Qin Yiniang comforted Wen Yiniang: “Well, now you can see Zhen Jie’er every day!”

Wen Yiniang bit her lip: “What’s so good about seeing her? Can I find her a good family to marry into? Or can I stand up for her when something goes wrong?” With that, she flicked her sleeve and walked into the room.

Qin Yiniang hurried in after her, just in time to hear Shi’yiniang speaking with Hupo: “…go with Zhen Jie’er to the storehouse and let her use whatever she likes. Then find Steward Bai and have him calculate the cost of converting the passageway in our courtyard into three main rooms with side chambers, and adding three more rooms with side chambers on the west side. Staying in the east wing room through winter is fine for now, but summer will be another matter. Once the passageway is converted, I’ll persuade the Marquis to move his study there and free up the west wing room for Zhen Jie’er…” Seeing Wen Yiniang and Qin Yiniang enter, she stopped and said, “You’re here!”

The two of them curtsied in greeting.

Shi’yiniang had the maids bring small stools for them to sit on.

Wen Yiniang, usually so chatty, was uncharacteristically silent.

It would not do to let the room fall into awkward silence with nothing to say — yet Shi’yiniang never had much to say to them either.

Qin Yiniang glanced at Wen Yiniang, then steeled herself and spoke up: “Madam, is Zhen Jie’er coming to live here?”

Shi’yiniang nodded: “The Dowager Madam consulted the almanac and found that the twenty-eighth of this month is an auspicious day.”

Qin Yiniang smiled: “That is quite an important occasion. If there is anything your servant can help with, Madam need only say the word.”

“Nothing for now,” Shi’yiniang said. “If I think of something later that requires your assistance, it won’t be too late to call for you then.”

“Then your servant will await Madam’s instructions!” Qin Yiniang replied respectfully. For a moment she could think of nothing more to say. The atmosphere grew cool. She cast a glance at Wen Yiniang, but that woman had lost all her usual liveliness, sitting there with a vaguely dazed expression, oblivious to everything around her. Qin Yiniang sighed inwardly and cast about for something to say. Glancing around, she noticed the narcissus flowers displayed on the low kang table and smiled: “Madam, your narcissus haven’t bloomed yet? Would you like to ask the people in the hothouse if they have any secret method to make them bloom sooner?”

Shi’yiniang smiled: “I intend to let them bloom for the New Year. There’s no hurry.”

Qin Yiniang murmured her assent, and once again fell silent.

Shi’yiniang looked at the two of them — one distracted, one grasping for words — and feeling genuinely at a loss herself, she lifted her teacup: “It’s getting late. Let’s all go our separate ways.”

Qin Yiniang breathed a sigh of relief and rose to her feet. Seeing that Wen Yiniang was still seated, she quickly poked her in the back with a finger. Wen Yiniang came to her senses and hurriedly stood up. The two of them curtsied to Shi’yiniang and withdrew.

Shi’yiniang also exhaled in relief.

Though it was customary for the Yiniangs to pay their morning and evening respects, she truly had nothing to say to them. The less they saw of one another, the more at ease everyone would be.

Meanwhile, Hupo and the others worked through the night packing things up, and early the next morning moved into the back building. Shi’yiniang then sent for Granny Xiang, entrusted her with the task of cleaning out the east wing room, and promised that every person she brought to help would be rewarded with two strings of cash. Granny Xiang was delighted and went off at once to gather people. Seeing that the hour was no longer early, Shi’yiniang went to the Dowager Madam’s quarters.

Zhen Jie’er and Zhun Ge had both already been told the news. Zhun Ge was clinging to Zhen Jie’er and crying, while Zhen Jie’er kept wiping her own tears.

The Dowager Madam looked on and sighed: “You’re both older now. You can’t be together your whole lives.”

Shi’yiniang smiled and patted Zhun Ge on the head: “You’re still living in the same courtyard.”

Zhun Ge sobbed and said nothing.

Third Madam arrived: “What’s all this? Has there been a flood?”

“I’ve arranged for Zhen Jie’er to move in with Shi’yiniang,” the Dowager Madam explained briefly.

“That’s wonderful news!” Third Madam said with a smile upon hearing this. “Women of families like ours may not need to cook or sew for themselves, but a woman can hardly have someone else make her husband’s innermost garments for her entirely. This is the perfect opportunity for Zhen Jie’er to learn needlework from Fourth Sister-in-law.”

Zhen Jie’er’s face flushed scarlet. She grabbed Zhun Ge’s hand and retreated to her own room.

The Dowager Madam frowned: “Why say such things in front of the children?”

Third Madam protested: “But I’m only speaking the truth. Literacy and learning are certainly important, but needlework is no small matter either. Just to give one example — the family of Grand Secretary Chen Zixiang is no humble household, yet when they seek a daughter-in-law, the very first thing they look at is her needlework. If our Zhen Jie’er were to marry into such a family, even a dowry of a hundred and twenty-four chests might not win her mother-in-law’s favor.”

The Dowager Madam’s brow furrowed.

Sensing the awkwardness in the air, Shi’yiniang quickly smiled and said: “Mother, I was thinking of taking Zhen Jie’er to the storehouse a little later to choose a few pieces she likes for her room — it’s her own space, after all, and she should decorate it herself!” She then mentioned her plan to convert the passageway into wing rooms, adding: “Letting Zhen Jie’er sleep in the east wing room is too much of an inconvenience for her.”

The Dowager Madam nodded repeatedly: “Then take Zhen Jie’er and go. I’ll speak to Steward Bai about the renovation myself.”

Shi’yiniang had been worrying about the cost, and now the Dowager Madam had taken it upon herself to cover everything — she thanked her happily.

The Dowager Madam, with the endearing habit common to the elderly of delighting in giving generously and bringing joy to younger generations, beamed and urged her to be on her way. This foiled Third Madam’s plan — she had come intending to invite Shi’yiniang to accompany her to the management hall to meet the various steward matrons.

Shi’yiniang entered Zhen Jie’er’s warm inner room, where Zhen Jie’er was quietly reassuring Zhun Ge: “…if Grandmother agrees, you can come sleep at my place too!”

When they saw Shi’yiniang come in, both stood up. Zhun Ge even stepped in front of Zhen Jie’er, looking as though he feared Shi’yiniang had come to take her away.

Shi’yiniang paused for a moment, then sat down.

Little Oriole quickly poured her a cup of hot tea.

Shi’yiniang leaned in and asked Zhen Jie’er quietly: “Do you truly not want to move?”

Zhen Jie’er’s expression was complicated.

“I have no other meaning,” Shi’yiniang explained, speaking to her as one friend to another. “I just feel that you’re older now, and you can’t keep sheltering yourself in your warm inner room. You should go out and meet people, make some friends. Would you like to try? If you truly find it unbearable, I’ll speak to Grandmother and arrange for you to move back.”

Zhen Jie’er’s eyes suddenly brimmed with tears. She shook her head: “I just can’t bear to leave Grandmother and Zhun Ge. If I move away, who will take care of them?”

Shi’yiniang saw that this child, so young, had spoken such thoughtful words — she was clearly someone who had never known what it meant to be willful. Her own eyes grew moist in turn.

“Even though you’ll be living with me, you’ll still come with me every day to pay your morning and evening respects to Grandmother. You can stay and keep her company then — that’ll be just the same.” She glanced at Zhun Ge. “This is good for Zhun Ge too. He’s a boy, after all. He can’t stay sheltered in the inner quarters forever.”

Zhen Jie’er dried her tears and nodded: “I understand.”

But Zhun Ge cried out: “I want to play with my sister!”

Shi’yiniang smiled: “Nobody’s stopping you two from playing together. You’re both keeping Grandmother company — someone ought to come and keep me company too, shouldn’t they?”

Zhun Ge froze: “Why should we keep you company?”

“Because I get frightened on my own!”

Zhun Ge pouted but said nothing more.

Shi’yiniang smiled and crouched down to speak with him: “Whenever you miss Zhen Jie’er, you can come to our place to play. That way, you’ll have two places to visit instead of one — isn’t that better?”

Zhun Ge sensed something was off with this reasoning, but couldn’t quite put his finger on where. He tilted his head and pondered for a long while, then said: “Grandmother has to agree first.”

“Our Zhun Ge is so sensible,” Shi’yiniang immediately praised him. “He knows to ask Grandmother first and not make the adults worry.”

At that, a trace of a smile flickered in Zhun Ge’s eyes.

Shi’yiniang seized the moment and took his hand: “Shall we go with Zhen Jie’er to help choose furnishings for her room? We can make it beautiful for her — what do you say?”

Zhun Ge immediately called out his approval at the top of his lungs.

Shi’yiniang led him toward the Dowager Madam’s quarters: “We need to let Grandmother know we’re going to the storehouse. Otherwise, she’ll worry.”

Zhun Ge nodded and at once grabbed Zhen Jie’er’s hand: “We’re going to pick pretty things for you.”

Zhen Jie’er looked at Shi’yiniang with a trace of concern, hesitating: “Is… is this alright?”

Shi’yiniang held up the authorization token for her to see: “Grandmother gave it to me.”

Seeing it, Zhen Jie’er’s eyes reddened. Without a word, she followed Shi’yiniang to bid farewell to the Dowager Madam, and then, accompanied by Weizi and a few junior maids, made their way to the storehouse.

At the steps before the storehouse, Shi’yiniang stopped and smiled: “Zhen Jie’er, this is your room — you decide how it’s to be arranged. Zhun Ge and I will wait for you out here. Once you’ve chosen, make a list in two copies, then have the work matrons carry everything over to my quarters. I’ll be waiting for you out here.” She had the junior maids bring two grand armchairs and sat down with Zhun Ge, one on each side, to play cat’s cradle.

Standing before the half-open storehouse doors, Zhen Jie’er looked back at Shi’yiniang and Zhun Ge, who were smiling and laughing as they played cat’s cradle together, and her heart was in turmoil.

Because of this person before her, the quiet, still days she had always known seemed to have suddenly turned completely upside down. Faced with all these changes, she did not know what to make of them…

Weizi noticed Zhen Jie’er standing there in a daze and called out softly with a smile: “Zhen Jie’er.”

Zhen Jie’er startled back to her senses, quickly smiled and nodded at Weizi, and stepped into the storehouse.

Shi’yiniang had deliberately refrained from going inside. She did not want Zhen Jie’er to guess at her own tastes and choose furnishings to please her. She wanted Zhen Jie’er to choose what she herself liked.

While she and Zhun Ge were happily engrossed in their game of cat’s cradle, a junior maid came running over: “Madam, the Third Mistress of the Cheng’guo Duke’s manor has arrived.”

She had forgotten all about that.

She said a few words to Zhen Jie’er, then coaxed Zhun Ge to return to the Dowager Madam’s quarters, and at last went back to her own rooms with Lvyun and Hongxiu.

Third Mistress Qiao wore a sapphire blue floral brocade vest, and her expression was as composed and reserved as ever.

Shi’yiniang had the junior maids bring a small stool for Third Mistress Qiao and waited until tea had been served before speaking unhurriedly: “I asked Third Mistress Qiao to come for two reasons. First, Qiao Yiniang has not been well, and I thought having you here would give her someone to talk to, which might help her recover more quickly. Second, there is a matter I would like you to help me decide upon.”

Third Mistress Qiao sat upright as a pine and smiled faintly: “I wonder in what way your servant might be of assistance to Fourth Madam?”

She asked only about the matter at hand, without committing herself to any promise of help.

—