What a ridiculous notion! Though Chu Linlang was beautiful, her origins were common and coarse. Moreover, she was a woman who had already been married — hardly the delicate, fresh bloom of a girl in the flower of her youth.

Consider Situ Sheng: exceptional in appearance, supremely gifted in talent and character, currently in the Emperor’s favor with unlimited prospects. If he were someday to enter the Grand Secretariat, marrying the daughter of a chancellor would not be beneath him.

That Second Miss Xie had once admired this very Situ Sheng, yet it had all come to nothing — clear proof of how high his standards were.

Situ Sheng had not yet taken a wife, and held the rank of Fifth Grade. Even if merely to fill the emptiness of his household, there would be no shortage of suitable women willing to be his concubine.

A man with such deep deliberation — why would he ruin his own reputation by carrying on improperly with a colleague’s divorced wife?

Most likely, it was simply that Situ Sheng, recalling their acquaintance back in Jizhou, pitied Chu Linlang and gave her a place to take shelter — nothing more.

With that settled in his mind, Zhou Sui’an thought: though he had no respect for Situ Sheng’s style of harsh officialdom, given time, he would still want to host a banquet to thank Situ Sheng for temporarily looking after Chu Linlang.

She was now drifting alone in the capital, and with her looks being no small matter, she was inevitably at risk of being taken advantage of by wayward and licentious men. Living within the Deputy Minister’s residence would at least spare her those senseless harassments.

As for being a domestic servant at the Deputy Minister’s residence — let her have a taste of depending on others’ goodwill and living through hardship.

These past few years, living under the Zhou family’s care, she had grown accustomed to a life of fine clothing and exquisite food. Chu Linlang had probably forgotten the hundred flavors of bitterness known to those in lowly positions.

If she remained in the capital, immersed in its splendor, and felt the difference between those of high and low station, she would be better positioned to reflect on whether it had been right or wrong to abandon the years of marital affection they had shared.

If one day Chu Linlang were to regret it and wish to return, he might consider, for the sake of their many years together as husband and wife, taking back this water that had been spilled and could not be retrieved…

With this thought, Zhou Sui’an felt considerably better.

But when Zhou Sui’an turned and caught sight of his future father-in-law’s iron-hard, livid expression, his daydreaming scattered at once. He knew he was in for a good scolding from Xie Sheng before long.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but resent Xie Youran — did she not know what sort of person her own aunt was? To have actually brought someone so prone to causing disasters to the Zhou family! If it hadn’t been for Aunt An stirring up all this trouble, would he have been made to suffer such humiliation?

As for that Aunt An, she remained unaware of this whole ordeal playing out at the Xie residence, and came trotting along to the Xie family as usual, intending to help her elder sister manage the trousseau preparations.

Her elder sister had never been particularly astute about financial matters — helping to select and purchase things, there would be a nice profit in it for herself.

Little did she know that this time when she arrived, there was no sight of her elder sister — only a scowling brother-in-law blocking the doorway, glaring at her…

That day, Xie Sheng summoned his younger sister’s husband, then together with his wife Su Shi, shut the doors and interrogated An Shi.

The servants were all sent far away, yet one could still vaguely make out the sounds of shouting and scolding from inside, along with endless cries for mercy.

By the time An Shi’s husband dragged his troublemaking wife out, An Shi’s face had been beaten black and blue by her husband.

Su Shi had also been berated by Xie Sheng until she wanted the ground to swallow her, with him declaring: did she not know what sort of shallow and small-minded creature her younger sister was? How could she dare let An Shi meddle in such a family scandal?

When Xie Youran learned of her aunt’s doings, she too raged and ranted in her room without cease.

She also thought of how her own affair had been exposed to Situ Sheng through that Chu Linlang, without any face having been preserved for her at all, and she seethed with quiet fury.

The little maidservant at her side could only try to console her: why bother getting angry over a divorced woman? No matter what, Zhou Sui’an could now be considered a man without a wife. She could simply compose herself and wait to be a bride.

—

Now, to speak of Chu Linlang — these past few days she had had no leisure to think about anything else.

Having unexpectedly and accidentally become the household manager of the Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review’s residence, she could hardly take the salary for nothing. There was a great deal to clean and repair both inside and outside. She had to find craftsmen to mend the house, select and purchase household necessities, hire a cart to clear away the rubbish piled up in the back courtyard — truly not a moment of idleness.

On this particular day, she was finally worn out and rose somewhat late. She assumed that Situ Sheng and Guanqi, as on the previous few days, would have left before dawn.

But to her surprise, when she got up and walked to the back courtyard, she saw Situ Sheng in a short, light garment, practicing martial arts on a small patch of level ground in the back courtyard.

Chu Linlang had seen him fight and subdue violent criminals on the road in Lianzhou before. But watching a strikingly handsome man at close range throwing punches and leaping through the air — that was a first.

The arm half-exposed from his sleeve was firm and powerful, and when he swung and struck, it seemed to carry the force of the wind. As he twisted and leaped, there was a sweeping, all-conquering momentum — as if capable of swallowing mountains and rivers, of cutting across a thousand miles of battle. The chest visible through his open lapels was beaded with sweat, with heat rising from it in wisps.

This was genuine martial skill — entirely unlike the showy, decorative forms of street performers.

Chu Linlang was transfixed, and forgot to step back and make herself scarce.

It wasn’t until the man’s movements gradually slowed and he drew his fists back to rest that Chu Linlang came back to her senses and tried to retreat to avoid awkwardness.

But Situ Sheng called out: “You’ve come at the right time — hand me that sweat cloth over there!”

Only then did Chu Linlang hazily remember: she was no longer the official’s wife she had once been, but the household manager of the Deputy Minister’s residence, and there was no longer any need to go through the motions of avoiding contact with men outside the family.

She took the sweat cloth hanging from the tree branch beside her, and presented it respectfully with both hands to His Lordship the Deputy Minister. At the same time, she asked: “My lord, why have you not gone to the office today?”

“These past few days have been too busy, so I took a day of rest. Oh, and later come to my study — there is a document you need to sign.”

Chu Linlang had originally assumed Situ Sheng wished to go through the formalities and have her sign a three-year service contract.

After all, she was now serving at his residence and managing his household funds — there ought to be a written document to reassure the master of the house.

But when Situ Sheng unfolded those two pages of paper, Chu Linlang discovered to her astonishment that what was written on them was in her former husband Zhou Sui’an’s own hand.

These two pages were the mutual separation documents written personally by Director Zhou!

Situ Sheng did not go into detail about how the Zhou family had changed their decision. He simply said: “Director Zhou has acknowledged his fault and is willing to issue the separation papers. The previous letter of repudiation is rendered null and void. The Xie family, in order to express their apologies, will also make up double the silver that was previously withheld.”

Seeing the separation papers, Chu Linlang’s expression remained calm. But upon hearing that there would also be double the silver in compensation, her eyes instantly lit up with a brilliant gleam.

At this point, her reputation mattered far less to her than silver!

So after expressing her gratitude to Lord Situ, she prepared to pick up the brush and sign her name.

But thinking that she hadn’t written anything in so long and fearing her hand might fumble, she practiced first on a blank piece of paper to the side.

Her strokes really had suffered from such long disuse — the characters came out all twisted and crooked, with strokes faintly missing here and there.

She had not learned to read and write much as a child. While she could read, she was not skilled at writing — especially her own name, which had too many strokes and was particularly difficult to write.

Before, Zhou Sui’an had once laughed at her, telling her not to waste ink and paper, that it would be better for her to simply embroider. After writing a few worm-like, writhing renditions of “Linlang,” she felt her cheeks grow warm, and thought: perhaps she should simply press her handprint instead and spare herself the need to sign at all.

But Situ Sheng’s manners were truly admirable — watching from the side, he did not laugh at her at all. He only said: “If you master the technique of controlling your force, your calligraphy will improve considerably. In a moment, I will… guide your wrist to teach you the proper application of force — is that all right?”

He was a former imperial prince’s tutor. And he was willing to condescend to teach a woman how to write?

Chu Linlang was not one to be ungracious about such an offer, and agreed without hesitation.

So Situ Sheng had her sit up straight in the chair with proper posture, while he went around to stand behind Linlang. Bracing one hand on the table, he reached through her sleeve and clasped her wrist firmly yet steadily with his broad palm. His voice sounded low and deep close to her ear: “Hold the brush with five fingers, relax the grip of the hand, suspend the wrist and keep it steady, let the breath follow the movement of the brush…”

His grip was not tight, yet it guided Chu Linlang’s hand in slow, deliberate movements.

Chu Linlang had never before noticed how beautiful her own name was — with each lift of the brush and each turn and fold of the strokes, it carried a spirited, graceful charm.

After practicing several times like this, Chu Linlang gradually found her footing and couldn’t help turning her head to ask him happily whether she had written it well.

But the moment she turned her head, she discovered that their faces were so close — close enough that she could make out the fine lashes on Situ Sheng’s thick, dark eyebrows, and the high, straight bridge of his nose.

Situ Sheng, however, was evidently focused entirely on the task, paying her no attention at all. He simply held her hand and taught with earnest composure, his low voice flowing past like a string being plucked.

This made Chu Linlang feel a little self-conscious. She thought that raising the issue of propriety between men and women at this moment would seem overly petty, an unworthy slight against a gentleman’s character. So she quickly bowed her head and concentrated on the calligraphy again.

Little did she know that as she focused on the paper, Situ Sheng tilted his head ever so slightly, and his gaze fell — without a trace — on her powdery cheek, where loose wisps of hair escaped at her temple…

This woman was beautiful without being aware of it. Her head of dark hair was simply fastened with a hairpin, and the fine, scattered strands that fell loose only added boundless charm.

Gently catching the faint, delicate fragrance drifting from her neck, Situ Sheng finally released her hand and gradually straightened up, telling her to practice a few more times on her own.

After several attempts, though still no match for Master Situ’s calligraphy, hers had improved considerably compared to her earlier efforts.

With newfound confidence, Chu Linlang finally picked up those two pages of paper and signed her name on them in neat, careful strokes, then pressed her handprint.

From this point forward, her ties with the Zhou family were well and truly severed.

Once the document was signed, Chu Linlang thanked Situ Sheng in earnest and then had the leisure to look around this study she had never entered before.

Every corner of this residence spoke of the master’s careless neglect — yet this study alone was an unexpected island of neatness and order.

The calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls lent the room an air of refined scholarly elegance.

Opposite the small desk stood a bookshelf made of bamboo, densely packed with small objects.

Walking closer to take a look, Chu Linlang discovered they were actually small fired clay figurines.

These were the things country children loved most, and they were arranged in matching sets: the twelve zodiac animals, the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, even a wide-eyed, glaring Zhong Kui and his attendant ghosts of the underworld.

If she hadn’t caught sight of a half-finished little clay figure on the corner of the desk, she would truly have assumed these lifelike objects had been purchased.

So this dignified and refined Deputy Minister — whose elegant public persona everyone admired — passed his private hours with such childlike pastimes…

No wonder at such an age he was still unmarried. For all his tall and imposing exterior and air of deep composure, his heart was still that of a child!

In the village, children wouldn’t want to play with the son of the mad woman. The little plague child had always played alone — a ladle of water, a pile of dirt, and he could amuse himself happily for half a day.

That time he had dirtied her new clothes, a grudge was formed between them. Later the two had a falling out over a tumble into the water. When she got home, she was beaten by Chu Huaisheng and cried herself to sleep hugging her blanket all night.

And in Hu Guinian’s hand there was a small child being led — it was Yuan’er, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.

But Zhou Lingxiu was too embarrassed to see her sister-in-law herself, so she asked Hu Niang to come on her behalf, bringing the child to formally bid Chu Linlang farewell.

Of course she knew who had made those clay figures, but she had not been in the least bit interested in having the little plague child try to make peace with a clay doll. She had thrown it on the ground and stomped it to pieces underfoot.

But now that Chu Linlang — who could bear no children — had left, a Xie woman from a prominent family who was already pregnant had arrived. Hu Niang’s future had suddenly become very bleak, and her spirits were understandably low.

Situ Sheng looked at her eyes and said: “Writing calligraphy can calm the heart and nurture the spirit. I see you enjoy embroidering in your daily life — too much embroidery will strain your eyes. Occasionally writing large characters as a change of pace is also very beneficial.”

But this pink and delicate fabric was not something she could use for her household duties, and how could she in good conscience let Situ Sheng pay for it?

Yet her own birth mother existed in her hazy memories only as a face plastered with heavy makeup and the sound of impatient shouts and scoldings.

To use Hu Niang’s own words: “If my father had known earlier what a mess the Zhou family was, no matter how high an official her husband was, he would never have let me become a concubine in that household.”

When Yuan’er saw Chu Linlang, she gripped her sleeve tightly and asked her in a small voice when Mother was coming home.

Yuan’er was silent for a moment, then asked: “Then can I go with you?”

Seeing Chu Linlang trembling with anger, her little face taut and both cheeks flushed red, Situ Sheng seemed to have guessed what she was angry about, and added: “That day he had drunk far too much wine. I have already cautioned Director Zhou to watch what he says — not to ruin the child’s future. And I had his manservant send him home. No one else heard.”

It wasn’t until they had left the fabric shop that Situ Sheng finally recounted what had happened — how that day at a colleague’s banquet, he had coincidentally run into Director Zhou.

Seeing that the lord had spoken thus, Chu Linlang quickly took the calligraphy copybook and said she would most certainly practice diligently.

If it had been any other man, staring at a person so openly and directly would have been utterly impolite.

The silver from the Xie family arrived swiftly, and it was indeed double — a remarkably handsome sum. While still somewhat short of being enough to buy a shop or property in the capital, for Chu Linlang it represented the principal she needed to build a life and stand on her own feet.

Truth be told, Chu Linlang had never particularly liked Hu Niang and had not been close to her.

Yuan’er, precocious beyond her years, had actually long understood — pieced together from her grandmother’s and father’s words and the idle chatter of the household servants — that Chu Linlang was not her birth mother.

But now that they had both grown up — those two children who had once quarreled until their faces went red — the past had become something that could no longer be spoken of.

There was also the matter of the drunkard’s words straying too far, and in a moment of carelessness letting slip the fact that Chu Linlang was barren — that even the one daughter under her roof was not truly hers.

Situ Sheng had gone to such lengths to deal with the dispute against the Zhou family — she couldn’t afford to be ungracious. Never mind writing characters, even if he asked her to dive into a river to catch a dragon, she would have to politely wade in and try!

Little Linlang was reluctant to take her resentment out on the rare treat, and so she tried a small bite.

Only then did Situ Sheng understand why, that day when he had discussed Yuan’er’s future with Chu Linlang, she had said she could not take the child with her.

When Linlang watched them leave and prepared to make her way home as well, she turned — and at that moment, caught sight of Situ Sheng and Guanqi standing right behind her.

The handsome man had paused from writing and was lost in thought, his slender fingers tracing the sheet of paper covered in repeated renditions of “Linlang” — following the not-quite-fluid brushstrokes, tracing each stroke one by one…

He wasn’t some frivolous, pampered young master — how could he wear something so brightly colored?

But Situ Sheng had not brought up the subject again, only looked at Chu Linlang’s all-encompassing indigo garments and said: “…why are you dressed so drably? It doesn’t look like your sort of clothing.”

Situ Sheng said the fabric was purchased for her — she was not very old, and there was no need to deliberately dress like a woman of forty or fifty.

And so, combined with the silver Situ Sheng had given her, she planned to deposit everything first at a reliable money house in the capital to earn some interest.

As it turned out, inside the belly of the clay figurine there was a hidden space — incredibly, wrapped in a small square of oilpaper, there was a piece of maltose candy.

Zhao Shi’s son scolded her until she couldn’t hold her head up, and then she turned around and scolded Chu Linlang for stirring up trouble — that such a wretched woman had been right to be repudiated, why would they go to the trouble of giving her a separation agreement? In short, it was total chaos.

Hearing Situ Sheng’s words, Chu Linlang trembled from head to foot with anger.

So Chu Linlang looked around, and on the pretext of needing to make breakfast, prepared to leave the study.

In his memory, Linlang had always worn striking pink — like a butterfly in flight, vivid and eye-catching, someone you could pick out at a glance in any crowd.

Recalling how he had mocked Chu Linlang for being cold-hearted, Situ Sheng felt a twinge of discomfort. Just so, the occasion of buying fabric offered itself as a chance to offer Chu Linlang a small apology.

Situ Sheng took a calligraphy copybook from the shelf beside the clay figurines and handed it to Chu Linlang: “This copybook is well-suited for beginners to trace. You may practice from it when you have the time.”

Chu Linlang gave a bitter smile, gently stroked Yuan’er’s head, and said softly: “Yuan’er — I have separated from your father. That home is no longer mine.”

This was such a large sum — she couldn’t do as Situ Sheng had done and casually toss it into a broken water vat.

After all, the Zhou family’s first wife could bear no children. Though Hu Shi’s status was that of a concubine, the son she gave birth to would inherit the family legacy.

Chu Linlang heard her words and only smiled without responding. Hu Shi’s original reasons for agreeing to enter the household as a concubine — Chu Linlang had understood them the moment she thought about it.

Situ Sheng said coolly: “Madam Chu need not stand on ceremony. This… consider it my apology.”

How could this be allowed? Chu Linlang immediately shook her head, but seeing Situ Sheng insist, she rushed to pay the silver herself.

Yet Chu Linlang harbored no fear that Situ Sheng would covet her for her looks. Situ Sheng knew her full situation — she was a divorced woman who could bear no children. What did she have that was worth coveting in the eyes of Lord Situ?

The busy street was not a place for conversation, so Linlang brought the two of them to a nearby teahouse and took a private room to have tea.

Hearing Chu Linlang’s words, Yuan’er lowered her voice and said: “I know. Father and Grandmother have both wronged you. When I am grown, I will come and find you — I will never let you suffer alone out there.”

Now that she had left the Zhou family, when she looked at Hu Niang again, her feelings were much calmer than before. From Hu Niang’s own account, Chu Linlang also finally came to understand the general outline of how Situ Sheng had obtained justice on her behalf.

Chu Linlang hesitated, then smiled and said: “I’m a woman — I’m not studying for the imperial examinations. I only need to keep accounts. What use would I have for all this?”

Chu Linlang looked at Yuan’er, shook her head, then gently stroked the child’s head and said softly: “Yuan’er, you must understand — when daughters grow up, they will be married off and cannot remain by their parents’ side forever. You and I have been separated earlier than most mothers and daughters. If you miss me, you may come and see me like this, share some tea together. But remember: do not mention me again in front of your grandmother, your father, or your new stepmother… You are old enough now, and have read many books — you should understand the reasoning in this…”

Chu Linlang then comforted Hu Shi and slipped her some silver, asking her to take a little extra care of Yuan’er in the future. After all, once Xie Shi entered the Zhou household, there would be more children, and the servants might not be attentive enough.

Hu Niang, perhaps because of her pregnancy and a wave of feeling for the child in her own belly, seeing such a scene, wept uncontrollably, sobbing until she could barely catch her breath.

But when she saw Situ Sheng pick up a bolt of pale rose-pink silk, she immediately said: “My lord… that color doesn’t suit you very well, does it?”

When Linlang saw Yuan’er, the child immediately flung herself free of Hu Guinian’s hand and came bounding over with delight. Hu Shi also walked over, her belly showing, and paid her respects to Chu Linlang.

If Yuan’er ever had a headache or a cold, she would be deeply grateful if Hu Shi was willing to pay a little extra attention.

Hu Shi refused at once, saying that Chu Linlang was too kind — looking after Yuan’er was as it should be.

That day after Zhou Sui’an was scolded to his face by Xie Sheng, he went home and had a fierce argument with his mother — so intense that Hu Shi, newly arrived in the household, was frightened half to death.

It was actually Zhou Lingxiu’s idea for Hu Niang to bring Yuan’er to see Chu Linlang that day. Ever since the day Chu Linlang had left, Yuan’er had from time to time cried and fussed, wanting to see her mother, but every time she was reprimanded by Zhao Shi.

Director Zhou appeared to be in low spirits, drinking his sorrows away in too much wine. In the end he insisted on pulling Situ Sheng aside and went on and on, making him promise he must absolutely take good care of Madam Chu.

Zhao Shi was reproached by her son for being shortsighted, while Aunt An’s behavior of exploiting every situation for personal gain was an account simply too long to record in full — it had made him lose face before his future father-in-law.

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