The steps of Shaohua Courtyard were as lofty as ever, with tender new blades of grass swaying in the cracks between the stones.

Shiyiniang lifted her skirts and picked her way carefully up the steps, ever mindful of a misstep.

It was already spring, and all the trees were putting forth new growth — yet it was also the season when bamboo leaves fell. As the spring breeze passed through, withered yellow leaves drifted down in rustling showers, lending the scene a touch of the autumn’s bleakness.

Jiexiang came hurrying out to meet them: “My Lord! Fourth Madam!” She curtsied. “Madam is in the middle of teaching the young miss the Book of Odes…”

“Shall we wait a little, then?” Shiyiniang glanced at Xu Lingyi for his opinion. She noticed a stone table and stools in the bamboo grove and smiled as she pointed toward them. “Or — shall we sit in the bamboo grove for a while? That way we won’t disturb Second Sister-in-law and Zhen Jie’er.”

Although the spring sun was mild, they had walked some distance wearing lined jackets, and a warmth had settled over them.

A light, cool breeze drifted through the grove, and Xu Lingyi exhaled comfortably. “Why not,” he said with a smile.

“This…” Jiexiang’s expression showed some hesitation.

Before she could finish, Shiyiniang said with a smile, “We are tired from walking and could use a rest here. Just have some warm tea prepared for My Lord — that will be all.”

Jiexiang could not well insist further. She led the small maids to fetch brocade cushions for the stone stools, then set out two cups of biluochun tea.

“You go and attend to your duties,” Shiyiniang said, lifting her cup and taking a sip. “We have the young maids here to attend to us. When Second Sister-in-law has finished the lesson with Zhen Jie’er, come and let us know.”

Seeing that Xu Lingyi offered no objection, Jiexiang curtsied and withdrew, leaving only one young maid — not yet old enough to put her hair up — standing at a respectful distance.

Xu Lingyi sipped his tea several times and said, “It has been a long while since I last sat here.”

“Did My Lord used to come here often?” Shiyiniang smiled. “This is only my second time here.”

“This was once Second Elder Brother’s study.” Xu Lingyi looked out at the bamboo filling the courtyard. “These bamboos — Second Elder Brother himself gave the order to plant them… After Second Sister-in-law moved here, I stopped coming.” Something stirred at the depths of his eyes, a glimmer of memory.

This was a part of his life that Shiyiniang could not share in, but she could choose to honor it.

She listened to the faint rustling of the bamboo and felt the comfortable brush of the morning breeze against her face, sitting quietly beside him as they drank their tea.

Second Madam, dressed in a pale blue-gray gown, came walking lightly through the bamboo grove with Jiexiang and Zhen Jie’er.

Xu Lingyi quickly rose and bowed: “Second Sister-in-law!”

Shiyiniang rose directly behind him.

Second Madam stopped about ten paces away. Her gaze rested on Shiyiniang with a hint of a smile. In the quiet stillness of the bamboo grove, her face — white as fine porcelain — had the luminous warmth of jade.

“My Lord! Fourth Sister-in-law!”

Zhen Jie’er stepped forward to pay her respects to her parents.

Shiyiniang smiled and took her by the hand, then greeted Second Madam: “Second Sister-in-law!”

Second Madam nodded gently and asked Xu Lingyi, “Would My Lord prefer to sit here for a while, or to go inside for a cup of tea?”

Xu Lingyi thought of the purpose of their visit, and felt it would be more fitting to speak indoors. He smiled and replied, “Let us go inside to sit with Second Sister-in-law, if we may.”

Second Madam turned to one side and made a welcoming gesture. Shiyiniang followed behind Xu Lingyi and entered the room.

On the long table in the main hall, a celadon blue-and-white vase held a spray of winter jasmine — pale golden petals and wildly arching branches, brimming with the vigorous vitality of spring.

Zhen Jie’er withdrew politely. Xu Lingyi and the others took their seats according to proper hierarchy, and Jiexiang served the tea.

Second Madam lifted her cup and took a sip, then came directly to the point: “What brings My Lord and Fourth Sister-in-law to visit today?” As she spoke, her gaze lingered briefly on Shiyiniang before moving on.

Shiyiniang smiled and picked up her own teacup — as the head of the household, Xu Lingyi ought to have the floor here.

“Primarily on account of Siyu’s matter.” Xu Lingyi was equally direct. “First, we wished to express our gratitude to Second Sister-in-law. This match could only have come about through your mediation and efforts on our behalf. Second, we hope to formally present our betrothal gifts to the Xiang Family after the mourning rite is concluded, and we would like to ask Second Sister-in-law to sound out Master Xiang’s sentiments beforehand — by my reckoning, Master Xiang should be setting out within the next few days. When the time comes, I should also like to send someone to formally propose.”

“We are all one family — there is no need to draw such clear distinctions.” Second Madam glanced at Shiyiniang, who sat quietly to the side with a composed smile. “Siyu is my nephew. Running a little errand on his behalf is only right.”

“Even so, it is for our sake.” Xu Lingyi glanced at his wife, who was seated just below him, and spoke to Second Madam with genuine sincerity. “We should come to thank Second Sister-in-law properly, whatever the case.”

“Indeed.” Shiyiniang smiled and joined in, “Although Siyu is your nephew, your care for him comes from the heart. It is because of that care that he has been able to secure such a fine match. As his parents, how could we not come to thank Second Sister-in-law.”

Xu Lingyi nodded.

Second Madam looked at the husband and wife before her — perfectly in step with one another — her expression shifting subtly. She smiled and said, “Fourth Sister-in-law need not stand on ceremony with me.” Then she brought up the matter of her return to the Xiang household on her own initiative: “…I will go back for a visit tomorrow.”

Xu Lingyi thanked Second Madam once more.

Second Madam waved her hand: “My Lord is being too formal — this starts to feel like we are strangers.”

Xu Lingyi said no more. They agreed she would send word that afternoon.

Back at the Grand Madam’s, word had reached her that Xu Lingyi and Shiyiniang had gone together to Shaohua Courtyard, and she smiled: “So the two of them have made up!”

“It would seem so,” Nanny Du said with a smile. “The maids say they were talking and laughing quite cheerfully.”

The Grand Madam let out a quiet sigh of relief: “Good, good. I was afraid the child would not know how to handle herself and just keep a cold face turned toward Old Fourth indefinitely. You have to know when to stop. And Old Fourth has a stubborn streak of his own.” She then asked, “Did you find out what they quarreled over?”

Nanny Du shook her head: “There are things one cannot ask too deeply into.”

The Grand Madam thought for a moment, then smiled with an air of letting it go: “Never mind. Husband and wife — they quarrel at the head of the bed and make peace at the foot. So long as they are getting along, that is all that matters.”

Nanny Du nodded along, smiling broadly.

“But what did they go to find Yizhen for?” the Grand Madam said — she had claimed not to concern herself, yet curiosity still got the better of her. “Go and call Yizhen over later. I want to ask her.”

Nanny Du laughed: “Did you not just say you were not going to interfere?”

“That is a different matter entirely.” The Grand Madam was unruffled. “One concerns affairs within the chamber; the other concerns affairs outside it. The matters within the chamber — there is a saying: ‘When husband and wife are at odds, even their neighbors will take liberties.’ If I were to get involved every time there was the slightest trouble between those two, would I not be broadcasting their every difficulty to the entire household, making everyone think they are at odds? A small matter would become a large one. By the same token, if their quarrels were to reach a truly grave point and I still said nothing, others would see that there is no authoritative elder in the household, and might assume I look down on Shiyiniang — and then they would begin to pile on and disrespect her all the more. But affairs outside the chamber are different. Since the two of them went together, they must have discussed it between themselves beforehand. Even if I ask, and others come to know of it, they would only laugh at an old woman who cannot leave well enough alone — it would not compromise their dignity as husband and wife.”

“You always have your reasons,” Nanny Du teased with a smile, and called Weizi in: “Go to Shaohua Courtyard. If My Lord and the Fourth Madam have already left, please ask the Second Madam to come over.”

Weizi assented and went.

The Grand Madam’s smile faded slightly: “What did the Abbess Jining say about things on her end?”

That very morning, the Abbess Jining had come to call on Fifth Madam.

Nanny Du drew in her expression somewhat: “She said the Second Young Miss is fine. She took her pulse and left several boxes of calming incense. She is now in the process of expounding on the sutras to Fifth Madam.”

The Grand Madam frowned: “For a child, all this coming and going of priests — it is not a healthy state of affairs.”

Nanny Du watched the Grand Madam’s expression carefully and held her tongue.

The Grand Madam sat in thought for a moment, then instructed her: “Go to Red Lantern Lane later and discuss this matter with the Old Marquis. If it truly will not do, have the Old Marquis bring the child back to live at home for a few days. A change of surroundings — perhaps the ailment will right itself.” She sighed. “The child — she seemed so quick and clever ordinarily, and yet at a critical moment she cannot keep her composure…” Then her voice dropped low and she murmured, “Not as good as Shiyiniang.”

Nanny Du did not dare agree aloud. She pretended not to have heard and, with a smile, poured the Grand Madam a fresh cup of hot tea.

Meanwhile, Jiexiang poured a cup of warm tea for Weizi: “Weizi, my little sister, you’ve come all this way — you must be thirsty. This is the biluochun sent by our Madam’s brother. Have a taste.”

Weizi hardly dared to sit there at her ease. She stepped forward quickly to take the cup: “Jiexiang, elder sister, please don’t fuss so!”

Jiexiang said nothing more, smiled, and said, “Please forgive me for asking you to wait a moment, Weizi — Madam is just changing her garments. She will be right out.”

Weizi politely replied, “I’ll wait right here. Elder sister, do go about your business — don’t mind me.”

Jiexiang exchanged a few more pleasantries with her, then went to Second Madam’s inner chamber.

“Half a conversation, and Weizi couldn’t say what exactly the Grand Madam wants to see you for.”

Second Madam smiled as she applied fragrant cream to her face, and said placidly, “There is no need to ask. It is almost certainly about the quarrel between Shiyiniang and My Lord.”

Jiexiang trusted Second Madam’s judgment implicitly, but was still puzzled: “Fourth Madam quarreled with My Lord? I didn’t notice anything. How did Madam know?”

“If they had not quarreled, why would the two of them have come together to see me?” Second Madam said to her own reflection in the mirror. “My guess is that My Lord arranged this match for Siyu without once consulting Shiyiniang — otherwise, a person as careful and considerate as Shiyiniang would have thanked me on the spot when she met me at the Grand Madam’s that day. She would not have waited until today, bringing My Lord along with her.” At this, she turned and gave Jiexiang a brilliant smile. “But the fact that she managed to get My Lord to come along — she is quite an interesting person.”

Jiexiang found nothing interesting about it at all. She furrowed her brow and said softly, “Madam, did you not say that you would only be an intermediary in this, and whether the match succeeded or failed would be entirely for My Lord and your brother to decide themselves? How is it that you agreed to My Lord’s request to go back and…”

“That is precisely why I say Fourth Sister-in-law is an interesting person!” Second Madam said with a laugh. “I had assumed that once she found out, she would surely refuse to consent. I never imagined she would bring My Lord here to thank me.” She gave Jiexiang a playful wink. “So I have decided I must make this trip no matter what.”

“But Madam — the matter of the Mistress of the house?” Jiexiang said with some worry.

“What about her — what of it?” Second Madam was entirely unbothered. “All she can do is shout at my elder brother about going back to her mother’s family to tell her father and brothers. Beyond that, what other idea could she possibly come up with? In the old days, I gave way to her in all things — not because her father was the Prefect of the Capital, but because I hoped she would live peaceably with my elder brother. But when Second Elder Brother passed and she was willing to dismiss every last servant in the household, weeping and wailing and insisting on following my elder brother to his posting — my heart toward her went cold.”

—