Chapter 8: The Blown-Away Handkerchief

Madam Duan’s expression soured, her dimples flattening as she looked at the painting with a hint of disbelief.

Yet, could a hidden-head poem personally inscribed by the Great Master Zhou really be a coincidence?

"If he saw this fake, why wouldn't he say anything?" Madam Duan complained gently and amiably. "My husband even took this painting to seek an appraisal from the Prefect..."

He Shanyue smiled slightly. "The landscape paintings of the Wu School flourished on the tailwinds of the late Emperor’s love for calligraphy and painting. It only has a history of a dozen years or so. The four masters of the Wu School—Shen, Zhu, Zhou, and Mi—were all free-spirited men who didn't care much for the authenticity of market imitations."

"Master Shen even personally inscribed and verified imitation paintings, fearing that his fellow painters who made copies would have no way to earn a living. He truly had the heart of a Bodhisattva."

"Furthermore, in the world of antiques, calligraphy, and painting, the rule is that once a purchase is made, it is final; one must bear the losses or gains themselves. If you buy a fake, it is because your own skills are lacking; you cannot blame others."

He Shanyue spoke with ease. Among the petite and delicate girls of Jiangnan, she was considered tall. Standing in the hall, lightly clutching a crystal magnifying lens in her hand, she looked like a gentle and beautiful canna lily under the summer sun.

Madam Duan didn't actually care much about the authenticity of the painting; she was more satisfied with He Shanyue’s appearance. She called for someone to put the painting away and invited He Shanyue to sit. "Sister-in-law Huang Er showed me your paintings, Miss He. I am a simple person and don't understand much, but I know what is beautiful and what is ugly. Since you are from Suzhou Prefecture and possess such solid skills, you’ve clearly made a name for yourself in the antique trade. Since it is always better to do business with someone you know, why did you decide to seek a different path?"

Having confirmed her genuine skill, she was now asking why He Shanyue wanted to come to Songjiang Prefecture to be a governess.

He Shanyue lowered her eyes, took a sip of tea, and after a moment, said, "I have no parents, nor brothers or sisters. The farmland in my hometown was long ago carved up by the clan. I have the skill of painting, and I’ve always been a person who, once fed, has no other worries, so my uncles and cousins didn't care whether I lived or died. Last month, a cousin from a distant branch of the family was getting married, and he was ten taels short for the bride price. It just so happened that an old scholar who had been a widower for nearly ten years at the edge of the village was willing to pay ten taels to marry a woman to manage his household. That was when my uncles finally turned their eyes toward me."

Oh, so she was running away from a marriage.

The antique shops, naturally, would not stand up for a mere painting apprentice.

Madam Duan nodded in understanding and asked, "Painting is a skill that costs money. It must have been difficult for you to learn while working for the antique shops."

She was asking how an orphan girl like her had the money and energy to learn such an elegant art.

He Shanyue pursed her lips and smiled faintly. "One must earn a living, after all. In this world, it is inappropriate for a young woman to show her face, and I cannot do manual labor. I tried embroidery and weaving bamboo baskets, but none of those lasted. You are a straightforward person, so I will not deceive you: what I do is called 'painting' by the wealthy as an elegant pastime, but in reality, I am just a craftsman hiding in the shadows, copying fakes."

"Besides, the painting trade in Suzhou Prefecture is truly worthless. There are good and bad 'Suzhou pieces.' A well-made copy sells for only half a tael or eight mace of silver. For those with less talent, being able to fill one's stomach is already a great blessing. We cannot afford those precious mineral pigments. Most of the time, we draw patterns on sand pits with tree branches. Only when the drawing is nearly perfect does the shop give you the real materials to paint on paper."

He Shanyue spoke with sincerity and honesty, not shying away from the hardships she had endured.

Madam Duan narrowed her eyes, her gaze once again falling upon He Shanyue’s striking features.

"Our family has many girls—four or five of them," Madam Duan suddenly laughed, her dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. "They are very spoiled and difficult to discipline, and many are already at the age of marriage. If there is an opportunity for us to work together, our family will prepare a corner room in the rear quarters for our governess. Unless there is an urgent matter, we prefer that the women of the house do not frequently enter or exit the inner gates."

He Shanyue nodded to show she understood. "That is only natural."

Madam Duan asked again, "Is there truly no one left in your family to worry about?"

He Shanyue raised her eyes and shook her head. "When I left Suzhou Prefecture, I settled all the family savings, the old house, and the ancestral lands with the elders of the clan."

Madam Duan understood immediately. This was trading money for freedom. Not to mention outsiders, the ones who "eat the household" the most ruthlessly are often one's own kin.

He Shanyue seemed to recall something. "There is only one old woman who helps me wash brushes and grind ink when I paint. She is also a lonely soul with a tragic background, and she must stay by my side."

Madam Duan smiled. "That is not difficult. It is merely a matter of an extra pair of chopsticks and a pillow."

There was nothing left to negotiate.

Madam Duan chatted about trivial matters, and amidst the small talk, she casually asked, "Miss He is not young anymore, and having lived outside your clan for so long, do you have a fiancé or a young man you are close with?"

After asking, she covered her mouth and laughed. "Don't mind my prying; it’s just that there are so many girls in the house, I have to ask more about an unmarried governess."

He Shanyue lowered her head slightly, a flash of shyness crossing her expression. "I have none. If I did, I wouldn't still be waiting for marriage at this age."

There was a visible melancholy in her eyes. "I felt a sense of kinship with you the moment we met, and for some reason, I wanted to tell you this—I am nearly twenty. Perhaps in the future, I will only be able to live a lonely life as a painter, or perhaps become a nun who spends her days striking bells and chanting to Buddha!"

Madam Duan clicked her tongue and was about to speak when a commotion arose outside the side room. Before long, a servant woman came in a hurry to find her. The two whispered in the inner room for a while. When Madam Duan came out, her expression was not very good. She offered tea to signal the end of the visit. "...I just said the girls in the house are hard to manage, and look, here it comes."

Madam Duan raised her voice. "Huang Zhi! Huang Zhi! Escort Miss He back to the post house." She turned to He Shanyue. "This matter still needs to be reported to my husband. At the earliest, by tomorrow evening; at the latest, the day after at noon. If it doesn't work out, I will have Huang Zhi reimburse you for the extra post house and carriage fees. If it does work out, when can you enter the manor?"

"Anytime." He Shanyue’s attitude was gentle and pure. "I am a sincere person. Since I have resigned from my previous employer, I am here with full sincerity."

Madam Duan gave an ambiguous smile, only realizing after she finished that the smile was not as kind or cordial as before. She hurriedly said, "Good, good, good—Huang Zhi!"

The maid lifted the curtain, and Madam Duan personally saw He Shanyue to the side door. The mule cart was already waiting there. Madam Duan patted He Shanyue’s hand. "In the evening, I will have Huang Zhi send you some dinner. It’s not easy for anyone; save a few coppers where you can."

He Shanyue lowered her head gracefully, revealing her small, cute earlobes and a perfectly curved jawline, expressing her gratitude and shyness without reservation.

The sound of people begging for medicine at the gate was incessant.

He Shanyue said with sincere emotion, "I had long heard of the Cheng family’s compassion, but only today, seeing it for myself, do I realize it is well-deserved."

Madam Duan laughed.

Madam Duan saw an old woman sitting in the mule cart, her temples gray, lean and capable. She assumed this was the woman who helped wash brushes and grind ink that Miss He had mentioned, so she smiled and nodded at her with her dimples showing.

As the mule cart turned the corner, the old woman spoke. "Hah! With this display, anyone who didn't know better would think the Divine Farmer himself had descended to give alms! Truly a family that accumulates virtue, indeed!?"

The gentle smile on He Shanyue’s face vanished the moment they turned the corner and her figure was completely swallowed by another alleyway. In its place were slightly drooping eyes and a cold, ruthless gaze.

"Virtue?"

"If they were truly virtuous, how could they suggest that people who came begging for medicine due to diarrhea should eat Guanyin clay?"

"Eating Guanyin clay kills people!"

"Are dried persimmons, gallnuts, or nutmeg not effective? They are cheap and useful. It’s just that medicine costs money, while Guanyin clay is free, and it allows them to buy a good reputation."

He Shanyue kept her head bowed, and even her sneer was fleeting. She expressionlessly used her handkerchief to scrub the hand that Madam Duan had touched, until the skin between her thumb and index finger was raw and red.

"Telling people with diarrhea that Guanyin clay is useful; telling people with coughs to eat more pears; telling people who are vomiting to sleep more... They are clearly setting up a charity clinic to dispense medicine, yet they are unwilling to truly open a pharmacy for these poor people or provide life-saving medicine. Without spending a single cent, they have earned themselves the title of 'Benevolent for Nine Generations'—the Cheng family is truly hypocritical."

How wonderful. Now, there is one more reason to take revenge on them.

He Shanyue reached out, loosened her fingers, and the handkerchief was folded into four by the wind and quickly swept away.

The things these people touched were truly filthy.