Eleventh Miss lay curled against Xu Lingyi’s chest and could not gather her senses for a long while.
*”This is Marquis Yongping’s estate. You are my wife, Xu Lingyi’s wife.”*
Her ears were still ringing.
Many people and matters that she had once overlooked, or chosen to forget, were rising one by one from the depths of her memory.
Her heart was like water brought to a boil — bubbling and roiling, steaming with heat. At one moment it seemed a little sour, at another a little astringent, at yet another a little bitter… all these things tangled together, leaving her at a loss to name what she was feeling.
There were things she had never expected to receive. There were things she had never imagined would come to pass.
And yet everything, every last thing, was confirming some deeper pattern.
How had it come to this?
She buried her face against Xu Lingyi’s shoulder, and for a moment had no idea what to do with herself.
Xu Lingyi reached casually for a garment and used it to wipe the thin sheen of perspiration from her back.
“What is it?” Feeling her body stiffen slightly, he asked her quietly, “Is something hurting you somewhere?”
He had never allowed himself to be as uninhibited as he had been tonight.
“No — it is nothing!” Eleventh Miss did not know how to respond to him; her mind was still somewhat muddled.
Xu Lingyi did not believe her.
Eleventh Miss was a person who could accommodate a great deal. There were times she had been hurt and said nothing at all.
He looked her over carefully, and as was her habit, she pushed him away: “I am just a little tired!”
Xu Lingyi saw the brief flicker of confusion that crossed her brow, and understood immediately.
Eleventh Miss knew what she herself was feeling.
And he had long known her thoughts as well. From the issuing of the imperial decree to Yang Shi’s arrival in the household, he had watched, behind the apparent composure she maintained, all of her anxious uncertainty, her hesitation and wavering. But he had had no better way of handling things. The imperial decree had already been accepted, the date had already been set — anything said at this point was already too late. There was only this one way left to tell her what he felt.
What’s more, Eleventh Miss had never been the sort of woman who wallowed in self-pity and shut herself away to brood. She had understood his intent quickly enough!
Xu Lingyi smiled with quiet relief, and in a motion so gentle he himself did not notice it, pressed his lips to Eleventh Miss’s temple: “Would you like some water?”
Eleventh Miss was like a narcissus flower: she looked as though she could thrive in a clay pot with nothing more than a little water, but in truth she needed just the right soil, just the right water, sunlight and warmth and cleanliness — delicate and particular, and not easily tended well.
After these intimacies, she liked to have a cup of warm water.
Eleventh Miss nodded vaguely, drank a few sips from the teacup Xu Lingyi held to her, and felt her heart grow a little calmer.
Whatever it might be — some things, as long as they were never spoken aloud, could be left in comfortable vagueness.
But it was as though she had glimpsed something she ought not to have seen, and try as she might, Eleventh Miss could no longer recover the easy unconcern she had felt before. Kneeling like this across Xu Lingyi’s lap had become distinctly awkward.
Her face slightly flushed, she said: “Tomorrow I still need to discuss the badge embroidery work with Master Jian. I will go to sleep first.”
But Xu Lingyi’s arm tightened around her: “Let us talk for a while.”
This posture…
Eleventh Miss squirmed with a hint of discomfort.
Which promptly caused Xu Lingyi’s, until now subsided, desire to stir back to life.
Eleventh Miss was deeply flustered; Xu Lingyi was somewhat taken aback.
He had always been able to govern himself.
He hesitated for a brief moment.
Eleventh Miss was still so young… though not so young either… she had already celebrated her coming-of-age last year… girls her age, many of them were already mothers…
And then, thinking of the exquisite delight of Eleventh Miss blooming like a flower beneath him, Xu Lingyi gave in to his instincts and murmured her small name softly against her ear —
*”Mo Yan…”*
—
Nanny Song, just as she did every morning, wore her customary expression — warm and kindly, yet carrying its usual air of quiet authority — as she directed the young maidservants to lay fresh bedding and covers on the bed. Eleventh Miss, meanwhile, chatted with Hupo, who was helping her dress and groom, carefully keeping her attention from the goings-on behind the bed curtains: “…So you are saying she has already started eating and drinking with great enthusiasm?”
Before the New Year, Binju had been found to be with child, and the Wan family, overjoyed, had taken her back to their estate in the country to be looked after. Since the first three months were not suitable for receiving visitors, Eleventh Miss had only these past few days sent a young manservant to bring Binju some food.
“That is putting it mildly,” said Hupo, pinning the solid-gold and Hetian-jade gourd hairpin into Eleventh Miss’s hair. “They say she eats four meals a day, which means her mother-in-law has to light the kitchen stove four times a day. Wan Jiefu also takes every free moment to run home.” She paused, a trace of worry crossing her face. “If the baby turns out to be a girl…”
“Do you know how the character for ‘good’ is written?” Eleventh Miss chatted idly with her. “It is made up of the character for ‘woman’ first, and the character for ‘son’ second. Having a daughter first is a fine thing…”
Eleventh Miss’s easy, rambling chatter, Hupo’s cheerful banter, the great red camellia blooms on the windowsill, the maidservants and matrons bustling about to tidy the bed — all of it together formed a scene of warm, lively contentment. Xu Lingyi, who had been out in the courtyard practising his forms and had just come inside, paused for a moment in the doorway to take it in.
When Eleventh Miss was in good spirits, the atmosphere of the whole household lifted with her…
A deeply satisfied smile settled in his eyes, and then he stepped with purpose into the inner room.
—
“He spent the night in the main rooms again?”
Wen Yiniang, still in bed with the quilt pulled around her, stared at Qiu Hong in some astonishment.
Qiu Hong nodded and said quietly: “I even saw Nanny Song herself carrying the fresh bedding to the laundry.”
Wen Yiniang listened with an expression that shifted between thoughts.
Qiu Hong thought of Eleventh Miss having handed Yang Yiniang over to Wen Yiniang’s care, and said with worried concern: “Then — what should we do?”
Wen Yiniang shot Qiu Hong a sharp look: “If I knew that, would I be lying here unable to sleep?”
The words had barely left her lips when Yu’er came running in: “Yiniang! Yiniang! This is terrible — Yang Yiniang has come to pay her respects to you!”
Wen Yiniang and Qiu Hong exchanged a startled glance, then hastily rose to dress, and she told Yu’er: “Ask Yang Yiniang to wait in the hall — say I will be right there.”
Yu’er went off to relay the message, and Wen Yiniang urged Qiu Hong: “Quick — help me comb my hair.” She muttered under her breath: “Why does she have to be so tiresome? What are you staring at me for — you are out of favour too!”
—
Compared with Wen Yiniang’s lazy morning, Qin Yiniang was up and about early — it was a habit formed in her days as a maidservant.
After washing and dressing, she first lit a stick of incense before the bodhisattva, then returned to her inner room and sat down, letting Cui’er serve her a few bites of pastry.
This too was a habit from her maidservant days — if you went early to attend to people, who knew what errands you might be sent on? Better to have something small to eat first, so that even if you missed the main meal you would not be left faint with hunger.
It had been Biyu who taught her that, come to think of it.
Qin Yiniang’s easy smile faltered slightly.
Then she rose, washed her hands, and went to the warm room where the household shrine was kept to offer three more sticks of incense.
When she came out, Cui’er was distributing a few copper coins as a tip to the young maidservant who had come with a report. Once the girl had thanked her cheerfully and gone, Qin Yiniang said: “What news?”
“He spent the night in the main rooms!” Cui’er said quietly, watching Qin Yiniang’s expression as she spoke.
Sure enough, Qin Yiniang’s face changed colour.
She stood for a moment in thought, then turned back toward the warm room.
After emerging from offering three more sticks of incense, she told Cui’er: “Go and send word to Reverend Jining — tell her I would like her to perform a ceremony for the Second Young Master.”
Cui’er was somewhat surprised by this, and reminded her: “Yiniang, the eighth day of the fourth month is almost here…”
“I told you to go, so go!” Qin Yiniang said with a flash of impatience. “When did you become so full of opinions?”
In the courtyard just ahead, there came a loud crash of something being thrown and broken. But it was far enough away that neither Qin Yiniang nor Cui’er could hear it.
—
By the time the morning meal arrived, the several yiniiang filed in one after another to pay their respects.
The first to enter was Qiao Lianfang, followed by Wen Yiniang, Qin Yiniang, and Yang Yiniang.
Qiao Lianfang was dressed in a light blue jacket with a vase motif, her hair done up in a drooping-horse-tail bun, with a yellow peony blossom the size of a rice bowl pinned in it, and in her hands she carried a crystal dish chilled with three red, one pink, and one purple bloom.
“Elder Sister,” she said with a bright smile, stepping forward to curtsy before Eleventh Miss, “these have only just opened this morning — I picked out the best-blooming ones to bring for Elder Sister to wear.” She smiled and set the crystal dish on the low table by the heated bed platform.
The season for peonies had not yet arrived, but the Xu household had a hothouse and it was common for flowers to bloom one or two months ahead of their natural time.
Wen Yiniang, Qin Yiniang, and Yang Yiniang made their curtsies and then stood respectfully with hands folded to one side. Yang Shi in particular stood at the very back and did not glance even once in the direction of Xu Lingyi, who was seated on the heated platform opposite.
Eleventh Miss smiled and selected one of the large red blooms.
Its petals were layered and abundant, its colour bright and vivid: “How lovely.”
Qiao Lianfang said with a smile: “Allow me to pin it in Elder Sister’s hair.”
Having no particular habit of wearing flowers, Eleventh Miss deflected pleasantly: “I will wear it the next time I do a drooping-horse-tail bun.” Then she gestured to Hupo: “Let the yiniiang each choose one they like.”
Wen Yiniang immediately said: “How kind of the Madam — I will take a share of this good fortune for myself. In an ordinary household at this time of year, not only would there be no peony to wear, there would not even be a single bud to be seen!” And with that she chose the pink one and pinned it at her temple.
Qin Yiniang looked over and selected the purple one.
That left one red bloom.
Yang Yiniang smiled and picked it up: “If it were not for what the Madam just said, I would not have known that even pinning a flower had its etiquette. I am glad I did not rush ahead and put it in my hair — I might have made a fool of myself.” She had her hair done in a coiled bun today. Then she added: “I have heard people say the peony is the queen of flowers, and the peony is the gentleman among flowers. And they bloom in the season of peaches and plums — it would be a shame not to wear one, yet wearing one might not accord with what the Madam has said.” Having said this, she gave Eleventh Miss a curtsy: “Madam, with your permission, I would like to give this flower to our First Young Miss.”
Wen Yiniang, Qin Yiniang, and Qiao Lianfang were all visibly taken aback, and even Xu Lingyi glanced up to look at her.
Eleventh Miss lifted her teacup and sipped from it at a leisurely pace, then smiled: “How thoughtful of you. Then let it go to the First Young Miss.”
Yang Yiniang smiled and replaced the flower in the chilled crystal dish.
Xu Sijie and Xu Sizhun arrived to pay their morning respects, and the room grew lively, which put an end to the matter.
Once Zhen Jie’er arrived, Eleventh Miss dismissed the several yiniiang, instructed Lvyun to fetch Master Jian, and together with Xu Lingyi and the children ate the morning meal and then went to pay their respects to the Dowager Marchioness.
The Dowager Marchioness was seated before the broad heated platform by the window, writing, and set down her brush when she saw them come in.
After paying their respects, Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie stood on their tiptoes, curious to see. One of them read aloud “Ge Jin, Yu Ban” — the names of peony varieties — and the other opened his eyes wide and asked: “Grandmother, do you know how to write too?” This made the Dowager Marchioness laugh heartily, and she had Nanny Du reward him with a box of shrimp-whisker pastries.
—