By the end of the eighth month, Steward Bai sent word from the outer courtyard.

“…Ever since the Yang family sent their daughter to the Marquis of Jianning’s household, they built five rooms of brick and tile, added fifty mu of farmland, purchased a maidservant, and hired two long-term laborers. Their only son was also sent to a private school for his education. Yang’s father even became a local constable some two years back. The family is doing very well for themselves.”

Eleventh Miss nodded and had Hupo go and convey the news to Yang Yiniang.

Yang Yiniang kowtowed to Eleventh Miss in gratitude. Within a few days she had sewn a Hunan-silk skirt — eight panels of pale scallion-white ground embroidered with white plum blossoms — and presented it to Eleventh Miss: “…I only ask Madam to understand this small token of my heartfelt gratitude.”

Her complexion was pale and she looked weary, clearly having spent several nights without sleep.

Eleventh Miss smiled and had Hupo accept it.

Wen Yiniang stood nearby with a quiet smile, saying nothing.

A few days later Yang Yiniang sent over two pairs of shoes and two handkerchiefs as well.

Eleventh Miss accepted those with a smile too. Though she was never seen using the items, Yang Yiniang gradually found ways to exchange words with Eleventh Miss.

“The black chrysanthemums, green peonies, cascading curtain vine, and jade-spring bottle flower in the heated greenhouse have all bloomed.” When she came in the mornings to pay her respects and saw Lvyun tending to the pale yellow osmanthus blossoms Eleventh Miss kept on the inner room windowsill, she would venture cautiously, “Madam, shall I go to the greenhouse and bring a few pots to set on the windowsill for you?”

Eleventh Miss smiled and replied, “Chrysanthemums wilt too quickly.”

Yang Yiniang listened and quietly returned to her needlework. When the full-month celebration for Binju’s eldest son came around, she sent four sets of infant clothing: “…Not a patch on Wan Daxian’s fine needlework, but wearable at least.”

Eleventh Miss smilingly had Hupo present Binju with both her own gift — a pure silver necklace and bracelet she had had made for the child — and the little garments Yang Yiniang had sewn.

Yang Yiniang then brought some of her own embroidery pattern designs to show Eleventh Miss. “I do not know if the festivity shop might have any use for them.”

In the business of running a shop, one encounters every manner of customer. Eleventh Miss accepted them with a smile and passed them along to Master Jian. Master Jian had the embroidery workers stitch up several sets following the designs, and they sold remarkably well. Master Jian enclosed five taels of silver in a red envelope for Eleventh Miss to pass to Yang Yiniang: “…This comes from Master Jian. When an embroidery worker in the shop creates a design that sells well, she receives this kind of bonus too.”

Yang Yiniang was quite taken aback. She thanked Eleventh Miss again and again, and then, as if suddenly taken by a passion for it, bent herself diligently over her desk and produced seven or eight more pattern designs for the festivity shop. Eleventh Miss passed them all along to Master Jian as before; Master Jian used two of them and returned the rest: “…They are beautiful, but too intricate — the labor involved in embroidering them would make them costly, and buyers would likely balk at the price.” Yang Yiniang thereupon began designing simpler patterns instead, and in doing so imperceptibly lightened Master Jian’s burden; the range and variety of the festivity shop’s offerings also grew richer as a result — something Eleventh Miss had not anticipated from the start. And for this reason, not only did Yang Yiniang come to chat and laugh freely with Eleventh Miss, she also lingered often in Eleventh Miss’s rooms, lending a hand with small tasks from time to time. In the eyes of others, with the Empress Dowager gone, Yang Yiniang and Eleventh Miss had actually grown closer than ever.

Qiu Hong looked on with some unease.

“Lady,” she said, choosing a moment when Wen Yiniang was in high spirits helping Zhen Jie’er inventory her trousseau goods, “you know business best of anyone. Do you not think you might help Madam with ideas for her festivity shop as well?”

“No need!” Wen Yiniang looked with satisfaction at the newly arrived batch of famille rose porcelain with peony designs and gave a pleased nod. “We need only attend properly to First Miss’s affairs.”

Seeing Wen Yiniang so unconcerned, Qiu Hong pressed further: “But you see what Yang Yiniang is doing — should you not at least make more appearances before Madam?”

Wen Yiniang gave an odd smile. “I think it best to leave that aside.”

“But why?” Qiu Hong was puzzled. “Did you not used to frequent Madam’s presence often in the past?”

Wen Yiniang waved her hand, signaling Qiu Hong to say no more, for Qin Yiniang had arrived.

Qiu Hong swallowed her words and smiled as she poured tea and set out refreshments for Qin Yiniang.

Qin Yiniang reached into her sleeve and produced five gold bars. “…These — help me exchange them for silver.”

Wen Yiniang was taken aback, and hesitated. “Have you encountered some difficulty these past days?”

Since the beginning of the year, she had exchanged twenty gold bars for her in total, all told.

In earlier years, Xu Siyu had been the marquis’s only son, and not only the Grand Madam but even First Madam had frequently bestowed gifts. Those gifts were all kept by Qin Yiniang, so naturally she had some private savings. Even so, at this rate they would not last. Besides, Qin Yiniang’s daily expenses were covered by the household, and she neither drank nor gambled, nor had any brothers or family to support — by rights there should be no large outlays to speak of.

“It is Yi Yiniang.” Qin Yiniang’s gaze shifted slightly. “You know we are close. When someone is in difficulty, one must help, no matter how hard it may be.”

Since she would not say more, Wen Yiniang could not press her further, but still offered a reminder: “Money is hard to accumulate and easy to spend. It would be better for Qin Yiniang to keep a tighter hand on it.”

Qin Yiniang gave an embarrassed smile and said nothing.

Wen Yiniang told Qiu Hong to bring out the scale to weigh the gold, and told Qin Yiniang to come back in three days to collect the silver notes.

Meanwhile, Eleventh Miss was preparing to go to the Ciyuan Temple.

In two days it would be the first anniversary of Big Madam’s passing. She wished to ask the abbess, Master Jining, to perform a seven-day water-and-land memorial rite on her behalf — as a way of honoring the bond of mother and daughter they had shared.

Fifth Miss sent her maidservant Zhuo Tao over.

The young girl who had once been as tender and fresh as new buds on a willow branch in the third month had grown into a graceful young woman, like a small peach blossom in full bloom.

She smiled and curtsied to Eleventh Miss, then said respectfully, “Our mistress sent me especially to ask Madam about the arrangements for the first anniversary of the late Big Madam’s passing.” She explained further, “Our master is away from home, Xin Ge’er is still small, and Ziwei recently became engaged, so there is no one at home to consult. Mistress had no choice but to come to Madam for guidance.”

Eleventh Miss was quite surprised.

“Where has your master gone? Why is he away from home?”

“He went to Xuantong,” Zhuo Tao said with a smile. “He said he was going to visit a friend in business there, and will not return until after the start of winter.”

Eleventh Miss was taken aback. While quietly turning Zhuo Tao’s words over in her mind, she asked, “Who has Ziwei been betrothed to?”

“The youngest son of the Peng family, who used to deliver dried goods to our household,” Zhuo Tao said with a smile. “When she marries she will be a proper mistress of the house. The Peng family also has a two-courtyard residence in the city. It is a very good family.”

Such a good family, and yet they would take a maidservant from a modest household as a wife.

Eleventh Miss felt a vague unease in her heart, but did not want to ask further, fearing she might uncover something sorrowful. She suppressed the thought entirely. Then she asked, “Why, that means only you and Sui’er are left at home!”

Zhuo Tao nodded. “Xin Ge’er has been coughing these past two days as well. If he were well, our mistress would have come herself long ago — she would never have sent me to speak so presumptuously before Madam.”

Upon hearing that Xin Ge’er was ill, Eleventh Miss asked after him at length. Learning it was only the dry air of early autumn, she instructed Lvyun to take a bottle of Sichuan fritillary and loquat syrup that had arrived from the palace a few days ago and send it with Zhuo Tao. Then she laid out her own plan: “…If Fifth Sister is willing, the two of us sisters can go together.”

Zhuo Tao smiled and agreed, and set off with the syrup back to Sixiang Hutong.

The next day she came again.

“Our mistress says she will certainly be there.” Then she added, “Mistress also wishes to thank Madam for the medicine. Xin Ge’er has improved greatly after taking it — much better than what the doctors outside have prescribed. She asks whether there might be more. If there is, could Madam spare another two bottles?” As she said this, Zhuo Tao’s face had gone quite red.

But Eleventh Miss could understand Fifth Miss’s feelings perfectly.

When a child is ill, the mother’s anxiety is the greatest of all.

She had Lvyun bring the remaining bottle. “…It was a gift from the palace, and I only received two bottles. Let her use this one first. If more is needed, I will find another way.”

Zhuo Tao departed with many, many thanks.

Eleventh Miss sent someone to the Ciyuan Temple to discuss the arrangements for the memorial rite with Master Jining.

That evening Xu Lingyi returned and asked her, “What did the Ciyuan Temple say?”

Since the Empress Dowager’s death, Xu Lingyi was often summoned by the Emperor to the palace for conversation, sometimes staying an entire afternoon, and sometimes not returning until the lamps had already been lit. When asked what they had spoken about, he always said it was ordinary, everyday talk.

“Everything has been arranged.” She attended to his washing and freshening up as she spoke. “I will leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

Xu Lingyi gave a nod. Seeing that Eleventh Miss had gone straight to bed after washing up, he smiled. “Why have you stopped taking that loquat syrup?”

It was only just the beginning of autumn, and already Eleventh Miss had brought out her loquat syrup, pear water, and other heat-clearing tonics — generously put, this was prudent forethought; less generously, it was timid overcaution. The image came to his mind of Xu Sijie, tears brimming at his lashes, dutifully drinking pear water while gazing up at Eleventh Miss with a pitifully pleading look, and he felt the urge to laugh again.

Eleventh Miss could tell at a glance what Xu Lingyi was thinking.

A flash of indignant embarrassment rose in her.

The standard of medical care in this era was poor — how could one afford not to be careful?

“Xin Ge’er fell ill, so I had it sent to Fifth Miss.” Eleventh Miss gave Xu Lingyi a sidelong glance. “So today I had Hupo stew some pear water with Sichuan fritillary instead.” She rose and picked up the half-full bowl she had not yet finished, and offered it to Xu Lingyi. “There is half a bowl left for my lord.” Then she smiled and gave a contented sigh. “If my lord had not mentioned it, I would have quite forgotten.”

It was no wonder people said Xu Sijie was his father’s son.

Not only did they look alike — they even shared the same habit of disliking pear water.

Since Xu Lingyi was a grown man, Eleventh Miss had never pressed him on it.

So when Xu Lingyi looked into the bowl and saw the faintly brownish liquid, his expression went momentarily blank. Then he caught the sly gleam of mischief that flashed through Eleventh Miss’s eyes and felt a warmth stir in his chest, his own playful spirit rising to meet it. Without any change in expression, he took the bowl and drank it down in one clean draught.

The pear water was ice-cold — this was clearly not something that had been set aside for him; she had plainly not finished it herself.

“Who stewed today’s pear water?” he said, keeping his amusement carefully hidden beneath a mild, unhurried tone. “The flavor was not bad. Have her stew me a full bowl tomorrow morning.” With that he passed the bowl back to Eleventh Miss.

Given Xu Lingyi’s precise and exacting nature, she had known he would not refuse — but she had never expected him to actually praise the pear water’s flavor.

She could not help but lower her head and stare at the empty bowl — she had always left these small refreshments in Zhuxiang’s care, and she had tasted nothing unusual just now when she was drinking it… Had she simply not noticed? Or had the person preparing the pear water been changed today? Or had something extra been added?

Whatever the case, since Xu Lingyi had asked for a bowl to be made again tomorrow, she would have someone prepare a large proper bowlful for him.

Having settled on this, Eleventh Miss set the bowl aside and poured clear water for Xu Lingyi to rinse his mouth. Xu Lingyi, for his part, could not stop thinking of how Eleventh Miss had just stood there blankly staring at the empty bowl — it struck him as endearingly childlike, and he could not resist pulling her into his arms for a fond and tender embrace.