Eleventh Young Lady had no particular feelings about birthdays.

In the past, her parents had given her an expensive gift, but apart from that, the day had seemed no different from any other. Others could at least tell their mothers things like “a child’s birthday is the day of the mother’s suffering” — she had no one to say such things to, and naturally had no particular expectations for the occasion.

Later, living together with Xu Lingyi, things were different. In the first year, at her coming-of-age ceremony, he had given her a jade pendant carved with three rams heralding the new year — the jade was of the finest quality, the carving refined and delicate, and she liked it very much and wore it on her person. In the second year, he had asked her “Is there anything in particular you would like?” In her understanding, gifts were something others gave of their own initiative — to reach out and ask for one robbed it of meaning. She had laughed it off with a word: “It is only a simple birthday; the Marquis need not go to such expense,” and Xu Lingyi had not pressed further. A few days in advance he sent her a finely crafted hairpin of solid gold in the shape of a Buddha’s hand basket, unremarkable, nothing out of the ordinary. This year he asked the same question again, with something of a perfunctory air to it, as though completing a set obligation.

Eleventh Young Lady smiled wryly and said: “I lack for nothing. The Marquis need not trouble himself.”

Xu Lingyi nodded and said no more, and a couple of days later sent over a solid gold magnolia hairpin.

Placed side by side, the two hairpins were close in length, craftsmanship, and weight — had the ornamental heads not been different, they might well have been a matched pair. Eleventh Young Lady suspected Xu Lingyi had simply had ten or eight such pins made all at once, each with a different ornament, to be produced one by one every year as needed.

So she had Hupo instruct the outer storeroom to have a long box made for her in purple sandalwood, lined with crimson Zhangzhou velvet, and placed the two hairpins inside side by side.

“Let us see how many I can collect in all,” she said with a smile at the long empty space left in the box, then closed the lid and handed it to Hupo. “Put it away.”

Hupo went off smiling to do so.

Lady Zhou came to call.

“This child is rather a little rascal, is she not!” Seeing that Eleventh Young Lady had not the plumpness common to pregnant women but had in fact grown somewhat thinner than before, she knew she had not yet fully recovered, and smiled as she asked: “Do you prefer sour things or sweet things?”

“Both sour and sweet things!”

The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries with smiles, and Lady Zhou produced a red lacquered box painted with gold: “Your birthday is in a few days and I fear I may not have the chance to come. Consider this an early celebration from me!”

Eleventh Young Lady’s birthday fell exactly on the Dragon Boat Festival.

She thanked her with a smile and had Hupo put the box away, then invited Lady Zhou to stay for a meal.

“In your state, you ought to rest well,” Lady Zhou insisted on leaving. “Once you have delivered, we shall have a proper gathering.” Then she paid her respects to the Grand Matriarch and returned to the Princess’s estate.

Lady Zhou had barely taken her leave before First Madam Lin arrived.

“Several families living under one roof — feeding the whole household takes five large baskets of steamed buns — and then there is delivering cool mats and palm-leaf fans to Hui Jie’er. I will not come on your birthday. Let us find a quieter day another time to sit and have a proper chat.”

She brought a pair of Five Poisons velvet hairpins for Eleventh Young Lady to wear.

The spider and the scorpion were rendered with lifelike artistry. Xu Sijie, upon seeing them, dove into Eleventh Young Lady’s arms with a shriek, sending everyone into peals of laughter.

Eleventh Young Lady took up the hairpin to show him: “Look — they are fake.” Taking pleasure in teasing him, she said: “Touch it — it is fluffy, how charming!”

He timidly extended his little finger and gave it a poke. Seeing the spider’s legs quiver, he ducked his face back into Eleventh Young Lady’s arms with a fright. A moment later he raised his head, steeled himself, and poked it again. Seeing the spider did nothing but quiver and showed no sign of crawling, he grew gradually bolder, and ran his fingertip across the spider’s back — exactly as Eleventh Young Lady had said, fluffy and soft, quite delightful. His courage swelled further. He picked up the hairpin and examined it closely. Just then Siji came in carrying a plate of bright yellow apricots, and Xu Sijie’s eyes darted sideways. He suddenly thrust the hairpin forward. Siji, seeing a dark spider out of nowhere, had no time to tell real from fake; she went white with terror, let out a cry of fright, and the plate in her hands clanged to the floor and shattered, round apricots rolling in every direction.

“Oh dear,” Lvyun exclaimed, and quickly crouched down to gather the apricots. Several little maids saw what had happened and crouched down as well.

Xu Sijie had not expected this outcome and stood there dumbfounded.

Eleventh Young Lady, seeing it, thought better of scolding him and drew Xu Sijie into her embrace instead. She turned to Siji, who stood trembling and looked as though she might cry, and said with a smile: “It is nothing, nothing — just take the apricots to be washed and they will be fine.” Then she lowered her head and said to Xu Sijie: “You see — you have caused trouble now. Do not go frightening people like this in the future!”

Only then did Xu Sijie come to his senses. He nodded repeatedly, and hurried forward to take Siji’s hand and hold the hairpin up before her: “Look — it is fake!”

Siji stumbled back several steps in fright before she dared look properly at what Xu Sijie held in his hand.

Seeing it was indeed just a hairpin, she broke into tearful laughter. “Fifth Young Master — you gave me such a fright!”

Xu Sijie lowered his head a little sheepishly.

A junior maid came in to announce: “Wen Yiniang has arrived!”

“Send her in.”

Wen Yiniang lifted the curtain and entered, followed by Qiuhong, who had her hair dressed in two coiled buns and was wearing a water-red dress with grass-green wave patterns embroidered along the hem.

“What has happened here?” She looked around with a bright smile.

Eleventh Young Lady pointed to the stool at the foot of the bed platform for Wen Yiniang to sit: “Jie Ge’er was frightening people with First Madam Lin’s Five Poisons hairpin!” She said it in a few brief words, then laughed and asked: “What brings you over today?” — but she already knew perfectly well, and let her eye drift sideways to take in Qiuhong, who was crouching together with several small maids gathering up the apricots, her hands swift and nimble.

“Your birthday is in a few days,” said Wen Yiniang, following Eleventh Young Lady’s glance with a quick look of her own and then smiling. “And I did not know what to give. As it happened, I noticed Hupo embroidering handkerchiefs for you the other day. You know my needlework is not up to much, so I had Qiuhong help make a few handkerchiefs. The workmanship is rough and coarse — nothing to look at, really — but it is a small token of our sincerity.” She produced several handkerchiefs as she spoke.

White, pale blue, lake green… all the plain, quiet colors that Eleventh Young Lady habitually favored, each either lightly touched with a small yellow duckling in a few stitches, or meticulously embroidered with two tiny twin lotuses in the corner.

Eleventh Young Lady found it a little curious.

Wen Yiniang made no attempt to conceal it: “Binju drew the patterns for me.”

Eleventh Young Lady smiled and accepted the handkerchiefs.

Wen Yiniang called to Qiuhong: “Come and bow to the Madam — the Madam’s needlework is first-rate in all of Yanjing. That she would accept your things is your great good fortune.”

Qiuhong’s expression turned slightly bashful as she stepped forward to bow to Eleventh Young Lady.

Eleventh Young Lady took a proper look at her for the first time.

She was fair and clean, with delicate features, her expression a touch on the shy side.

Eleventh Young Lady praised her: “These handkerchiefs are beautifully embroidered!”

“Thank you, Madam,” Qiuhong said a little nervously. “I worked on them for several days.”

An honest reply.

Eleventh Young Lady laughed, and had Hupo bring out from the dressing case a pair of gold finger rings with willow-leaf settings as a gift for Qiuhong.

Qiuhong quickly curtseyed in thanks and took up her position behind Wen Yiniang.

Wen Yiniang chatted with Eleventh Young Lady for quite some time, until Third Lady Huang of the Yongchang Marquis household arrived, at which point she rose and took her leave.

Once they were outside the main courtyard, Qiuhong pressed her hand to her chest and let out a long breath. “That gave me such a fright!”

She had barely finished the words before Wen Yiniang had reached over and tweaked her ear. “Did I not tell you to behave yourself? And what did you do — not a single flattering word to the Madam. Instead you came out with ‘I worked on them for several days…'”

Qiuhong hunched her shoulders and dodged away from Wen Yiniang’s hand. “It was… it was the first time I have ever spoken face-to-face with the Madam like that…”

“Unfit for polite company.” Wen Yiniang was furious to hear it, and then noticed that Qiuhong had bent down and let a pearl-flower hairpin set with South Sea pearls slide from her head to the ground without even noticing. She opened her eyes wide and glared at her. “Pick up that pearl hairpin — it is worth sixty-some taels!”

Qiuhong gave a startled “Oh,” quickly crouched down to retrieve the hairpin, and examined it carefully for any damage, then took out a handkerchief to wipe off the dust.

Wen Yiniang, seeing her manner, turned and walked back into her own courtyard.

Qiuhong heard a burst of laughter.

She looked up and saw Cuier from Qin Yiniang’s side.

“It is you!” Qiuhong stood up, looking a little embarrassed.

“Qiuhong, you look so lovely today,” Cuier said, eyes fixed admiringly on the pearl hairpin in Qiuhong’s hand.

“Oh!” Qiuhong carefully tucked the hairpin away in her sachet. “Wen Yiniang specially gave me this pearl hairpin to wear because I was going to see the Madam.”

“Qiuhong went to see the Madam!” Cuier said curiously. “Why did you go to see the Madam?”

“Yiniang had me embroider a few handkerchiefs for the Madam…” The two of them stood there chatting for quite some time before going their separate ways.

Things were lively on Eleventh Young Lady’s side.

After seeing off Third Lady Huang, a procession of managing nannies arrived one after another. Some brought shoes and socks they had made themselves; some brought Five Poisons charms they had made; and others had knotted colorful silk cords wound round with calamus and purple perilla leaves.

“…As luck would have it, your birthday falls on the Dragon Boat Festival — a day of celebration for all under heaven,” said the leader of the group, Nanny Yu the storeroom manager, who had been especially respectful whenever she encountered Eleventh Young Lady ever since the incident in which Eleventh Young Lady had reprimanded her over the matter of Nanny Wang acting out of her proper rank. “We all get to share in the blessings too — so we have put the birthday presents and the Dragon Boat Festival offerings together into one.”

The other nannies chimed in, all smiles and agreeable chatter.

“How kind of you all to think of me,” Eleventh Young Lady said with a smile, having Lvyun bring small stools for them to sit on.

The nannies demurred and then perched half-seated on the little stools, each with a mouth sweet as honey, one compliment following another.

Xu Sizhun came in.

The nannies gave him cheerful bows.

Xu Sizhun inclined his head slightly, shaking his somewhat aching arm. “I have finally finished all four large calligraphy sheets that Master prescribed.” His face wore the relieved and happy look of a great burden lifted.

It was a late spring afternoon, the sunshine warm and bright, and wearing a lined jacket still felt a touch warm.

Eleventh Young Lady took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Xu Sizhun’s forehead, then had Lvyun bring a cup of warm water. “Wet your throat — Jie Ge is waiting to play cuju with you!”

Xu Sizhun’s eyes lit up at the words. He took two quick sips of water and ran off to find Xu Sijie.

The nannies showered him with praise. “Our Fourth Young Master has the Madam to guide him — he grows more spirited and well-mannered with each passing day.”

“It is the good teacher the Marquis found for Fourth Young Master,” Eleventh Young Lady replied pleasantly.

Over on the other side, Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie went out through the rear gate to the garden, where they played cuju on a stretch of blue brick pavement in front of the Biyi Sluice. Seven or eight maids gathered round clapping their hands, drawing in the maids and serving women from all around.

Before long, both boys were dripping with sweat.