Chapter 24

Chapter 25: Yanjing (Part II)

Upon hearing that her daughter wanted to meet her, the matriarch hurriedly replied, "No need to change the date. Go back and tell Eldest Miss that I will be there by tomorrow afternoon for sure."

Xu Mama responded with a "yes" and called in a maid who had accompanied her to present the gifts sent by Luo Yuaniang: "Some medicinal herbs to tonify the body of the elder master and matriarch."

The matriarch smiled and had Xu Mama take the gifts.

Coral had already placed a stool nearby and invited Tao Mama to sit down.

Tao Mama declined repeatedly, saying, "The matriarch must be tired from the journey, and our lady is waiting for my reply. I will go back now and come again tomorrow to escort the matriarch to our house."

After a moment of thought, the matriarch said, "There will be other days. Go back and inform Yuaniang, so she can be at ease."

With that, Tao Mama rose to take her leave, and Xu Mama personally saw her out.

The elder master then stood up and said, "Everyone, go and rest. We will have dinner together later."

Everyone in the room respectfully agreed. Xu Mama and Coral stayed behind to attend to the matriarch, while Luo Zhenxing and the elder daughter-in-law led the others out.

A plump woman stood under the eaves, smiling. Seeing them come out, she approached and bowed to Luo Zhenxing, then reported to the elder daughter-in-law, "Elder daughter-in-law, the accommodations for the Misses have all been prepared. The matriarch’s trunks have been unloaded, and the numbers are correct, but I don’t know which items belong to which room..."

This woman, surnamed Hang, was the elder daughter-in-law’s dowry maid and a capable assistant.

The elder daughter-in-law smiled at Fifth Miss and Eleven Miss and said, "Yanjing is expensive, where every inch of land is valuable. The house is smaller than in Yuhang. Father and Mother have taken the main house, so I’ve placed you in the rear annex. Please don’t mind and make do with it for now."

Her warm smile and gentle words earned Eleven Miss's silent admiration.

Gu Shi, a woman from a prestigious Jiangnan family, though aware of the matriarch’s outward sweetness and inward bitterness towards the concubine-born daughters, still conducted herself with grace and generosity, befitting a lady of a noble family.

Eleven Miss smiled at the elder daughter-in-law and thanked her, "Thank you, elder sister-in-law!"

Fifth Miss, however, took the elder daughter-in-law’s hand and said, "Sister-in-law, this house is small. Father and Mother have taken the main house, and we are in the rear annex. You and elder brother are in the rear quarters, which face south, are cold in winter and hot in summer, and are near the outer courtyard, noisy and bustling... Elder brother needs to study..." Her eyes filled with tears as she said, "Sister-in-law, your words make us feel so humbled."

The elder daughter-in-law was quite moved.

It was touching that Fifth Miss recognized her efforts and mentioned them in front of her husband, Luo Zhenxing. No wonder everyone said Fifth Miss was clever and endearing.

With a more affectionate smile, the elder daughter-in-law said, "Dear sister, please don’t say that. You are ladies of the boudoir, unlike us who can live adjacent to the outer courtyard!"

Seeing Fifth Miss like this, Luo Zhenxing also softened, his eyes showing a hint of amusement: "Alright, my sisters have been through a lot on the road for over a month, and Eleven Miss even suffered from seasickness. Quickly lead them to rest!"

The elder daughter-in-law nodded respectfully. Ten Miss and Eleven Miss bowed to Luo Zhenxing, greeted Sixth Concubine, and followed the elder daughter-in-law to the rear annex. Afterward, Luo Zhenxing passed through the carved gate and returned to his quarters in the rear annex.

Jiang Mama then called Zi Wei from Fifth Miss’s room and Amber from Eleven Miss’s room to help Hang Mama with the trunks.

The rear annex mirrored the main house, with five main rooms each flanked by smaller ear rooms, and three rooms on either side. However, unlike the main house, the courtyard here lacked the fish pond and flower stands, and the Chinese Sophora tree at the entrance had been replaced by graceful weeping willows.

The elder daughter-in-law smiled and said, "Take your pick. Make do with whichever you like!"

Fifth Miss hurriedly said, "Younger sister, please choose first! I don’t mind where I live!"

Eleven Miss, not saying much, smiled and said, "Elder sister, I’ll take the west room!"

"How can that be?" Fifth Miss smiled, "Your health is still delicate. You should take the east room!"

"After getting off the boat, I’ll recover with some rest. It’s not a big deal!" Eleven Miss smiled, "It’s better that elder sister takes the east room, and I’ll take the west room!"

Fifth Miss was about to decline further, but the elder daughter-in-law smiled and said, "There’s no need to argue. Let’s follow Eleven Miss’s suggestion: she’ll take the west room, and you, as the elder sister, will take the east room."

Eleven Miss smiled. "As the elder sister-in-law said!" She was already out of breath and looked exhausted.

The elder sister-in-law took the opportunity to take her leave. "You all rest. I must go and prepare dinner."

The two of them saw her off. "We are troubling you, elder sister-in-law."

"I am the sister-in-law; it's no trouble at all," she said with a smile before leaving. Five Miss and Eleven Miss returned to the room. Eleven Miss gave Five Miss a wry smile. "Elder sister, I need to rest for a while..."

"Go ahead," Five Miss said with a smile as she turned to the east room, without even a polite word.

Zi Yuan and the others hurriedly followed Five Miss into the room.

Eleven Miss looked at Five Miss's back and smiled helplessly.

Ever since she revealed her interest in Luo Yuaniang, Five Miss had been subtly showing some hostility towards her. If she were to really compete with her for anything… it would likely lead to deep resentment.

"Miss, Fifth Miss..." Dongqing had also noticed something. "You need to find a chance to explain it to her. Otherwise, the misunderstanding will only deepen."

"I understand," Eleven Miss said, not wanting to discuss it further.

In the current situation, it was best not to act rashly.

She was helped by Dongqing back to the room.

The western annex featured a large heated kang bed by the window, flanked by small tables draped in bright red felt rugs. There were four armchairs on each side, arranged into a resting area. The small room had a desk by the window and a bookshelf on the left, with a small eight-step bed placed in the center of the room. Behind it was a warm pavilion.

Eleven Miss was very satisfied with the arrangement.

It would be even more perfect if Five Miss wasn't living next door.

She thought to herself.

Dongqing and Binju were amazed. "What an unusual setup! There's a small pavilion behind the bed, no fire pot, yet it's warm." They reached out to touch the large kang by the window. "It's warm too."

Eleven Miss smiled. "The south and the north are different. In the south, it's damp, so people live upstairs. In the north, it's cold, so people sleep on heated kangs."

"How do you know that?" Qiu Ju sat on the bed in the warm pavilion with a smile.

"I read about it," the introverted Zhuxiang seemed excited, speaking more than usual. "Miss has read so many books, of course she knows everything!"

Of course, she didn’t learn that from books; it was from her previous experiences traveling far and wide, seeing and experiencing things firsthand.

Eleven Miss smiled without answering, and a young maid unfamiliar to her entered to report, "Eleven Miss, Sixth Concubine is here."

Everyone was startled. When they recovered, Sixth Concubine had already lifted the curtain and entered.

"Eleven Miss!" She greeted Eleven Miss with a smile.

Dongqing and the others quickly suppressed their smiles and stood solemnly to the side.

"Sixth Concubine, what brings you here?" Eleven Miss greeted her with a smile. "Please come in for some tea."

Qiu Ju hurriedly brought a stool for Sixth Concubine, and Dongqing found a wooden bucket with warm water in the corner of the room to make tea.

Sixth Concubine waved her hands with a smile. "I can’t stay; I need to help the matriarch get ready for bed. I came to ask..." She hesitated for a moment, and the smile on her face became slightly bitter. "I just wanted to ask about Twelve Miss. How is she?"

Eleven Miss let out a quiet sigh.

As a mother’s heart always worries when her child is far away, Fifth Miss cried uncontrollably when she left. Similarly, I imagine Sixth Concubine is also restless, worrying about young Twelve Miss.

"She's doing fine," Eleven Miss had always found Sixth Concubine to be an extremely clever person. "A while ago, I stayed home every day working on an embroidered screen. Fifth Miss and Ten Miss often visited Mother to show their respect, and Twelve Miss would sometimes join them, chatting and laughing with Mother. Twelve Miss even made silk flowers with silk gauze and presented them to Mother, who couldn’t tell the real from the fake... She’s very skillful with her hands."

Sixth Concubine breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Then I won’t disturb Eleven Miss any longer. By the way, I lived in the same room as Fifth Concubine for five or six years. If you ever need anything, just come to me."

"Thank you, Concubine," Eleven Miss said. She didn’t know if the matriarch was aware of Sixth Concubine’s visit and didn’t dare keep her for fear that Fifth Miss might see. Eleven Miss made an excuse about feeling dizzy and had Wintergreen see Sixth Concubine out.

As soon as Sixth Concubine left, Amber returned with the trunk.

Wintergreen first opened the trunk containing the bedding, then made the bed in the warm pavilion and fetched water to help Eleven Miss wash up and settle down. She had Zhuxiang stay with Eleven Miss while she, Amber, and the others began unpacking the trunks.

Eleven Miss slept soundly and woke up feeling refreshed.

She looked at herself carefully in the mirror. "Have I gained weight again?"

"Your face is as small as the palm of a hand," Wintergreen said as she placed two tiny pomegranate flowers in Eleven Miss's hair. "Will you still talk about losing weight?"

Eleven Miss smiled, her lips pressed together.

Amber urged Eleven Miss to hurry. "I saw that Fifth Miss has already left for the matriarch’s place."

Eleven Miss didn’t dare look in the mirror anymore and draped a rose-red squirrel-fur cape over her shoulders before hurrying to the matriarch’s quarters. She managed to catch up with Fifth Miss just before she entered, and they went into the house one after the other.

The maids helped them remove their capes at the door. Fifth Miss gave Eleven Miss a half-smile. "I didn’t expect you to be so swift, even when you’re not feeling well!"

Eleven Miss smiled back at Fifth Miss. "It’s your fault for not calling me when you left!"

Fifth Miss gave a cold laugh and was about to say something more when the curtain was lifted, and Coral came out smiling. "The matriarch is waiting for both of you!"

They stopped talking and entered the room one after the other.

In the secondary room, a black lacquered square table with eight red-cushioned rose chairs was set up as a resting area. Chopsticks and dishes were already arranged. Several young maids stood near the curtains, while Xu Mama, Luoqiao, and Daimao gathered around the large heated kang by the window—the joyful laughter of Brother Rui occasionally reached them from there.

"Matriarch, Fifth Miss and Eleven Miss have arrived!" Coral reported with a smile. The crowd parted, and Eleven Miss saw that the Great Elder and the matriarch were sitting on either side of the large kang. The kang table in the middle had long been moved, and Brother Rui was flipping over it, with the eldest granddaughter-in-law standing in front, arms outstretched to protect the child.

"That’s enough," the Great Elder said with a laugh, picking up Brother Rui. "We’re going to eat!"

Brother Rui looked unsatisfied and twisted his body, wanting to flip again.

Standing nearby, Luo Zhenxing frowned. "Stand properly!"

Hearing this, Brother Rui immediately stopped fooling around and obediently lay still in the Great Elder’s arms.

The matriarch, being helped into her shoes by Du Wei, laughed. "Aren’t you afraid of scaring the child?"

Brother Rui looked up at the matriarch with a pitiful expression.

The matriarch pulled him into her arms. "Don’t worry, don’t worry, Grandmother is here!"

Luo Zhenxing glanced helplessly at his mother but hesitated to speak.

Noticing this, the eldest granddaughter-in-law quickly changed the subject. "Father, Mother, please take your seats! I’m sure the two younger sisters are hungry too!"

Everyone’s attention was diverted, and the matriarch even complained, "Why did you arrive so late?"

Fifth Miss smiled. "We were waiting for my younger sister!"

Eleven Miss blushed. "I overslept!"

The matriarch laughed. "You’re quite honest!"

Eleven Miss blushed and lowered her head, which made everyone laugh.