Special: Li Shande’s sweet daily life with his wife and daughter! | The Litchi Road
[Fifteen years ago] Liangyuan. Liangyuan! Guess who I met. Who? Mr. Cui who’s recently joined the Directorate of Education. Why are you in a daze? Go with me. Go where? Go meet Mr. Cui! He’s newly enrolled. You haven’t met him. He’s from the Cui clan of Qinghe. His father is the Vice Minister
of the Directorate of Education. Some young men from the Wang clan of Taiyuan
are also there. Let’s go. A commoner like me shouldn’t attend. Just go without me. Liangyuan… Since that’s the case, goodbye. This mountain is truly high. Jinniang? Miss Zheng. Jinniang is from the Zheng clan of Xingyang. She was once betrothed to Mr. Cui. Are you okay? I’m fine. I sprained my ankle. It’s been six months. Is your family well? Thank you for asking. They’re fine. A daughter of the Prominent Five Clans! Matchmakers once flooded her house. Even noble young men struggled to court her. Why break the engagement? Six months ago, her father’s branch was expelled from the Zheng clan. This… You still keep it? Distinctions exist
between gentry and commoners. Nobles don’t wed the disgraced. Mr. Cui’s justified to annul the engagement. Shall I help you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll latch onto you? You already knew it? It was arranged by our parents and matched by go-betweens. Please just go. You’d want to avoid gossip. Perhaps we take turns carrying her down? We can’t do that. We’ll be risking our lives to carry her down. Besides, if seen, it’ll invite slander. Indeed. Moreover, she’s expelled from the Zheng clan. We might shame our own clan for helping her. If she latches onto us, we won’t be able
to get rid of this liability! Please go. Don’t hinder me from scenery viewing. After you. After you. After you. It’s swollen? I sprained my ankle. Let me help you up. Give me your sachet. No, I don’t mean that! Libertine! How dare you ask a woman for her sachet? I… I’m not asking for it. I just need to smell it. Here. I don’t need it anymore. Borneol. Musk. It’s quite fragrant. Here. Here we go. Libertine! Vent your anger when you get
to the foot of the mountain. But I doubt you can walk. I’ll carry you. We’re strangers. You don’t have to take risks for me. I’m not taking risks. We’re losing daylight, and we’ll both be trapped
in the mountains. That way. Which way? There. Put me down. It’s too dangerous. Unseen paths ahead don’t mean no path at all. Follow the path beneath us. Step by step. Step by step. Step by step. We’ll get there. I promised to carry you down. So I won’t abandon you midway. Mister, how should I address you? Had we fallen and died, I wouldn’t even know whom I died with. My surname is Li. Courtesy name Liangyuan. I hailed from Huayin County. Oh, my! I thought you were
from the Prominent Five Clans. No. How old are you? I am twenty. Twenty? You look mature. Yes. At forty, I’ll look the same. Your name? Me? I’ll tell you downhill. I can’t carry on. Let me take a rest. Watch out! Liangyuan, were you afraid when we passed the steep rock face? I was. Why? Because two lives were at stake. But I couldn’t leave you. At night… At night, you might be bitten by insects or frozen to death. Right? Alright. Hold tight. Let’s go. Why the laugh? Nothing. You’re still laughing. I just recalled something. As a child, one day I went to sell goats
in Chang’an. I had two goats. One foolish goat fell into a ditch and got its legs sprained. So I carried one goat and led the other to Chang’an. I feel like you’re describing me. I am. Anyway, what’s your name? Like I said, I’ll tell you downhill. We’re almost there. Your name? Not yet. But we’re almost there. I finally made it back. Mr. Li, I must thank you for your help. But let’s be honest, Mr. Liu knew full well you were newly married, yet he still sent you on this errand to buy peonies. I really feel for you. At least we’re paid to do this. Yeah. Good thing it went smoothly without any hiccups. Mr. Li! M-Mr. Li! Hurry! Mr. Li! Hold on, donkey! Move, please! Jinniang! Honey! Why are you back so late? Your colleague returned by noon. Didn’t he tell you? I was held up by it on the way. It? It went into a thicket, and I got dragged in too. Then both of us were delayed by another donkey. Typical donkey behavior. Let’s forget about donkeys! You came back a day later than planned. Did anything go wrong? Not at all. I ran into tax collectors on the road. But for you, I would’ve returned even later. Everyone, today, rooms are half-price, and breakfast is free! [Luck Inn has rooms
at half price today] Half-price. Shall we? Let’s go! Too expensive! Not at all. I made some money. Go home! Breakfast is free! Still expensive! Be gentle. Look at her big eyes. Just like yours. Not like yours anyway. Give me a smile! but it’s comfortable in details. It’s designed
with south-north cross-breezes. The location is perfect. And there’s also a ditch next to here. It’s quite convenient for drinking and household use. [Jingniang] It was repaired so quickly. [Li Xiu turned one month old] Look. This is the screen we chose. This study is quite spacious. In the future,
we can put a guqin table here, where you can play the guqin. We just passed by the Yong’an Ditch. It’ll be very convenient
to do the laundry there. In summer, we can also fetch water to bathe Xiu. Look at the threshold. It’s removable. It will be easy for Xiu
to learn to walk when she grows up. Yes. Dear. Do you think this smells familiar? I feel like I’ve smelled it somewhere. Here, smell. It’s from Xiu. She’s fragrant. So fragrant. The osmanthus’s
“branch-plucking” symbolism means receiving support
from influential patrons. Great. Actually, in my heart, you are like the osmanthus tree, which is straightforward deep within. With the auspicious and happy meaning of osmanthus, I hope our family of three could be safe and untroubled, living our lives as ordinary people. That’s right. It matters more than anything for the three of us to be together without mishap. In the future, when Xiu grows up, let’s go hiking in the suburbs in the spring, cool ourselves in the summer streams, appreciate the autumn moon
under the tree in our yard, and have night talks by fire in winter. [In memory of my late wife,
Zheng Jinniang from Xingyang] Who built this rain canopy? It toppled and crushed the peonies. This peony already had weak roots and short branches. [Li Shande,
Supervisor of Imperial Parks] It barely survived last winter. Now this calamity. Though the main stem remains intact. First, brace it with wooden splints, then seal the wounds with mud. It should survive. But its blooming will be delayed. The damage requires recovery. The Right Chancellor said this peony, His Majesty’s favorite, must bloom on schedule. Three days after Grain Rain,
we admire the peonies. Grain Rain is still… There’s time. Enough time. I couldn’t pick you up yesterday. Don’t hold it against me. [Colleagues’ Favor]
There was trouble at Leyou Garden. His Majesty’s favorite peonies got crushed. If His Majesty demanded accountability, all my colleagues would be executed. They were scared out of their wits and had to beg for my help. Why only you could help, Father? You see, I tend plants all day. No one else at the Office
of Imperial Parks matches my skills. I’m also the foremost expert at Leyou Garden. So when I went to save the peonies, I couldn’t pick you up. But if I hadn’t gone, my colleagues would’ve been executed. What choice did I have? Did you save them then? It was child’s play for me. You saved your colleagues. They must be very grateful. Indeed. I saved their lives. They’re extremely thankful. [The 2nd month, the 13th year
of Tianbao, Chang’an] When will you take me to see the old house? I’ve been busy with official duties. I’ll give you the key. Give it to your uncle. When Uncle returns, he’ll take you. Here. When will he return? Probably in three to five days. What if he doesn’t return? How could he not? He was born and raised in Chang’an like you. This is his root. If he doesn’t return… If he doesn’t return… Ouch. Are you alright? The breakfast you made was so salty. I didn’t add much salt. I added a lot of vinegar. Father, I didn’t mean to eat slowly. It was just… not tasty. I’m not blaming your pace. I just think you need to learn to do your hair. I can, just slowly. Father, walk slower. Slower? You hurry up. Besides duty today, I have many errands. I’m already running late. And you still wouldn’t do my hair? You had to ask me to do it myself. My hair is a mess, and you panic about being late. I believe everything needs a first step. If Father’s not home, like out of town on business trips, won’t you need to learn to clean the house, do laundry, or cook? You hurt me. I can go to school alone. Alone? I know this road well. Didn’t you say “first steps”? Aren’t you late for duty? Excuse me, have you seen a little girl this tall? Have you seen a little girl this tall walking alone? Lost child? Xiu! What’s wrong? Why the panic? What is it, Shande? What happened? Have you seen Xiu? No. She’s lost? She’s vanished in the blink of an eye. Let’s go look for her! Let’s go! Xiu! Xiu! You scared me to death! What are you doing here? I freaked out! I thought you were kidnapped so I searched everywhere! You scared me to death! Father, I was walking. thinking you’d leave soon. I’d be alone in Chang’an. Suddenly, I felt so lonely. So I thought if I came to the old house, Mother might keep me company. Father, would you blame me? No. Of course not. Why would I blame you? Father is just away on duty. I will return when it’s finished. You’re a big girl now. You can take care of yourself. Yes. I am a big girl now. I can take care of myself. Can I visit the old house often? Of course. Come whenever you wish. It’s our own house. Right? When you want to come here, ask the Chief of the Alley to bring you. This is where your father and mother once lived. See? This osmanthus tree was planted by your mother. Her favorite. When will you return? When the osmanthus blooms, I will return. Wonderful! I’ll water it every day so that it’ll bloom early. So this thread above that one? No, this one above this one. No. That was for the previous step. Now it’s this one above this one. Why don’t you go to sleep, Xiu? I will do it. No! It’s not finished yet. Go to sleep. When you wake up, you’ll see a flower basket waiting for you. Come on. Tuck yourself in. Alright. Put your hands in there. Cover up. Close your eyes. It’s a lot of work for you
to do it by yourself. I want to keep you company. You can keep me company
with your eyes closed. I paid so much tuition to your embroidery school. Now I’m the one doing the homework. Close your eyes. I’m keeping an eye on you. What about yours? Mine is prettier. So beautiful! The weaving is even. The shape is neat. It’s pretty! How did you do it? Teach us. Yeah! Teach us! Xiu, it’s such an exquisite basket. Did you really weave it yourself? This morning when my mother went to the market, she saw your father
buying a flower basket at the next stall. No way! This is… Is this really woven by yourself? Give it back! She definitely bought it. My mother said that your father’s
great bargaining skills even drew a crowd! Don’t talk about my father like that! Did you guys weave your flower baskets then? Give it back! My flower basket was woven by my mother. Yeah, mine too. Mine too. Won’t your mother weave a flower basket for you? I heard her mother died of illness. This basket must have been bought by her father. Xiu’s father’s good at bargaining. He bought a basket to save the trouble. Don’t talk about my father like that! Don’t snatch it! Xiu! Give it back! Come on. You’re still smiling? Why are you looking at me? Who else should I look at? What does it taste like? Salty. Salty. How many girls hit you? Six. Six? Six girls hit you
and you’re still smiling? Who won? I won. Six, and you won? How badly were they beaten up? Father, I wish you saw them. Some of them had swollen eyes. Swollen eyes? Why… why did you guys fight? Because of the flower basket. They were jealous
that mine was prettier. They trampled the basket you wove and said you didn’t weave it yourself. I was so angry! It’s… it’s just a basket! Well, I will weave you another one. Really? Woven by your own hands? By my own hands. Remember, don’t fight anymore. Okay? Okay! It’s a deal. It’s a deal? Whose temper do you take after? Whose temper? Mother’s. Then it’s a deal. Here, seal it with blood. [Hongni Embroidery Workshop] Father. Sir shared osmanthus cakes today. One for each. I saved mine for you. I’ll pass. I can take it home for you to eat later. You eat it. You always say whenever you see good food, you want to share it with me. When I find tasty things, I want to share with Father too. Come on. Silly girl. Okay. It’s sweet. Speedwell? Your legs often ache. Speedwell reduces swelling. When I watched you make a decoction, I remembered what it looked like. This one. Next time, embroider a flatbread for me. All you think about is food.