At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), they rose punctually, prepared themselves, and headed to Madam Wang’s small building to help her get ready. At the same time, they sent someone to notify Jiang Yunqing to prepare for departure. However, when Mudan arrived outside the small building, she saw that Madam Wang had already changed into a cyan-colored Hu-style outfit and was sitting under the bamboo grove reading a book, appearing to have been up for some time.
Mudan felt a bit embarrassed, “I woke up late.”
“It’s not that you’re late, it’s that I’m getting older. I don’t sleep in the mornings anymore, so I don’t need as much rest,” Madam Wang patted the bamboo couch beside her, gesturing for Mudan to sit. The two chatted for a while until Wu’s servant came to report that the carriages were ready and they could depart. However, there was still no word from Jiang Yunqing’s side. Mudan asked Kuan’er to go and hurry them again.
Shortly after, Kuan’er returned, trying to suppress a smile, bringing with her a plump little girl with her hair in two buns, wearing a light green jacket and skirt, her face barely a shade lighter than a wok bottom. Kuan’er reported, “They’ve been up for a while, but it’ll probably take at least another half hour before they’re ready to leave.”
“What is she doing?” Mudan was displeased. She had originally agreed to meet with Madam Bai at the Qixia Gate at 4:15 PM. With Jiang Yunqing’s delay, they were likely to be late. It was still very hot at this time; how could Madam Bai bear it?
Kuan’er pushed the little dark, plump girl forward, “Xiao Li, you went to deliver the message. Tell the mistress what’s going on.”
Xiao Li smiled and said, “When this servant went, Miss Jiang was washing her face, neck, and arms. They said she had been washing for half an hour already. The maids attending to her washing, Wu Mama and the others, were praising how precious and rare Miss Jiang’s bath beans were.” She counted on her fingers as she listed the ingredients to Mudan: “They used cloves, agarwood, cedarwood, peach blossom, stalactite powder, pearl, jade powder, Sichuan water flower, papaya flower, custard apple flower, pear blossom, red lotus, plum blossom, cherry blossom, white hollyhock, inula flower, and musk – 17 kinds in total. They were all ground into powder and mixed with soybean powder. They said if used for a full day, it would make one’s face like jade, bright and moist, and the whole person would smell fragrant, just like a white jade Guanyin.”
The Old Madam was going all out. Mudan didn’t object to beautifying and dressing up, but there was a time and place for everything. Couldn’t she take her time to groom and dress once they arrived at the estate tonight? And this Wu Mama… if she was already acting like this now, wouldn’t she be impossible to deal with later? Mudan said to Kuan’er unceremoniously, “Go tell them that the steward from the Prince of Fen’s mansion is waiting. We’ll be leaving in no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. If they’re busy, they can follow slowly behind!”
While Mudan was instructing Kuan’er, Madam Wang smiled and called Xiao Li over, asking Yingtao to give her some plums to eat. She teased her, “Little Li has such a good memory, able to remember all seventeen ingredients. Here, have a big plum.”
The little maid was quite amusing. She curtsied to thank Madam Wang for the reward, took a big bite first, then said seriously, “In response to Madam, this servant isn’t called Li (plum), but Li (chestnut) from ‘roasted sugar chestnuts’. You see, I’m so dark, how could I be a green plum?”
Madam Wang asked in a serious tone, “Then why are you so dark?”
Xiao Li pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, “This servant was born this way. My mother said when she was giving birth to me, she was tending the fire. When labor pains came, she gave birth right by the stove. With all the smoke and fire, it would be strange if I wasn’t dark.”
“You little rascal!” Madam Wang laughed heartily. She turned to Mudan and said, “Where did you find this girl? She’s so funny.”
Mudan smiled and said, “She was given to me by my mother. She’s still young and only does some message running. We haven’t taught her proper etiquette yet. I’m sorry if she’s made you laugh at us.”
Madam Wang just shook her head with a smile and looked at Yingtao, “Except for not being as fair as Yingtao, her quick wit is just the same.”
Xiao Li glanced at Yingtao, who was smiling like a flower, and said, “This servant can’t compare to Sister Yingtao. Wu Mama said even if I used Miss Jiang’s bath beans for ten thousand years, I wouldn’t become a bit whiter.”
Hearing this, Shu’er’s eyebrows shot up, feeling that one of their own had been bullied. But with Madam Wang and Mudan present, she couldn’t say much, so she and Yingtao exchanged meaningful glances for a while. Mudan saw this and knew that Shu’er would certainly play some tricks on this Wu Mama, but she couldn’t be bothered to intervene.
As they were chatting and laughing, they saw Jiang Yunqing running over alone, out of breath. She stood still, still catching her breath with her hand on her chest, her face red as she was about to apologize to Mudan: “Sister-in-law, I didn’t mean to… it was Wu Mama…” Suddenly seeing Madam Wang, she became extremely embarrassed. But she reacted quickly, immediately stepping forward to greet Madam Wang: “Yunqing greets Madam. I hope Madam is well.”
Madam Wang didn’t care who she was, treating her as just an ordinary younger generation. She smiled and helped her up, then said to Mudan, “Now that everyone’s here, shall we go?”
Mudan glanced at Jiang Yunqing without further comment. Jiang Yunqing cautiously said, “I’ll wait at the gate first.”
Madam Wang and Mudan both mounted their horses, but they saw Jiang Yunqing wearing a veiled hat that was rarely seen nowadays, covering her face and neck completely, preparing to enter the carriage. Madam Wang reined in her blue-gray horse, glanced at Jiang Yunqing who was about to get into the carriage, and said softly to Mudan, “Isn’t she riding with us?”
Mudan shook her head and said quietly, “After such meticulous care, she naturally fears getting tanned.”
Jiang Yunqing poked her head out of the carriage window to look at the brightly colored, light Hu-style clothes of Mudan and Madam Wang, who were laughing and talking. Her face was full of envy. She rarely had the chance to go out, and what she wanted most was to one day wear fine clothes and ride horses, unrestrained.
Seeing this, Wu Mama said, “Miss, don’t envy them. If you succeed in doing what the Old Madam asked you to do this time, you’ll have plenty of such good days in the future. You might even find it tiring then.”
Jiang Yunqing remained silent. She was already feeling nervous before they had even set out. Mudan was a woman of her word and didn’t engage in much back-and-forth with her. With the reportedly fierce Madam Wang present, it would be enough if she didn’t get worn out. With her looks and the current situation at home, even if she received an invitation from the Princess of Fen when they arrived, how much effect could it have? Which family would be interested in her? She touched her face. Although the Old Madam said she had a face that brought good fortune to men, looking at these women, how many of them didn’t have plump, fortunate-looking faces?
Shortly after they reached the outside of the Qixia Gate, Pan Rong came over smiling with two carriages and seven or eight attendants. Madam Bai poked her head out of the window of the lead carriage, smiling at Madam Wang and Mudan. She moved slightly to the side, allowing Mudan to see Maya’er sitting in the corner behind her.
Maya’er bowed deeply to Mudan from the carriage. Mudan nodded, signaling to depart.
When they arrived outside Jiang Changyang’s estate, Madam Wang smiled and said, “It still doesn’t have a name? Shall we still call it Willow Garden?”
Jiang Changyang looked up at her, “But…” He didn’t want to use the old name anymore, which meant he had abandoned the past.
Madam Wang shook her head, “If it’s for that reason, there’s no need. It’s just a formality.” Then she smiled at Mudan, “Of course, if Danniang has a good name in mind, that’s another matter.”
Mudan smiled and said, “Actually, I think ‘You Garden’ (Leisurely Garden) is not bad. It means leisurely and carefree.”
Jiang Changyang immediately said, “Good idea!”
“You two flatterers! Danniang, let’s see who can reach there first. The loser has to cook their best dish for everyone tonight,” Madam Wang said, and before her words had even finished, she had already whipped her blue-gray horse once and galloped ahead.
Mudan was alarmed, “You’re cheating!” She only knew that Madam Wang’s specialty was those fresh dumplings. Madam Wang was craving them.
Madam Wang looked back at Mudan with a smug smile, “I’m not cheating. I’m so much older than you, you should let me win.”
Mudan called out, “Your horse is better than mine!”
Madam Wang replied, “Then blame Dalang for that, not me. If you don’t want to cook, catch up with me and I’ll make you something delicious.”
As the two of them raced ahead, one in front and one behind, Madam Bai sat in her carriage holding Pan Jing, laughing uncontrollably. Pan Jing, seeing this, became excited and climbed to the window, shouting for Pan Rong to let him ride a big horse. Pan Rong bent down to pick him up, placed him in front of herself, said a word to Madam Bai, and also spurred her horse to chase after Mudan and Madam Wang.
Madam Bai smiled and said, “Days like this are truly interesting.”
“Yes,” Maya’er said with a faint smile. Through the thin window gauze, she looked at Jiang Changyang, who was standing with his horse, a happy smile on his face. She let out an almost imperceptible, soft sigh.
Meanwhile, in Jiang Yunqing’s carriage, Wu Mama whispered to Niu Mama, “Look at that, at such an age and still so undignified, even leading the young mistress to act wild. After all, she’s the Duchess and a noblewoman of the fourth rank. What would people think if they saw this…”
Jiang Yunqing felt extremely irritated and threw a porcelain cushion at Wu Mama, “Shut up! Do you want me to be sent back?”
Wu Mama became angry and said in a soft but firm tone, “Miss, this old servant…”
Jiang Yunqing glared at her fiercely, “Grandmother sent you to help me, not to hold me back. I am the mistress, you are the servant, do you understand? Do you want me to go back and tell Grandmother how you almost ruined my chance to go to Fang Garden today?”
Wu Mama immediately deflated, while Niu Mama smirked triumphantly. What a joke, just someone who mixed ointments and fragrances for the Old Madam, what kind of experience could she have? Getting a bit of power and already forgetting her place.
What kind of people were these? Why had there never been such a relaxed and joyful atmosphere at home? Jiang Yunqing felt so frustrated she wanted to die. Her brother was right; if she wanted to be content, she had to be in charge of her own life. No one truly had her best interests at heart. How could she carve out a path for herself?
In the end, Mudan couldn’t catch up with Madam Wang. By the time she galloped to the gate of Fang Garden, Madam Wang had already dismounted and thrown the reins to Gui, who had rushed out upon hearing the commotion. Madam Wang smiled at Mudan and said, “Seeing you run so hard, this mother-in-law of yours feels sorry for you. I’ll make a specialty dish with you.”
“Then we’re in for a treat,” Pan Rong said with a grin as she caught up, pushing Pan Jing forward, “Hurry and thank your great-aunt and Aunt Dan.”
Pan Jing’s eyes were fixed on Madam Wang’s blue-gray horse as he tried to flatter her, “Great-aunt, your horse is the best! Can I borrow it to ride someday?”
“Good boy!” Pan Rong was so delighted that she hugged him tightly and kissed him. It seemed that although she had quarreled with her mother this time, it had been very worthwhile.