Madam Gao had always been proud of this. Now that Madam Wu the First said such things, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat triumphant like a petty person achieving success, smiling as she said, “I don’t dare accept such praise from the great madam. It was our steward who became acquainted with Third Madam Pei’s maternal family brother, which is how we managed this clever arrangement.”
Hearing this, Madam Wu the First’s mind raced with countless thoughts. She developed some ulterior motives toward Madam Gao and said with an unperturbed smile, “That still shows your steward’s capability. I’ve heard from others that the Pei family conducts business very discreetly. When I went to the Pei residence to deliver the invitation earlier, their Second Madam also kept her doors closed and wouldn’t see people, showing the rumors are credible. To be able to interact with their family, your steward’s character and conduct must be quite good.”
Madam Gao smiled so much her eyes curved into crescents.
Madam Wu the First acted as if she hadn’t seen Steward Gao at all, letting Madam Gao support her as they walked inside. As they walked, she casually chatted as if making idle conversation: “What kind of person is Third Madam’s maternal family brother? I heard that for next year’s Longevity Festival, their family obtained part of the contract? Is their lacquerware really that good?”
After following Steward Gao to various places, Madam Gao had learned how things worked and didn’t dare put on airs anymore. Hearing this, she quickly smiled and said, “In our eyes, the Yu family’s lacquerware is naturally among the best. But our steward doesn’t do lacquerware business, so he doesn’t know how to evaluate matters within the trade. However, their ability to obtain the Longevity Festival contract should have at least some connection to the Pei family…”
She told Madam Wu the First about how neither the Peng nor Tao families had recommended lacquerware.
Madam Wu the First listened as if hearing an interesting anecdote, very interested, constantly asking questions. She even kept Madam Gao overnight in the inner residence. Only early the next morning did Madam Gao return home.
Steward Gao had been waiting anxiously. When she returned, he asked what she and Madam Wu the First had discussed.
Madam Gao told him everything about her conversation with Madam Wu the First.
Steward Gao’s eyes darted around. He thought about how if he hadn’t been clever back then, how could he have connected with Peng Eleven? And if he hadn’t been bold, how could he have gone from the Peng family’s troubles to becoming a major steward dependent on the Peng family? The Wu family clearly wanted to copy the Peng family’s methods and curry favor with the Pei family. Perhaps his opportunity had come again.
He encouraged Madam Gao to show her face more often before Madam Wu the First.
Madam Gao had always enjoyed associating with prominent households. With Steward Gao’s words, she was even more like a fish in water, glowing with satisfaction.
On Yu Tang’s side, she finalized the itinerary to go to Tongzhou with the Second Madam, Pei Dan, and Pei Hong.
Pei Yan wasn’t very happy.
When Yu Tang personally helped him change clothes, he complained without any concealment: “Can’t you go two days later?”
He was being dragged by Old Master Zhang to Xiangshan to see a so-called eminent monk to divine fortunes for the Zhang family.
The days were still quite hot, but cool breezes blew at night. Pei Yan seemed to have suddenly recovered his energy. Last night he’d kept Yu Tang up so much she couldn’t sleep, and this morning when she got up, her lower abdomen actually ached faintly.
She felt she couldn’t indulge Pei Yan like this anymore. She should hurry and chase him out to have peace for two days. She couldn’t help saying, “Didn’t you say before that you revere Daoism? Daoism values cultivating health—you should learn from Old Master Zhang.”
Pei Yan became even more unhappy. With a stern face, he pinched her cheeks and said, “I don’t know where you learned these devious tricks. You all can go, but you can’t run around recklessly. That place is a dock after all—there are all sorts of people. You are precious jade, they are rubble. Even if you collide with them, we’re the ones who lose out.”
“I know, I know,” Yu Tang quickly agreed with a smile.
The longer she lived with Pei Yan, the more she could feel his “fear of death and love of life.” Usually when she went out, he would give her several reminders, let alone going to Tongzhou.
She promised: “We definitely won’t go out. If we do go out, we’ll only browse in familiar shops. Besides, Pei Dan will be with us.”
They couldn’t let Pei Dan’s reputation be damaged.
Even so, Pei Yan nagged for a long time before leaving.
By the time Yu Tang and the Second Madam moved into their small residence in Tongzhou, Pei Yan had also set off for Xiangshan.
As soon as Pei Dan and Pei Hong entered the courtyard and saw two small yellow puppies, they abandoned Yu Tang and the Second Madam, cheered, and surrounded them. The servants attending them also rushed over in a flurry.
The Second Madam shook her head watching this and was about to call Pei Dan into the house.
Yu Tang persuaded the Second Madam: “How many more years can she be this carefree? Just let her be!”
The Second Madam had already begun handing over some household management matters to Pei Dan for decisions, and Pei Dan was doing quite well.
Hearing this, she could only sigh with a smile and went to the main room with Yu Tang.
The maids and servants unpacked the luggage. The temporary steward here was a woman in her forties. Seeing Yu Tang arrive, she specially came to pay her respects and recommended local attractions to Yu Tang and the Second Madam: “Not far from us, there’s a mosque—it’s a Muslim temple with a white tower, very interesting. When you come out of the temple, there’s a lamb restaurant next door. Their tasi honey is one of Tongzhou’s specialties. It would be a shame if you two madams didn’t go try it.”
The last time Yu Tang came to see Yu Yuan off, she’d only strolled the streets. At that time, Pei Yan had also mentioned this mosque, but then she suddenly took a fancy to the residence they now lived in and wanted to buy it. She thought that since they had a place to stay, wouldn’t they come often? So she’d tossed this matter to the back of her mind. Now hearing this woman mention it and thinking that she was the host after all, she felt somewhat inclined to go see it.
She asked the woman: “Are there many people there?”
The woman knew she was temporary and was thinking about how to stay on. With this ulterior motive, she couldn’t wait to please Yu Tang and quickly said, “The two madams have come at just the right time. If you’d come a few days later, it would be the busy time for grain transport, with people coming from north and south, and more people visiting the temple. These days everyone’s busy at home celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival—it’s the time with the fewest people.”
Yu Tang looked toward the Second Madam.
The Second Madam rarely had Pei Xuan absent from her side, so she didn’t need to care for others. She was also somewhat tempted and said to Yu Tang, “How about we go take a look?”
Yu Tang called over the accompanying steward and had him arrange this matter.
Pei Dan and Pei Hong were very happy to hear this.
The Second Madam said that Pei Hong could only go along after finishing the assignments Pei Xuan had given him.
Although Pei Hong struggled a bit, he still agreed quite readily.
Clearly everyone wanted to go out and play.
After a day, the steward made the arrangements, and they set out with a simple entourage, bringing seven or eight guards to the mosque.
They weren’t received inside the temple, but they could look around outside.
The Muslim temple was different from what they usually saw. Everyone felt they’d broadened their horizons. After walking around outside for a long time, they went to the lamb restaurant the woman had recommended for a meal.
Although they’d reserved it in advance and the restaurant would close at noon to serve only their table, as soon as they entered they smelled a very strong gamey odor that they found somewhat unbearable.
The restaurant owner had probably seen much of this, so he arranged for them to eat in the back courtyard. Pointing at the scenery in the back courtyard, he smiled and said to them, “Look, isn’t it beautiful?”
The back courtyard indeed exceeded Yu Tang and the others’ expectations.
The back courtyard of this small restaurant was a forested hillside, lush and verdant, connected to the mosque’s back courtyard. The restaurant owner had built a pavilion in the back courtyard, with the table set inside the pavilion.
A gentle breeze blew, making the leaves rustle, dispersing both the summer heat and the hot air waves, making people very comfortable. Moreover, the tasi honey here was not only bright red and soft but also very much to Yu Tang’s taste. The noodle dishes were also well made. Both Yu Tang and the Second Madam felt it was good after eating.
When the table was cleared and tea was served, they specially rewarded the restaurant owner.
The owner naturally thanked them profusely.
But unexpectedly, before they could leave the restaurant, they encountered Madam Wu the First bringing Madam Gao to this mosque area as well, planning to stop here for lunch. Because Yu Tang’s group had made an appointment in advance and hadn’t left yet after eating, the owner naturally didn’t want to receive more customers and told Madam Wu the First to either wait or find another place.
Madam Wu the First didn’t mind, but Madam Gao recognized one of the Yu family’s accompanying servants and quickly pointed her out to Madam Wu the First.
Now Madam Wu the First definitely wasn’t willing to leave.
She even had someone inform Yu Tang, saying it was fate that they should meet.
Yu Tang and the Second Madam looked at each other in dismay. The Second Madam even said, “Isn’t she supposed to be preparing for Miss Wu’s wedding? How does she have time to come play in Tongzhou?” But they couldn’t very well refuse to see her, so they could only instruct Nanny Jin to invite Madam Wu the First over.
Yu Tang didn’t really want to see her, so she found an excuse to go to the nearby bamboo grove, saying she wanted to walk off her meal.
The Second Madam couldn’t refuse and had to receive Madam Wu the First alone.
Yu Tang wandered in the bamboo grove.
The bamboo grove blocked out the sky and sun, very cool and refreshing. Yu Tang thought of the bamboo grove behind Zhaoming Temple.
She even smiled and said to A’Xing, “Do all temples cultivate bamboo groves?”
A’Xing smiled with pursed lips and said, “The Pei residence also has a large bamboo grove.”
She still couldn’t call the Pei residence “our home” or “our residence” like the other servants.
Yu Tang thought of matters from her previous life and wanted to ask what her origins really were.
But before she could speak, she suddenly heard someone in the bamboo grove call her in a ghostly voice: “Miss Yu.”
Yu Tang looked in the direction of the voice in astonishment.
Standing in the green shade was a man wearing a black short jacket.
He had a very conspicuous scar on his face, and his gaze was dark and gloomy, like two black holes, somewhat chilling.
“Peng Eleven!” Yu Tang exclaimed in a low voice.
She didn’t understand why he was here.
Peng Eleven smiled slightly, but the smile seemed not to reach his heart—cold and indifferent.
“I didn’t expect to meet you here?” he said slowly, walking toward Yu Tang. “Did you come here alone? Why don’t I see Pei Yan?”
Yu Tang didn’t know what had happened between him and Pei Yan, but for someone to address Pei Yan by name directly, their relationship must not be good.
She instinctively became alert and said guardedly, “I’m sorry, I have my maid with me here, so it’s probably not convenient to say much more to Master Peng. If you’re looking for our Third Master, you might visit another day. I won’t disturb you then.” After finishing, she gave A’Xing a look, signaling they should leave quickly.
A’Xing was also very clever and immediately pulled her arm. The two turned to leave.
But in the corner of her vision as they turned, Yu Tang saw Peng Eleven’s face contort viciously as he strode rapidly after them.