This boy has the whole world on his mind."

"To hell with the world!" Nannan saw her usually gentle mother curse for the first time. "We can't even survive ourselves!"

Unconsciously, Nannan's language became more coarse.

Another year passed, and Qi Xiang was finally released. It was said he had indeed brought down the Qu family, though only punishing the three sons of the Qu family.

Lanlan said, "I heard from my dad, this is a big deal. The Yang family and Pei Kujiu asked him to make the accusation. Many people were involved, but none of them showed up, only he did. How can he be so foolish?"

Nannan thought, he's not foolish at all.

Qi Xiang was summoned by the emperor and appointed as a minor official in the Imperial Censorate.

Two months later, Qi Xiang returned, bowing in gratitude, bringing a large package of silver and gifts. For Lanlan and Nannan, he still brought equal shares.

This time, however, he claimed to be too busy to stay and left immediately after delivering the gifts. Old Shi insisted he stay for a few drinks.

The whole family was overjoyed, except for Nannan, who watched coldly.