His Peasant Wife : Yao Ling

"Yes, Shi Fu[1]. His name is Yao Ying. He’s my new best friend --- Uncle Wang’s son," Lin Jian introduced Yao Ying.

"Hmmm... that Little Wang’s son?"

"Yes," Lin Jian said eagerly.

"Please receive this one as Shi Fu’s disciple," Yao Ying politely begged and he cupped both of his hands as a sign of respect. The old master even called his father as Little Wang. Did he know his father as well?

"I really... really... promised to receive him as my disciple?" The old man threw the question to Lin Jian. He knew that the brat had a lot of tricks on his hands, so he didn’t trust him easily. Why couldn’t he remember anything about it in this crucial time?

"Yes, Shi Fu." Lin Jian said with a righteous face. Although the old master didn’t believe him, there was nothing he could do. He didn’t want to lose face in front of his new disciples.

"This one never takes back what this one has said. Very well then... You will be my disciple too. Yao Ying, right? You can call me Shi Fu too. *hic* Tomorrow... I will look at your face carefully to remember you... *hic* Somehow... your face is blurry," The old master slurred his speech. After saying that, he fell to the ground and snored loudly.

"It seems like Master finally falls asleep," Lin Jian said in relief. He grinned at Yao Ying, "Well... you successfully become my Shi Di[2] then," Lin Jian said.

Damn! Yao Ying forgot about it. Did he really have to call Lin Jian Shi Xiong? He pursed his lips, feeling indignant. "You are my best friend, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to call you Shi Xiong. It is better if I still call you just like usual, Lin Jian," Yao Ying said nicely and smiled.

Lin Jian knew that Yao Ying didn’t want to call him Shi Xiong and he could do nothing about it. He still remembered his threat about the bet. Lin Jian didn’t want to provoke this sleeping tiger and got himself entangled into a new problem. Besides, even though Yao Ying said it nicely, but his smile was so eerie, making him shiver.

Yao Ying asked, "What should we do about Shi Fu? I need to buy presents for Yao Ling and I can’t stay out for too long." His headache was slightly better, but he wanted to rest early for the day. Yao Ying also felt that he had a lot to talk about to his wife regarding this turn of event.

Lin Jian looked at Yao Ying and remembered something, "You just drank poison! How can you be strong enough to wander around like this? Back then, I even passed out for a few days!"

"Really? I passed out too, but not as severe as you though. I was out for a few hours only and I’m currently not feeling well. I wouldn’t be here if my father didn’t tell me to and of course... because of you," Yao Ying explained.

"Well... I didn’t know that you just drank poison!" Lin Jian pouted, feeling wronged.

Yao Ying rolled his eyes, "Well... now you know! Can you let me go now?"

Lin Jian nodded, "Sure. You probably should rest for a few days. Although the poison won’t harm you or take your life, it’s still a poison!" Lin Jian really pitied Yao Ying. What did Uncle Wang think for letting Yao Ying come out in this condition? Uncle Wang really didn’t know how to take care of other people.

"Shi Fu said that he wants to meet me tomorrow. Where should I meet him?"

"At my home is fine. I probably will drag him there and let him stay for the night. This is already a usual routine for us." It was true. This can be said as a common occurrence for his master to stay the night at ’Lin Fu’ from time to time.

"Do you need my help to bring him home?"

"No need, no need. Just pay attention to your own health. This is our place and I can get helpers from here. It’s not a big deal." Lin Jian felt worried about Yao Ying, so he adamantly told him to go home and rest.

"Then, I’ll see you tomorrow," Yao Ying bade goodbye and left without looking back. He was thankful that Lin Jian was quite understanding of his condition.

Somehow Yao Ying missed Xiu. It would be better if he could help him think about the presents; he needed someone else’s opinion on this matter. His headache made him couldn’t think clearly. He knew Yao Ling wasn’t a materialistic woman and she was quite unwillingly buying something expensive for herself. The woman was a foodie and she rather chose to spend money on food than for superficial things like clothing or jewelry.

Should he buy a new ruqun for her? Hairpin? Bangle? Ring? Earrings? Feeling confused, Yao Ying decided to go to nearby accessories shop. He just wanted to try his luck and maybe he could find something nice there.

The store was small and the customers weren’t that many. When he came in, he was welcomed with a few displays of jewelry. The display contained various types of jewelry and they were divided based on the type. One display for rings, another one for jade pendants, and so on. Yao Ying stood in front of the display in confusion. There were so many designs! How could he choose one among them?

"Can this servant help you?" A young woman around twenty-something politely asked Yao Ying. It seemed like she was the shopkeeper.

"Do you have something beautiful for a present?"

"Who is it for?"

"My wife."

"Ah... so it’s for the lady. Do you have any specific thing in your mind? Ring? Earrings? Bangle?" The shopkeeper offered a various of choices to Yao Ying.

Yao Ying shook his head dejectedly. "No."

"Are the both of you newlyweds?" The shopkeeper asked once again. Judging from how this man was at loss in choosing the present, it seemed like he didn’t know his wife preferences. If they were newlyweds, she had the perfect things for the man.

"Yes."

The shopkeepers grinned widely. "Then, this servant has the perfect things for you. Please wait here! I need to go inside and bring them out. It’s quite precious so this servant didn’t put it on the display."

Yao Ying nodded politely. It seemed like he came to the right place. If he went to a bigger place, it wouldn’t guarantee the shopkeeper would personally give him a good idea or as attentive as this shopkeeper. Hopefully, she would bring out something that he would like.

It didn’t take long for the shopkeeper to come back and bring along the goodies. The shopkeeper smiled and said, "You are really lucky. These are our newest item and we haven’t got the chance to sell this to our biggest customer. We usually sell our new item to our VIP customer first."

The shopkeeper presented a beautiful pair of jade with a high-quality intricated design. They were made of mutton fat jade --- the color was white, almost translucent color. Although it was a pair of jade, the design could stand on its own -- a catfish. A catfish pendant symbolized wishes for a happy marriage.

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[1]. Shi Fu: a Chinese title for a teacher or skilled tradesman.

[2]. Shi Di: young disciple (of the same master); younger or junior male schoolmate.