He Zhizhong said to the old steward, “She’s just an ignorant woman. There’s no need to quibble with her. They were forced by circumstances. I’m sure they won’t dare to do such things again. For my sake, let’s not report them to the authorities, shall we?”
The old steward, fearing that the earlier scene had angered He Zhizhong and his companions—potentially jeopardizing not only the sale of the nearby houses but also the riverside land—was relieved to hear this. He quickly agreed, “Of course. As long as you’re not upset, everything can be discussed. Now, about this business deal…”
He Zhizhong smiled, eyeing Hu Dalang’s father and the others. “I want that piece of land. As for the house, we can discuss it later.” With that, he led the still-blushing Dalang away.
The old steward, after some consideration, realized that if he sold them the land, it might be difficult to sell the house separately later. He’d have to explain the situation all over again to another buyer. It would be better to sell everything at once. He called out, “Please wait! I’m willing to lower the price further!”
He Zhizhong, well-versed in the psychology of bargaining, continued to demur without outright refusal as he walked away.
As they were about to mount their horses, Tao suddenly ran over, blocking their path. She stared at Mudan and pleaded, “Miss, will you buy me? I’ll sell myself to you.”
Mudan frowned. “Why?” Truthfully, she disapproved of the girl’s thinking—was it right to harm innocent people just because of financial difficulties?
Tao replied clearly, “We’ll have to leave soon. My father and brother have nowhere to go. If you buy me, they can return to our hometown where our clansmen can look after them. They won’t starve. Your family has plenty of money; one more mouth to feed won’t matter. I’m very cheap, just ten thousand cash. I can do anything.”
Mudan replied expressionlessly, “I don’t want to buy anyone right now.” Her dislike grew after hearing this speech. The girl was too shrewd for her good. While there was nothing wrong with looking out for herself and her family, her tone when saying “Your family has plenty of money; one more mouth to feed won’t matter” was just like her stepmother’s. It was as if harming, extorting, deceiving, and asking for help were all perfectly justifiable.
Tao was stunned. She had thought that since Mudan had helped her up and wiped her face when she was beaten, and since He Zhizhong had given her stepmother money for no reason when Dalang didn’t fight back, they must be kindhearted people. She thought if she offered to sell herself, she wouldn’t suffer much and could still provide for her father and brother. She never expected Mudan to reject her so firmly.
As she watched Mudan mount her horse, and saw the others urging her father and brother to pack up and leave, Tao became desperate. She threw herself to the ground, kowtowing frantically to Mudan. “Miss, I know you look down on what we did, but if we had work, why would we do such things? My father is too weak for hard labor. I know I was wrong, and I’ll never dare to do it again. Please, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Buddha will bless you with a long life. If you take me in—no, if you take this slave—I’ll work like an ox or a horse for you.”
Seeing Tao soften, Mudan realized that not everything she said was a lie. She noticed that in just a short time, a goose-egg-sized lump had formed on Tao’s forehead from her desperate kowtowing. Mudan’s heart began to soften.
However, Mudan had never bought a person before and wasn’t sure if she could, especially since she was still living with her parents. Uncertain, she looked to He Zhizhong for guidance, but he averted his eyes, appearing uninvolved. Dalang coughed softly and said, “It’s your decision.”
Mudan paused, then couldn’t help but laugh at herself. She was creating her troubles. He Zhizhong had already told her that as a future flower grower and seller, she’d have to deal with all sorts of people. He had paid off the woman earlier not just out of kindness, but because of his keen observation of the situation and understanding of human psychology. Of this family, the most detestable was the shrew, who had already left. The remaining members weren’t a concern.
If she wanted to help, she should help. If she later found it unsuitable, she could always deal with it then. With the indenture contract in hand, she would have full control. What was there to worry about? He Zhizhong had likely already decided how to handle these people and was just waiting for her to take the lead. However, she couldn’t let the girl think that helping her was an obligation or that she was soft-hearted and easy to take advantage of.
With this in mind, Mudan hardened her expression and snapped at Tao, “Get up! Are you trying to force me to take you in? If I refuse, will you just stay kneeling? Let me tell you if I don’t want to, you can kneel until you die, and I still won’t agree!”
Tao stared at Mudan, dumbfounded. Seeing Mudan’s gloomy face, showing no sign of yielding, despair crept across her young face. But then Mudan continued, “However, I see that despite your young age, you understand the importance of caring for your family. You’re not stubborn or unrepentant, so I suppose I’ll have to give you a chance.” She then instructed Yuhe, “Go tell the steward to let them stay one more night. Have them prepare the indenture contract. I’ll come to collect them tomorrow.”
Yuhe agreed and gave Tao a push. “Hurry and thank her for her kindness!”
Surprised and overjoyed, Tao happily kowtowed to Mudan again. Being quick-witted, she didn’t wait for Yuhe to prompt her and ran to kowtow to He Zhizhong and Dalang as well. Mudan said coolly, “You’re clever, so I won’t say much. Just remember one thing: if you ever engage in such crooked dealings again, I won’t keep you!”
Tao nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice. Yuhe smiled and said, “Alright, come with me to ask your father’s opinion and clarify things with the steward.”
After they left, He Zhizhong smiled and said, “Danniáng, you might consider keeping this family as caretakers for now. It won’t immediately force them into dire straits, and it will help spread your reputation for kindness, which will benefit you in the future. If they misbehave, you can always dismiss them, and no one will blame you. They’ll only say the family is ungrateful, twice betraying their master, and they won’t receive any sympathy.”
Mudan smiled and replied, “Father, do you have one more thing to say? Keeping them here will also dispel rumors, preventing people from thinking the estate has bad feng shui and avoiding visits. As they say, convenience for others is convenience for oneself.”
He Zhizhong laughed heartily, saying with satisfaction, “You’ll learn more from this old man as time goes on. Doing business isn’t an easy thing.”
When Yuhe returned after settling matters, Tao came out holding her brother’s hand, watching Mudan pitifully. “This slave will be waiting for the mistress to come,” she said, as if afraid Mudan might not return.
Mudan’s heart softened again, but she kept a stern face. “I will certainly come tomorrow.” As they rode away, Mudan looked back to see Tao and her brother still standing there, watching. She couldn’t help but wonder: if she had come here not as He Mudan, but as a little girl as desperate as Tao, or even more so, forced to become someone’s servant to survive, what would she have done? It was an unanswerable question.
But she believed that she, too, would have longed for someone to lend her a helping hand.
That evening, He Zhizhong took Dalang to find the geomancer who had previously chosen the He family’s residence. They arranged to inspect the Zhou family’s property the next day. The geomancer ultimately approved of the property’s feng shui, and they purchased it for 616,000 cash. The old steward was delighted and agreed to leave Lin Tao and Li to Mudan and her group.
After Mudan paid with her dowry money, Dalang went with the old steward to the government office to apply for the deed. They had the land and house deeds written in Mudan’s name, making her a small landowner with her property. She gave it a common name: Mudan Garden.
Tao’s family remained there to look after the house and orchard for Mudan. Dalang wasted no time in finding craftsmen to renovate the house, painting and whitewashing where needed. Then he sent capable servants from home to clean the house and garden thoroughly. Soon, it was refreshed and ready for occupancy.
Mama Lin considered moving Mudan’s dowry furniture in first, to avoid leaving it in storage. But Mudan shook her head, saying, “It’s not appropriate to move in now. We don’t have suitable servants to look after the house yet, and we still don’t know the true nature of the Hu family. Besides, we still need to renovate the garden. For now, let’s just move in some inexpensive, essential items so we have a place to rest when we’re tired.”
Mama Lin agreed but thought they should find trustworthy servants to care for the property before they could relax. She went to consult with Madame Cen.
Mudan lay on the table, using a charcoal pencil to add the final touches to her design sketch. During the time spent tidying the house, she had thoroughly familiarized herself with the surrounding terrain. After hearing the geomancer’s suggestions on where to create hills and divert water, she had a clear idea of how to build the garden. Now, her task was to sketch out the general layout of the garden, and then find a way to have an expert review it. If it was deemed suitable, construction could begin.
Meanwhile, Madame Cen, Yuhe, and others came in several times, always finding Mudan intently focused on her work, her expression one of deep concentration. She seemed completely unaware of their presence, so they quietly withdrew each time, not wanting to disturb her.
As the final stroke fell, Mudan lifted her head with satisfaction and stretched, only then realizing how sore her neck, shoulders, and waist were. Looking out the window, she saw that the sun was already setting.
Yuhe had been sitting outside, doing needlework while listening for sounds from the room. Hearing the movement of furniture, she immediately sent Kuan’er to inform Madame Cen: “Miss Mudan is finished. We can start dinner soon.” She then entered the room to bring water for Mudan to wash her hands and face. Only then did Mudan realize the whole family had been waiting for her to eat.
Hurriedly rolling up her scroll, she carried it out to find the whole family chatting and laughing, with even the children not complaining of hunger. Relieved, she smiled and said, “It’s all my fault. I’ve kept Father, Mother, brothers, and sisters-in-law waiting.”
Since the failure of her plan to have her brother marry Mudan, and after being disciplined by Madame Cen, Zhen Shi has been acting strangely toward Mudan. However, seeing Mudan acquire property recently had improved her attitude slightly. Now, she was the first to notice the scroll in Mudan’s hand. She stepped forward to take it, saying with a smile, “Oh my, our Danniáng is quite the talented lady. You’ve been drawing for so long, let us see what you’ve created.”
Mudan smiled faintly and handed it over. Zhen Shi looked at it for a while but couldn’t make sense of it. Laughing, she passed it to Zhang Shi and the others, saying, “Take a look. What is all this? I can’t understand it.”
Zhang Shi and the others gathered around. They saw clusters and blocks on the paper, unlike typical landscape paintings. Though puzzled, they didn’t mock Mudan as Zhen Shi had. Mudan had prepared herself for their ridicule, so she wasn’t upset by Zhen Shi’s laughter.
Erlang glanced at it a few times and grasped some meaning, roughly understanding where the walls, mountains, houses, streams, ponds, bridges, pavilions, and towers were. However, this design sketch was indeed too crude and strange. Considering that his sister had never done this before and didn’t need to draw exceptionally well—after all, it was just for garden construction—Erlang didn’t laugh at Mudan either. He simply asked, “Danniáng, what do you plan to do with this?”
Mudan replied, “I’d like to ask my brothers to help me find out who is the most skilled and elegant garden designer in the capital. I want to ask them to review and refine this, and then prepare the materials for construction. The sooner we start, the better.”
He Zhizhong reached out to take the scroll, asking Mudan to explain each part to him—what was where and what she planned to do. He only cared about whether Mudan had seriously followed the geomancer’s instructions for arranging the landscape. Seeing that she had listened, he said no more, only adding, “I’ll have your brother ask your cousin Li tomorrow to help inquire about this.”
Madame Cen interjected, “Why trouble him with everything? I’ve already had someone inquire. There’s a monk named Fuyuan at the Fashou Temple in Ping Ward who’s excellent at this. I heard he even designed Princess Fujia’s garden. The day after tomorrow, there’s a public lecture at Fashou Temple. Many people will attend, and I can take Danniáng to seek his advice.”
He Zhizhong frowned, “If he designed a princess’s garden, he might not easily agree to design ours.” These people often considered their work refined and wouldn’t readily do it for others, as if it would lower their status. As merchants, even with money, they would inevitably face some disdain from such people. Unlike Li Xing, who carried the title of an official’s younger brother and was always viewed more favorably when handling matters.
Madame Cen replied, “I heard he’s not so arrogant, but I’m not sure of the details. We’ll have to try asking him. If it doesn’t work out, we can always look for alternatives.” Since Li’s family had refused to form a marriage alliance with the He family, Li Xing hadn’t visited in quite some time. She thought it wasn’t good to keep asking for favors, as it would only make people look down on them more.
Mudan understood what Madame Cen was thinking. Seeing that He Zhizhong was about to advise further, she smiled and said, “Mother is right, let’s try first.”
He Zhizhong didn’t insist further, letting the mother and daughter proceed with their plan.
On the day of the visit, the He family women who were going to Fashou Temple were all dressed in their finest, ready to attend the public lecture and enjoy the festivities. When they reached the area near the East Market, they stopped near the market gate. Soon, two assistants from Silang’s shop arrived, leading two sheep and two fat pigs. They greeted Madame Cen respectfully, “Madam, please take a look at these ‘long-life sheep’ and ‘long-life pigs’. How are they?”
Madame Cen examined the sheep and pigs briefly, then said, “They look decent enough. Follow behind us.”
Mudan looked at the “decent-looking” but smelly sheep and pigs, then at her sisters-in-law and the servants in their fragrant, luxurious silk garments. She felt increasingly embarrassed. She wondered who had started this custom of buying animals to release and raise in temples as an act of merit, calling them “long-life pigs” and “long-life sheep”. Raising sheep and pigs without eating them, just to keep them in temples for people to admire—wasn’t this a waste of food and effort? She could only imagine how many pigs and sheep these temples must be raising. The thought was quite comical.
As she was lost in these thoughts, Mama Lin whispered, “Miss Mudan, see how good Madam is to you. This is all for you, praying to Buddha for your longevity, a good marriage, and blessings in both fortune and longevity.”
Realizing it was her mother’s sincere wish, Mudan immediately set aside her jumbled thoughts. Looking at their peculiar procession again, she no longer found it so amusing or ridiculous.
Because the pigs walked slowly and didn’t follow directions well, the group had to stop and start frequently. By the time they reached Fashou Temple in Ping Ward, it was already crowded inside. A monk was sitting on a meditation cushion, using very colloquial language to narrate the “Tale of Mulian Rescuing His Mother from the Netherworld.”
After handing over the “long-life pigs” and “long-life sheep” and donating money for incense, the He family was led by a young novice to a relatively quiet corner to sit. Mudan glanced around and saw that people of all ages, both men and women, were listening with rapt attention. When the story reached exciting parts, many people exclaimed in amazement. Moments later, when the storytelling monk finished the tale, bells and conch shells sounded together. Then the monk took a deep breath and began to sing the entire story in a high, clear voice. His singing was beautiful, with an indescribable charm. Mudan was equally enthralled, feeling that his performance was no less impressive than that of some outstanding professional singers.
If listening to a monk narrates and sing stories from Buddhist scriptures was a novel experience for Mudan, what she saw next was even more delightful—the temple not only preached and explained scriptures but also had a theater. And on days when large crowds gathered, it was the perfect time for performances.
After the storytelling ended, the crowd didn’t disperse but waited eagerly. Soon, actors wearing official caps and green robes, along with servants with hair in childish knots and tattered clothes, appeared on stage. They began performing a “Canjun” comedy. The two actors joked and performed slapstick, their language and actions full of humor, quickly causing the audience to burst into laughter.
Mudan watched with great interest, laughing heartily along with the crowd. Madame Cen, preoccupied with seeking out Monk Fuyuan, had no interest in the play. She kept craning her neck to look around until she saw a young novice beckoning to her. Relieved, she nudged Mudan, “We must attend to our main business. We can come back another time to watch the play.”
Realizing she had gotten carried away watching these novel sights and forgotten their purpose, Mudan blushed and composed herself. She rose and followed Madame Cen and the young novice toward the back of the temple, while Xue Shi and the others remained to watch the play.
Compared to the noise and bustle at the front, the rear of Fashou Temple was particularly quiet. As they passed under a row of towering old cypress trees, Mudan noticed a small courtyard not far away, surrounded by a group of tall, sturdy men wearing blue gauze headwraps, blue short-sleeved robes, and high boots. Though dressed plainly, they wore gilt dragon and phoenix ring swords at their waists, with gold-wrapped hilts. These were not ordinary weapons.
Mudan had seen such swords on Jiang Changyang’s friends during the recent Dragon Boat Festival. She had later asked Li Xing and learned that these were the ceremonial swords of the Imperial Guard, not available to ordinary people. She guessed that someone of unusual status must be in that courtyard. She didn’t linger on the sight, lowering her gaze and following the young novice further inside.
A thatched cottage, a few rolls of green bamboo blinds, some well-trimmed bamboo, and a few intricate white Kunshan rocks—just a few simple elements created a unique atmosphere. This was Monk Fuyuan’s dwelling. As soon as Mudan saw the cottage, she knew they had found the right person.
She hadn’t expected Monk Fuyuan to be so young. She had thought he would be at least in his thirties or forties, but he turned out to be a young monk in his twenties. He had a thin face with long, narrow eyes, and always looked at people with an expression of compassion for the world’s suffering. Unlike He Zhizhong’s assumption of arrogance, he was very polite in receiving Madame Cen and Mudan. When he heard that Mudan already had a sketch and that she had drawn it herself, he became very interested and asked Mudan to show it to him.
Mudan knew that her drawing skills were likely not up to the standards of a master. As she handed over the scroll with both hands, she said shyly, “I’ve never done this before. It was just a spontaneous creation, quite crude. I hope the master won’t laugh at it.”
Monk Fuyuan smiled slightly. His thin, long fingers deftly opened the scroll. After seeing what was inside, he raised an eyebrow slightly. Fearing he might throw it back at her, Mudan quickly began explaining the drawing to him. He was very intelligent and understood the other symbols after just a few sentences from her. His face showed no signs of contempt or amusement. Instead, he seriously inquired about Mudan’s ideas and intentions. Finally, he kept the scroll and said, “This humble monk will need to visit the site personally before knowing how to proceed.”
Madame Cen and Mudan were delighted. They quickly stood up to express their gratitude and arranged to send a carriage to pick him up the next day to visit Mudan Garden. As female guests, it wasn’t appropriate for them to linger long in a monk’s quarters, so they took their leave as soon as the matter was settled.
Monk Fuyuan still had the young novice escort them back. As they approached the small courtyard that had been heavily guarded by the Imperial Guard earlier, the group suddenly became active. A procession of people emerged from the courtyard gate, surrounded by attendants.
The young novice hurriedly led Madame Cen and Mudan to step aside. In the rush, Mudan only caught a glimpse of the first person—tall and straight, wearing a silver-white round-collared robe that gleamed particularly bright in the sunlight.