YM778.TV Chapter 123
“What?” Wei Lan has never had high standards of living. Enough food and warm clothing were fulfilling enough for him, and he wasn’t hungry at all just now. Not to mention it wasn’t time for dinner yet.
“Brother Wei, you’re hungry, right?” Qi Zi winked and made a face at Wei Lan, trying to catch him up to sleep.
“Enough,” Luo Wei could see what’s going on clearly. He gave Qi Zi a light tap on the head, “I think you’re the one who’s hungry.”
“Perhaps we should get something,” Wei Lan saw the sorry picture Qi Zi made, looking dejected while holding his head, and couldn’t help himself from helping Qi Zi out. He saw Qi Zi as a little brother, after all.
“Then go buy something,” Luo Wei threw Qi Zi a look, making fun, “I thought girls were the only ones who liked to snack, didn’t think you’d like these too.”
Qi Zi was beyond caring about Luo Wei’s jab at his pride. He shouted happily and ran off to a small street stand selling sticky rice balls.
“Lan, do you want something to eat?” Luo Wei asked Wei Lan, “If you do, let’s go buy something?”
“It’s okay,” Wei Lan quickly shook his head. Of all the foods available on the street, he hadn’t had much. The ones that were foreign to him were most of them, and Wei Lan simply didn’t know what tasted good and what didn’t.
Wei Lan saw the guards holding all of his stuff, then looked at the sky, but realized that Physician Wei probably hadn’t gone back to the palace yet, so he decided to look around some more.
“Young Master,” Qi Zi was holding a few servings of sticky rice balls when he jogged back, offering them to Luo Wei, “Do you want some?”
Luo Wei grabbed a piece and gave it to Wei Lan, “Have a taste, Lan, I don’t like sweets.”
“Young Master, I feel like you’re not interested in anything other than congee anymore,” Qi Zi said, “What happened to you?”
“Nonsense,” Luo Wei spoke to Qi Zi as he sauntered off to a store selling jade, “It’s not as if I’m a monk, eating vegetarian foods and reciting scripture.”
“Welcome inside, sir,” The owner of the shop saw that Luo Wei was being followed by servants of his own estate, and quickly went to welcome him at the door, “Feel free to look around. All the jade pieces here are top quality.”
“Wait for me out here,” Luo Wei instructed Qi Zi and the guards, “Lan, come inside with me.” And thus he brought Wei Lan into the shop.
Luo Wei liked gemstones and jade trinkets in the past life, but these held no interest for him anymore. This was just to waste some time before he headed home.
“It’s the third young master of the Luo family,” In the inner room behind the counter, Fu Yun saw Luo Wei arriving, and quickly became nervous. He whispered quietly to Long Xuan, who sat at the table inside.
“Mm, I saw him.” Long Xuan was still holding a teacup, “He can’t see us, what are you nervous for?”
Fu Yun stood aside and went quiet.
This store was a secret business that Liu Shuang Shi left to Long Xuan. Long Xuan had only gotten it when he went to visit Liu Shuang Shi before his execution. He didn’t think that the very first time he visited the business, he’d meet Luo Wei.
Wei Lan didn’t understand anything in regards to jade objects. He looked at the different things all over the store, and felt a little bewildered, feeling as if everything was beautiful.
“This is made of jade stone from Xuan Zhou, sir,” The owner saw Wei Lan had been staring at a small object for a while, and quickly introduced it to him.
Xuan Zhou? Luo Wei had been looking at a jade Buddha statue when he heard and walked over. Wasn’t Xuan Zhou where Wei Lan came from? “Lan, did you find something you like?” He asked.
“It’s nothing,” Wei Lan quickly answered, “I just thought this looked kind of like a buckle, so I was taking another look.”
Luo Wei looked at the little trinket that Wei Lan pointed to, and realized it was a pair of mandarin ducks(1). One of them had a buckle lock at the breast, and the other had a ring where the lock fit, “This is a lovers’ buckle,” Luo Wei smiled, “Lan, this is an object for lovers to make promises with.”
Wei Lan smiled shyly, “I haven’t seen anything like it before.”
Luo Wei picked up this lovers’ buckle. Xuan Zhou’s jade were of a inky green, and the construction of the buckle wasn’t very detailed, but had an elegance to it. Under the light, its shine glistened across the surface, as if looking at a crisp green lake at your very palm.
“Young master,” The owner pulled out another lovers’ buckle, “If you’re planning on gifting this to a young lady, take a look at this one.”
Luo Wei looked at the one on his hand, then at the one on the owner’s hand and realized that the one he had didn’t distinguish between male and female. The one on the owner’s hand, however, was a pair of male and female ducks. The capital had estates for many royal and high ranking people. The rich all had a male lover on the side. Even regular people who didn’t have money to take care of a wife could live together in male-male pairings. So it wasn’t that strange that an object for lovers to make promises with didn’t distinguish between male and female.
“These two look different,” Wei Lan had realized the difference between the two buckles as well.
“I want this one,” Luo Wei pointed at the one on his hand, and asked the owner, “How much is it?”
The owner saw the way Luo Wei had been looking at the buckle in his hand, and he knew that Luo Wei understood the business of jade well enough. He took another glance at the guards standing outside, and didn’t dare give Luo Wei too bad of a price.
“Do you really want to buy this, young master?” But Wei Lan was still shocked by the hundreds of silver pieces this small piece of jade cost.
“I like it,” Luo Wei said to Wei Lan, “Do you not like it?”
Wei Lan answered, “I don’t understand this jade stuff.”
“I can teach you later,” Luo Wei grinned at Wei Lan as he spoke, then he passed the owner a bank note while asking, “Do you buy jade as well? I have many pieces at home that I want to sell.”
With business at the door, the owner quickly accepted. He asked Luo Wei to wait in the store for a bit as he went back to grab some silvers.
Luo Wei looked at the two little assistants in the shop, both standing facing outside, and weren’t paying attention to him and Wei Lan. So he pulled open the buckle and gave half of it to Wei Lan, “Lan, this is for you.”
Wei Lan stood there, immobile, looking at the half of the buckle in Luo Wei’s hand with astonishment, as if he didn’t quite understand what Luo Wei meant by it.
“You don’t want it?” Luo Wei waved it in front of Wei Lan’s face.
“Do you really want to give it to me, young master?” Wei Lan almost couldn’t believe it.
“Oh, so you don’t want it,” Luo Wei pretended to be a little sad on purpose, “Then forget it.”
Wei Lan reached out and took the half of the buckle from Luo Wei’s hand quickly, “How could I not want it if it’s from the young master?”
“Then you have to keep it safe,” Luo Wei poked Wei Lan’s chest with his finger, “You can’t go losing it now.”
“Then the other half?” Wei Lan pointed at Luo Wei’s other hand.
“It’s mine, of course,” Luo Wei grinned, asking, “Who are you hoping for me to give it to?”
Wei Lan’s heart leapt with joy, but on the outside he only managed a small smile. He tugged the jacket over Luo Wei’s shoulders tighter. This half of a lovers’ buckle was the thing that Wei Lan would most cherish for the rest of his life.
FOOTNOTES:
1. Mandarin ducks – In traditional Chinese culture, mandarin ducks are thought of as lifelong couples. They’re regarded as a symbol of love and loyalty, and frequently used to represent lovers.