He Zhizhong knew Mudan was merely smoothing things over. Though he silently resented his concubine, son, and daughter-in-law for their greed, he remembered Mudan’s usual kindness and generosity. She often worried about others laboring on her behalf. Recalling her refusal of the money, he feared that if it caused discord at home, she might reject it entirely and be unhappy. So, he decided not to mention it again in her presence. Instead, following her lead, he smiled and said, “I thought you’d eaten something extraordinary, but it was just a bowl of cold noodles. Since it’s still early, let’s all go eat together.”
Everyone cheered and began preparing to leave. Wu Shi, however, declined, saying softly, “My lord and lady should take the children. I’ll stay and prepare dinner.”
Yang Shi, having just angered He Zhizhong, also wanted to go out but felt compelled to stay. She smiled and said, “I’ll stay and help Sister Zhu.” She then signaled to Sun Shi, who reluctantly agreed to stay as well.
Xue Shi also joined in, saying, “There’s much to do at home, so I’ll stay too.”
Madam Cen didn’t force them, only asking if they preferred water chestnut or locust leaf cold noodles. She then instructed her attendants to note their preferences and bring some back later. The remaining He family members left joyfully, heading straight for the Eastern Market.
They arrived late, but there weren’t many people eating cold noodles. The He family ate to their heart’s content. Seeing that it was nearly time for the market to close, they decided to go to He Silang’s shop to pick him up before heading home together.
The He family’s spice shop was on the left side of the Standard Price Office, facing the main street. It stood alongside many brocade and silk shops, its storefront impressive and about four or five times the size of an ordinary shop. He Zhizhong proudly whispered to Mudan, “Look, this row of more than ten shops all belong to our family.”
Mudan knew this well. The He family had shops in both the Eastern and Western Markets. Those not used by the family were rented out at high prices, bringing in considerable annual income. However, Mudan, despite being a merchant’s daughter, hadn’t received any shops as part of her dowry. She thought this might be because her dowry was already so substantial that He Zhizhong, to maintain balance, had left these profitable businesses for his sons and daughters-in-law. Indeed, for those with many children, coordinating such matters could be quite taxing.
As Mudan pondered this, she suddenly noticed a tall, muscular man in his twenties approaching the He family’s spice shop. His appearance was striking: he wore a blue silk headband, a green short-sleeved robe, and a brown brocade half-sleeve garment with sleeves rolled up high, revealing two tattooed, muscular arms. His left arm was tattooed with “In life, fear not the Prefect,” and his right arm with “In death, fear not the King of Hell.” He looked every bit the street ruffian.
Mudan was momentarily stunned, then broke into a smile. This man seemed outrageously amusing, challenging two great authorities in the ancient Chinese mindset: the government in life and death. The man shot Mudan a fierce glance and walked directly towards her. Mudan thought she might have offended this bully and was about to hide behind He Zhizhong when the man stopped a few steps away. To her surprise, he bowed respectfully to He Zhizhong and Madam Cen, greeting them, “Uncle, Aunt, brothers, and sisters-in-law, where have you been?”
He Zhizhong and Madam Cen smiled, replying politely, “Nephew, you’re free today? We’ve come to fetch Silang to go home together. Is he inside?”
The man replied, “Yes, I was just talking with him. He’s having people tidy up and settle accounts before closing. Uncle, Aunt, please go ahead. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
Mudan thought to herself, “Unexpectedly, this man speaks and acts quite politely.” As she was thinking this, the man greeted He Dalang and He Erlang while giving her another intense look—not a glare, but a penetrating gaze. He Zhizhong noticed and discreetly shielded Mudan behind him.
Zhen Shi pulled Mudan into the shop first, spitting, “That Zhang Wulang looks at people like a wolf. He’s no good. Stay far away from him in the future.”
So his name was Zhang Wulang. Mudan acknowledged this with a nod. Seeing He Silang come out to greet them, she eagerly asked to see the various legendary spices. However, upon inspection, she was astonished by the vast array of spices in the He family shop. The variety, types, and grades far exceeded her imagination. Agarwood alone was divided into six grades, each further categorized into sub-levels. There were also sandalwood, cloves, mace, frankincense, turmeric, borneol, musk, calambac, honey fragrance, costus root, storax, and ambergris—many of these precious spices imported from overseas. As for local fragrant flowers and herbs, they were too numerous to count.
Besides the luxurious “fragrant mountains” – large chunks of natural incense carved into mountain shapes, gilded and decorated to emit a fragrant mist – the He family only sold raw materials. They didn’t sell finished incense products or incense-burning implements like censers, incense boxes, or incense tubes.
Seeing Mudan staring intently at the spices, He Silang chuckled, “You’ve been learning to distinguish scents with us since childhood. Why do you find it so fascinating now?”
Mudan was simply curious and casually replied, “I’ve forgotten most of it. I’d like to learn again. Fourth Brother, will you teach me when you’re free?”
He Silang said, “That’s easy. You’re idle anyway, so learn this, then learn incense-making from Second Brother. You could open an incense shop for fun. You just make the incense, and we brothers will help you manage it. Growing flowers is nice, but it’s too dull and doesn’t make money.”
His sisters-in-law had long expressed interest in opening such a shop, but he and his father and brothers had firmly refused, unwilling to teach them the secrets of incense-making. Now they were eager to use this knowledge to please their sister. Blood relations were indeed different. If she remarried in the future, wouldn’t she compete with their family business? Zhen Shi, listening nearby, immediately changed her expression and looked back at Bai Shi and the other sisters-in-law. As expected, their faces, though calm, clearly showed displeasure. She silently pondered, quickly calculating the situation.
Mudan, unaware of her sisters-in-law’s reactions, said, “I don’t want to open an incense shop. I’ll just learn incense-making from Second Brother to have something to do and not be too idle.”
Though she spoke truthfully, others might not believe her. They thought silently: learning to distinguish and make incense, with her parents’ favor and brothers’ support, having all advantages – not opening a shop to make money would be foolish. Who was she trying to fool? They always said she was honest and kind, but now it seemed she was two-faced as well. Zhen Shi exchanged a glance with her rival Li Shi as if to say, “See how good your husband is to his sister.” Li Shi calmly averted her gaze, remaining silent, wondering if she should take this opportunity to have her daughter Rui Niang learn alongside Mudan. After all, they were both He family daughters; surely the He family couldn’t treat them differently?
Unaware of the storm her casual words had stirred, Mudan happily toured the shop with He Silang. When they heard the gong signaling the market’s closing, she reluctantly followed her family home.
Back at home, Yang Shi, Wu Shi, and Xue Shi were present, but Sun Shi was absent. When Madam Cen inquired, Yang Shi replied with a disgruntled expression, “She suddenly felt unwell, dizzy, and went to lie down. She said she didn’t want dinner.”
Madam Cen asked, “Did you call for a doctor?”
Yang Shi quickly responded, “It’s nothing serious. She’s taken some medicine and will be fine after some rest.”
Most likely she’s been scolded and is feeling upset, Madam Cen thought, deciding not to press further. She only instructed that the cold noodles they’d brought for Sun Shi be sent to her. Meanwhile, Zhen Shi kept making meaningful glances at Xue Shi, who kept her head down, ignoring them.
That night, the wind howled, keeping several members of the He household awake. Li Shi tried several times to broach the subject of having Rui Niang learn incense-making alongside Mudan, but each time, the words caught in her throat. After tossing and turning until the fourth watch, she finally decided to wait until Mudan started learning before bringing it up.
Zhen Shi, on the other hand, was throwing a tantrum in bed, tormenting He Sanlang with whimpers and physical abuse – pinching his waist, biting his shoulder, and sobbing, “You don’t love me. You don’t love our children.”
He Sanlang lay with his back to her, motionless and silent, neither asking what was wrong nor retaliating.
After a while, Zhen Shi, finding her antics ineffective, kicked He Sanlang, cursing, “You spineless deadweight! Marrying you was the worst mistake of my life. Everyone can step all over me. That concubine of yours is just waiting to…”
He Sanlang caught off guard, stumbled into the screen, nearly falling off the bed. Angered, he sat up, clenching his fist, and hissed, “Don’t be greedy and unreasonable. Who’s stepping on you? Don’t be ungrateful. If it weren’t for the concubine’s sake, do you think anyone would tolerate you as they do now? You have your sons and daughters, how can you not accept poor Danniang? If my brothers want to teach her incense-making, it’s because they know you won’t accept her. Do you think no one else would sell incense or know how to make it if we didn’t teach her? Keep quiet, or I’ll throw you out!”
In the darkness, Zhen Shi couldn’t see He Sanlang’s expression but knew he was furious. He rarely lost his temper, and when he did, it stirred something in her. She threw herself into his arms, clutching his waist, and whimpered, “Who won’t accept her? It’s not my money she’s spending. But compared to her, I care more for you and our children. We’re the closest family! It’s fine while Father is alive, but what about later? What will become of us?”
He Sanlang softened, covering her mouth with his hand, and said uncertainly, “Don’t talk nonsense. Don’t let others hear. Mother and the concubine have an unusual bond, and my older brothers and Silang treat us differently. No matter what, they’ll always be closer to us than to Liulang. Don’t antagonize them. It makes me feel more secure in my work outside.”
Zhen Shi, exasperated, said, “You need to be more ambitious! You’ve learned from Big Brother and Second Brother for so long, yet you’re still not good enough. You’re not as bold as Big Brother or as sharp as Second Brother. After all these years, even Fifth Brother can go on purchasing trips alone, but you still can’t. You can’t even please Father like Sixth Brother does.”
These words agitated He Sanlang again. He pushed her away and turned his back, burying his head in sleep.
The next day, the weather changed. The sky was gloomy, with occasional gusts of wind that chilled lightly dressed pedestrians. There were fewer people than usual on Xuanping Fang Street. A group of six or seven people escorting a four-person white wicker sedan chair stopped in front of the He family’s gate. Lady Bai poked her head out of the sedan and asked her maid, “Nianyu, is this the place?”