The bone-in abalone snails were indeed delicious, living up to their reputation as a famous delicacy that had earned a place in history.
But there were only four on the plate. Cheng Danruo ate one, then tactfully turned to her tea. At the same time, she took the opportunity to ask Chen Rou-niang for advice about a troublesome finishing technique.
She had been making clothes lately. She had the shape down, but no matter what she did, she could never get the seams beneath the arms to lie flat. They were terribly uncomfortable to wear. It would hardly be appropriate to take such a minor problem to Master Sun, so asking one of her cousins was the most sensible choice.
Chen Wan-niang seized the opportunity to tease her mercilessly. “Cousin, you actually can’t even finish a seam properly.”
“Yes. If you happen to know how, little sister, I’d be grateful if you could give me some pointers,” Cheng Danruo said.
Chen Wan-niang was more than happy to show off her embroidery skills. She immediately gave her a few key pointers, then said with feigned modesty, “We’re family. ‘Giving pointers’ makes it sound too formal. Cousin, you’re too polite.”
“Fourth Young Miss.” Lady Mo looked at her daughter disapprovingly, but she did not reprimand her. Anyone who had received an education was generally not foolish at heart, and this was especially true of women. Raising and disciplining children was the responsibility of the principal wife. As a concubine, simply being allowed to care for her daughter’s daily needs was already an enormous privilege; she absolutely could not overstep her position.
She merely took out a handkerchief and wiped the cream from the corner of her daughter’s mouth. “Miss Cheng has been devoted to serving the Old Madam. It’s only natural that she hasn’t had much time to attend to her needlework.”
“Oh, Mother…” Chen Wan-niang’s face flushed crimson. She dodged her hand. “Don’t treat me like a child.”
Lady Mo smiled faintly and rose shakily to her feet. “All right. You sisters take your time chatting. I’ll head back first.”
Chen Wan-niang might have been spoiled and willful, but she treated her birth mother well. She took hold of her arm. “You’re with child. You must be careful.”
Lady Mo had discovered she was pregnant the previous month, but the pregnancy was not progressing well, so they had kept the matter quiet. Her own daughter, however, knew about it. By deliberately bringing it up now, it was hard to say whether there was some element of showing off involved.
Cheng Danruo played along perfectly. She rose and was about to curtsey. “I had no idea you were expecting. Please accept my congratulations.”
“That won’t do.”
Lady Mo’s caution was etched into her very bones. She immediately stepped aside and gestured for her daughter not to support her.
“There are maids here. You stay seated. And Miss Cheng, you needn’t see me out either.”
Chen Wan-niang did not insist. “Be careful.”
“Mm.” Lady Mo answered gently before making her graceful, swaying way downstairs.
Cheng Danruo watched her retreating figure and, unable to bear it, turned her gaze away. With her foot bones broken so badly, how much pain must every step cause? The suffering that foreigners imagined for the Little Mermaid was, in truth, being endured by women in ancient China, in flesh and blood.
A shiver ran through her.
For a moment, she could not sit still. “The Old Madam can’t be left unattended. I’ll go back first.”
“Que’er, see Cousin off,” Chen Rou-niang said.
Cheng Danruo paused mid-step and cast her a thoughtful glance.
That’s right. Chen Rou-niang seemed unusually quiet today. Was something on her mind?
But Chen Rou-niang avoided her gaze, concentrating instead on picking up her needle and thread.
A shy smile slowly appeared at the corners of her lips.
Cheng Danruo’s brows drew together almost imperceptibly before she gathered up her skirt and went downstairs.
“Take care.”
Que’er accompanied her down two steps, then hurriedly curtseyed in farewell.
Cheng Danruo did not look back.
When she returned to the main courtyard, Madam Gu had already left.
Lady Huang asked her to stay for a while and conveyed Madam Gu’s gifts of thanks: several bolts of fine silk gauze and a jade hairpin, all useful and valuable things.
Cheng Danruo still felt obliged to be modest. “It was nothing more than a small favor. Madam Gu is really too generous.”
“If it was given to you, then take it. You deserve it.” The Chen household had been somewhat short of money lately. After all, the nine-year comprehensive examination was approaching, and Master Chen would need to grease a few palms and make the necessary arrangements. But Lady Huang was not so petty as to covet these few gifts.
“You’re a grown young lady now. It’s time you dressed yourself up properly.”
Only then did Cheng Danruo accept them.
Lady Huang took a sip of fragrant tea before slowly broaching the subject. “Both your parents are gone. There are some things I perhaps shouldn’t be saying to you, but under the circumstances, there’s no point worrying about that. In the future… have you made any plans?”
Cheng Danruo paused slightly. So this was her way of asking about marriage.
Strictly speaking, it was unusual to discuss a marriage directly with the person concerned. But her circumstances were rather special. Although they were relatives, they were maternal cousins rather than members of the same paternal clan, and the Chen family had no authority to make decisions on behalf of the Cheng family.
It was only natural that someone would have to ask her.
“You know that I’m the only one left in the Cheng family.” Cheng Danruo had no intention of marrying, but ancient society had no place for a woman without anyone to take responsibility for her. She could become a widow, but she could not simply remain unmarried. If she said so outright, Lady Huang would probably think she was insane. “If my parents were still alive, naturally I would follow their wishes. But now…”
Lady Huang was a seasoned socialite herself, smoothly filling in the pause. “Ah, yes. Exactly.”
Only then did Cheng Danruo continue. “My father had one wish before he passed away. He hoped to compile Imperial Physician Li’s medical knowledge and experience into a book, so that it might benefit future generations. I have failed in my filial duty and can no longer serve my parents in this life. I won’t even mention anything else, but if I cannot fulfill his final wish, I’m afraid I’ll have no face to meet my parents after death.”
Indeed. A woman could not simply say that she did not want to marry. But if the reason was filial piety, then it was not entirely out of the question.
Lady Huang, just as expected, fell into thought. After a moment, she advised, “Precisely because you’re the only one left in your family, you should marry and have children sooner rather than later, so that you can comfort your parents in the afterlife.”
This was not something she could oppose head-on.
Cheng Danruo obediently replied, “What you say makes sense, Auntie. All I ask is that the Cheng family not…” Her voice caught with a faint, uncontrollable sob. “Not have its family line end with me.”
Lady Huang’s brows drew together slightly, and she understood her meaning without difficulty.
There were two things Cheng Danruo wanted from a marriage. First, she hoped to continue practicing medicine after marriage, and at the very least, pass her medical knowledge down to the next generation. Second, she wanted one of her children to be adopted into the Cheng family so that the family line could continue.
To be fair, these were not unreasonable demands. Since she carried the responsibility of preserving the Cheng family line, it was only natural that she should take the family’s interests into consideration. That, too, could be considered an act of filial devotion.
However, when it came to the marriage market, they did make things rather difficult.
“I understand now. Don’t worry,” Lady Huang said.
Cheng Danruo raised her handkerchief and dabbed at the tears in the corners of her eyes, feigning embarrassment. “I’m sorry to trouble you with my affairs. The truth is, I can’t bear to leave the Old Madam either. A stroke is, after all…”
She shook her head, leaving the rest unsaid.
“I have no elders left alive, so the Old Madam is no different from my own grandmother. If I can serve her for a few more years, I’ll consider myself fortunate.”
In truth, looking after a sick person was hardly a pleasant occupation. It was exhausting and arduous. But what choice did women in ancient times have? If they married into another family, they would have to serve their mother-in-law, their husband, and their sisters-in-law all the same, and everyone would consider it their natural duty.
She might as well stay and care for Old Madam Chen. At least she could build herself a reputation for filial devotion.
“You’re a thoughtful girl.” Whatever Lady Huang might have thought privately, she had to praise Danruo’s filial piety aloud. “Your uncle and I certainly won’t forget your kindness.”
“You flatter me.” Cheng Danruo spoke with genuine sincerity. “I’m already grateful enough to have an elder to guide and teach me.”
A faint smile appeared on Lady Huang’s face. She was clearly very pleased with how sensible and well-behaved the girl was.
That night, Lady Huang told Master Chen about Madam Gu’s visit and tactfully conveyed Cheng Danruo’s requirements.
Master Chen frowned deeply upon hearing them. Clearly, he did not approve. But the same point remained: she wanted to fulfill her late father’s final wish and ensure the Cheng family line continued. Under the circumstances, her demands were understandable.
“Dan-niang is simply too strong-willed,” Master Chen remarked. “Zijie is the Lu family’s only son, and their family has so few people. I’m afraid they won’t agree to her conditions.”
He added, “He intends to enter officialdom in the future. It wouldn’t look good for his wife to be practicing medicine, either.”
“I’d say the Lu family has so few people that they should want a large and flourishing maternal family to support them,” Lady Huang said. “Dan-niang’s circumstances are a major disadvantage. They simply aren’t a good match.”
It was a fair assessment. Master Chen could not help nodding. “Then forget it.”
“What about Rou-niang?” Lady Huang asked.
“Let me think about it some more.” Master Chen was unwilling to marry his daughter off too hastily. He still wanted to find a suitable in-law family in the capital. Even if they were eventually posted elsewhere, they could still support each other.
Unfortunately, all his careful plans were beside the point.
Scholar Lu had already caught the attention of Cheng Rou-niang and Lady Li.
Chen Rou-niang’s plan worked perfectly. Scholar Lu went home and thought it over for two days. After receiving his mother’s approval, he brought gifts and paid a visit to the Chen household.
He wasn’t there to propose marriage. He was there to ask to become a disciple.
He kept his posture exceedingly humble, and his request was sincere.
Master Chen put on airs and refused him the first time. But for more than half a month afterward, Scholar Lu came to visit without fail, regardless of wind or rain. Sometimes he brought a few essays, sometimes one or two poems, and asked Master Chen to offer his guidance.
By the time quilted jackets had been replaced by unlined robes, Master Chen finally relented and accepted him as a disciple.
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
For Scholar Lu, he had gained a teacher who could advise him on both scholarship and the ways of officialdom. For Master Chen, he had gained a promising young man to cultivate. If Scholar Lu eventually succeeded in passing the palace examination and became a jinshi, he would be an invaluable ally.
Once he became Master Chen’s disciple, Scholar Lu could be considered half a member of the Chen family.
The first time Scholar Lu was permitted to enter the inner quarters, he went to pay his respects to Lady Huang. On his way out, he happened to run into Chen Rou-niang.
The two exchanged formal greetings and quickly went their separate ways, without the slightest improper behavior.
Yet only a few days later, Lady Li brought some needlework as a gift to Lady Huang and tactfully began sounding her out about Scholar Lu.
“You certainly have a good eye,” Lady Huang said blandly. “But this matter will still have to be discussed with the Master.”
No matter how indifferent a concubine might be when it came to men, the moment her children’s marriages were concerned, every one of them would practically turn into a fox spirit, trying to make the head of the household pay just a little more attention to their child – and then a little more.
But Lady Li held herself back.
She was not like Lady Mo. Master Chen did not particularly favor her, and she had always relied on keeping close to Lady Huang in order to get by. If she went over the principal wife’s head and approached Master Chen herself to plead her case, she would be committing a major breach of etiquette. Who knew? A single word from Lady Huang could be enough to ruin the marriage entirely.
“I have overstepped my place. You are Third Young Miss’s mother, Madam, so everything is entirely in your hands.”
Lady Li bowed deeply.
Lady Huang’s irritation was appeased.
“Rou-niang is my daughter. Do you think I would treat her unfairly?”
Lady Li naturally showered her with flattery.
And Lady Huang did exactly as she had said. She brought the matter up with Master Chen once more.
Master Chen agreed.
In those days, the bond between teacher and disciple was scarcely less than that between father and son. Once a person became one’s disciple, the relationship was no longer the insignificant connection it had been before. Marrying his own daughter to Scholar Lu would allow him to quickly support the Lu family while also guaranteeing that he would receive the benefits in return. Why would he refuse?
In early April, the two families settled the marriage.
Chen Rou-niang’s heart was finally at ease, and she began embroidering her wedding trousseau at home.
The Lu family was doing the same.
“Amitabha, it’s finally settled,” Scholar Lu’s mother said. “Thank goodness my son was clever. Otherwise, if Master Chen had brought up that ill-fated girl, you would have been caught in an impossible position – you couldn’t accept, but you couldn’t outright refuse either. You might have ended up making things worse while trying to make them better.”
Lu Zijie deeply agreed.
When he had first gone to the Chen household to seek instruction in his studies, Master Chen had asked him about his marriage prospects. At the time, Scholar Lu assumed that Master Chen intended to act as matchmaker for him, so he had his mother turn down anyone who came to propose, deliberately presenting himself as a man wholly devoted to his studies.
Who could have guessed that before long, he would overhear vague rumors from the Chen household servants? Master Chen apparently had a distant female relative whose parents had both died. She was now living with the Chen family and had already reached marriageable age.
He was startled and immediately sent someone to make inquiries.
The answer was troubling.
He had no choice but to prepare in advance. On the Shangsi Festival, he repeatedly lingered around the Chen residence, and only then did he manage to “happen upon” Chen Rou-niang when she was alone. The encounter stirred the young girl’s heart, and she secretly gave him her affections.
Afterward, he went to the Chen household to ask Master Chen to take him as a disciple, making his intentions clear. At last, he had taken another step forward, bringing him a double stroke of good fortune.
When Lu Zijie recalled that “Cousin” he had met back then, all he remembered was an ordinary-looking woman in plain clothes who, beside Miss Chen, looked almost like a servant.
What a blessing, he thought.
