In early September, on Jiang Zhu’s side, a row of houses had temporarily been enclosed at the estate. Chen Dazhong, Chen Erliang, Quan Cang, and Quan You personally drove the carriages to Qinwei Alley to pick up the children.

The old madam had come to receive Chen Siniu’s several children, but she hadn’t really gone to see them much—not because she didn’t want to, she did want to! But she didn’t dare to see them. If she saw them face to face and grew attached, and then said things that would stay in her heart, it would be too much.

She was afraid that after they parted she would miss them, and that they too would form attachments over there, so better to cut off such foolish longing early.

The old woman knew her remaining years were not long. Spreading out her old arms and legs, she could only look after Xique and Lanting, whom she herself had raised. She didn’t dare involve herself with the others.

But on the day the children left, she still came out to see them off, leaning at a distance against the big willow tree, watching as the small children were each carried in their nursemaids’ arms and lifted onto the carriages.

Occasionally an older child would poke their head out to look, not knowing who to look for, not knowing who among them was truly kin to them. Having spent these past few days getting along with Aunt Qian, they all turned to look at her instead.

The old madam kept urging Aunt Qian over and over: you’ll be worn out, please take such trouble for them.

Who was Aunt Qian? She was a plump, fair-skinned woman. She came from a merchant family of the previous dynasty, and was sent by her family to Yanjing to be selected for the palace. But she fell victim to wicked men, and the position with a noble lady never came through—instead she ended up an ordinary palace maid, and eventually an aging one at that.

Later, having served a noble lady well, she was promoted to the Office of Palace Discipline as a Female Clerk of Documents. A Female Clerk of Documents held a genuine fourth rank outside the regular civil ranks, which showed the depth of her literary learning. Later, when the previous dynasty fell and Daliang rose, Clerk Qian left the city and became a Daoist priestess at a temple, where she became companion to Xixia Sanren, a woman of imperial descent from the former dynasty.

Unfortunately, this quiet, free life did not last long. Xixia Sanren died at Baiquan Mountain, and because of the connection to her, the temple dared not keep a Daoist priestess with ties to the former dynasty. Left with no choice, Clerk Qian was forced to return to secular life. She bought a house on an old street in Yanjing to settle in for the time being, hoping to take on work teaching young women.

As it happened, the very first student she took on was none other than Huo Wurong, who worked as a group leader in the neighborhood.

Anyone who went out into the world would surely realize the benefits of being literate, and Huo Wurong badly needed to make up for this gap. So she and Teacher Qian hit it off at once, and through their growing acquaintance, bonded by open-minded and easygoing natures, they became half teacher, half friend.

Huo Wurong once told Qiqian’er that Yanjing was not short of capable women, but a woman like Teacher Qian—who had endured so many hardships in life, who had no one to rely on, and yet remained open-hearted and cheerful—was one of a kind. She always found a way to make herself happy and at ease.

Qiqian’er later thought that finding teachers for Chen Siniu’s children was simple enough, but in an environment with no father or mother, with the clan grown distant, and no one to depend on, what the children of the fourth household lacked most, once their stomachs were full, was a resilient, open-hearted spirit.

So she sent someone to seek out Teacher Qian and have a serious talk with her, hoping she would become these children’s foster mother.

The Chen family’s terms were extremely generous. Regardless of whether these children turned out filial or not, the Chen family would support Teacher Qian in her old age and see to her funeral rites, and moreover give her a clan to depend on.

Teacher Qian asked the ages of a few of the children, then happily agreed.

The old madam spoke in her usual way: these children were pitiable, with no father or mother; the children were the most well-behaved; surely she wouldn’t be raising them for nothing, they’d certainly grow up filial to her, and so on…

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the willow leaves, falling on Aunt Qian’s plump, fair face. Her features were fine and lovely, her brows and eyes naturally curved with a smile, and the certainty and cheerfulness in her words truly set the old madam’s heart at ease.

She said, “Old madam, don’t you worry. Every so often you can just send someone from your side to look in—Jiang Zhu isn’t that far. And think about it, my home is gone too, I have no family left either. I’m already past fifty—if I don’t keep these girls close and warm, who will I have to rely on in my remaining years?”

The old madam felt comforted at once, and grasped Aunt Qian’s hand, patting it again and again, saying, “That’s right, that’s right. Once you’ve raised them up, they’re something to rely on, and it costs no worry at all—they each have a few hundred mu of land to their name, that’s plenty to get by.”

She said this same thing, over and over, nearly a hundred times, until near noon when the old madam finally let Aunt Qian board the carriage. But the convoy had gone only a few steps when suddenly someone tumbled out of one of the carriages, startling everyone into cries of alarm.

Qiqian’er was startled too, and looking closely, saw it was Madam Qiao.

She had meant to have someone pull her back and quickly get her onto the carriage, but instead Madam Qiao staggered and stumbled straight toward her, shouting all the way, “Fourth Madam, Fourth Madam…”

Chen Dasheng, standing to one side, hurried to block in front of Qiqian’er, but Qiqian’er pushed him aside and said, “It’s fine. Just let her come.”

Only then did Chen Dasheng remember—never mind Madam Qiao, even if Qiao Lang himself had come it would have made no difference—so he stepped aside.

Madam Qiao had no intention of assaulting Qiqian’er; she simply had one question in her heart that she kept wanting to ask.

And so, with both her knees and palms bloodied, she ran up to Qiqian’er and stopped, staring at her fixedly, and asked, “Fourth Madam?”

There was wind in September, blowing at Madam Qiao’s not-very-sturdy frame wrapped in cloth garments. At some point she had gone entirely gray-haired, her face lined all over with wrinkles, looking like a plain country woman who had suffered great hardship—weak, almost pitiful.

That woman who once wore silk and brocade, always high and aloof, with sharp nails, gentle and soft on the surface but hiding a blade in her heart—it was as though she were no longer the same person, severed from that self in a previous life.

So this was all it came to. You hadn’t even really done anything, and she had worn herself down into this state.

Sometimes Qiqian’er thought with some shame that she was not as good as this woman, nor as good as Wurong, nor as good as the old madam, nor as good as any of the aunts who had struggled their way out from following the army across ten thousand li of drifting. Yet heaven had chosen, of all people, to give this favor to her. All the more reason she must not grow arrogant, but remain humble and gentle, must cherish her fortune and remain careful.

Seeing Qiqian’er looking her over, Madam Qiao asked again, “Fourth Madam, are you satisfied now?”

Qiqian’er drew a breath, and with a gentle smile said, “It’s getting late, and Jiang Zhu is still far. Don’t dwell on it too much—best set off early.”

Madam Qiao was unwilling to let it go so easily; how could she simply set off on her way in peace? The veins stood out fiercely on her neck as she said, “Fourth Madam, you and I truly have no old grudge between us. We didn’t know each other before—when we met it was nothing more than a dispute within the household, and you won. Why must you press me at every step? I admit I had some petty schemes of my own, but with your abilities, how could you possibly have taken me seriously? I just can’t understand it… how did it come to this result?”

Qiqian’er smiled. “It’s fine. From now on you’ll have plenty of time—think it over slowly, and live to a ripe old age.”

Behind her, the shrieking voices of Gennu’er and An’er waving their sticks drifted over. Qiqian’er looked up at the willow tree overhead and thought, the tree is still the same tree…

And it was that time again—when the weather turned hot, this kind of tree would sprout countless white hanged-ghost caterpillars, which spun threads and slid down from the treetop, landing… on Madam Qiao’s face, her shoulders. Truly repulsive to even look at.

Qiqian’er slowly stepped out from beneath the shade of the tree.

And beneath the tree, Madam Qiao, her face twisted with fury, said, “Fourth Madam, your heart is as high as a mountain that could block out the sun, your chest holds ravines that could contain great rivers—yet you can’t tolerate our fourth household catching even the slightest breath. Your family is grand, your husband holds high office and generous emoluments! You could stamp your foot right in front of His Majesty’s gate… if you’d only lift a hand, my days could be so much easier, yet why won’t your iron heart allow it?

“If you’d just raise your foot and let me be your stepping stone, let others show me some face for your sake, give me even a shred of dignity as a person in my own courtyard—you won’t even grant that. Outsiders have helped me more than that. Why can’t you bend just that little?

“I just can’t understand—why, from beginning to end, you won’t look at us even once? Is it over those few cartloads of junk from before? I don’t believe your heart is that petty!”

Qiqian’er reached out and brushed away the hanged-ghost caterpillar in front of her and said, “We’re not close. It’s not a matter of pettiness between us. We’ve barely exchanged a few words—don’t say more than needed. Go on now.”

But Madam Qiao, enraged, turned and pointed back at the old madam, screaming with all her heart, “I don’t believe it! It can’t be that simple! Did she say something? Did she? Fourth Madam, I could tear open my own heart and show you—I’m not that wicked. If you’d only lift a hand, I’d serve you like an ox, like a horse. I’d set up a longevity tablet for you, would you believe that?

“You don’t even know her! What has she given you, that you’d let yourself be pulled in to serve like an ox or horse for that old Chen family? What roots does that old Chen family even have? Do you think that old woman is such a good person? You only listen to her grievances—why won’t you listen to my hardships too? Who isn’t pitiable? Huh? Do you think I was willingly passed around from hand to hand?!”

Seeing Madam Qiao shouting at his mother, An’er suddenly rushed forward, raising his stick to strike her.

Qiqian’er, holding her belly, caught him with one hand, and casually wiped a smear of clear mucus from under his nose, then wiped her hand on Chen Dasheng’s sleeve.

Chen Dasheng took a long breath and endured it.

Having had his stick taken away, An’er still shook his chubby fist at Madam Qiao, shouting, “Hit, hit you!”

Where did this child get such a vicious temper? Qiqian’er, helpless, waved over two nursemaids and had them take the children over to the ancestral hall entrance to watch the older boys study.

And so the two children were carried off, unwilling.

Even as they were carried far away, they kept baring their milk teeth to scare Madam Qiao, babbling all sorts of nonsense about hitting and smashing.

Once the children were far off, Qiqian’er finally said to Madam Qiao, “Our old madam is a miser, petty-hearted, sharp-tongued, and never one to be taken advantage of—but there’s nothing to be done, I caught her eye, and I’m happy to let her spoil me. She may have a thousand, ten thousand faults, but none of that matters against the fact that, under this very tree—yes, this very tree!—she looked at me once, and from that moment I was hers.”

In her past life, in this life, it was all the same.

The old madam, who had come over meaning to tear Madam Qiao apart, hearing all this didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh. In the end she grew coy, raised her hand to pull out the large handkerchief from under her arm, dabbed it at her nose a few times, and cursed, “You wretched, ungrateful thing, when have I ever been petty to you? Have I ever been petty to you? You’d sooner eat me alive raw, and still talk such nonsense—what… what are you even saying, it’s me who spoils you, when have I ever gone against you, in this household you get to have everything, you’ve climbed right up to heaven, and still—still you say you spoil me?”

Having said this, she raised her foot to kick little Jinye standing beside her and said, “Right? Isn’t that right?”

Jinye, whose disposition had none of the cleverness of the girls that came out of the She family, just gave a foolish “ah” in response.

The old madam pursed her lips, turned, and walked off, her stride large, muttering all the while as she went, “Spoiling me, spoiling me? I’ve got a whole houseful of grandchildren to use, and you say you spoil me? Oh, my great-great-grandson, my treasure, what are you doing holding that stick?”

She headed straight toward her star-blessed great-grandson.

Qiqian’er watched her go off, smiling to herself, then turned to Madam Qiao and said, “Envious, aren’t you? Days like these are no longer yours to have.”

Madam Qiao was so furious she was ready to burst, a thousand words in her heart, yet all she could manage was, “Fourth Madam, these past years I’ve kept thinking—with your grandeur, whatever petty tricks I might have played, however I dressed them up, you’d never have taken them seriously in the first place. Whatever schemes I harbored, added all together, wouldn’t amount to even one set of your jewelry.

“You don’t even care about such things! How much of that great estate did you give up, without even blinking? Yet the way you look at me has never been right, as if there were some old grudge between us, Fourth Madam! Today we part, and I fear before we meet again as ghosts, we’ll have no chance to see each other’s faces—please, be merciful, just this once, let me die a ghost who understands. Where exactly did I wrong you?”

She looked up with eyes as pleading as a wronged spirit’s, staring at Qiqian’er, hoping for an answer. But Qiqian’er only said, smiling, “Ah, who knows. Perhaps—a previous life?”

With that, Qiqian’er waved her hand, and several sturdy nursemaids came up and dragged Madam Qiao away.

Madam Qiao struggled the whole way, shrieking, “Fourth Madam, may you live ten thousand years! Fourth Madam, may your descendants flourish! Fourth Madam… just kill me, won’t you, Fourth Madam, spare me…”

The convoy finally receded into the distance. Only once Qiqian’er could no longer see the shadow of the carriages did she slowly let out a breath, and turn to pat the trunk of the great tree beside her.

She had not expected to hear a burst of sobbing coming from beneath the millstone behind the tree.

She’d been hearing this sound often these past few days—Xique was crying.

Well, this Madam Qiao, even leaving, still had to twist the knife on her way out. Truly, some habits never change.

Qiqian’er, helpless, walked around the tree to the millstone and saw the siblings curled up in a huddle.

Lanting Ge’er’s eyes were full of fear, while Xique wept without restraint.

Qiqian’er crouched down, but with her belly it was hard to squat, so she tried to sit—and ended up sitting right on top of Chen Dasheng’s shoe.

Well, however unlike a proper lady of the house she behaved, this man was still willing to go along with her—truly, he’d spoiled her past all decorum too.

Qiqian’er, quite satisfied, braced herself against Chen Dasheng’s ankle and said, smiling, to the siblings, “So from now on, you’ll hate me for this?”

The siblings, startled, immediately shook their heads like rattle-drums, eyes full of fear.

It was hot. Qiqian’er took out a handkerchief and wiped her sweat, and not wanting to be dishonest with herself, said in a straightforward tone, “It’s fine. People’s hearts are hidden behind their skin—think whatever you like of me. I don’t want to go around forcing people to cut open their hearts and show me either. What is there to see? Who’s good, who’s bad—we’ll all meet before King Yama sooner or later. I know you two must be wondering, why can’t I stand the sight of your fourth household, right?”

Lanting looked on in confusion, while Xique, after a moment of silence, nodded at Qiqian’er and said, “I… I’d trouble Fourth Sister-in-law… I want to know.”

Qiqian’er looked up at Chen Dasheng and asked him earnestly, “Then may I say it?”

Chen Dasheng nodded. “Go ahead.”

From within the Sanli school hall came the sound of children reciting their lessons aloud, and Gennu’er and An’er, holding up their sticks, swayed their heads along with the rhythm inside, babbling nonsense, only managing to catch the last two words clearly.

The old madam looked at her great-grandson, then over at the people beneath the big willow tree. Being an old woman with sharp instincts, she understood at once—likely her grandson and grandson’s wife no longer intended to cover up for the fourth household’s shame, and meant to lay out clearly for the siblings all those disgraceful matters from before.

Well then, so be it—say it, best that it be said. It would serve as a lesson too, so they’d know their place, know the proper measure of conduct, know… that if a person wanted others’ respect in this life, they had to first stand on their own two feet.

Yet in the end it was hard to bear. The old woman’s heart ached with a bitter sourness as she sighed, “Oh, what sins have we committed? What water has this old Chen family’s ancestral grave been soaked in, that it never sees the light of day? How did it raise such a worthless one—what sins indeed.”

Zhuangyuan happened to be holding a scroll of books inside the school hall, watching over the young pupils in his stepfather’s stead, since his stepfather wasn’t feeling well that day. But as he listened, he noticed the rhythm of the recitation inside was off—there were bursts of giggling mixed in, and even childish shouting.

He set down the scroll and walked out, and saw the Chen family, grandmother and grandchildren.

The boy, sensible as he was, turned back into the courtyard and brought out a stool for the old madam.

The old madam felt a bit embarrassed, and said with a smile to Zhuangyuan, “Studying, are you?”

Zhuangyuan nodded, greeted her properly, and said, “I haven’t really been able to focus today. Father’s not feeling well, so I’m helping look after the young pupils. Please, Grandmother, sit.”

The old madam sat down and rambled on, “Studying is good. Studying teaches propriety. Your grandmother is so pleased to see you doing so well…”

Just as she was about to bring up old stories about Old Madam Tao, in that one moment she looked away, An’er had already poked several holes through the school’s window paper with his stick.

The old madam, who held the school in great awe, hurried up and grabbed his chubby arm, saying, “Ai-yah, ai-yah, you troublemaker, what did you have to poke? How dare you touch this window paper? Tomorrow the teacher will remember you, and when you start school he’ll cane you for it!”

An’er bared his teeth—truly a spoiled child—and wrenched his hand free, waving a stick taller than himself, and dashed straight toward the small bridge at the street corner, with Gennu right on his little brother’s heels, hollering wildly the whole way.

The old madam couldn’t possibly catch him, and hurriedly called for the nursemaids to give chase.

In the blink of an eye, the two children had run wild out of sight.

Under the willow tree, by the millstone, Lanting Ge’er, though still too young to fully understand, had already been shaken to his very soul by news like “mother killed father”—in that instant, he had suddenly grown up.

Xique’s body swayed as though she wanted to say something, when she saw the old madam running and shouting, “Chase them, quick, chase them~ what are you all mumbling about over there? In the blink of an eye, both little ancestors are out of sight! I can’t manage them anymore, your family’s two little wild things have smashed the school’s windows to pieces, oh heavens above, what sins, hurry and find someone, what are you all muttering about?”

Perhaps children’s innocence always has a way of diluting all manner of grudges and resentments, and the trouble they stir up without meaning to always manages to make everyone forget their present worries and step into another state of mind entirely.

Qiqian’er, furious, stood up, snapped off a branch, and swatted at the air several times—there was no way around it, a beating was in order!

Today, seeing off the root of the family’s troubles, she hadn’t wanted too many people to know, and so hadn’t brought many young servants along. Yet in the mere blink of an eye, the nursemaids by the old madam’s side had lost track of the two young masters.

Don’t underestimate them just because they’re only two or three—their legs were quicker than a dog’s.

Unable to find them, the whole household went into a panic at once. Qiqian’er, holding her belly, moved to go up herself, but Chen Dasheng pulled her back and, taking people with him, searched everywhere.

As it happened, the two children had run along the old river channel beside the great willow tree, all the way down to a bridge at the foot of Baiquan Mountain leading into the hills.

As fate would have it, today of all days—with the great upheaval in the Chen household, Empress Dowager Jiang had been staying away for some time, and only upon hearing that things had settled down as of today did she wish to come.

On her way down the mountain, she happened to run into His Majesty, who had come quietly to visit his mother. And so His Majesty, in passing, offered to escort his mother to Qinwei Alley.

For the sake of safety, they did not take the main road, but followed the water-vending path in front of Baiquan Mountain instead. Just as they reached the bridge, they saw a ragged, disheveled, barefoot beggar curled up at the bridgehead.

The beggar was crying out for help in a hoarse voice, seemingly calling, “Mother, come, mother, come, mother, come…”

With the two noble figures in the party, naturally no one dared press forward.

His Majesty, seeing the convoy had stopped, lifted the carriage curtain, meaning to ask what was the matter. And there, at the bridgehead, he saw two mischievous children—one throwing stones, the other whooping and hollering while wielding a stick to bully the beggar.

The children were shouting too, something like “hit the child-snatcher,” “beat the child-snatcher”…

Ah, so this was about beating a supposed kidnapper?

The beggar, in pain, dared not resist, and begged for mercy pitifully, still crying out, “Mother, come, mother, come…” Occasionally lifting his face, His Majesty saw that this “beggar” was, in fact, quite elderly—his face covered in scars, with a scraggly, unkempt white beard.

Could this actually be an old man?

His Majesty flew into a rage at once and cursed, “Whose ill-bred, unruly children are these…”

Looking more closely—ah! Wasn’t this from She Qingling’s household?

Surely not?