Although that was what she said, Shiyiniang understood clearly in her heart that changing this situation would not be easy at all.

She couldn’t help but carefully consider Xu Sijie’s future.

That evening, Shiyiniang drew Xu Lingyi aside to talk: “Yu Ge’er passed the xiucai examination, so naturally he will study diligently from now on. Zhun Ge’er has a steady and honest temperament and is willing to look after his younger siblings — with him watching over the household, both the Marquis and I can rest easy. Jin Ge’er is still young, so there is no rush; we can wait until he grows up and see what he wants to do, and arrange things then. Only Jie Ge’er… since he has come to our household, we cannot simply ignore him.” She paused, hesitating. “Does the Marquis have any plans for him?”

Xu Lingyi seemed somewhat surprised. He smiled and said, “Jie Ge’er is still young. Let him first follow Teacher Zhao and read his books properly. When he is a little older, we can purchase him a future posting.”

He said it all very lightly and casually.

Which was to say, this man had simply taken the child in and given no thought whatsoever to anything else.

Shiyiniang was speechless for a long moment, and thought of Xu Sijian’s appointment.

“Purchase a posting?” she said hesitantly. “Is that easy to arrange?”

“Some things are easy and not easy at the same time,” Xu Lingyi said with self-assurance. “It all depends on how you go about it, who you go through, and when you do it.”

In other words, such things depended on opportunity and luck.

Which was the same as saying nothing at all.

Opportunity and luck were the most unreliable things in the world.

Shiyiniang felt somewhat disheartened.

She found an opportunity to ask Xu Sijie, “What do you like doing most?”

Since that day when he had been ordered about by Young Master Dou, he had not gone out for a long time, staying home to practice calligraphy and memorize texts.

Hearing Shiyiniang’s question, he thought for a long while and then said, “I like playing the flute, I like making Zisha teapots, I like playing the zither, and I also like making river lanterns…”

There were a great many things he liked, but which one he liked most he could not say with any certainty. Moreover, none of the things he liked were suited to further development that could eventually become the foundation for his standing in society — all of these pursuits were things that cultivated one’s character and temperament; if they became skills for earning a living, they would reduce a person to the lowest class of craftsmen.

Since no vocation could be chosen from among the things he liked, the only option was to find something from among the things he was good at.

Shiyiniang first invited Teacher Zhao in and, from behind the screen, asked about Xu Sijie’s studies.

“The Fifth Young Master is very diligent and hardworking. He has already begun practicing small-form characters. He has finished studying ‘Elementary Learning’ and has started memorizing ‘Introduction to Phonetics and Rhymes,’ and is learning to compose couplets,” said Teacher Zhao, standing there with his eyes downcast, though the corners of his eyes couldn’t help but sneak a glance downward toward the screen.

A pine-green moonlight-silk skirt, embroidered with pale yellow intertwining floral patterns winding around and around the hem in layer upon layer, easily three chi deep — it looked exceptionally magnificent.

“You have worked hard all these years, Teacher,” Shiyiniang said politely. “Has Jie Ge’er really started composing couplets already?”

“He has begun,” said Teacher Zhao with great deference.

He knew full well how he had been recommended to the Marquis, how she had subtly hinted to him about the child’s situation, and how he had been treating the child — no one else might know, but he understood it most clearly himself. The woman behind that screen, whose voice sounded so soft and gentle, was in truth exceedingly bold and perceptive. When she asked this question, it was quite possible that the true subject of her inquiry was something else entirely. What he could do was simply tell her everything truthfully.

“How long has it been?”

“The teaching of couplet composition began at the start of spring.”

“Has he ever composed a couplet that was strikingly impressive?”

Teacher Zhao considered for a moment: “The Fifth Young Master’s couplets are very balanced and well-matched, but it is not like when he studies the flute — when playing, he very quickly grasps what he wants to express, then draws on his own understanding to bring it out in the music…”

He was gently telling her that Xu Sijie had no particular gift in this area.

Shiyiniang could not conceal her disappointment. She then told Xu Sijie to practice using an abacus.

Perhaps someday he could help Xu Sizhun manage the household’s various affairs.

Xu Sijie mastered it quickly enough. But when Shiyiniang had him do mental calculations, it took him quite a long while to arrive at an answer, and not only was he slow, his accuracy was poor.

Managing such a large portfolio of business affairs — even if one did not need to personally handle contracts and negotiations — there would surely be times when the head steward came seeking a decision on something he could not resolve on his own. One could hardly pull out an abacus and click away for half an hour before producing an answer. Professional men respected those who were even more capable professionals than themselves.

Shiyiniang couldn’t help but frown.

Could it be that Xu Sijie had no talents whatsoever beyond his gifts in the arts?

But this vexation did not last long, for Xu Siyu returned — and she needed to begin preparing for his wedding, so she decided to set this matter aside for the time being.

“Whatever the outcome, Teacher Jiang has asked me to return at the start of spring next year,” he said, bowing respectfully to both Shiyiniang and Xu Lingyi, then smiling as he called out “Sixth Brother” to Jin Ge’er, who was sitting nearby flipping through a book.

Jin Ge’er responded listlessly with a murmur, sitting there perfectly still without so much as moving an inch.

In Xu Siyu’s recollection, Jin Ge’er had always been lively and bright; yet now he looked as wilted as a green vegetable that had been blanched in boiling water, and when he saw Xu Siyu, he showed none of his usual delight.

Xu Siyu couldn’t help but show surprise on his face, and was hesitating over whether to ask about it, when Xu Lingyi already said, “You’ve traveled a long road and are dusty from the journey. Go and rest first. Whatever there is to say, we can discuss tomorrow.”

Xu Siyu had no choice but to withdraw first. He asked Yubian, who had been staying home to look after the courtyard, “Do you know what’s going on?”

“The Sixth Young Master was scolded by the Fourth Madam,” said Yubian, covering her mouth with a laugh. “He’s been dutifully staying by the Fourth Madam’s side these past few days, not daring to go anywhere.” She then told Xu Siyu about the incident with Jin Ge’er and the earthworms. “…They were cut into several pieces, and only a few of the worms survived while all the others died. The Fourth Madam had the Sixth Young Master first divide one earthworm into two halves to see if they could survive, and if so, to then try dividing one into three sections — she told the Sixth Young Master not to be too hasty. The Sixth Young Master listened and then went off again with that Huang Xiaomao and Liu Erwu to dig for earthworms everywhere. One day, they dug near the hothouse, and there were not enough small porcelain jars to hold the earthworms. The Sixth Young Master had no interest in the flower pots sitting to one side and, after looking through them, seized upon a flower pot nestled against the inner wall of the hothouse — a sweet-white-glazed pot painted with a scene of spring boating on a river — tore out the plant inside it, and used that pot to hold his earthworms. As it turned out, the plant growing in that pot was a Clivia, and not just any Clivia — it was a Nodding Clivia that the Second Madam had been cultivating for six years and that was on the very verge of blooming…”

Xu Siyu couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah — no wonder it sounded familiar when you described the pot!” His voice became somewhat urgent. “A Nodding Clivia takes eight to ten years to bloom, and Second Aunt has always treasured it like a jewel. How did it end up just sitting there in the hothouse?”

Yubian smiled, “The Second Madam felt the plant had been on the desk for too long and was looking a bit listless, so she had Jiting’s wife take it to the hothouse to be nurtured there, saying the lush greenery of the place would be good for the Clivia. Jiting’s wife dared not be careless and specifically assigned a maidservant to watch over the flower. But it just so happened that the one who came into the hothouse that day to dig for earthworms was the Sixth Young Master, and no one dared stop him — that maidservant actually went out of her way to be helpful and fetched a small stool for the Sixth Young Master. And so it all ended up this way.”

Xu Siyu said gravely, “I’m afraid this matter…” His tone was hesitant, yet tinged with a hint of concern.

Yubian, however, smiled and said, “When it happened, everyone was dumbfounded. The Fourth Madam in particular immediately brought the Sixth Young Master to apologize to the Second Madam, and even promised to somehow find another Nodding Clivia to replace it. But when the Second Madam heard this, she asked the Sixth Young Master why he had pulled out the Clivia.”

“And what did the Sixth Young Master say?” Xu Siyu pressed.

“The Sixth Young Master said that pot was the most beautiful one.”

Xu Siyu found himself torn between laughter and exasperation, yet also felt it was entirely within the bounds of reason.

Jin Ge’er had loved beautiful things since childhood — if something wasn’t beautiful enough, he simply would not have it.

“The Second Madam, upon hearing this, smiled and said to the Fourth Madam something to the effect of, ‘Children are still young and don’t know any better; we elders should not be too fussy about it,’ and so she let the matter pass. Not only that, she also gave Jin Ge’er another pot — one painted with a scene of snow-covered mountains and an angler — and said that few people would know this was a masterwork by the artist Shi Xiaohua of the previous dynasty. Fine rouge suits a beautiful woman, a fine sword suits a distinguished man. A pot like this ending up in the hands of someone who recognizes its worth — that too is an object finding its rightful place.

“The Fourth Madam’s face turned bright red at that, and she went to great lengths to procure a Nodding Clivia for the Second Madam. She even found a Zisha flower pot to house it in when she sent it over. As for those two pots by Shi Xiaohua, they are now Jin Ge’er’s. I’ve heard people say that pair of pots is worth at least a thousand taels of silver!”

“So that is why Mother confined the Sixth Young Master?”

Yubian nodded. “The Sixth Young Master has been thoroughly downcast these past few days.”

Xu Siyu considered for a moment, then asked, “And what did Father say?”

“The Marquis?” Yubian smiled. “The Marquis said the pots looked rather plain and unremarkable, and he never imagined they were antiques. Who would have thought there were such fine treasures sitting right there in the hothouse.”

Xu Siyu laughed. “Had it been me, I doubt I would have known either!”

He was about to ask more when Xu Siqin arrived with word for him: “Come on, let’s go out for a meal. My brother-in-law has specifically reserved a table at Chunxi Tower to welcome you.”

“Perfect — I have been wanting to see Elder Brother Fang,” said Xu Siyu with a smile, going off to wash up and change. “Teacher said that the last time the examination papers were copied out, it was largely thanks to Elder Brother Fang’s help, and specifically asked me to bring some local specialties from Le’an as a gift for him.”

The two of them went off to Chunxi Tower talking and laughing, and did not return until very late.

The next morning, he went to pay his respects to the Old Madam with a splitting headache.

The Old Madam was holding Jin Ge’er and comforting him: “…In one’s own home, of course one takes whatever one likes — who would bother looking carefully at what something is? How could anyone have anticipated that a Clivia blooming once in ten years would suddenly turn up? Besides, what does a Clivia look like, if not just like an ordinary orchid? Our Jin Ge’er naturally wouldn’t know the difference. This whole thing is entirely your Second Aunt’s fault.”

The Second Madam, seated to one side, wore a faint smile on her face. Not only was she not angry, but the gaze she turned upon Jin Ge’er was remarkably gentle.

Jin Ge’er had been feeling a little uneasy, but hearing the Old Madam’s words, he shot a quick glance at the Second Madam. Seeing the smile in her eyes, he straightened up his small frame — visibly more upright: “That’s right, that’s right!” As he spoke, he carefully studied the Second Madam, and seeing that she remained exactly as she always was, he grew a little bolder. “I don’t know the difference between a Clivia and an orchid,” he said, then buried himself snugly in the Old Madam’s arms.

The Second Madam, watching his outwardly bold but inwardly fearful manner, could no longer contain herself and laughed softly.

From that day on, Jin Ge’er was no longer afraid whenever he saw the Second Madam.

It was as though a great mountain pressing down upon his head had suddenly vanished, and he became even more mischievous than before.

—