Hearing this, Xiangcao looked again at the Shizi — powdered and rouged, exuding an air of soft delicacy — and her tone changed at once: “What a pity, with looks like that — a perfectly fine man painting his face powder-white. He must be the sort of dissolute wastrel lost to wine and pleasure.”
Still, fine looks made for an easier beggar. Quite a number of ladies and young misses, stirred by Han Shizi’s striking appearance, tossed copper coins and silver pieces into the basin before him in a steady stream, clattering like pearls falling onto a plate.
As a result, before the lovelorn piece had even reached its end, the heaping basin was already overflowing with copper coins and loose silver. Before long he would be able to pack up and leave.
Su Luoyun had waited a long while. When the sounds of that group of young wastrels jeering and laughing gradually receded into the distance, she let out a quiet breath of relief — her carriage could finally move again. She wondered whether her uncle had grown impatient waiting for her.
Once the crowd dispersed, the Su family’s carriage made its way along the street to the entrance of the post house.
Hu Xuesong stood before the post house in full military dress, waiting for his niece to descend from the carriage.
When he saw Luoyun, the bearded man felt a slight stinging at his nose, and said to her: “It has been a long time since we met — and yet you have grown this thin. Has your father been spending all the Su family’s money hoarding it away for his own coffin? Has he been taking proper care of you?”
Hearing her younger maternal uncle’s resonant voice, Su Luoyun could not hold back the tears welling at her eyes. Her rims reddened, and she sniffled softly and said: “Listening to Uncle’s voice, so full and robust — you must have grown even more imposing these past few years! The military camp really does bring out the best in a man. I only wonder whether Uncle has brought back a suitable aunt for me?”
Hu Xuesong gave a self-deprecating laugh: “I have squandered my family’s fortune and have not a tile to call my own — I had best not drag some decent girl into a life of hardship on my account!”
After the two of them went inside and exchanged pleasantries for a while, Hu Xuesong came straight to the point: “I have come this time intending to take you and your brother away from the Su household. Two years ago when your accident happened, I was in Jiangzhe, enlisted in the military, surrounding and suppressing river pirates — living a life where one licks blood off a blade. I had no way to look after you then. Now I at least have a salary to support a household, so it is a good time to bring you out of there, rather than leaving you to be schemed against and worn down by that vicious woman.”
Su Luoyun felt her way through the food hamper she had brought along, set out several small dishes of cakes and pastries on the table, and asked quietly: “Uncle has yet to take a wife. If he were to take in his late elder sister’s two burdensome dependents besides, would he ever manage to marry a proper wife of his own?”
Hu Xuesong waved his hand dismissively, his face heavy with remorse: “What man of worth need worry about finding a wife? I was foolish in my youth — I kept company with a crowd of friends, ate and drank and played away my days, squandered the family fortune, and so when the time of crisis came, I had no means to support my elder sister, nor did I look after the two of you properly. Now that I have finally found my footing and made something of myself — if I still do nothing for you, what face will I have to meet my elder sister in the afterlife?”
But Su Luoyun shook her head: “Guiyan is a gifted child — when he first began his studies, his teacher said he had the makings of a candidate worth nurturing toward the examinations. If Uncle were to take the Su family’s children away without proper grounds, he would certainly be struck from the Su family’s clan register. With a mark against his character, if he then failed to pass the county-level examination, all that natural gift of Guiyan’s would be wasted for nothing.”
Hu Xuesong understood. The current Emperor placed the utmost importance on the integrity and reputation of his officials. This child Luoyun had thought the matter through far more carefully than he had.
Thinking on this, he sighed and said: “To be willing to send a daughter who has lost her sight away to the countryside — what a ruthless heart that takes. Now that I have insisted on seeing you, he has brought you back to the capital. But once I leave, will he not simply send you away again?”
Su Luoyun gave a slight smile: “I have my own ways of staying. Uncle need not worry. But as for your visit to the capital this time — there will be calls to make and people to acknowledge. I wonder whether Uncle has prepared any local specialty gifts?”
Hu Xuesong had earned his post entirely through his own ability, yet the territory he guarded was a harsh and desolate stretch of riverbank. This was also his first time accompanying his superior to the capital, and the niceties of social obligation had not crossed his mind at all.
Su Luoyun, however, had thought it all through well in advance. She had Xiangcao pass over a slip of paper: “These are gifts I have already purchased and left in the care of a specialty goods merchant in the western part of the city. The appropriate recipient is noted beside each gift box — Uncle just needs to make sure nothing is delivered to the wrong person. When I used to live in the capital, I accompanied Miss Lu to various tea gatherings and came to know something of the households of several of the overseers at the Bureau of Shipping. In recent days I also listened to Father talk of the ways he cultivates ties with his own superiors, and took the liberty of preparing a few things accordingly. You have come this time in your superior’s company — sending lavish gifts in secret would suggest an improper disposition and would overstep proper bounds. Preparing nothing at all, on the other hand, would show a want of social grace. Better to prepare a few small, well-chosen items that strike a chord, so that those officials will simply remember that there is such a capable man as yourself in the Liangjiang naval forces.”
The things she had prepared were nothing costly, but each had been chosen with great care and thought.
For example, Official Li of the Bureau of Shipping was fond of fishing, yet invariably returned empty-handed. So she had selected for her uncle a set of Eastern Ocean hooks recently introduced from Japan — the finest tool for catching large fish, and still quite rare on the market.
For Official Bai, who was utterly devoted to his wife, she had obtained from Lu Lingxiu a priority tailoring voucher from the Lu family’s needlework house. Lu family embroidered garments were worth their weight in gold and near impossible to obtain — even daughters of marquis households and imperial princesses had to wait their turn in line.
Madam Bai had always been fond of beauty and was particular about her dress and appearance. There was nothing that would please her more than a voucher allowing her to skip the queue and have her garments made ahead of others.
In such manner as this, Su Luoyun had thought of everything for her uncle and made careful arrangements for each.
Her uncle had come with no requests of his own, and the gifts were nothing extravagant. Those who received them would feel no burden in accepting, yet find themselves genuinely touched by the thoughtfulness — and would naturally remember this perceptive and considerate man.
For those in office, whenever they were short of capable hands, they always hoped to find a sensible and quick-witted subordinate. When the opportunity for promotion arose in the future, her uncle would have a fighting chance above others.
Su Luoyun said to Hu Xuesong: “Uncle need not worry about my brother and me. You are our pillar of support — the more firmly Uncle stands, the easier our days within the Su household will be.”
Hu Xuesong had lived through the decline of his family fortunes, and was no longer the reckless young lord he had once been. He understood perfectly what his niece was telling him.
He could only lament that he was more than ten years her senior, yet could not think things through as thoroughly as she did.
The uncle and niece exchanged a few more words of mutual encouragement and concern, and then parted ways.
On the way back, Nanny Tian voiced her worry: “Young Master spoke sensibly, but if the Master decides to send you away again, what are we to do?”
Su Luoyun gave a faint smile, slowly rubbing her fingertips together. A lingering trace of fragrance still clung to them — left behind from when she had tested the scent on Miss Lu of the Lu family.
That fragrance could linger for two days. When she had applied it to Lu Lingxiu’s wrist to try the scent, she had deliberately dabbed it over the pulse point — the warmth of the body would carry the scent farther as it diffused…
She only wondered whether Princess Yuyang, who was said to be utterly devoted to beautiful fragrances, would take a liking to this one…
That question was answered the very next day.
Su Hongmeng rose early that morning to shave and comb his hair, preparing himself for his first day of duties at the Bureau of Trade Supervision.
Ding Pei had even sent a maidservant specially to the Shu Xiang Restaurant to buy an entire table’s worth of Sichuan dishes, intending to treat her husband well on the occasion of his first day in his new post.
But before the master of the house returned, Ding Pei sent word to summon the eldest young miss. The stated pretext was to have her measurements taken for a few new sets of clothing — but in truth, Ding Pei intended to inform her that in a few days’ time she would be sent back to the countryside.
Su Hongmeng harbored this intention well enough, but found it somewhat awkward to broach the subject with his eldest daughter himself, and so tossed this hot potato to the capable and tactful Ding Pei to handle.
Ding Pei smiled pleasantly as she had her attendants take Su Luoyun’s measurements, then sighed with feeling: “Over these two years, you seem to have grown a little taller. Country living really does nourish a person!”
Luoyun gave a faint smile: “When I first arrived, I could not adjust to the local conditions and fell into quite a serious illness — I was reduced to nothing but skin and bone. I hadn’t thought it would fail to prevent me from growing taller after all. Now First Madam must go to the trouble and expense of having new garments made for me.”
Ding Pei’s smile did not waver: “One grows accustomed to a place if one stays long enough — in the end, one place is much like any other. Actually, the countryside suits an ailing person far better for recuperating. Your father has even said that when he retires and returns to his hometown in his old age, he will go back to Yinzhou. Only, the old residence there needs someone capable to manage it — if left entirely to the servants, one fears they would grow lazy and let the house fall to ruin. Not like when you were there, keeping the whole courtyard in such good order.”
Though she could not see, Su Luoyun turned her cool gaze in the direction of Ding Shi nonetheless: “First Madam seems to have something she wishes to say. She need not hesitate to speak plainly.”
Ding Pei smiled and continued: “You returned to the capital this time simply to see your uncle — and now you have seen him, so neither of you need carry the worry for the other any longer. In a few days, when your younger sister’s wedding draws near, the household will be busy, and I fear we may not be able to attend to you properly. Your father and I have discussed the matter, and feel it would be better to send you back to the countryside — so that the noise and bustle here does not disturb your peace.”
Hearing this, Nanny Tian, standing to one side, clenched her hands together in fury, forcing herself to make no sound.
Su Caijian, also present, could not help but let a look of delight pass across her face — she quickly tried to contain it, knowing she ought not to show it too openly. But then she remembered that her elder sister could not see, and could suppress it no longer, breaking into a smile again. She felt her future prospects were clear and unobstructed.
Su Luoyun remained perfectly composed: “Is First Madam asking for my opinion, or has the decision already been made and this is merely a notification?”
There were no outsiders present, and Ding Pei felt no need to guard her words. She assumed the bearing of the mistress of the household and said in grave, measured tones: “In truth, where the children of a household are concerned, it is the parents who decide — one never hears of a household that is run according to what the children want. You need only remember that your father and I are acting in your best interest… Your younger sister’s happy occasion is approaching, and the household is short of experienced and steady servants. I was thinking that this time, Xiangcao and Nanny Tian would remain behind, and I will assign you two capable new maidservants in their place — so that Nanny Tian, in her advanced years, is not overstrained.”
At these words, Nanny Tian immediately fixed her with a cold stare: “Madam, my bond of servitude is not held by the Su family. I am afraid what you propose would not be quite proper.”
Ding Pei’s smile faded. She said slowly: “I am well aware that you came as a dowry servant from my predecessor’s family, the Hu household, and I have always treated you with respect. But Luoyun has an affliction of the eyes — she needs someone with sufficient energy at her side to put people’s minds at ease. At your age, you should by rights be resting in ease and comfort. If you feel I am unworthy of keeping you in this household, there is no need to be at odds with me day after day. You may collect your silver and return to the Hu family.”
That decrepit old thing — just because her bond of servitude was not held by the Su family, she thought she could not be controlled? Su Luoyun was her stepdaughter — who waited upon a daughter was not for Su Luoyun herself to decide!
In the past, constrained by the dying wishes of Hu Shi, she had not been able to drive Nanny Tian away outright. But Su Luoyun was nearly eighteen now — by any reckoning an adult, no longer in need of a guardian servant entrusted with a dying mother’s charge. Sending the old woman away with this show of courtesy — no one could find fault with that.
Nanny Tian, hearing this, was so furious she could barely contain herself. “Not putting her mind at ease”? This was nothing but seizing upon the young miss’s blindness as a pretext to drive away the one person closest to her, and then letting Ding Shi do as she pleased with her.
But Su Luoyun remained unruffled: “Is this… also my father’s intention?”
Ding Pei unhurriedly lifted her teacup, took a sip, and only then replied: “The inner quarters of a household — why should the men trouble themselves over such things? He is busy enough now, helping the overseers at the Bureau of Trade Supervision select and purchase fragrant goods. If you have any sense, you will not go and bother your father with this.”