Xu Siyu couldn’t help but laugh as well.

Only then did everyone have the leisure to pay attention to him.

“Have you been to pay your respects to your mother yet?” The Old Madam looked her grandson up and down with a satisfied nod and smile. “You’ve filled out quite a bit since you left last year. It seems that girl Wenzhu has been reasonably attentive after all.”

“Fifth Aunt had come to visit Mother, so I paid my respects and came straight here,” said Xu Siyu with a smile. “Wenzhu was personally chosen by you back then — that itself is your kindness.”

The Old Madam laughed merrily at this, and turned to the Second Madam seated beside her: “This child — he knows how to flatter people now!”

The Second Madam smiled warmly at Xu Siyu without saying a word, but with the fond, approving air of a mother-in-law looking at a son-in-law she liked more the more she saw of him.

Jin Ge’er, watching this, jumped up immediately.

“Second Brother,” he said, tugging at Xu Siyu’s sleeve. “You came back without bringing me anything?” — a thoroughly righteous interrogation of Xu Siyu.

The Old Madam and the Second Madam struggled to keep from laughing, and Xu Siyu also smiled despite himself: “I did bring things, I did. They’re still packed in the trunks — there was no time to sort through everything yesterday. I’ll have them sent over to you in a moment, all right?”

Jin Ge’er narrowed his eyes with a satisfied smile, the very picture of “Well, that’s more like it,” which set all three people in the room laughing again.

The Second Madam then said to Xu Siyu, “Your mother has been busy with preparations for your wedding nonstop since the Dragon Boat Festival right up until now. You ought to go and thank her properly.”

Xu Siyu’s face flushed slightly, and he answered “Yes” with a hint of shyness.

Jin Ge’er stared at Xu Siyu with wide eyes, looking utterly baffled by his reaction.

A young maidservant came in to announce, “Old Madam, the Fourth Madam has arrived with Madam Qian and Young Master Qian!”

The Old Madam smiled and said, “Invite them in at once.” Jin Ge’er had already slipped away to the Old Madam’s side in a flash, wrapping his arms around hers and leaning his small head against it.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid!” The Old Madam, seeing this, moved to pull Jin Ge’er into her arms.

Jin Ge’er was no longer a small child, and the Old Madam had long since been unable to lift him properly. He immediately kicked off his shoes and in one nimble motion climbed up onto the kang.

The Old Madam wrapped her arms around him at once: “Our Jin Ge’er hasn’t done anything wrong… Grandmother is here for whatever comes,” she said, gently patting Jin Ge’er’s back.

Jin Ge’er nodded repeatedly, but pressed himself further into the Old Madam’s arms, his expression not the least bit relaxed.

Xu Siyu couldn’t help but find this quietly astonishing.

His mother was a very gentle person, who spoke softly even to the little maidservants. How could it be that his Sixth Brother looked so thoroughly frightened?

While he was pondering this, Shiyiniang walked in with Fifth Qian and Xin Ge’er.

Xin Ge’er was a little over a month younger than Xin Jie’er and resembled Qian Ming, delicate-featured and fine-boned. While the adults were talking, he sat quietly to one side, his eyes darting about busily, with an eager, impatient expression flickering across his face from time to time — clearly a very mischievous child who could not sit still.

After surveying the room, his gaze came to rest on a small decorative object atop the kang table — no bigger than a baby’s fist, fashioned from jade and white jade in the form of a lotus leaf with rolling dewdrops.

A vivid green lotus leaf, with white dewdrops scattered upon it. Seen from where Xin Ge’er was sitting, the leaf looked richly green and lustrous, and the dewdrops lay crystalline upon it, as lifelike as if just plucked fresh from a lotus pond.

He glanced at his mother.

Fifth Lady was smiling as she spoke with the Old Madam: “…It has turned out not unworthy of imperial favor, and without any major errors. But the place is remote and rather barren, and Xin Ge’er has reached the age for schooling. Dian Jie’er is still so young — if it were possible to be transferred somewhere else, that would be ideal…” She had not noticed him.

He turned to look at his aunt.

His aunt sat composed in the grand armchair, her smile warm and gentle, and the young cousin who was two years younger than him yet stood just as tall as him was standing obediently at her side, listening attentively to his mother and the Old Madam’s conversation.

He then looked toward the woman his mother called “the Second Madam.”

She was seated across the kang table from the Old Madam.

Xin Ge’er sat there, bored.

His mother was still speaking: “…The master said he put in tremendous effort and finally had the old irrigation channels repaired and made new, and seeing that next year’s harvest was set to double, he wishes to stay on for another term…”

Xin Ge’er’s eyes shifted, and his gaze fell once again on the kang table behind the Second Madam, where the lotus leaf and dewdrop jade ornament sat.

Moving lightly and quietly, he slipped down from the armchair — touching the carved bird’s eye on the armchair here, brushing the orchid leaves in the flower stand at the edge of the kang there — and made his way to the Second Madam’s side. He reached out and picked up the lotus leaf dewdrop ornament.

It was pleasantly weighty in his hand, with a cool, refreshing sensation.

He turned it this way and that, then vigorously tried to pry the dewdrops off the lotus leaf.

Suddenly, into the room rang Jin Ge’er’s loud, thoroughly indignant voice: “That’s mine — you’re not allowed to touch it!”

Everyone had been deep in lively conversation, and was brought up short by this sudden interjection. All eyes fell upon Xin Ge’er.

Xin Ge’er was holding the lotus leaf in his teeth and biting it.

Both the Old Madam and the Second Madam looked utterly astonished.

Shiyiniang felt acutely embarrassed, her face burning hot.

Xin Ge’er had always been extraordinarily restless. On several occasions when he had gone visiting with Fifth Lady, he had either broken something or gone running about at banquets with no regard for propriety. No matter how Fifth Lady scolded him, he never changed, and so she rarely brought her son along when going out. This time it was because Dian Jie’er’s wet nurse had suddenly fallen ill, and Zhuotao needed to look after Dian Jie’er; Fifth Lady wanted to deliver the congratulatory gifts for Xu Siyu’s wedding in person, and also hoped that Xin Ge’er and Jin Ge’er would spend more time together — and so she had brought her son along.

“Xin Ge’er!” Fifth Lady called out sharply, her expression somewhat flustered. “Put it down at once…”

Her words were barely out when she saw a small figure dart past beside her.

“Mine, mine!” Jin Ge’er rushed forward and grabbed Xin Ge’er’s wrist, his other hand prying at Xin Ge’er’s fingers that were clenched tightly around the lotus leaf dewdrop ornament.

“I was just looking at it!” Xin Ge’er pushed Jin Ge’er. “It’s not like I was taking it away.”

“It’s mine!” Jin Ge’er, shoved off-balance and stumbling, opened his mouth and bit down on Xin Ge’er’s wrist.

Xin Ge’er cried out in pain and let go, then swung his fist straight at Jin Ge’er.

Jin Ge’er immediately ducked, and Xin Ge’er’s fist landed on his back. He took advantage of the momentum to charge into Xin Ge’er, and with all his might drove Xin Ge’er back against the edge of the kang. With Jin Ge’er pushing with every last bit of his strength from the front and the kang at his back, Xin Ge’er’s eyes went glassy. He let out a sharp, wretched cry of “Mother!” and then burst into loud wailing.

Everyone was startled.

The Second Madam, being closest to the two boys, quickly collected herself. She immediately stood and pulled Jin Ge’er behind her, then asked Xin Ge’er, “Are you all right?”

Fifth Lady, whose heart had been torn by her son’s cry of “Mother!”, also recovered. She ran over and scooped Xin Ge’er into her arms: “My child, where does it hurt?” As she spoke, she rolled back Xin Ge’er’s sleeve to look at where Jin Ge’er had bitten him.

Xin Ge’er buried himself in his mother’s arms, sobbing in bursts: “He bit me, he bit me!”

Jin Ge’er, pulled behind the Second Madam, heard this and retorted indignantly: “You took my things first.”

Shiyiniang, who had hurried over, shot her son a stern look, then told Xu Siyu, “Quickly go and call for a physician,” while she bent down to examine Xin Ge’er’s arm: “Fifth Sister, how bad is the injury?”

Fifth Lady had no time to answer. With trembling hands she pulled back her son’s sleeve. The delicate, tender arm was swollen red and blotched, with several tooth marks clearly visible.

At least the skin was not broken!

Shiyiniang exhaled with relief, and called for Zhuxiang to bring the cooling balm: “…Put it on first to bring down the swelling!”

Fifth Lady nodded.

Jin Ge’er, having been shot a stern look by Shiyiniang, first hid behind the Second Madam, and then, seeing that everyone had crowded around Xin Ge’er and that Shiyiniang was not paying further attention to him, stood on tiptoe and peered curiously toward Xin Ge’er. Seeing that Xin Ge’er’s arm had swollen up, he felt a little guilty, and declared loudly: “He took my things!”

The Old Madam, who had been sitting quietly on the kang, heard this and immediately pulled Jin Ge’er to her side. She had just given her grandson a look signaling him to keep quiet, when all eyes in the room turned toward Jin Ge’er. Shiyiniang in particular wore a stern expression, her face severe and composed. Jin Ge’er shrank inward and gripped the Old Madam’s hand tightly.

The Old Madam’s expression hardened at once, and she scolded Jin Ge’er: “Xin Ge’er was wrong to take your things, but you were wrong to bite Xin Ge’er. Now stop standing there and quickly apologize to your cousin Xin.”

Fifth Lady’s face reddened, and she said quickly, “Our Xin Ge’er was also in the wrong in this…”

Xin Ge’er, hearing the slightly placating tone in his mother’s voice, immediately burst into louder crying: “I didn’t take his things — I was just trying to get a closer look…”

Regardless, Jin Ge’er had bitten someone.

Shiyiniang told her son: “You bit him, so you must quickly apologize to your cousin Xin!”

Jin Ge’er said not a word, standing there with his lips pressed together, while the corners of his eyes glistened with moisture — stubborn and yet fragile, so that the Old Madam felt her heart aching for him.

“All right, all right — children fighting, you can never sort out who’s right and who’s wrong!” The Old Madam chuckled, and asked Xin Ge’er, “Do you really like that lotus leaf dewdrop ornament very much?”

Small children are most skilled at reading faces and moods.

Xin Ge’er stopped crying at once and glanced at Jin Ge’er. The face still streaked with tears took on a triumphant expression.

He nodded and loudly declared, “I like it.”

Jin Ge’er clutched the lotus leaf dewdrop ornament tightly, his face taking on a wary expression.

“Nanny Du,” the Old Madam called out loudly, “go and have the lotus leaf with carved dewdrops from the treasured-items cabinet pried off and brought here for Young Xin.”

“Oh, we couldn’t possibly accept that!” Fifth Lady immediately moved to stop Nanny Du. “You would make me die of shame!”

“They’re just children — it’s only about having fun.” The Old Madam dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “As long as they’re happy.” She then gave Nanny Du a meaningful look. Nanny Du smiled and moved to go around Fifth Lady to fetch the jade ornamental arrangement.

Shiyiniang had never hesitated quite like this before.

Each matter should be taken on its own terms. Jin Ge’er was wrong to bite someone; where an apology was owed, it should be given, where one should say sorry, one should say so — but it could not be right to let Jin Ge’er simply capitulate just because Xin Ge’er was crying and making a fuss. That would be unfair to Jin Ge’er.

Yet if she allowed the Old Madam to appease Jin Ge’er’s debt to Xin Ge’er on his behalf, what would it mean for her as a daughter-in-law, to stand idly by while her mother-in-law offered gifts to pacify her own sister’s nephew? How could she hold her head up?

While she was deliberating, the sound of Jin Ge’er’s aggrieved, plaintive voice rang through the room: “Grandmother, don’t break off your things — I’ll give my lotus leaf dewdrop ornament to Cousin Xin!”

—