Chapter 2

Six months had passed. Spring had arrived, with grass growing and orioles flying. In Siquan Lane in Xifu, Sister E and Ruyi mother were at the well pavilion scrubbing cloth diapers. Beside them was a wheeled cradle cart with four wheels, where two babies slept soundly.

Ruyi had weighed seven kilogram at birth, while Jixiang had been just under four, but Sister E was sturdy and well-nourished, with plenty of milk. Now that the babies were half a year old, they weighed about the same, both plump from nursing. They slept face-to-face in the cradle, their cheeks flushed with health—like two shrimp dumplings.

With another mouth to feed, life had grown even more strained. Sister E and Ruyi mother wore clothes patched over so many times that it was nearly impossible to tell what the original fabric had been.

With a thunk, Sister E tossed an empty wooden bucket into the well and hauled up a full one using the rope. As she worked, she said, “Concubine Hua of the Xifu household is about to give birth. They’re choosing a wet nurse, and we’re all to report to the second gate for selection. A wet nurse is a cushy job—we can’t let this chance slip by. Tomorrow, we need to wash up and dress in our finest. My husband will look after the babies and feed them rice gruel if they get hungry.”

Ruyi mother, scrubbing diapers, glanced at the cradle. “Do I have to go? What if I get picked? What will happen to my Ruyi then? She’s still nursing and has no father to care for her.”

Ruyi mother was filled with worry, while Sister E looked eager and excited. She said, “When the master calls, we household slaves have to obey. Besides, we can always hire a wet nurse with the money to feed our own babies. Being a young master’s wet nurse is a respectable job with good perks. I’ve asked around—just the monthly pay is two taels! Six meals a day, all with meat, and eight outfits per year for visiting guests. That doesn’t even include the extra clothes and jewelry given as rewards. Altogether, it’s over fifty taels of silver a year! With that kind of money, you won’t have to worry about raising your child.”

Sister E’s husband worked as a gatekeeper and earned 500 cash a month. The wet nurse would earn four times that.

Ruyi mother said, “But I don’t trust anyone else. Since Ruyi was born, I haven’t been apart from her—not even to cook or shop. I’ve always carried her on my back.”

“I’ll take care of her,” Sister E said, patting her ample chest. “I’ll be Ruyi’s wet nurse. I’ll feed her just like I feed Jixiang.”

Ruyi mother laughed. “Alright. If you’re chosen, you’ll leave Jixiang with me.”

Sister E nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, it’s a deal. I’ll feel completely at ease leaving him with you!”

Once the two women had settled the children, they felt much lighter. After finishing the laundry, they fetched well water, heated it, and helped each other wash their hair.

Sister E even made a rare sacrifice—she took out an egg and used the egg white to soften her damp hair. After rinsing, her hair was so smooth that it didn’t even need oil to hold a bun.

They trimmed their fingernails, and Sister E used a hairpin to carefully scrape out the stubborn dirt from under their nails.

The next morning, Ruyi mother put on her only outfit without patches, wrapped the still-sleeping Ruyi in a swaddle, and brought her to Sister E’s house across the alley. Sister E’s husband had already cooked rice and strained the milky-white gruel from it—this was for Jixiang and Ruyi.

Sister E took the bundle from her arms, laid Ruyi next to Jixiang on the heated brick bed, and tucked them in so they could sleep head to head.

Sister E wore the green jacket and red skirt from her wedding—the best outfit she owned, only taken out once a year at New Year’s. It was clear she was going all out for this wet nurse selection.

She eyed Ruyi mother’s outfit and said, “Take off that glaring white mourning bun on your head.”

Ruyi mother was confused. “But I’m a widow, still in the mourning period.”

Sister E said, “We’re all servants of the Marquis’s household. The master is like the heavens—more important than parents or husbands. In theory, we only wear mourning for the master. Privately, mourning’s one thing, but out here, with so many prying eyes, people might say you’re cursing the master if you show up still in mourning garb.”

Ruyi mother quickly took off her mourning bun. Sister E helped her style a neat round bun and even opened her makeup box to give her a jet-black wooden hairpin to wear.

It was Ruyi mother’s first time leaving her baby, and she was reluctant. She kept looking back as she walked with Sister E out of Siquan Lane. At the entrance, she stopped and said, “I think I heard Ruyi crying. I’ll go check.”

Sister E grabbed her hand. “That’s not a baby—it’s just a cat in heat. Spring’s here. Don’t overthink it. Let’s go, or we’ll be punished if we’re late for roll call.”

Sister E dragged Ruyi mother along like the wind to the ornamental gate of the rear courtyard. There, five or six young servants with shaved heads stood guard. On the open ground before the gate, thirty women were chattering loudly. They were all wet-nursing servants from the Xifu household, gathered for the selection.

Ruyi mother, who had only been bought last year and married to a junior servant, rarely left Siquan Lane except for grocery shopping. She was shy and quiet, and didn’t know any of the women.

Sister E, on the other hand, had been sold to the Xifu household at age seven to work as a maid. There wasn’t a woman among the group she didn’t know. She bustled among them, laughing and greeting them all.

“Chunxiu, Chunlan! So it’s you two! You’ve really filled out since getting married and having kids—I barely recognized you from afar. Looks like your life is going well!”

“Sister Cao, I heard your man’s managing a shop now—congrats! That gold bracelet you’re wearing must weigh three taels! Doesn’t your arm get tired? Better hide it in your sleeve—I’m already a little jealous.”

After making the rounds, Sister E pulled the timid Ruyi mother out from the corner and said, “Let me introduce my new friend—this is Ruyi mother. She’s gentle and reliable, and her cooking is on par with the big kitchen’s chefs. Remember the full moon banquet for Jiuzhi’s daughter last winter? She was the one who did all the cooking.”

The group of women gathered around, curiously examining Ruyi’s mother.

“Oh, such a pretty face.”

“I brought porridge and rice to Jiuzhi’s daughter’s one-month banquet, and I had a seat at the feast too. The leek and mutton flatbread was so good, I still think about it.”

“The boiled pig’s head was just right—tender but not mushy, so sticky it almost sealed my mouth shut. I’ve never eaten such good pig’s head before.”

Sister-in-law Cao asked, “Why didn’t Jiuzhi’s Qiuhu come? She’s a beauty too.”
(Note: “Qiuhu” is a coded way to refer to a wife, stemming from the folk tale Autumn Hu Returns to His Wife, and was commonly used in Ming Dynasty street slang to disguise true meanings.)

Sister E replied, “She’s pregnant again and couldn’t come.”

Once a nursing woman becomes pregnant, her milk supply diminishes or dries up completely.

The crowd clicked their tongues in awe. “They’re really fertile—two kids in three years!”

As they chatted, a well-dressed stewardess approached from the Chuihua gate, barking loudly, “What are you all chattering about? I could hear you two li away! A bunch of uncouth wenches—no wonder you’re stuck outside the second gate!”

The women instantly fell silent, even Sister-in-law Cao, despite her gold bracelet, didn’t dare make a sound.

The stewardess pulled out a roster and handed it to the gatekeeping pages. “Whoever can read, call the names—when your name is called, step forward, line up, and follow me.”

She added, “Once inside the second gate, stay in line and keep your eyes to yourselves. Anyone who breaks the rules will be kicked out!”

The names were called, and the women lined up. Over thirty of them followed the stewardess through the Chuihua gate, around a screen wall, past the west corner gate, through one courtyard and wall after another, until their heads spun and feet ached. Finally, they stopped under a covered corridor.

The stewardess said, “Wait here while I go report.”

Once she left, the women resumed chatting.

“Pah!” Sister-in-law Cao spat first. “Still thinks she’s a housekeeper’s wife? Her husband’s been exiled to the frontier! Lai Xi’s the head steward now, and everything inside the second gate belongs to his household. Lai Shou’s woman is just clinging to scraps in a concubine’s quarters. She used to be on equal footing with Concubine Hua—now look at her!”

The others laughed. “A dying camel’s still bigger than a horse. Lai Shou’s wife may have fallen from favor and been shoved to a concubine’s room, but she still serves the Marchioness and has the right to sit on the footstool. We lowly maids outside the second gate don’t dare talk back to her—we just grumble behind her back.”

Sister E added, “Lai Shou’s woman may have lost to Lai Xi’s, but it’d still be easy for her to crush us. When under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head.”

Ruyi’s mother clenched the hand hidden in her sleeve tightly around her handkerchief when she heard the name “Lai Shou.”

So the dignified stewardess from earlier was Lai Shou’s wife—the senior housekeeper of the Western Residence.

Last year, Lai Shou had led the guards to fight over land with the Qingyun Marquis’s estate. They brawled in the street with weapons. Her late husband Gangzi died in that fight.

The incident became a scandal. Both the Qingyun Marquis and the Jianchang Marquis claimed ignorance, blaming their servants for acting on their own. But a man had died, and the street brawl caused a public outcry. In the end, both marquises were reprimanded by the Emperor for “failing to supervise” and had their stipends docked for a year. The stewards who led the land dispute were flogged fifty times and sentenced to penal servitude at the frontier.

That was the end of it. No one ever said who killed Gangzi or how they were punished.

Lai Shou sent someone with ten taels of silver and promised to pay Gangzi’s monthly wage of five hundred copper coins to the widow and orphan until Ruyi came of age. That was that—she was forbidden from raising a fuss.

At the time, Ruyi’s mother had just given birth and was weak—surviving was a blessing, let alone raising a ruckus.

Lost in thought, she was startled when Sister E nudged her shoulder. “What are you staring off into space for?”

Ruyi’s mother forced a smile. She couldn’t change the outcome, no matter how bitter it was, and she didn’t want to drag Sister E’s family into it. “Oh, I was just distracted. The Marquis’s residence is so grand—even a concubine’s quarters look like a palace. You don’t see this kind of beauty even in paintings.”

The corridor where they were waiting was decorated with intricate murals and gold accents—too much for the eye to take in.

Sister E said, “Our young miss of the Western Residence is Concubine Hua’s daughter. Now Concubine Hua is about to give birth again, adding another branch to the Zhang family tree—that’s a huge merit, of course her rooms are exceptional.”

Someone whispered, “Enough. Lai Shou’s wife is coming back.”

The women immediately stood in line. Lai Shou’s wife returned with a few elderly matrons. First, they were told to open their mouths to check their teeth and breath.

Anyone with dark, crooked teeth or bad breath was immediately eliminated—over ten women were dismissed.

Sister-in-law Cao was among them. She protested, “I don’t usually have bad breath—it was just the pickled garlic from breakfast. I even chewed tea leaves, but the smell won’t go away. Madam Lai Shou, please make an exception.”

Lai Shou’s wife sneered. “You knew you were being screened today and still ate garlic? Shows how little sense you have. If you can’t even be mindful now, how will you take good care of the young master? That would be my failure.”

She eyed the heavy gold bracelet on Cao’s wrist. “With such a fine bracelet, you’d be better off running a shop in luxury. Being a wet nurse would be such a step down for you.”

Shamed into silence, Sister-in-law Cao had no choice but to leave.

Sister E and Ruyi’s mother passed the inspection and were brought indoors. There, they were told to undo their hair. The elder matrons combed through it meticulously. Anyone found to have lice or lice eggs—black, gray, or white—was immediately disqualified.

At the third round, the women loosened their clothes, and Lady Lai Shou personally inspected them. Those with boils, ringworm, or gray fingernails and toenails were dismissed.

Fewer than ten women passed the fourth round. Each was given a small bowl and asked to express breast milk on the spot. The old matrons took the bowls to some unknown place for examination.

After about a quarter of an hour, Lady Lai Shou returned and kept six women, including Sister E and Ruyi mother. The rest were dismissed. She said:

“Concubine Hua wants to choose the wet nurse herself. It’ll depend on who she takes a liking to. In a moment, you’ll each report your name. Keep your eyes on your toes—don’t stare at her. Only look up when she tells you to.”

Ruyi mother was so nervous she could barely breathe. It felt like she was stepping on clouds. In a daze, she heard someone tell her to raise her head. She lifted her stiff neck.

In front of her was a huanghuali luohan couch. A beautiful woman in embroidered garments was reclining on a pumpkin-shaped pillow, her belly heavily swollen. Two maids knelt at her footrest, massaging her legs.

She was a beauty like a flower—no wonder she was called Concubine Hua. Her entire presence wasn’t like that of a mere concubine, but more like a titled lady of rank.

After that fleeting glance, Ruyi mother heard Concubine Hua say, “Alright, next.” She immediately lowered her head and stepped back, not daring to look further.

Once Concubine Hua had seen them all, the women withdrew and waited again under the covered corridor. Shortly after, Lady Lai Shou came out, followed by a maid holding a carved red lacquer tray with four red envelopes on it.

Lady Lai Shou said, “Chunxiu, Sister E, you two have been selected. Starting today, you will stay here. You are not allowed to go back. Learn the household rules. Someone will take your measurements shortly for new clothes.”

The two women were overjoyed and went in to kowtow to Concubine Hua.

Lady Lai Shou pointed to the tray in the maid’s hands and said, “As for the remaining four, Concubine Hua still has rewards for you. She won’t let you leave empty-handed. Take your red envelopes and follow this maid out through the second gate. You’re not allowed to wander inside.”

Ruyi mother took her red envelope and didn’t open it until she reached Siquan Lane. Inside were a dozen small silver ingots, weighing about five qian (approx. 20 grams).

Used sparingly, it was enough for a widowed mother and her child to live on for two months.

By then, Jixiang and Ruyi (the babies) were awake and had eaten rice soup. Sister E’s husband was pushing them around in a stroller for a walk.

When Ruyi saw her mother, she stretched out her chubby arms for a hug. Jixiang also waved his arms and kicked excitedly. Ruyi mother scooped them both up in her arms and said:

“Brother-in-law E, Sister E has been chosen to stay inside the second gate. From now on, I’ll be Jixiang’s wet nurse.”