Coming out through the ceremonial gate of Laojun Hall, Fourth Aunt said quietly to Shiyiniang: “Mother does not mean any harm by it. If Sijie were to earn a scholarly title, it would reflect well on him when it came to seeking a match and taking up a post.”

“I understand that,” Shiyiniang said with a smile. “But such things cannot be forced. We can only do our best.”

This was, after all, Shiyiniang’s own family matter. Fourth Aunt did not feel it was her place to say more.

She gave a smiling nod, then turned to look for her second son Yu Li and third son Yu Qi.

Yu Li was standing shoulder to shoulder with Xu Sizhun at the top of the ceremonial gate steps, speaking quietly with him. Yu Qi was romping and laughing with Jin Ge’er in front of the ceremonial gate. Only Xu Sijie stood alone under the dripping eave of the gate, absorbed in thought.

Feeling Fourth Aunt’s gaze, he looked a little uneasy. He gave Fourth Aunt a constrained smile, then took two steps forward and moved closer to where Xu Sizhun and Yu Li were standing.

“Second Cousin!” he called out to Yu Li. “Fourth Aunt is looking for you.”

Yu Li glanced toward his mother, said quickly to Xu Sizhun, “Write to me when the time comes,” then cupped his hands in a bow to Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie, and walked briskly to his mother’s side.

“It is getting late — go and take your leave of your Eleventh Aunt, and then we should be heading back,” Fourth Aunt said, withdrawing her gaze from where it had rested on Xu Sijie.

Xu Sijie let out a quiet breath of relief.

The carriage swayed its way out of Laojun Hall.

Jin Ge’er, worn out from play, was nestled in his mother’s arms and quickly fell asleep.

Shiyiniang was thinking about Xu Sijie.

The time had come to have a proper talk with him.

Xu Sijie was different from Xu Siyu. Xu Siyu was the eldest son by a concubine, not only capable and shrewd, but close in age to Xu Sizhun. It was precisely so that Xu Sizhun’s position in the family would be beyond question that Xu Lingyi had decreed Xu Siyu would eventually establish a separate household. Xu Sijie was the second son, and also of concubine birth — he posed no conceivable threat to Xu Sizhun, and the likelihood of his being pushed out to set up on his own was not great. If he wished, he could remain dependent on the family for his whole life. In the eyes of most people, this was not necessarily a bad thing. But from Shiyiniang’s perspective, being compelled to live in dependence on the family and choosing to live in dependence on the family were fundamentally different.

To have the freedom to choose, one must first have the ability to stand on one’s own feet.

Xu Sijie had been living in the outer quarters for two years now and had gained some understanding of the ways of the world. This was the best time to raise these matters with him — if he had never considered his own future, this would be a good opportunity to use the years before marriage to search for a direction to work toward. Once married, with a family of his own, there would be responsibilities, and he could no longer do as he pleased — he would need to work steadily and unwaveringly toward whatever path he had chosen. And if he had already given thought to his future, this was a good chance to discuss whether his plans were practical.

If interests and livelihood could be brought together — that would be the best of all outcomes…

Shiyiniang was deep in thought when the carriage came to a stop.

Nanny Song lifted the carriage curtain: “Marchioness, we are home.”

Hupo stepped down first, then carefully took Jin Ge’er from her arms. Shiyiniang then bent low and stepped out of the carriage.

Qiuyu and the others were standing waiting at the ceremonial gate.

“Marchioness,” Qiuyu said with a smile, stepping forward to curtsy, “the First Daughter from Cangzhou sent two serving women to deliver your birthday gifts — they are still waiting in the covered entrance hall.”

“Oh!” Thinking of Zhen Jie’er, Shiyiniang broke into a warm smile. She glanced at the large red lanterns hanging at the ceremonial gate. “It is so late already — have the two serving women been shown somewhere to eat?”

“They have,” Qiuyu said, helping Shiyiniang into the small blue-curtained oil carriage. “But the two serving women said they wished to pay their respects to you before going to eat. We could not persuade them otherwise, so Fangxi has been sitting with the two ladies in the entrance hall, keeping them company.”

Shiyiniang nodded, returned to her rooms to greet Xu Lingyi, changed her clothes in haste, and went to the reception hall.

The two serving women, on Zhen Jie’er’s behalf, gave Shiyiniang three deep, proper kowtows, then presented the birthday gifts.

Shiyiniang asked after Zhen Jie’er’s circumstances.

She learned that Zhen Jie’er had by now taken charge of the household, was on excellent terms with her sister-in-law Ouyang Shi, had earned a fine reputation for her virtue and conduct within the Shao Family, and had just recently found herself with child — she would become a mother again before the year’s end. Shiyiniang’s smile deepened, and she rewarded each of the two serving women with ten taels of silver. She returned to the inner chamber and opened the wrapped bundle of birthday gifts by lamplight.

Inside were two sets of clothing, two pairs of shoes and stockings, and a pair of solid gold hairpins inlaid with Hetian jade gourds.

Shiyiniang picked up a pair of white Songjiang triple-weave stockings.

The soles were quilted with same-colored square-victory knot embroidery, and the cuffs were embroidered with same-colored water ripple patterns. At the finishing of the stitches, the needlework had been turned back to bury the thread on the reverse side.

That was Zhen Jie’er’s habit.

Shiyiniang felt both pleased and pained.

This child — already mistress of a household in her own right — had still made needlework with her own hands for her.

She then examined the embroidery on the garments.

Every piece was worked in intricate patterns.

How much effort must that have taken!

“What is it?” Xu Lingyi asked. He had come in to find Shiyiniang sitting there examining the garments in the bundle, and sat down across the kang table from her. “Is the needlework not fine?”

“Not at all!” Shiyiniang muttered as she gathered up the shoes and stockings. “The needlework is superb, and the color combinations are refined and thoughtful. I am even planning to wear them out for the Dragon Boat Festival!”

Xu Lingyi looked at her with a smile.

In the lamplight, her bright eyes shone with warm brilliance.

Shiyiniang pressed her lips together and smiled.

“You will be twenty-three in a few days…” He reached out and gently cupped her face. “I have never given you a proper birthday celebration…” He looked moved.

A proper birthday celebration? What would that entail?

They both had elders in the household — could they possibly make a grand occasion of it?

“What are you talking about?” Shiyiniang said with gentle exasperation. “Receiving gifts like these — is that not already a proper birthday celebration?” She said it with a lift of the bundle in her hand.

Xu Lingyi said nothing and clasped her hand tightly.

The next day, after the midday meal, Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie came together.

Xu Sizhun gave Shiyiniang a square piece of Shu brocade woven with heavenly bottle-gourd vine patterns as a birthday gift, while Xu Sijie presented a brush holder carved from Xiang-consort bamboo in a design of plum blossoms braving the cold.

The Shu brocade was woven over its satin ground with delicate diamond-shaped ground patterning, trimmed with brown gourd vines, green heavenly gourds, and two tender yellow chicks with their heads tilted together pecking at grain — vivid and layered, alive with movement.

The brush holder made use of the natural purple spots on the Xiang-consort bamboo to carve clusters of plum blossoms, which was also quite distinctive.

Shiyiniang looked at the dimensions of the Shu brocade and said with a smile: “Let us hang this piece of Shu brocade on the wall of my study — what do you two think?”

“Can that work?” Xu Sizhun hesitated. “I have seen others display it draped across their dressing tables.”

“Why not?”

Shiyiniang led the two of them to the study. She replaced the old sky-blue antique glazed brush holder with the bamboo holder Xu Sijie had given, then called for the heavy-work maids to take down the porcelain screen hanging on the wall and put up the Shu brocade.

Just as they were in the middle of this, Jin Ge’er, woken from his afternoon nap, came to pay his respects to Shiyiniang.

“Mother, didn’t you just have the windows repasted a couple of days ago?” He tilted his small head and watched the three of them bustling about. “Why are you rearranging the room again today?”

Shiyiniang could not help but laugh.

Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie also started laughing.

The two of them, one on each side, were helping to adjust the height of the hanging, when they turned their heads to ask him: “Does it look good?”

Jin Ge’er first stood where he was and looked for a moment, then ran up close to the Shu brocade to inspect it, then turned around and ran back to stand in the study doorway for a long look, before pronouncing sincerely: “It is much better looking than the peacock feather fan hanging in Father’s study!”

A brief silence fell, followed by barely suppressed “hmph, hmph” sounds from around the room.

“I mean it!” Jin Ge’er said, looking at his elder brothers struggling not to laugh, and pouted.

At this, everyone could hold back no longer and burst out laughing.

Xu Sizhun’s wife Xiang Shi happened to step through the door at that very moment.

Not knowing what had set everyone off, a faint awkwardness crossed her brow.

“Mother, the uncles are helping you redecorate the study!”

Her words brought another wave of laughter from Xu Sizhun and Xu Sijie.

Xiang Shi looked even more uncomfortable.

“Never mind them,” Shiyiniang said, giving the two of them a mildly reproachful look, then said with a smile to Xiang Shi: “The two of them are in a playful mood.” Then she pointed at the Shu brocade hanging on the wall. “Does it look good?”

Xiang Shi studied it carefully for a moment, then said with genuine thoughtfulness: “It is very unusual.”

As if praising a girl by calling her “interesting-looking.”

Shiyiniang smiled.

A slight flush rose in Xiang Shi’s expression. She quickly took from the hands of the maid behind her a small purple sandalwood box carved with chrysanthemums, and presented it with both hands to Shiyiniang: “Mother, this is a birthday gift from Second Master and me. Wishing you year after year of happiness, and the very same joy each time it comes.”

It was fortunate that when it came to the Dowager Marchioness’s birthday, everyone was required to say “may you live as long as the southern mountains and prosper as abundantly as the eastern seas” — otherwise those words would have fallen squarely on Shiyiniang’s head.

Shiyiniang could not help but give a quiet, gentle cough.

Hupo stepped forward and received the box.

A maid brought in tea.

Shiyiniang called everyone over to have tea.

“…I still have afternoon lessons,” Xu Sizhun said reluctantly, but he thought of the happy mood just past and was a little loath to leave.

“I will stay here and review my books at Mother’s place,” Xu Sijie chose to stay.

Jin Ge’er hugged his own small book bag and came in. “Mother, I want to practice my copywork here!”

“Very well,” Shiyiniang said with a smile, stroking her son’s head. “But you must not disturb Fifth Elder Brother while he studies — do you understand?”

Jin Ge’er gave a vigorous nod.

Seeing this, Xiang Shi rose to take her leave.

Shiyiniang had Hupo see her out. Turning around, she saw Xu Sijie standing there with a hesitant expression.

“What is it?” she asked with a smile.

Xu Sijie hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and took hold of Shiyiniang’s sleeve, and said softly: “Mother — do you think it would be all right if I sat for the imperial examinations?”

Shiyiniang was taken aback.

Xu Sijie’s face was burning red.

“Mother, I know I am not as good at studying as Second Elder Brother,” he murmured. “But I will work very hard…”

By then, he too would have a big red announcement of success delivered to the door, and Mother would also be very happy, surely.

The thought of yesterday’s scene at Laojun Hall came to Shiyiniang immediately.

“Is it because of what Grand Maternal Aunt said?” she asked him gently.

Xu Sijie nodded, then thought for a moment and shook his head: “I do not want to make things difficult for Mother… and I do have some wish to sit for the examinations… This way, I could also provide for Mother in the future… ‘When a family is poor and the parents are old, not to seek official salary is also unfilial…’ ” He stopped short with an “ah,” and hastily explained: “I am not saying Mother has no one to provide for her — Second Elder Brother, Fourth Elder Brother, and Sixth Elder Brother are all wonderful. I mean I wish to provide for Mother myself… It is not that — I mean, I should also be providing for Mother…” He trailed off, looking a little dejected. “No, what I mean is, I too ought to be providing for Mother…”

Shiyiniang smiled quietly.

She glanced over at Jin Ge’er, who was bent over his desk in earnest concentration, carefully tracing his copywork. Then she took Xu Sijie’s hand. “Come with me.”

She led him to the resting room across from the study.

—