Chapter 74: Chapter 53 Invitation
Translator: 549690339
Lu Yuan ultimately didn’t manage to see the Lady Xiaoyu he had been longing for.
By the time he hurriedly arrived at Fu City on the second day, he found out that last year, Lady Xiaoyu had already been redeemed by a wealthy merchant and became his sixth concubine.
Although a concubine, being able to leave such a place was a blessing in disguise.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan could only sigh and wish her well before heading to Lady Xiaohong’s tea house.
Unlike the skilled dancer, gentle and sister-like Xiaoyu, Xiaohong was a young, beautiful and cool-tempered lady.
Of course, there were many beauties in the Red Sleeves Pavilion.
Xiaohong’s allure and high standing led the Pavilion to provide her with an exclusive room, indicating her exceptional talent.
Xiaohong excelled in tea artistry, earning her the praise of many renowned tea masters in the citv. even suggesting she could 0Den her own tea garden and establish a career.
Regrettably, Xiaohong, a talented tea artist, was confined to the Red Sleeves Pavilion and could not pursue her passion, only able to serve tea and entertain guests.
Besides her tea skills, she was also well-versed in poetry and literature, able to compose rhythmic verses and discuss classical texts.
According to the Madame of the Pavilion, Xiaohong came from a noble background but lost her prestigious status after her grandfather committed a crime, resulting in her being sold as a slave before ending up in the Red Sleeves Pavilion.
Most clients who sought her company were scholars and literati.
They enjoyed watching the beautiful Xiaohong brew tea while they indulged in the accomplishment of being served by someone of noble birth.
Moreover, they loved discussing poetry and literature with the cool-tempered lady and flaunting their own talents.
The only regret for these clients was that Xiaohong only provided company and not her body.
However, the so-called “art for sale, but not her body” could be swayed with the right price or high status, even the coolest of immortals would yield.
As for that price…
Curious, Lu Yuan asked about it, but once he heard the astronomical figure, he immediately closed his mouth, not daring to think further. Not being able to experience her intimately was just as well.
In fact, this suited Lu Yuan’s preferences.
After all, Lu Yuan’s martial arts training only allowed him to look and touch, but not engage intimately.
Having that restriction imposed by others was even better for him.
Brewing tea and discussing philosophy with a beautiful woman, expressing emotions while observing etiquette – it had its charm.
“As a gentleman, how could I be like those vulgar men who only care about appearances and have no taste?”
Lu Yuan secretly laughed at those who only desired flesh as he took a sip of tea, happily engaging in conversation with Xiaohong about the Taoist Classics he had been studying recently.
Studying the Taoist Classics on his own was quite challenging.
Unexpectedly, as he discussed them with Xiaohong, he found that she was indeed familiar with the texts.
Initially planning on maintaining a clean mind, he found himself so engrossed in the conversation that he cast away his impure thoughts and focused on discussing knowledge.
Living up to her reputation, Xiaohong proved to be highly Imowledgeable, easily addressing the doubts of a beginner like Lu Yuan.
With just a few words, she solved many of his conundrums.
Once he returned home, Lu Yuan was confident that he would master the palm technique he had been practicing for nearly a month within a few days.
‘Learning martial arts is about acquiring knowledge; without it, you can’t even qualify as a warrior. I still have a long way to go.’
Seeing Xiaohong in a new light, Lu Yuan held her in high esteem.
To show his gratitude for her guidance, he decided to support her business in the coming days, continuing to seek counsel from her in tea artistry and the Taoist Classics.
It was just a few dozen silver taels, after all.
He, Lu Yuan, could certainly afford it.
If left with no money, he could simply ask the Dayu Mountain Archer to venture into the mountains and Southsea again.
It was really no big deal!
After spending seven days in Fu City, learning from his teacher and gaining much knowledge, Lu Yuan reluctantly returned home, bidding farewell to her.
Upon arrival at Yangmei Town, he greeted a familiar face and was stopped by his neighbor Erniu at the doorway, who handed him a letter and an invitation.
He returned home after expressing his gratitude and opened them to find out what they were about.
Lu Yuan vaguely recalled two years ago when he went to the county town to buy medicine; Doctor Zhou mentioned his son, Xiaoqing, was engaged.
At the time, he mentioned that Lu Yuan would be invited to the wedding.
And so, two days prior, Zhou Ze had fulfilled his promise, personally visiting Yangmei Town to deliver an invitation to Lu Yuan.
Unfortunately, he was in Fu City, indulging in Xiaohong’s company and unable to leave the Red Sleeves Pavilion, causing him to miss this important occasion.
Fortunately, Zhou Ze left the invitation with Erniu, ensuring Lu Yuan didn’t miss the event.
“In the blink of an eye, two years have passed, and Xiaoqing, now fifteen, is preparing to get married,” Lu Yuan thought as he read the invitation, his heart filled with emotions.
It was normal for Xiaoqing to get married and start a family at fifteen, fitting the era’s conventions.
However, compared to him, who was already twenty and still single, he appeared rather strange in the eyes of others.
Thankfully, Lu Yuan didn’t care about other people’s opinions; in his eyes, ordinary people were nothing more than fleeting beings with a short lifespan.
The life of an immortal was something mortals could never comprehend.
Even after four years, Lu Yuan’s appearance remained unchanged, as if he was still a sixteen-year-old boy.
To keep his secret, he learned makeup artistry and frequently adjusted his appearance, concealing the fact that he did not age.
As long as he disguised himself well and kept to himself, nobody would discover his secret.
“Someday, I might witness Doctor Zhou with four generations under one roof, holding his great-grandson,” Lu Yuan thought.
Doctor Zhou was a friend and somewhat of an elder figure to him, comparable to Sun Siwen.
Thus, he was genuinely happy about the wedding: “I hope he can live to see that day.”
As he thought about this, he remembered the few streaks of silver in Zhou Ze’s sideburns he saw a few months ago.
Unlike Lu Yuan’s eternal youth, Doctor Zhou was a regular person nearing forty, already surpassing the average lifespan of this era.
Nobody knew how many years he had left; he was living on borrowed time.
“Doctor Zhou, as a physician, takes good care of himself; he should live a long life of sixty or eighty years,” Lu Yuan thought, wishing him well before carefully storing the invitation, prepared to attend the wedding on the fourteenth of the fifth month with a gift in hand..