Chapter 211: The Long-Awaited Marriage - Part 2
Seven or eight days after Miss Fengxian embarked on her new life, the Shi brothers were finally returning. Lady Che was like an ant on a hot pan, restless and anxious. When she noticed Minglan's curious gaze, she gave an awkward smile and said, "Since I got married, I haven't been apart from my husband much. We promised each other that if he's in water, I'll be in water; if he's in fire, I'll be in fire. If one of us goes ahead, the other will wait on the road to the underworld."
She spoke confidently, and Minglan felt a bit embarrassed. She couldn't help but ask, "Sister, with such devotion, what if… what if Brother Shi betrays you?"
Lady Che laughed boldly, "I was originally a servant girl, and I married up to a small head of the Canggang. I wanted to serve my mother well, but he had to support his elder brothers, all of them from the lower rungs of society, so we just decided to live together. Who knows what the future holds? If he dares to pull any tricks, I'll pretend I didn't see it, and we'll see what happens when the truth is revealed! For now, I just live day by day."
Minglan smiled sheepishly, feeling somewhat amused by how worried she had been about herself.
On the day the Shi brothers returned, Lady Che wore a new bright red embroidered silk jacket and went to the door to greet her husband. The setting sun cast its golden glow on Shi Keng's dark face, and his gaze toward his wife was as radiant as a sunset.
He brought back over ten large boxes, ten of which were sent by Gu Tingye, filled with specialty products from the northwest: various precious hides, fur materials, dried mushrooms, vegetables, Dong Quai, Astragalus, and several exotic, colorful woolen blankets with vibrant patterns.
** Dong Quai (当归, Angelica sinensis) and Astragalus (黄芪, Astragalus membranaceus) are both herbs commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Shi Keng said, "These are for honoring the Marquis." Then, pointing to the other boxes, he smiled and added, "These are the gifts from us brothers for this year's New Year, just some simple things. Madam, please accept them with grace."
Though the items themselves were not of particular concern, Minglan was more interested in the people. Ruomei shyly moved over and timidly asked a few questions.
Shi Keng continued, "The Marquis is in very good health, and the campaign is going smoothly. The Marquis said, 'Madam, just focus on taking care of the baby, don't worry about anything else.'" Then he turned to Ruomei and said, "Master Gongsun is also well. Recently, he has become fond of the grape wine from the Western Regions. Due to the war, he can't drink too much, but he had me seal two carts of it to send back. He told me to have the concubines keep it, saying it will be for the child to drink in the future."
Indeed, it was the tone of Old Master Gongsun. Ruomei listened with a smile, lowering her head and covering her mouth with a sweet chuckle.
Shi Keng sat by the door and spoke for a long while. Finally, he pulled out a letter from his chest and handed it to Minglan, saying it was a family letter from Gu Tingye.
The envelope was thick and heavy in her hand.
Gu Tingye was usually brief with his writing, never willing to write even an extra word. Minglan suddenly had a thought — perhaps it was a silver note as a gift from the journey. However, when she opened it in the room, she found that it was indeed a family letter!
The letter didn't contain anything important, just daily trivialities and endless reminders.
Page after page, line after line, scattered in bits and pieces, as if written whenever he had free time. It included notes on the weather, morale, the local customs of the Northwest, and even the idle chatter and jokes between the soldiers. Often, at the end of each paragraph, there would be two teasing and mocking lines added.
For example: "The sand blocks the sky and the sun, so we couldn't move for a while. We had to set up camp. The weather is even worse than your temper!" Or, "The weather here is just like you, changing suddenly without anyone knowing what went wrong." Or, "The women here are tough and strong, able to ride and shoot. When I come back this time, I'll teach you how to ride a horse."
If he couldn't come up with anything else, he would add a few lines of odd poetry.
The letter included lines like: "Such stars were not here last night, for whom does the wind and dew stand in the middle of the night?" — this one was fine; "How much longing is there in one night of love? Even the ends of the earth and sky are not long enough" — a bit too sentimental; and "May I be like the star, and you like the moon, shining together every night"…
Minglan laughed as she held the letter, lying on the bed. Hmm, very well, you be the star, I'll be the moon, and we'll have the stars encircle the moon when we meet.
The little chubby boy had just eaten half a bowl of egg custard, and his chubby head was nodding as he was about to fall asleep. Minglan kissed her son hard on the cheek, smiling as she said, "You must study well in the future, don't be like your father, who doesn't even know where he copied those lines from!"
That night, Minglan read the letter over and over, pressing the ten or so pages to her chest, eventually falling asleep in a drowsy state.
…
The next day, Lady Che arrived at Jiaxi Residence with a rosy glow, her eyes soft with affection, and her skin healthy and smooth, clearly showing signs of a passionate night. Minglan teased her a little, and Carriage Lady quickly got to the point.
Her words were clear, and in just a few sentences, Minglan was shocked: "Shi Qiang wants to marry Xiao Tao?!"
Che Sanniang was nervously twisting her handkerchief, looking troubled: "It's been months since we've been away. Our master plans to leave in the next few days. That silly boy has been acting strange since last night, sulking and refusing to eat. I asked him what was wrong, and he shut his mouth like a clam. It wasn't until his older brother raised his fist that the boy finally spoke. He said that he had seen Miss Xiao Tao a few years ago, and he's been thinking about her ever since. Now that they've all grown, and she's taller too, he's taken a liking to her."
Minglan was stunned for a moment, then stammered: "Shi Xiongdi… likes Xiao Tao? What for?"
She remembered the time a few years ago when they were attacked on the river. After being rescued, she changed clothes and rested, staying in the room to calm herself while the maidservants hurriedly tidied up. At that time, Shi Qiang, who had helped, naturally had seen her maidservants.
Xiao Tao was a good girl, no doubt about that, but her looks… Minglan pictured Xiao Tao in her mind—round, naive, a bit rough, clumsy, with a very country girl charm. Love at first sight?
Che San Niang was also at a loss and said, "I don't know either. How about you ask the boy yourself?"
Minglan nodded. Since men were not allowed into the inner chambers, she and Che Sanniang had to take a sedan chair to the outer hall and ask someone to call for Shi Qiang.
When they arrived at the outer hall, Shi Qiang, standing by the doorway, nearly had his head touch the beam. His face was as red as a boiled egg, and he was so choked up that he couldn't speak at all.
Che Sanniang, who had almost regarded Shi Qiang as her son, saw this and, feeling exasperated, walked over and gave her younger brother a hard slap on the back. "Come on, speak up! Madam said she's looking at potential son-in-laws for the maids. If you don't speak up now, that boiled egg…" No, that wasn't right, it was too early; the girl wasn't even "cooked" yet.
"If you don't speak, then that long-feathered duck is bound to fly!" Che Sanniang swung her fist and shouted.
Minglan couldn't help but burst into laughter, easing the tension in the room.
"Speak properly, what exactly do you like about Xiao Tao? If you can't give me a good reason, how can I feel assured about marrying her so far away?" Minglan asked gently.
Shi Qiang wiped the sweat off his forehead, his hands and feet unsure of where to go. He looked at his sister-in-law, then at the figure behind the screen, and finally gathered the courage to speak: "Xiao Tao… she's a good girl!"
Che Sanniang was at her wit's end and wondered if perhaps she had been too strict with him when he was young.
Minglan sighed and, with the tone of a middle school guidance counselor coaxing a student to admit to a crush, said, "Then tell me, when you first saw Xiao Tao a few years ago, what was the situation like?"
Originally, she had planned to find a reliable husband for that silly girl and wanted him to be someone nearby for convenience.
Shi Qiang started recalling, rambling for a while, but only one key phrase came out: "…All the girls on the boat were scared out of their wits. Some cried, some yelled, and others trembled and couldn't even speak… but Xiao Tao was the only one who didn't."
"Then what was she doing?" Minglan asked, now curious.
The maids in high-status households are usually pampered and haven't seen much hardship. Although the boat had already docked, there were still several corpses floating on the water, and nearby ships had just put out the fire. The stench of the dead was drifting over, and the ship's planks were stained with fresh blood. The girls, just saved from the ordeal, were still shaken and struggling to compose themselves, so their faces were far from pleasant.
Shi Qiang's face was suffused with a dreamy look: "…She borrowed a fish spear, then went to the shallow waters and speared over a dozen fat fish in one go. Then she picked up a dagger that had been thrown ashore, and right there, she chopped off the fish heads, scraped the scales, gutted them, and sang a song as she went back."
At this, not only Minglan was stunned, but even Che Sanniao was taken aback. She almost wanted to touch her younger brother's forehead—was that girl's way of killing fish and chopping off heads really so enchanting?
"I want a wife like that!" Shi Qiang, the younger brother, clenched his fists and said firmly.
Minglan was silent for a long time and could only say, "This… I'll have to ask Xiao Tao…" Thinking about that silly girl's nature, she added, "I'm afraid I can't give an answer right away."
Che Sanniao laughed and said, "No rush. You've been with that maid for so many years, of course, you need to think it through for her. My brother isn't too old, and besides, our uncle from the paternal side passed away less than a year ago. Take your time, take your time. Once you've made up your mind, we can talk about it."
She wasn't as naive as Shi Qiang. She believed in carefully considering everything. It would be great if her younger brother married the girl he loved, but marrying the personal maid of Lady Gu, who had grown up by her side, would be even better. Not that she wanted any personal gain, but having more connections with the Hou family would be advantageous. Even if the Shi family's influence in the cargo guild diminished in the future, her daughter and younger brother would have noble patrons looking after them, and would not be easily bullied.
...
Until she returned to her room, Minglan still felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation. She quickly called for Xiao Tao to ask her directly.
Xiao Tao's reaction was better than Dan Ju's back then. She didn't blush at all. After a moment of silence, she only asked, "If I get married, can I still live with Madam?"
Minglan replied, "That won't be possible. The Shi family is a bit far; it takes almost half a month to get there."
Xiao Tao immediately shook her head. "Then I won't marry."
"Fool, why?"
Xiao Tao muttered, "I promised Dan Ju that if I had to marry outside, she wouldn't leave. I told her that she had someone waiting for her outside, but I don't, so I would stay to accompany Madam. I told her to go ahead and marry. How can I go back on my word?"
Minglan's heart tightened. "You two…"
She pulled Xiao Tao's head into her arms, as if holding a little child.
"Foolish girl, I've told Dan Ju this before, and now I'm telling you," Minglan's nose began to feel sour. "I have never, ever, even for a moment, thought of asking you to sacrifice your own happiness just to stay by my side."
Although she was reluctant to part with them.
Holding back the tears, Minglan gently raised Xiao Tao's face and said seriously, "You've never hidden anything from me, not a single word, not a single thing, since you were little. Now, be honest with me, you know the Shi family's young master, do you… like him?"
Xiao Tao thought for a long time, then shook her head and said, "I don't know."
Minglan sighed helplessly. "Then what do you think of him?"
Xiao Tao's voice trembled with tears. "Before he went to the northwest, he sent me several things, like the crispy sugar from Anya Zhai, the braised pork knuckles from Defu Ju, and lotus root sticky rice dumplings from Xijie… This time, he brought me a lot of delicious things. I secretly asked him how he knew I liked those, and he said he only picked things he liked and sent them to me."
As she spoke, she started to cry, feeling helpless, as though she had done something wrong.
Minglan sighed, "Why are you crying, silly girl? You both have similar interests, you're both food lovers—what's so bad about that?" She wiped away her tears and asked, "So, do you want to live with him? For the long haul?"
Xiao Tao still looked confused.
Minglan smiled, but with a hint of helplessness, and waved her hand, "Alright, you can go now. Don't say anything to anyone. Let me think it over."
Should she keep this silly child by her side for safety's sake, or let her go and live an independent life? Minglan pondered deeply.
As sharp as ever, Chè Sān Niáng quickly noticed Minglan's hesitation. She said that she and her husband would return to take care of things in the gang and requested Minglan's favor, asking if Shi Qiāng could stay a while longer to learn some skills from the Tu brothers.
Minglan, who was already troubled, agreed without hesitation. Chè Sān Niáng was good at handling things—her words and actions were smooth, and soon the two ladies of the Tu family were persuaded. Hearing about it, they were happy to return the favor.
Thus, Shi Qiāng stayed, living in a room next to Gōng Sūn Měng's in the outer courtyard. On weekdays, he learned martial arts from the fierce second Tu brother. After receiving his lessons and a good beating, he would go off to gather delicious food.
After taking care of Shi Qiāng's daily needs, Liào Yǒng's wife came to report to Minglan. Minglan happened to be taking an afternoon nap, so she had Xià Hé pass on the message. Xià Hé agreed promptly, and after sending off Liào Yǒng's wife, she returned to her own room. There, she saw Bì Sī lazily lounging on the kang (a traditional Chinese heated platform). Xià Hé laughed and scolded, "What a bold little vixen! You've been spoiled! When Liào's wife gave you an errand, you dared to pretend to be asleep?!"
Bì Sī, still listlessly flipping through a poetry book, smiled coquettishly and replied, "Let me rest for a bit. While you're here, I might as well enjoy it for the day."
Xià Hé stared at the charcoal stove for a moment, lost in thought, then sighed, "Looks like Xiǎo Táo is set for life."
Upon hearing this, Bì Sī suddenly sat up straight and anxiously asked, "Could it be true?" Then she muttered to herself, "No wonder they've been sending things every few days."
She thought of Shi Qiāng's tall figure and the wealth of the Cào family, and pouted, "Exchanging gifts privately, aren't they afraid of losing face?"
Xià Hé shook her head and smiled, "You, you're just jealous, aren't you? The things they send are just food. You and I both eat a share, didn't we? What's the matter? Didn't you eat it? Moreover…" She smiled slyly, "What does Huó Chāng's family have to say? It's clear it's the lady's decision."
Bì Sī muttered, "Who's jealous? Who's jealous! Cùiwēi has always been kind to Xiǎo Táo and Dān Jú, and the lady has always been considerate of them. I really don't understand what the Shí family sees in that silly girl."
Xià Hé looked at her with amusement, "I came later, so I can't compare to you. But, well, you brought this upon yourself!"
"What do you mean?" Bì Sī asked in a low voice.
Xià Hé said, "Although I've only been serving the lady for a short time, I can tell that she is warm and kind. Among all of you who've served her since childhood, if any of you were truly good, wouldn't the lady care about you? Qin Sāng and Dān Jú have both been married off, and the lady still sends things to them every now and then. A master like her… tsk tsk, that's earned from the previous life."
She walked to the stove, poured a cup of hot tea, and gently blew on it. "As for Yān Cǎo, I haven't seen her, but Ruò Méi is the one who gives the lady trouble. As for you…" She sat next to Bì Sī and mischievously poked her on the forehead, "You really are a hopeless case."
Bì Sī, displeased, shifted uncomfortably.
Xià Hé continued laughing, "I've never seen someone so lazy and good-for-nothing as you; when there's clothing and rouge to divide, you're the first to run up, but when there's work to do, you vanish without a trace. Fat geese and ducks, silks and satin, all you do is sit there, Bì Sī, stitching a few flowers or doing a couple of stitches. When you're free, it's either reading books or eating and drinking. Amitābha, my Buddha, are you here to serve as a maid, or to be a young lady? It's only because the lady and the few sisters are good-natured and never criticize you. If you were in another house, would they let you live like this?!"
Bì Sī was naturally gentle and sought comfort, only wanting to live this way forever—eating well, wearing fine clothes, never working, and having little maids to attend to her. But seeing that her sisters were all finding their own paths, she couldn't help but feel anxious in her heart.
"It's just some lowly people from the Jianghu, what's so great about them?" she muttered softly.
Xià Hé laughed, "What are you talking about? If they weren't a respectable family, would the lady go through so much trouble for them? Look at what Madam Chē wears and carries, she throws silver around without even blinking." Then she sighed, "If she really goes out, she'll be the head of the household, the grandmother."
"Since they're from a good family, why…" Bì Sī blushed, lowering her voice, "Why doesn't she choose a better one as her younger brother's wife? I don't think Madam Shí is anything special."
Xià Hé laughed, "Oh, my dear sister, are you really that clueless?" Not wanting to waste time explaining to this confused girl, she decided to be direct, "The Shí family wants to expand, and Madam Shí has already seen it—Xiǎo TÁO jiějie has the right look for a husband, and they like her a lot."
After taking a sip of tea, she continued, "Madam Shi not clever? Heh, she noticed the lady's feelings, but since Xiǎo TÁO jiějie isn't very perceptive, the lady doesn't feel at ease. It's just the Shí family's son's character. They've left the brother behind so the lady can thoroughly observe him. If he really is a good match, the lady will speak on behalf of Xiǎo TÁO jiějie."
Bì Sī got anxious upon hearing this, tugging at Xià Hé's sleeve, "Then what about me? Even Lǜ Zhī has prospects, and the lady favors that little Chen steward from the outer court. She's already asked Lǎo Sāo to talk to the old couple from the Chén family, but what about me…?"
Xià Hé patted her hand, smiling as she reassured her, "With the lady's nature, she won't treat you unfairly."
However, how she would find a husband for such a lazy and idle girl like you, that's not going to happen. Your future… well, let's just say it might involve simpler fare and a quieter life.
Bì Sī was easy to appease. Lacking the courage to step into the Lord's inner circle and not having the perseverance to take on any responsibilities, she simply laid back and resumed flipping through her poetry collection, looking just like a young lady who had no cares in the world.
Xià Hé propped her chin and looked at her for a while, then smiled.
Actually, she hoped that Xiǎo TÁO would get married so that there would be more opportunities for her to show her abilities. Speaking of which, being a servant in such a wise and upright family was truly a blessing.
The atmosphere in the courtyard was calm, and the maidservants no longer needed to eye each other suspiciously. As long as they did their jobs well, while they might not surpass Lǜ Zhī, they could at least live comfortably. If luck was on their side, they might even be able to leave and establish their own families.