Chapter 13: Orphan Girl

Du Rui didn't really care about being forced to break off his engagement by Du He and his men. However, his old servant, Du Zhong, remained indignant, frequently grumbling about it in Du Rui’s ear. It became so distracting that Du Rui couldn't even focus on his reading, yet he couldn't bring himself to scold the old man, who had always been fiercely loyal to him.

Since he couldn't scold him, Du Rui had no choice but to hide. He took the brothers Du Pingyuan and Du Pisheng and snuck out of the manor to wander around the West Market. Ever since arriving in this Great Tang, he had been busy with the funeral arrangements for Du Ruhui and then preoccupied with making a living. He hadn't truly had the chance to experience the local customs and atmosphere of this Great Tang.

Although the West Market lacked the unique geographical advantage of the East Market—which was closer to the three inner palaces and lined with the grand estates of noble families—it was far more lively, as it gathered all the peddlers, porters, and merchants of Chang'an.

As it neared noon, the Zuixian Restaurant was already bustling with customers. By now, "Zui Chang'an" had made a name for itself in the city, and even the wealthy, noble, and high-ranking officials vied for it. With sales booming, Manager Feng of the Zuixian Restaurant was naturally raking in the profits, but the lion's share of the wealth flowed directly into Du Rui's pockets.

"Young Master!"

Under Du Rui's insistence, everyone in the Du household had changed how they addressed him. Servants like Du Zhong called him "Young Master," while the three members of the Ma family called him "Third Young Master." Du Rui had never been quite comfortable with everyone calling him "Young Noble" all the time.

"Young Master! It’s noon! Why don't we go sit in the Zuixian Restaurant? Ever since they added our manor's Zui Chang'an to their menu, they've made quite a name for themselves in Chang'an. Nowadays, all the young masters from the wealthy and noble families love to gather there for drinks!"

Hearing this, Du Rui nodded and said, "Very well! I happen to be hungry, so we shall eat there today!"

The three of them walked into the Zuixian Restaurant. Manager Feng saw them and offered a slight bow as a greeting. A waiter immediately stepped forward to lead them up to the third floor.

"Bring a catty of Zui Chang'an and a few seasonal side dishes."

Before long, the wine and food were served. Although Du Pingyuan and Du Pisheng were brothers born to the same mother, Du Pingyuan was gentle and observant of etiquette, having studied under Du Zhong since childhood. Du Pisheng, however, was restless and, having learned some martial arts from Du Gui, was the most mischievous of the two.

Having been with Du Rui for a long time, Du Pisheng knew his master was easygoing. Seeing the food and wine arrive, he couldn't wait to pour drinks for all three of them.

Du Rui liked Du Pisheng’s casual nature and laughed, "You two brothers go ahead and enjoy yourselves; don't mind me."

After eating a few bites, he found that while the dishes of this era couldn't compare to those of the future, they had a unique flavor of their own. Du Rui wasn't particularly hungry, and seeing that the brothers were holding back because he was sitting there, he took his cup of wine and walked to the window to look at the street scene of Chang'an.

Although it was different from the steel and concrete skyscrapers of his past life, being in this antique, oriental city made Du Rui’s mind and body—which had grown weary from the turbidity of time—feel relaxed.

There were many pedestrians on the street. In his past life, Du Rui had read a research report stating that at its peak, Chang'an had a population of over a million, making it the largest city in the world at the time. The West Market alone was extraordinary; he imagined the Daming Palace, which had left people in his past life so spellbound, must be even more magnificent.

As he watched, Du Rui suddenly saw a crowd gathered in front of an inn, seemingly watching a spectacle. Just then, a group of youths in bright clothes on horseback rode over, pushing through the crowd. A dispute seemed to have broken out, and it quickly turned into a noisy commotion.

Curious, Du Rui told the brothers he was going to take a look and headed downstairs alone. Du Pingyuan wanted to follow, but he was worried about his brother and, since Du Rui had told them not to follow, he had no choice but to stay seated.

Du Rui went downstairs and walked up to the inn, where he heard a youth shouting arrogantly.

"Since you sisters have taken my money, you belong to me! Why aren't you coming home with me instead of kneeling here crying? You're making the Xiao family lose face!"

Then, a girl's voice rang out: "I beg you, sir, please show some self-respect. My sister and I have never met you before; when would we have ever taken your money?"

"You wretch, you dare talk back? Didn't you say that after taking my money to bury your dead father, you would come to the Xiao manor to serve as maids? What is this!? You take the money and now you're reneging? Or did you two little sluts set a trap to swindle me!"

"If we had truly taken your money to bury our father, we would naturally be willing to serve in your manor and never go back on our word. But my father's body is still lying here on this barren ground. Not only do you come to harass us, but you also insult the spirit of our deceased father. Even if you are a man of status, so what? My sister and I would rather die than let you slander him!"

Du Rui finally understood. It was a case of selling oneself to bury a father. In his past life, he had been deeply attached to his own father, and seeing the plight of these two sisters, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy.

He pushed through the crowd and walked up to the two sisters. They looked to be about ten years old. Despite their dirty clothes and disheveled appearance, they possessed an undeniable, peerless beauty. At such a young age, they were already like this; once they grew up, they would surely be heart-stopping beauties.

The two sisters were huddled in a corner. The older one, who seemed to be the elder sister, had her dark, glossy hair tied in a bun. Her lips were red without rouge, her brows dark without paint, her face round like a silver basin, and her eyes like water-almonds—she had the natural look of nobility.

The younger one, held in her arms, had a different charm: sloping shoulders, a slender waist, a tall, graceful figure, an oval face, and delicate, arched brows. At that moment, she was frowning slightly in fear, which made one feel an uncontrollable sense of pity.

Seeing them, a poem Du Rui had read many times in his past life flashed through his mind: *Two curved brows like knitted smoke, a pair of eyes like weeping dew. Her expression held the sorrow of two dimples, her delicate frame burdened by illness. Tears glistened, her breath was faint. Quiet as a flower reflecting in water, moving like a willow in the wind. Her heart had more chambers than Bi Gan, and her illness surpassed even Xishi.*

These two girls were simply the Tang Dynasty versions of Xue Baochai and Lin Daiyu.

The arrogant youth surnamed Xiao was still shouting loudly, while the older girl didn't argue back, only staring at him with cold, stern eyes. Du Rui couldn't help but praise her silently: "What a spirited woman!"

"Here is five strings of cash. Take it and bury your father!"

Du Rui spoke up suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. The sisters saw him and bowed down together: "Thank you, sir, for your great kindness! From now on, we are willing to serve you as maids to repay your great favor!"

The youth surnamed Xiao, seeing someone interfering, flew into a rage: "Who are you to meddle in my business? I bought these two maids first! Who do you think you are, playing the hero!"

Du Rui frowned and asked, "Your surname is Xiao? Are you a relative of Lord Xiao Yu?"

The youth was startled, thinking to himself: *Someone who can ask that must be a child of a high-ranking official.*

But seeing that Du Rui was dressed in plain clothes and didn't look particularly wealthy, he scoffed, "Lord Xiao is my grand-uncle, and my father is a Langzhong in the Ministry of Rites. Who are you to interfere in the affairs of the Xiao family?"

Du Rui sneered. So, this was his former future brother-in-law. No wonder he was so arrogant and unruly. The older one had run to his house to break off the engagement a few days ago, and today this younger one was forcing himself on women in the street.

"Since your father serves in the Ministry of Rites, he should know the importance of etiquette. If you continue to make a scene, I will report you to the Jingzhao Yin, Lord Chu. When that happens, your father will be the first to be punished for failing to discipline his son and allowing you to run wild!"

The youth was terrified. He looked left and right, seeing the crowd glaring at him with resentment. Panicked, he shot Du Rui a fierce glare and then stormed off.

Du Rui turned to the sisters and said, "Go quickly, bury your father, and find your relatives!"

Du Rui turned to leave, but to his surprise, the sisters threw themselves at his feet. The older one wept, "We have no other relatives to turn to. Please, sir, have mercy and take us in. We would be eternally grateful!"

Seeing the girl crying like rain on pear blossoms, looking so tragic—a far cry from the girl who had just scolded the villain—Du Rui felt conflicted. Adding two maids to the manor wouldn't be a big deal; they could keep Du Yunlian and the others company. Thinking of this, Du Rui nodded: "In that case, follow me back to the manor!"

The onlookers, seeing Du Rui step in to help, praised him one after another.

"This young master is so young, yet so kind-hearted! I wonder whose son he is!?"

"I recognize him! That’s the son of the late Duke of Lai, Lord Du! After Lord Du passed away, he was kicked out by the eldest son of the main wife!"

"Oh! Is he the one who wrote, 'Laughing at the sky, I go out the door; how could I be a man of the weeds'?"

"That's the one!"

"Truly a great talent!"

It turned out that someone had seen Du Rui write the poem on the gate of the Duke of Lai's manor that day and had secretly copied it down. Later, when the servants of the manor saw it, they erased it for fear of displeasing their masters, so Du He didn't know about it.

Just then, the brothers Du Pingyuan and Du Pisheng found him. Du Pingyuan was fine, but Du Pisheng was dead drunk, his head spinning, and he could barely stand.

Du Rui ordered Du Pingyuan to help the sisters with their father's funeral. Since Du Pisheng was too drunk, Du Rui sent him back to the manor first. After asking a few more questions, he learned that the two girls weren't sisters by blood, but cousins. The elder was surnamed Xue, and the younger was surnamed Lin. They had fled to Chang'an to escape the war caused by Liang Shidu. They had just arrived when the elder Mr. Xue fell ill. After dragging it out for some time, their money ran out, and he eventually passed away.

Du Rui sighed, had Mr. Xue buried in the public cemetery, and took the two sisters back to the manor. As soon as they reached the gate, they saw Du Zhong standing there with a stern face. Du Pingyuan was scared out of his wits.

It turned out that as soon as Du Pisheng returned, he had confessed everything. When Du Zhong heard that his grandsons had ignored their master's safety to go drinking at a restaurant, he was furious. He had immediately punished Du Pisheng, who was still wailing in the woodshed.

"You scoundrel! It was bad enough that you dragged the Young Master out, but you went off to drink and left the Young Master to fend for himself! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll be bullying your master in the future!"

He raised his hand to strike, but Du Rui quickly stepped in to stop him, pleading, "Uncle Zhong, please show mercy. It was all my idea; don't blame the Pingyuan brothers."

Du Zhong wouldn't relent, saying, "Young Master, don't plead for these two scoundrels. If I don't punish them today, there will be no end to it!"

Du Rui persuaded him for a while longer before Du Zhong finally calmed down, though he still insisted on punishing them by locking Du Pingyuan in the woodshed to reflect on his mistakes.