“My mistress is not foolish anymore.” Ban Qin hurriedly said with a bow.
First Madam Cheng raised her hand to stop her from speaking.
“I don’t want to be the seventh daughter; I don’t want to be the seventh daughter.” Cheng Liu-niang shouted, sitting down and pushing over the chessboard in front of her, making a swishing sound. Along with her shouting, the room became chaotic.
“Shush.” First Madam Cheng said with a frown.
Cheng Liu-niang was a bit afraid of her mother. She pouted and didn’t dare to shout anymore.
The room finally quieted down a bit. First Madam Cheng took a breath and looked at the maid beside her.
“How old is First Lady this year?” she asked.
“She has turned fourteen.” Ban Qin quickly replied.
First Madam Cheng glanced at her with some disdain, and the maid also looked at Ban Qin with some dissatisfaction.
Careless and ill-mannered.
“Madam, she’ll be fourteen after the Dragon Boat Festival,” the maid said. “She’s about half a year older than Fourth and Fifth Ladies.”
First Madam Cheng recalled with some nostalgia.
“Yes, I remember they were pregnant one after the other,” she said.
At that time, when Madam Zhou became pregnant, everyone in the family breathed a sigh of relief. To pray for the child’s blessing and to show her magnanimity, Madam Zhou stopped the concubines’ medication. As a result, six months after Madam Zhou’s pregnancy, the two concubines of the second household also became pregnant.
She still remember the joy throughout the entire household back then. Old Master Cheng was flipping through books daily, calculating names. Who would have thought…
First Madam Cheng sighed.
The joy back then turned into anger later on. As a result, the eldest daughter of the second household was not considered part of the Cheng family, and even her place in the family hierarchy was deliberately forgotten.
“Her nickname…” She thought for a moment and then asked.
“Jiao-niang, Jiao-niang, my mistress is called Jiao-niang. Old Madam Zhou gave her that name,” Ban Qin quickly and joyfully replied.
Jiao-niang…
First Madam Cheng internally sneered.
“Then let’s continue calling her Jiao-niang. After all, it’s a token of the old madam’s affection,” she said.
Cheng Liu-niang breathed a sigh of relief. Great, she didn’t have to change her name.
“Madam, in our household, my mistress holds the fourth position in seniority. Therefore, the usual way to address her…” Ban Qin hesitated.
As a child in the Cheng family not strictly named according to birth order, Cheng Jiao-niang seemed less like a true member of the Cheng family. It didn’t sound quite right to say it aloud.
“They’ve already told you to call her Jiao-niang, Jiao-niang! Can’t you understand?” Cheng Liu-niang exclaimed.
Observing the somewhat audacious behavior of this lady, who was slightly younger than her own mistress, in front of First Madam Cheng, Ban Qin realized it was best not to provoke her. Having just arrived at the household, she couldn’t afford to cause trouble for her mistress. Ban Qin quickly bowed to the floor, repeatedly apologizing.
“A fool doesn’t need another name!” Cheng Liu-niang huffed, sounding somewhat pleased.
Ban Qin hesitated, bowing slightly.
“My mistress has improved. She’s not foolish anymore,” she said with a forced smile.
No one in the room confirmed or denied this.
“It’s true, Madam. My mistress has truly improved,” Ban Qin hurriedly added.
“She can’t even talk!” Cheng Liu-niang raised her nose, fanning herself with a small fan.
“She can talk, she can! My mistress can speak,” Ban Qin quickly insisted, then turned to First Madam Cheng. “Madam, do you remember when my mistress called for her father at the door?”
First Madam Cheng vaguely recalled the scene: under the lantern at the doorway, the girl lifted her headdress and greeted her father respectfully. Her movements were stiff, her voice wooden, like a puppet being manipulated.
“You’ve taught her well. Continue to educate your mistress properly in the future,” she said calmly, glancing at the young maid. “Are you from the Zhou family?”
Ban Qin nodded and then shook her head.
“I was purchased by Old Madam Zhou, but she gave me to my mistress, so I am not considered part of the Zhou family,” she explained.
She’s not considered part of Cheng family either. First Madam Cheng couldn’t be bothered to say more, and she turned to the maid.
“Still that courtyard, assign an older maid and a young maid for cleaning, and allocate a small kitchen as well,” she instructed.
The maid acknowledged.
“You may leave now. Go back and serve… Jiao-niang well,” First Madam Cheng said, looking at Ban Qin.
Ban Qin acknowledged with a quick response.
“My mistress is truly not foolish anymore. Madam and the masters really should meet her,” she insisted.
Not meeting her was already causing enough trouble…
First Madam Cheng grunted in agreement.
“Considering her frail health, it’s better not to visit. Focus on her care instead,” she remarked casually.
Ban Qin was about to say more, but the maid impatiently shot her a glare and stood up abruptly.
“Let’s go,” she ordered, urging Ban Qin to stand.
Ban Qin had no choice but to comply and leave.
“In the future, exercise caution. Nobody should venture near that courtyard. If I discover otherwise, you’ll all be sent to the Daoist temple!” First Madam Cheng’s voice resounded from inside the room.
Feeling disgruntled upon returning home, Ban Qin lamented that not only were her mistress’s parents, uncles, and aunts unable to meet her formally, but even her mistress’s sisters were forbidden from coming close. They were all kept isolated from her.
“My mistress is truly not foolish anymore,” she murmured.
The maid who escorted her out glanced at her with disdainful eyes, choosing not to utter a word.
Did she think they were fools?
Ban Qin returned to the room and saw Cheng Jiao-niang sitting by the window, either deep in thought or simply staring blankly outside.
“Miss?” Ban Qin called out cautiously.
Yesterday’s sudden fall and fainting had terrified her. Thankfully, her mistress quickly regained consciousness and didn’t revert to being foolish, though she had become even more silent.
“Tea,” Cheng Jiao-niang requested.
Ban Qin responded happily, kneeling by the low table and preparing a cup of tea to bring over.
Cheng Jiao-niang’s hands were not dexterous, so Ban Qin fed her with a spoon. After just one sip, Cheng Jiao-niang frowned.
“Tastes bad, it’s not tea,” she said, refusing to eat more.
“Miss, tea is always like this,” Ban Qin said.
Her mistress’s picky eating habits were getting worse.
“No,” Cheng Jiao-niang insisted, simply and firmly.
Ban Qin was helpless.
Previously, to improve her health, Cheng Jiao-niang had concocted her own medicine, avoiding tea and drinking only plain water or rice wine. Now that she was no longer taking the medicine, did she still intend to drink only plain water and wine?
“Miss, really, you’ll get used to it after drinking it,” she coaxed.
Such good tea; in the past, they couldn’t get it even if they wanted.
Cheng Jiao-niang had never compromised on food and drink, so after a couple of attempts at persuasion, Ban Qin gave up. Looking at the half-cup of tea, she didn’t want to waste it, so she drank it all in one go.
It was absolutely delicious.
Turning back, she saw Cheng Jiao-niang still sitting and looking out the window. Ban Qin poured her a cup of plain water and brought it over, then looked outside as well.
Outside the window, vines twined around the trees, and green stones were piled high. Through the gaps, one could glimpse half of a lotus pond. Without the barrier of vines and rocks, the view would be spectacular. Of course, if the scenery were truly that good, it wouldn’t be reserved for them.
“Miss, are you feeling upset?” Ban Qin asked softly, feeling a bit down as she thought about the recent events.
When her mistress was foolish, she was oblivious to others’ disdain and disgust. Now that she was aware, it must be incredibly awkward for her to hear and see it all.
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang quickly responded this time.
Hearing her say she was sad, Ban Qin became a bit nervous again.
“Miss, please don’t be sad. It’s just because you’ve recently returned, everyone is still getting used to it. Once they get to know you, it will be better. You are a daughter of the Cheng family, they are all your relatives…”
Ban Qin rambled on trying to comfort her, but Cheng Jiao-niang didn’t listen to a word. She gazed out the window, feeling only sadness.
A bitter feeling had lingered in her heart since yesterday.
What made her even sadder was that she didn’t know why she felt this way.
