Ling Xiao gave a nod, then suddenly said: “A’Shu, in wanting to keep our departure for the capital a secret — is it because you do not wish Hong Elder Cousin to know?”
The most important thing, after all, was to keep it from Lu Qian.
Ling Jingshu let out a vague sound of assent.
Ling Xiao, assuming Ling Jingshu was in low spirits over this matter, smiled in an attempt to comfort her: “Since you have no feelings for Cousin Hong, keeping some distance from him is only the proper thing to do. It prevents entanglement and gossip. As for the matter of your marriage, there is no need to rush — wait another year or two.”
Carrying the hatred of her past life, and now having contracted this strange ailment that prevented her from going near men — the chance of her marrying in this life was, in all probability, gone…
Ling Jingshu gave a self-deprecating smile, yet felt very little loss or regret in her heart.
To possess a new life and a chance to begin again — that alone was a mercy from heaven. The small “imperfection” that had come along with it was not worth a second thought.
Should there be an opportunity to be cured of this strange ailment in the capital, that would naturally be welcome. Should it not be cured, it was of no great consequence either.
This matter, however, she would have to keep concealed from Ling Xiao indefinitely, lest he worry on her behalf.
Ling Jingshu gave another round of careful instructions: “First Uncle’s family will be setting out for the capital in just a few more days. You and I need to start packing our things. Have Jingyu and the others quietly pack the luggage — no need to alarm anyone else.”
“We do not know how long we will be in the capital. Pack clothes for all four seasons. Also bring along the books you read regularly.”
Ling Xiao obediently agreed.
In the days that followed, Bai Yu and the other maids began to busily and quietly pack clothing and luggage in secret.
Ling Jingshu issued a strict order to all the maids: not a word of this was to leave the courtyard. In order to keep the secret tightly guarded, she even began to strictly control the number of times the maids entered and left Qiushui Pavilion.
Ling Xiao lived in Yonghe Hall, where people were many and mouths were numerous. Fortunately, Old Madam Ling issued firm instructions, and since Ling Xiao’s blindness kept him from much interaction with others, for the time being no one noticed that all of his four-seasons wardrobe had been packed into bundles, or that the books he read daily had been put away.
Ling Wuye went privately to speak with First Master Ling, while Old Madam Ling quietly summoned the eldest daughter-in-law Sun Shi to her room for a talk. The precise details of what was said, Ling Jingshu could not know. However, the gaze Sun Shi now directed toward her carried with it several additional degrees of sympathy —
The pity of one who considers herself elevated, looking down upon the weak.
As long as it achieved the goal of leaving Dingzhou for Luoyang, what did matters of pride have to do with anything? What was more, once they arrived in the capital, they would be staying at First Uncle’s residence. A few more shades of tender solicitude from First Aunt Sun Shi toward herself and her brother would hardly be unwelcome.
As for Lu Qian — he believed she was still “considering,” and fearful of pressing too hard and provoking her disgust, he had not come to disturb her these past few days.
Ling Jingshu had been far from idle herself. Throughout these days she had been quietly packing in secret, while also making regular visits to Yonghe Hall to keep Old Madam Ling in good spirits.
Old Madam Ling, who was ordinarily meticulous and frugal in her calculations, was uncharacteristically generous on this occasion. She had quietly prepared a sum of five thousand taels in banknotes for Ling Jingshu: “…Shu Jie’er, you and A’Xiao are to set off for the capital tomorrow. You must take plenty of silver with you. These banknotes are issued by Longsheng Bank — in Luoyang you can cash them at any time. Five hundred taels each, ten notes in all. Take every last one. When you arrive in the capital to seek out the physicians, in treating you and A’Xiao’s ailments, do not hesitate over how much silver you spend. Should this sum prove insufficient, borrow from your First Aunt — or send word back here, and I will have silver dispatched to you.”
Five thousand taels was no small sum. When a Ling family daughter married, her dowry was generally around five thousand taels as well.
Yet in her past life, when First Master Ling had been thrown into prison, the Ling Family had sold off more than half its fortune to rescue him, spending tens of thousands of taels of gold and silver. Compared with that, five thousand taels was not a great deal for the Ling Family.
Ling Jingshu accepted the banknotes without the slightest pang of guilt or hesitation, though her face naturally gave a performance of overwhelmed, tearful gratitude: “Thank you, Grandmother. These five thousand taels must all be from Grandmother’s personal savings. And now all of it has been given to A’Xiao and me — I truly do not know what to say…”
The entire Ling Family fortune was firmly in Old Madam Ling’s grasp. Never mind five thousand taels — ten times that sum she could have produced without difficulty. Ling Jingshu could not possibly be unaware of this, yet the words she spoke were quite moving.
Old Madam Ling heard them with great satisfaction. The slight ache of parting with her money had, by this point, entirely vanished. She thought it over and added: “You are going to the capital, and you will naturally be going out visiting with Yan Jie’er from time to time. There is no need to be overly frugal — you ought to have new dresses made when the occasion calls for it. I also have two sets of solid gold hairpieces and accessories suitable for you — I’ll have Mo Kui pack them up and send them to Qiushui Pavilion.”
This was the incidental reward of having worked so hard to please her.
When the time came to be short of funds, two sets of solid gold hairpieces and accessories sold for ready money would add up to a tidy sum.
Ling Jingshu’s eyes welled with genuinely moving tears. She nestled close at Old Madam Ling’s side and said in a choked voice: “I lost my own mother when I was very young. After Father remarried, he had very little attention to spare for me. It was fortunate that Grandmother showed compassion for me. To be your granddaughter must be a blessing I have earned through lifetimes of merit.”
She was nauseating herself.
Yet Old Madam Ling heard it and was deeply gratified, and opened her hand still further in generosity: “You child, you have made grandmother’s heart ache as well. I have a full case of the finest South Sea pearls — those shall go with you too.”
A full case of South Sea pearls was obviously worth considerably more than those two sets of solid gold accessories.
Ling Jingshu buried herself in Old Madam Ling’s arms and wept: “Grandmother, you treat me so wonderfully. In the future, your granddaughter will repay you tenfold in filial devotion…”
“Very well then — I will have some gold and ready silver prepared for you as well.” Old Madam Ling sighed in pained resignation.
Please, spare me any more tears — cry any more and there will be no silver left for grandmother to produce.
Having managed to “squeeze” this much from Old Madam Ling’s hand, Ling Jingshu was fairly satisfied. She dried her eyes on the spot and expressed her gratitude with “sincere and heartfelt” thanks.
She then headed to Ling Wuye’s study.
Since Old Madam Ling had already “bled” so generously, the biological father certainly needed to “demonstrate” some degree of “fatherly love” as well.
“Father, A’Xiao and I are departing Dingzhou tomorrow. Setting out for Luoyang to seek treatment and medicine, I do not know when I shall return. Being unable to wait upon Father at your side — your daughter feels truly remorseful. Before leaving, I have come to bid Father farewell.”
Moisture shimmered in Ling Jingshu’s eyes as she spoke, and she lowered herself to kneel, kowtowing three times with proper reverence.
Ling Wuye was not entirely without feeling, and sighed with a fair measure of self-reproach: “With A’Xiao ill, it should rightly be me as his father who takes him to the capital. And yet it falls to you, an unmarried daughter, to make this long and arduous journey in my stead. If there is anyone who ought to feel shame, it should be me, his father.”
Of course, Ling Wuye’s shame amounted to little more than words. To ask him to abandon his leisurely life of pleasures and food and drink and undertake a long and arduous journey — that was absolutely beyond him.
Ling Jingshu knew Ling Wuye’s emotionally detached nature too well to be surprised, and could not help but laugh coldly in her heart. Yet her mouth responded: “While parents are alive, children ought not to roam far. The Ling Family has those who are old and those who are young — it relies entirely on Father and Fourth Uncle to remain at home and hold things together. How could either of you leave lightly? A’Xiao and I were born of the same mother, a pair of twins. It is only natural for me to accompany him to the capital. Father need not feel troubled.”
The crippled Ling Siye genuinely worked hard managing the farms and shops, and the Ling Family could not do without him.
As for Ling Wuye — he was above concerning himself with such trivial affairs. Each day he occupied himself with composing verse, exchanging literary pleasantries, drinking, and attending social engagements, making enormous contributions to the flourishing of Dingzhou’s pleasure houses, wine establishments, and painted boat industries.
Ling Wuye had, after all, not yet refined himself to the point of complete shamelessness, and having been spoken to in such terms by Ling Jingshu, his face burned somewhat. He coughed once and said: “In any case, this journey of yours accompanying A’Xiao to Luoyang will mean no small measure of toil and hardship, and a great expenditure of time and effort. If A’Xiao truly comes to have a day when he sees the light again, your contribution will not be small.”
“I only hope A’Xiao can have his sight restored — to study and practice writing, to make friends and go on outings as other young men do, and in time to take a wife and have children, to live a life of peace and contentment.”
Ling Jingshu’s voice was gentle yet resolute.
Ling Wuye was moved, and was just about to say something when Ling Jingshu spoke again: “On this journey to the capital, we will be seeking physicians and medicine for A’Xiao. Even if there is but the smallest hope of a cure, it cannot be abandoned. That being so, we will likely be staying in the capital for quite a long while, and the expenses will certainly be considerable. Just now at Yonghe Hall, Grandmother has already given me some silver for the journey. Should that prove insufficient, I will sell off some of my jewelry — we can manage through somehow. Father need not be anxious.”
Ling Wuye: “…”