Strange things happen every year, but this year had been particularly full of them.

Today, after waking from her afternoon nap, Shen Zhuxi was only then informed by the household staff that the well-known daughter of a grain shop family in Xiangyang City had come to call.

“A guest arrived and you didn’t wake me?” Shen Zhuxi said, surprised.

“It was the fourth young lady of the Zhang family who told us not to disturb Madam’s rest,” the maidservant replied, head lowered.

Shen Zhuxi couldn’t recall having any connection with the grain shop, and had no idea who this Miss Zhang was. Surely she hadn’t just dropped by on a whim?

Puzzled, she washed her face, changed her clothes, and made her way to the front hall. The “Fourth Young Lady Zhang,” who had been sitting in the armchair waiting for quite some time, immediately rose to her feet.

Wasn’t she…

Shen Zhuxi couldn’t help but stare.

The young woman who had humiliated Shen Zhuxi in the street last month was standing in the front hall. At the sight of Shen Zhuxi, she bent her knees in a quick, reluctant bow.

“Madam Li…” she said, forcing a smile. “I was most out of line during our last encounter, and I have come today specifically to offer my apologies. I hope Madam will be magnanimous and forgive me this once…”

Shen Zhuxi was thoroughly baffled by the whole display — the woman had been insufferably haughty last time, so how had she changed so completely?

Puzzling as it was, proper courtesy could not be neglected.

Shen Zhuxi had someone refill the hot tea in front of her guest, instructed the kitchen to bring out two small dishes of refreshments, and settled herself down in the seat across from Fourth Young Lady Zhang.

Having spent years in the palace navigating the subtle games of imperial consorts and princesses, Shen Zhuxi found the daughter of a merchant family no particular challenge. Before long, Fourth Young Lady Zhang lost her composure first and came straight to the point, pleading desperately: “Madam Li, I beg you — be magnanimous and let me off! If you still refuse to forgive me, my father is truly going to break my legs!”

“Why would your father break your legs?” Shen Zhuxi pressed her further, masking her surprise.

“Madam Li, I’ve already shown such sincerity — why must you still play dumb?” Fourth Young Lady Zhang’s expression soured. “The prefect values Li Wu and has tasked him with controlling all the roads in and out of Xiangyang. Anyone in the merchant trade who wants to enter the city must first pass through your husband’s hands. Without Li Wu’s approval, whose convoy can enter the city unscathed?”

Only then did Shen Zhuxi learn what Li Wu had been leaving early and returning late to do every day.

Controlling the roads to and from the prefectural seat was indeed a task of great importance. To think that Li the Windbag had actually earned the prefect’s favor — she had half assumed he was just blowing hot air about it!

“If it’s an official matter, you ought to speak with Li Wu directly. I have no say in it.” Shen Zhuxi said.

Fourth Young Lady Zhang bit her lip and said to her personal maidservant: “Go bring the gifts in from the carriage.”

“Fourth Young Lady, please, there’s no need for that —” The words had barely left Shen Zhuxi’s mouth before the maidservant had already hurried off.

“Madam Li, I’ll speak frankly. Last time I failed to recognize a person of importance, and the family business suffered for my mistake. You are a person of great generosity — where one can show mercy, one ought to. Let me off this once, and give me something to bring back to my father.” Fourth Young Lady Zhang said.

Shen Zhuxi was finally beginning to piece it together.

What Fourth Young Lady Zhang meant was: because of the ill will between the two of them, the grain shop convoy had been blocked from entering the city?

But how had that minor altercation on the road ever reached Li Wu’s ears?

The maidservant who had left returned now, her footsteps noticeably heavier than before. She carried a white porcelain flowerpot in both arms, and in it grew the very peony Shen Zhuxi had fallen in love with at first sight — the pale jade-green variety!

“This peony is my gift of apology. I humbly ask Madam Li to accept it.” Fourth Young Lady Zhang rose and bowed again toward Shen Zhuxi.

“This…”

“Madam Li, I’m begging you!”

Fourth Young Lady Zhang steeled herself and moved to kneel. Shen Zhuxi quickly caught her by the arm, and ultimately relented and accepted the pale jade-green peony. At the sight of Madam Li accepting the apology gift, Fourth Young Lady Zhang’s relief was palpable. She wasted no time in taking her leave.

Though the visit had been bewildering from start to finish, receiving such a prized peony out of nowhere still left Shen Zhuxi quite pleased.

She called a servant boy over, personally chose a fine spot — right beside the large scallion flower — and watched with delight as he set the flower pot down, then had him build a rain shelter for the pale jade-green peony, identical to the one over the scallion flower.

“Peonies are delicate — they can’t be kept outdoors like the scallion flower. On days when the sun is strong, remember to move it inside; when it rains or the temperature drops, bring it indoors as well… Has any of you grown peonies before?” Shen Zhuxi asked.

The servants looked at one another. After a moment, one of them timidly raised a hand: “I… I used to grow vegetables at home.”

“Then it’s you!” Shen Zhuxi said. “From now on, you’ll be in charge of tending the flower garden. When you have a free moment, pay a visit to the Zhang household and ask the person who manages their garden about what else needs to be looked after…”

The Zhang family, who ran the Zhang Grain Shop, were a well-established family in Xiangyang City. Their household’s gardener was surely no amateur, but Shen Zhuxi didn’t want to go to the expense of hiring a proper florist — this opportunistic shortcut would have to do.

Besides, even Fourth Young Lady Zhang had come to the door to make amends, which meant Li the Windbag had no small amount of influence in Xiangyang City. Surely going to the Zhang household’s head gardener for a few pointers would be perfectly simple?

At dusk, just as the sun dipped to the horizon, Li Wu returned with his two younger brothers and a roast goose in tow.

When the roast goose was brought to the table, Shen Zhuxi couldn’t help but grumble: “Since you were spending money either way, why didn’t you go buy roast chicken from Sui Rui’s shop?”

“There is no way I’d set foot in that old lady Sui’s den of extortion!” Li Wu’s voice immediately rose a pitch. He grumbled, “That old woman always picks out the smallest chickens for me. I’d have to be out of my mind to walk through her door and get fleeced!”

“That’s only because of what you did to her in the past.” Shen Zhuxi said.

Li Wu slanted a look her way, and Shen Zhuxi immediately knew this wasn’t going to go well.

Whenever that look appeared, he would always…

“Who matters more to you — old lady Sui or me?” Li Wu said in that needling, sarcastic tone of his.

Sure enough.

“This roast goose smells wonderful too,” Shen Zhuxi said, picking up her chopsticks and pulling off the goose leg, which she promptly stuffed into Li the Windbag’s mouth.

“Eat more meat.” And kindly reduce the amount of hot air.

Li Que called out: “Sister-in-law really does look after Big Brother the best! So thoughtful!”

Li Wu chewed happily on his goose leg, garbling his words: “I was just teasing this dolt. I’ve always known that, in her heart, I’m the one who matters most.”

Shen Zhuxi quietly sipped her soup.

Today, this duck was making quite a racket.

“Did anyone from the Zhang Grain Shop come by today?” Li Wu asked.

Shen Zhuxi thought of Fourth Young Lady Zhang and quickly relayed the story of her visit and the pale jade-green peony.

“She comes to beg forgiveness and only brings one pot of weeds?” Li Wu frowned. “That fat old man still hasn’t been taught enough of a lesson.”

“The pale jade-green variety is no ordinary weed!” Shen Zhuxi explained. “It’s a top-ranking variety even among prized peonies. The one she brought has a wonderful color and is growing beautifully — before the wars, in the capital, it could have fetched at least a hundred taels!”

“I don’t care how much it’s worth. It can’t be eaten and it can’t be used — a weed is a weed —” Li Wu said dismissively. “You like it?”

Shen Zhuxi gave a nervous nod.

“Then keep it.” Li Wu said.

Two chubby little paws scrambled up her skirt. Shen Zhuxi looked down to find Li Juan gazing up at her with a pitiful expression: “Mrow!”

She picked up a piece of goose belly meat, peeled off the rich, heavily seasoned goose skin, and fed the meat to Li Juan.

Li Juan swallowed it in one gulp.

“You’re supposed to chew, you silly thing.” Shen Zhuxi said.

“No need to chew goose meat. When it comes to eating you, I’ll chew.” Li Wu said.

Shen Zhuxi treated this as if she had heard nothing, letting that gust of wind pass on by.

Li Wu tossed the stripped goose leg bone down to the tiger cub at his feet. This time it chewed — crunch, crunch — ground it to splinters and swallowed it down.

“See that, Shen Zhuxi? What kind of cat can crunch through bones?”

“The bones of roast goose go soft during cooking. What’s so strange about crunching through them?” Shen Zhuxi rubbed Li Juan’s fluffy head, then reached out to stroke its round little ears with a fondness she couldn’t help. “Isn’t that right, Li Juan?”

“Mrow! Mrow! Mrow!”

Li Wu dearly wanted to haul this oblivious dolt off to the tiger’s den and let her see for herself whether this “little kitten” she cuddled every day looked anything like the few-month-old tiger cub it really was.

He said coldly: “Shen the Dolt — don’t you think this so-called kitten that never grows is putting on weight faster than a piglet wallowing in a slop pit?”

Shen Zhuxi studied Li Juan’s square little head. It did seem noticeably larger compared to last month.

“That can’t be right — it’s a new breed from the capital. It doesn’t grow large.” She held her ground stubbornly. “Li Juan has just gotten a bit chubby, that’s all. It’s eating so well at our place.”

“Give it up, Big Brother.” Li Que said. “Sister-in-law is fond of it. Let it stay — it’s just one more mouth to feed.”

Li Wu said coldly: “That mouth is going to be bigger than all ten of your mouths put together, one day.”

Li Que absorbed the soft jab and gave Shen Zhuxi a quiet shrug.

“I’m done eating…”

Shen Zhuxi scooped up Li Juan and made her escape from the scene.

“That tiger cub can’t stay.” Li Wu said, watching Shen Zhuxi’s retreating figure.

“Sister-in-law will be heartbroken.” Li Que said.

Li Wu looked away and drained the wine cup on the table in one go.

“Have you forgotten the merchant convoy that was attacked on the main road today?” Li Wu said.

Li Que fell silent.

“I haven’t forgotten! I haven’t forgotten!” Li Kun said proudly. “The tiger… came down the mountain… and mauled three people!”

“There’s never been a tiger menace near Xiangyang City before. This tiger must have come looking for its cub.” Li Wu said.

“That’s not necessarily true.” Li Que said. “Maybe it just got tired of eating mountain pheasants and came down for a change of diet.”

Li Wu swept a glance his way, and Li Que closed his mouth.

“That tiger cub staying here… will eventually bring trouble.” Li Wu said in a low voice. “It needs to be sent away as soon as possible.”

“Sister-in-law cares for it so much — how do you plan to send it away?” Li Que said.

“…There will be an opportunity.”

……

In the main room of the back courtyard, Shen Zhuxi sat with a book in her hands, her brow deeply furrowed.

In front of Li Wu and the others, she had put on a confident front and appeared completely convinced. But the things Li Wu had said — she hadn’t let all of them wash over her.

Now that she was alone, Shen Zhuxi sank into deep, tangled uncertainty.

She had searched out many books about tigers, and kept comparing Li Juan to the illustrations on the pages — no matter how she looked at it, Li Juan didn’t resemble the fearsome tigers drawn in those books.

Most importantly, wasn’t it said that tigers had the character for “king” on their foreheads? Li Juan had nothing of the sort!

Shen Zhuxi parted the fur between its brow ridges and peered at the creases from every angle, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t piece together anything resembling the character for “king.”

“Oh Li Juan, oh Li Juan, you’re going to be the ruin of me. Are you or aren’t you the little kitten that doesn’t grow?” Shen Zhuxi pulled a long face and pinched its soft, drooping belly.

Li Juan immediately flopped down onto the floor and obediently rolled onto its back, offering up its belly for whatever came next.

This was quite plainly an adorable little kitten — how could it possibly be a man-eating tiger?

“You need to eat less. No more getting fatter. If you keep growing…” Shen Zhuxi said in a trembling voice, gingerly squeezing its plump, sturdy little limbs, “I really won’t be able to keep you anymore…”

Li Juan gave a languid stretch, its round little ears flicking: “Mrow —”

“Li Juan, you really are —”

Impossibly adorable!

Shen Zhuxi scooped Li Juan up and, unable to stop herself, buried her face in its soft, warm body for a nuzzle.

Li Juan extended its little pink tongue and gave her chin a gentle lick.

“Promise me you won’t get any fatter, all right?” Shen Zhuxi said, earnest and sincere in her little negotiation.

“Mrow.”

“Promise me, all right?”

“Mrow mrow.”

“If you promise, give two calls.”

“Mrow.”

Shen Zhuxi pinched a bit of the soft flesh on its belly.

“Mrow!” Li Juan wriggled in her arms and called out once more.

“Since we’ve come to an agreement — starting tomorrow, you have no evening meal.”