Chapter 604

Chapter 611: Firecracker (Part 2)

Lady Eleven hurried to the main house.

Madam Du was still there: "I still have to attend to several madams' attendants over there. The elder madam intended for me to deliver him and return immediately, but I thought you might have questions for me, so I took the liberty of staying."

"Madam, you’re too kind," Lady Eleven invited Madam Du into the inner chamber to talk. "You’re being considerate of how difficult it is for me to manage several children. I understand this much, at least." As she spoke, she sat with Madam Du on the large heated brick bed (kang) by the window.

Qiuyu served tea and quietly closed the door behind them.

Madam Du leaned slightly forward and whispered, "Yesterday and today, the fifth young master has been listening to opera at the Dianchun Hall. Especially today—he even kept time with the music. It amused several madams. Madam Liang, the wife of Grand Secretary Liang, even joked that this child doesn’t take after the marquis but resembles the Fifth Lord instead."

Lady Eleven’s heart clenched.

Though the incident from back then had been suppressed, Xu Sijie had been raised in the Liu household until he was three before being brought back. Given Liu Huifang’s character, there were surely people within the Liu family’s social circle who knew or had heard of Xu Sijie’s origins. She had forbidden him from studying opera precisely to prevent him from forming deep connections with the opera world, lest he learn about his past—a birth mother who died young, a birth father who refused to acknowledge him, an uncle who used him as leverage to extort his father, and being adopted by his uncle… Any single one would be devastating, let alone all of them combined. The damage to Xu Sijie would be immense.

Sometimes, not knowing is a mercy.

She couldn’t help but murmur, "What did the other madams say?"

"Madam Huang and the others naturally couldn’t say much. Madam Dou, the wife of Grand Secretary Dou, asked the fifth young master if he understood the opera and what it was about. The fifth young master flushed but nodded, then repeated every word sung on stage to her in detail. Madam Dou was amazed and praised him for his cleverness. The fifth young master smiled shyly, looking quite charming." Madam Du paused and sighed deeply. "Madam Chen, the wife of Vice Minister Chen, was utterly charmed. She called him over, took his hand, and asked what books he usually read, what he did at home, and whether he often accompanied his grandmother to listen to opera. The fifth young master said he had just finished 'The Primer' and was preparing to study 'The Analects.' At home, he practiced his brushwork, played the flute, the qin, and made purple clay teapots, but he didn’t often accompany the elder madam to listen to opera. Madam Chen was even more intrigued and asked how he understood what was being sung on stage. The fifth young master said he didn’t know—he just understood it as soon as he heard it. Madam Chen chuckled and told the elder madam, 'Your family is raising a virtuoso.' Then she asked if he could sing. The fifth young master sang a couple of lines he’d just heard."

Here, Madam Du gave Lady Eleven a bitter smile.

"Though I’m no expert, even I could tell that while the fifth young master’s singing was less powerful than the performer on stage, his pronunciation was precise, his tone elegant, and his style carried a refined bearing—far surpassing that performer. Not only were the madams in the room astonished, even the performers waiting outside the hall for rewards, like Xiao Lianzhu, were stunned."

Could this be considered instant acclaim?

Lady Eleven also smiled wryly. "So the elder madam had you escort him back?"

"Isn’t the Deyin Troupe performing tonight?" Madam Du nodded, her voice dropping to a whisper. "That Liu Huifang—he sings the Gao Yang tune. And he’s a renowned star in Yanjing."

That made it even more necessary to avoid the situation.

Lady Eleven nodded. "I understand."

Madam Du exhaled in relief. "The elder madam knows this is difficult for you, but she has too many guests over there. It’s better to avoid any awkwardness." She stood up. "I’ll take my leave now. If you need anything, just send someone to let me know."

Lady Eleven smiled and nodded, escorting Madam Du to the door.

The situation was more troublesome than she had imagined.

If she told Xu Sijie the reason the elder madam had sent him back, she would have to reveal his origins—which would be unwise at this moment.

No one could remain unaffected upon learning such a background. With so many guests around, a single misstep could invite endless gossip, making it nearly impossible to suppress the matter. The blow to Xu Sijie would be devastating.

But if she didn’t tell him, she would have to invent reasons.

One lie often requires many more to cover it up.

The idea churned in Lady Eleven’s mind.

She paced the length of the spacious hall for a long while, waiting for her emotions to settle, before asking Qiuyu, "Where is the fifth young master?"

Though Qiuyu didn’t know what had happened, seeing Lady Eleven so troubled made her uneasy.

She pointed to the eastern antechamber and whispered, "I saw him settled there."

Lady Eleven made her way to the eastern antechamber.

Xu Sijie sat alone on the armchair by the window desk, his head bowed and chest sunken, his toes tracing circles on the flagstone-paved floor.

Hearing movement, he immediately looked up, his eyes flashing with the frightened look of a cub.

"Mother!" Seeing it was Eleventh Mother, his entire body relaxed. He jumped off the armchair and rushed toward her but abruptly stopped five steps away.

"Mother," Xu Sijie gazed at Eleventh Mother with a complicated expression, "I, I, I..."

He stammered repeatedly without getting the words out, his face showing guilt.

Being sent back by Madam Du like this naturally meant he had done something wrong. But what exactly he had done wrong, he probably had no idea.

Eleventh Mother felt a pang of sorrow and stepped forward to embrace Xu Sijie. "Don’t do this again—just going off to listen to the opera without caring what your younger siblings are doing?"

This was the gentlest explanation she could offer.

Xu Sijie’s face flushed red. "I..." He then showed a hint of timidity, hesitantly asking, "Will Grandmother blame you, Mother?"

Did he think he had done wrong and feared she would be implicated, hence his guilt?

Eleventh Mother felt her eyes moisten.

"Probably not," she said with a smile. "Recognizing a mistake and correcting it is the best thing one can do. If we don’t do it again, Grandmother naturally won’t blame us."

Xu Sijie nodded repeatedly. "Eldest Brother and the others have gone to escort the bride. Second Sister, Sixth Brother, and Seventh Brother are in the bridal chamber, with Eldest Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law watching over them. Hong Wen, A Jin, Huang Xiaomao, Liu Erwu, and Madam Wu are also there serving... Second Sister was playing string games with Third Sister-in-law, and Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother were playing soldiers in the courtyard..." He lowered his head. "That’s why I, I..."

"With Eldest Brother and the others gone, you’re the eldest at home now. You should take care of your younger siblings, not run off alone to listen to the opera. No wonder Grandmother was upset." Eleventh Mother spoke softly. "Jie Geer, you’re grown up now, moved to the men’s quarters, and are no longer a child. You must take on the responsibility of an elder brother. Later, when Second Sister-in-law’s bridal palanquin arrives, there will be crowds watching the bride, demanding lucky money, and the Xiang family’s wedding party... It’ll be a huge commotion. Your grandmother, Fifth Aunt, and I won’t be able to handle everything. You must help us look after your younger siblings."

"I understand," Xu Sijie smiled. "I won’t go listen to the opera later. I’ll watch over Second Sister, Sixth Brother, and Seventh Brother."

Eleventh Mother nodded with a smile. "You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come, let’s have a meal together."

Xu Sijie happily followed Eleventh Mother to the small courtyard beside the Spring Hall. After eating, they went together to the bridal chamber.

Jin Geer and Shen Geer were setting off fireworks there.

Seeing Eleventh Mother, Jin Geer rushed over with incense sticks. "Mother, the meatballs today were delicious! Make them again tomorrow!"

Shen Geer also ran over. "Fourth Aunt, I want meatballs too!"

Eleventh Mother quickly grabbed the hands of the two little ones holding the incense sticks. "Be careful not to burn my clothes. I don’t have time to change today."

Jin Geer giggled and handed the incense sticks to Huang Xiaomao, who was serving nearby. Shen Geer imitated him and did the same.

A young maid came to report, "Madam, the Liu family has delivered the live fish and shrimp for tomorrow’s banquet. Madam Li and the Liu family have weighed them and request your seal on the list."

Xu Sijie quickly said, "Mother, go ahead. I’ll watch Sixth Brother and Seventh Brother."

Eleventh Mother agreed with a smile but still chatted with her sons for a while before heading to the small hall beside the Spring Hall.

Around 7 PM, the bridal palanquin had arrived. After bowing deeply to Lord Xu and Eleventh Mother, the bride was escorted to the bridal chamber. Everyone crowded in to see her, and the Xu family began the main banquet. Xu Siyu came out to offer incense, while the first sister-in-law and others accompanied the bride sitting by the bridal bed. Fifth Aunt were playing cards with Madam Lin, Lady Zhou, and others in the east wing of the elder madam’s quarters. The elder madam and Madam Huang listened to opera in the Spring Hall, while Eleventh Mother went over household affairs with the household managers. The Xu residence was filled with the sounds of music, cheers, card games, toasts, chatter, and laughter, and the steady pop of firecrackers, continuing unabated until the early morning before gradually quieting down.

When Lord Xu returned to his room, he saw Eleventh Mother lying on the bed still dressed. He quickly covered her with a blanket and bent down to call softly, "Eleventh Mother, Eleventh Mother, get changed before you sleep."

Eleventh Mother sat up half-asleep, let Lord Xu help her undress, then dropped back asleep.

Lord Xu shook his head and called Qiuyu in. "When did Madam return to the room? Why did she lie down in her clothes?"

Qiuyu hurriedly replied, "Madam just returned. She said she wanted to be alone for a while, so we didn’t want to intrude."

Lord Xu went to see Jin Geer.

He and Young Master Six were lying side by side on the large bed in the heated room, sound asleep.

"Young Master Seven insisted on sleeping with Young Master Six," Young Master Six's nanny murmured in explanation.

Lord Xu waved dismissively and returned to the inner chamber.

Feeling someone suddenly beside her, Eleven Miss turned drowsily and threw an arm around the person's waist, smelling a hint of liquor.

"Don't drink so much," she mumbled. "Drinking too much at night isn't good. It's not good for you."

"Understood," Lord Xu replied casually, watching as she shifted in his arms to find a comfortable position. A thought struck him, and his hand slipped into her robe.

Eleven Miss woke up.

She grabbed Lord Xu's wrist. "My time of the month has come," she said, her tone somewhat dejected, her delicate brows tightly furrowed.

Lord Xu froze.

Still not pregnant...

His hand moved to her back, soothingly stroking her as he pressed his cheek to hers and teased in her ear, "Seems I'll have to keep trying."

Eleven Miss gave a playful slap to his shoulder.