| He stopped at a farmhouse and ate lunch, then lay down to sleepHaving been up the whole previous night, he slept very deeply
Noting his gentleman's attire and the fact that he spoke the local dialect, the farmer and his wife treated Chen with great courtesy, and killed a chicken for dinnerChen questioned them about events of the past few years and the farmer said: "The Emperor has ordered that the whole of Haining county be exempt from taxes for three yearsIt's all because of his respect for Minister Chen
Chen thought about how many years it had been since his father had passed away, and wondered again why the Emperor had suddenly begun to bestow such handsome favours on his familyWhen he had finished dinner, he gave three taels of silver to the farmer in thanks and rode towards his family home in the luxury watches rolex northwest of the city
As he reached the gate of the house, he stopped in surpriseIn the old days, it had been named 'Secluded Garden', but the old name board had been taken down and replaced with one which read 'Peaceful Pool Garden'The characters were rounded and flowing, and he recognized the calligraphy as being that of the Emperor Qian Long himselfperplexed, he leapt over the wall into the compoundNext to the old house, new structures had been erected with endless pavilions and platforms, mansions and chambers
He passed along a covered walkway towards the Jade Bracelet Hall, but again found a new name board over its door inscribed 'Beloved Days Hall', also written in Qian Long's handThe words 'Beloved Days' referred to the filial affection of children for their parentsWhat was the Emperor doing writing such a fake chloe bag thing here?
He emerged from the hall and walked across a zig-zag bridge with red railings into a thick bamboo grove towards the 'Fragrant Bamboo Lodge', the former residence of his motherThis name board had also been changed, this time to read 'Spring Sunshine Hall'Chen sat down on a rock, greatly confused'Spring Sunshine' was a poetic allusion used to describe a son's gratitude for his mother's loveIt had no other meaning
"Why has Qian Long placed this name board on my mother's house?" he wondered"Even if he is more stupid than I think, he would not have been so thoughtlessCould it be he knew I would come back here and wrote out these name boards in an attempt to befriend me?"
He tiptoed up the steps, and looked through a window, into the main room of the lodgeIt was arranged exactly as it had been when his dior detective bag mother was alive, with redwood furniture, a large carved bed, a clothes chest inlaid with gold, all as he remembered them from ten years beforeA red candle flickered on the tableSuddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps from an adjoining room and an old woman enteredIt was his mother's personal maid, Nanny HuanThe woman had reared him, and Chen felt closer to her than to any of the other servants
He jumped into the room and hugged the old woman
Greatly frightened, she opened her mouth to scream, but Chen covered it with his hand and whispered: "Don't shout, it's me She stared at him, too shocked to speakIn fact, his appearance and manner had changed so much in the ten years since he had left that she did not know who he wasDon't you recognize me?" he askedou are Jialuo? You've come back?" the woman asked, gucci coin wallet completely confused
Chen smiled and noddedShe gradually recovered her senses and vaguely discerned the features of the mischievous child she had knownSuddenly, she threw her arms round him and began to sob loudlyChen hastily restrained her
"Stop crying! No-one must know that I've returned," he said
"It doesn't matter," she replied"They've all gone to the new sectionThere's no-one else here
"What new section?"
"Of the mansionIt was built earlier this yearHeaven knows what it cost, or what it's for
Chen knew she had little understanding of such matters"How did my mother die? What illness?" he asked
The woman pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes"Mistress was very unhappy, I don't know whyShe hadn't had a good meal for days, and she become illIt dragged on for more than a week before she passed coco chanel leather handbags aw |
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