Chapter Twenty-Nine: Master Chen with the Crow's Eyes

Recently, Shangyu had been feeling unwell and went home to rest. Father took the eldest brother to the border once again. With no one to restrain her, Mingchu was utterly delighted.

That day, she called Yuewu and Yunxi to go out and play. Yunxi was still indulging in a lazy nap, reluctant to part with her dreams. So Mingchu set out with Yuewu alone, and happened to encounter Chen Shanglu just as he was entering. Thus, the three became companions.

Chen Shanglu, like a child presenting treasures, produced a trove of items: luminous pearls from the southern sea, bracelets carved from agate, blood jade rings.

“Mingchu, I specially begged these from my father to give to you,” he said.

Mingchu swung her arm, “Have you ever seen me wearing any jewelry? I simply don’t like these things.”

Chen Shanglu clutched his chest, his face pained, “These are no ordinary ornaments. These are tokens of my infatuation, my sincere heart, my deep affection, all condensed into these jewels!”

Mingchu shrugged, “Still, they’re just jewelry.”

“Hey, look ahead—so many people are gathered. Let’s go see.”

On the street, circles of people had formed, leaving the road impassable. The three squeezed to the front, where two women—one stout, one slender, both in their thirties—were embroiled in a shouting match. Their faces were flushed and twisted with anger, fingers pointed as they hurled insults, yet neither raised a hand.

Beside them, a young man sat on the ground, with a sharp face and shifty eyes, watching the women with furtive glances.

“You should look at your own foolish face—how dare you try to seduce my man!” sneered the slender woman.

The stout woman spat, “Calling him your man, over and over—have you no shame? He confessed his love to me ages ago! Where did you, you brazen vixen, pop up from?”

Mingchu, who had never heard such vulgar words, stuck out her tongue and mused to herself, “Street women may be fierce, but they’re quite amusing.”

Yuewu asked an uncle nearby, “Do you know why they’re quarreling?”

The uncle sized up Yuewu, “Clearly you’re not an ordinary resident of this alley, so you wouldn’t know.”

“These two women are both widows. The slender one sells tofu on the street; the stout one runs an inn at the corner. Who knows where that young man came from—he’s the one sitting there. He flirted with both of them, and each thought he’d marry her. Today, they bumped into each other, and everything blew up.”

“So that’s it.”

Chen Shanglu sighed, “For such a sleazy fellow—is it really worth it?”

“That’s just the way of the world. Each to their own,” replied the uncle.

“Let me redeem these lost lambs,” declared Chen Shanglu, flicking his robe and stepping forward.

“Hey, mind your own business,” Mingchu called.

“Ladies,” Chen Shanglu greeted them with a smile.

“Who are you?” The two women turned in unison.

Chen Shanglu elegantly unfurled his fan, “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is, after meeting me, who will you become?”

The women exchanged a glance—what nonsense is this?

Chen Shanglu took a few steps, pointing at the man on the ground. “Such a filthy fool isn’t worth your quarrel. If you’re bold enough to pursue love, you should choose someone suave and charming, like me, Chen Shanglu.”

He shook his head, “Ah, of course, I wouldn’t choose either of you. Still, the point is, let your souls be reborn, seek true happiness.”

He waved his paper fan, gave a dashing smile, and called out to the crowd, “Everyone, am I right?”

The stout and slender women frowned, exchanging another look. Chen Shanglu turned, pleased with himself.

“Ah!” he cried out suddenly.

Caught off guard, Chen Shanglu received a punch to his left eye, leaving it black and swollen.

The slender woman spat, “Charming and suave? Bah! You think we’d want you?”

Mingchu covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

The stout woman added, “Never have I seen such shamelessness!”

Chen Shanglu clutched his eye, “You—You’re truly ungrateful!”

The stout woman shoved him, “Our family matters are none of your concern, understood?”

The crowd burst into laughter, Chen Shanglu’s face alternating between pale and flushed.

While no one was paying attention, the man on the ground slipped away along the wall.

The two women continued to berate Chen Shanglu, who retreated step by step. “A gentleman doesn’t quarrel with women. Move aside!”

He turned and shouted, “Mingchu, save me!”

“What a bother,” Mingchu sighed, spreading her hands to show her helplessness.

“Chen Shanglu, you play here. Yuewu and I will go on ahead,” Mingchu said.

Chen Shanglu, anxious, tried to catch up, but was entangled by the two women.

“Apologize! How dare you call him a filthy fool?” The stout woman pressed forward.

Mingchu tugged Yuewu, ready to leave. Yuewu gently pulled her sleeve, “Help him, won’t you?”

“Ah, since you ask, Yuewu, I’ll lend him a hand.”

Mingchu walked up to the women, sweetly called them “sisters,” and beckoned them closer.

She leaned in and whispered something.

The women’s eyes flared, round as copper bells. The stout woman ground her teeth, “That bastard—let’s go find him! I’ll teach him a lesson,” she said, cracking her knuckles.

Chen Shanglu swallowed hard.

The slender woman planted her hands on her hips, “Let’s go!”

Hand in hand, they marched off, and Chen Shanglu finally breathed a sigh of relief. The onlookers gradually dispersed.

Feigning composure, Chen Shanglu dusted off his clothes. “Such shrewish women—I won’t stoop to their level.”

He rubbed his eye and muttered, “What rotten luck.”

Seeing his bruised eye, Mingchu couldn’t help but laugh. Chen Shanglu sidled up, aggrieved, “Mingchu, my eye hurts so much.”

Mingchu held up two fingers, “You deserved it.”

Chen Shanglu hung his head, sighing pitifully, “I’m so miserable—no one cares for me, no one loves me. I’ve been beaten like this, and you’re not even worried.”

“Oh, alright then. I’ll put an egg on it when we get back, and you’ll be fine.” Mingchu stood on tiptoe to pat his head. “Don’t cry, or people will think I bullied you.”

Chen Shanglu hid a smile.

“Mingchu, what did you say to those shrews?” he asked.

“I won’t tell you,” Mingchu replied, chin lifted.

“Then you tell him,” Chen Shanglu pointed at Yuewu.

“Miss told the two women that their sweetheart had run off, and finished with, ‘Why not take the girl with you?’”

Mingchu stared in surprise, “How did you know everything, Yuewu?”

“Wasn’t it Mingchu who told him?” asked Chen Shanglu.

“No,” Mingchu smiled at Yuewu, “It’s just that we’re of one mind.”

“Yuewu only saw the man sneak away and the women’s faces turn fierce after you spoke, so I deduced,” Yuewu explained with a smile.

“Yuewu, you really are clever.”

Chen Shanglu snorted, unimpressed by such cleverness.