Upon returning to her rooms, she of course had to call Hupo, Dongqing, Binju, and Zhuxiang before her to tell everyone about Dongqing’s upcoming temporary departure from the residence.

When Dongqing heard, her eyes dimmed slightly: “It is all because of me that Madam has been put in this position.”

“What are you saying.” Eleventh Young Lady laughed. “Each branch of the household is dealing with the same situation. And luckily we have our own estate and courtyard property. Since you are my most capable attendant, we need only say, in front of others, that you are going over there to help manage things on that side. That at least salvages some dignity.”

Zhuxiang lowered her voice: “Then what of the duties we each manage — won’t those need to be reassigned?”

“It’s not that much trouble,” Eleventh Young Lady replied with a smile. “It’s only four or five months. Just have Hupo temporarily take on Dongqing’s duties.”

The others answered in agreement. Dongqing and Hupo attended Eleventh Young Lady as she took her midday rest. When she was woken past the first quarter of the Hour of the Goat, Nanny Nangyong’s wife came in and redid her hair. She then set out at the right time for the Grand Matriarch’s quarters.

She arrived at just a quarter before the midpoint of the Hour of the Goat.

Eleventh Young Lady quietly noted the time it took to walk from her own rooms to the Grand Matriarch’s.

This time she arrived earliest. The Grand Matriarch had only just risen and was still having her hair done. Nanny Du was promptly sent to bring a cup of hawthorn and pear water for her to drink.

“Have her wait a moment — I’m nearly done.”

Should it not be tea? Why hawthorn and pear water for her to drink… This was the sort of thing one gave to coax children.

Eleventh Young Lady looked at the translucent amber-brown sweet drink, bowed her head, and sipped at it in small, careful mouthfuls. The sour-sweet flavor seemed so deep and lingering, settling all the way down into her heart.

Nanny Du then assisted the Grand Matriarch as she came out.

“Is it good?” the Grand Matriarch asked, smiling brightly, watching Eleventh Young Lady sip the hawthorn and pear water with half-closed eyes of pleasure.

Eleventh Young Lady smiled and nodded: “It’s delicious!”

The Grand Matriarch laughed: “When I was young, I was very fond of it too. Now that I’m older, anything sweet sets my teeth on edge…”

While they were speaking, Fifth Young Madam came in with quick steps.

Behind her was a great cluster of maidservants and matron servants.

The Grand Matriarch hurried to say, “Be careful, take your time.”

Nanny Du had already stepped forward to help her.

“I’m all right,” Fifth Young Madam said with a smile. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare come here — the Fifth Lord would scold me for running around when I’m not feeling well.” She spoke with a mock complaint, yet the corners of her eyes and brows were all smiles.

It was plain to see the two of them were very much in love.

Hearing this, the Grand Matriarch was pleased as well, and had Nanny Du join in as a fourth player; then they all went to the eastern side chamber.

Weizi and Nanny Yao directed the coarse-duty matron servants in bringing a four-sided square table with a black lacquered grass-scroll edge in; one of them personally spread a madder-red felt mat over the tabletop, while the other personally fetched the bamboo-carved mahjong tiles.

Eleventh Young Lady said with some bewilderment: “Could someone tell me how to play? I really don’t know.”

The Grand Matriarch laughed heartily and pointed to Nanny Yao: “You go and sit beside Fourth Madam.”

Nanny Yao smiled and answered “yes,” and brought a small stool to sit behind Eleventh Young Lady.

Weizi sat behind the Grand Matriarch.

The tiles were shuffled with a rustling clatter. Nanny Yao then explained to Eleventh Young Lady how to draw tiles, how to discard them, which ones could be claimed, which ones could be declared a match, and how to call a winning hand.

Eleventh Young Lady played with clumsy fingers — knocking tiles over one moment, freezing up in confusion the next — leaving Nanny Yao in such a flustered state that the Grand Matriarch, Fifth Young Madam, and Nanny Du had to stop and wait for her again and again.

“So Fourth Sister-in-Law really doesn’t know how to play!” Fifth Young Madam laughed. “And here I thought you were just being modest!”

“This is my very first time,” Eleventh Young Lady said carefully, shifting her tiles, then discarding the One of Circles.

“I win!” Nanny Du beamed with delight. “A Grand Three Dragons!”

“Oh, I dealt into that one again,” Fifth Young Madam groaned, counting out thirty copper coins.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Eleventh Young Lady said quickly. “I thought that tile looked like one I didn’t need.”

Or perhaps it was simply that, being older, the Grand Matriarch feared loneliness — she was not really interested in winning at mahjong at all; she just wanted the warmth and bustle of company. She simply laughed merrily.

A small maidservant came to report that Zhen Jie’er and Zhun Ge’er had woken from their nap and had come to pay their respects to the Grand Matriarch.

Everyone paused for a moment while Zhen Jie’er and Zhun Ge’er paid their respects; then they sat back down to continue playing.

Zhen Jie’er sat with Zhun Ge’er on the large kang to one side, tossing beanbags.

She looked up and saw Eleventh Young Lady’s clumsy play.

After a while, Zhun Ge’er needed to go to the privy, and Zhen Jie’er was left alone. She came over to watch Eleventh Young Lady’s tiles.

A subtle thought stirred in Eleventh Young Lady’s heart.

In one’s subconscious, one naturally pays attention to the movements of people one cares about.

She deliberately picked up two tiles and hovered with them — holding one out then pulling it back.

Nanny Yao said, “Discard this one.”

“I think I should discard this one,” Eleventh Young Lady said, deliberately doing the opposite of what Nanny Yao suggested. Nanny Yao dared not actually direct her, so she smiled and said, “That one works too.”

Zhen Jie’er could not help but point at the tile Nanny Yao had indicated: “Mother, play this one.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Eleventh Young Lady immediately discarded the tile Zhen Jie’er had pointed out.

And passed safely through the round.

The Grand Matriarch drew a tile.

Eleventh Young Lady was delighted and grabbed Zhen Jie’er’s hand: “You’re so clever!”

Zhen Jie’er gave a slight start.

On the other side of the table, Fifth Young Madam had just fed a winning hand to Nanny Du.

“Zhen Jie’er, you really are my lucky star. This time it wasn’t me who fed the winning tile!” Eleventh Young Lady grinned at Zhen Jie’er.

Everyone found it charming and laughed.

Zhen Jie’er smiled slightly, pressing her lips together with a touch of shyness.

A small maidservant then reported: “Grand Matriarch, Fourth Madam, Fifth Madam — the Marquis and the Fifth Lord have returned.”

“So early today.” Everyone pushed their tiles aside and rose together to go to the eaves to meet Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan.

The two brothers walked through the courtyard in their official robes.

Xu Lingyi strode in front, his bearing as upright as a pine; Xu Lingkuan trudged behind with slumped shoulders — a sight that was quite amusing.

The Grand Matriarch could not help but say under her breath: “Could Fifth have done something wrong and been caught by Fourth again?” She looked quite worried.

“Surely not!” There was a hint of uncertainty in Fifth Young Madam’s voice. “He said he wanted to be a good father…” Before she could finish, the Xu brothers had drawn near, and she quickly dropped the subject.

The two brothers paid their respects to the Grand Matriarch. The Grand Matriarch’s eyes, however, were fixed on Xu Lingkuan: “How did you two come to be together?”

Xu Lingkuan glanced at Xu Lingyi and dared not speak.

Xu Lingyi’s manner was perfectly natural as he smiled and said, “I had nothing pressing, so I came back a little early. I happened to run into the Fifth at the West China Gate, so we came back together.”

The Grand Matriarch’s expression eased with relief. She smiled and said, “Come in quickly, come in!”

The two brothers followed the Grand Matriarch inside. Xu Lingyi’s gaze immediately fell on the mahjong tiles in the western side chamber. He glanced at Eleventh Young Lady, then asked the Grand Matriarch, “Were you playing mahjong?”

The Grand Matriarch smiled and looked toward Eleventh Young Lady and Fifth Young Madam: “The two of them kept me company the whole afternoon!”

Everyone sat down talking. The wet nurse then brought Zhun Ge’er back.

Zhen Jie’er and Zhun Ge’er stepped forward to pay their respects to Xu Lingyi. Then a small maidservant came to announce: “The First Young Master, Second Young Master, and Third Young Master have finished their lessons and come especially to pay their respects to the Grand Matriarch!”

“What excellent timing today,” the Grand Matriarch said, beaming. “Invite them in quickly, quickly!”

Xu Siqin, Xu Siyu, and Xu Sijian walked in and respectfully paid their respects to their elders. The Grand Matriarch had small maidservants bring stools for them, and asked with concern, “What has the teacher been teaching you? Are you able to follow it?”

Xu Siqin and Xu Siyu sat upright and proper and answered one by one. Xu Sijian, however, looked as if he were sitting on a bed of thorns, fidgeting constantly and casting glances at the kang where Zhun Ge’er sat, trying to catch the younger boy’s eye.

Zhun Ge’er looked as if he wanted to start playing around with Xu Sijian but did not dare, and kept sneaking glances at Xu Lingyi.

Xu Lingyi’s face had already grown stern — he was on the verge of saying something, when Third Lord and Third Madam arrived, and he held himself back.

Everyone launched into another round of cheerful commotion.

Once they had all settled, Third Madam asked Eleventh Young Lady, “Did you play mahjong with Mother today? Did you win or lose?”

Eleventh Young Lady smiled sheepishly: “Not bad, not bad.”

Fifth Young Madam laughed: “Fourth Sister-in-Law doesn’t know how to play at all. She was really just filling in as a fourth player.”

Xu Lingkuan stole a glance at his elder brother, saw his expression was relatively calm, and laughed, picking up on his wife’s words: “A few more rounds and you’ll have it down!”

But Eleventh Young Lady shook her head repeatedly: “It’s too hard. From now on I’ll just watch from the side!”

All the adults in the room laughed.

Xu Siqin looked at Xu Siyu beside him. Seeing him sitting there with a perfectly serious expression, he then looked toward Zhun Ge’er.

Zhun Ge’er bowed his head and fiddled with the hem of his robe, as if he had no idea everyone else was laughing.

He looked toward Zhen Jie’er.

Zhen Jie’er gave a faint smile — a smile that carried a trace of bitterness.

Xu Siqin could not help but let out a soft sigh.

Eleventh Young Lady saw it all clearly and fell into quiet thought.

But none of the others were paying any attention to these children. The Grand Matriarch cheerfully instructed Nanny Du, “Go and have Yizhen called over too. It’s a rare thing to have such a lively gathering.” Then she said to Xu Lingyi and Xu Lingkuan, “Quick, go change your clothes and come to dinner.”

Eleventh Young Lady and Fifth Young Madam heard this and rose at once to go and attend to their respective husbands as they changed.

Walking in through the gate, Xu Lingyi noticed Dongqing standing at the side gate that led to the rear wing, her bundle in hand, saying something to Binju while dabbing at the corners of her eyes.

“What is the matter?” His brow furrowed slightly.

“It’s nothing,” Eleventh Young Lady said with a smile. “My accompanying staff all came from the south and are unfamiliar with the farmstead here. I sent Dongqing ahead to temporarily keep an eye on things.”

For some reason, Eleventh Young Lady’s smile reminded Xu Lingyi of the look on Yuanniang’s face that time she handled the matter with Tong Shi — an air of studied carelessness concealing an undercurrent of guarded caution.

He glanced at Eleventh Young Lady.

His gaze involuntarily revealed a penetrating coldness.

It sent a slight tremor through Eleventh Young Lady’s heart, and her smile became somewhat stiff.

Xu Lingyi smiled faintly, then with a direct stride walked over to Dongqing: “Come here!”

Only then did Dongqing and Binju notice that Xu Lingyi and Eleventh Young Lady had returned.

The two of them walked over with some unease and paid their respects.

Xu Lingyi looked at the bundle in Dongqing’s hands: “What are you doing?”

Dongqing flinched under his gaze, extremely nervous. She opened and closed her mouth several times but could not get a single word out, and had no choice but to look to Eleventh Young Lady.

Eleventh Young Lady was herself somewhat puzzled.

By rights, Xu Lingyi was not the sort of man who would bother himself with such matters. What was the matter with him today…

But in barely the space of a single thought, Xu Lingyi’s voice had risen by several degrees: “Someone is speaking to you.”

Like a clap of muffled thunder beside one’s ear — even Eleventh Young Lady was startled, let alone Dongqing. Words tumbled out of her mouth without thinking: “They say I was born in the Year of the Ox and am inauspicious for Fifth Young Madam. I’ve been asked to move out temporarily for some months.”

Eleventh Young Lady’s alarm was instant.

Dongqing had no idea how to phrase things. This matter touched upon the direct interests of Fifth Branch, and it had been approved by the Grand Matriarch. If she had waited until they were inside and calmly explained it to Xu Lingyi, it would have come across simply as informing him of the situation. But under these circumstances, it sounded as though she were filing a complaint — and then there was the matter of where Dongqing chose to say all this, of all places standing right there in the passage to the rear wing when Xu Lingyi came home.

Binju was equally alarmed.

How could Dongqing say it so bluntly. If the Marquis were inclined to read ill intent into it, he might think Madam was putting on a performance of compliance while secretly stirring up trouble — and then blame Madam for not knowing her place, failing to show submission and deference, and creating discord behind the scenes.

Seeing the faintly anxious expression on Eleventh Young Lady’s face, Xu Lingyi raised an eyebrow, then suddenly turned and strode away.

Eleventh Young Lady thought of the time in the small courtyard when Yuanniang told him she had met privately with someone — and the expression on his face then.

It had been exactly this: not a single word…

She hurried after him.

—