The Third Madam, seeing Shiyiniang enter, seemed to want to cover up her early arrival — and before Shiyiniang could even offer her a greeting, said with a smile: “Fourth Sister-in-law is late!”

She had arrived early herself, yet spoke as though Shiyiniang had come late.

However, since Shiyiniang had always arrived at precisely the right hour, whether she was early or late was something the Grand Dowager understood perfectly in her heart. There was no need to argue the point in words — doing so would only leave the Grand Dowager with the impression that she was one who pressed an advantage relentlessly.

Shiyiniang gave a slight smile and exchanged greetings with her.

The Grand Dowager observed this with a small nod and a quiet laugh, and smoothly took over the conversation: “Have you brought the girls? Show them in and let me have a look.”

At being rescued by the Grand Dowager herself, Shiyiniang naturally smiled and gave her assent.

A sharp-witted young maid nearby immediately went to summon Nanny Tao.

The Third Madam, seeing that no one intended to make anything of her early arrival, quietly breathed a sigh of relief and was content to stand to one side and watch.

Before long, Nanny Tao brought in Wenzhu and the other young maids.

After paying their respects to the Grand Dowager, they lined up in a single row at the center of the room.

The Third Madam looked on and remarked with praise: “What lovely faces!”

The Grand Dowager smiled and nodded, then beckoned to the young maids: “Come, walk over here and let me see you.”

Though there was a hint of nervousness in all of their expressions, none of them fidgeted awkwardly — they stepped lightly and quietly to the edge of the kang.

Nanny Du at one side handed the Grand Dowager her spectacles. The Grand Dowager looked each of them over, then drew out the name list Shiyiniang had given her that morning, and proceeded to ask their names, their ages, who was in their family, and what manner of work they each did.

Wenzhu and the others answered in soft, gentle voices one by one — all except Taohua, who, seeing how agreeable and kindly the Grand Dowager was, grew increasingly casual in her manner.

Beside her, Weizi’s face began to betray an undisguised look of anxious concern.

A flicker of feeling passed through Shiyiniang.

Weizi had served the Grand Dowager long enough to know her mind. From all appearances, the chances of Taohua being chosen were very slim. Perhaps that was just as well — better not to have an outsider in Xu Siyu’s quarters.

The Grand Dowager questioned them for the better part of an hour, then straightened up and took a sip of tea.

Nanny Tao recognized this as the signal that the questioning was over, and led the young maids out.

The Grand Dowager smiled: “That one called Taohua — find her another post. The rest are all quite satisfactory.”

Just as expected.

Shiyiniang smiled and assented, then cast an apologetic glance toward Weizi.

Weizi was visibly disappointed, but did not dare show it — she gave Shiyiniang a wan smile in return.

“Turn those young maids over to Nanny Du,” the Grand Dowager smiled. “I am a little tired. Everyone may go now.”

Shiyiniang and the Third Madam took their leave and withdrew. Nanny Tao handed over Wenzhu and the three others, and Nanny Gan handed over Fangting and her three companions, all to Nanny Du — then each nanny led the girls who had not been selected back to their quarters.

Taohua asked Nanny Tao with artless candor: “Am I to serve in Madam’s quarters?”

Shiyiniang had been present when the Grand Dowager questioned Taohua — both of her parents were on the estate. This child had evidently relied on having her elder sister in the Grand Dowager’s service and, imagining herself above all reckoning, believed that with Weizi’s backing, whatever she wished for would simply be granted.

Nanny Tao had guessed as much, and smiled: “You wish to serve in Madam’s quarters?”

Taohua smiled: “My mother said the best thing would be to serve in the Second Young Master’s quarters. That way I could become a senior maid, just like my sister.”

Nanny Tao gave a faint smile and had someone take her away. Then she consulted Shiyiniang: “What is to be done with this girl?”

Shiyiniang smiled: “Find her some other post. It will preserve Weizi’s dignity.”

Nanny Tao sighed: “I suppose that is all we can do.” In her heart she thought: with that careless mouth, not knowing what can and cannot be said — wherever she is placed, she is bound to stir up trouble.

After Nanny Tao had gone, Shiyiniang could not help remarking to Hupo with a sigh: “They say nine children from one mother can all be different!”

Hupo smiled: “You do not know, Madam. Weizi used to be called Li Hua. The family had too many daughters and could not feed them all, so they gave her to an aunt working in the laundry room, and she grew up in the household from a young age. She is nothing like Taohua, who was raised on the estate from childhood with a sheltered horizon.”

Shiyiniang smiled: “But our own Hupo also grew up on the estate — and look how capable and quick-witted she is. Each person has their own fortunes.” This caused Hupo to redden all the way to her ears, and she stammered for a good while without finding a word to say.

Shiyiniang then asked after the situation at the West Mountain villa: “…Has there been any news?”

Hupo shook her head: “They say the gates have been shut fast, without anyone seen going in or out.”

Shiyiniang did not let it trouble her.

Had something happened that her people simply had not discovered — or had nothing happened at all?

She gave a quiet sigh. Thinking of the following day when she was to accompany the Grand Dowager to the Marquis of Zhongshan’s residence, she called Binju in, and the three of them sat together to discuss what clothes to wear and what accessories to put on for tomorrow.

Xu Lingyi came home.

Shiyiniang quickly set aside what she had in hand and went out to meet him.

Compared with the morning, Xu Lingyi’s mood was clearly much improved. After coming out from the dressing room having changed his clothes, he actually took notice of the changes in the room.

“The hothouse sent over new plants?”

“Yes.” Shiyiniang smiled. “They sent along a deep red cotton rosemallow as well.”

Xu Lingyi looked at the vivid, brilliantly blooming flowers in the blue-and-white porcelain vase on the kang ledge and gave a nod, then removed his shoes and stepped up onto the kang.

Shiyiniang personally went to steep tea and brought it to him: “The Marquis is home early today!”

It was just now past the fourth quarter of the shen hour. Normally he did not return until half an hour later than this.

“Oh, nothing in particular.” Xu Lingyi said offhandedly. “So I came home early.”

Nothing in particular. So he came home early.

Shiyiniang did not believe a word of it.

Xu Lingyi was no homebody.

But she pretended she did not know otherwise.

Smiling, she told him about the Grand Dowager’s plan to take her along to the Marquis of Zhongshan’s residence tomorrow to offer congratulations.

Xu Lingyi seemed briefly taken aback: “Why did Mother not mention this to me?”

“Perhaps because the Marquis had not returned yet.” Shiyiniang smiled. “From what I saw of Mother’s manner, it seems to have been a somewhat spur-of-the-moment decision. Perhaps she simply wished to go and enjoy the occasion.”

Xu Lingyi nodded, then looked about at the maids in the room, a moment of hesitation crossing his expression.

Was it the same as this morning — that he had something he wished to say?

Shiyiniang deliberated, then on one pretext or another sent Binju to put away the clothing and accessories she had not yet packed into the trunks, and sent another maid to check whether dinner was ready at the Grand Dowager’s — one by one, she cleared the room of everyone.

Xu Lingyi let out a visible breath of relief, then said without any preamble: “Yesterday I spent half the night talking with Third Brother.” His tone still carried a faint hesitancy.

He had been holding that single sentence back since morning — and the endurance it had taken.

Shiyiniang suppressed her amusement with great effort and turned a carefully attentive expression to him.

Xu Lingyi, seeing this, relaxed a little more.

His lips moved for quite some time, yet no second sentence came — as though it were genuinely difficult to give voice to.

Could it be that the Third Master had said some rather unpleasant things last night, and Xu Lingyi was unwilling to lay bare whatever had passed between brothers in front of his wife? Or had the Third Master made some unreasonable demand that Xu Lingyi simply could not bring himself to repeat?

Whether it was one or the other, these were beside the point. What mattered was that she could not allow the faint impression she had only just begun to leave in Xu Lingyi’s mind to vanish without a trace. If that happened, the next time something like this arose, he would certainly shut her out again as someone unworthy of trust. And if she could not be within the circle of his trust, she could not become his confidant; without his confidant, she could not have his support; without his support, she could not have the greatest possible freedom for herself.

Shiyiniang skipped past the topic of brotherly sentiment altogether, and with a bright smile asked him: “Has the Marquis perhaps come to some decision?”

Xu Lingyi’s expression softened all at once, the tension leaving his brow and eyes.

He knew that his being able to say even a few heartfelt words to Third Brother owed its greatest debt to this wife before him — still tart as a green plum, not yet fully ripened. And yet to open himself to her as he might to a trusted friend was something he felt was still missing a quality he could not name; to be with her as easily as with a colleague at his side felt wrong somehow; to treat her as he would a household steward, blunt and matter-of-fact, felt too cold. As for a wife — he had thought for a long while and could not recall whether there had ever been a time he and Yuan Niang had sat down like this together, speaking quietly and working things through. More often than not they had each held their own position, quarreled, and parted on poor terms.

For a moment, he genuinely did not know how to proceed.

But now she had, with perceptive thoughtfulness, cleared the room, and without pressing him at all about what exactly he and Third Brother had discussed, he could not help feeling a weight lifted from him.

“Third Brother was once quite sharp, you know. He passed the examination for the rank of licentiate. It was Father who later said that for men of households like ours, it is enough to have true learning — there is no need to chase after empty titles. So Third Brother stopped sitting the imperial examinations.” He said with a certain weariness. “When all is said and done, Third Brother is only worried about the children’s future.”

Oh.

Shiyiniang saw Xu Lingyi looking at her with a serious expression, and suppressed the impulse to raise an eyebrow.

So it seemed the Third Master had still kept something back from Xu Lingyi after all.

But then — if she were in his position, she would likely have done the same.

How could someone like Xu Lingyi possibly understand the particular blend of inferiority and pride that made up the Third Master’s complicated inner world?

It was enough to have achieved one’s purpose. There was no need to lay oneself entirely bare before Xu Lingyi for him to see through…

“I have thought it over. Third Brother is not wrong. Qin Ge will be thirteen this year, and Jian Ge is already eleven. Both are nearly at the age for betrothal arrangements to be made. Having accumulated very little of their own by now, it is only natural that Third Sister-in-law grows anxious and is tempted by greed.”

Shiyiniang nodded, her expression composed and grave, though inwardly she found it quietly amusing.

To speak of Xu Lingyi as a sharp and formidable man — and yet here he was, saying these things, quite plainly gilding the truth on the Third Master’s behalf.

“My thought is this: why not find Third Brother an appointment and have him posted to a province?”

“A provincial posting!” A light came into Shiyiniang’s eyes. “An excellent idea, Marquis! Let it be said publicly that Third Brother has devoted himself to household affairs for many years, and now that all is going smoothly at home, it is time for him to make something of himself outside. If Third Sister-in-law wishes to go along, she may. And there is no need to raise the matter of separating the household at all.”

Xu Lingyi saw the brightness in her eyes and recognized at once that she had grasped his meaning — and a deep smile settled into his gaze.

“Find him a county magistrate post to start. After a few years, once everyone has grown accustomed to Third Brother’s absence from Lotus Flower Lane, look for him a post in the central administration. By then he can purchase a house outside, come back only on the first and fifteenth of each month to pay respects to Mother, and everyone will live in peace.”

Shiyiniang nodded, again and again, genuinely convinced it was an excellent plan.

This way the family remained together in name while in practice each household lived their own separate life. And they could still look after one another when needed. In any case, if the Xu family ever ran into political trouble, the Third Master as a member of the Xu clan would have no way of escaping it regardless.

“Only there is one more thing…” Xu Lingyi looked at Shiyiniang, his expression hesitant.

—