Speaking of Lan Jie’er, she was also a pitiful girl.

Not long after Ning Shi gave birth to her, she fell ill with a lung disease and was bedridden, unable to care for her daughter herself. That year, during the bitter cold of the twelfth lunar month, when Ning Shi passed away, Lan Jie’er was barely four years old.

After Ning Shi’s passing, Lan Jie’er was raised at her grandmother’s side.

At that time, Lian Jie’er was just turning ten years old, already old enough to understand things. Knowing that their mother had gone, she cherished her younger sister Lan Jie’er all the more deeply.

When Lan Jie’er was six years old, she fell ill with a cough that persisted for months without stopping. Lian Jie’er was consumed with worry, terrified that her little sister’s condition would worsen and that she might suddenly be taken away, just like their mother had been. Lian Jie’er stayed by her sister’s side without moving a single step, day and night, feeding her medicine, coaxing her to sleep, and adding layers of clothing for her.

By the time Lan Jie’er recovered, Lian Jie’er had grown so thin she was barely recognizable — a testament to the profound depth of their sisterly bond.

An elder sister is like a mother, and Lan Jie’er had always regarded her elder sister as her one true support within the Earl’s residence.

……

With these thoughts in mind, Lan Jie’er, hiding away in her private chamber, wept all the more bitterly.

Outside the door, the maidservants and older female servants called out word after word of comfort and persuasion, yet none of it did any good.

Outside the courtyard, the guests who had come to offer their congratulations were drinking merrily and smiling broadly, and the entire Earl’s residence remained lively and full of celebration — which only made this secluded side courtyard feel all the more cold and desolate.

The last rays of the setting sun slanted in through the window lattice, casting a diagonal light across the room. Lan Jie’er’s face was streaked with tear stains, her eyes swollen from crying. She murmured, “From now on, if I fall ill, there will be no one left who cares whether I live or die…” She pulled the quilt tightly around herself, curling up in the corner of the bed like a little wounded cat.

The older female servants who attended her could not persuade her, and had no choice but to go out and find someone else.

One of the older servants happened to run into Lin Shi and first reported the situation to her, saying, “First Madam, the Second Young Miss is crying her heart out in her room and refuses to come out.” She then described the scene in careful detail.

“This girl — she is nothing like her elder sister; she cannot keep even half a thing hidden in her heart.” Lin Shi, sharp-minded as she was, naturally understood Lan Jie’er’s feelings. She said, “If I were to go to her right now and she caught sight of me, I am afraid she would grow even more resentful and cry all the harder. Go and inform the Old Ancestress instead — she may still be able to offer some consolation.”

Being a stepmother was truly no easy role.

“Yes.”

Lin Shi thought for a moment and added, “Lan Jie’er is fond of spending her days at Fengyu Pavilion. After you have seen the Old Ancestress, make another trip to Fengyu Pavilion and ask Concubine Shen to bring Zhu Jie’er along to offer some comfort as well.”

“Yes.”

After the servant departed, Lin Shi still felt somewhat uneasy. After deliberating for a while, she turned to Nanny Shen at her side and said, “Nanny Shen, go to the rear kitchen and have them prepare some warm and nourishing food, kept ready at all times. The moment Lan Jie’er opens her door, have it sent over immediately. Also have someone prepare a medicinal bath for her to ease her distress — we must not let all this crying make her fall ill.”

Only after she had given all her instructions clearly did she go out to continue receiving the noblewomen who had come to offer their congratulations.

……

On the other side, the little one, Pei Shaohuai, had returned from seeing the bride off and, upon hearing about Second Elder Sister’s situation, let out a long sigh himself.

He thought to himself: Second Elder Sister had lost her anchor and source of support, and her heartache was entirely understandable. As for who could console her — no one else would be of any use. The very person who might have been able to reach her had just been married off moments ago, and even if she were to return for the customary three-day visit, that was still three days away.

And so, the only thing to do was to let Second Elder Sister cry her grief out in full — she would only be able to stop once she had worked through it herself.

In the original story, Lan Jie’er had often been described as “willful and spoiled,” having cultivated all the vices of a pampered young miss — her emotions were entirely visible in her words and actions, and her words and actions were never filtered through any thought.

Whether this was due to a lack of proper upbringing from childhood, shaped by her circumstances, or simply her innate nature, he could not say.

She was not like Lian Jie’er, who knew how to conceal her true feelings and put on a different face to protect herself. On the contrary, she constantly wore her emotions and thoughts openly on her face, speaking without restraint — hence “willful.” She held her own internal standard of right and wrong, always doing what she herself believed was correct, acting entirely as she pleased — hence “spoiled.”

Whatever she was drawn to, she would throw herself at it like a moth drawn to a flame, heedless of all else.

With a nature like that, in the story, she naturally came to no good end.

The book had written: after her elder sister’s marriage, Lan Jie’er grew ever more hollow and lonely inside. Looking left and right, she always felt that no one in the household loved or cherished her — that she was utterly alone and without anyone to depend on. In her daily life, she had a great fondness for reading storybooks and greatly admired the bittersweet romances between scholars and young ladies. As she grew older and her heart began to stir with young love, Lan Jie’er longed more and more to meet a gentle, talented, and devoted scholar who would place her at the very center of his heart — one life, one love, two people together.

Once such longing took root in her heart, it gave others an opening to exploit.

Later, Lan Jie’er had secret meetings and clandestine exchanges with a scholar of humble origins, and the Old Ancestress discovered them.

That scholar was a man of poor character and cunning nature. In order to bind himself to the Earl’s residence, he had made all his preparations early, guarding against the possibility that a powerful noble household might simply silence him permanently. On one side, Lan Jie’er wept and wailed that she wanted to marry him, declaring she would share his hardships; on the other, the scholar used her reputation as his weapon, making clear he would rather be destroyed than yield. In the end, the Earl’s residence had no choice but to put together a dowry and quietly marry Lan Jie’er off.

There is no wall in the world that does not let the wind through. Once the news spread, the Jingchuan Earl’s residence once again became a laughingstock among the noble households of the capital.

In the beginning, the Old Ancestress pitied her granddaughter, and with the support of her maternal family, Lan Jie’er managed to live a few years of relative stability. During that time, she even gave birth to a daughter.

Later, the Earl’s residence collapsed entirely — the title was revoked, the family’s wealth exhausted, and they could no longer even protect themselves. With her backing gone in her husband’s household, Lan Jie’er’s days of suffering arrived.

Her husband failed the imperial examinations time and again. With no money to spend on drink and indulgence, he took out all his frustrations on her — beating and cursing her, calling her a jinx who brought misfortune upon men. His mother despised her for failing to produce a son, making things difficult for her at every turn. Beyond teaching her “proper conduct,” she also worked Lan Jie’er and her daughter like servants. The concubines in the household, seeing how low she had been reduced, were even more brazen — they trampled over her openly, shaming her for her uselessness, saying even the finest shoes would eventually wear through.

Lan Jie’er, who had once seemed formidable while still living in the Earl’s residence, had in truth only ever been fierce within familiar walls. Now that she had married into a common household where both her mother-in-law and the concubines were fierce and ruthless women, she lacked the cunning to hold her own against any of them. Had it not been for her daughter, she would have long since perished in bitterness.

All of this had been what she had brought upon herself — with death itself as her threat. She had no right to go weeping to her elder sister about it; she could only grit her teeth and endure alone. Every time she saw her elder sister, Lan Jie’er would dress herself as presentably as she could manage, attempting to conceal the misery of her days.

It was only when Jin Ge’er returned to the capital after completing his studies and happened to notice that something was wrong — bringing his elder sister with him to rescue Second Elder Sister from her sea of bitterness — that they found Lan Jie’er had been so thoroughly broken by her suffering that her spirit had long since died. The spark that had once lit her eyes had vanished entirely, leaving not even a trace of its former brightness.

……

Alas —

The tiny little Pei Shaohuai sighed once more. The orchid, by its very nature, is a thing of lofty elegance and quiet refinement — it can only survive and bloom with the most devoted, careful tending.

They depend utterly on the care of the one who tends them.

How could such a delicate and precious flower possibly withstand the erosion of the world’s foul and rank corruptions?

Pei Shaohuai felt a measure of pity for Lan Jie’er as she was in the original story, and also felt vexed by her foolishness and her failure to value herself.

Now that they had been given a second chance, Pei Shaohuai did not dare promise he could secure a fine match for Second Elder Sister — but he could promise that he would do everything within his power to prevent her from repeating the mistakes of the original story and marrying the wrong person.

Pei Shaohuai did not deny that, when it came to Elder Sister Pei Ruolian, he had acted with personal motives and a particular purpose in mind — because he knew the Xu family was a stock of tremendous potential, that brother-in-law Xu Zhan had great prospects ahead of him, and that there would certainly come a day when he would be of use.

His decision to help Second Elder Sister Pei Ruolan, however, was not because he was fond of her temperament — but because he could not bear it. He had been showered with boundless love and care by the Li father and mother in his previous life and had known great happiness. By comparison, Pei Ruolan had lost her mother’s protection at such a young age, grew up starved of love, and was truly to be pitied.

He could not bear to watch Pei Ruolan be broken apart in that way.

Pei Shaohuai counted on his small fingers: Elder Sister had married at seventeen, which meant Second Elder Sister was now eleven. Looking at it that way, it would not be many more years before that scoundrel of a scholar would appear.

He would need to keep a close watch.

……

As for the rear courtyard — with both the Old Ancestress and Concubine Shen offering their combined consolation, Lan Jie’er finally cried herself out, and by the time night fell, she at last opened her door.

The various small matters that followed need not be recounted in detail.

……

……

Three days later, Xu Zhan and Pei Ruolian returned together for the customary bride’s visit home.

Pei Ruolian had pinned up her dark hair into a married woman’s bun, and a rosy bloom on her cheeks lent her an air of added maturity.

When Lan Jie’er saw her elder sister again, she was so overjoyed she nearly rushed straight into her arms. Smiles returned to her face, and though only three days had passed, it felt as though three years had gone by since they had last seen each other.

The family gathered and talked about the day of the wedding — the matter of the two brothers Huai and Jin blocking the bridal procession. When Xu Zhan learned that the congratulatory riddles had actually been devised by the two little brothers-in-law themselves, he was quite astonished. Given how young the two were, he asked, “My two young brothers-in-law are already literate at such an age?”

“Not only literate — they have also heard quite a number of historical anecdotes and can recite various poems,” Pei Bingyuan replied with considerable pride. “They both love to read, so my father and I have been teaching them the simpler works.”

Xu Zhan expressed his admiration: “Born scholars, through and through. In ten or twenty years, these two young brothers will surely have great prospects before them.”

The Pei family was naturally delighted.

After the midday meal, Pei Ruolian brought Pei Ruolan to Zhaolu Courtyard to visit with Lin Shi.

Lian Jie’er bowed in greeting and said, “Your daughter offers her respects to Mother.”

Lan Jie’er followed behind her and gave a perfunctory half-curtsy. Only when her elder sister pulled at her sleeve did she lower her eyes toward the floor and call out, with evident reluctance, “Offering respects to Mother.”

Lin Shi was well aware of Lan Jie’er’s peculiar temperament and did not take offence, saying with a smile, “Come now, rise — you are both good children.”

Lian Jie’er’s purpose in seeking out Lin Shi was, in essence, to express her gratitude for all that Lin Shi had done in arranging her coming-of-age ceremony, her dowry, and the wedding itself — to tell her about life in the Xu household, and to ask for guidance on how to conduct herself as a new bride. Such things of that nature.

At the end of their visit, a maidservant brought forward an elaborately carved sandalwood box. Pei Ruolian said, “Mother, my husband obtained a Tao River inkstone from the northwest. Hearing that my younger brother has already begun his studies, he specially asked me to bring it along.”

Lin Shi had come from a merchant family and was naturally well acquainted with the reputation of Taozhou green stone. She knew at once that this inkstone was of considerable value.

Like fine calligraphy, painting, or jade — gold and silver have their price, but truly exceptional objects are difficult to come by. The fact that Xu Zhan and Pei Ruolian had brought such an item was a gesture of genuine and wholehearted sincerity.

Furthermore, an inkstone sent by a family of scholars carried a significance that went beyond its material worth.

“He has not even begun holding a brush to write yet — what purpose is there in sending this to him?” Lin Shi demurred. “Even if he were writing, one could hardly allow him to waste such a fine object.”

“My younger brother will certainly have need of it in the future,” Pei Ruolian said. “This is my husband’s intention. Among scholars, the gifts exchanged may be light in value, yet heavy in meaning — Mother must not refuse.”

It had to do with the fortune brought by one’s scholarly endeavors.

Only then did Lin Shi receive it with a heart full of joy.

……

The two sisters, Lian and Lan, came out of Zhaolu Courtyard.

Lian Jie’er rebuked her younger sister: “You are not so young anymore — you ought to understand these things. Everything was going smoothly and properly, so why did you have to act like a petulant child the moment you got there?”

“What grand authority Elder Sister has — barely back, and already lecturing me,” Lan Jie’er muttered, pouting. “She neither gave birth to me nor raised me. On what grounds must I call her ‘Mother’? My mother left this world long ago and is gone.”

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again — how wronged she felt.

Lian Jie’er’s heart softened, and her tone grew gentler: “It is just a form of address, nothing more — it is not as though you are being asked to truly regard her as your mother. Our own mother had a thin blessing in life; that has nothing whatsoever to do with her. What has she done to deserve that sort of treatment from you? And besides — from the time she married into the Earl’s residence until the day of my wedding, is there a single thing she did that was not as dutiful and considerate as could be? Lan’er, you must understand: there is no one in this world who is simply obligated to be good to you from the start. She has been good to us — that is something we should take to heart and think about how to repay.”

“I never asked her to be good to me. Jiao Jiao said that there has never been a single good stepmother in this world.”

Nothing Pei Ruolian said could persuade her younger sister.

Lan Jie’er continued: “She and I are best left like well water that does not encroach upon river water — each going our separate ways. In any case, what I want is not a generous dowry. All I need is someone who will cherish me wholeheartedly, who places me at the very center of his heart. What does a dowry matter?”

Pei Ruolian stopped walking and turned to look at her younger sister. Gone was any trace of gentleness from her voice. She rebuked her: “Even my words you can no longer take to heart — is that it? Before, I merely thought you were somewhat willful. But now, the things you say and do are increasingly made without any thought at all.”

Pei Ruolian had always loved her younger sister dearly, but as she thought about the fact that she had already married out and could no longer watch over her at every moment, she knew that if she did not speak firmly today, her sister would grow ever more unbridled in her conduct and would inevitably come to grief in the future.

“If you are unwilling to listen to me, then from this day forward, do not acknowledge me as your elder sister.”

Lan Jie’er had never seen her elder sister lose her temper like this and did not dare say another word in defiance.