Chapter 684

Chapter 692: Wishes (Part 2)

Despite Second Mistress's intercession, it took considerable effort before Grand Madame reluctantly agreed to let Jin'er accompany Luo Zhenxing on a trip to Yuhang.

Jin'er was overjoyed but also a little disappointed: "Is Father not coming with me?"

"Didn’t you boast in front of me that you could get along with anyone?" Lord Xu laughed lightly. "This time, I won’t be with you—let’s see if you can make some friends on your own." He added, "It’s been sixteen years since I last visited Jiangnan. When you return, give me a full account of it."

Jin'er brightened at this and ran to ask Grand Madame, "Do you want anything? I’ll buy it for you!"

Grand Madame hugged Jin'er tightly, reluctant to let go, as if he were leaving the next day: "Grandmother doesn’t need anything—just promise to come back safe and sound!" Then she secretly slipped him an embroidered purse. "Take this. Don’t tell anyone. If there’s something you want to buy on the way but feel awkward asking your uncle, use this. We needn't depend on others' goodwill."

"No need," Jin'er pushed it back. "Father gave me a hundred taels of silver, and Mother gave me two hundred taels of silver. I have plenty!"

"When traveling, more money means more security," Grand Madame insisted, pressing it into Zhun'er’s hands. "Who ever refused extra silver?"

Jin'er disliked the back-and-forth and, after a moment’s thought, smiled. "Fine. If I don’t use it all, I’ll return it to you!"

"No need to return it," Grand Madame said with a grin. "Keep it for yourself!" Jin'er didn’t argue further and accepted it cheerfully. He chatted with Grand Madame: "This time, we’re taking an official ship. Master Pang says they’re very stable, even more comfortable than a carriage. It’s my first time on one—before, I only boarded when Father saw someone off..."

Meanwhile, Eleven Miss thanked Second Mistress: "If not for your intervention, Grand Madame would never have agreed to let Jin'er go."

"Even without me, once the marquis spoke, Mother would have consented," Second Mistress replied with a faint smile. "I just expedited matters." She rose and fetched a calling card from the desk, handing it to Eleven Miss. "Since he’s going to Jiangnan, he might as well pay his respects to Master Feng Ganying in Taicang. He’s a renowned astrologer, well-versed in mathematics, the I Ching, and geomancy. Such a remarkable man shouldn’t be passed by." Eleven Miss felt somewhat abashed.

Jin'er had studied astrology with Second Mistress for a while but only managed to distinguish the four directions. His arithmetic had been casually instructed by her—he’d memorized the multiplication table and could solve questions such as, 'If one birdcage has three birds, how many are in four cages?' As for geomancy and the I Ching, she had no idea whether Mr. Chang or Mr. Zhao discussed them, but she certainly didn’t understand, and Lord Xu probably didn’t either... Sending Jin'er to meet such a man—was it just for a ceremonial visit?

Pondering this, she decided it was a kind gesture from Second Mistress and not too difficult, so she agreed with a smile.

Later, she examined the calling card and saw the signature: "Lady of Blossoming Years, Xu Xiangshi."

It seemed "Lady of Blossoming Years" was Second Mistress’s literary name.

She mentioned this to Lord Xu.

He laughed. "You only just realized? Second Brother once personally carved a personal seal for Second Sister-in-law using precious chicken-blood stone."

Eleven Miss opened the calling card and pointed to the red stamp. "Is this it?" Lord Xu glanced at it. "I didn’t expect her to still be using it." His tone was nostalgic.

Eleven Miss then asked, "Why hasn’t Second Sister-in-law adopted a child?" Considering adoption, the first choice was usually a child from the husband’s brothers. Before she married, Lord Xu had scarce progeny, Xu Lingkuan had no children, Third Madam only had two sons, and the Nanjing branch had outright refused.

"Was it because there weren’t suitable candidates?"

"That was part of it," Lord Xu said. "But mainly, Second Sister-in-law felt she wouldn’t be good at raising a child."

"Not good at raising a child? What does that mean?" Eleven Miss was puzzled.

The household had plenty of maids and nannies, and children were cared for by wet nurses until they turned five. She could simply make a token appearance each day.

A thought suddenly struck her.

Second Mistress was an only child. After marrying, she suffered a miscarriage, and her husband died suddenly. Did she believe her destiny was too unkind?

Was that why the Nanjing branch refused to send a child?

Moreover, though she was well-disposed toward children, she never hugged or kissed them.

"What are Second Sister-in-law’s plans, then?" Eleven Miss couldn’t help but ask.

Given Grand Madame and Lord Xu’s affection for Second Master, they would never let his lineage be extinguished. "Second Sister-in-law’s wish is that after her passing, we have one adopted under Second Brother’s name," Lord Xu said, his expression melancholy.

Lady Eleven couldn't help but glance toward the northwest corner.

**********

When they learned Yingniang would return to Yuhang after the Dragon Boat Festival, everyone was somewhat surprised.

"So soon?" Xiang Shi’s face betrayed reluctance. "I thought she promised to stay longer?"

Yingniang, cheerful and hardworking, spent her free time tending to flowers or doing needlework. When Xiang Shi visited, she’d even help hold Ying Ying. Though they didn’t converse much, Xiang Shi had a very favorable impression of her.

Lady Eleven fastened an artemisia sachet to Ying Ying’s chest and smiled. "If I keep her here, what will her mother do? She’s already stayed with me for several months—that’s enough!" Xiang Shi didn’t press further, murmuring assent. Afterward, she took Ying Ying to visit Yingniang and gifted her fifty taels of silver for the journey.

Elder Madam, Fifth Madam, Jiang Shi, Xin Jieer, and others gave earrings, hairpins, and similar ornaments. Only Xu Sijie gave fifty taels as well, and also gifted Yingniang an embroidery hoop: "You mentioned your hoop was loose last time—hard to work with, right? So I made one for you."

Yingniang was astonished. "You know how to make these?" Xu Sijie smiled sheepishly. "Nothing fancy—just spare bamboo from lantern-making. A simple task."

Yingniang laughed. "What else can you do?"

"A little bit of everything," Xu Sijie replied awkwardly, "though none of it particularly well."

"Find one thing you love and master it," Yingniang couldn’t help but advise. "My aunt says mastering one thing brings lifelong rewards."

Xu Sijie flushed, nodded, and walked away.

Watching him go, Yingniang suddenly felt her words had been too harsh and quickly called after him, "Fifth Cousin, I’ve got a sharp tongue—ignore my rambling!"

"Not at all!" Xu Sijie replied. "You’re absolutely right. I need to think carefully about what to focus on." Then, realizing he liked everything and was reluctant to give anything up, he paused before adding earnestly, "At the very least, I can rank them and tackle each properly."

Yingniang laughed, finding Xu Sijie quite amusing. She waved the hoop. "Thank you, Fifth Cousin!" With that, she spun and hurried inside.

A sudden melancholy gripped Xu Sijie, realizing he might never see this cheerful cousin again.

**********

Lady Eleven watched through the carriage’s green gauze as the large ship slowly departed from Tongzhou’s dock. The tears she’d fought finally spilled over.

"Master Pang is with him, the guards are handpicked, plus my name card, nothing will go wrong," Lord Xu reassured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Jin Geer will return for the New Year. Seven months will fly by."

Lady Eleven nodded, wiped her tears, and said with reddened eyes, "Let’s go back." Her voice was thick but resolute.

Once decided, she wouldn’t look back.

Lord Xu noticed the change in her and felt a flicker of relief. Softly, he said, "We talked late into the night at the inn yesterday. Lean on me and rest for a while."

Lady Eleven was indeed tired. She closed her eyes and soon fell asleep to the monotonous sound of the carriage wheels.

She awoke abruptly after an indeterminate time.

The carriage had stopped. She was still inside, surrounded by silence. The glow of red lanterns shone through the windows, and Lord Xu sat quietly beside her, fanning her.

"Awake?" he said with a smile. "Hungry? Let’s go down for dinner." Dropping the fan, he pulled back the carriage curtain. "This is Dongsheng Inn—we’ll stay the night and set off early tomorrow. By dusk, we’ll reach Yanjing." He extended his hand to her.

Lady Eleven took it and stepped out of the carriage, only to find it parked in a small, deserted courtyard, eerily still.

"Where are Jin Geer and Jie Geer?" The two children had come with them to see Jin Geer off.

"I sent them back to rest earlier," Lord Xu said, leading her toward the main room. "You were out cold—I let you sleep."

Lady Eleven looked up at the sky.

The sky hung dusky and moonless, dotted with faint stars.

"What time is it now?"

"It's the beginning of Xu period," Lord Xu said, taking out his pocket watch and squinting at it under the eaves' light.

Zhun'er had left shore during the Wei period, so she must have slept for over three hours. They weren't in a hurry—yesterday, the steward had mentioned they would stop for lodging around the beginning of You hour... Had he been fanning her in the carriage for more than an hour?

"Why didn't you wake me, my lord?" Eleven Miss said with playful reproach.

"You were sleeping so soundly—I didn’t have the heart to wake you," Lord Xu replied, leading her inside by the hand.

Qiuyu had been waiting and, seeing them return, promptly ordered lunch to be served.

They had barely taken a few bites when a commotion arose outside.

Lord Xu glanced at Qiuyu, who immediately hurried out and returned swiftly.

"My lord, my lady, it's the second young master!" she exclaimed, her face alight with joy. "The second young master has returned to Yanjing and is staying at this very inn. If Mo Zhu hadn’t gone to the kitchen to fetch foot-washing water and spotted the guards, we wouldn’t have known he was here too."

"Have him come in right away!" the couple said in unison. Qiuyu swept aside the curtain, and in walked the lanky Xu Siyu.

"Father, Mother!" Without checking if a cushion had been laid out, he knelt directly before them.

"Rise quickly!" Lord Xu urged. "Why have you returned so early? Weren’t you due back by late June or early July?"