Qian Dafu glared at him with a hiss, telling Qian Baogui not to speak nonsense. He too felt as though he were floating. His own daughter had become the wife of a marquis—such a thing only happens in dreams… in fact, even in dreams he had never imagined something so fantastical. Qian Dafu’s heart felt as if it were drifting among the clouds. But still, there was a faint unease. After all, Third Niang was someone they had sold away, a transaction of silver with clean accounts. All these years they had never once thought of seeking her out, fearing that if her husband had died in battle and they recognized her again, they would then have to support her. Raising Baogui alone had already been difficult enough; they truly had no spare money to aid a married daughter.
But who could have imagined that Third Niang’s fortune would be so great? Not only had her husband not died, he had become a great general and marquis. She lived in a residence so large and grand, with so many servants attending her.
They had never thought of acknowledging her, and now suddenly barging in before her to ask for medical help—wasn’t that a bit shameless? This was what gnawed at Qian Dafu’s heart. Yet he turned the thought over—wasn’t it just as Second Niang had said? Third Niang now enjoyed boundless wealth and honor; they had nowhere else to turn, no silver to spare. For her, helping was just a matter of a few words. Surely she would not abandon her own parents. It was said that the wealthier a family was, the more they cared about reputation, and would not fail in the duty of filial piety. If they could somehow remain in the marquis’ household, then for the rest of their lives they would never need to till the fields again.
Qian Dafu’s weathered face grew hot, but the old wife’s words were right—if not for himself, he must think of Baogui. If Baogui could be acknowledged by his sister, then with a marquis brother-in-law, how could he ever worry about his future?
Thus Qian Dafu persuaded himself and sat stiffly in the reception hall, waiting.
Before long, Qian Jiaoniang arrived, surrounded by several maids and old attendants. Qian Dafu and Qian Baogui hurriedly rose to their feet, both trembling inwardly. They had not seen Qian Jiaoniang for many years. Though they knew Second Niang and Third Niang resembled one another, when they saw the richly dressed young madam who entered, she still felt utterly unfamiliar to them. Their legs nearly buckled as if they might kneel on the spot. Clearly, it was Second Niang who wore more gold and silver ornaments, but father and son nonetheless felt that Qian Jiaoniang’s presence carried far greater authority. Perhaps it was the grandeur of this palace-like residence, or the imposing retinue of servants.
Qian Jiaoniang walked up to her father and brother. She looked at Qian Dafu’s face, lined with years of wind and frost, and her heart welled with complicated emotions. Dryly, she called out: “Father.”
Qian Dafu hastily responded, over and over: “Aye, aye, aye.” After answering, a weight lifted from his heart—Third Niang calling him father meant she still acknowledged him as such.
“This must be Baogui, then. Already grown so big,” Qian Jiaoniang turned her gaze to the young man beside Qian Dafu. By reckoning, Qian Baogui should be twenty-two, yet his skin was tender and smooth, clearly never having done farm work.
Qian Dafu quickly said, “Yes, yes, it’s Baogui! Baogui, hurry and call your Third Sister.”
With a loud thud, Qian Baogui dropped to his knees, knocking his head heavily on the floor, and cried out in a clear voice, “Third Sister!”
Qian Jiaoniang hadn’t expected him to kowtow. She bent to lift him up. “There’s no need for such heavy ceremony between siblings.”
Qian Baogui looked up, grinning foolishly, his teeth showing. Third Sister said they were siblings—this meant he, Qian Baogui, was bound for fortune!
When he had risen, Qian Jiaoniang withdrew her hand and invited them to sit. She offered her father the upper seat. Qian Dafu, seeing that place, knew it was for the master or honored guest—ordinarily the seat of General Xing. How could he dare to sit in the general’s place? He shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum. Seeing this, Qian Jiaoniang did not press further, and instead had her father and brother sit at the lower side, while she took the other side.
Hongjuan, seeing the hall a bit chilly, had some ice basins removed. The master was so concerned for Madam’s health—if they servants could not even notice this much, how could they hope to remain in her service? After having the ice basins taken away, she ordered a few maids to fan behind Qian father and son, while she herself stood behind Qian Jiaoniang, lightly waving a round fan.
For the first time in his life, Qian Dafu was being waited on by servants, and nearly did not know where to put his hands and feet. Qian Baogui, on the other hand, had seen the village headman being served by a little maid he had bought. Now that he himself was being treated the same, his heart swelled with pride.
The reception hall was quiet for a long time. Qian Jiaoniang did not speak, and the Qian father and son dared not speak. Though they were close kin reunited, it was less warm than meeting strangers.
At last, Qian Jiaoniang spoke: “What is Baogui doing for a living now?”
Hearing his name called first, Qian Baogui was startled and looked quickly to Qian Dafu. Qian Dafu said: “This child has prospects—he helps the village head with work!”
To give Baogui glory and honor, Qian Dafu had always given him the best to eat and wear, even spending the silver given by the Xing family to send him to school. He never let him do farm work. But though Qian Baogui went to the academy, he never even passed the lowest exam, only learned a few characters and some arithmetic—which was rare enough in the village. The headman had him work as an assistant, keeping accounts and tallying numbers. Since in a village the headman was the most powerful, Qian Baogui was quite pleased with himself, striding with pride.
But when his mother suddenly fell gravely ill, treatment required a great sum. He went to borrow from the headman, who only gave him a single string of coins, as if dismissing him. This had been a great humiliation for Qian Baogui, and he hated to mention it. Turning it over in his mind, he thought—if he admitted he was still working under the headman, wouldn’t Third Sister think he meant to stay in the countryside forever? That would be terrible. So he said instead: “The headman is not a good man, I don’t want to work for him anymore. And this time, he even refused to lend me money to treat Mother’s illness!”
Qian Jiaoniang only nodded at these words, without saying more.
The hall fell silent again, so quiet even the faintest cough could be heard clearly. After a while, Qian Jiaoniang asked: “Father, why did you bring Mother all the way to Yuzhou?”
Qian Dafu had spent his life with Mother Qian in their village, rarely even going to the county. Eldest daughter Qian Meiniang had married Second Brother Zheng, a carpenter’s apprentice in town. By reason, they should have gone to her instead.
Qian Dafu’s yellowed, cloudy eyes darted back and forth. He licked his lips and said: “Well… it was that your mother and I went to town seeking a doctor, thinking to find your elder sister. But the doctor said her illness would take a lot of silver to treat. We had no money, and your elder sister, married to a carpenter, had no money either. So we thought, since Second Niang married into the wealthy Sun family, she would surely have silver, and thus we came to Yuzhou.”
These words were half true, half false. The first part was true. But when they were in town, they had received a letter that Qian Liniang sent to Qian Meiniang, saying that Qian Jiaoniang had become the wife of Yuzhou’s lord—a station almost equal to the Emperor himself. She urged them to bring Father and Mother quickly to Yuzhou for a reunion. Qian Meiniang had said it was improper, but Mother Qian and Qian Baogui were too anxious. Without waiting for Qian Meiniang to gather money for treatment, they had Qian Dafu push the cart straight to Yuzhou.
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