Hongdou smiled. “Eldest Sister.”

With war on the verge of breaking out, Eldest Brother-in-law Zhang Mingjing had been busy with important duties in the government, and He Lanzhi, occupied with managing household affairs, hadn’t come by in two months. Today, having apparently heard the He family was busy preparing to move to Chongqing, she’d specially returned to her natal home to help.

After greeting He Lanzhi, Hongdou turned to look at Duan Mingyi. “Eldest Sister-in-law.”

Duan Mingyi was wearing a lotus-root-gold brocade qipao, the kind worn for everyday. Hearing this, she raised her face to look at Hongdou and smiled. “How are you, Sister-in-law? Feeling better?”

Hongdou smiled faintly. “Much better.”

Mrs. He pulled Hongdou down to sit beside her, studying her complexion closely. “I gather it was the shock from the theater troupe incident last night. This morning Second Son wanted to find Dean Cheng, but it turned out Dean Cheng had been called away early this morning to Deputy Minister Wang’s house. Second Son then called Ruide, but something seems to have come up at Ruide’s clinic and he couldn’t get away in time. Might as well wait for Dean Cheng then — his medical skill is famous, let him give you a proper look, we’ll all feel more at ease.”

Hongdou smiled sweetly. “Thank you for troubling yourself, Mother. I slept and feel much better now.”

Indeed, she’d slept thoroughly and deeply — her cheeks held a faint powder-pink glow from the sleep, looking, on close inspection, like the first bloom of a pink lotus in a deep summer pool — quite lovely.

The more Mrs. He looked at her, the more pleased she grew. “Lovely color even without rouge. Second Son’s complexion really is glowing too, no need to even say.” As she spoke, something suddenly occurred to her, and her gaze fell to Hongdou’s waist and abdomen. Just as she was about to say something, a steward came in to ask about transporting the antiques, and Mrs. He, after answering, was approached by yet another servant with something else to ask. Mrs. He patiently attended to each matter in turn, and with so many things needing sorting out at once, had no more time to chat idly.

Seeing the room full of servants coming and going, He Lanzhi took her leave along with Duan Mingyi.

Back in her room, Duan Mingyi first had a servant light the fire, then had tea brought in. After that, she went to the inner room, found a large tasseled shawl to wrap around herself, and curled up on the sofa with a cup of steaming red date tea, sipping slowly.

The room quickly grew warm. He Lanzhi, unlike Duan Mingyi, found it too hot after sitting down, and took Duan Mingyi’s hand — it was cool to the touch. “That chill condition of yours still hasn’t improved? After all this treatment, is your cycle still irregular?”

Duan Mingyi smiled. “Sometimes it’s regular, sometimes not. My hands and feet turn cold the moment autumn arrives — I’ve had this problem for ages now, I’m used to it.”

Her tone was quite unconcerned. He Lanzhi didn’t press further, only asking quietly, “Still taking the prescription from Renhe Hall?”

Duan Mingyi made a sound of assent.

He Lanzhi teased, “For someone with a Western education, you’re just as old-fashioned as Mother deep down — always turning to Chinese medicine whenever you’re unwell. If you ask me, since these prescriptions haven’t worked, why not try a different doctor instead? Last year our eldest boy kept having dizzy spells — Renhe Hall treated him for ages with no improvement, but one visit to Ruide, and he gave the child some German iron-supplement pills — two months of those and he was fine.”

Duan Mingyi said softly, “To tell the truth, this isn’t really an illness as such. Ningzheng’s been too busy lately, and I have plenty of things to manage myself — I take the medicine for a while, then stop for a while. It’s no wonder it hasn’t worked. Once we’ve settled in Chongqing, I’ll have Ningzheng find me a new doctor to look at it properly.”

He Lanzhi, recalling what she’d just seen, looked puzzled. “Just now, the way Second Sister-in-law looked — isn’t it almost like she’s pregnant?”

Duan Mingyi paused, lowering her eyes to set down her teacup, and said with a faint smile, “Reckoning it, she and Second Brother have been married almost three months now. It wouldn’t be strange if she were pregnant.”

He Lanzhi fell silent. She and Eldest Brother had been married nearly two years now, with no news of children yet. If Second Brother got there first, Father would only favor them more from now on.

She said, “My mother and Ningzheng’s mother passed early. Madam is Father’s second wife — after marrying in, she had Second Brother, then later Zhuyun. When I was young, watching how Father was with the two of them and their mother, I always felt like Ningzheng and I were outsiders in this family.”

Duan Mingyi looked at He Lanzhi — perhaps because she was the eldest, among all the children in the family, He Lanzhi carried the heaviest resentment. Even though her mother-in-law was kind and gentle by nature, He Lanzhi had for years only ever called her “Madam,” never once changing the address. Influenced by her, Ningzheng had likewise never been able to feel close to his stepmother.

He Lanzhi went on, “These days all household affairs are entirely in Madam’s hands — on the surface, no one could find fault with her. But in the end, Second Brother and Zhuyun are her own flesh and blood. If Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law have children later on, Eldest Brother will only be pushed further aside. Don’t take this the wrong way — I’m already married out, I have no interest in meddling in family affairs. I’m just reminding you both — don’t be too naive. What you shouldn’t fight for, don’t fight for, but what’s rightfully yours, there’s no reason to hand it over to someone else.”

Duan Mingyi said nothing. He Lanzhi continued, “Zhuyun’s one thing, but Second Brother — he seems indifferent to worldly matters on the surface, but he’s a man after all, and what’s really in his mind, we can’t guess. This time, moving the whole household to Chongqing, once we’re at the residence there, with such a vast estate — don’t let Madam and Yu Hongdou take everything into their own hands. As the eldest daughter-in-law, you should have a say in what concerns you. Honestly, when Second Brother married Yu Hongdou, I was originally glad for it — what background does the Yu family have, how could it possibly compare to your Duan family? Among all our family friends, everyone knows you and Eldest Brother are a perfectly matched pair, the rightful heirs of the He family. Who would have thought this Yu Hongdou, married in only a few months, would have Father and Madam wrapped completely around her finger — with war on the horizon, the old couple are talking about sending her abroad and personally teaching her to manage household affairs. Give it a few more years, once she and Second Brother overshadow the two of you at every turn, who knows who’ll really be running things.”

A gentle smile rose to Duan Mingyi’s lips, and she said slowly, “Elder Sister worries too much.”

He Lanzhi’s mouth twitched, and she sighed. “I am worrying too much. The Duan name carries weight — no matter how much Yu Hongdou shows off, so what? But things are made by people. If, once we’re in Chongqing, Madam decides to suppress you while lifting her up at every turn, once the networks and connections get reshuffled there, who’ll end up suppressing whom is really anyone’s guess.”

Duan Mingyi finished her tea unhurriedly, not responding to that, only smiling. “Will Elder Sister stay for lunch?”

He Lanzhi waved a hand — she knew this sister-in-law of hers looked gentle and reserved on the surface, but was strong-willed underneath. What she’d just said was half advice, half grumbling — she hadn’t really expected Duan Mingyi to take it to heart anyway. She only rubbed her temples. “Mingjing was on the phone until late last night, I didn’t sleep well. I should go back and get some rest.”

“These days everyone’s preparing for war — your brother-in-law’s with the Finance Bureau, must be terribly busy.”

“You can say that again.” He Lanzhi made to rise. “He’s been busy organizing supplies, run ragged every day — in just two short months he’s grown noticeably thinner. Good thing he finally got some leads last night, so he’s a bit more at ease now.”

“Supplies have a lead now?”

He Lanzhi hesitated, then lowered her voice. “I heard that years ago some foreigner buried a great many gold bars in a Western house — at least eight thousand bars, they say. If it’s used to support the front lines, it would be enough to tide things over for quite a while.”

Duan Mingyi was secretly startled. “They’ve found where this gold is?”

“Still looking.” He Lanzhi wasn’t particularly interested in the matter. “I heard it’s hidden in some Western house in Shanghai — strange thing is, they’ve dug three feet down and still can’t find it. Oh, isn’t your elder brother the one who studied architecture?”

Duan Mingyi made a sound of assent. “He studied architecture in England.”

“I’d guess something was rigged when the house was built, which is why the gold can never be found. This is top-secret business right now — I only overheard it by chance myself. Just keep it to yourself, don’t go telling anyone — it has nothing to do with us anyway.”

Duan Mingyi pursed her lips. “Does Elder Sister really not trust me?”

Just then a servant announced, “Eldest Young Master is back.”

Before long, He Ningzheng entered the room. Before he’d even spoken to his wife, he saw He Lanzhi first. “Elder Sister’s here.”

He Lanzhi rose languidly. “You two talk — I’ll go back to my room and rest a while.”

After she left, He Ningzheng took off his coat and handed it to Duan Mingyi. “Mother-in-law came by yesterday?”

Duan Mingyi smiled. “She came to see me.”

He Ningzheng hesitated a moment, then said with a smile, “I heard she wanted to arrange a match between Fourth Sister and Cousin Tang, but Madam turned her down?”

Duan Mingyi blinked. “Mother just saw that Cousin Tang had recently returned from his studies abroad, looking rather distinguished, and had a sudden whim to play matchmaker. How did you know? Did Madam tell you? Or did she tell Father?”

He Ningzheng avoided the question, walking instead to the bedside and sitting down to change his shoes. “Zhuyun’s frail, simple-natured too, and the youngest daughter in the family besides — Madam naturally takes her marriage prospects more seriously. As for turning it down, it’s not necessarily that she looks down on Cousin Tang. I’ll speak with Mother-in-law again later, so she doesn’t take it to heart.”

Duan Mingyi said, “I already spoke to her about it last night. Don’t worry, she won’t make that kind of blunder again in the future.”

He Ningzheng started, then rose and wrapped an arm around Duan Mingyi’s waist. “Eldest Brother and Second Brother lost quite a bit of money opening that bank last year, and the Tang family’s shipping company hasn’t been doing well either these past few years. Mother-in-law’s put a fair amount of money into it one time after another, all lost without return. This morning I sent a sum over to Father-in-law — they can make do with it for now. Times are too chaotic; I still think it’s best for your family to focus on preserving what you have rather than taking any rash actions.”

Duan Mingyi said with mild displeasure, “Is this you helping them out? If Father and Madam find out, what would that look like? I’ll have Eldest Brother send the money back.”

He Ningzheng laughed. “You’re just thin-skinned. Didn’t I hear you mention earlier that Second Brother bought a house for Sister-in-law’s natal family near St. John’s? I don’t know if that’s actually true.”

Duan Mingyi looked surprised. “Is there really such a thing? I never said that.”

He Ningzheng said, “Then it must have been Fourth Sister who said it. Either way, that kind of thing is a matter between two willing parties — it’s never anyone else’s business. Besides, this hardly counts as ‘helping out’ on my part — it’s just giving your family a bit of a hand to tide things over.”

Duan Mingyi said, half-joking, “A withered giant still stands taller than most — our Duan family isn’t some fallen house. However bad things get, it shouldn’t come to a married-out daughter propping us up.”

He Ningzheng laughed and shook his head. “You worry too much. If you could just see through things, your health would have recovered long ago.”

The remark, though unintentional, struck a nerve — the smile on Duan Mingyi’s face froze slightly. He Ningzheng pulled open the door. “I’ll go to the study for a bit, be back shortly.”

Duan Mingyi nodded with a smile. “Alright.”

Once he’d left, she hesitated a moment, then walked to the head of the bed, picked up the phone, and dialed. “This is Mingyi. Put Elder Brother on the line.”