Upon arriving at the inn, He Zhizhong was preoccupied with the matter of hosting Zhang Wu Lang. He instructed the innkeeper to properly accommodate Miss Qin and her servants, sent for a doctor, left some money, and prepared to leave.
Mudan, feeling sympathy for this innocent woman, thought that since they had encountered her, she might as well stay and see how Miss Qin’s condition was. He Zhizhong reluctantly agreed, asking Da Lang to accompany Mudan while he returned home first.
While waiting for the doctor, the innkeeper was preparing food for newly arrived guests. The aroma of food wafted into the room, causing the stomachs of both the maid Ah Hui and the older woman Cai Da Niang to growl audibly. Both blushed and tried to cover up the embarrassing sounds by moving chairs or pretending to talk.
Mudan, realizing how long these two must have been hungry, silently sighed. Pretending not to have heard, she quietly asked Yuhe to request that the innkeeper prepare some light, easily digestible food to be sent over.
Shortly after, the doctor arrived and examined Miss Qin. He diagnosed her with wind evil entering the body and stagnation in the heart, which hadn’t been treated promptly. However, he assured them it wasn’t serious. After writing a prescription, he looked at Mudan with a knowing smile and said, “Giving the patient some light rice porridge would be even more effective than medicine. She’ll recover quickly.”
The implication was clear – she was both hungry and ill, and the real reason for her fainting was hunger. Relieved that it wasn’t serious, Mudan saw that Miss Qin had awakened and asked, “Madam, do you wish to return to Yangzhou? If so, please rest easy. In a while, someone from my family will be going to Yangzhou and can take you along.”
Miss Qin’s expression was initially blank and confused, unsure of the situation as she looked at Mudan without speaking. The quick-tongued Ah Hui quickly explained the situation, after which Miss Qin struggled to rise and bow to Mudan. Mudan hurriedly stopped her, saying, “You’re ill. If you don’t take care of yourself and your condition worsens, our efforts will have been wasted. Given your current situation, these two rely on you to make decisions. You need to decide quickly whether you want to file a complaint, return to Yangzhou, or do something else.”
Miss Qin suddenly laughed, tears coming to her eyes. “He looks like a ghost. I didn’t dare complain about anything. Early in the morning, wouldn’t anyone be frightened if a hideous face suddenly appeared in their mirror? I didn’t despise him, yet he rejected me. How cruel. Even if I file a complaint, what good would it do? Make his family welcome me back with open arms? That’s impossible. Even if they did take me back, how could we live together peacefully? As for returning to Yangzhou, if I had a place to go there, I would have gone already instead of staying here.”
Mudan was somewhat taken aback but patiently asked, “Then what do you plan to do? Don’t you have any other relatives? This situation can’t continue indefinitely.” Since Miss Qin didn’t want to return to her husband’s family or her maiden home, she needed to make plans soon, perhaps rent a place to live and find a way to make a living. Staying at the inn indefinitely and spending all her money wasn’t a good idea.
Miss Qin’s dark eyes were pensive as she replied, “I have an elder sister called Madam Duan. She’s quite successful, but unfortunately, we don’t share the same father. She resents my mother for leaving her to remarry and doesn’t associate with us. However, before my marriage, she did come to see me once and asked if I wanted to go with her. Foolishly, I thought marrying into the capital was the best thing that could happen to me and suspected her of ill intentions, so I refused. Now I see that I was the truly shortsighted one.”
Mudan listened silently to her confession, then patiently suggested, “Where does she live? Why don’t you write her a letter? I can have someone deliver it for you, asking her to come and get you.”
Miss Qin shook her head firmly, “No need. I’m too ashamed to face her.” After a moment of silence, she looked at Mudan and asked, “May I know your name, young miss?”
Yuhe kept signaling to Mudan, suggesting it might be troublesome to reveal her name. Mudan hesitated briefly, then said softly, “My name is He Weifang, but everyone calls me Mudan or Dan Niang.” Judging from Ah Hui and Cai Da Niang’s earlier reactions to hunger, she felt they weren’t likely to be untrustworthy people.
Miss Qin closed her eyes, “All I can offer now is my gratitude, yet you won’t even let me bow to you. If I have the chance in the future, I will surely repay your kindness. If not, consider it an act of charity to a temple – it’s still a good deed.”
Mudan found her words somewhat amusing. Seeing that the medicine had arrived and Miss Qin seemed to be hinting it was time to leave, she stood up and said, “Then I’ll take my leave now. Tomorrow… I’ll come back to check on you tomorrow. First, focus on getting well, then we can discuss other matters.”
As she reached the door, Miss Qin suddenly called out, “Why are you helping me like this?”
It was around 3-5 pm, and most people were out. The inn was quiet except for some sounds from the kitchen. Mudan looked up at the faint clouds in the sky, feeling a sense of peace. She turned back to Miss Qin and said softly, “At first it was curiosity, then it was because I too have just… Anyway, we must all find a way to live on.” By now, she had recovered from her earlier shock and emotions. No matter what, this second chance at life was precious and should be cherished. One should treasure every beautiful moment in life, every kind smile and caring word from others – that’s how life becomes rich and meaningful. Otherwise, what’s the point of having wealth and status?
Miss Qin didn’t share Mudan’s sense of peace. She laughed coldly, “Yes, no matter what, we must find a way to live on. Since Heaven didn’t let me die and allowed me to live again, I might as well live on properly. Otherwise, I’d be wasting the life my parents gave me!”
Mudan nodded and stood up to leave. She found Miss Qin’s attitude very strange – it wasn’t quite despair and weakness, nor was it strength and acceptance. But one thing was certain: Miss Qin was not indecisive.
As Mudan and her maid walked away, Miss Qin stared at the dark ceiling of the inn and said to Ah Hui and Cai Da Niang, enunciating each word clearly, “If I don’t avenge this wrong, I’m not worthy of being human!”
Cai Da Niang wept, “Miss, let’s go to your elder sister. She has great wealth, and her blood is thicker than water. She won’t ignore you. Why stay here exposed to the elements?”
Miss Qin stubbornly turned her face away, “I can’t face anyone until I’ve settled this matter!”
Ah Hui asked, “But what can you do?”
Miss Qin laughed coldly, touching her beautiful face, “He rejected me, but surely others will value me. Just wait and see.”
Da Lang, who had been waiting outside earlier, hurried over with the horse when Mudan came out. He smiled and asked, “How did it go? Will she join the group returning to Yangzhou?”
Mudan shook her head, “She refuses to go. She won’t file a complaint against her husband’s family, nor does she want to seek help from her maiden family. I don’t know what she plans to do for a living. I wanted to ask if she knew any needlework, but it didn’t seem appropriate. Let’s wait and see.”
Da Lang said, “That Yan Ba Lang is truly unreasonable. If it were me, I couldn’t swallow such an insult.”
Mudan’s mind stirred slightly. Could it be that Miss Qin, though silent, had already decided on revenge? But as a weak woman struggling even to make a living, how could she seek revenge? She said, “Brother, she mentioned having a half-sister called Madam Duan who is quite successful. You’ve been to Yangzhou often in past years, have you heard of such a person? Even though she’s unwilling, shouldn’t we still try to send a letter to her? What do you think?”
Da Lang furrowed his brow, “There is a famous Madam Duan in Yangzhou. I’ve seen her from afar once. She’s vastly different from this Miss Qin – could they be relatives? Why don’t I have someone deliver a letter tomorrow to find out?”
Mudan asked curiously, “How is she famous?”
Da Lang smiled slightly, “She owns the largest and best commercial ships. They travel south to Jiangxi and north to Huainan, going everywhere. We’ve even used her ships before. Wouldn’t you say she’s famous?”
Mudan stuck out her tongue and said, “If she is her sister, she surely won’t ignore her. Brother, please remember this matter. Even if it doesn’t benefit our family’s future business with her ships, it’s still a good deed.”
Da Lang agreed and escorted Mudan home before heading to the East Market tavern to find He Zhizhong and Si Lang. The two men didn’t return until just before the ward gates closed, both completely drunk and supported by servants. Seeing the displeased expressions of her sisters-in-law, Mudan took the initiative to prepare sobering soup with Yuhe in the kitchen and helped Madam Chen administer it to He Zhizhong. Seeing He Zhizhong holding Madam Chen’s hand and grinning foolishly, she finally retreated, suppressing her laughter.
The next day, Mudan reminded Da Lang again and asked Sun to accompany her to visit Miss Qin. However, Miss Qin and her servants had already left, taking all the money He Zhizhong had left behind, without leaving any message. Yuhe was very angry, “This person has no manners at all! The master and you helped her, she should at least say thank you. If she had to leave, she should have said where she was going! Leaving so quietly – we must have been deceived!”
Mudan said, “Don’t talk nonsense. Although I don’t expect her to repay us, didn’t she tell me early on? If she has the chance, she’ll repay us, and if not, consider it a donation to a temple. To know whether it’s a scam or not, we can just send someone to Tongshan Ward to inquire.”
Yuhe did send someone to inquire, and reported back, “Indeed, such an incident did occur. Not many people have seen Miss Qin, but those who have all sympathized with her. That Yan Ba Lang is truly incredibly ugly – anyone suddenly seeing him at night would surely be frightened half to death.”
In the evening, Da Lang returned and said the letter had been sent. Mudan sighed softly, knowing she could do nothing more, and gradually forgot about the matter.
Six or seven days passed. One day, while it was drizzling and the family was having breakfast, Li Xing arrived excitedly.