Zhang Xiangu and Zhù’s father had been looking forward to Leng Yun’s arrival with all their hearts, and Zhù Ying was getting on well in Fulu County — yet both of them always carried a small, unspoken anxiety somewhere beneath the surface.

Zhù Ying had always been more inclined to plan for the “future,” while Zhang Xiangu and Zhù’s father were precisely the opposite — their view of the future ran more to “wishful imaginings.” This was because their grand plans had so often come to nothing, always riddled with unexpected snags, and so they had come to rely instead on the lessons of “the past.”

Most of their lives had been spent dealing with the villagers of Zhū Family Village, and they had tasted the bitterness of being excluded from beginning to end. When Prefect Lu stopped including Zhù Ying in things, they cursed Prefect Lu thoroughly — but deep down they always wanted their daughter to have an ally, so that their own courage might feel sturdier.

They had been genuinely looking forward to Leng Yun’s coming. Zhang Xiangu had prepared quite a few gifts, written out a list in her uneven hand, and spent a good while consulting with Huajie — and then complained about Zhù Ying: “She left in such a rush, and empty-handed at that. She used to be so charming and thoughtful as a child — how has she gotten worse as she’s grown up?”

After having a bucket of cold water dumped on her enthusiasm, Zhang Xiangu’s heart went flat. She tossed the list aside in a sulk and said, “Forget it! At best, things’ll be like they were with Prefect Lu.” The gifts Zhù Ying had brought back from Leng Yun no longer interested her either. If Leng Yun had still been the same as before, Zhang Xiangu wouldn’t have cared much either way about receiving things from him. Now that things had grown more distant, even receiving something didn’t bring her any pleasure.

Huajie put the things away and picked out a few bolts of fabric in new patterns and some ornaments for Zhù Ying to wear, then came to offer some comfort.

After listening to Huajie say things like “he is, after all, a superior, new to his post, and naturally he’ll have his own ideas about what he wants to do,” Zhang Xiangu said, “When has an arm ever been able to bend the other way against a thigh? He hasn’t made things difficult for the third one yet, either — if he helps, it’s a kindness; if he doesn’t, that’s simply how things stand. We were the ones imagining too much.”

She never commented on Leng Yun after that, but she picked up the list again and had Huajie help her review it: “Gifts for a superior still have to be sent. Even with Prefect Lu, didn’t we send something every year? His heart has changed — so we have to be even more careful and attentive. He is not someone we can afford to offend.”

Zhù’s father also fell quiet. Spring plowing wasn’t fully finished yet, plenty of people were still busy, and the county seat wasn’t as lively as usual. He found it a little dreary to go out, so he sat with Hou Wu over a little wine, and the two of them exchanged boasts and tall tales.

The two of them sulked for a while, then — following the habit of a lifetime — accepted this new reality. Leng the Deputy Minister was now Leng the Prefect, and would henceforth be their proper superior, to be treated with the same deference as Lord Zheng.

Zhù Ying could see their change of mood, and when she saw them return to their usual manner, she didn’t make any great effort to “enlighten” them. The facts were plain — there was nothing useful to say. All three of the family quietly accepted the change. The difference was that Zhù Ying herself had rather fewer feelings about it.

Huajie and Zhang Xiangu finalized the last of the gift list and brought it over for Zhù Ying to look at. “Dry Niang and I have drawn up a list of gifts for Prefect Leng — take a look and see if anything should be added.”

Zhù Ying scanned it and said, “That’ll do.” Along with the usual money and silk were several baskets of large oranges. Zhù Ying had offered a substantial reward for better orange varieties, and naturally someone had brought out superior trees to claim the prize. These were the finest oranges from the Zhù family’s own store — beautiful to look at, sweet to taste, and remarkably, still preserved to this point in the season.

Officials were not permitted to engage in trade themselves, and Zhù Ying at this point still had no household retainers or personal servants to hold business interests on her behalf. But showing up with these oranges at a time when next year’s crop was already long off the market — that alone was eye-catching enough. For that purpose alone, it was well worth it.

Zhù Ying said, “Mmm. I brought back some gifts Prefect Leng sent for you both — you’ve already taken out some of the fabric to have clothes made. I see there are some ornaments too — pick out two or three pieces you like and wear them. In about a month, let’s all go together and pay a visit to the prefectural governor’s residence.”

Huajie said, “It’s not even the sixth month yet — what reason will you use?”

Local officials were not permitted to leave their jurisdiction without cause. Zhù Ying’s previous departure had been either at Prefect Lu’s request or on official business such as grain delivery. Neither of those conditions applied now, which was why Huajie asked.

Zhù Ying said, “Reporting on spring plowing results, and the Fellow Townsmen’s Guild. It’s time to open a Guild in the prefectural city too — only when oranges are being sold there will the market truly be opened up. Our oranges sell at a premium, and the prefectural city has plenty of people with money!”

Huajie smiled. “Speaking of which — this year’s oranges have already generated some talk.” She moved about in the world regularly and caught what blew her way. It amounted to nothing more than people from neighboring counties passing off their goods as Fulu County oranges; some households lamenting they hadn’t hoarded more oranges to make a bigger profit; and complaints that the Fellow Townsmen’s Guilds had only benefited a handful of families, and so on.

Zhù Ying had heard similar things from Gu Tong’s direction, and from Zhang Xiangu and Zhù’s father, and Xiao Wu and the Xiang siblings had also sniffed out much the same kind of talk for her.

Zhù Ying said, “I have a sense of it. I absolutely have to make a trip to the prefectural city in person — the water there is deeper than anywhere else, and it won’t be sorted out by sending a letter. Besides, Prefect Leng…”

“Well, he was always the official superior — one can hardly insist he has no business having a superior’s bearing,” Huajie said gently. “Let’s just do our own work as best we can and be at peace with our own conscience. If he doesn’t grow close with you, that’s his loss and his fault! A capable superior can maintain dignity without damaging the relationship — the fact that he can’t manage both just means he’s not capable enough.”

Zhù Ying said, “You’re taking my side.”

Huajie said proudly, “Obviously! So what?”

Zhù Ying gave a little laugh. “So what, indeed? He has others who take his side. I don’t envy anyone.”

Huajie went off to organize the making of new clothes and dressing up the two elders. The tailors in Fulu County were not quite up to the mark, and Huajie spent several days in consultation with them before the designs were settled. The work was done very slowly, but the tailor had not a word of complaint, saying, “Going to see the new Prefect — you’ve got to be dressed properly. We can’t let our magistrate lose face.”

……

Zhù Ying had set the date about a month out, and had her reasons. First, spring plowing would be finished by then. Second, the odds and ends of her own affairs would be dealt with. Third, she still needed to coordinate further with Su Mingluan and the others — she was also very much concerned about how the winter wheat planting in the mountains was going. Finally there was one more important matter: she needed to choose a suitable person to go to the prefectural city to set up the Fellow Townsmen’s Guild there.

“If Zhao Su weren’t otherwise engaged, he would be exactly the right person for this,” Zhù Ying said with a quiet sigh.

She glanced behind her — the Xiang siblings were still standing there silently, just as before. When they had been clamoring for revenge they had been quite noisy about it, but once they had fixed on their path, they had gone quiet. Yet every time she turned around, they were there.

The right kind of merchant would also do, really, but Xiang Le and Xiang An had mainly been traveling merchants before, moving constantly from place to place. Zhù Ying asked, “Would the two of you be willing to go to the prefectural city and manage the Fellow Townsmen’s Guild there?”

Xiang Le and Xiang An exchanged a glance, and Xiang Le asked gravely, “Magistrate, does what you’re saying mean that our family’s vengeance cannot be settled for the time being?”

Zhù Ying said, “What makes you say that?”

Xiang Le bit his lower lip. “The prefectural city is so far away, and to get a Fellow Townsmen’s Guild properly established — well, never mind the Guild itself, even if it were just an orange business — starting from scratch in a strange place takes years. With the county yamen backing you behind the scenes, the orange trade in the county got off the ground as quickly as it did. Left entirely to themselves, without that kind of management, a few families would ruin themselves inside of two days trying. It takes that kind of investment to make a business grow.”

Xiang An added, “We’re afraid that when the time comes, we won’t be able to get back in time.”

Zhù Ying thought: After all these years, I’ve finally found another reliable helper.

Zhù Ying said, “Both your vengeance and living a good life — I want both for you. Neither can be put off.”

The siblings hesitated for a moment, and Xiang Le asked Xiang An, “What do you think?”

Xiang An said, “I don’t particularly want to go.”

The two exchanged a brief few words, then turned to Zhù Ying and said, “If the magistrate truly needs us, we will go. But if there is someone else, we would ask to remain at the magistrate’s side.”

Zhù Ying could see from their expressions that there was yet another concern behind their words: how much longer would Zhù Ying remain in Fulu County? If the debt of vengeance still hadn’t been settled by then, and Zhù Ying left with them still stuck in the prefectural city — that could cost them several more years. Better to stay in Fulu County, where they could remind Zhù Ying if the chance arose, or even act on their own if they spotted A’Hun — either way would work.

A “father’s debt of blood” was not something to be reasoned away with words. They would not abandon it for the sake of profit. Zhù Ying said, “Very well. I understand your hearts.”

She had no choice but to select someone from among the local gentry for this task. Spring plowing was not yet finished, so she didn’t announce the plan — she first went to inspect the storehouses where the wheat was kept. Fulu County’s granaries were rather more numerous than those of comparable counties, built to store oranges. By spring, a large portion of the oranges had already been cleared out of storage, and the wheat reaped in spring could now be placed in them, so the granaries wouldn’t sit half-idle for most of the year.

Zhù Ying was fairly pleased with the state of things. She picked up a handful of wheat and examined it, then said, “Make sure the seed grain is stored properly.”

The granary superintendent stood at her side. “Magistrate, rest assured — the seed grain has been specially set aside in its own section. These are all for ordinary consumption — ground to flour as needed.”

Zhù Ying said, “Good.” Her family ate both rice and wheat, though more rice. Xiao Wu and Cao Chang were more accustomed to wheat-flour foods, and now that wheat was available, the price of flour had come down a little too — she could even save a bit on the household food bill.

The superintendent then asked, “I wonder if it would be possible to build a few more granary buildings? This year’s winter wheat harvest was decent, and if future harvests are good and the grain collected in taxes needs to be stored all year round, sharing space with the oranges won’t really work anymore.” He had never imagined he would one day be troubled by having insufficient storage space. Magistrate Zhù handled things so efficiently — if not now, when?

Zhù Ying said, “You’re thinking ahead. Let me work out the figures, and I’ll give you an answer next year.”

“Yes, Magistrate!”

Zhù Ying finished tallying the seed grain as well, then checked over the quality of the seed grain the various gentry had returned — all in good order. She thought: This year, more than half the county’s land will be able to plant two crops — rice and wheat in rotation! And some will need to be set aside to give neighboring counties a trial supply — and perhaps the prefectural governor’s residence as well. Master Xue and Master Dong will certainly not let that opportunity pass.

She kept a margin for all of this in her mental calculations.

Then it was time to summon Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu’s heart had been in a knot for some time now. He told himself he surely wouldn’t be abandoned or sidelined, yet he couldn’t quite reconcile himself to no longer being first in Zhù Ying’s circle. He had been swinging back and forth between hope and unease.

There were real benefits to being a favored person in the eyes of a superior. Zhù Ying herself wasn’t greedy, but whether it was Cao Chang, Hou Wu, or Du Dajie, they all got to bask in a little of the reflected warmth. The three of them didn’t accept outright bribes, but passing a street stall and having a vendor press snacks on you, buying something and being given first-rate goods at a discount — and when gentry came to the yamen and quietly slipped a little red packet of cash, that was an understood, accepted custom — little unspoken benefits trickled in without end. Xiao Wu was a proper squad leader, and what he received was only more than any of them. His family had been in yamen service for generations, and he was far more practiced in these matters than the others, occasionally accepting small favors, gently mentioning a person or a matter in Zhù Ying’s presence here and there. He had always been very careful, kept a well-calibrated sense of what he could and couldn’t get away with, never daring to cross Zhù Ying’s boundaries while still managing to pocket a few benefits for himself.

If his standing as “the favored one” was under threat, his income would shrink along with it. And yet there was no one in the entire inner quarters he could say any of this to. Looking to the outer office — it wasn’t suitable to let on there and be laughed at.

On hearing that Zhù Ying had summoned him, Xiao Wu came trotting over without delay.

One look: Xiang An wasn’t there. Xiang Le stood with his arms folded behind Zhù Ying.

Like a post for tying up a donkey! Xiao Wu thought, with a little flare of hostility.

Zhù Ying asked, “Has your official pronunciation gotten a bit off?”

“Hm?”

Zhù Ying said, “You’ve picked up a local accent. Not that it matters — you still speak the dialect well. How much of the prefectural city’s speech can you understand?”

Xiao Wu hastily said, “All of it!”

Zhù Ying said, “Pack your things — in a little while, you’ll be going to the prefectural city.”

Xiao Wu said, “What assignment does the magistrate have in mind for me? I’d like to know so I can be prepared.”

“You know Leng the Deputy Minister is now the Prefect?”

“Yes.”

“He has very few people around him who know the local dialect. I’m thinking of sending you to serve as an interpreter for a while — are you willing?”

Xiao Wu hesitated inwardly. Following a bigger official obviously had better prospects — but Leng the former Deputy Minister? What sort of person was he? He certainly wouldn’t be as reliable as Magistrate Zhù, and someone like Prefect Leng who left everything to others would probably not even notice someone like him. Wait — no! I came here with Magistrate Zhù — I can’t just shift allegiances that easily.

He said, “Magistrate, this assignment you’re sending me on — will I be coming back? Because if I’m not, I’d rather not go. You can’t just throw me away!”

Zhù Ying said, “All this unnecessary talk. Do you think he’s going to be short of capable people? This is to help out in an emergency. When you get there, use your eyes and ears more, and your hands less. Understood?”

Xiao Wu felt a pang — both reassured and a little hollow — but quickly answered, “Yes.”

Zhù Ying said, “Do you know what you’re looking for?”

Xiao Wu said, “To see who in the prefectural governor’s residence are people and who are ghosts, to see what the prefecture’s officials are capable of and what their attitude toward you is, and to report back immediately if anything seems off. I won’t shoot my mouth off about what I see, so as not to bring trouble down on myself from something carelessly said. I won’t take on anything I shouldn’t.”

Zhù Ying said, “That’s not quite enough. You need to also look carefully at how those below them do their work. How much official business gets handled in a single day, how the various individuals are getting along, what the officials are like.”

Xiao Wu thought: Isn’t that the same thing I just said? No — the magistrate’s words must have another meaning I’m not seeing. What could it be?

Zhù Ying didn’t keep him in suspense. “You’ve been with me for three years, and you handle things reliably. You can also read and write, and you’re not put off by hardship. Hmm. Starting this year or next, I’ll submit your name, and you can wait for the Ministry of Personnel to approve you for an official rank.”

Xiao Wu was struck by a wave of happiness so enormous it left him stunned. He gave a trembling jolt and thudded to his knees. “Magistrate! Your kindness to me is as deep as the sea!”

Moving from clerk to official was the choice — or rather the dream — of more than a few yamen clerks. Who didn’t have some ambition? Who would pass up an opportunity like this? One’s status would rise, and with official rank came far greater possibilities — the benefits wouldn’t be any less than what one made as a clerk. Even the dowry his wife would expect would grow by a couple of trays.

That said, name slots like this had always been limited. Zhù Ying would put his name in, but he’d still have to wait in the queue. Xiao Wu was still young — he could afford to wait. After accompanying the veteran seniors through three to five years of also-ran competition, with Zhù Ying adding a couple of favorable commendations on his behalf, it wasn’t an unreasonable hope to earn a ninth-rank minor posting before he turned thirty.

Zhù Ying said, “Don’t let your head get too big!”

Xiao Wu grinned from ear to ear. “Yes.”

Zhù Ying called out, “Xiang Le.”

Xiang Le flashed to her side. “Here.”

“Take him away, put him in solitary for three days. And make him skip a couple of meals — clear his head.”

“Yes.”

Xiang Le grabbed Xiao Wu by the collar and dragged him to the firewood shed in the inner quarters, where he was truly locked up for three days. Xiao Wu was buzzing with excitement on the first day and barely noticed skipping meals. By the second day, he still had a bit of the glow about him. By the third day he had finally stopped grinning at everyone he saw, and Xiang Le let him out. “The magistrate wants you.”

Xiao Wu said, “Brother Xiang Le, wait a moment — I’m ripe by now.” He changed his clothes and then asked around about what was happening.

Xiang Le shook his head. “I don’t know either.”

Xiao Wu guessed he might be getting sent to the prefectural city and quickly washed himself clean as a whistle, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and presented himself before Zhù Ying.

Hou Wu was also there at Zhù Ying’s side and looked him over. “What are you all dressed up for? You going off to preen yourself?”

Xiao Wu gave him a fierce glare. Zhù Ying said, “Stop teasing him. You — has your head cleared?”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying said one sentence and then paid him no further attention, and didn’t give him any other assignment. Xiao Wu went and sat down in the front duty room, and it was only then that he truly cooled down — he still had to wait his turn. The yamen runners crowded around him with questions: “Squad leader, where did you vanish to for three days?” “Squad leader, we saw you and Brother Xiang Le heading to the inner quarters together — nothing went wrong, did it?”

Xiao Wu grinned involuntarily, then caught himself. “What could go wrong? Everything was arranged by the magistrate! I’m still your squad leader!”

Never tell your colleagues good news before it happens! Xiao Wu thought. Among colleagues, the worst people are the most numerous!

In Xiao Wu’s eyes at this moment, the Xiang siblings were a great point in their favor — they rarely mingled with the runners and never chatted idly with them. He resolved to make more of an effort to get on better terms with the two of them.

……

With Xiao Wu back, the county yamen returned to its usual bustle. Spring plowing was finished too. The accounts for renting out draft cattle and the like had been entered in the ledgers, and all that remained was to settle up in full come the autumn harvest.

Zhù Ying reviewed the money she had on hand and let out a quiet sigh: Still a little short.

Her original plan had been to have the county yamen offer small-scale loans to impoverished households — backed by the government’s guarantee both for disbursement at low interest and for collection. But the underlying reserves were still thin, and the county yamen’s accounts didn’t have enough surplus for that yet.

There was nothing for it but to summon the local gentry first and then announce the matter of the Fellow Townsmen’s Guild in the prefectural city.

The gentry had already caught a whiff of something in the wind. During the days when Zhang Xiangu and Zhù’s father had been in high spirits, they’d let slip more than a few remarks about the new prefect’s background, without taking any particular care to keep it secret. The gentry had accordingly concluded that Fulu County’s good days were on their way!

The prefectural city was another matter entirely from anything else — in their understanding of the world, it ranked second only to the capital. Those who had already been given charge of a Fellow Townsmen’s Guild gnashed their teeth: one family couldn’t take two — the prize was going to go to someone else. Those who hadn’t gotten in yet were both excited and anxious — a good meal is worth waiting for, but there were too many people scrambling for it.

Gu Weng said, “The magistrate’s planning will certainly not be wrong. But the prefectural city is important territory, and opening a foothold there won’t be easy. Better to send someone with experience…” The Gu family happened to have exactly the right person — give up the current smaller location, exchange it for a new start in the prefectural city. Starting over would be an effort, but it was a clear profit.

Those who hadn’t gotten anything were displeased, and among them, one Elder Lin said, “If you never start, you’ll never gain experience. Nobody is born knowing how to walk — you have to practice. As long as the person is sharp, who wouldn’t be up to it?”

There was a little back-and-forth argument, and in the end everyone looked to Zhù Ying and waited for her decision.

Zhù Ying said, “The prefectural city is large and its affairs are complex — one person probably isn’t enough. I want to send three people: one principal and two deputies.” Sending three at once excluded the families who already held a location; Gu Weng and the others’ faces fell, while the others grinned in a way that was rather too similar to Xiao Wu.

The benefits from the prefectural city would be considerable. Those who wanted a location and tried to get in under their own steam would have virtually no foothold there; with the county yamen behind them, it would be far easier. What an opportunity! And setting aside the oranges — with their somewhat merchant-like associations — just to have a presence in the “prefectural city,” for the connections it would bring, was worth fighting for.

Zhù Ying’s final selection was three families. Widow Chang’s family received one deputy post, Elder Wang’s family also received a deputy post, and for the principal, Zhù Ying passed over the more familiar Zhao Ze and Gu Weng’s family, choosing instead a different Elder Zhang.

She also said, “I will go to the prefectural city myself. You will accompany me.”

Elder Zhang had a windfall drop on his head and was delighted. Widow Chang, who had supported Zhù Ying from the very beginning, finally saw her loyalty rewarded with something substantial — and everyone was pleased.

Gu Tong stood in attendance at the side, watching every expression in the room, and thought: She’s cultivated another crop of major gentry households. What is teacher’s intention here?

Zhù Ying turned and caught sight of him, saying, “You’ll come along with me.”

Gu Tong quickly collected himself. “Yes.”

Zhù Ying said, “That’s settled — everyone may disperse.”

When almost everyone had gone, she had Xiang Le go and call Elder Wang back, and instructed him, “Going to the prefectural city — bring your daughter and son-in-law.”

……

Zhù Ying had set the third day of the month as her departure date, by her own calculation. The Guild was one matter; there was also a perfectly legitimate official reason — reporting on the spring plowing situation. She had already sent an official request ahead, but before it even went out, Leng Yun’s messenger arrived first.

The messenger recognized Zhù Ying — she had been, after all, the famous thorn in Prefect Lu’s side. He immediately said, “This servant pays respects to Magistrate Zhù! The Prefect requests your presence — the official document is here.”

Zhù Ying took and read the official document. It was indeed a document from the prefectural governor’s residence summoning her; the wording was in Master Qian’s hand — this man’s command of official prose was formidable, capable of almost entirely masking Leng Yun’s usual manner. The document said only one thing: Come quickly — there is a matter to discuss.

An ordinary subordinate receiving such a document might wonder whether they were about to be called to account for something. But Zhù Ying read it and understood: Leng Yun must have run into something urgent and needed to ask about it. Asking was just asking.

She asked the messenger, “Has anything happened at the prefectural governor’s residence?”

The messenger said, “Nothing of any particular significance.”

Zhù Ying said, “And small matters? Things in between?”

“This servant doesn’t know. Things were calm at first — Prefect Leng was resting and recuperating while the several Masters were busy with affairs. Once the Prefect had recovered, they turned up some irregularities in the accounts, and the Prefect was upset by it. Nothing else of note.” For a newly arrived official, this was all perfectly ordinary — nothing the messenger found remarkable.

Zhù Ying could see she wasn’t going to get more information from pressing, and didn’t force the matter. She set out according to plan on the third day of the month.

Zhù’s father said, “The third, sixth, and ninth days — auspicious days for setting out. Good omens.”

Zhang Xiangu and Huajie both traveled by carriage. Zhù’s father rode a horse, then after a while complained his bones ached. Elder Zhang quickly invited Zhù’s father into his carriage and squeezed himself and his manager into one. Zhù’s father half-refused and half-accepted. Zhù Ying said, “Why let him give up his seat? We’ll find another carriage at the next relay station.”

Because of his daughter, Zhù’s father was a titled gentleman of honor himself now and could be provided with a carriage and horses — relay stations would give him convenient access too — and the party set out smoothly and in good order for the prefectural city!

With Zhù Ying away, even useful people like Xiao Wu and quick-witted students like Gu Tong had been brought along with her. Several people in the county who had not gotten a Fellow Townsmen’s Guild found themselves drifting into little clusters of two and three, moving about on the matter.

Gu Weng and those like him were furious with themselves: “At our age, and still so short-sighted — we should have waited.”

“Had we known the magistrate would never shortchange people, we would have been willing to give our all in service.”

“What is the use of saying this here? We need to think of a way to show the magistrate that our hearts are willing and we offer ourselves for any task she may need.”

“Should we approach Old Master Feng?”

“I think Madam has more pull.”

Gu Weng coughed once. “You’ve all gotten it wrong! Our magistrate is resolute in her will and doesn’t waver once she’s decided. We need to think of how to appeal for a little of her consideration.”

Those who had already received something wanted more; and strangely, those who had received nothing didn’t have the impulse to “wait and see” — they wanted to get something now.

“In the past everyone was equal — nobody was cleverer than anyone else — it’s just that he lived in the county seat, and by lucky chance ran into Magistrate Zhù and pulled ahead of the rest of us by a whole head. That’s not his own ability — anyone in my place could do the same!”

“Isn’t it just that the opportunity hadn’t come yet?”

“How do we show the magistrate that we too are willing to work for her and share her burdens?”

“We still need to let the magistrate see our abilities. The magistrate is fair — she won’t pass over talent.”

“But there has to be some occasion for us to demonstrate our ability — what kind of occasion?”

The various groups each discussed among themselves without reaching any conclusions. Elder Lin’s heart was drifting and unsettled, swinging at one moment to “there must be something better ahead,” and at the next to “is it that the magistrate doesn’t think well of me?”

He was still drifting along on his way home when he saw his youngest son come running out to meet him. “Father!”

“Look at yourself — where’s your dignity? Stand up straight!”

“Elder Sister and her husband are back!”

“What?” Elder Lin was taken aback. “Did something happen?”

The youngest son said, “Doesn’t look like anything bad — Elder Sister is in talking with Mother and Sister-in-law, and Elder Brother is keeping her husband company. The brother-in-law said there’s something he wants to discuss with Father.”

Elder Lin said, “What business from Sicheng County would have anything to do with us?”

His son-in-law was from Sicheng County — all of this was quite peculiar.

“Quick — go home right now!” Elder Lin said. “Is food and wine ready? Dig out that jug of good wine I’ve been saving! And bring oranges — at least there’s one thing he’ll find impressive.”