Chapter 34

“My surname is Pei, and my given name is simply the single character Zhang.” He replied, “I’m nothing more than a mere scholar— hardly worthy of a young lady’s concern.”

“You’re such a strange fellow.” The young lady looked up at him and said, “If you don’t want me to be concerned about you, then don’t tell me; with you being so inconsistent in your words and actions, which should I believe?”

Pei Zhang—usually so smooth and tactful in handling matters—found himself speechless for the first time at a young lady’s questioning. He had initially thought the young lady would pay him no heed, yet she didn’t hesitate to take the two copper coins from his palm and place them before the shopkeeper.

“There you go—the money and goods have been completely exchanged.”

Then she turned, bowed courteously to him, and said, “Mr. Pei, thank you for today. Please leave me your address so I may repay you in the future.”

“Young lady, with those words, it sounds like I’m repaying your favor with ulterior motives—dragging me into an unjust predicament.”

The shopkeeper carefully wrapped the books and added in agreement, “Exactly—it’s only two copper coins, hardly worth the two of you fussing like busybodies for ages…”

The young lady shot back, “Then why don’t you have the shopkeeper refund the money to me? It’s only two copper coins!”

The shopkeeper, looking sullen, said nothing further.

Pei Zhang, who was used to meeting women who were gentle, demure, and obedient, found himself amused at encountering such an articulate young lady for the first time. He couldn’t help but smile and say, “Young lady, you possess a mind as deep as mountains and valleys; even if you suffer hardship for a spell, the clouds and mists will eventually part, and you will glimpse the light of day.”

Although she was dressed in fine, luxurious garments, she couldn’t even produce fifteen copper coins. He didn’t dare to speculate on the private affairs of a prominent family, yet he was convinced that life had not been easy for her.

In these hard times, a man can still leave home to make his mark and achieve great things, while a woman is largely confined to the inner quarters. Even if she is talented, it is difficult for her abilities to flourish outside.

“Thank you for your kind words.” Her laughter was most delightful; even though he couldn’t clearly see her face, he felt that her smile must be cheerful and uninhibited.

She said, “A drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring. Pei Zhang, I will remember your kindness.”

“Are you one of the exam candidates rushing to the capital for the imperial examinations?”

He replied, “Yes. Graced by His Majesty’s favor, I have come to the capital to participate in this year’s imperial exam.”

The young lady exclaimed in admiration, “Wow, you are truly remarkable! So young, and yet you’ve managed to make your way to the capital through the exams!”

He gave a bitter smile and said, “I possess nothing of real value; all I can do is study. I don’t mind if you laugh at me— with the imperial examinations looming and my schoolmates all buried in their books, I… I can only rent books to read here.”

“Once you internalize the words of a book, whether you rent it or buy it makes no difference—in the final analysis, you’ve come out ahead.”

The young lady earnestly told him, “Don’t look down on a youth for his poverty. I see that you carry yourself with dignity and seem to harbor ambitions as lofty as a soaring bird.”

“I shall take your kind words to heart as well.”

“Ah, I’m speaking genuinely—please, trust me,” she replied, enunciating each word deliberately, “for though Heaven may seem unjust and the world harsh, as long as you are willing to strive and dare to fight, even if you’re stuck in the mud you can struggle to rise and live as your own person.”

“Perhaps one day you’ll become a high-ranking official, your name forever remembered in history.”

In a low voice, he murmured, “Very well. I shall remember your words.”

“With such a generous heart, your future is bound to be smooth and your fortune limitless.”

……

Pei Zhang’s head pounded in pain, and not even the strong, pungent aroma of the camphor pills could ease it.

It was nothing more than an elusive, insubstantial dream—he couldn’t even make out the young lady’s face in it, yet he remembered every word she said and the shock her words had given him.

She had said: “Don’t look down on a poor youth.”

She said, “Live like a real person.”

She said, “Someday, you’ll leave your name in the annals of history.”

Pei Zhang was the sort of man who kept his thoughts to himself; his humble youth had forged a cautious and reserved nature in him. Although he had read countless works of sages and wise men, he still sometimes complained about his fate—until, suddenly, a young lady awakened him with her words.

She was like the most dazzling flower blooming in a pond, and he—a fellow soul struggling in the mire—could not help but want to draw near to her.

When he abruptly awoke from that vivid dream, there were no flowers and no young lady. It felt as though a piece of his heart was missing, leaving him wistful and bereft.

It was only that the dream had been so lifelike that he wished to linger in it rather than wake up.

Pei Zhang massaged his temples and walked to the bookshelf. His slender fingers hovered for a moment in front of a copy of Qi Wu Lun, but in the end, he left it behind, instead pulling out a copy of Jiangnan Ce, which expounds on the customs and landscapes of Jiangnan, as well as a copy of The Classic of Tea.

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Jiang Wanrou had the entire household on edge, and with Lu Feng having departed on a long journey, the whole Lu household was shrouded in a heavy, gloomy atmosphere. Even the normally playful Third Young Master became unusually subdued, staying the whole day home.

On that day, on a whim, she inquired about the tea—and surprisingly, she ended up asking some very insightful questions.

At Jinguang Courtyard, there was only this one respectable mistress; on Lu Feng’s side, there was no chance for any “progress,” so the maidservants could only dutifully attend to Jiang Wanrou. Consequently, the tea she drinks is always served fresh and warm.

Last time the tea had grown stale, Cui Zhu went to inquire. It turned out that the tea was not prepared by the usual maid from the tea room but by someone brought from elsewhere who had only been on duty for one day. Cui Zhu was so enraged that she began cursing uncontrollably and fined the entire tea room a month’s wages in silver.

The maids of the tea room complained in an indignant tone, “Sister Cui Zhu, please calm down. Under normal circumstances—even if we were braver than a hundred men—we wouldn’t dare let anyone touch the mistress’s tea. That one… is the one from the Second Madam’s room.”

“The tea was delivered personally by the Second Madam. We simply dare not let her handle it ourselves, with her eyes fixed on it, and just as you come to urge us—ah, isn’t that just perfect timing!”

When Jiang Wanrou was resting and nurturing her pregnancy, the mansion remained mostly tranquil; the only ripple was that the Second and Third sections of the household quarreled over one maid.

Though she was called a maid, she was, in fact, a distant relative from the fallen Zhou family. In the past, due to her involvement in the Prince Gong case, she was enslaved. In the Second House courtyard, no one would have her do the menial tasks of serving tea and running errands. Instead of sleeping in the communal dormitory with the other maidservants, she was allotted a small private room—a sort of honored guest from afar.

Had it not been for Third Young Master’s outrageous antics, which caused such a commotion, no one would even have noticed her.

That young lady refused to become a concubine. In fact, she once attempted to hang herself with a strip of white silk—but fortunately, she was rescued. After recuperating for a while, she tearfully ran to Zhou Ruotong and declared that she was willing to serve at Jinguang Courtyard, even if it meant being assigned only the duties of a cleaning maid. She was afraid that the Third Young Master might come again, and in the entire household, only the First Madam could protect her.

Zhou Ruotong had originally regarded this distant relative as a burden, but now she refused to become a concubine even if it meant death—an integrity that made Zhou Ruotong think even more highly of her. Being from a scholarly family, Zhou Ruotong believed that although the young lady was now unfortunate, she would not tarnish the good name of the Zhou family. So she personally made the trip and delivered her to Jinguang Courtyard. Originally, she had intended to visit Jiang Wanrou, but since Jiang Wanrou was napping at noon, and she did not want to disturb her, she left the following remark: “Keep this maid here to serve my elder sister. Today is inopportune; I will come to visit her another day.”

Since the maid had been delivered in person by the Second Madam, what could the maidservants do? With her ambiguous status—neither fully a mistress nor entirely a servant—no one was willing to take her in, and in the end, she was relegated to the remote tea room. Who would have guessed that on her first time brewing tea, she would inadvertently meet Jiang Wanrou asserting her authority?

“This really is bad timing; it makes work in the tea room even more difficult,” one of them grumbled.

In the tea room, Cui Zhu cursed a storm, but when in Jiang Wanrou’s presence, she earnestly pleaded on their behalf, saying, “Madam, she was delivered personally by Second Madam—we really have no choice.”

“Alright, I understand,” Jiang Wanrou replied.

Rubbing her forehead, Jiang Wanrou thought that by having Zhou Ruotong send someone like this over, not only were her subordinates put in a difficult position, but she was at a loss as to how to accommodate her.

Regarding her second brother’s wife’s distant relative, Zhou Ruotong once told her in person, “She is originally a lady of high birth.” She hadn’t known that before, but now that it has come to light, could one really allow a person like her to remain merely a maid who serves tea?

Jinguang Courtyard never lacked a mouth to feed; in the past, keeping a guest on hand and maintaining them idly would have been acceptable. But now, with her condition heavy and her strength failing her, she truly did not feel comfortable having such a person around.

That young lady’s family was implicated in the Prince Gong case—their household was confiscated and they were exiled. And wasn’t it Lu Feng who handled the Prince Gong case? Whether one calls her cautious or even petty, she would rather maintain that narrow-minded prudence than risk doing something irretrievable and later be filled with regret.

Cui Zhu said cautiously, “Madam, that maid… that young lady is still waiting in the tea room. Shall I call her over for you to see?”

Jiang Wanrou glanced at Cui Zhu and replied, “Do you think I have too much free time?”

Even a bona fide guest in the household must personally bring lavish gifts, visit the residence, and sit for several hours only to catch a glimpse of the matron of the Lu family. A servant with such an awkward status was hardly worth Jiang Wanrou’s concern. Her stomach grew ever larger—though she was only six months along, it was already nearly as big as an ordinary seven- or eight-month-pregnant woman. When she was alone, she could dress in a loose and comfortable ruqun and casually tie her hair up with a simple wooden hairpin, feeling completely at ease. But when guests arrived, she had to get up and dress up; even if no one dared to criticize her, she was not willing to display her weariness in public.

Old Madam sent messengers several times, saying that before giving birth she was not allowed to go to Chunhui Hall. Jiang Wanrou patted her belly and laughed—thinking that the old ancestor was too senile and muddled—even though in her eyes there was no one in the whole household wiser than him.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Send someone to my second brother’s wife and tell her that I’m not short of people here; let that girl go back.”

“The Third Master may be charming but cannot force anyone’s hand. I’ll speak with him again later. If my second brother’s wife is really worried, send the girl to Chunhui Hall. Grandmother is kind and compassionate—she will undoubtedly keep the girl safe.”

She didn’t let this matter weigh on her; her mind was entirely occupied with Lu Feng’s upcoming journey to Jiangnan. After dispatching three large boxes, she even added a few more items here and there, as time passed quickly.

When Lu Feng returned to the mansion, still carrying the chill of the night, Jiang Wanrou had already taken a nap.

“You’re back,” she said.

Rubbing her drowsy eyes, Jiang Wanrou pressed his cold, large hand into the covers to warm it.

“I’ve never left the capital, ah—” she yawned, fighting off sleepiness, and continued, “I’ve only heard about Jiangnan in plays; they say it’s a rich and wonderful place. I figure that place won’t be short of food and clothes, so there isn’t much to prepare. Husband, take a look—if anything is missing, I’ll add more.”

A hint of tenderness appeared on Lu Feng’s stern face as he replied gently, “That’s enough; you’ve prepared everything perfectly.”

Pei Zhang sent over a list he had meticulously compiled. Lu Feng marveled at Pei Zhang’s attention to detail but was surprised to find that his wife’s preparations were nearly as thorough. Except for items like flint, which she might not have encountered before, she had thought of everything.

Gently brushing aside the stray strands of hair on her forehead, he said, “Go to sleep. I’ll just take a look at you and sleep in the study tonight.”

In the later stages of her pregnancy, Jiang Wanrou had trouble sleeping. Since Lu Feng often returned late at night, he preferred to sleep in the study to avoid disturbing her.

“Don’t—you’re about to leave. While you’re still here, spend more time with me and the child,” she protested.

Jiang Wanrou struggled to sit up, the thin blanket slipping off her body. The buttons on her nightgown had come undone in her sleep, revealing her delicate shoulders and soft, fair skin.

“Stop—”

“Alright, alright, I’m being unreasonable. No need for a lecture, husband, I understand,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. Having slept a lot during the day, she wasn’t very sleepy at night. Now startled awake by Lu Feng, she found herself even more alert.

She casually pulled her nightgown back up and said to Lu Feng, “Husband, I’m thirsty.”

Lu Feng got up and poured her a cup of tea. Jiang Wanrou took a sip, her brows furrowing slightly. “Husband, it’s hot,” she said.