Meng Hao had been to Yunkai County a few times before. Usually it was when he needed to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstones. Perhaps because the excess of wealth in the village prompted a demand for scholarly embellishments, the price of writing supplies was cheaper than average.
Even though three years had passed, the place looked just like before. As Meng Hao walked down the streets, he couldn’t help but notice that outside of many of the shops hung lanterns, upon which the character “Li” was written in sweeping calligraphy.
From what Fatty had said, his father was the richest person in Yunkai, and actually owned about half of the county. And it wasn’t just land they owned, but business, all of which were marked with the character “Li.”
After asking around, he determined the location of Fatty’s house and headed in that direction. The sun was beginning to sink over the horizon, turning the sky dark and covering the land with a soft glow.
It didn’t take long for him to reach the east end of Yunkai County, where he saw a massive estate, filled with a veritable forest of grand buildings. Above the main door, which was guarded by retainers, was a board inscribed with the words “Li Mansion.” The lively sound of singing and dancing could be heard from within.
Meng Hao’s body flashed, and he was inside.
The mansion was a large, surrounding an inner courtyard where singers and dancers were currently putting on a show. Meng Hao caught sight of an extremely fat, middle-aged man wearing a luxurious robe. He closely resembled Fatty; this was obviously his father. Sitting next to him was a young man whose face was covered with a prudent expression.
He seemed wildly arrogant, and wore expensive garments, yet his body looked a bit frail, as if he had worn himself out with too much wine and women. He held a wine cup in his hand, and a somewhat indecent expression shone in his eyes as he looked over the singers and dancers.
“Still not here yet?” said the young man, frowning. His tone of voice was both cold and bored.
“Any moment, any moment,” said Fatty’s father, looking extremely embarrassed, but forcing an obsequious smile onto his face. “Young Lord Zhao, please just wait a bit longer. My daughter-in-law tends to take things slowly.” Even as the words came out of his mouth, several maidservants appeared in the distance. Walking behind them was a young woman. She wore a long, gauzy garment, and her hair was put up with phoenix hairpins. Her appearance was pure and beautiful, and yet there was a look of fear on her face; as she approached she seemed to shiver as if she were cold.
“Father…” she said as she approached. She bowed in greeting.
“Xiang’er, this is the young Lord from the house of Zhao in Yunhai County,” said Fatty’s father softly. “Why don’t you toast him?” He looked at his daughter-in-law apologetically. Even though his son had been missing for years, she continued to wait for him to return, never complaining. She treated her father-in-law with utmost filial piety.
“Greetings, young Lord Zhao,” said the girl softly, lowering her head. She was afraid, but she knew that the family was not in a good position at the moment. She lifted up the wine pot and poured some wine into a cup, which she extended to him with both hands.