Chapter Ninety: The Eastern Pillar

As night fell, pinpricks of light began to glow in the mountain village, scattered and sparse. By the threshing floor near the pond, a cluster of children were racing back and forth, chasing and roughhousing, while the old farmers seated beside the houses chatted idly with pipes of dry tobacco in hand, occasionally tapping the blue stone steps at their sides. Dongzhu and Guard Geng also sat for a while beneath a great tree by the pond, making small talk.

“...At first, I thought this young master-in-law was just as timid and weak as the rumors said. But the more I looked, the more I felt something was off. He is a scholar, of course, but that is exactly how a scholar ought to be. These days in Jiangning, who doesn’t know the son-in-law named Ning Liheng? My own boy is studying in school now, and last year Magistrate Song even praised him. Tsk... Our old Geng family has always been illiterate; if not for the Su family, that boy would never have had the chance to learn to read. And if not for the young master-in-law, how could he ever have been praised by someone like Magistrate Song...”

Not far away, the mourning hall was noisy. Guard Geng slapped his thigh and spoke to the carriage boy named Dongzhu about all this.

“You don’t know this, but the young master-in-law truly has a gentle disposition. He doesn’t like to show off, and he never goes out carousing or drinking with those fame-seeking scholars. As for the second young mistress, he is truly good to her. Just look at the people he associates with—Li Pin, Li Dexin; they are the real men of great talent... And how does he teach in class? Never losing his temper, never saying a single harsh word. The boys under him are a bit unruly too, but they learn well. Even so, they are better than the boys of the past...”

“I, Geng Lie, can’t even read a single character. At first I only thought the teacher was strict; last year he was even praised by Magistrate Song, and I was so pleased. But later one day the boy came back and mentioned what had happened in class, and only then did I begin to think something was not quite right. The teacher has a good temper and does not bother quarreling with you boys, but you boys cannot fail to have some self-restraint. He was hung up and given a proper beating, and afterward the young master-in-law even came specially to speak to me about it once, saying it need not be so. That is the bearing of a great man—winning others by virtue, winning others by learning...”

“In the past, the teacher was severe, and those boys only bobbed their heads as they read; it was useless. Now those boys still make noise, but they truly admire this young master-in-law. All day long they talk to people about what the teacher said, what our teacher said, hahaha. A few times that boy even ran up to me to say such things. Tsk... Thinking about it, it really does make sense. Look at how he visited this household and that one in the village these past few days—his words, his conduct, his manner in dealing with people, in advancing and retreating, are no worse than any grand gentleman’s. At first you may not notice it, but gradually you realize this is the advantage of learning. In the household, there are not many who can compare with the young master-in-law...”

Geng Lie looked fierce and bold, but toward his own people he was quite gentle. He spoke slowly, one sentence at a time. Dongzhu sat beside him and seemed only like a nephew or junior relative. He had been somewhat quiet, and only then did he ask, “I heard the young master-in-law was beaten when he first came to the estate, is that right?”

“Yes. That man from the Xue family, Xue Jin, probably took advantage of nobody being around and smashed him with a brick... At the time, no one saw it. If I’d caught him then, even if his backer was the Xue family, I’d have beaten him to within an inch of his life and then dragged him to the magistrate... But later the young master-in-law humiliated him thoroughly as well, heh... Oh right, by then you must already have been in the household, yes?”

Dongzhu nodded. “I’d only just entered not long before. I heard people mention it, but I didn’t know much about it. But... Uncle Geng, if the young master-in-law is so capable, why did he enter the family as a son-in-law?”

Geng Lie thought it over. “That matter is a bit complicated. First, the old patriarch had an agreement with the young master-in-law’s grandfather’s generation. Second, the Su family now has a solid foundation, and the second young mistress herself is capable, with a strong temperament. I don’t know how it was discussed back then. The likeliest reason we can think of is... heh, before the marriage, the second young mistress once went to see the young master-in-law privately. Her looks and bearing are both excellent... Who knows what happened between them, but in any case, the young master-in-law agreed... Not to mention the second young mistress—just take the maidservants around her. Chaner is so considerate, Juaner is good too, and Xing’er that girl... Beautiful, yes, but far too fiery...”

Among the three maidservants, Chaner was thoughtful, Juaner lively, and Xing’er, as the eldest by a year, would sometimes quarrel with others. She had argued with Geng Lie a few times over petty matters, and neither side had taken it to heart, but it was all rather funny and frustrating to recall. After talking for a while, Geng Lie patted Dongzhu on the shoulder.

“The second young mistress and the young master-in-law are truly a match made in heaven. The Su family in the future will surely be handed over by the second young mistress. You’re still young—work hard. If, in the future, you can become a steward...”

After such encouragement, Dongzhu nodded in agreement. Soon night had fully fallen. People came and went at the mourning hall, and villagers with nothing else to do gathered there, making it even livelier. As time passed, the crowd gradually thinned again. Dongzhu would occasionally go over to look; the girl named Xiao Chan was inside, and the young master-in-law was there sometimes, absent at others.

Dongzhu had only entered the Su household last year. For someone like him, who had grown up in the countryside, being able to come into the city and work in such a grand household gave everything he saw a feeling of being formidable and novel.

The courtyards, one after another; the rules, one after another; the stewards all seemed to know everything, and everyone else, young or old, also seemed extraordinarily capable. From time to time he heard them speak of who this person was, who that person was, how high their standing was, or he heard stories of the literati and talented scholars in the city. In short, all of it felt like the existence of people far beyond his reach.

He often heard people in the household say that the second young mistress was the most formidable person in the estate—of course, excluding a few of the masters. He rarely had a chance to see the formidable second young mistress, but he had seen the several maidservants around her many times.

The smiling girl who was always pleasant to look at even when scolding people was Chaner. Though she seemed younger than he was, he still had to address her respectfully as “Sister Xiao Chan,” which was only natural, given how capable she was. As for the one named Juaner, when she gave instructions she seemed calm and stern, without much expression, not one to smile much, but when she grew angry and wore that dark look, she could be rather frightening. Sister Xing’er was usually gentle when issuing orders, but when she clashed with others, she could be terrifying. Once he saw her arguing with a steward from the third branch, speaking point by point and refusing to yield... She was clearly only a maidservant, yet she dared argue with such a formidable steward, and in the end even won. That had made Dongzhu feel she was truly amazing.

Compared with the others, the one who drew Dongzhu’s attention the most was Sister Xiao Chan. In truth, they had not spoken much. A few times she came by, gave instructions, and left. But when he was in the household, he often saw her. Sometimes he would see her stretching as she walked, muttering to herself; sometimes he saw her running; other times he saw her bouncing and skipping beside the young master-in-law. He would think... Sister Xiao Chan looked so lovely when she smiled. Aside from that, he did not have many other thoughts.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he drove the carriage to send her out, but he still did not manage to say much, only telling her his name. Later, she actually remembered it. On several occasions afterward, when they met in the household, she greeted him and addressed him as “Brother Dongzhu.” Each time he had failed to answer properly, and afterward he had felt deeply vexed.

There were also cases in the household of servants pursuing this or that maidservant, but such matters were beyond his consideration. The three maidservants of the second young mistress held roughly the same standing as stewards in the household. He had neither yet adapted to the notion of “pursuit,” nor did he think he had any right to such a thing. Of course, this time when Xiao Chan was returning, he had been assigned to drive the carriage. That morning, he had originally wanted to say a few words of comfort, but he was poor of tongue, and in the end he could not bring himself to say them before departure.

During these days in South Pavilion Village, he always felt somewhat empty inside. He had very little to do, only tending the horses and maintaining the carriage. Occasionally he accompanied Guard Geng in visiting the various households with the young master-in-law. The young master-in-law was truly remarkable. If it were him, he would never be able to say those things. They sounded like simple words, yet they felt so entirely appropriate, just as Guard Geng had said: people of learning are rightfully respected.

It was also only proper that Sister Xiao Chan shared a room with the young master-in-law. He had not felt anything was amiss. But a certain emptiness in his heart was hard to restrain. Time passed, and when darkness grew deeper, he went to look again, only to find that the young master-in-law and Xiao Chan were no longer in the mourning hall. So he went back along the way to where they were resting. Passing the courtyard assigned to the young master-in-law, he saw a light burning inside. He stood outside for a while; the young master-in-law’s shadow sat before the window, probably writing or doing something, but Sister Xiao Chan’s figure did not seem to be inside.

Turning toward the smaller courtyard prepared for himself and Guard Geng, he then discovered faint rustling sounds coming from the carriage area. He went over in confusion, and Xiao Chan, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, crawled out from inside, carrying something in her hands. When she saw him, she nodded. “Brother Dongzhu.”

“Ah, Sister Xiao Chan... Heh, I thought it was someone else...”

“The young master-in-law hasn’t been eating well these past few days. Earlier when I came, I prepared some things and brought them for him to eat.” Xiao Chan nodded with a smile. In her hands were several cakes that kept well, along with dried fruits and the like. She then handed one over. “Brother Dongzhu, are you hungry? Have one too.”

“Ah, I, I...”

“Take it.” Xiao Chan smiled and placed the cake in Dongzhu’s hand, then waved. “I’ll go back to my room first. Goodbye, Brother Dongzhu. I’ll need to trouble you again tomorrow.”

“N-no... no trouble...” Dongzhu held the cake, with many words in his heart but unable to speak them. He could only watch as that figure passed into the courtyard over there.

In truth, she did not seem to wear her usual smile; her silhouette looked a little sad. Yet when she reached the doorway, he still saw her pause, the corners of her mouth drawing into a smile, before she pushed the door open and went in.

The silhouettes of the two of them moved inside. Dongzhu stood there with the cake in his hand, staring for a long while, then took a small bite. Perhaps, in ordinary times, it would have tasted delicious to him, but at that moment the flavor seemed not nearly so good. He merely gazed at the figure in the pool of light across from him, savoring a faint feeling that was not intense yet could not be shaken off no matter what—an ignorant, half-awakened love, lost in this summer night...

“This is what a landlord does...”

Inside the room, Ning Yi sighed as he split the cakes and dried fruits on the table into two halves, pushing one half toward Xiao Chan. “If you can’t get used to the meals people kindly prepare, and in the middle of the night a maid sneaks over with food to eat secretly, what do you think would happen if people found out?”

“Even if people found out, it wouldn’t matter. Really, young master-in-law, you’re the one who’s amazing. Even though you don’t like to eat it, you can still sit there and keep eating...”

“Uh, is it that obvious that I don’t like it?”

“Xiao Chan can tell. Others definitely can’t.” Xiao Chan smiled. “I’m already full, so you don’t need to give it to me, young master-in-law.”

“Doesn’t matter whether it tastes good or not—just force it down. I’m full too. Since you brought it over, then you bear the responsibility of helping me eliminate half of it. Don’t waste it.”

“Then I’ll just take a little over a quarter.”

Xiao Chan picked up the cake and fruit and moved them toward Ning Yi. Ning Yi shook his head in negotiation. “No, no, you brought too much. That puts me at a disadvantage. We can calculate by proportion—divide it into five portions. Xiao Chan, you’ve got to shoulder at least two portions for this to count... This one’s too big, swap it for a smaller one.”

The bargaining on the table grew tense and intense like a negotiation. Xiao Chan held up the big piece of fruit and protested by placing it beside the other two smaller ones. “That’s not how you count it. This big one is worth two smaller ones...”

“Then come up with a more reasonable division. I don’t think these cakes are all the same size either. Look, the piece on your side is obviously smaller, right? That won’t do. You’re deliberately taking advantage.”

“If the young master-in-law wants to put the bigger one over here, then he has to take two smaller ones over there.”

“I have another method.”

“Hm? What... mmph...”

As Xiao Chan opened her mouth, Ning Yi tossed the large one in. “All right, now the big one is gone. This is easier to divide. We won’t count that one...”

“Mmph, how can you not count it? I ate it...” Xiao Chan protested while chewing with difficulty.

“You ate it, so how can it still be counted? It was eaten by you. And you can’t even speak properly, yet you still try to negotiate. What exactly are you trying to say... Tsk, I can’t understand it anyway. All right, I’ll keep dividing now. You have the right to raise objections, and I’ll consider every objection you make...”

With nothing else to do, they could only amuse themselves by entertaining such trivial nonsense. The two of them sat there in a seesawing contest, dividing and eating the food. By the time they had finished and tallied it up carefully, Xiao Chan realized she had eaten more than half. She was usually an astute and capable little maid, but when faced with Ning Yi she was helpless, and could only mutter that the young master-in-law was bullying her. After that she took off her clothes and got into bed, curling up on the inner side, determined not to pay him any mind. But not long after Ning Yi lay down beside her, she could not help but move inward a little and take his hand.

That night passed quietly. The next day, at the hour of the serpent, the deceased was buried. Originally there had also been meals in the village at noon and in the evening, but considering that these days had been troubled by floods and the disaster victims were to return to the Jiangning side, it was better to go back to the city one day earlier if possible. After the burial rites and offerings, Ning Yi and the others bid farewell to everyone and prepared to depart.

By the hour of the serpent, when the sunlight had only just grown a little fierce, the carriage left South Pavilion Village and headed back along the mountain road toward Jiangning. The weather in the mountains was stifling. Before long, dark clouds seemed to gather in the distance...

After nearly twenty hours of sleep, when I woke up, my whole body felt shaky and unsteady. Heh, but my mind felt as though it had been washed clean with water... continuing to write the next chapter...