Chapter 8

Because she had stayed up all night caring for two kids with diarrhea, Ruyi mother was utterly exhausted. Rocking in the moving carriage, she was filled with anxiety, but her tired body finally won out, and she drifted off to sleep beside the children.

Half-asleep, Ruyi mother heard her daughter’s voice.

“Ma… Ma, I’m so thirsty.”

Before her eyes even opened, Ruyi mother sat up with a jolt, as if transported back ten years to those countless nights of nursing. Back then, as soon as the children made the slightest noise, her body would awaken before her mind did. She would instinctively open her blouse and guide the baby to her breast, often without ever truly waking up.

Ruyi was murmuring in her sleep, asking for water. After a night of diarrhea, her body was completely drained—her lips were dry and cracked, her skin pale and limp.

Ruyi mother mixed some sugar and salt into the kettle, shook it to dissolve, and began feeding her daughter little by little.

Ruyi took a sip in a daze and then fully woke up. Unable to wait, she grabbed the kettle and drank half of it.

At that moment, Jixiang also woke up and finished off the rest of the water.

Ruyi leaned against the window and looked out. “This isn’t Yiyuan… Why are we in a carriage?”

From the driver’s seat up front, Sister E husband replied, “There’s an outbreak in Yiyuan—it’s chickenpox. Sister E told me to take you far away.”

Still too young to grasp how dangerous chickenpox could be, Jixiang was actually relieved. “Great! Now I don’t have to move bricks and carry those heavy buckets of paint in the warehouse. It’s just chickenpox! Didn’t mother and Ruyi mother already have it? I’ll treat this like a vacation.”

Sister E husband snorted with laughter. “You brat, you think chickenpox is nothing? All the kids your parents grew up with who didn’t survive this… they’re already dead. They never got the chance to grow up.”

Ruyi rubbed her sleepy eyes. “How long do we have to hide?”

He replied, “Chickenpox spreads really fast. Most kids in normal households can’t avoid it. If we can delay it even by a day, that’s a win. The later you get it, the milder the symptoms usually are.”

Ruyi mother nodded. “She’s right. The kids who caught it early usually died, but the ones who got it later had a better chance. Sister E husband is right—we’ll delay it as long as we can.”

As they spoke, the carriage turned onto a wide, straight stone-paved avenue. There wasn’t a single soul in sight, nor any houses—only rows of stone sculptures: elephants, horses, and statues dressed like civil and military officials. It was grand and imposing.

Ruyi asked curiously, “Where are we?”

Jixiang pointed, “That horse carving is awesome! When I feel better, I’m going to climb up and ride it.”

Sister E husband scolded, “You little punk—are you trying to get yourself killed? If you climb up, someone will beat you to death. This is the spirit road of our Duke’s tomb.”

The “Duke” he referred to was Duke Changguo, Zhang Luan—the husband of the Zhang family’s matriarch, Queen Mother Zhang, and the maternal grandfather of the current emperor, Emperor Zhengde.

Back in the first chapter, it was mentioned that Emperor Hongzhi had no other consorts in his lifetime and remained devoted solely to Empress Zhang. He deeply respected his father-in-law, Zhang Luan. After Zhang’s death, Emperor Hongzhi not only brought his mother-in-law to live in the palace but also granted Zhang Luan a piece of fengshui-blessed land at the southern foot of Cuiwei Mountain for a grand tomb complex. It included a magnificent spirit road, ancestral hall, and an imperial stele with inscriptions written personally by the emperor.

The construction of this tomb involved ten thousand laborers—far livelier than today’s renovations at Yiyuan.

Sister E husband slowly recounted the Zhang family’s former glory as he drove the carriage around a corner and stopped in front of a small courtyard. “We’re here. This entire area consists of ancestral farmland and ceremonial houses for the Zhang family. When the masters come to offer sacrifices and can’t return the same day, they stay here. This part is for the servants—there are beds, mosquito nets, charcoal stoves—everything you need.”

The children were still weak from dehydration. Jixiang could barely walk with Ruyi mother support, while Ruyi’s legs felt like overcooked noodles. She had no strength to move, so Sister E husband carried her inside.

“That’s the kitchen over there,” he explained to Ruyi mother as he showed her around. “Did you hear the bell earlier? That’s the Zhang family’s ancestral temple, a Taoist temple called Huai’en Temple. The Taoists there are all sponsored by the Zhang family. When a family member dies, the coffin is kept at Huai’en Temple for up to a year, and every spring, all coffins are transported to the ancestral burial site in Cangzhou.”

Cuiwei Mountain, being an imperial gift, was reserved only for Zhang Luan and his wife. When the family matriarch passed, she would be buried there beside him. Other clan members had to return to their ancestral roots.

Ruyi mother was astonished. “What a grand family! Their tomb has not only graves, but sacrificial houses, a Taoist temple, farmland—all at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain! This place is bigger than Yiyuan! Tch, even the dead live better than the living!”

Ruyi, resting on the kang bed, overheard and felt uneasy. “A tomb… coffins stored for a year… so many dead people. Won’t it be haunted? Since we entered, I haven’t seen a single living soul.”

Ruyi mother quickly comforted her. “When you grow up, you’ll realize living people are scarier than dead ones. There’s nothing to fear from the dead. This place is perfect for avoiding chickenpox—no children, only grown Taoists. Sister E really found a great place.”

Sister E husband added, “She’s been here before. She came with Third Young Master during family rituals and stayed here a few times. Aunt Hua, being just a concubine, isn’t allowed to participate in ancestral rites, but she donates a lot of incense money to Huai’en Temple every year. She usually gives it to Sister E to pass along. Over time, they got close with the temple folks. That’s why when Sister E asked, Huai’en Temple agreed to let you stay and avoid the outbreak here.”

“Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, vegetables, meat—whatever you’re short on, go to Huai’en Temple to get it. Watch the children carefully, and don’t let them run outside the graveyard and risk catching chickenpox.”

It turned out that because Concubine Hua had donated incense money, E Brother-in-law and the others were allowed in—though Sister E hadn’t paid the money herself, it had passed through her hands. Besides, she was the wet nurse of the Third Young Master, so Huai’en Temple agreed to help out.

Ruyi mother said, “Don’t worry. They’re old enough to know better now. Besides, this place is huge. They have plenty of space to run wild without going outside.”

As she spoke, she took out some pills from a box and handed them to E Brother-in-law. “These Mei Flower Tongue Pills and Anti-Toxin Powders were all things Sister E used to get for me from the inner quarters. They’re essential for emergencies and very effective. I’m splitting them with you—take them to Jiuzhi and the others. I hope the children all pull through.”

E Brother-in-law accepted them, climbed back onto the carriage, and was about to leave when Ruyi mother suddenly remembered something. She ran out to ask, “We came to the graveyard to escape the epidemic—where did Sister E take the Third Young Master?”

E Brother-in-law pointed to the majestic mountains opposite Cuiwei Mountain. “The children of the Zhang family were sent overnight to their villa in Fragrant Hills. It’s even safer than here.”

Such was the reality—differences from birth, worlds apart.

Yanzhi and Changsheng had nowhere to hide and could only resign themselves to fate. Jixiang and Ruyi had parents and family friends with connections who found them shelter at Cuiwei Mountain’s graveyard. And the little young masters, born of noble blood, were taken to secluded mountain retreats, far from illness.

Some are born into suffering; others are born with honey in their mouths.

After their diarrhea stopped and two days of rest, Ruyi and Jixiang were full of energy again. They didn’t understand how serious chickenpox could be, nor did they know the pain of separation or death. Young and carefree, they found everything in the graveyard new and fun. With no labor on construction sites, every day felt like an adventure in a new place—they thought the graveyard was great.

With nothing to do and unable to leave the graveyard, Jixiang taught Ruyi how to swim, catch fish, scoop shrimp, and dig for crabs.

Ruyi had only ever watched the boys play in the water from the shore, envious. Now that she had learned how, she could enjoy it freely, completely lost in the fun.

Autumn wind rose, and the weather finally cooled. The first golden phoenix tree leaf of early autumn drifted into the pond.

Ruyi and Jixiang were rolling up their pant legs high and digging for crabs in the pond, their legs covered in green mud, oblivious to the changing seasons.

E Brother-in-law arrived by carriage, bringing mooncakes and other food, as well as thicker, new bedding—it had been more than half a month. It was now the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ruyi mother had been anxious the whole time and immediately asked, “How are things outside? Can we go back now? Is Changsheng okay?”

Changsheng had always been frail and was the first to get sick. Ruyi mother had been worried about him constantly.

“Changsheng pulled through. Yanzhi chickenpox has also cleared up, but…” E Brother-in-law sighed. “Jiuzhi’s wife is gone. The two children have lost their mother.”

Jiuzhi’s wife had given birth to two children in three years. After giving birth to Changsheng, her health had been poor. She rarely left the house and focused on recuperating.

Jiuzhi was a minor security head in the Western Mansion, earning 800 coins a month—not much, but he made more from the tips given by visitors. His family should’ve lived comfortably.

However, because his wife had to take medicine year-round—ginseng, cinnamon bark, various tonics—Jiuzhi never hesitated to buy them for her. As a result, the family never managed to save anything and lived paycheck to paycheck.

When the children caught chickenpox, Jiuzhi had to work guarding the construction site at Yiyuan, leaving his ailing wife to care for the kids alone. Yanzhi and Changsheng both made it through the worst, but she didn’t.

Ruyi mother was struck by the impermanence of life. “To think it was Jiuzhi’s wife who passed… He guarded her life for ten years and still couldn’t save her. Sigh. Watching your child suffer from illness—every mother would rather trade her own life. I hope she is reborn into a better life, one with health and peace.”

E Brother-in-law unloaded everything from the cart. “I’ve still got work to do, so I won’t stay to spend the festival with Jixiang and Ruyi—Jiuzhi is holding a memorial service for his wife tonight, and I’m taking his night shift at the construction site.”

That night, Ruyi mother didn’t tell Ruyi and Jixiang about the bad news. She made a full table of dishes, placed the mooncakes E Brother-in-law brought, and celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival. Watching Ruyi and Jixiang eat their fill, laughing and chasing each other around the courtyard under the moonlight, Ruyi mother silently prayed:

Oh moon, if there must be disaster, let it fall upon me. Spare the children. Let their innocent, carefree smiles linger a little longer. Even though they will eventually face the bitterness of growing up—let that day come as late as possible, just like this wretched chickenpox.

It was cold in the mountains, so that night, Ruyi mother replaced their bedding with the thick quilts E Brother-in-law had brought. They slept warmly and soundly.

But the next morning, when Ruyi mother awoke and instinctively reached to check on her daughter—she froze. Ruyi’s body was burning hot!

She pressed her forehead to her daughter’s—it was unmistakable. A fever!

Disaster!

Ruyi mother didn’t even stop to put on shoes and ran barefoot to the room next door. Lucky was sleeping there—he was feverish too, with a bright red, dome-shaped chickenpox pustule already on his chest!

All the precautions had failed. Where had the gap been?

Forcing herself to stay calm, Ruyi mother dissolved the pre-prepared Si Sheng San (Four Sacred Powder) in hot water and fed it to the feverish children. Then she picked loofah and purple perilla leaves from the vegetable garden to boil in water—both were known for their heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, perfect for children with chickenpox.

When the loofah soup came to a boil, Ruyi mother suddenly thought of something. She ran to the bedroom and grabbed the two new quilts that had been delivered yesterday. On the surface, they looked perfectly fine—cotton as white as snow, stitched neatly with fine threads.

But when Ruyi mother cut open the quilts with scissors, the color of the cotton inside changed drastically—there were patches of yellow, gray, and even black!

These were the doings of a heartless, greedy merchant—mixing old, reclaimed cotton into what was supposed to be new cotton!

That was the problem! The old cotton came from questionable sources—who knows whose old clothes or used bedding it had come from? There was no doubt that some of it had come from children who had chickenpox. That’s how Ruyi and Jixiang got infected!

Ruyi mother immediately lit a charcoal fire and burned the contaminated quilts to ash. Still uneasy, she dug a deep pit and buried even the ashes.