Chapter 11: Joy and Sorrow

Chapter 11: A Mix of Joy and Worry

Chen Mama was oblivious, but Yu Shi understood perfectly that there was no issue. Having been a young lady herself, she knew that after the New Year, Li Niang would be thirteen by East Asian age reckoning. The House of Dingbei surely intended to marry a young lady from the Pei family, most likely choosing from the eldest or sixth branch, as only the men of these two branches had earned scholarly honors.

The more one values a person and is certain about them, the more they will put them to the test. If you can't stay calm, control your temper, or act willfully, the deal could fall through.

On such an occasion, Yu Shi noticed that although Li Niang sat gracefully, she seemed fidgety. In contrast, her younger daughter She Niang, who was two and a half years younger, was poised and natural, listening to others with a warm smile.

But Yu Shi was broad-minded. For someone like Li Niang, marrying an ordinary person would be enough; there was no need to insist on marrying into a noble household. After all, once you enter a noble house, it's hard to get out.

While Yu Shi relaxed, Old Madam Pei was dissatisfied. When the Marchioness of Dingbei went to the front courtyard to play cards, she said to Nanny Xiang, "She's like dog meat unfit for a banquet—a waste of my past kindness."

Nanny Xiang didn't understand: "If I may say, why bother favoring Fourth Miss? Sixth Master's mother was that woman's child—was she any good? It would be better to let Sixth Miss have the advantage."

Old Madam Pei shook her head: "The age isn't suitable. Besides, adults' matters shouldn't involve the children. The Sixth has struggled all these years."

"If we're talking about hardships, who has had it harder than you? Back then, if the old master hadn't married you, how could his official career have been so smooth? Who would have thought he'd be so ungrateful? After marrying you, he was good to you for just a brief period before taking in beautiful concubines. With such a large household, it's only thanks to your tolerance—no one else has your big-heartedness." Nanny Xiang felt it was unfair to her.

Old Madam Pei rubbed her temples: "Go ahead to the front courtyard and check on things. I will devote myself to Buddha."

Nanny Xiang didn't dare say more.

Meanwhile, after She Niang and the others came out, Wang Pan, the youngest son of the Marquis of Dingbei, was talking with Pei Zhen, the second young master of the first branch. Yue Niang and She Niang were playing chess nearby, Yi Niang was preparing tea, while Li Niang and Shun Niang played backgammon.

She Niang, who was naturally talkative, was sharing an amusing story with Yue Niang: "My father said when he went to Huayang to take up his post, he rode a bamboo sedan chair up the mountain. My father is relatively thin, but there was an administrative assistant in his party with a waist this thick. The whole way up, the bearers kept asking for more money. Initially, it was agreed to be eighty copper coins for the trip, but it ended up costing two mace. My father said he could never eat to his heart's content again, or else he’d have to pay extra for the sedan chair."

Yue Niang laughed heartily.

Just then, Yi Niang brought a teacup and placed it beside She Niang. Without any hesitation, she said, "Fifth Sister, have a cup of tea I prepared."

She Niang first removed the lid, noting the clear color, then took a sip. The tea was perfectly brewed. Her eyes widened in admiration: "Third Sister, your skill is remarkable. This tea is excellent."

Yi Niang—or rather, He Biyun—had a father who had failed the imperial exams for years and lived idly at home. Her mother, unable to bear this, devoted herself to training her daughter, fearing she would embarrass herself in the Gao family. Even though the family wasn’t wealthy, she hired tutors for Yi Niang in all the arts: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, incense burning, and tea preparation.

Unfortunately, in the end, she was suddenly framed, and the engagement with the Gao family fell through.

Now, she had achieved nothing. Because Cao Shi, who managed the household, was very cunning, Yi Niang couldn’t find any leverage. None of the elders in the family were willing to help her. All she could do now was strive to make Yi Niang an outstanding young lady, thus shedding her unfortunate reputation.

After drinking the tea, She Niang began telling another story: "There was a young man who once found a roll of money on the road—thirty taels of silver in total. He thought it was a windfall and planned to keep it. But when his mother found out, she made him return it. When he went to return it, guess what happened?"

As she spoke, not only was Yue Niang captivated, but Wang Pan also listened with interest.

"The owner, upon having the money returned, not only didn’t thank the young man but tried to extort more from him, claiming there had been fifty taels and demanding the young man return twenty more. Otherwise, he threatened to accuse him of theft."

Yue Niang couldn’t help but ask, "What could he do?"

Just as Wang Pan was listening intently, Li Niang suddenly stood up and walked over to Pei Zhen and Wang Pan. "Last time at your place, you mentioned wanting to eat venison. It so happens someone sent some to my father. Let’s go to the small room in the front and have someone grill some venison for us."

To her surprise, Wang Pan said, "You go ahead. I’m not going." He wanted to stay and hear the end of She Niang’s story.

"Come on, let’s go now," Li Niang insisted, tugging at him.

Unable to resist her persistence, Wang Pan finally left with her.

She Niang continued: "What could he do? The matter was brought before the county magistrate. After hearing the details, the magistrate said to the owner, 'If he had intended to keep some of the money, why would he have returned any? It doesn’t make sense to return half and keep half. Since he returned it, it shows he didn’t cheat you. If the amount doesn’t match, then this money isn’t yours.'"

"In the end, the magistrate awarded the money to the young man."

Yue Niang, Shun Niang, and the others clapped and laughed: "Indeed, good deeds are rewarded. What a satisfying outcome."

She Niang smiled: "Exactly. This is what they call 'grasping for others' gains, only to lose your own.'"

The young ladies laughed and chatted together, but She Niang knew Li Niang had dragged Wang Pan away because she feared She Niang would compete for his attention. Even before any engagement was settled, Li Niang was already acting in such an undignified manner.

It seemed she wasn’t as confident as she appeared.

Meanwhile, Yu Shi was accompanying the Marchioness of Dingbei at the card table, along with Meng Shi and Lu Shi. While they played cards, they also subtly felt each other out.

The Marchioness of Dingbei said to Lu Shi, "When I visited the Marquis of Xinan's residence the other day, I noticed your eldest daughter was managing the household. She was truly impressive, keeping everything in perfect order."

"Oh, she’s still young. She’s just mimicking what she’s seen," Lu Shi replied modestly.

The Marchioness of Dingbei thought to herself that, given the rumors of Old Master Pei likely entering the Grand Secretariat, the Marquis of Xinan's household had quickly sought marriage ties. Her own family was doing the same. She had initially considered Sixth Miss Shun Niang, but Old Madam Pei had directly recommended Fourth Miss.

That Fourth Miss spoke without thinking, lacked manners, and wasn’t good at reading situations. If she were someone else’s daughter, one might praise her for being naive and spirited, but as a potential daughter-in-law, the Marchioness of Dingbei, like all mothers-in-law, found her unsuitable.

But her mother-in-law and husband had mentioned that the two families had long regretted not forming a marriage alliance in their generation, making it imperative for the next generation to marry.

Actually, Fifth Miss would have been more suitable, if not for her young age. She carried herself with natural grace, appeared clean and tidy, and had a clever and bright spark about her.

Thinking this, she said to Yu Shi, "It’s good that your husband is back. Life in the capital is better—bustling and prosperous. Your family can finally be reunited."

Yu Shi discarded a tile and smiled: "Yes, the children have been looking forward to his return."

After just one round, Yu Shi had already fed the pot twice, but she wasn’t bothered about losing money. The Marchioness of Dingbei appreciated this about her.

In truth, Yu Shi wasn’t particularly wealthy. Though her dowry had been substantial, over the years, social expenses had drained it. The household allowance alone wasn’t enough, so she often supplemented with her dowry.

But she didn’t care. She had plenty of confidence now: her husband treated her well, his future was bright, and they had both sons and daughters. There was nothing to worry about.

Today, she lost again, but she was happy when Pei Yiqing gave her a jade monkey.

"Where did you get this?" Yu Shi asked in surprise.

Pei Yiqing smiled: "I’ve had my eye on this piece of jade for a while. After returning, I went to a jade shop and had it carved into this."

Yu Shi exclaimed happily: "Then I’ll find a red string to hang it with."

"No need. After showing it to She Niang, she said she’d weave one for you," Pei Yiqing said.

That night, She Niang tossed and turned. Qiu Ju was on night duty.

In her previous life, by the time She Niang married, Qiu Ju had already married. When She Niang went to demand her dowry, Qiu Ju and her husband had accompanied her.

The past life seemed like a passing cloud, yet it constantly reminded her not to repeat the same mistakes.

Seeing She Niang toss, Qiu Ju got up to tuck her in. She Niang smiled: "I can't sleep, that's why I'm tossing. You should sleep."

"If you can’t sleep, Miss, you can talk to me," Qiu Ju said.

She Niang sighed: "Today, seeing the Marchioness of Dingbei visit our family, I kept thinking how nice it would be if things could always be like this."

Qiu Ju said: "What are you saying, Miss? I’ve heard people say our old master might enter the Grand Secretariat."

"Grandfather hasn't even become a Minister yet," She Niang replied. She knew people were whispering, but until things were finalized, no one could be sure.

The key was that she had seen her grandfather. He looked hale and hearty, nothing like someone who was often ill.

Qiu Ju sighed, "If only the Fourth Young Lady had a deep sisterly bond with you. Everyone could see today that she is likely to marry into the Marquis' household. If she could look out for you in the future, it would be better than anything else."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. I don't have any expectations of her, and I'll make my own way. But it is strange—why didn’t Grandmother reserve such a good match for her favorite Sixth Sister?" She Niang wondered.

Qiu Ju blurted out, "Surely there must be something even better reserved for the Sixth Young Lady."

That made sense. In her past life, the Sixth Sister had married a *zhuangyuan* (top-ranked scholar) who was both talented and handsome—perfect in every way, except that he did not care for her and died young. Thus, the Sixth Sister was left a young widow. Truly, man plans, heaven decides.

With that thought, she pulled the quilt up higher, yawned, and drifted in and out of sleep. In her drowsiness, she heard the wooden clapper sounding. She Niang jolted awake, "Was that three strikes or four?"

There was a folk saying: three strikes for gods, four for ghosts. Three strikes usually signaled a ritual for deities, while four indicated news of a death.

Qiu Ju thought for a moment, "It seemed like four strikes."

She Niang was startled. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there was rustling outside as people moved about. Xia Mama arrived and delivered the news: the family patriarch had passed away.