Chapter 45 Changing One's Mind

Lin Feng almost spat out his drink. Wasn't this written by yours truly?
How on earth did someone end up using it?
What left him completely speechless was that he hadn't even finished writing this poem yet. He had only written the first half and must have forgotten to take it with him or torn it up at the time.
Still, these people's literary standards were truly mediocre; didn't they even realize it was only half-written?
Perhaps that single line—"When the moon climbs up the willow boughs, we shall meet at dusk"—was simply too evocative and easily touched people's hearts.
With that one line alone, it was more than enough.

"I heard that this Red-Robe Dancers Troupe is inviting Xu Zhizhang to become their exclusive resident talented scholar, and they're heading to Jiangcheng to participate in the Tianyin Pavilion Dancers Troupe Competition. The reason these dance troupes from Tianyin Pavilion tour various places, aside from making money, is to find talented scholars to write poetry and lyrics for them. That way, they can gain popular acclaim and secure more support at the competition."
"Actually, before Xu Zhizhang, they had already approached two other somewhat famous scholars."
"It seems the Tianyin Pavilion Courtesan Competition this year is going to be fiercely contested. Since I happen to be heading to Jiangcheng for the imperial examinations, I'll go there a bit early. Perhaps I'll get to witness the elegance of Tianyin Pavilion once again. By then, I'll see more than just the Red-Robe Dancers Troupe—it's bound to be a true eye-opener."
"Though I'm not taking the exams, I'm going to go take a look anyway. It's not easy for so many dance troupes from Tianyin Pavilion to come to Jiangcheng. Since they're so close, how can I not go? I'll go even if it bankrupts me."

Lin Feng was speechless. The obsession was that intense, huh?
To be honest, when he went there for a little while last night, it was nothing more than spending a lot of money to watch a small-scale singing and dancing show, and those women were even wearing veils so their true faces couldn't be seen.
They certainly understood men's psychology well: the harder something was to see and obtain, the better people thought it was. It thoroughly hooked men's appetites and made them willingly part with their silver.
Lin Feng was not a refined and elegant scholar; otherwise, he wouldn't have been an operative. In his view, whatever one did had to be practical and offer good value for money. Spending two Liang of silver to watch a bunch of veiled women sing and dance was far less satisfying than going to a pleasure house to hold a girl in one's arms, drink flower wine, and listen to tunes.

At that moment, Mother Tian hurried over to the food stall.
"Mother Tian, you're here."
"Little brother, I'm calling Xi'er home to discuss something. Will it be a problem if she leaves for a bit?"
Lin Feng smiled and said, "No problem at all, I can manage on my own."
"That's good." Mother Tian shouted loudly, "Xi'er, go to the fields and call your older brother to come home."
"Mother, what is there that can't be discussed right here?" Tian Xi'er asked in confusion.
"You'll know when you get home." With that, Mother Tian turned around and left.

Could something have happened?
All afternoon, Tian Xi'er did not show up.
"Li Shang, Li He, go and check what's going on." He noticed that both Li Shang and Li He were distracted by Tian Xi'er's departure, constantly craning their necks to look in the direction of Mountain-Ringing Village.
The moment they heard this, the two of them sprinted toward Mountain-Ringing Village.
Half an hour later, the two returned with ashen faces.
"What's wrong with you two? Did something happen to Tian Xi'er?" Seeing their expressions, Lin Feng began to worry as well.
Li He let out a mournful sigh. "Xi'er is getting married."
"Getting married? To whom?"
"To the third young master of the Jin family in the county town!" Li Shang said dejectedly.
"Impossible!" Xiaodie chimed in. "That third young master of the Jin family is a dissolute profligate; the Tian family wouldn't let Sister Xi'er marry him."
"Xi'er told us herself! How could that be wrong?"
Lin Feng was filled with doubt. What kind of situation was this?
"Did you ask her the reason?"
"She didn't say," Li He said in a heavy voice. "After she finished telling us, she went back to her own courtyard."
"Are all the family members at the Tian household?"
"They're all home—the eldest brother, the second brother, and that second sister-in-law are all there. We couldn't hear anything from outside."
Lin Feng nodded. "Alright, I understand."
Xiaodie was puzzled. "It's truly strange. Why did Mother Tian suddenly agree, and why did Sister Xi'er agree as well?"
Lin Feng pondered and said, "Something must be going on. Xiaodie, why don't you go take a look? Sneak through the side door and call Eldest Brother Tian out; he should be able to tell you what's happening."
"Alright, Big Brother." With that, Xiaodie walked toward Mountain-Ringing Village.
Half an hour later, Xiaodie returned to the food stall and gulped down a bowl of water. "I've figured it out! It's still because of the gambling debts of her second sister-in-law's biological brother. The second sister-in-law's mother said that since her brother incurred gambling debts, as a sister, she has to pay back half of them for him."

Liuxi said, "That mother of hers is completely unreasonable! Her daughter is already married off, what right does she have to demand money from her?"
"Eldest Brother Tian said it's because their family truly has no money left to pay; over the years, everything has been squandered away by her brother."
"Let them figure it out themselves! Why drag Xi'er into this?" Li He raged from the side. "That is simply outrageous!"
Lin Feng wondered aloud, "Didn't the Tian family know about this long ago?"
"The crux of the matter is... her second sister-in-law is pregnant!"
"What?! Pregnant?"
"She went to the medical hall for a checkup yesterday because she wasn't feeling well, and she was diagnosed with a pulse of pregnancy. Furthermore, Xi'er's second sister-in-law said the physician asserted it's a boy! That made Uncle Tian and Mother Tian overjoyed—they've been longing for a grandson all this time. However, that second daughter-in-law declared that her maiden family's issue must be resolved before she can give birth with peace of mind; otherwise, if she sinks into depression and anger, the child might not survive."
Lin Feng was speechless. That woman certainly knew how to pick her timing.
"Tian Xi'er's second sister-in-law went on to say that once Tian Xi'er becomes the concubine of the Jin family's third young master, not only will her younger brother's problem be solved, but the Tian family will also receive an extra one hundred Liang of silver as a bride price. Furthermore, Xi'er will live a life of ease and abundance at the Jin household for the rest of her days. Because of this, Mother Tian finally wavered. After much persuasion, Sister Xi'er had no choice but to agree."
What a tragedy, Lin Feng sighed. "The crux of the matter is still her brother's gambling debts. If those debts are paid off, all the other problems will be resolved smoothly."
Li He asked, "How much does he actually owe?"
Xiaodie replied, "Three hundred Liang of silver. If her maiden family pays half, that's one hundred and fifty Liang. In short, Mother Tian can't afford it; she said even if they sold all their family property, scraping together thirty Liang of silver would already be a stretch."
Upon hearing this, Li He and Li Shang were dumbfounded. They hadn't expected the sum to be so massive.
Lin Feng smiled and said, "Go back and ask your fathers. If you two can help Tian Xi'er get through this crisis, she will definitely be willing to marry you. Marrying either of you is still far better than being a concubine to that Jin family young master."
The eyes of the two lit up. Immediately picking up their pace, they ran toward home like flying.
"Can their families possibly have that much money?" Liuxi looked doubtfully at the figures of the two running away.
"Hard to say. One is a blacksmith, the other is a village head; they should have some savings," Lin Feng remarked. "The real question is whether those two old men are willing to spend a fortune to let their sons win this bride."
That evening, when Lin Feng and the other two closed up the stall and returned to the cottage, they saw that Village Head Li and Blacksmith Li had actually gone to the Tian household.