Chen Shi felt this made sense, but Old Madam Pei had many matters to attend to. Even by evening, there was no opportunity to mention it to her, so Chen Shi kept this matter in her heart. After dining with Yu Tang, who had seen off Miss Xu and the Fourth and Fifth Young Ladies, they moved to the west room. Chen Shi was just about to chat with Yu Tang when A’Fu from Miss Xu’s side came to ask: “Are you and Madam still going for a walk in the courtyard? Our young lady and Third Madam Yang are preparing to go stroll in the garden.”
Was this an invitation to go out and play?
Yu Tang smiled at her mother, letting her mother make the decision.
Chen Shi had a very favorable impression of Third Madam Yang.
She could be considered someone who had met quite a few people, but someone of Third Madam Yang’s background and character—this was her first time. She was quite happy to keep Third Madam Yang company. Hearing A’Fu say this, she immediately replied: “Go tell your young lady and Third Madam Yang that we’re also preparing to walk in the small garden out back.”
A’Fu curtsied happily, her round face and sweet smile making people feel happy just looking at her.
As Chen Shi changed her clothes, she smiled at Yu Tang: “Look at how these families select their maids—not only are they perceptive, but each one smiles with such an aura of good fortune that it’s delightful to see.”
Yu Tang glanced at Shuang Tao’s oval face and smiled: “In the future, let’s also select a maid with a round face.”
Chen Shi chuckled.
Shuang Tao ran outside embarrassedly: “I’ll go prepare tea for Madam and Miss.”
Chen Shi had decided to betroth her to Wang Si. Because of this, Wang Si had signed an indenture contract with the Yu family. Chen Shi planned to keep this couple for Yu Tang’s use and had already started having Wang Si work odd jobs in the Yu family’s shop. After Shuang Tao and Wang Si married, they would also move to live at the shop for a while, so Yu Tang would need to purchase a new maid. Yu Tang then thought of the maid Bai Xing from her previous life at the Li family who had once warned her. However, Bai Xing had no prior connection with her. She only knew that Bai Xing was sold to the Li family in the third year after she married into it, was formerly called Zhaodi, and was renamed Bai Xing upon entering the Li residence. Where she was from and why she was sold to the Li family—she knew none of this.
Finding her would be somewhat difficult.
Otherwise, she would have long since sent someone to search.
But even so, she still kept it in mind. Remembering that the maid spoke with a bit of a Shaanxi accent and wondering if she had fled from famine there, she left information with the matchmakers, just to see if they had such fate.
Yu Tang then asked Chen Shi: “Has Shuang Tao’s wedding date been set? Don’t worry about my side—if worst comes to worst, just buy a young maid first.”
Buying a young maid back would mean she’d first have to learn proper etiquette from Shuang Tao, and they wouldn’t even know if she could handle things. If she didn’t work out, they’d have to replace her.
So Shuang Tao’s wedding date wasn’t easy to set.
Yu Tang had previously wanted to wait for news of Bai Xing, but now she was afraid of delaying Shuang Tao’s marriage.
Therefore, she thought to herself that when news of Bai Xing came, it wouldn’t be too late to buy her then.
At worst, she could just have two maids serving her.
Mother and daughter chatted as they soon arrived at the small garden in the rear courtyard.
Miss Xu and Third Madam Yang were already waiting there.
Everyone greeted each other warmly upon meeting.
Third Madam Yang smiled and said: “The days are getting longer, so we can also come out to digest our food.”
Chen Shi walked shoulder to shoulder with her along the path lined with lush vegetation: “Indeed. I can be considered a local, yet I didn’t know there was such a beautifully scenic small courtyard behind Zhaoming Temple’s meditation rooms. This time we’ve truly benefited from your blessing.”
Third Madam Yang chuckled.
Walking behind them shoulder to shoulder with Yu Tang, Miss Xu whispered to her: “I just heard you talking about buying a young maid. Is Shuang Tao getting married?”
Yu Tang hadn’t expected her ears to be so sharp. She smiled and nodded, saying: “She’s not young anymore. When we return, we’ll need to prepare for her marriage.”
Miss Xu then asked about Shuang Tao’s marriage—to whom was she betrothed? What was his character and nature like? Would she continue serving by Yu Tang’s side afterward?
She didn’t know why she had so much curiosity.
But Yu Tang didn’t find it annoying. Rather, she felt quite inclined to confide in her. Before they had even finished walking one circuit of the path, she already knew about seventy or eighty percent of the Yu family’s situation.
She was even eagerly volunteering to help Yu Tang select a maid.
Yu Tang couldn’t help but laugh.
She felt Miss Xu was just bored.
She asked: “Do you have time? Won’t you return to Tonglu immediately after the Buddha Bathing Festival?” Thinking that Miss Xu dared to ask her anything, she boldly asked Miss Xu as well: “What did Third Madam Yang come to her hometown to do? Has she finished her business?”
Miss Xu looked around, then pulled her close to whisper in her ear: “Someone carried a child to Old Madam Li’s place claiming to be the mistress kept by Second Brother Yin. Old Madam Li was scared half to death and sent Third Madam Yang to handle this matter. We’ll go directly to Huai’an from here afterward. Otherwise, what would Yin Mingyuan have used to trick me into coming to Jiangnan! “
Yu Tang was also scared half to death.
For Miss Xu to tell her about this matter so casually—wasn’t that rather inappropriate?
But Miss Xu didn’t think anything of it. Her eyes rolled cunningly as she said slyly: “Do you think I’d tell just anyone? I can see that little sister is trustworthy.”
“But you still shouldn’t do this!” Yu Tang said. “Aren’t you just dumping this matter on me, burdening me with it?”
Miss Xu was stunned.
Yu Tang explained: “Keeping secrets for others is also exhausting!”
Miss Xu laughed again, looking at her with shining eyes, and said: “You’re quite interesting. I think I judged you correctly. However, you don’t need to feel burdened—this matter will come to light in two or three months at most.”
“Ah?!” Yu Tang stared at Miss Xu.
Miss Xu kept winking at her.
Yu Tang shook her head helplessly.
Miss Xu said quietly: “What’s your given name? Mine is just the single character ‘Xuan.’ Because I rank thirteenth in my family, they also call me Thirteen.”
This meant she wanted to treat Yu Tang as a close confidante.
Yu Tang also liked Miss Xu very much and said softly: “Mine is just the single character ‘Tang.’ My family calls me ‘A’Tang.'” Then she added, “Are you ranked together with your male cousins?”
Otherwise, if the Xu family had thirteen daughters, that would be far too many.
Miss Xu nodded with a smile and said: “Then can I also call you ‘A’Tang’ like your family does?”
Yu Tang nodded with a smile.
Having acknowledged a younger sister, Miss Xu happily reached to touch Yu Tang’s head.
Yu Tang nimbly avoided it and complained: “Don’t take advantage of being taller than me to always try to touch my head. When my hair gets messy, I’ll have to redo it.”
Miss Xu giggled, as joyful as a little bird spreading its wings to fly.
From Third Madam Yang’s direction came the greeting voice of an unfamiliar young woman.
Yu Tang and Miss Xu looked in that direction and saw it was the Second Young Madam of the Peng family leading two young ladies slightly younger than her.
Miss Xu’s brows furrowed tightly as she muttered “like a persistent ghost.”
Yu Tang guessed: “Your cousin and the two young ladies from the Song family?”
“Exactly!” Miss Xu said displeasedly. “If she came alone, I’d feel fine even if she brought the Peng family’s young ladies, but she just had to bring the Song family’s young ladies. Either she received some benefit from the Song family, or the Peng and Song families have formed an alliance and are scheming against our family or the Pei family.” Speaking of this, she was startled and said urgently: “Could she be planning to do something that would embarrass our family again?”
There was too much information. Yu Tang thought for a moment to digest it, but she felt that following Miss Xu, even if her mind turned quickly, she couldn’t match Miss Xu who was thoroughly familiar with elite family genealogies. She might as well listen to what Miss Xu had to say.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked. “Your cousin has already married into the Peng family. Even if there’s embarrassment, it would be the Peng family losing face. What does it have to do with your family?”
Miss Xu said: “It’s common for the Peng family’s womenfolk to lose face—how can that compare to our Xu family’s reputation? Look at her like this—if others are scheming against our family and she helps outsiders deal with us, people who know will laugh their heads off. If someone is using her to scheme against the Pei family, Old Madam Pei and Old Madam Song are full cousins. Whatever matters they have, can’t the Pei and Song families discuss it themselves? Why would they need her, an inner chamber woman who neither gains status through her husband nor has a reputation for virtue, to step forward? If she doesn’t say she’s from the Xu family, who would recognize her! I think she’s been flattered so much she doesn’t know the height of heaven and depth of earth! No! I need to go talk some sense into her.”
After speaking, she strode toward Third Madam Yang and the others in just a few steps.
Yu Tang was somewhat worried and also hurried to follow.
“Thirteen!” Seeing them, the Second Young Madam of the Peng family waved her hand cheerfully, greeting Miss Xu. If Yu Tang hadn’t just heard Miss Xu’s complaints about her, she wouldn’t have been able to tell there was such a great rift between these two.
“Second Young Madam!” Miss Xu greeted the Second Young Madam Peng with a smile, poised and graceful, her eyes and brows gentle. Compared to when she was with Yu Tang just now in her lazy manner, she seemed like a different person—only now did she fit people’s impression of a noble young lady from an elite family. When with Yu Tang, she had seemed too casual.
Yu Tang secretly stuck out her tongue.
This was Miss Xu’s true face—able to change her image at any time.
She smiled and went over to greet the Second Young Madam Peng as well.
The Second Young Madam Peng had obviously come for Third Madam Yang and Miss Xu. She was very perfunctory with Yu Tang and Chen Shi, and when introducing the two Song young ladies, she only briefly mentioned their birth order.
Chen Shi was also a person of quick wit. Seeing this, she took her leave from Third Madam Yang and Miss Xu.
Neither Third Madam Yang nor Miss Xu urged them to stay, only saying they’d have opportunities to stroll in the garden together in the future, not even specifying when. It sounded as if they were being rather neglectful of Mother and Daughter Chen.
On the way back, Chen Shi seemed somewhat silent.
Yu Tang hurriedly said: “Are you feeling that Third Madam Yang was somewhat cold toward us?”
Chen Shi smiled with some effort and said: “You little girl, you just think too much.”
Yu Tang knew her mother’s words didn’t match her heart. She gently spoke up for Third Madam Yang and Miss Xu: “I heard Miss Xu say that the Second Young Madam Peng wants something from them, and moreover, they don’t want to deal with her. Although Third Madam Yang hasn’t known you long, you should also sense she’s not that kind of person. I actually think that by distancing herself from us in front of Second Young Madam Peng, she didn’t want us drawn into the disputes between them.”
Chen Shi thought about it and said: “Really?”
“If you don’t believe it, let’s wait and see.” Yu Tang felt she had some ability to judge character.