Early in the morning, Yi Ning handed over her neatly copied characters to Lady Gu, her teacher.
Lady Gu examined the work and called Yi Ning over, pointing to a section. “You’ve made errors here, and in several other passages as well.”
Yi Ning, who had stayed up late the previous night copying until her head spun and eyes blurred, hadn’t noticed the mistakes. Knowing Lady Gu’s typically strict nature, she furrowed her brow in concern. “Does the teacher want me to… recopy everything?”
“Your handwriting is neater than usual,” Lady Gu remarked coolly. “I’ll let it slide this time.”
Yi Ning breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her. Lady Gu maintained her stern expression, adding, “Next time there are errors, you will be punished.”
“There won’t be any mistakes next time, I promise!” Yi Ning interjected cheerfully, cutting off Lady Gu’s words. She had Xue Zhi gather her writing materials and quickly headed back. As her figure disappeared, Lady Gu shook her head.
Luo Yi Xiu was waiting outside, fanning herself as if she had been there for ages. Yi Ning hurriedly said, “I came out as fast as I could.”
Summer was approaching, and the sun outside was scorching. Despite a young maid holding a paper umbrella, Luo Yi Xiu still felt the heat. She took Yi Ning’s hand, saying, “All right, let’s hurry. If we’re late, we’ll miss it.”
Luo Yi Yu was becoming increasingly proper in her behavior. Bored, Luo Yi Xiu often came to play with Yi Ning, taking her fishing or to see the turtles in the pond behind the mountain. Luo Yi Xiu was an energetic young girl, while Yi Ning disliked both heat and trouble. She could only let Luo Yi Xiu drag her out to play. Luo Yi Xiu even told Old Madam Luo: “Seventh Sister’s health is poor, she needs more activity.”
The old madam readily agreed, leaving Yi Ning with no choice but to follow her three-year-old sister around all day.
“Tomorrow, Grandmother is inviting Madam Liu to watch a performance. I heard Young Master Liu is coming too,” Luo Yi Xiu said, poking at the turtles in the pond. “My mother told me the young master is quite taken with Fourth Sister. You know, our Fourth Sister is quite famous in Baoding. When Mother takes me and Fourth Sister to visit other families, everyone praises Fourth Sister – how beautiful she is, how talented. Young Master Liu has been interested for a while, and when he heard our grandmother had similar intentions, his family was overjoyed.”
The Prefect was a fifth-rank official, but as Baoding’s local magistrate, his family was considered prominent. His son was known as a humble and diligent scholar. As an only child, he had no shortage of marriage proposals.
Inviting the potential in-laws to watch a performance together was an excellent way to interact before an engagement. It was said that when looking for a match for Luo Huai Yuan, Chen shi had accompanied various noble ladies to watch over a dozen performances, carefully selecting a future daughter-in-law who would marry in after Luo Huai Yuan passed the autumn imperial examinations.
Old Madam Luo inviting Madam Liu to watch a performance was essential to discuss the marriage between the two families.
In truth, Luo Yi Yu and Young Master Liu were quite compatible. Although the Liu family wasn’t as prominent as the Luo family, Luo Yi Yu would be cherished if she married into their household. Unfortunately, Luo Yi Yu wasn’t interested in things that lacked challenge, nor was she particularly interested in Young Master Liu.
Luo Yi Xiu, still young, loved novelty and excitement and was very interested in these matters.
“My mother even gave Fourth Sister a string of peridot bracelets as part of her dowry. I heard it’s priceless. She only let me look at it, not even touch it,” Luo Yi Xiu complained. “In the sunlight, those beads showed a faint green color. It was beautiful.”
Yi Ning, watching her poke at the turtle with a bamboo stick, said, “Fifth Sister, maybe you should stop playing with that turtle. It’s been trying to turn over for so long, it’s pitiful.”
Seeing Yi Ning staring at the turtles, Xue Zhi thought she liked them very much and had a maid wrap two small ones in a handkerchief to take back and raise. In her previous life, Yi Ning had never kept such small animals. Her half-sister had once kept a cat, which made the room smell terrible until their stepmother threw it out by the scruff of its neck.
Yi Ning had always lived cautiously, so she was even less likely to keep such creatures.
However, Old Madam Luo approved of her keeping them and immediately had Xu Mama find a celadon vat for Yi Ning to raise the turtles. Yi Ning saw that the official kiln-fired celadon was beautiful and delicate, knowing it must be quite valuable.
But what did its value matter now that it was being used to raise turtles?
“Thank you, Grandmother, for bestowing this vat,” Yi Ning said, stroking the backs of the two turtles earnestly. “If they knew they were living so luxuriously, they’d surely be happy too.”
Everyone in the room laughed, with Old Madam Luo waving her hand, unable to speak through her laughter.
That night, as Yi Ning prepared for bed, Old Madam Luo had the maids replace her usual bedding with a cool mat. While fanning her and watching over her as she fell asleep, she said, “You must rise early tomorrow for the performance.”
Yi Ning agreed, noticing the white hair at Old Madam Luo’s temples. She felt a twinge of emotion – Grandmother was aging too.
She grasped Old Madam Luo’s thin hand and said, “Grandmother, I’m not hot. You don’t need to fan me. I heard from Yi Xiu that Madam Liu, the Prefect’s wife, is coming tomorrow?”
Old Madam Luo replied, “She’s coming to see your Fourth Sister. They’ll be our in-laws soon.” She tapped Yi Ning’s forehead gently. “You’ve been ill twice, but your temperament has improved. That’s good. Tomorrow, you mustn’t be mischievous. Don’t let Madam Liu see anything embarrassing.”
Yi Ning took the fan and began fanning Old Madam Luo. “Don’t worry, Grandmother. I’ll be on my best behavior tomorrow.”
Old Madam Luo tucked Yi Ning in and gazed at her sleeping face, lost in thought. The small child lay against the bright red pillow, her fair face marked by a small red mole at the tip of her eyebrow. As Xu Mama came to help her rest, Old Madam Luo stood up but swayed, nearly losing her balance.
Xu Mama, alarmed, whispered, “Old Madam—”
“It’s nothing,” Old Madam Luo waved her hand. “I’m getting old, my spirit isn’t what it used to be.”
Xu Mama felt slightly relieved and said softly, “You still need to see Miss Mei marry and hold your great-grandchildren. You must take care of your health.”
Old Madam Luo seemed distracted and sighed, “I don’t know if I’ll live to see that day… I worry about what kind of person Mei’er will marry, and whether they’ll treat her well. It troubles me to think about it.”
With that, she waved her hand, and Xu Mama helped her to rest.
The next day, Yi Ning was indeed woken early by Xue Zhi. Her hair was styled into a young girl’s bun, and she was dressed neatly in a newly made jacket.
Chen Shi and Lin Hai Ru arrived early with the young ladies from each branch of the family. Luo Yi Lian was even leading little Master Xuan by the hand.
Today’s main character, Luo Yi Yu, wore a lotus-root-colored embroidered jacket with a white crepe skirt and a dark green belt. On her wrist was the string of luminous green peridot beads, truly a stunning sight. She kept her lips pursed and her head lowered, seeming reluctant to speak. Her fair face was both cool and alluring.
After everyone had breakfast and the sun had risen a bit higher, Xu Mama led Madam Liu in. Old Madam Luo and Chen Shi rose to greet her, while Yi Ning, Yi Yu, and the others remained behind the screen, watching. A tall man with regular features followed the matron, smiling humbly and respectfully bowing to Old Madam Luo.
Yi Ning, finally awake from her drowsiness, observed the newcomers.
This must be Young Master Liu, she thought. He looked a bit nervous, undoubtedly aware that the young ladies were watching him from behind the screen.
Yi Ning privately thought that Young Master Liu was quite handsome, but with Cheng Lang Yu as a comparison, Yi Yu would likely find it hard to be impressed after such an experience.