The east wing of the Cheng family’s second household, adjacent to the lotus pond, was a shared garden for both the first and second household. It’s also a popular spot for cooling off during the summer, and the young girls of the family lived nearby.
Early in the morning, maids were bustling about, attending to their duties, but unlike usual, they all paused to look and gossip as they passed by a particular courtyard.
Late last night, this courtyard had been hastily prepared, and a lady had moved in. It was said that she was the legitimate eldest daughter of the family.
“We all need to shift back a spot; from now on, Qi-niang will be called Ba-niang*,” joked twelve-year-old Cheng Liu-niang*.
Hearing this, the two other young girls in the room put down their chopsticks and tried to stifle their laughter.
The nursemaid, looking flustered, hurried over.
“Liu-niang, stop teasing your sister,” she said.
Since Liu-niang was the legitimate daughter of the first household, the nursemaid didn’t dare to scold her directly.
Cheng Qi-niang, who had been bottling up her anger all night, was provoked by this remark. She threw down her chopsticks and ran out crying.
The nursemaid exclaimed in dismay and quickly ran after her.
Seeing that she had made Cheng Qi-niang cry, Cheng Liu-niang stuck out her tongue and cheerfully skipped away.
The two remaining girls in the room exchanged glances.
“Do you remember that fool?” Cheng Si-niang* asked.
“We were only two years old when she left home, how could I remember?” Cheng Wu-niang* replied, slowly picking up her chopsticks to resume eating. “Besides, what’s worth remembering about a fool? They’re all the same.”
As she spoke, she mischievously stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes, making a funny face.
Cheng Si-niang laughed at her antics.
“Then from now on, I’ll be Cheng Wu-niang,” she said, pointing at Cheng Wu-niang.
It was indeed a funny situation. The two sisters looked at each other and burst into giggles once again.
Second Madam Cheng, who had hardly slept all night and hadn’t even eaten breakfast, wanted to sleep a bit longer but was forced to get up by her daughter’s crying.
“No one is taking your place. You are the seventh daughter of the family, and you always will be,” she said, rubbing her temple.
Cheng Qi-niang, clutching her mother’s sleeve, had tears streaming from her big eyes. Hearing her mother’s reassurance, she felt slightly more at ease.
“But I don’t want a fool for a sister. Others will laugh at me,” she whined, twisting her body.
The entire Cheng family likely shared this sentiment, but what could be done? This fool had been left at the Taoist temple for seven or eight years, and yet, she had not died and had now returned.
Second Madam Cheng felt a splitting headache coming on.
“Enough, Qi-niang, why are you making such a fuss? Look at yourself-do you resemble a refined young lady at all? If you keep this up, you’ll end up just like your foolish sister, laughed at by everyone in the city!” she scolded, her expression stern.
This was Qi-niang’s worst nightmare. She looked at her mother and burst into tears.
The second household of the Cheng family was in complete chaos early in the morning.
The news reached the first household of the Cheng family, where First Master Cheng and his wife, who had also stayed up nearly the entire night, exchanged a glance and let out a heavy sigh.
“Er-lang is a man after all. His wife arrived late and haven’t seen the child at all. I think we shouldn’t let them ask questions. I’ll talk to the child,” First Madam Cheng said.
First Master Cheng nodded wearily.
“Has the child eaten yet?” First Madam Cheng asked the maid to inquire.
The maid returned shortly after.
“She’s still asleep,” she replied.
First Madam Cheng appeared taken aback as she glanced at the bright early summer sky outside. The sun was already high, casting a glaring brightness inside and out.
“Someone like her, a simpleton. Do you really expect her to maintain a normal routine? All she does is eat and sleep!” First Master Cheng remarked, his tone impatient. “Don’t bother asking anymore. Just leave her be.”
On their first day back at the Cheng family, Cheng Jiao-niang and her maid slept peacefully through the night.
Ban Qin returned home with a settled mind, finally free from months of anxiety and fear. Her sleep was deeply comforting.
Since awakening several months ago, Cheng Jiao-niang had struggled with insomnia every night. Now, her sleep had notably improved. Last night, in particular, she didn’t even dream. Could it be that finally being home brought peace to her soul?
Overall, both mistress and maid were in high spirits. So when they woke up and saw the cold food, it didn’t bother them at all.
“In this household, meals are served early. You’re new here and might not know, but once the stove is turned off, it’s not easy to start cooking again. We’re a big family and don’t have a tradition of separate kitchens,” explained a maid from the corridor with a half-smile, glancing at the sky. “Just wait a bit longer, and lunch will be served soon.”
This comment subtly hinted at their late awakening, but Ban Qin ignored it.
“No problem, I’ll warm it up myself,” she said, smiling at the maid.
Warm it up themselves? The maid was puzzled. Sure enough, shortly after Ban Qin entered, she set up two small stoves in the hall, opened a food box, and found a complete set of utensils including pots, ladles, bowls, and chopsticks, all surprisingly exquisite. There were several items the maid had never seen before.
Could a simpleton use such delicate tools?
The maid seemed a bit bewildered. Another maid approached from behind and gently nudged her.
“What’s she like?” the second maid whispered with curiosity, stealing glances towards the hall.
The first maid shook her head.
“She hasn’t come out yet, and I haven’t gone in either. The window is open, why don’t you sneak a peek quietly?” she chuckled softly.
The two maids giggled together.
As they observed Ban Qin finishing the meal preparations, neatly placing the dishes in a food box and carrying it towards the bedrooms, the two maids didn’t feel the urge to follow and see for themselves.
“When she was a child, I remember she couldn’t eat properly or use the toilet. In winter, her clothes couldn’t be washed enough, and she smelled bad all day. Madam Zhou used to burn incense in the room, but it only made that simpleton sneeze continuously. Each sneeze made her wet herself.”
Meanwhile, the maids who were cleaning together also gathered and chuckled, leading to hearty laughter.
“Madam Zhou had a tough time indeed. That child shouldn’t have been kept.”
“Yes. When the Old Master wanted to drown the kid, Madam Zhou cried and made a scene. She even brought in her family and made the Old Master so sad that he refused to interfere in the second household’s affairs.”
“Not listening to the advice of the elderly leads to current losses. Madam Zhou was burdened by this foolish child. The Second Master didn’t like her and didn’t want more children. It left Madam Zhou physically unwell, and she passed away soon after. This child was left to endure suffering, and it would have been better if Madam Zhou had agreed to the Old Master’s wish. Perhaps the child could have been reborn into another family and lived a better life.”
“Look at what you’re saying. If the late Madam were still alive, we wouldn’t have the current new Madam.”
This comment sparked another round of laughter, and the conversation then turned to focus on the new Madam.
“Between the late Madam and the current Madam, which do you think is better?”
Comparing with the deceased was Second Madam Cheng’s greatest taboo. As the second wife, it was an inevitable comparison. From the time she negotiated her marriage with the Cheng family in her youth, she understood this well.
Every girl dreams of a marriage where it’s just “you and me,” but life often presents challenges. Due to her father’s past troubles with the law, she remained unmarried until she reluctantly became a second wife.
Thankfully, her husband was young and handsome, his career was promising, his relatives were kind, and his mother was devoted to Buddhism. Upon entering this family, she felt less like a daughter-in-law and more like a daughter. Now, she has even given birth to a legitimate son, and the worries she had before marriage have faded away.
She never anticipated that just as life was improving, these issues would suddenly arise. All the things she had buried deep in her heart, unwilling to remember, now surfaced.
In the future, when she passes away, she and her husband cannot be buried together; there will be a coffin separating them, with her placed in a lower position. Despite decades of companionship, raising children, and continuing the family line, she cannot surpass the woman who lived for only a few years and held no significance in the family—simply because she entered the household first and was her husband’s lawful wife.
Second Madam Cheng shuddered all over, having spent the morning being cried on by her daughter. The words “I don’t want a fool for a sister” kept ringing in her ears.
All this trouble was caused by that fool. How did she manage to survive in Bing-zhou and return?
Translator Note:
*Ba-niang（八娘）：八（eight）；the eighth daughter of the family
*Liu-niang（六娘）：六（six）；the sixth daughter of the family
*Si-niang（四娘）：四（four）；the fourth daughter of the family
*Wu-niang（五娘）：五（five）；the fifth daughter of the family
