The old steward explained, “This land is quite good. My master acquired it by chance when he first arrived in the capital. At that time, there was only the residence, no garden. Following a friend’s advice, my master invited the renowned feng shui master Song Youdao to assess the property. Following Song’s suggestions, we built this garden. He said ‘Without water, there’s no life,’ so we spent a great deal of money and effort to bring in this water source. At that time, my master held a low official position and wasn’t wealthy. Although we nearly exhausted our family’s resources on this garden, it indeed brought several promotions and prosperity.”
“This good fortune lasted for about twenty years,” the old steward sighed. “When my master first fell from grace, someone came to buy this property. My master, thinking he would return one day, refused, unknowingly offending that person. Later, when we wanted to sell, they offered a low price. My master couldn’t swallow this insult and refused to sell to them at any cost. They then spread rumors that the house had bad feng shui. Although they’ve now lost their influence and no longer live in the capital, the rumors have spread tenfold, causing people to develop superstitions. The price we’re asking, 666,000, is just my master’s way of wishing for good fortune and dispelling bad luck. If you think it’s too expensive, there’s also an orchard of peach and plum trees outside the wall that will soon bear fruit. We’re willing to include that as well.”
He Zhizhong remained silent after hearing this. As a businessman, he believed in feng shui. While the quality of a residence couldn’t be determined by a few casual remarks, practices like yin-yang and feng shui were essential. It made no sense to spend money on a property that could bring ruin to a family.
Seeing He Zhizhong’s silence, the old steward guessed the deal might not go through. He sighed and offered an alternative, “If the customer finds this house unsatisfactory, perhaps you’d like to buy the land across the river? If it’s too small, I can negotiate with the neighbors to include the adjacent ten mu, though the price would certainly be higher.”
He Zhizhong neither agreed nor disagreed, “No rush. I’ll bring someone to inspect the house tomorrow. We can discuss further then.” He then gestured to the garden, “You don’t mind if we look around, do you?”
The old steward, realizing they probably wanted to measure the property, smiled and said, “Please, take your time. I’ll have someone boil some water in the kitchen.” With that, he left them alone in the garden to talk.
Mudan was the first to speak, “Father, since it’s just a rumor, why worry? The price is reasonable, why not agree to it?” How could one become a high-ranking official just because of a house, or lose everything because of it?
He Zhizhong replied, “A house has five virtues and five flaws. A large house with few people is the first flaw; a large gate with a small interior is the second; incomplete courtyard walls is the third; incomplete well and stove is the fourth; and much land with few buildings is the fifth. This house has a large gate with a small interior and much land with few buildings, so it already has two flaws. Even if we buy it, we’ll need to renovate, which isn’t cost-effective. Moreover, you want to create ponds and hills, which also require expert advice on positioning. If it’s not convenient to move earth, this purchase would be in vain. I suspect he’s only telling half the truth, so we must be careful. Be patient, let me invite a feng shui master to assess it before we decide.”
Mudan felt worried. It was truly not easy for the ancients. Buying a house and digging a pond involved so much trouble. When she builds her garden later, would she need a feng shui master to supervise the entire process after the design is complete? If they say it’s not right and ask her to forcibly change the water flow, would she have to comply?
Seeing her frown, Yuhe guessed her thoughts and whispered with a smile, “Is Miss Dan worried? When we built your house recently, we also invited a feng shui master to check the layout before moving any earth. This is a crucial matter that can’t be taken lightly.”
Mudan sighed softly, “Back then, didn’t Mother and Sister-in-law handle everything? It didn’t trouble me, so I didn’t realize how complicated it was. Now that it’s suddenly fallen on me, I suppose I’m in for quite a headache.”
Suddenly, they heard Da Lang shout towards a nearby golden-edged daphne bush, “Who’s there?”
A moment later, a girl around ten years old and a boy about five or six timidly poked their heads out from behind the branches. The girl’s lips were tightly pressed together, while the boy looked pitifully at everyone. Seeing Da Lang’s fierce expression, the boy quickly ducked back, his eyes instantly filling with tears.
Mudan guessed these children probably belonged to the forty-something man who had opened the gate earlier. She said, “Brother, don’t shout. These children are probably from the caretaker’s family. They saw us coming to view the house and were curious, so they came to watch. Don’t frighten them.”
Da Lang smiled slightly and said, “If that’s the case, it’s perfect.” He patted his clothes but found nothing, so he took out a small piece of agarwood from his pouch and kindly beckoned to the two children, “Come here, uncle has something for you to play with.”
Mudan immediately understood Da Lang’s intention – perhaps they could learn something from these children. She smiled and said, “That’s hardly a good gift.” She untied a blue silk cord with a plum blossom knot from her waist sash, removed the jade ring attached to it, held the cord in her palm, and called to the girl, “Come here, I have a few questions for you. If you answer well, I’ll give you this cord.”
The boy tilted his head and stared intently at the cord in Mudan’s hand, his face full of desire, but he refused to move, firmly hiding behind the golden-edged daphne bush. Mudan took a step forward, holding the cord closer, but the boy, like a startled rabbit, quickly ducked back and hid in the girl’s arms, motionless. The girl glared at Mudan and the others with hostility.
Yuhe, disliking the girl’s unfriendly gaze, smiled and said, “Looking at them, they probably haven’t seen many strangers and might not know anything. Let’s give up, it would be unpleasant if we made them cry.”
Mudan said, “Not necessarily. Don’t underestimate children.” Adults often think children don’t understand and do things openly in front of them, not realizing that children understand everything. Yuhe thought for a moment, then took off a peach wood pendant she was wearing and placed it in Mudan’s hand, smiling, “If you come over and answer, I’ll add this for you.”
The boy softly said, “Do you promise not to hit us?” He glanced nervously at Da Lang and He Zhizhong as he spoke.
He Zhizhong smiled kindly and said in a gentle voice, “You haven’t done anything to upset us, why would we hit you?”
He Zhizhong, being older and plump, looked very benevolent when he smiled. The boy smiled back and was about to step forward when the girl grabbed him, whispering warningly, “You want to ask about this house, right? I’m telling you, this house can’t be bought. Last year, someone came to view it, and they lost their official position just after paying the deposit.” With that, she didn’t wait for any gifts but quickly pulled the boy away and ran off.
The group looked at each other in bewilderment. A moment later, a tremendous crying and shouting came from next door, seemingly the voices of those two children. He Zhizhong hurriedly said, “Let’s go see.”
Before they could reach the Moon Gate, the elderly steward angrily grabbed the gatekeeper’s arm and pushed him forward. He spoke incoherently, his graying beard quivering with rage: “Hu Dalang, you’ve gone too far! The master gave your entire family food to eat, and even after moving to Lingnan, he kept you here to watch over the house so you’d have the means to survive. Is this how you teach your children? No wonder we couldn’t sell this house—your family has been sabotaging everything! Now, explain yourself before these guests, or I’ll have you sent to the magistrate!”
Hu Dalang kept his head down. Though his face showed clear irritation, he didn’t dispute the steward’s words. He looked sideways at He Zhizhong and the others, saying, “The children didn’t know better. They were afraid that after you sold the house, our family would have nowhere to go, so they spoke nonsense. I’ve already disciplined them.”
The elderly steward was furious. “Is that all? The children must come out and apologize properly! At such a young age, they’re already learning such vicious, ungrateful behavior—who knows what they’ll become in the future?”
Hu Dalang suddenly jerked his head up, his eyes bloodshot, and bellowed like thunder: “Tao’er, get out here!”
“I’ll beat you to death, you ill-fated wretch! You worthless girl! How dare you spout such nonsense—you’ve ruined our entire family’s livelihood! Why don’t you just die?” A woman’s shriek pierced the air as she dragged the girl out by her arm. In front of everyone, she delivered a vicious slap across the girl’s face. The girl fell silently, collapsing before Mudan. A small boy peeking from the doorway let out a sharp cry but dared not come forward to help his sister.
Mudan watched as the girl’s face distorted from the force of the woman’s slap, a thin line of blood spraying from her lip. The sight sent an involuntary shiver down Mudan’s spine.
The woman, heedless of others’ reactions, began wailing dramatically: “We’re going to die! We have no way to live! Oh heavens, open your eyes! They’re driving us to our deaths!” She threw herself to the ground, rolling from Hu Dalang to the elderly steward, then from the steward to Mudan. Though tearless, she continued her endless howling and rolling.
Mudan couldn’t comprehend the woman’s mental state. What purpose did this dramatic display serve? Her child had done wrong, yet she was both the one beating the child and the one causing a scene—who had provoked her?
The elderly steward was beside himself with anger. “How could I not have known your new wife was such an embarrassment! Pack your things and leave—we absolutely won’t keep your family here anymore!”
So she was a stepmother. Looking at Hu Dalang’s expression, he showed no reaction to his daughter being abused this way. Though the girl had done something dishonorable, she had acted out of concern for the family’s livelihood. Even if punishment was warranted, this was not the way. Mudan felt utter contempt for the couple. She knelt to help the girl up, using her handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth. With a stern face, she said, “Even if the child did wrong, this is no way to discipline her. Aren’t you afraid of seriously hurting her? Even if she’s just a girl, she’s still your flesh and blood. What good comes from abusing her like this?”
The woman, already enraged at being told her family could no longer stay and having their livelihood threatened, grew even more agitated at Mudan’s words. Noticing the fine, elegant clothes worn by He’s family, a scheme formed in her mind. She suddenly sprang up from the ground and lunged at Mudan.
Mudan, startled by this sudden fit of madness, stumbled backward. Dalang and Yuhe rushed forward to intercept, but as soon as Dalang’s fingers brushed the woman’s clothes, she let out a piercing scream: “Murder! Murder!” She grabbed Dalang’s clothes tightly while ramming her head against his body.
Everyone understood—this was an extortion attempt.
The elderly steward stamped his foot in anger. “Hu Dalang, hurry and pull her away! What kind of person have you become?” But Hu Dalang merely hung his head in silence.
Since the others couldn’t properly restrain a woman, Mudan and Yuhe had no choice but to step forward and help pull her away. The woman’s screams grew even more frantic: “This is outrageous! So many people attacking one person—they’re trying to silence me!”
When a scholar meets a soldier, reason fails against force. While Dalang might have been brave enough to draw swords against bandits, he was helpless against such a shameless, desperate shrew. The veins in his neck bulged like chopsticks as he repeatedly considered grabbing the woman’s hair and throwing her to the ground, but He Zhizhong’s warning glance held him back.
This conflict had erupted from nowhere—who knew if the elderly steward wasn’t in on the scheme? Better not to give them any leverage. He Zhizhong cautiously pulled Mudan away and glared at the woman, saying sternly: “If you’re trying to extort us, let me tell you—you won’t get a single coin. Go ahead and keep hitting; if someone gets hurt, I’ll be happy to take this to the magistrate’s office. I’m not afraid of trouble.” Then he turned to the elderly steward: “I recognize this person as your household servant. If anything happens to my son, you’ll have to answer for it. Do you want to cause trouble for your master in Lingnan?”
The elderly steward, who wasn’t actually in league with the couple, was already feeling embarrassed. Hearing this, he grew even more anxious and said: “Honored guest, please understand—though they work here, they aren’t indentured servants. I was planning to report them myself. Please wait while I send someone to bind their whole family and take them to the magistrate’s office.” He immediately ordered a young servant to summon nearby estate workers.
Seeing the situation turn against her, the woman suddenly grabbed at her clothes, preparing to tear them while screaming “Assault!” Mudan, who had been watching her carefully, rushed forward with Yuhe to firmly grip the woman’s arms, preventing her from carrying out her plan. She turned to look contemptuously at Hu Dalang: “I’ve never seen such a man—watching your daughter being abused without a word, allowing your wife to make a scene and try to extort people, all without saying anything. Are you even a man?”
The woman burst into loud sobs: “He was never a man! Look at his cowardly appearance! His wife and children are starving, and he still can’t muster the courage to do anything!” She followed this with a stream of vulgar insults that made Mudan frown deeply.
He Zhizhong spoke up: “Stop your crying. You’re still a woman—causing such a scene does no good for your reputation or your children’s.”
The woman’s expression changed instantly. She stopped crying and turned to He Zhizhong, spitting viciously: “I can barely survive—what use is reputation? You rich people, how could you understand the pain of hunger? When you’re starving to death, you stop caring about everything. I’d even dare to take up a knife and kill!”
He Zhizhong surprisingly burst out laughing, holding back the enraged Dalang as he said: “Well, that’s honest enough. Do you think that our buying this house will cut off your family’s livelihood? Did you believe you could live here indefinitely if the house remained unsold?”
Before the woman could answer, Hu Dalang spoke: “I told you, but you wouldn’t listen. Since the master is in difficulty and desperately needs to sell the property, how could they possibly let us stay here and keep supporting us forever? Even if they can’t sell it, they’ll eventually force us out.”
He Zhizhong nodded: “Exactly right. Rather than doing such disagreeable things, wouldn’t it be better to make yourself useful? Perhaps the buyers would be pleased enough to keep your family on as servants. Everyone would be happy—what’s not to like about that?”
Mudan thought to herself that if they had successfully purchased the house earlier, she might indeed have kept the family on as servants, as He Zhizhong suggested. But after witnessing this scene, she was rather afraid of them now. Still, seeing the woman’s expression softened slightly, she said: “Won’t you let go now, or do you want to wait for others to come and take you to the magistrate’s office?”
The woman finally released her grip reluctantly and looked at He Zhizhong: “So if you buy the house, will you keep us here?”
Mudan secretly curled her lip—she certainly wouldn’t.
He Zhizhong glanced at Mudan, stroked his beard, and smiled: “If we buy it, naturally you’d be given first consideration.”
The woman lowered her eyes, then suddenly said: “No good! This whole thing happened because of you. If you leave without buying, we’ll still be thrown out. Give us settlement money!”
Yuhe angrily retorted: “How shameless! Your improper actions and schemes caused this, yet you blame us? Settlement money? In your dreams!”
But He Zhizhong abruptly tossed a money pouch in front of the woman. “Take it.”
The woman opened it to find it full of money. Immediately, she stood up and walked jubilantly toward the house, saying as she went: “Hu Dalang, I’m leaving! You useless man who can’t even support your wife and children. I must have been blind to marry you!”
Tao’er suddenly screamed: “She’s going to take all our things!” Hu Dalang grabbed her tightly, saying nothing but refusing to let go. Moments later, the woman emerged with a small bundle and strode away quickly.
Hu Dalang, Tao’er, and the little boy watched her disappear into the distance, motionless for a long while.
Mudan looked at He Zhizhong in confusion—why had he given the woman money? Despite all her faults, she was still Hu Dalang’s wife. Breaking up a marriage with a bag of money would only breed resentment; this wasn’t like He Zhizhong at all. He merely smiled at her: “When you grow flowers in the future, you’ll often deal with all sorts of people. Watch carefully now—I’ll explain everything to you later.”