Pangqiu wore a quilted jacket with intricate embroidery, its snow-white fur trim accentuating her rosy cheeks. Her stepmother’s care had made her even more charming, with plump cheeks that tempted one to pinch them.
Yining, oblivious to this, smiled and asked, “Third Brother, I haven’t seen you much lately. Have you been busy?”
“Father invited a retired Hanlin Academy scholar to teach my eldest brother and me the art of composition. I’ve also been managing your shop, so I’ve been quite occupied,” Luo Shenyuan replied. “Have you been behaving for Mother?”
Noticing Pangqiu’s adorable blinking eyes, he couldn’t resist patting her head. His tone softened, “Be good, alright? Once I’m less busy, I’ll arrange for a teacher to instruct you. That way, you won’t spend all day playing with Yixiu.”
What did Third Brother mean? Did he intend to raise her as a proper young lady of a noble family? Yining knew Luo Shenyuan was quite strict with her. Now that Lin Hairu indulged her, and the maids and servants catered to her whims, even Luo Chengzhang dared not interfere much. It seemed the task of managing her had fallen to Luo Shenyuan.
Since taking on this responsibility, her Third Brother had become increasingly stern.
Yining regretted stopping Luo Shenyuan. She thought to herself, being such a grown person, how could she still be lectured by him? It wasn’t something to be proud of.
“I need to visit Mother. I won’t disturb you further, Third Brother,” Yining said with a smile, bidding farewell to Luo Shenyuan. However, as she reached the corridor’s exit, he suddenly called out, “Yining, stop right there—”
Yining wondered what it could be now. Luo Shenyuan stepped forward and grabbed her hand.
Her small hands were red from the cold, which he hadn’t noticed earlier. Only upon touching them did he realize they were as cold as ice.
Luo Shenyuan’s brow furrowed. The snowy weather was already cold, and his handsome features darkened as he asked Xuezhi, who followed behind her, “How are you serving your young mistress, letting her hands get this cold?”
Yining finally understood why her Third Brother had called her back. She defended Xuezhi, saying, “It was so cold last night after the snowfall. Two turtles were frozen in the pond, and I had a hard time rescuing them. That’s why my hands are red… It’s not Xuezhi’s fault.”
Luo Shenyuan stared at her face and smirked, “You have an excuse for everything, don’t you?”
Yining dared not argue further and looked up into his eyes. She noticed that Third Brother was still very tall, just like before. She only reached a bit above his waist. As she grew, he seemed to have grown taller too. His expression remained impassive as he gazed at her, seemingly compelling her to admit her mistake.
Yining sighed and said, “Third Brother, I understand. It won’t happen again…”
His expression softened slightly. He took her other hand and tucked both into his wide sleeves, enveloping them with his own hands until they warmed up.
Yining’s paws were toasty warm by the time she reached Lin Hairu’s quarters.
The room was heated with charcoal, and a wave of warmth greeted her as she lifted the curtain, feeling quite comfortable. Lin Hairu was busy reviewing accounts of the various courtyards’ expenses for food, clothing, and other necessities. Important maids and servants had gathered around her, and she was overwhelmed with work. She told Yining to find a place to sit on her own. Lin Hairu took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and continued discussing New Year’s preparations with the servants.
The household was still in mourning, so the New Year celebrations needed to be modest, but it was still a special occasion.
Yining sipped the bird’s nest soup Ruixiang had brought her, listening carefully to the affairs of the second branch of the family. The second branch had a simple structure: besides Lin Hairu and Concubine Qiao’s courtyard, there was another less-favored concubine who had been a maid serving Luo Chengzhang since childhood. Perhaps because of her humble origins, she was obedient and cautious, coming to pay respects to Lin Hairu daily with a submissive demeanor.
Yining lived with Lin Hairu, but the adjacent wing room was more like an independent small courtyard, complete with a reversed-seat house, back-shield house, and porch house. Only the three daily meals were not prepared separately, but taken with Lin Hairu. Lin Hairu was fond of Yining, and if not for Luo Chengzhang’s recent habit of resting in her quarters, she would have liked Yining to sleep with her, even telling her stories at night.
When Luo Chengzhang entered that day, he saw Lin Hairu and Yining sitting together on the arhat bed. Lin Hairu was applying amber-like balm from an exquisite porcelain jar to Yining’s hands, smiling as she asked, “Yining, try it and see if it smells nice. This is a rose balm that Mama Du bought from the capital…”
Yining cupped her hands and sniffed, smiling brightly as she said it smelled good.
Since Old Madam Luo’s death, Luo Chengzhang had rarely seen Yining so happy. The two sat close together, like a real mother and daughter. Yining liked her, nestling affectionately against her. Since Minglun’s departure, Luo Chengzhang had seldom witnessed such a scene. Even Lin Hairu’s features seemed more delicate and gentle. Her kindness towards the child was genuine, and the child reciprocated sincerely. Remembering his eldest daughter’s instructions, Luo Chengzhang ended up staying in Lin Hairu’s quarters for half a month.
Yining was also considerate, only coming to Lin Hairu’s place around noon each day. Seeing Luo Chengzhang and Lin Hairu’s close relationship made her happy.
A day or two was fine, but after half a month, Concubine Qiao grew restless.
When she came to pay respects to Lin Hairu, she always mentioned that young master Xuan was unwell, complaining of stomach aches. The next day it would be headaches – there was always something wrong.
Luo Chengzhang, after all, still cared for his young son. Last night, he went to Concubine Qiao’s quarters.
After Lin Hairu finished giving instructions, she sat beside Yining and pinched her cheek, asking, “How’s the bird’s nest soup? Is it good?”
Yining thought to herself that it was indeed delicious, but she worried about when the chubbiness in her face would disappear. Lin Hairu seemed to read her thoughts and waved her hand, saying, “Don’t try to emulate those frail young ladies. It’s better to have some meat on your bones!” Lin Hairu loved Yining’s plumpness, finding it auspicious and comfortable to care for. She continued, “Your fifth cousin, that Lin Mao fellow, sent you a box of Tangxi honey tangerines from Hangzhou. While tangerines aren’t rare, they’re quite precious this time of year. I’ll have them brought to you later… Or why don’t I peel one for you to try now?”
Yining nearly choked again.
The future Imperial Censor Lin, that great official, had sent her a box of tangerines.
Lin Hairu quickly put down the half-peeled tangerine and patted Yining’s back, “Eat slowly, child. How can you choke on bird’s nest soup?”
After coughing a few times, Yining asked, “I’ve never met Cousin Lin Mao. Why did he send me tangerines?”
Lin Hairu smiled and said, “He hasn’t met you, but I often talk about you when I visit home. From your eldest cousin to your fifth cousin, they all know about you. Remember the golden hairpin I gave you last time? That was from your second cousin. Your cousin Lin Mao says he wants to come and see you, and his mother wants to send him here for me to discipline. You’ll probably see him before long.”
Yining was young, so people sending her gifts wasn’t unusual. It was just treated as giving presents to a child.
Yining calmed down and took the tangerine from her stepmother’s hand, popping a segment into her mouth. She had almost forgotten that the Lin family was known for their bold and playful nature; nothing they did was surprising.
The tangerine was quite sweet, though a bit dry.
After returning to her room, Yining picked out some tangerines from the box and distributed them to the people in the second branch of the family, even sending several to Luo Yixiu.
Early the next morning, she heard that Concubine Qiao had again requested Luo Chengzhang’s presence the previous night, claiming that young master Xuan couldn’t eat.
Yining sneered upon hearing this. Was Concubine Qiao using her young son to gain favor? As she approached Lin Hairu’s door, she overheard Lin Hairu and Ruixiang’s usual gossip, peppered with phrases like “that little hussy” and “that vixen.”
But as soon as Yining entered, Lin Hairu stopped talking. With Yining in her room now, she was afraid of corrupting the child. If such words came out of Yining’s mouth, Luo Shenyuan would surely come to question her.
This morning, Concubine Qiao was to come to pay her respects. Luo Chengzhang entered just before her. As Concubine Qiao poured Luo Chengzhang a bowl of chicken soup, Yining asked her, “Concubine Qiao, I heard my little brother wasn’t feeling well again last night?”
Concubine Qiao stood gracefully beside Luo Chengzhang, saying with a helpless air, “That child, I don’t know what’s wrong. He just can’t eat…”
Yining glanced at Concubine Qiao’s posture, then at Lin Hairu, who had stopped drinking her soy milk and was silently sighing. She decided to make Concubine Qiao uncomfortable and said with a smile, “How can you not know what’s wrong? I think it’s because the servants aren’t taking good care of him, making my brother unwell.”
Luo Yilie had only eaten half a pancake before putting it down. She rinsed her mouth with water from her maid before saying softly, “Seventh Sister misunderstands. The maids in Concubine’s quarters are all diligent and responsible. There’s been no neglect.”
“That’s not necessarily true,” Yining said with an innocent smile. “Concubine and Sixth Sister can’t watch over my brother all the time. I think it might be better if…” She looked towards Luo Chengzhang, who was drinking his porridge. “We bring my brother to Mother’s room to be cared for for a while. With our careful attention, his illness will surely improve. What do you think, Father?”
Luo Chengzhang had been very worried about his young son these past few days. Hearing this, he thought Yining’s suggestion made sense. He nodded, “Yining has a point. Xuan has been unwell lately. We might as well bring him to Hairu’s place for now.”
Concubine Qiao’s face turned pale upon hearing this. She quickly knelt and pleaded, “My Lord, Xuan hasn’t been apart from me since he was born! This cannot be! The Madam has never liked Xuan…”
Luo Yilie also begged, “…Father, please have some pity on my brother’s condition!”
Lin Hairu knew Yining was trying to help her. She immediately said, “My quarters aren’t a den of tigers. What are you so worried about, Concubine Qiao?”
Yining nodded and said, “Sixth Sister, I’m only thinking of Xuan’s health. Father rushes to Concubine Qiao’s place whenever he hears Xuan is ill, which shows how much he cares for him.”
Luo Chengzhang also felt that Concubine Qiao and Luo Yilie were overreacting. It didn’t matter who raised the child, and Yining’s suggestion made sense.
He told Concubine Qiao, “We’ll do as Yining suggests. I’ve seen how well Hairu treats Xuan. How can you say she doesn’t like him?”
Hearing Luo Chengzhang’s words, Concubine Qiao could only close her mouth resentfully. She knew that once Luo Chengzhang made up his mind, he wouldn’t change it.
That afternoon, young Xuan was brought into the main house. Lin Hairu arranged for him to stay in the east side room, assigning capable matrons to look after him. She even selected several seven or eight-year-old little maids to play with him and gave him many new and interesting toys.
At first, Xuan cried for Concubine Qiao and his sister.
When Concubine Qiao heard about this, she wept. She used to come to pay respects to Lin Hairu only once every two or three days, but now she came for morning and evening greetings, craning her neck to look towards the east side room. However, every time Concubine Qiao came, Xuan was taken to play in the courtyard.
After all this commotion, Concubine Qiao lost several pounds.
Xuan, being only four years old, soon forgot his crying and fussing with people to play with him. The kitchen prepared dishes he liked, such as steamed egg custard and fish porridge. He grew plump and healthy, without even a hint of a headache or fever.
At first, he didn’t like Yining, but after she played cat’s cradle with him, he clung to her sleeve all day, asking her to teach him more games.
When Luo Shenyuan came to pay respects to Lin Hairu, he saw Yining and Xuan huddled on the arhat bed. Yining patted Xuan’s hand, saying, “That’s not how you pull the string!”
Xuan pouted and complained, “Seventh Sister, you hit me again!” But after just a moment of protest, he was once again engrossed in the game.
Luo Shenyuan’s lips curled into a smile as he went next door to discuss estate matters with Lin Hairu. There were some aspects of management that Lin Hairu hadn’t handled properly, and he needed to advise her.