Madam Wu had been holding it in uncomfortably. Hearing Chen Shi ask this, and thinking that Chen Shi was extremely tight-lipped, she dismissed the servants attending her and began sharing the Shen family gossip: “…Supposedly Teacher Shen came to Lin’an precisely because he didn’t want to stay under the same roof as Madam Shen. I ask you, when a woman has become like this, what’s the point? But looking at Madam Shen, she seems perfectly content instead, not feeling she’s done anything wrong at all. Never mind caring about Teacher Shen’s daily life—she doesn’t have a kind word to say to him.”
Chen Shi was astonished: “Then what is Madam Shen doing coming to Lin’an? The first day of the tenth month is approaching!”
Of course Madam Wu didn’t know either, but this didn’t hinder her curiosity about the matter.
A few days later, Madam Wu came visiting the Yu family. She pulled Chen Shi aside to whisper: “I’ve inquired thoroughly—that Madam Shen and Teacher Shen really do have a very bad relationship.”
Though Chen Shi wasn’t someone who liked to actively pry into others’ private affairs, when she could hear gossip about something that interested her, she still enjoyed listening.
“You were even able to find out about such matters!” She looked at Madam Wu admiringly and personally peeled a tangerine for her.
“Wasn’t it just a coincidence?” Madam Wu couldn’t be bothered with eating the tangerine. Holding it in her hand, she said to Chen Shi in a low voice: “After you went home that day, the more I thought about it, the more I felt you were right. I mean, ancestral worship is coming up—which household mistress isn’t busy with her feet barely touching the ground? Yet Madam Shen still has leisure time to wander about? So I mentioned it to my husband, pretending to know nothing, and sent a trusted servant woman with some pastries our family had made to the county office, saying we’d heard Madam Shen had come and specifically wanted to give them to her. But here’s the coincidence—when our servant woman went to deliver the pastries, she happened upon Madam Shen and Teacher Shen arguing.”
“Ah!” Chen Shi was very surprised.
Madam Wu sighed: “Our servant woman never expected it either. At the time she didn’t know what to do. Fortunately all the county school teachers had gone to teach classes, and for some reason the attending servants and women weren’t there either—there were no other people present. Our servant woman was caught between staying and leaving, but she heard everything crystal clear. She heard that Madam Shen had received benefits from someone else and had specifically come to Lin’an to accompany a young lady from another family.”
Chen Shi knew about this.
She’d heard it from Yu Tang.
She also knew that because of this, Madam Shen had moved into the Pei residence.
“Madam Shen did go a bit too far,” Chen Shi didn’t approve of Madam Shen’s choice. “But surely the two of them wouldn’t quarrel over this matter badly enough to let the servants see the joke?”
Madam Wu gave Chen Shi a meaningful smile.
Chen Shi said: “Could there be something else I don’t know about?”
Madam Wu smiled: “You’ll know once you hear me out.”
Chen Shi listened attentively.
Madam Wu continued in a low voice: “Originally this wouldn’t be much—which family doesn’t have friends and acquaintances? But here’s the strange part. When Teacher Shen heard this, he flew into a rage. He pointed at Madam Shen’s nose and cursed her for being hypocritical. He also said that Madam Shen acted as if no one was beneath her notice before him, but now wasn’t she bowing and scraping before the powerful, acting like a matchmaker? He said if Madam Shen still wanted any face, she should hurry up and move out of the Pei residence.”
As a woman, being accused like this by one’s husband was somewhat soul-crushing.
Chen Shi exclaimed “Ah!” and frowned slightly, disapproving of Teacher Shen’s behavior.
Madam Wu sighed: “When I heard our servant woman describe it this way, my heart was anxious too. I was thinking, if Madam Shen got angry and did something drastic in a moment of rage, I could only hope our servant woman was quick-witted enough to restrain Madam Shen.
“But who would have thought that Madam Shen was no pushover at all.
“Hearing Teacher Shen say this, not only did she not walk away heartbroken or refute him, she began coldly criticizing Teacher Shen. She said Teacher Shen had no capability himself, made no effort to advance himself, and assumed everyone should be like him—avoiding powerful families whenever they saw them. Others might think he harbored resentment against those more capable than him, yet he was self-righteous, thinking himself lofty and proud, untainted by worldly concerns… In any case, every sentence had barbs. Our servant woman couldn’t even learn it all.
“Teacher Shen must have been enraged by what Madam Shen said. He grabbed the tea cup at hand and hurled it at Madam Shen. He even shouted that if Madam Shen didn’t move to the county school or return to Hangzhou City within two days, he would personally go to the Pei residence to fetch Madam Shen. This so infuriated Madam Shen that she gave Teacher Shen another thorough tongue-lashing, mocking him, saying Teacher Shen only allowed himself to set fires but wouldn’t let others light lamps. He himself could curry favor with the Gu family, but when she helped the Gu family a little, Teacher Shen threatened her with violence—all just to cover up his own incompetence, to cover up his embarrassment at wanting to curry favor with the Gu family but being unable to. She wasn’t like Teacher Shen. She wanted to secure a future for her own son. If Teacher Shen went to the Pei residence, fine—she would go directly to Gu Chaoyang and say that Teacher Shen had sabotaged this matter. Let’s see how Teacher Shen would explain himself to the Gu family, and how he could still put on his mentor’s airs before Gu Chaoyang!”
“Gu Chaoyang?” Chen Shi guessed: “Could that be Miss Gu’s brother?”
Hearing this, Madam Wu immediately cried out, pointing at Chen Shi in dissatisfaction: “So you knew everything all along! You were actually pretending not to know anything in front of me! And I thought of you as a close confidante, telling you everything first…”
“No, no!” Chen Shi panicked.
She had previously been bedridden and was closest to Wang Shi. Friends like Madam Wu—she’d never had such friends before. She truly cherished her friendship with Madam Wu.
“I heard our A’Tang mention it once before, but I didn’t take it to heart,” she hastily explained. “Hearing you say this, I just made that guess.”
Madam Wu thought about it and felt Chen Shi had no need to hide things from her. If anyone was to blame, it was herself for not properly asking Chen Shi beforehand.
She immediately forgave Chen Shi, casting aside that tiny bit of unhappiness: “So you knew about this too!”
“Knew what?” Chen Shi asked in confusion.
“Aiya, don’t stand on ceremony with me about ‘gentlemen hearing no impropriety’ and such rules,” Madam Wu said with some dissatisfaction. “I’m not someone who gossips. Even if you tell me, at most I’ll just discuss it with you. Outsiders definitely won’t hear a word—I’ll take this matter to my grave.”
Chen Shi truly hadn’t caught on.
Madam Wu said unhappily: “Isn’t that Madam Shen receiving benefits from the Gu family to specifically come play matchmaker for Miss Gu?”
Chen Shi was dumbfounded.
Madam Wu said triumphantly: “I guessed correctly, didn’t I? I told you, I’m not someone who spreads gossip. If it weren’t for you, I definitely wouldn’t say anything.”
Chen Shi quickly said: “No, where did you hear that Madam Shen came specifically to matchmake for Miss Gu? Miss Gu has also moved into the Pei residence. We’ve all raised sons and daughters—even if one wanted to matchmake for one’s own daughter, one couldn’t possibly allow one’s daughter to just move into someone else’s house like that!”
Madam Wu scrutinized Chen Shi carefully. Seeing that Chen Shi wasn’t being evasive, she said hesitantly: “You truly didn’t see it?”
Chen Shi shook her head like a rattle-drum.
Madam Wu sighed, half self-deprecating and half amused: “Looking at you like this, I think I’m still quite good at reading people. Previously I thought you were reliable—you’re completely unreliable.”
Chen Shi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Madam Wu stopped beating around the bush: “Think carefully about what kind of person Teacher Shen is, then carefully consider what Teacher Shen said. Though we women shouldn’t side with men, in this matter Madam Shen really didn’t act properly. Even if she wants to secure a future for her son, she can’t debase herself like this and leave Teacher Shen’s face with nowhere to go! I wonder if Teacher Shen’s son knows about this matter. If he knows but didn’t stop his mother, I say Teacher Shen might as well disown that son…”
Chen Shi’s left ear heard Madam Wu’s chatter while it escaped from her right ear. After her mind was in turmoil for a while, she pondered this matter again. Setting aside the person in question, Miss Gu, this matter really was as Madam Wu said—the more she thought about it, the more it seemed that way.
She couldn’t help but say: “Even if that’s the case, didn’t anyone teach Miss Gu? And Madam Shen—since she’s acting on someone’s request, didn’t she give the Gu family any guidance?”
Madam Wu looked at Chen Shi and shook her head: “When I say you’re an honest person, you really are an honest person.”
Chen Shi didn’t understand.
Madam Wu said slowly and clearly: “Think about it—who is Miss Gu? She had an engagement with the Li family! Though Madam Shen is acting on someone’s request, if she suddenly brought this up, I ask you, would Old Mistress Pei agree?”
Chen Shi shook her head.
If she were Old Mistress Pei, she definitely wouldn’t want to marry such a daughter-in-law into the family.
It wasn’t that Miss Gu wasn’t good, but the Gu and Li families’ broken engagement was clearly dominated by the Gu family’s strong stance. The Pei family and Li family were neighbors—they’d see each other constantly. Third Master Pei wasn’t unable to find a wife, so why create unhappiness with the Li family over this matter and create a rift with them?
Madam Wu said: “That’s why Madam Shen brought Miss Gu to live at the Pei residence! She’s just playing the card of ‘feelings developing over time’!”
Chen Shi’s eyes widened.
Though Madam Wu’s words weren’t completely explicit, Chen Shi already understood. She said: “Then, then wouldn’t Third Master Pei be getting engaged to Miss Gu?”
“I hear that Miss Gu is not only virtuous and accomplished but also very beautiful,” Madam Wu said wistfully. “That Madam Shen isn’t a fool either. Since she dared to step forward, she must have felt fairly confident before coming to Lin’an.” After finishing, she immediately said with some indignation: “Though our family doesn’t have a daughter of suitable age, and even if we did, it wouldn’t be our turn to form a marriage alliance with the Pei family, the more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I feel. How could that Miss Gu be worthy of Third Master Pei! Madam Shen acting this way is really somewhat improper.”
Hearing this, Chen Shi said hesitantly: “We can’t say it quite like that. We all know perfectly well what kind of people the Li family are. Miss Gu is also a victim!”
Madam Wu retorted: “Didn’t the Gu family inquire properly before getting engaged to the Li family? It’s not like it was a childhood betrothal. Yet the Gu family still broke off the engagement when the Li family encountered trouble. This shows the Gu family is very calculating about gains and losses. I feel that a family with the Gu family’s household standards—how could they be worthy of Third Master Pei!”