When Shiyiniang heard Third Madam speak of going into business together, she put on an expression of surprise: “What kind of business? This profitable?”

Third Madam said with a mysterious smile: “You’ll know when the time comes.”

Seeing she was unwilling to reveal anything, Shiyiniang adopted an air of distress: “But I have no capital!”

“How can you have no capital!” Third Madam’s gaze flickered. “Didn’t you say there was twenty thousand taels of silver in your dowry?”

Shiyiniang sighed: “Mother said I was young and had no use for so much money. It was all converted into farmland, a house, and jewelry.”

Third Madam smiled: “That’s nothing difficult. Pawn the jewelry at a pawnshop, and once you’ve earned the money, redeem it.”

Shiyiniang could not help but laugh inwardly.

If she truly were a fourteen-year-old girl in need of money, it would be hard not to fall into this trap.

“This… this doesn’t seem right,” Shiyiniang said, widening her eyes as if she had never heard of such a thing. “If people found out, they’d think my lord was withholding money from us…”

“If you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, who would ever know?”

Shiyiniang smiled quietly to herself.

If this actually worked out, the one who would be speaking of it would be you, Gan Shi.

She became more guarded.

Third Madam had an air of urgency about her. The only thing about herself that anyone might covet was the title of “Marchioness of Yongping.” Could this matter have something to do with Xu Lingyi?

“Third Sister-in-law, allow me to think it over!” She let a look of confusion and helplessness show on her face.

Third Madam thought to herself that it was natural she would be indecisive, never having dealt with anything like this before. She smiled: “Then you must get back to me quickly. I am in urgent need of the money. If you’re not interested, I shall have to go to Fifth Sister-in-law. A chance like this won’t wait — miss this village and you miss the inn.”

Shiyiniang nodded in a flurried manner: “I understand.”

She looked up and glanced at Qiuling.

She noticed Qiuling had kept her eyes steadily lowered the entire time.

Something stirred in her heart. She recalled that when Third Madam had used the excuse of “incompatible birth signs” to ask Dongqing to withdraw, Qiuling had worn the same expression.

Shiyiniang noted this quietly.

Third Madam urged her a few more times to “hurry up,” then rose and took her leave.

Binju came rushing out of the east anteroom, her cheeks faintly flushed, and pulled Shiyiniang to sit on the large platform bed by the window.

Hupo and Dongqing stood side by side, covering their mouths to hide their laughter.

“What is it?” Shiyiniang asked, startled by their manner.

Binju’s eyes were shining: “Madam, fifty taels. Your monthly stipend — fifty taels.”

Shiyiniang was also quite taken aback.

Thinking of how much could be done with this money, a smile spread irrepressibly to the corners of her eyes and brows: “So much!”

Hupo laughed: “Madam, we can finally breathe again.”

Binju nodded repeatedly: “Plus the fifty taels Dongqing has returned, we now have one hundred and four taels and six qian. The fifteenth of next month will bring another fifty taels, giving us one hundred and fifty-four taels and six qian, and then in the twelfth month another fifty taels…” She counted on her fingers — rather like painting cakes to satisfy one’s hunger.

Shiyiniang could not help bursting into laughter: “One year is six hundred taels, two years is twelve hundred, ten years is six thousand…”

“Yes, yes!” Binju nodded.

Everyone laughed together.

The mood became lively and joyful.

Dongqing brought Shiyiniang her tea. “Things are looking up now — we don’t need to worry anymore.”

“That may not be true,” Hupo said. “I fear it’ll be in the left hand and out the right.”

Binju had never been fond of Hupo, and she retorted: “Social gifts and exchanges all come from the household funds. Madam at most needs to add a little something extra. It won’t take much.”

Hupo glanced at Binju and said: “Last time when Fifth Master and Sixth Master went to Shanxi, Madam gave fifty taels and two inkstones of Duan stone. I noticed Third Madam’s expression — as if it were only natural to give that much. When Fourth Young Mistress gave ten taels, Third Madam was extremely grateful. Madam’s circumstances are different now — if her generosity is seen as too small, the lesser shame is being laughed at; the greater danger is earning the name of ‘miserly.'”

Binju fell momentarily silent.

For a moment the mood in the room grew heavy.

“All right, all right.” Shiyiniang laughed, rallying everyone’s spirits. “Trees may be fixed in place, but people are not. Surely we won’t be done in by a few taels of silver?”

“That’s right, that’s right,” Dongqing said, smiling to smooth things over. “Think of before, when it was two taels a month — now it’s fifty. There are good days ahead.”

Binju smiled a little sheepishly.

Hupo smiled too.

Seeing the atmosphere ease, Shiyiniang rose with a smile: “Let’s go take a look at the hothouse in the garden.”

—

Because Fifth Madam now lived in the back garden, the maids and wife-servants of every household — whether they had been born in the year of the ox or not — voluntarily kept clear. And with deep autumn setting in, the back garden felt very quiet.

Shiyiniang walked with Hupo for quite some time before they spotted two wife-servants pushing small handcarts. Hupo quickly stepped forward to ask where the hothouse was. The two wife-servants did not recognize Shiyiniang, but seeing her splendidly dressed, they pointed toward Lijing Pavilion with some trepidation: “Just beside it.”

Hupo thanked them, and the two found, behind the pavilion, a truly enormous glass hothouse, full of lush flowers and greenery.

“How much must this have cost!” Hupo stood outside the hothouse, staring at the glass with something close to stunned amazement.

Shiyiniang was also astonished.

She had not expected the hothouse at the Xu Mansion to be on such a scale.

Her heart stirred with excitement.

Shiyiniang had in mind to open a shop selling flower dew.

This way, raw materials for experimentation would be readily available. And if she truly managed to extract floral essence, the techniques for cultivating flowers in large quantities would also be there.

The two of them stood outside looking in, when a woman came out of the flower house. Seeing Shiyiniang, she gave a startled cry: “Fourth Madam!”

Shiyiniang looked toward the voice.

It was Stone Mama, who served Fifth Madam. She held in her arms a pot of purple orchids.

“Stone Mama,” Shiyiniang said with a smile, “is Fifth Sister-in-law decorating her rooms?”

Stone Mama glanced at the orchids in her arms and said: “Indeed!”

Another woman squeezed out from behind Stone Mama, and Stone Mama quickly said to her: “Wife of Ji Ting, this is Fourth Madam.”

Ji Ting’s wife appeared to be in her early thirties — stocky and sturdy in build, wearing a coarse cloth jacket, still holding a small garden hoe. On hearing that the person before her was Fourth Madam, she immediately panicked, her face flushing red, not knowing what to do.

Stone Mama quickly explained to Shiyiniang with a smile: “She is not accustomed to meeting people of rank — please don’t take offense, Fourth Madam.” She then said to Ji Ting’s wife: “What are you doing standing there? Greet Fourth Madam.”

Only then did Ji Ting’s wife drop her hoe and kneel to kowtow to Shiyiniang.

Hupo quickly stepped forward to help her up: “Please don’t be anxious, sister. Our Madam has come especially to take a look.”

Ji Ting’s wife murmured something for a long while, but nothing she said could be made out.

Shiyiniang smiled at Stone Mama: “Please go on with your errand — Fifth Sister-in-law will be waiting. I’ll just take a look at what the family has planted here.”

Stone Mama smiled and took her leave. Shiyiniang was led into the hothouse by Ji Ting’s wife.

Hupo fell into conversation with Ji Ting’s wife alongside them.

As Ji Ting’s wife saw that Shiyiniang was mild and pleasant in manner, she gradually relaxed. She told Hupo that her husband Ji Ting was in sole charge of the Xu Mansion’s hothouse. Because the hothouse was in the back garden, to avoid impropriety he only came to the back garden in the early morning — at the beginning of the Mao hour and at the end of the Chen hour — and the rest of the time the hothouse was tended by her, with several of her sisters-in-law, her brother’s wife, and her nephew’s wife. As she spoke, Shiyiniang caught sight of several women moving among the green trees and bright flowers. Ji Ting’s wife quickly called them over to greet Shiyiniang.

Shiyiniang exchanged a few words with them and let everyone disperse, then continued walking through the hothouse with Ji Ting’s wife.

Fragrant orchids, elegant camellias, delicate apricot blossoms… everything was there, but only two or three pots of each.

She felt somewhat disappointed — this hothouse was clearly meant solely to supply the Xu family with decorative flowers.

“Could jasmine be grown here?”

Ji Ting’s wife replied quickly: “Yes!”

“What about ten or so mu of it?”

Ji Ting’s wife’s face immediately went red: “I’ve never grown that many… only ten or so pots before.”

“If Ji Ting were to grow ten or so mu, do you think he could keep them alive?”

“I’d have to ask my husband.”

An honest answer, at least.

Since she had come all the way to the back garden, it would be somewhat rude not to stop and greet the Princess of Danyang.

Shiyiniang nodded, and she and Hupo went to Fifth Madam’s quarters.

Fifth Madam said reproachfully: “Fourth Sister-in-law, how long it’s taken you to come?”

Shiyiniang only smiled.

Fifth Madam quickly had tea brought.

The two sat and talked for quite a while, and seeing it was nearly noon, they went together to the Grand Madam’s quarters.

Hearing that Shiyiniang had been to the hothouse, the Grand Madam smiled: “Were you hoping for flowers to wear?”

Shiyiniang then told the Grand Madam about her wish to make flower dew: “…I once read about it in a book — I don’t know whether it can be done.”

The Grand Madam was quite encouraging. “Wonderful! After this, we won’t need to buy from outside — we’ll just ask Shiyiniang.” Her tone carried a note of fond indulgence; clearly she took this as nothing more than a hobby of Shiyiniang’s.

To receive even this much was something Shiyiniang was genuinely grateful for.

Fifth Madam immediately cried out upon hearing this: “I’ll help Fourth Sister-in-law!”

“You — just look after yourself, and that will be help enough,” the Grand Madam laughed, patting Fifth Madam’s hand.

Zhen Jie’er quietly asked Shiyiniang: “Like Second Aunt, making your own incense?”

Shiyiniang had not known that Second Madam made incense, and said in surprise: “Is that true? Second Sister-in-law makes her own incense?”

Zhen Jie’er nodded: “Our family uses Second Aunt’s incense at New Year.”

Shiyiniang’s mind moved quickly.

How had she forgotten this important person?

One of these days she must have a proper exchange with Second Madam — perhaps she had methods there that were already quite refined…

—

Luo Zhensheng and Elder Sister-in-law arrived as agreed. Shiyiniang had already told the Grand Madam of the matter, and after paying their respects to her, they sat in the main hall to await Lu Yonggui.

At a quarter past the hour of Wei, Nanny Tao led Lu Yonggui in.

He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, of medium height, with slightly dark skin, bright eyes, and a composed and steady bearing. Shiyiniang felt a favorable impression of him at once.

After paying his respects to everyone, he explained: “We have a medicinal herb shop by the West Gate. July and August are the busiest months for collecting herbs, so I was unable to get back in time.”

Luo Zhensheng and Shiyiniang exchanged a glance — neither of them had known that Yuan Niang had a medicinal herb shop.

Lu Yonggui’s expression shifted subtly. He handed Shiyiniang a blue cloth bundle: “These are the accounts of the properties I have managed on behalf of the first young mistress these past ten years.”

Hupo went to receive it.

Lu Yonggui quickly murmured a quiet word of caution: “It is quite heavy, miss — be careful.”

Hupo smiled slightly. “Thank you, Steward Lu.” She did indeed hold the bundle with both arms, then set it on the black-lacquered square table between Luo Zhensheng and Shiyiniang.

—