Qiao Hanlin slipped out the door and headed to the restaurant he frequented.
The restaurant was as lively as ever. A waiter led Qiao Hanlin up to the second floor. “Second Young Master, you’ve finally come! You haven’t been here for two whole days — this place has been like a body without a soul, with no one to anchor it.”
Qiao Hanlin was pleased and rewarded the waiter with a silver coin.
The waiter pocketed it with a beaming smile, his mouth so wide with joy he could barely close it.
“Brother Zuo and the others are all here — you’re the only one who was missing.”
“Brother Zuo is here? Wonderful!” Qiao Hanlin came happily to the private room, and sure enough, amid the smoke and the noise of wine and chatter, Zuo Liang was seated among them.
Someone saw Qiao Hanlin enter and immediately made room, seating him beside Zuo Liang.
Zuo Liang was very warm and hospitable, urging Qiao Hanlin to drink.
After the wine had made several rounds, Zuo Liang and Qiao Hanlin fell into casual conversation.
“I barely managed to sneak out today. My sister has been keeping tabs on me the whole time — ugh, she drives me absolutely mad.”
“Why does your sister manage you like that?”
“Ugh, she’s just a busybody. She’s grown up without a sweetheart and is even more naggy than my mother every single day.” Qiao Hanlin took a sip of wine, and with his tongue loosened by the drink, said: “It’s almost New Year, you know. There’s a lot going on at our house, and her newspaper has gone on holiday too, so she’s home all day with nothing to do but order me around.”
Zuo Liang smiled. “With the New Year approaching, a big household like yours naturally has many affairs to attend to.”
“What big household — I’m driven half to distraction! Every New Year there are endless activities. On the first day you welcome the new year, on the second you see it off, and it goes all the way to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth with ancestral rites. There’s something to do every single day — it’s absolutely suffocating.” Qiao Hanlin let out an irritated hum. “All of it a colossal bother.”
Zuo Liang’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Ancestral rites?”
“Yes. Every year on the fifteenth, our Qiao family holds a ceremony of ancestral worship in the Citang at the back of the compound.”
“What kind of ceremony is it? I’m all on my own, so let me hear about it — just for fun.” Zuo Liang appeared deeply curious.
Qiao Hanlin said enthusiastically: “On the day of the rites, every member of the Qiao household, high and low, must gather in the Citang to pay respects to our ancestors. Before the ceremony, everyone must bathe and change their clothes, and their heart must be sufficiently devout. Furthermore, during the rites, eminent monks are invited to perform religious rites. Our family donated a temple, and every year it’s the monks from that temple who come to conduct the services. Anyway, from start to finish the ceremony takes half a day, and at noon you can only eat vegetarian food — just thinking about it gives me a headache.”
Zuo Liang smiled slightly. “It’s nothing, really — just half a day. It’ll pass before you know it. Once your family has finished all this, Elder Brother will take you out drinking.”
“You really are the best, Brother Zuo. Come — Brother Zuo, let me toast you.”
This meal was one that Qiao Hanlin thoroughly enjoyed, completely unaware that the man sitting beside him was a true demon.
—
With the sound of firecrackers, the footsteps of the Spring Festival arrived. The streets and lanes of Shun Cheng were hung with lanterns and colored banners, presenting a scene of lively splendor.
Households of high standing had many rules, and their affairs were complicated and intricate.
This was the first Spring Festival that Yan Qing had spent at the Shi family after arriving there, and the first she and Shi Ting celebrated together.
In her own era, the Spring Festival symbolized the reunion of a whole family — the grandest and most joyful holiday of the four seasons. This era had perfectly inherited that traditional holiday; the festive atmosphere was no less vibrant than what she had known in the modern day.
Although the affairs of the Shi Mansion’s back courtyard were nominally managed by Second Concubine, Second Concubine’s health was poor, so the greater part of those duties fell to Yan Qing.
She had to conduct experiments at the hospital while also managing the back courtyard of the Shi Mansion. Though she was busy, she found the days richly fulfilling.
On New Year’s Eve, the Shi family gathered together for a reunion dinner.
Compared to other prominent households, the Shi family’s numbers were very sparse. Those seated around the round table did not exceed ten people.
At that moment, the Shi Mansion’s steward walked in from outside and bowed toward the Commander: “Commander, the Eighth Miss has returned.”
Everyone was momentarily stunned.
Shi Yutong had had no news since being sent to the White Cloud Convent. Later, when Qian Lan died, Third Concubine had earnestly pleaded with the Commander to bring Shi Yutong back, but the Commander had not agreed.
Now, Shi Yutong had suddenly returned, which almost certainly meant it was at the Commander’s instruction. Otherwise, no one would have had the nerve to bring her back on their own authority.
Luo Huaimeng gave a small nod toward Yan Qing.
This matter had been arranged by her at the Commander’s direction. The reason the Commander had not immediately brought Shi Yutong back was that he wanted the convent to temper her temperament first. If she left without changing her ways, she would have no hope of finding a husband in the future.
While everyone was still in a daze, Shi Yutong had already stepped over the threshold.
She wore a plain, unadorned gray robe — thick and oversized, doing nothing to accentuate her curves — yet she seemed not to mind it at all, wearing it wrapped about her person just the same.
She was considerably thinner than when she had left, her chin sharper, yet her eyes had lost the piercing arrogance they once held, now appearing as calm as a still, dry pool.
Yan Qing watched her walk in slowly. It was still the same Shi Yutong, yet the feeling was entirely different — as if a different person had walked through the door.
Shi Yutong approached the dining table and bowed to the Commander, then went down the line bowing to everyone present one by one. All those seated were her elders, and she was the youngest in both age and seniority — it was entirely fitting for her to pay her respects.
Yan Qing thought to herself: when had Shi Yutong ever regarded anyone else with such consideration? Before, she would at most have given the Commander and Old Madam Shi a bow and nothing more.
“Yutong.” Third Concubine handed the child she was holding to the wet nurse, rose quickly, and came to Shi Yutong’s side.
“How have you become so thin?” Third Concubine cupped Shi Yutong’s gaunt face in her hands, and tears streamed down all at once.
It was not that she hadn’t thought of going to visit Shi Yutong at the White Cloud Convent, but the Commander had issued a strict order forbidding anyone from contacting her. Furthermore, she had a son to look after and hadn’t the heart to leave the child alone in this grand mansion, not knowing what dangers might arise in her absence.
“Mother.” Shi Yutong gave Third Concubine a smile. “I am well — you needn’t worry.”
She drew two hand-copied scripture books from inside her robe. “I copied these myself, especially to pray for your blessings, Mother.”
Third Concubine received them with trembling hands, and her tears fell harder still.
It had always been her pouring out affection for Shi Yutong while Shi Yutong only took. Yet these two scripture books, worth nothing in money, were filled entirely with heartfelt devotion.
“Enough — it’s the New Year, and here you are weeping and wailing. What does this look like?” Old Madam Shi said with displeasure. “Everyone sit down and eat.”
Shi Yutong helped Third Concubine to her seat, and as she passed by Yan Qing’s side, she actually gave Yan Qing a nod and a smile.
Yan Qing: “……”
If Shi Yutong had not truly changed, then her powers of pretense were far too formidable. And it was not only Yan Qing — likely everyone present could see that she was different from before.
Of course, Yan Qing preferred to believe it was the former.
“Just look at our family.” Old Madam Shi, for some reason — or perhaps because Shi Yutong’s return had struck a nerve — said: “Other families at New Year set their tables all the way out into the front hall. And look at us — a single table that isn’t even full.”
Old Madam Shi sighed heavily. Her gaze swept past Yan Qing’s face and settled on Ling’ai. “Not one of you is capable. Young as you are, and yet you can’t even match Third Concubine? Third Concubine’s son is already nearly running all over the place, and you haven’t so much as made a sound.”
“Old Madam.” Luo Huaimeng said: “The physician came today. Qiu Cao is now over four months along. By the look of that pregnancy, it should be a boy.”
“And what of it? A child born of a concubine is merely an illegitimate son.” In Old Madam Shi’s thinking, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate was deeply entrenched. Even now that the Commander had named Shi Ting as Young Commander, she still harbored a belly full of discontent.
In her eyes, no matter how many wrongs Shi Guang had committed, he was still the legitimate son. The position ought to pass to him by rights. But she was a woman and not suited to interfere in the Commander’s military affairs, so she had suppressed her feelings.
“Those who are ill should seek treatment; those who are not should go burn incense and pray to the Buddhas. Do you expect our Shi family to die out without heirs?”
Old Madam Shi’s words were exceedingly harsh, clearly directed at Yan Qing and Ling’ai.
Yan Qing didn’t pay it much mind, but beneath the table Shi Ting reached over and took hold of her hand, gently kneading it as a gesture of comfort.
“Mother.” The Commander opened his mouth in resignation. “It’s New Year today — let’s not speak of unhappy things. Yutong has come home, Qiu Cao is with child, and our Shi family will only grow better and better.”
Qiu Cao stood behind Shi Guang at this moment, one hand instinctively resting on her belly. Yan Zhu, standing not far away, had nothing but jealousy in her eyes.
“All right, you shouldn’t be standing either.” The Commander had someone arrange a seat for Qiu Cao. “Take care of yourself day to day as well — with the cold and the frost, stay indoors as much as you can.”
“Yes, Commander.” Qiu Cao was overwhelmed with unexpected favor. For all the time she had been at the Shi household, this was the first time she had ever sat at the same table as the Shi family’s masters.
The treatment filled her with elation; even the hand holding her chopsticks was trembling.
The old saying was right after all — a mother’s status rises with her son. If she truly gave birth to a boy, would occasions like this ever be lacking for her again?
Third Concubine and Second Concubine were also concubines, yet had they not become proper mistresses of the household because they bore children?
What they could do, she would be no less capable of doing.
Ling’ai was utterly indifferent to what was happening around her. The only thing she was concerned about was one matter: if they didn’t start eating soon, the food would go cold.
“All right, let’s eat.” The Commander picked up the first pair of chopsticks, and only then did everyone else reach out with theirs.
After the reunion dinner, the family gathered in the courtyard to make offerings to heaven and earth, followed by setting off firecrackers and releasing sky lanterns.
Yan Qing and Shi Ting stood beneath the covered walkway, watching the firecrackers burst in the sky, tracing out brilliant blossoms of petals across the vast, dark night.
That brightness illuminated both of their brows and eyes, opening out a field of brilliant sparks inside their pupils.
Shi Ting reached out and from behind covered Yan Qing’s ears with his hands.
The deafening sound immediately grew quieter. All she could sense was the warmth of his presence at her ears.
Shi Guang stood in the darkness not far away, watching this scene with cold eyes.
He could not help but substitute himself for Shi Ting — imagining that the person covering her ears for her and watching the fireworks together was himself.
He conjured up that beautiful scene before him, and a satisfied, joyful smile appeared in his eyes.
Another firework burst, and its tremendous sound pulled him back from his fantasy into reality.
He told himself: it doesn’t matter, because very soon, all of this would be his.
—