Chapter 13: The Third Time Being Stingy

The next day at noon, after lunch—the fare at the relay station being simple, consisting of one meat dish and one vegetable dish; the meat being small pieces of braised pork tied with straw stalks and stewed until tender—He Shanyue declined the red meat. Wang Erniang, however, forced two portions upon her. Once full, the meal felt tasteless, and she sat by the door with her legs crossed, picking her teeth with a look of profound melancholy: "...I still want to eat crab."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the crab arrived.

Huang Zhi, a young maid from the Cheng residence, arrived with a beaming, sycophantic smile: "Upon hearing from the Master that Miss He hails from Shantang Street in Suzhou Prefecture, he immediately agreed and specifically instructed that a bullock cart be prepared today to receive you with proper dignity."

One was supposed to be rewarded for delivering such good news.

This Miss He was generous; the first time, she had given a piece of silver no larger than a fingernail, and when delivering her meals, she had given a pair of tiny silver lilac earrings. Since she had come to report good news today, there was surely something substantial coming.

So, Huang Zhi waited.

She waited as the lady unhurriedly packed her bundles; she waited as the lady boarded the bullock cart; she waited as the lady entered the gates of the Cheng residence—but the expected reward never came.

Huang Zhi grew anxious, but she could not simply open her mouth and demand it; she could only follow the tall, slender Miss He closely.

Some people, when anxious, become silent and break into a cold sweat; others, when anxious, become like peas pouring from a bamboo tube, unable to stop their words.

Huang Zhi was the latter.

"You have been arranged in the Fangyuan room in the rear hall. Walk a hundred paces to the left and you will find the West Courtyard where the young ladies study daily. Your room is the most prominent one in the rear hall, facing north and south. The Madam, considering you have an elderly nurse to look after, specially arranged a suite of interconnected rooms for you. There is a partition in the middle, making it convenient for changing clothes, dressing, or getting up at night—unlike other rooms where the door faces the window, leaving everything exposed at a single glance."

He Shanyue followed behind Huang Zhi, listening quietly, showing no reaction that suggested she was about to reach for her purse.

Huang Zhi felt a flicker of displeasure, but then she thought of those lilac earrings—they were genuine silver, not that wretched silver-plated brass. Though she was merely a maid, her skin was precious; aside from gold and silver, even touching brass or white iron would give her a red rash!

The lilac earrings were being worn, and beneath her eyelids, her eyes were dancing with anticipation.

Growing more anxious, Huang Zhi’s eyes darted around: "The room next to yours is occupied by Miss Zhou."

He Shanyue stopped in her tracks, sounding somewhat puzzled: "Miss Zhou?"

Seeing that He Shanyue had taken an interest, Huang Zhi couldn't help but feel a bit smug. She blinked: "That's right, Miss Zhou."

He Shanyue gave an "oh" and did not press further, continuing along the wall-side path toward the interior.

Huang Zhi froze in place, her anxiety mounting. She hurried to catch up, lowering her voice: "This time, two female teachers skilled in painting have been invited in total. One is you, and the other is Miss Zhou. Miss Zhou comes from a slightly better background, with a complete and prosperous family, and she is also from Songjiang Prefecture. But in terms of character, appearance, conduct, speech, and even her painting skills, she simply cannot compare to yours! The Madam said they will give you five days before deciding who will ultimately stay."

"Five days?" He Shanyue repeated. She turned her gaze, her smile becoming warm and gentle: "Did the Madam mention the criteria for judgment? Is it to see who teaches the young ladies better? Or who has superior painting skills?"

Huang Zhi didn't know. Once the Master had spoken last night, she had been ushered out.

When the Master and Madam of the house spoke, they never liked having too many people serving them.

She couldn't make up any specifics, so she could only stammer: "The Madam didn't say... perhaps it is based on personal impression?"

Based on personal impression? Looking at someone once, twice, three times to judge their "impression"?

If they were hiring a great scholar to tutor the men of the house for examinations, testing and selecting them time and again would be understandable.

But for mere female teachers to teach the young ladies painting—to select and re-select, choosing from Songjiang to Suzhou, setting five trials for six candidates—it was irrational.

What, exactly, was the Cheng family screening for?

He Shanyue lowered her eyes slightly. Behind her, Wang Erniang was highly displeased: "Playing us for fools! 'Three days' this, 'five days' that! If we went back to Shantang Street to paint fake paintings, we'd make at least eight silver coins in five days!"

Huang Zhi hissed repeatedly: "Keep it down! Please, keep it down! Others will hear, and even Miss Zhou doesn't know!"

He Shanyue stopped Wang Erniang from cursing, pursed her lips in a smile, and asked casually: "Did the Madam only look at me and that Miss Zhou?"

Since this was a question that could be answered, Huang Zhi quickly replied: "No, no, there were four or five of them!"

"All of them with complete families and living elders?" He Shanyue asked.

"They are all girls from towns around Songjiang Prefecture. Some have small families with only parents; others have large families with many old and young members."

Huang Zhi felt a pang of regret; in her haste to get silver, she had let this information slip to He Shanyue.

She could only turn her head to change the subject, pointing toward the faintly visible eaves and towering vermilion pillars outside the flower gate: "Those are the family's study and the outer hall. Our house isn't a three-entry courtyard, so there are no actual doors there; instead, the corridors are made very long and separated by screen walls. You'll see, even though there are guards, goods are transported through the side gate here in the mornings and evenings. People coming and going is a massive nuisance."

He Shanyue did not press further, smiling amiably to show she understood, though her eyes strained to follow the winding corridors and the upward-reaching corners of the walls until everything blurred into large blocks of color.

Upon reaching the side chambers, it was indeed a suite of interconnected rooms. The room on the right was empty, perhaps because Miss Zhou had not yet arrived. The row of rooms on the left were partially locked and partially ajar, but the doorsteps and window frames were very clean, suggesting they were regularly occupied—likely the private rooms of high-ranking nannies or maids.

Wang Erniang grumbled as she went in to unpack.

He Shanyue pulled a delicate object from her sleeve pocket and pressed it into Huang Zhi's hand.

Huang Zhi flipped it over and glanced at it from the corner of her eye.

It was an exquisitely crafted silver cicada. Its antennae were as fine as silk, bobbing slightly in the air; it was very cute.

But she felt no joy at finally receiving a reward; instead, she felt a sense of trepidation.

"My old nurse speaks just like that—grumbling and sounding fierce and wicked—but she has no ill intent. Please don't take it to heart, little sister," He Shanyue said with a humble expression.

Huang Zhi was stunned. So, this wasn't a reward for revealing information, but an apology for that old woman's cursing? She suddenly felt at ease.

He Shanyue continued with a smile: "This thing isn't worth much; take it to play with. I remember I also have a matching silver leaf. Once I've finished unpacking, I'll find an opportunity to give you the whole set."

Huang Zhi was thrilled.

A silver leaf!

If the silver cicada was merely pretty but hollow and worthless, then the silver leaf would be actual, substantial silver!

Holding the silver cicada, which was larger than the fingernail-sized piece from before, Huang Zhi left in high spirits.

He Shanyue stood at the doorway with a smiling face, her eyes scanning the rows of red brick and tiled houses of the Cheng residence from left to right, as if counting.

Wang Erniang came out with a broom: "You've been playing around with that little maid for so long without giving her money. Aren't you afraid she'll get angry?"

People were still passing by outside, so the smile on He Shanyue's face had to remain gentle and dignified.

"I was generous once, and I was generous twice, but I have refused to be generous a third time—"

He Shanyue paused: "She will only conclude that if the third time isn't generous, the fault lies not with me, but with her."

Only if she believed that would Huang Zhi become anxious, become flustered, and incessantly try to make amends, probe, and release kindness without any boundaries.

Only then would she, without being asked a single question, pour out everything she knew.

He Shanyue turned and entered the room.

No one was watching anymore.

She could finally stop smiling.