The government office was just preparing to sleep when word came that the envoy’s residence had sent out a palanquin. The steward went out to look — the palanquin and chests were all sealed with the imperial envoy’s official seals, and just as bare as when they’d left. The porters and chest-carriers had also vanished in a puff of smoke. When the curtain was lifted, Zhù Ying sat inside expressionless; in the dim lamplight, it was rather unsettling.

The steward steadied his pounding heart and rushed inside to report. Before long, Zhù Ying was brought before the prefect and his wife.

The prefect and his wife had only just lain down when they heard the news that the person had been returned, chests and all, brought into Madam’s main chamber. Upon seeing the seals, the prefect’s brow creased, and he asked: “What happened?”

Madam Zhao, seeing that Zhù Ying hadn’t responded, also asked: “Speak up — you’re being asked a question. What happened?”

Zhù Ying still said nothing.

Madam Zhao walked closer and said quietly: “Your mother is still safe and sound in the same place. Go ahead and speak — what happened? Hey, I’m asking you — what’s wrong with you? Have you gone deaf?”

Zhù Ying gave her a quiet, distant look. Madam Zhao felt a jolt in her chest and scolded: “You little hussy — are you trying to get yourself killed? Have you gone deaf or mute?”

Zhù Ying gave a composed nod.

Everyone froze: “What?”

When they thought about it carefully, Zhù Ying — this “quiet and well-behaved” girl — had, from beginning to end, truly not said a single word, and none of them had ever noticed anything unusual about it. That’s right — a kitchen helper who just needed to work with her hands and feet, and not speaking was even better, wasn’t it?

Madam said: “Fetch her mother. Mother and daughter share one heart; she will surely be able to understand what she wants to say.”

Zhang Xiangu had never imagined — after half a day’s worth of cursing the entire prefect’s household to death a thousand times over, lamenting bitterly that she had no real power to actually curse anyone to death — that her daughter would come back!

When she first heard the news that her daughter had returned, her expression didn’t know how to arrange itself. She shuffled along, one foot uncertain after the other, to the main chamber, and at a glance she saw her daughter. Zhang Xiangu lunged forward and threw her arms around Zhù Ying, tears streaming down: “My child!”

Neither mother nor daughter was in any state of mind to admire the furnishings of the main chamber. Madam Zhao hurried forward: “Hey — the person has returned, so stop crying for now. Once you’ve answered some questions, you’ll have plenty of time to talk. Hey — your young lady can’t speak, so tell us yourself: what exactly happened today?”

Zhang Xiangu was taken aback. Zhù Ying clasped her hand and discreetly gave a small pinch in her palm. Zhang Xiangu understood without words — as a spirit woman, she had done plenty of cooperative deceptions before.

Yet Zhù Ying simply didn’t know anything about anything, so Zhang Xiangu “truthfully” said: “Nothing was said to her; she was just sent back.”

Not only did the prefect’s and Madam’s expressions look terrible, but so did the faces of the servants who had accompanied them. Madam Zhao quietly stifled a yawn. Seeing the prefect wave his hand, she said to Zhang Xiangu and her daughter: “You two may go.”

As for what calculations the prefect and his wife were making, we set that aside. Zhang Xiangu pulled her daughter back to their room, wiped her tears, and began undoing Zhù Ying’s clothing: “I always said those fine garments weren’t meant to be worn for free — take them off quickly! Damn it all! They’re all short-lived wretches without a shred of virtue!”

Once the silk and satin had been removed, Zhang Xiangu pulled her daughter to sit on the bed, intending to have a long talk — they could not stay in this wretched government office any longer! Who could have imagined the prefect would be even more unreasonable? A perfectly decent short-term work arrangement had turned into them being slaves given away on a whim! Was there any justice left in this world?!

Leave — leave at once! Quit tomorrow and be done with it!

Just then, the door was cautiously knocked twice. Zhang Xiangu’s heart was still rattled, and she called out in a trembling voice: “Who is it?!”

Zhù Ying gave her hand a squeeze, rose, and went to open the door. Sure enough, outside stood Nanny Xu and her daughter. Nanny Xu had been on tenterhooks all day. She held a food hamper in her hands, and her eldest daughter carried a lantern; both mother and daughter wore sheepish expressions. Zhang Xiangu felt a sour mood inside her, but pulled herself aside to let her daughter pass, her tone not particularly warm: “Coming by so late — you really shouldn’t have troubled yourself.”

Nanny Xu offered numerous apologies and said: “Your young lady probably hasn’t had anything to eat over there. If you want to be angry with me, wait until she’s had something to eat first.”

Only then did Zhang Xiangu step aside. Eldest Daughter took Zhù Ying’s hand and asked quietly: “Are you alright?”

Zhù Ying shook her head.

Zhù Ying ate while Nanny Xu had Eldest Daughter fetch water for her to wash her face, then said: “Whatever I say now is all pointless. But if you two haven’t had enough of me, just listen to one piece of advice — get out of this household as soon as you can.”

Zhang Xiangu, though genuinely outspoken, still had her wits about her. She didn’t agree immediately, and instead just watched her daughter eat ravenously, inwardly cursing her husband yet another eight hundred times. When Zhù Ying had finished eating, Nanny Xu and her daughter cleared away the bowls and dishes and departed with sighs and laments.

Zhang Xiangu bolted the door and asked quietly: “Why did you start pretending to be mute?”

Zhù Ying said: “Haven’t I been acting that way for all these days? And look — it worked quite well. Saves me from being used as their informant.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “True enough. Right, go to sleep. This day has been tiring enough. Tomorrow we’ll quit and leave!”

Zhù Ying nodded.

The two lay down. After a while, Zhù Ying listened to the night watchman’s clapper strike and then, after a pause, got up. Zhang Xiangu asked drowsily: “Where are you going?”

“The latrine.”

Zhù Ying threw on her clothes and stepped with light, noiseless footsteps out of the small kitchen courtyard. It was now well past midnight — the hour when people are most deeply asleep. Zhù Ying crept to the area near the main chamber. The light in the master bedroom had been extinguished; only the candle of the senior maidservant keeping night watch in the outer room was still burning. Peering through the window — she, too, had fallen asleep.

Zhù Ying nodded to herself and, without disturbing anyone, used a fire-stoking iron hook to reach inside and unfasten the two chests that had been sent to the envoy’s residence. She then hooked the gauze canopy over the chest, and finally hooked the candle onto the gauze. She withdrew the iron hook, quietly replaced the window, and returned to the room without a sound.

Zhang Xiangu turned over: “Go to sleep, stop making trouble!”

Zhù Ying took off her shoes and got into bed. She had not even lain down when she heard shouts from outside: “Fire! Fire!”

Zhang Xiangu bolted upright like a spring: “Fire?! Oh! The place is burning! Quickly, quickly — let’s go see!”

Zhù Ying held her back. She was just about to say something when Nanny Xu and her daughter burst through the door: “Quick! This is our chance! Pack what you need — leave the bulky things — let’s flee while we have the opportunity!”

Nanny Xu said to Zhang Xiangu: “This wretched place is no longer safe to stay. I thought that with a trade skill I wouldn’t be subject to other people’s control — but who knew… Bah! Today they can send your daughter away because someone praised her looks; tomorrow they can send my eldest away because someone praises her cooking skills! Hurry — let’s use this chance to escape!”

Zhang Xiangu asked: “How do we escape?”

Nanny Xu said: “I have a plan. Oh — what’s a few pieces of bedding worth? Leave it! Our lives are more important! Don’t wear anything conspicuous! Pin up your hair, wrap it up — quickly!” Seeing Zhang Xiangu flip around to bundle up the bedding, she hurried to stop her. Seeing Zhù Ying with her hair loose, she told her to put on her clothes.

Then she ran to the kitchen and pulled out a few sticks of firewood, and lit the bundle of tinder beside the woodshed. The tinder caught the dry kindling, and the flames leapt up in an instant!

Nanny Xu shouted loudly at the night watchman guarding the back gate: “Fire! Someone come quickly!”

The night watchman, bleary-eyed with sleep, was startled: “Quickly! Fight the fire!” He rang the bell to call for help from the front, then rushed to get a bucket from the well.

Nanny Xu seized the moment and dragged the others out through the back gate.

The main chamber was thrown into chaos — people scrambled to fight the fire and to rescue Madam and the prefect. Those in the front office also sprang into action, beating gongs and organizing firefighting efforts. While the sound of bucket-carrying and gong-beating rang out in every direction, the two pairs of mothers and daughters had already slipped along the base of the walls and out of the government compound.

Once clear of the compound and two more streets away, Nanny Xu finally stopped, breathless, leaning against a wall and panting shallowly: “Oh goodness — I can’t run anymore. Wait a bit more. Once the city gates open, let’s go! The farther the better!” Zhang Xiangu felt a mild worry, and asked Nanny Xu: “Having just run away like this — won’t they come after us?”

Nanny Xu said: “Let them recover their senses first — by then we’ll have gotten far away! From now on, I’ll never go to work as a kitchen helper in an official’s household again! Even a local moneybags would be better! When you rely on powerful people, their power seems like a good thing — but once that power is turned against you, you can scream yourself hoarse and not one person will hear! And even if they hear, they’ll pretend they didn’t!”

While they were talking, Zhù Ying suddenly made a gesture and pulled the three of them into a corner. After a brief moment, a series of footsteps approached. Eldest Daughter, feeling guilty, couldn’t resist looking over, and said in some surprise: “Sister Chuan!”

Well! The arrival was startled, but after a moment’s scrutiny, this turned out to be Chuan — a maidservant who served in Madam’s chamber — also clutching a bundle. The five of them looked at each other. Chuan jumped forward: “Are you also…”

Nanny Xu said: “Also what?”

“Also escaped?! Do you have someone waiting for you?”

Nanny Xu silently groaned and said quietly: “Do you think we have some young suitor waiting for you?”

Chuan stamped her foot: “You’re the one with a young suitor!”

“Then what are you running from?”

“Hmph! What are you running from?”

Zhù Ying made a gesture and pulled Zhang Xiangu to walk on. Eldest Daughter said: “What are you doing?”

Zhù Ying shook her head, pointed at all five of them, then brought both index fingers together and made a separating gesture.

Upon seeing this, Nanny Xu said: “She’s right — too many people is too conspicuous! Let’s split up!” Chuan thought a moment and said: “I’ll go with you!”

All of them knew that after this moment, they might never see each other again.

Zhù Ying pulled Zhang Xiangu and walked at a brisk pace. Zhang Xiangu said: “What’s the hurry?!” Nanny Xu and Eldest Daughter had two bundles of belongings between them, while Zhang Xiangu and her daughter had not even a single bundle between them. Zhang Xiangu figured they should at least follow Nanny Xu out of the city and get a couple of meals out of it before parting ways.

But Zhù Ying pulled her to the inn where they had previously stayed, left her waiting against the wall, then herself climbed over the wall to retrieve the bundle she had hidden away, and carried it back. Zhang Xiangu was delighted: “Not bad! We still have this move.”

By this time the sky was beginning to lighten, and the fire at the government compound had begun to die down. Looking back, faint wisps of smoke could be seen rising into the sky. Zhù Ying and her mother blended into the crowd waiting for the city gates to open. Zhang Xiangu, with her experience, chatted with the people nearby: “How careless! That fire was truly big — will it burn down half the government compound?” — to avoid looking guilty herself.

Someone nearby said: “He won’t have to pay to rebuild it himself! Just wait and see — this year there’ll be more taxes and levies…”

The moment the gates opened, mother and daughter shot out like arrows through the city gate.

Zhù Ying and Zhang Xiangu were both accustomed to walking long distances, and ran another two or three li before stopping. Zhù Ying reached into the bundle and took out two steamed buns, handing one to Zhang Xiangu — these had been discreetly taken from the inn’s kitchen.

Neither bothered with ceremony; each stuffed a bun into her mouth. Zhang Xiangu looked back toward the direction of the prefecture city and said with a tinge of melancholy: “We’ve done what we could. As for that dead-and-gone fool — let heaven decide his fate. We’ll come back after things have settled down a bit; either we’ll be reunited as a family, or we’ll collect his body. Let’s get far away from here, find a new place — I’ve raised you this big, and I won’t let you go hungry from here on.”

Zhù Ying said: “That won’t be necessary. Let’s walk forward a ways, and then we’ll double back.” As she spoke, she undid the bundle and took out a set of men’s clothing — boots, hat, and all — the outfit Yu Miaomiao had purchased for her when she moved in as a son-in-law at the Yu family’s home. Looking at those old clothes now, it all felt like another lifetime.

Zhang Xiangu said: “You want to die! The prefecture is still arresting the Yu family’s son-in-law and the Zhū family’s son!”

Zhù Ying said: “I’m not going back dressed like this straight away. We’ll go north a stretch first and find a larger town to change our appearance again, then come back.”

Zhang Xiangu said: “Your father — that’s his fate. You shouldn’t…”

Zhù Ying said: “We have to try at least once. Otherwise find a place where no one knows us, and you can wait there while I…”

“No!”

Zhù Ying said: “I can’t abandon Mother, and I can’t abandon Father. Let’s just try this one time?”

Zhang Xiangu hesitated a moment and said: “Are you sure about this?”

Zhù Ying said: “We try; if it doesn’t work, we escape again. If that happens, I’ll give up. Is that alright?”

Zhang Xiangu, thinking of how her daughter had handled things recently, reluctantly agreed, though she was worried that a larger town would be full of people and eyes. Zhù Ying said: “More people is better — with people coming and going, no one pays attention to you. If it were a place like Zhū Family Village, even a hen with an unusual coat color would get noticed! That’s also why I didn’t want to stay in Zhū Family Village.” In large places, even though people had their good and bad sides, both kinds existed in numbers — and in sufficient numbers, you could always find your own kind, and there was more room to maneuver. In a small place, if people ganged up and ostracized you — tsk!

And so a pair of “mother and son” hurried steadily away along the main road.