Chapter 23: Living Together

Early in the morning, before the rooster crowed, Chen Ji opened his eyes and suddenly saw five small silver ingots placed beside his pillow.

This was the payment Yun Yang had promised, but he didn't know how the other party had snuck into the medical hall, nor did he know when they had snuck in. It was as if these five silver ingots had appeared out of thin air.

This wasn't just Yun Yang's payment; it was also a kind of warning from the other party.

Chen Ji quietly got up and changed into the new clothes Xi Bing had sent. When he unfolded them to look, they turned out to be a dark green stand-up collar large front long robe. The two buttons on the stand-up collar were silver ornaments, making them several grades better than the clothes he used to wear.

This set of clothes was probably worth several taels of silver, right?

The pity was that Xi Bing had only sent the clothes, inner collar, and pants, but hadn't sent boots and a belt. So, Chen Ji put on this stand-up collar large front, but his feet were still in those worn-out cloth shoes, and his waist was still tied with a wide hemp belt…

Chen Ji laughed; he felt a bit like a neither fish nor fowl creature.

Never mind; what did a poor little apprentice have to worry about? He could supplement it later after earning money.

He waited until the rooster crowed, and then Chen Ji went out the door. The grain and oil shop directly opposite was just in the process of removing its door boards.

"Good morning, Boss Lady," Chen Ji said with a smile as he entered the grain shop.

"Oh, what does Little Doctor Chen want to buy?" The boss lady was busy opening for business, but when she saw him enter so early, she immediately put down what she was doing.

"How much is one jin of millet?" Chen Ji asked.

"Others who come to ask pay eight wen, but for you, Little Doctor Chen, it's six wen," the boss lady said with a smile.

"How much is one jin of rice?"

"Nine wen. This is already cheap; please forgive me."

Doctors were scarce in those days, and their social status was relatively high. Chen Ji's master was a proper Seventh-Rank Imperial Physician from the court, so the neighborhood residents were all quite polite to Chen Ji.

"Then give me five jin of millet, five jin of rice… and also a pot of fragrant oil, please. Oh, and a string of cured meat!" Chen Ji said.

The boss lady's eyebrows opened and her eyes smiled: "Alright, that's a total of one hundred ninety-five wen. I'll charge you one hundred ninety."

Chen Ji broke open that one tael silver ingot and exchanged it for several strings of copper money, which he deposited at the grain and oil shop to pick up in the evening. Then, he carried his large and small packages and left.

The packages were threaded together with straw straps, which made his hands a little sore, but his mood was still good.

He had bought these things to take home on his day off. Chen Ji thought that given his own living conditions, his family's conditions were probably not very good either.

According to the information his master had revealed earlier, his father should be working on the river dike, right?

Given the other party's circumstances, the fact that they had still helped him offer a mentorship gift to his master and sought a good future for him must have been the result of the whole family's efforts.

This made Chen Ji somewhat touched, and he even became curious about his family in this world.

The Chen family lived in Cui Yun Alley. He asked the shop owners on the street for directions and headed all the way north towards Luo City.

Luo City was a bit livelier in the morning. He saw someone driving an ox cart passing by. On the ox cart were several sacks; he didn't know what was inside, but it looked like they were going to the market.

There was also a merchant caravan entering the city gate from the north. The horse carts were piled with stretched fur goods. Winter was approaching, and this was the most popular commodity among noble people.

It was said that the most famous entertainment district in the East Market was called Hong Yi Alley, where the top girls generally didn't receive guests, but if a rich merchant offered a piece of white marten fur, intimacy was guaranteed.

On the roadside, naughty children chased each other, shouting children's songs and holding self-made small windmills.

Women in the city washed clothes by the small river while chatting and joking, emitting laughter from time to time.

Chen Ji arrived at Cui Yun Alley. He found a local resident and asked: "Uncle, please could you tell me which household the Chen family from Guan Dong lives in?"

The uncle looked at him: "Isn't this Chen Ji? You still need to ask where your own home is?"

Chen Ji: "......"

It turned out he was an acquaintance.

He hesitated for a long time and didn't dare to ask more. He just carried his things and walked inside the alley.

At this moment, there was a noisy sound from the front: "Steward, Steward, where should this lantern be hung?"

A man's harsh voice said impatiently: "Do I need to teach you everything? Hang it on the eaves above the stone lion's head, there's a hook leaving it there! Quick, quick! The two young masters are about to return immediately. If you dawdle again, I'll flay your skin!"

Chen Ji looked at this household decorated with lanterns and streamers; he didn't know what happy occasion it was, but the more he looked, the more he felt something was wrong. He then saw the plaque on the door of this household… Chen Mansion.

Could there be two Chen Mansions in Cui Yun Alley?

The door lintel of this household was bright, and although the vermilion lacquer main door and stone lions weren't particularly grand, they were definitely not those of an ordinary household.

"...This shouldn't be my home, right?" Chen Ji muttered.

"Chen Ji?" The steward with the eight-character mustache looked over and said in confusion: "How did you come back?"

Chen Ji hesitated for a second: "Today is my day off."

The steward said: "Just right, you're taller. Come over and climb the ladder to hang the lantern up."

"Oh."

Chen Ji put the packages in his hands on the ground to the side and climbed up the ladder to hang the lantern.

The steward was directing the other maids on one side: "Come, come, come, bring a basin of water. Sprinkle some water in front of the door to avoid raising dust when the two young masters return later. A bunch of clumsy hands! You're supposed to be servants from the household of Luo City Tong Zhi, at the very least. If people see you, they'll laugh at you for not understanding the rules!"

As he spoke, the steward saw the packages on the ground: "Who put this here? Quickly move it to the side so it's not in the way."

Chen Ji calmly climbed down from the ladder: "Steward, I…"

The steward suddenly realized: "You've come to ask for the tuition silver, haven't you? The master instructed me about this last time, but my brain forgot. I just didn't send it to you."

He ordered someone to bring out a string of copper coins from the accounting room; there should have been three hundred pieces: "Use it sparingly, times are hard these days, and our Chen family isn't easy either."

Chen Ji still didn't understand his exact identity in this Chen Mansion until this moment.

The sound of horse hooves came from afar, and noisy discussions also floated over from outside Cui Yun Alley: "The Chen family's eldest young master and second young master are back! They've been at Dong Lin Academy for three years; they've changed so much, I almost didn't recognize them."

"The eldest young master and second young master have grown more and more handsome."

Chen Ji looked over and saw two young men riding white horses entering the alley. They were wearing green brocade robes with elegant patterns embroidered on the surface. Just the embroidery alone indicated that the price was not cheap.

The two young men stepped into cloud-head boots, and each had a piece of green jade hanging from their waist belt. Pearl and jade pendants hung from their chests. They looked about eighteen or nineteen years old and had an extraordinary demeanor.

The steward hurried forward, smiling as he held the reins: "After studying at Dong Lin Academy, the two young masters will surely become famous in this year's provincial exam!"

The two young masters dismounted their horses, handed the riding whips to the maids, and said with a smile: "Steward, you've indeed gained more white hair over the years. It seems you've worked hard for the mansion."

"Where, where, it's all my duty… The master was originally supervising the repair of water conservancy on the river dike. He heard you were coming back a few days ago and specifically rushed back to wait for you. Quickly go and pay your respects to him!"

Amidst the noise, the crowd followed the two young masters into the mansion. They passed by Chen Ji without even glancing at him.

They weren't deliberately putting on airs; they seemed to genuinely not recognize who Chen Ji was, or perhaps whether they recognized him or not didn't matter.

The front of the previously lively Chen Mansion was already quiet. Chen Ji stood silently at the door, as if the world had forgotten him.

Chen Ji thought carefully. His master should know his family's condition, but his master seemed to have never mentioned his home being unable to pay the tuition silver due to poverty, nor had he said exactly what his father did on the river dike.

Initially, his master was so angry because he knew that his family clearly had money, yet they were still delaying and unwilling to pay the tuition silver.

Luo City Tong Zhi, like Liu Xian Ming, was a Fifth-Rank official.

Chen Ji looked at the "Chen Mansion" plaque at the top and finally did not step through that vermilion door. The young man simply bent down and placed that string of three hundred copper coins at the door, then carried the packages he had brought and turned to leave.

The uncle at the mouth of the alley looked at his back and sighed: "A son of a legitimate wife with a mother and a son of a concubine without a mother are as different as mud and clouds."

Chen Ji returned to An Xi Street and picked up the copper money from the grain and oil store. The boss lady was a bit surprised: "Little Doctor Chen, why are you carrying the things back as they were? We can't return goods here."

He smiled: "I'm not returning them; I'm taking them back to honor my master."

When he returned to the medical hall, Old Man Yao raised his eyes and glanced at him: "Didn't I tell you it was your day off? Why did you come back so quickly?"

Chen Ji counted out five hundred sixty copper coins: "Master, this is the money my family gave me. It makes up for the tuition silver and medicine money I owe you. These packages are also things my family entrusted me to bring to you."

Old Man Yao pursed his lips: "Your family is finally sensible. I didn't expect that your father going to supervise the repair of the river dike could also incidentally repair his brain."

Chen Ji: "...You were demoted to Luo City because your mouth is too poisonous, right?"

...

...

At night, Chen Ji sat in the main hall of the medical hall, quietly copying down the key points of wound and cold pathology. When he turned his head, Black Clouds was already squatting behind the counter, a small blue cloth bundle still clutched in its mouth.

"Are you planning to run away from home?"

"What are you thinking?" Black Clouds hesitated for a few seconds before asking: "Can you take me to Qing Ping Alley?"

"It's already very late, and I'm afraid of the dark."

"Do you think I'll believe that?"

Chen Ji sighed: "Alright, I'll take you, but what are you going to do in Qing Ping Alley?"

"I don't want to say now!"

Where is Qing Ping Alley? This is a very serious question.

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said: "Well… I'll take you tomorrow night. It's not convenient today."

"Why not today?"

"I don't know where Qing Ping Alley is…" Chen Ji said: "You don't need to look at me like that. Although I can't explain why, I truly don't know where Qing Ping Alley is."

Black Clouds thought for a moment: "I know."

Outside the door, a watchman passed by. He was knocking his watch and shouting: "The sky is dry, things are dry, be careful of fire."

It was already Yin hour, 3 o'clock in the morning.

Luo City had not yet regained its daytime liveliness and prosperity.

Chen Ji quietly closed the medical hall's door boards and followed Black Clouds into the night.

He tied that previous small blue cloth bundle onto Black Clouds' back; it looked quite cute, and it also allowed him to not lose Black Clouds' trace in the night… Black Clouds was really too black.

All the way, Black Clouds seemed to rely on memory to find the way, sniffing here and sniffing there.

One person and one cat walked with stops and starts, taking a full hour. They even took a few wrong turns in the middle.

Chen Ji didn't rush. He could tell that going to Qing Ping Alley tonight was certainly very important to Black Clouds.

He had enough patience.

Finally, Black Clouds stopped in a small alley. It stared blankly at the tightly closed house door.

"Is this it?" Chen Ji asked.

"This is it."

"Should I knock on the door?"

"No!"

Black Clouds called out twice towards the inside of the door, calling something.

But the calls only attracted two stray cats; nothing else happened.

"I want to climb in and see. You wait for me here." Black Clouds lightly exerted force on the wall and leaped into the courtyard. Its speed was so fast it left an afterimage; it was especially agile.

Chen Ji leaned against the wall in the small alley and waited peacefully. After not too long, Black Clouds actually returned, its mood obviously much lower: "Let's go."

"Finished?"

"Mm."

"What's wrong?"

Black Clouds stopped and turned its head to look at that door: "I miss my mother."

Chen Ji was silent; cats also missed their mothers.

Black Clouds said absentmindedly: "She might not miss me, but I just wanted to come and see… Besides, I'm going to wander the world with you from now on, aren't I? I had to bring you to see her."

Chen Ji asked: "Is she not home?"

Black Clouds' voice gradually became low: "She was probably sold as well. Her cage and rice bowl are all gone."

"Help you find her?"

"No need to find her. This is a cat's fate."

"What's inside the small bundle you're carrying?"

"I secretly hid a little dried fish; I wanted to bring it to her."

Chen Ji stood silently in the darkness of the small alley. He bent down and held Black Clouds in his arms, heading towards the medical hall.

Black Clouds didn't struggle. It just curled into a small ball and covered its head with its furry tail.

The sound of footsteps on the bluestone slabs pattered. The young man's back was slender but straight.

"Chen Ji, what kind of person is your mother?"

"She… is a very gentle person," Chen Ji didn't want to say more, as if memories were a kind of warm airflow, like breathing. If he spoke them out, they would just run away.

He held Black Clouds and walked on the long street of Luo City. Black Clouds, only a few months old, was small, just two palms in size when curled up.

Chen Ji suddenly wanted to live well.

"Black Clouds?"

"Mm?"

"Let's rely on each other for life."