Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Wang Shi

Early the next morning, even before noon, the Lin family couple arrived to pay their respects, bringing with them a cartload of valuable gifts—a clear display of their utmost sincerity. It took four servants two trips just to unload everything. The maid who announced their arrival cheerfully reported to the old lady, but upon seeing the old lady’s indifferent expression, her demeanor quickly faltered. After a long pause, the old lady finally said, "Show them in."

Wang Shi, holding Lin Qingxuan’s hand, entered respectfully, followed by a wet nurse carrying an infant. Her expression grew even more humble, mindful of the purpose of their visit.

"May you enjoy good health, Old Lady. I regret not being able to see you off when you left last time," Wang Shi said with a smile, tugging at Lin Qingxuan to stop her from running ahead and giving her a warning glance.

Lin Qingxuan acknowledged, then greeted the old lady with a giggle, though her bow was less than graceful. Her voice was as clear as ever. "My respects, Grandaunt. Grandaunt, I’ve missed you terribly! On the way here, I was so excited thinking about seeing you soon."

The child’s innocent words brought a smile to the old lady’s face. She thought to herself, *Well, the troubles caused by the Lin family have nothing to do with a child.* With this thought, she dismissed her annoyance, and her smile grew warmer, radiating the same gentle warmth she had shown back in Danzhou.

Wang Shi teased, "You silly girl, were you truly missing your Grandaunt, or was it just that you couldn’t sleep from being unaccustomed to the boat?"

Lin Qingxuan’s face turned bright red as she stammered, "It’s true I was seasick, but it’s also true that I missed Grandaunt."

The old lady’s smile remained unchanged as she beckoned Lin Qingxuan over. Before the girl could reach her, the old lady pulled her into an embrace. Noticing the faint pallor beneath Lin Qingxuan’s lightly powdered cheeks, she said with concern, "You poor thing, how could you get seasick? People from Danzhou may not necessarily know how to swim, but at the very least, they shouldn’t get seasick... How are you feeling now? Still unwell?"

Lin Qingxuan shook her head. "I’m fine now. I went to sleep as soon as we arrived yesterday and slept for a long time."

Wang Shi blinked, her gaze thoughtful as it lingered between them. She glanced back at the wet nurse, who came forward with the child and crouched down. "Wen Ge'er offers his respects to the Old Lady."

Only then did everyone’s attention turn to the child. Back in Danzhou, Wang Shi had been pregnant, and now the child was born, though not yet a year old. The fact that the couple were willing to bring such a young child on the road suggested the trouble they were in was serious.

"Wen Ge'er—a fine name. He’s sure to achieve great things in the future," the old lady remarked casually, causing Wang Shi to beam with delight as if Wen Ge'er had already accomplished great deeds.

Both the Lin and Li families had been wealthy gentry in Danzhou for generations. However, the Li family had long emphasized education, encouraging their descendants to pursue scholarly pursuits. Yet, they couldn’t neglect business entirely, so they tasked the second and third branches with studying while the eldest branch managed the family business. Initially, the most accomplished scholar in the family was merely a *xiucai*—and an elderly one at that, in his forties or fifties. It was only later, as scholarly achievements improved and official positions grew more prominent, that the second branch gradually rose in status within the family.

With such a successful example before them, others in Danzhou were eager to emulate the Li family’s second branch, hoping to enter officialdom through the imperial examinations and achieve high positions. Lin Yixuan’s generation had few descendants, and none showed particular talent for scholarly pursuits, so they placed their hopes on the next generation. Naming their son Wen Ge'er reflected this aspiration.

Wang Shi prattled on about Wen Ge'er, avoiding the real purpose of their visit. She recounted the dangers of her childbirth, how the child fusses multiple times at night, and spoke incessantly without noticing the old lady’s increasingly displeased expression.

Zeng Huiyan held up her fan to hide her face and whispered to Dong Yuting, "What is this country woman here for? All she does is talk about her son—it’s tiresome. Does she think no one else has children?" She rolled her eyes and curled her lip disdainfully, clearly looking down on Wang Shi’s behavior.

Though Zeng Huiyan and Dong Yuting didn’t get along privately, in front of outsiders, they maintained a united front, presenting a harmonious family image to avoid becoming a laughingstock.

Dong Yuting’s lips twitched. Although Wang Shi looked more weathered than she had in Danzhou, she was far from being a country woman. Zeng Huiyan’s use of the term clearly indicated her dislike. However, Dong Yuting couldn’t bring it up, especially since Wang Shi hadn’t yet asked for help. If she explained and Wang Shi ended up not seeking assistance, it would be awkward.

Dong Yuting replied softly, "I don’t know either."

Zeng Huiyan pursed her lips again and turned to speak with He Jinglin. She didn’t get along with Dong Yuting, nor did she share common interests with He Jinglin. One of them spoke with a vulgar, mercenary tone, while the other spoke only of romantic and poetic themes, with an expression that said 'I don't understand'. After a few words, Zeng Huiyan gave up and fell silent. The three of them watched quietly as Wang Shi chatted with the old lady, occasionally catching glimpses of spit flying during Wang Shi’s animated speech.

The old lady’s expression stiffened, and she considered feigning exhaustion. It was quite a challenge for an elderly woman who had only been awake for a few hours to pretend she was tired.

Just then, Wen Ge'er, bored in the wet nurse’s arms, began to cry loudly. His piercing wails carried into the inner room, causing Hu Ge'er and Zhen Jie'er, who were playing on the couch, to burst into tears as well. The room descended into chaos as wet nurses and maids hurried to soothe them, shaking rattles or wind chimes to comfort the children.

He Jinglin went into the inner room like a whirlwind and picked up Zhen Jie'er. Seeing that her daughter had no tears—only dry cries—she relaxed and said to Hu Ge'er’s wet nurse, "Take Hu Ge'er outside as well."

Wang Shi looked somewhat embarrassed, as her son was the chief culprit of the commotion. However, the incident did put an end to her chatter. Once the three children were calmed down, she let out a long sigh. Seeing that Wang Shi seemed eager to continue, the old lady quickly said, "Let the children play here. The weather is so lovely today—why don’t we go outside for a stroll?"

Wang Shi was a bit worried. Wen Ge'er was the youngest of the three children, not yet a year old, having just learned to roll over and now trying to sit up. But she dared not disobey the old lady, so she repeatedly instructed the wet nurse to take good care of him before following the others out.

Residences in the capital followed strict rules: whether three, four, or five courtyards deep, they were all built in a fixed layout, with no allowances for expanding the courtyards forward or backward. The Li family’s residence had been purchased early on. At first, it felt spacious, but now it seemed somewhat cramped. Since expansion wasn’t possible, they focused on decorating the interior meticulously, filling it with flowers, trees, and pavilions with upturned eaves.

As a guest, Wang Shi didn’t dare be impolite, but she couldn’t help stealing glances around. Though the residence wasn’t as large as she had imagined, the scenery within was stunning.

The Orchid Bamboo Court was the old lady’s residence, where an old gardener came daily to tend to the plants. It was early autumn, and a breeze had begun to stir, causing the lush green bamboo in the courtyard to sway gently, releasing a faint fragrance. As they walked along the bluestone path winding through the bamboo, the conversation shifted from Wen Ge'er to admiring the courtyard’s scenery.

"Old Lady, did you design this courtyard yourself? How impressive!" Wang Shi widened her eyes, exaggerating her surprise as she looked around, as if trying to memorize every detail. "When I return to Danzhou, I’ll arrange my courtyard just like this."

Her words were mere flattery. The old lady was the mistress of the Orchid Bamboo Court, and aside from her, only her grandchildren lived there. Thus, she had planted bamboo in the central courtyard and replaced the main path with a winding one, so that unless one specifically came to admire the scenery, they would usually take the covered corridor. Wang Shi, however, had no say in her own household. Moreover, the Lin family had their own courtyard, making it unnecessary to transform it into an ornamental garden.

The old lady smiled but didn’t take Wang Shi’s words to heart. Adhering to the principle of "if the enemy doesn’t move, neither will I," she didn’t ask the purpose of Wang Shi’s visit, fearing it would give Wang Shi an opening to ask for favors.

"Later, I’ll call Aying over. She knows every plant and tree in this courtyard. If you have any questions, you can ask her," the old lady said. Aying was the elderly woman who tended the garden. Though older than the old lady, she was still spry and cheerful, leading the gardening efforts every day.

Wang Shi performed a slight curtsey. "Thank you, Old Lady."

Dong Yuting and the others followed behind. Since the path was designed for viewing, it wasn’t very wide. Zeng Huiyan walked beside Dong Yuting, their shoulders occasionally brushing. But for now, her attention was fixed on the old lady and Wang Shi ahead, interjecting a few words here and there and sharing laughs with them.

Lin Qingxuan trailed behind, bored as she gazed up at the lush green bamboo. Dong Yuting was concerned for her. Glancing back, she remembered her own childhood visits to relatives during the New Year. If the host’s children were away, leaving only adults, she would sit idly by, bored, smelling the incense in the air and listening to conversations that held no interest for her.

Dong Yuting smiled softly and paused to wait for Lin Qingxuan to catch up. "Why don’t you go play with your sisters, Xuan Jie'er?" she suggested. It was too much to expect a child to stay with the adults.

Lin Qingxuan’s eyes lit up. Still a child at heart, she had been eager to play with Li Nianwei and nodded eagerly. "Yes, please!"

As Wang Shi was Lin Qingxuan’s nominal mother, Dong Yuting had to inform her. Wang Shi admonished Lin Qingxuan to be polite and not cause trouble in someone else’s home, putting on a show of being a caring mother before allowing Lin Qingxuan to leave. Her concern was superficial, especially after having a son, but in front of others, no one could find fault with her behavior.

Zeng Huiyan watched her closely, feeling strangely unsettled. *Why tell Lin Qingxuan not to cause trouble, as if she were a mischievous child?* Earlier in the room, she had sensed something off. When Lin Qingxuan said she couldn’t sleep because she missed the old lady, Wang Shi had attributed it to seasickness—undermining the girl’s words. If the old lady hadn’t been fond of Xuan Jie'er and hadn’t thought much of it, others might have assumed Lin Qingxuan was lying.

Was Wang Shi simply blunt, or was she doing it intentionally? Zeng Huiyan didn’t know, but she had already glimpsed the true dynamics of the Lin family’s relationships.