Zhù Ying had run into a problem.
She had formed a plan, but was stuck at the very first step. She had come to the household as a servant, not as a guest. And specifically as a servant doing odd work in the kitchen — three meals a day, night snacks, and all the hot water for the entire household were under the kitchen’s purview.
Nanny Xu was not unreasonable by any measure, but what kitchen helper ever really got a moment’s rest? There was simply no breathing room from morning till night.
Yet she could not simply stop working — she needed this place to hide from those pursuing her. Zhù Ying had not failed to consider: if the imperial envoy wanted her and Zhang Xiangu as witnesses, might there be an opportunity to speak up for themselves in court? But neither she nor Zhang Xiangu could say with certainty just how much Zhū Shenhan had actually been involved in.
If it turned out they had simply been passing through and been falsely implicated, that would be one thing. But if he had truly been involved to any degree — what was there to say? Their circumstances were tied to Zhū Shenhan’s. Zhū Shenhan had no household registration — even for a minor offense, if he were sentenced to servitude, that was still servitude. She and Zhang Xiangu did have registered household status, but it would be the status of the base register at that point. And if Zhū Shenhan was guilty of a serious crime, there was even less hope.
So she had to investigate herself. She had to uncover the truth! Only if Zhū Shenhan was innocent would it be worth clearing their name and seeking justice. If he was guilty, they would deal with that then.
To investigate, she must not get herself thrown into prison in the process. If she ended up behind bars as well, what would there be left to investigate?
So when Zhù Ying noticed that Zhang Xiangu was not as anxious as she might have been, she only asked offhandedly: “Mother, don’t you miss Father?”
Zhang Xiangu said: “What would I miss him for?”
“Ah…”
Zhang Xiangu tucked the blanket around Zhù Ying and said quietly: “I do miss him, naturally I miss him — but what can we two do? Don’t go getting any ideas from all those stories where a virtuous wife or dutiful daughter cries out their grievances and gets their husband or father released! What good fortune like that ever comes true?”
Zhù Ying felt Zhang Xiangu was not wrong.
Zhang Xiangu had her own reckoning: “Our family — what line of work are we in? Your father curses people for a living. If I claimed we were innocent, no one would believe it. I originally thought that worthless Wang Ba Yu Ping might be able to help again — and look what he’s done now, the rotten thing, kicking us while we’re down! Go to sleep — stop thinking about it! Just keep your head down and learn yourself a proper skill for making a living under Nanny Xu, so we can stop making our living by pretending to be gods and spirits. If that’s how it is, I’ll consider this life of mine a genuine recovery from disgrace.”
But Zhù Ying had her own separate reckoning. Learning a skill in cooking was all well and good, but as for her father’s situation — she could not simply resign herself to fate!
She said: “But… what if we could find out that Father didn’t break the law?”
Zhang Xiangu laughed scornfully: “You? Don’t even think about it!”
Zhù Ying said: “Just the other day you were saying the household needed a pillar to hold it up.”
Zhang Xiangu said quietly: “Given where we’ve ended up, I’ll say something honest — and you are not allowed to say your mother has no conscience.”
“Say it.”
Zhang Xiangu said: “If the pillar turns out to be hollow — it ought not be propped up with a person!”
“Does Mother think there’s no saving Father’s situation?”
Zhang Xiangu was silent for a moment, then said: “Wait and see! There’s been no verdict yet! If he’s marched off to the execution platform one day — making a fuss then won’t be too late.”
“But won’t that be too late?!” As if the authorities would ever agree to give her a few days because a suspect’s family member said: “give me a few days and I can uncover the truth.”
Zhang Xiangu said: “The old man is already inside — I cannot let you fall in too. His life is not worth twenty strings of cash. It is not worth having you fall in either. Neither he nor I are worth that.”
Zhù Ying said: “We are worth it. All of us are worth it.”
Zhang Xiangu grew agitated at her words and suddenly sat up straight, snatched up her belt, and wound it around her own neck: “Here then — help me pull this end. One of us on each side — one good pull and you’ve strangled me. Then you can do whatever you want. Save me the sight of you throwing your life away! Go on then!”
Zhù Ying sighed: “Sleep, Mother. You were sleeping soundly — what’s brought on this sudden fit of fury?”
Zhang Xiangu sat on the bed and glared at Zhù Ying, who had the audacity to turn over and actually go to sleep.
Zhù Ying hadn’t fallen asleep either. She was thinking — in her current situation, without Zhang Xiangu’s help, there was no chance of finding an opportunity to go out alone.
Zhù Ying was mildly troubled. With Zhang Xiangu watching over her, even sneaking out at night would be nearly impossible. Nighttime was not a good time in any case — you would easily be taken for a thief, or a ghost, or in any case would not easily be taken for a decent person. Still, going to scout out the lay of the land was not out of the question!
But how to convince Zhang Xiangu?
——
Just as Zhù Ying was thinking over how to persuade Zhang Xiangu, an opportunity to go out fell into her lap!
The household had its own buyers who handled procurement. But Nanny Xu sometimes went out herself to buy certain ingredients that needed her own eye. Ordinarily this was something Elder Sister tagged along on to learn the trade, but that particular day Elder Sister was indisposed because of her monthly period and did not want to go out. So Nanny Xu took Zhù Ying along instead.
Zhang Xiangu told Zhù Ying: “Stay close to Nanny Xu. Don’t run off anywhere!”
Nanny Xu laughed: “She’s the most well-behaved one here — don’t you worry. Come on, follow me and don’t get separated.”
Getting separated was certainly not going to happen — this was Zhù Ying’s first time out of the yamen in all these days, and she still needed to use Nanny Xu to learn the lay of the land!
Along the way, Nanny Xu told her that what she needed to buy herself was not very much — mainly a few specialty fresh ingredients that required her personal judgment. The regular bulk groceries for the large communal pot were generally handled by the household buyers. Nanny Xu smiled: “Watch and learn from me. If you go into the procurement line one day, you’ll know how to buy right, won’t you?”
She was quite pleasant and taught a great deal — things like the filling for wontons requiring pure lean meat, and so on. All of it was knowledge Zhù Ying had never previously contemplated. If there was any meat to eat at all, that was already something — and yet there was such a thing as being choosy? Still, Zhù Ying committed everything to memory.
Zhù Ying kept her eyes and ears working in every direction as they went. Nanny Xu reminded her: “Stop craning your neck like that — a girl must carry herself with composure.” She gave Zhù Ying a corrective lesson in bearing and posture right then and there.
Nanny Xu picked out what she wanted at the front but didn’t pay immediately. Most of the food vendors were familiar accounts that were tallied up and settled monthly; only for occasional items she happened to come across and found suitable would she pay on the spot. Zhù Ying followed behind with a basket, playing the role of pack carrier.
Half a morning passed in this way. Nanny Xu bought what she needed with great satisfaction. The final cut of loin meat fell into the basket, and Nanny Xu smiled: “That’s it — let’s head back!”
She hooked her arm through Zhù Ying’s, and the two of them walked back toward the yamen like a mother and daughter.
The closer they got to the yamen, the more tense Zhù Ying became. This stretch of road was where they might run into Mr. Huang and his sort — but once inside the inner quarters, there was nothing to fear. In any case, the chance of running into Mr. Huang should not be high. They were using the side door; Mr. Huang and the others would use the main gate.
She was thinking exactly this when she faintly heard voices nearby. By the sound of them, they were entirely unfamiliar — and Zhù Ying felt quite easy in her heart.
Nanny Xu took no notice of this whatsoever, and only continued telling Zhù Ying: “See, didn’t I say your mother was worrying over nothing? Look at you, perfectly fine. When we get back I simply must tease her! Oh, but then again — if my Elder Sister were also this pretty and well-behaved, I would worry too.”
Zhù Ying listened, then turned to look up at her sidelong with a smile, bending her eyes without a sound. Nanny Xu warmed even further, and actually laughed out loud.
What Nanny Xu did not know was that of the two people speaking, one was a young man who had come with the imperial envoy, and the other was none other than the prefect himself.
The prefect was saying: “I ask the general to speak in my favor before the imperial envoy.”
The young man was saying: “The elder statesman bears you no ill will — haha ha ha ha. Is that from your household? Quite fine-looking — a sight for sore eyes.”
Zhù Ying caught the gist of it in passing and took note of the essential point: “The prefect is asking someone to put in a good word for him with the imperial envoy — it seems the prefect’s days are not easy either.”
——
Back at the kitchen, Zhang Xiangu saw Zhù Ying return just as she had left, muttered something, and went back to tending the fire. It was nearly noon — the midday meal had to be prepared quickly.
After the midday meal, when the washing up was done, Zhù Ying finally had a moment to rest. She had no intention of continuing to work on persuading Zhang Xiangu today. Instead she was wondering: what had the prefect been trying to say by talking to that person?
She found out very quickly.
Zhù Ying was watching Zhang Xiangu mend her sleeve covers. Zhù Ying wore through clothing quickly, and Zhang Xiangu was stitching away while saying: “Have you grown teeth in your body?” Zhù Ying was unperturbed. Her sewing was quite ordinary — the sort of level that would make a mother step in and take over. That level was already because she had some natural talent and had seen others do it, so she knew about threading needles and stitching — but when it came to cutting patterns, she had never been taught a single day’s worth. She didn’t think it was any kind of problem though — it wasn’t difficult, and whenever she needed it, she could simply learn.
This was a rare leisurely moment in the day. The sleeve covers mended, Zhù Ying slipped them onto her arms and went back to cutting turnips. Today Nanny Xu wanted her to cut thin turnip slices — as thin as possible. She had cut only one and a half turnips when Elder Sister Zhao came rushing in: “Quick! Nanny Xu, the Madam wants to see both of you mother and daughter!”
Nanny Xu had no idea what was going on. Her daughter was feeling unwell today. She asked: “What’s the matter? Does Elder Sister need to come too?”
Elder Sister Zhao laughed: “It’s good news! Today, you two went out to buy groceries, didn’t you? General Zhou from the imperial envoy’s party saw you, and said you were good-looking. The master came back and told the Madam to send Elder Sister to him!”
Zhang Xiangu was about to offer congratulations — when all at once her expression changed. Her face went quite green.
The one who had gone out buying groceries with Nanny Xu today was not Elder Sister — it was Zhù Ying!
If by chance…
The two pairs of mothers and daughters stared at each other in stunned silence.
Elder Sister Zhao said: “What’s happened to you all?”
Nanny Xu wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, and in the end said: “It wasn’t Elder Sister who went with me today.”
“Then who was it?”
“That one there.”
Elder Sister Zhao said: “I can’t be bothered with all your twists and turns — let me just tell you, this is good news. It’s not asking Elder Sister to go and act as a spy. You come with me first to see the Madam — you’ll understand once you’ve seen her. I’ll take both girls along with me.”
Zhang Xiangu also grew anxious: “How can this be? The Madam called for Elder Sister — nobody called for my Old Three.”
Nanny Xu said: “You put your hand on your heart and tell me — who went out with me today?”
Elder Sister Zhao was thoroughly fed up: “All of you come with me!”
The whole party arrived at the madam’s room. The prefect was there too — a plump and smooth-featured middle-aged man. He told Zhù Ying to lift her head, stroked his beard, and said: “It should be her. Madam, have her groomed and prepared, together with her trousseau — send her over this evening.”
Zhang Xiangu heard this and was ready to go berserk: “Master, even an official must have reason on his side! We came here as short-term workers — we have not been sold to your household!”
The prefect’s brow furrowed. Elder Sister Zhao quickly said: “This is a good thing. Waiting on a general — isn’t that better than the two of you burning fires in the kitchen?” As she spoke, she pulled Zhù Ying forward to have her kowtow to the prefect and madam, telling her to thank them both for their great kindness.
The madam said slowly: “Separation from one’s own flesh and blood is also a terrible thing. But for the sake of one’s future, one must endure. Yu family woman — I will see your daughter off with a full trousseau. She goes out from my house, so no one will look down on her. You may rest at ease here in this household. From today on, you need not help in the kitchen anymore — go tend to the flowers and plants instead.”
Zhang Xiangu leaped up: “Who says we want to—”
Zhù Ying could see that this was heading in the wrong direction. How could she afford to go head-to-head with these people right now? She was not exactly afraid of this prefect and madam — whether she could fight them off or not was one question, but she could certainly outrun them. The problem was whether Zhang Xiangu could escape too, and that was uncertain. If things came to open confrontation, there would be no good outcome — not to mention there were still yamen runners in the front courtyard.
She threw her arms around Zhang Xiangu with all her strength, swallowing her own fury at this household.
The madam continued from the side: “Now that’s more like it — what a sensible child. Elder Sister Zhao, get her dressed and made up. And find her a proper set of clothes.”