Jin Ge’er wouldn’t let up and kept on crying breathlessly.
“I want Father, I want Father…”
Seeing him cry so pitifully, Xu Lingyi gently patted his back and coaxed him in a soft voice: “All right, all right, don’t cry anymore!”
But Jin Ge’er’s crying didn’t quiet down in the slightest.
Xu Lingyi looked at him with his tear-streaked face and couldn’t bear it. He patted him more and more gently, spoke more and more softly, with endless patience: “No more crying — our Jin Ge’er won’t cry anymore!”
Jin Ge’er buried his face on Xu Lingyi’s shoulder, and his cries gradually diminished.
Shi’yiniang, recovering from her initial astonishment, returned to her composed and dignified manner.
She quietly asked Nanny Gu: “What exactly happened?”
Nanny Gu quickly replied: “The Marquis was playing with the Sixth Young Master when the Fourth Young Master came out from the inner chamber. The Marquis handed the Sixth Young Master to me and walked toward the door with the Fourth Young Master…” She gave Shi’yiniang a slightly apprehensive glance. “The Sixth Young Master struggled to get down. By the time the Marquis and the Sixth Young Master had already gone out the door, the Sixth Young Master broke into loud crying…”
Hearing this, Shi’yiniang couldn’t help but furrow her brow slightly.
She moved over quietly.
“My lord, let me take Jin Ge’er,” she said, reaching out to take the child. “You have an appointment with Elder Grand Secretary Chen at the hour of Si — any later and you’ll miss the proper time.”
The moment Shi’yiniang’s hand touched Jin Ge’er’s clothing, Jin Ge’er cried out as if someone had pinched him.
A look of hesitation flickered in Xu Lingyi’s eyes.
Shi’yiniang looked toward Xu Siyu.
On his face there still lingered traces of astonishment, but his gaze was entirely calm.
Feeling Shi’yiniang’s eyes on him, he looked up, and gave her a faint, unhurried smile.
For some reason she couldn’t quite explain, Shi’yiniang was suddenly filled with a sense of relief.
She then looked toward Xu Sizhun.
Ten-year-old Xu Sizhun had his head tilted to one side, watching Xu Lingyi and the Jin Ge’er in his arms with an expression of genuine childlike puzzlement.
Shi’yiniang couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Disregarding Xu Lingyi’s reluctance and paying no mind to Jin Ge’er’s crying, she firmly took her son back into her own arms: “Children are all like this — he’ll be fine once he’s coaxed. My lord, please go quickly with Zhun Ge’er. With Yu Ge’er here to help me, nothing will go wrong.”
Jin Ge’er clutched at Xu Lingyi’s clothing and wouldn’t let go: “Father, Father!” He cried as if his heart were breaking.
Xu Lingyi looked at Shi’yiniang, and on his face there was actually the faintest hint of a pleading expression, as if to say: Do something — make him stop crying!
A wave of shock swept through Shi’yiniang’s heart.
It wasn’t just a matter of Jin Ge’er having learned to call out “Father” — and Xu Lingyi now beginning to waver. If he could already speak and charm his way into people’s hearts, Xu Lingyi would be even more at a loss. He was the pillar of the household, and everyone looked to his expression to gauge how to act. If his attitude was ambiguous or accommodating, the women and servants of the house would follow suit and climb up the vine. Even tigers take naps sometimes. If that day came, even if she wanted to maintain order, she feared she would be powerless to do so.
This was precisely how children were spoiled.
As parents, at least one of them had to keep a clear and steady head.
By the looks of it, Xu Lingyi was beyond relying upon.
She sighed inwardly and held her ground all the more firmly. She peeled Jin Ge’er’s fingers from Xu Lingyi’s lapels and sat with him in the nearby grand chair: “My lord, please go without worry!”
Jin Ge’er cried loudly enough to shake the heavens, calling for “Father” at the top of his lungs while struggling and writhing in Shi’yiniang’s arms.
Xu Lingyi stood there, irresolute.
“Mother,” said Xu Siyu, who had been standing quietly to the side, and suddenly spoke up: “Why don’t I take Sixth Brother to play in the garden for a while?” There was a measure of consideration in his tone.
Shi’yiniang let out a breath of relief.
Young as he was, Jin Ge’er was already extremely stubborn once he set his mind to something. Better to have him out of Xu Lingyi’s sight than to let his crying keep Xu Lingyi rooted to the spot.
“I’ll trouble you, then,” she said politely, and handed Jin Ge’er to Xu Siyu.
Xu Siyu looked at Shi’yiniang for a long moment, then received Jin Ge’er with great care. But Jin Ge’er threw all his strength into twisting around in his arms, and nearly fell.
Nanny Gu broke into a cold sweat of fright.
Fortunately, though Xu Siyu looked slight and slender, he was no stranger to strength — it turned out to be nothing but a scare.
Shi’yiniang then instructed Nanny Gu: “Attend him closely.”
She did not change her decision to have Xu Siyu take Jin Ge’er out to the garden to play.
Xu Siyu held Jin Ge’er firmly in his arms, surrounded by a crowd of maids and matrons, and went out the door.
Shi’yiniang then watched Xu Lingyi let out a long breath.
“Do you think we should send a few more people along?” he pondered. “Yu Ge’er is still a child himself.”
“Yu Ge’er has always been steady and reliable, and with Nanny Gu and the others there to attend, nothing will go wrong,” Shi’yiniang said. She went over to straighten the clothes Jin Ge’er had crumpled, noticed there were still traces of Jin Ge’er’s tears on his forehead, and said: “My lord, let me help you change into fresh clothes.”
Xu Lingyi also felt he wasn’t quite presentable in his current state, and agreed, allowing Shi’yiniang to assist him in changing.
Xu Sizhun had been standing quietly to one side watching all of this, until Xu Sijie came running in: “Why, Fourth Elder Brother, you still haven’t gone out?” And then he saw Xu Lingyi and Shi’yiniang coming out from the inner chamber, and immediately went forward to pay his respects to both of them, then asked: “Is Father still taking Fourth Elder Brother out today?”
As time had passed and his initial unease and watchfulness had faded, Xu Sijie had grown increasingly cheerful and lively. In front of Xu Lingyi, he was neither like Xu Siyu, who always carried a degree of respectful formality, nor like Xu Sizhun, who showed caution at every turn. Like any son before his father, when Xu Lingyi was in a good mood, he would venture to be a little bolder; when Xu Lingyi’s expression was grim, he would avoid the sharp edge of it and fall silent. Perhaps because he was a nephew rather than a son, or perhaps because less was expected of Xu Sijie, Xu Lingyi could always be genial and good-humored with him, and the atmosphere was consequently easy and pleasant.
“What are you after?” Xu Lingyi asked him with a smile.
The last time he had asked this same question, Shi’yiniang had fully expected Xu Sijie to ask to come along — only to find that Xu Sijie merely wanted to drag Xu Sizhun off to fly kites.
Xu Sijie smiled: “If Father and Fourth Elder Brother are going out, I’ll see you to the gate on Mother’s behalf!”
“Oh!” Xu Lingyi smiled. “Is Teacher Zhao teaching you the Analects now?”
“No!” Xu Sijie smiled a little sheepishly. “Teacher was talking to me about the passage on ‘fraternal duty’ — and mentioned the section ‘Zixia asks about filial piety.'”
By ‘fraternal duty,’ he meant the Shu Nu Gong Lue – Chapter on Brothers in the Juvenile Education compendium.
Xu Lingyi gave a slight nod and said with a smile: “Very well, you may see me and your Fourth Elder Brother to the gate.”
Xu Sijie, imitating the manner of his elders, cupped his hands together and made a bow to Xu Lingyi: “Disciple obeys!”
Shi’yiniang also laughed at this, and stepped forward to affectionately drape an arm around his shoulders.
Xu Sizhun watched all of this and lowered his eyes slightly.
When they returned from Elder Grand Secretary Chen’s home, he didn’t rush back to his own courtyard but instead struck up a conversation with Yinzhen, the manservant at his side: “I think it’s actually better to live in the inner quarters.”
Yinzhen was distantly related to Steward Bai and had gotten his position by Steward Bai’s recommendation. Even so, without a certain degree of quick wit, Steward Bai would never have dared place him at Xu Sizhun’s side. Sometimes, an opportunity also carries a degree of risk.
“Those words of the Fourth Young Master are quite strange to hear!” Yinzhen laughed, though his tone carried an almost imperceptible caution. “Third Young Master moved to Sanjing Hutong, and the last time he came he was still saying something about ‘a high sky lets the bird fly free, a vast sea lets the fish leap.’ How is it that you, on the contrary, feel it’s better to live in the inner quarters?”
Xu Sizhun laughed and gave Yinzhen, who stood a full head taller than him, a light flick on the forehead: “What ‘vast sea lets the fish leap’? You follow me around every day and still don’t bother to read properly. Look at Huoqing — he’s already on the second volume of the Juvenile Education compendium. It’s ‘a vast sea lets the fish leap freely.'”
Huoqing was his other personal attendant.
Yinzhen scratched his head with a sheepish expression: “I am reading — just a little slower than Huoqing.” Then, his eyes brightening, he lowered his voice to ask Xu Sizhun: “Fourth Young Master, Third Young Master said that in a few days he’d like to take you to Xiangguo Temple to have some fun. Are you going?”
Xu Sizhun’s shoulders drooped when he heard this: “I don’t know how to bring it up to Father. Last time when he tested me on my lessons, my answers weren’t good!”
Yinzhen offered a suggestion: “Why not ask Madam, Fourth Young Master? If Madam agrees, the Marquis will certainly agree as well!”
“That’s right!” Xu Sizhun’s eyes lit up. “Why didn’t I think of that?” Then, with renewed enthusiasm: “Come on, let’s go to Mother’s.” And saying this, he hurried off toward the inner quarters.
Whatever he had meant by “it’s better to live in the inner quarters” was completely forgotten.
Yinzhen, who had fallen a few steps behind, gave his own chest a quiet pat of relief and then hurried to catch up.
Xu Siyu, back in his own room, was not bent over his books by lamplight as was his habit, but had both elbows crooked and was lying back against the large backrest pillow, gazing up at the ceiling.
Wenzhu, sitting nearby and working on her needlework, couldn’t help but stretch her neck to steal a glance at the floor-standing clock in the corner of the room.
Second Young Master had been like this for two quarters of an hour already!
She quietly studied Xu Siyu’s expression.
His features were placid, with the faintest trace of a smile at the corners of his mouth — he looked very tranquil.
Wenzhu felt reassured. Moving quietly, she replaced Xu Siyu’s tea with a fresh, hot cup.
Hearing the movement, Xu Siyu turned his head.
He said “Oh” and sat up straight: “Are you still in the room?”
Wenzhu felt somewhat caught between tears and laughter: “I’ve been sitting here doing needlework for nearly half an hour!”
Xu Siyu paused briefly, then laughed.
That smile — it made Wenzhu think of tea leaves steeping in hot water, unfurling freely and lightly.
She was a little taken aback, and couldn’t help asking softly: “What has Young Master been thinking about? I was right beside him and had no idea!”
Xu Siyu was silent for a moment, then said: “I was thinking about Jin Ge’er!” And as he spoke, a look of quiet joy spread across his brow.
Wenzhu was again taken aback.
Xu Siyu half-reclined once more against the large backrest pillow.
“Jin Ge’er was crying and making a great fuss, and Mother agreed to let me take him out to the garden to play.” He lay with his arms crossed behind his head, gazing up at the ceiling with its blue-green painted water-grass pattern. “Only the attendants who serve Jin Ge’er came along…” His tone carried a note of feeling. “That was to keep watch in case I didn’t know how to look after Jin Ge’er…” as though he were explaining something. “His temper really is something — utterly unyielding. No amount of coaxing on my part made any difference. He just cried like that for nearly an hour…” Clearly these were words of complaint, yet a smile was on his face. “I had no idea what to do, and then I remembered that when I was little, my favorite thing was rowing a boat — so I took him to Liufang Cove…”
Wenzhu’s face went pale: “Second Young Master…” Her tone was one of alarm.
The Biyi River was navigable by boat, and quite deep. If by any chance a boat were to capsize…
Xu Siyu turned his face toward her: “Nanny Gu said it wasn’t the season for rowing, and that the painted pleasure boats had probably all been put away. You’d need a token from Mother to get one.” His expression was calm, betraying neither sorrow nor gladness.
Wenzhu felt her heart tighten: “So Fourth Madam…”
“Mother gave Nanny Gu the token,” Xu Siyu said slowly. “So I took Jin Ge’er out rowing.”
Wenzhu felt she ought to say something, but thinking of the look of quiet joy on Xu Siyu’s face just moments before, she swallowed the words back down and revealed a light, easy smile: “And did the Sixth Young Master stop crying?”
Thinking of the scene at the time, Xu Siyu couldn’t hold back a burst of laughter: “Not only did he stop crying — he was absolutely entranced and wouldn’t leave. If Mother hadn’t carried him firmly off the boat, I’d probably still be rowing on the Biyi River right now!”
—