Chapter 2: South Courtyard

Entering the inner courtyard, the three master and servant members walked along a pebble-paved path toward the southern courtyard. The southern courtyard was not particularly large, but the five rooms with blue-tiled roofs were built sturdily and reliably; they were something Xia Yiqing's great-grandparents had poured all their wealth and effort into constructing. The foundation was built high, and climbing the five stone steps led to a wide veranda with carved stone railings. When Xia Yiqing and her younger sister Leqing were children, they used to chase each other and play under the veranda, which was both delightful and safe, shielding them from wind and rain. This had been the finest ancestral house of the Xia family back then, and naturally, it was reserved for the eldest son and his wife. Pang Ruxue had lived here ever since she followed Xia Xiu平 back to the Xia family, bearing two daughters up until this day.

This did not mean that Pang Ruxue received good treatment as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xia family. The reason Old Madam Xia allowed the mother and daughters to live here long-term without harassment was that the Xia residence had been expanded later. Old Master Xia and Old Madam Xia, along with the younger sons, had naturally moved into the brand-new, spacious courtyard; they simply looked down upon the old courtyard and old houses.

The Xia family had not originally been considered high-class in the local area, possessing twenty to thirty acres of ancestral farmland and practicing farming and scholarship for generations. It was only with great difficulty that Xia Xiu平 passed the provincial examination, and he had excitedly headed to the capital to seek even greater fame and fortune, only to return after failing the imperial exams. However, he had at least brought back a wife without spending a single tael of silver, and Pang Ruxue had brought a dowry of ten thousand taels. It was like a pie falling from the sky, driving the Xia family into a frenzy of joy. During that period, they treated Pang Ruxue exceptionally well. Pang Ruxue had a soft temperament and an even softer heart; she could not withstand a few words of coaxing and handed over all ten thousand taels of banknote to her mother-in-law. Old Madam Xia used that money to purchase land and expand the residence, causing the family to leap into becoming a wealthy household that the neighbors envied. The younger siblings of Xia Xiu平 all married into good matches, which in turn gave the family more prestige in the city and earned them recognition and respect from the urban middle and upper classes. The Xia family's glory began from that time.

The three years following Xia Xiu平 and Pang Ruxue's marriage were their most affectionate. At that time, Xia Yiqing had just been born, and the couple was deeply in love, their affection overflowing. Under Pang Ruxue's persuasion and companionship, Xia Xiu平 studied diligently, eventually heading to the capital to take the exams again, which allowed him to pass as a low-ranking *jinshi*. He had no way to secure an official post in the capital, so he used Pang Ruxue's silver to grease various palms, eventually securing the position of County Vice Magistrate in a certain county in the Jiangnan region. Although it was only a ninth-rank official position, he was an official nonetheless, receiving a salary from the imperial court.

Since the Xia family had land and Xia Xiu平 was an official, their lives should have been quite good. If they had simply lived steadily, with the whole family working together and planning slowly, they could have surely grown the family business larger and larger. But humans are always driven by insatiable greed. Seeing her son's success, Xia Jinshi became increasingly boastful, believing her son was a reincarnation of the Star of Literature and would surely attain incomparable nobility in the future. She believed that she, the mother who gave birth to such a star, was even more extraordinary. Before her son had even taken office, she carried herself as the matriarch of an official's household, showing off everywhere. Influenced by the instigation of others, she felt her son should take advantage of his youth to climb higher in the bureaucracy, but that required forming kinship ties with powerful and influential families. The Pang clan had no maternal family to support them and was weak and useless. Coincidentally, a matchmaker came to propose. When Xia Jinshi heard it was the daughter of the Prefectural Governor, she was overjoyed. Without caring about the girl's background, she immediately agreed. Soon, under Xia Jinshi's arrangements, Xia Xiu平 married Lady Huang.

At this time, Pang Ruxue had just given birth to Xia Leqing. Her labor had been difficult, and her body had suffered excessive damage; she could not recover even after two months of bed rest. Without any consultation, her mother-in-law and husband married a new bride. It went without saying what a heavy blow this was to Pang Ruxue, who was still immersed in her deep love for her husband. Pang Ruxue's health never recovered; she lingered on her sickbed for years, becoming so thin she was like a dried husk, completely transformed.

Recalling the past, Xia Yiqing sighed inwardly. Pang Ruxue never spoke ill of the Xia family in front of the sisters, and she constantly taught them to be filial to their elders and respectful to their father, Xia Xiu平. Even while she herself suffered grievances and swallowed her tears, she still educated her children to respect their wicked mother-in-law and scummy husband! Xia Yiqing had no way to deal with such an eccentric mother. When she was bored, she would try to pry information out of Nanny Liu, coaxing her to tell the sisters the stories of their parents in the form of old tales. Having been worn down by the sisters' persistence, Nanny Liu had no choice but to tell them everything. However, Nanny Liu could only start from the time Xia Xiu平 brought Pang Ruxue back to Huzhou, because Nanny Liu had been a destitute person on the streets of the Huzhou prefectural city whom Pang Ruxue had bought. She knew nothing of Pang Ruxue's life before that.

But according to Nanny Liu's deductions, having spent her life as a maid and servant in wealthy, prominent families: Pang Ruxue truly came from a high-born lady's background! She was dignified and elegant, her movements composed, she was literate, and she possessed those habitual manners and upbringing. All these things could not be achieved unless one had been strictly trained from childhood!

Xia Yiqing and Xia Leqing had asked Pang Ruxue many times about her maternal grandfather's family. Pang Ruxue's expression would turn sorrowful, and she would only say that her grandfather's home was very, very far away—so far that we could never reach it!

As she said this, tears would well up in her eyes.

The sisters could not bear to press further. Xia Yiqing secretly speculated: perhaps her grandfather's family had been destroyed for some reason, and Pang Ruxue had escaped on her own, only to run into Xia Xiu平, allowing her "cheap" father to reap a windfall!

As they approached the southern courtyard, they smelled waves of familiar, fresh floral fragrance. Upon smelling the scent, Xia Leqing could not contain her impatience, saying, "Sister, I'm going in to see Mother first!"

Her voice was still audible as she passed Xia Yiqing like a gust of wind, jogging along the low garden wall covered in climbing roses. Her skirt fluttered as she quickly ducked through the courtyard gate.

Nanny Liu could not stop her and complained, "This child, still so impetuous!"

Xia Yiqing smiled slightly and said nothing, merely closing her eyes to take a deep breath of the refreshing, pleasant floral scent. At this moment, one could not blame Leqing's haste; people returning home are like swallows returning to their nests—who could stop them? The southern courtyard was the domain of Pang Ruxue and her daughters. The mother and daughters, along with Nanny Liu, had diligently tended to it, decorating the southern courtyard like a small garden. Having lived here for five years, Xia Yiqing had already developed an affection for this courtyard, let alone Leqing, who had lived here for twelve years!

The Xia family's foundation was thin. The residence, expanded using Pang Ruxue's dowry, only had a few courtyards in total. They had simply planted a few stalks of emerald bamboo in the corners and piled a few stones to serve as rockeries; there was no extra space to build a formal garden. Four years ago, Xia Yiqing and her sister had been invited to visit the owner of an embroidery workshop. They saw her garden in full bloom, a riot of colors, where the waves of rose trellises made it impossible for the sisters to pull themselves away. The embroidery shop owner had cut over a dozen rose vines for them, teaching them how to plant and how to build trellises. Upon returning, the sisters worked together to plant the rose vines. Over three years, they transplanted and carefully nurtured them. With the help of Nanny Liu and her husband, Liu Da, they cut bamboo branches to build trellises. Now, the front and back of the entire southern courtyard were filled with pink, red, white, and yellow roses. The Jiangnan climate was humid; except for late autumn and winter, the roses bloomed wildly from spring through early autumn, the flowers as dense as stars. The fragrance was elegant and captivating. The ancient southern courtyard had turned into an elegant and beautiful rose garden. In the last two years, the roses had even climbed out of the courtyard, decorating the low walls beautifully. When Xia Xiu平, his concubine Lady Huang, and his two illegitimate daughters returned home for the Qingming Festival to worship their ancestors, passersby could not help but admire it with envy. However, Lady Huang was aloof and proud; she controlled Xia Xiu平 to prevent him from entering the southern courtyard and forbade the two daughters from lingering too long under the rose walls. Every time the two daughters returned, they would pluck many flowers, but they would pinch off the unopened buds and scatter them all over the ground, making Xia Leqing so angry she wanted to settle scores with them, though she was restrained by Pang Ruxue. Xia Xiu平 only returned to his hometown once or twice a year. As a mother, Pang Ruxue was constrained by her mother-in-law and was not allowed to leave the southern courtyard, yet she wanted her daughters to behave well, thinking that this would win them their father's affection.

What a naive mother!

Xia Yiqing was standing under the flower wall lost in thought, laughing inwardly to herself, when she suddenly heard a commotion from the courtyard. Xia Leqing shot out like a cannonball, her eyes red as she grabbed Xia Yiqing and dragged her inside, shouting breathlessly, "Sister, come quickly! It's terrible, they are trying to take over our courtyard!"

Xia Yiqing was startled. "What? Who is it?"

The sisters entered the courtyard together. Xia Leqing raised a hand to point, her voice trembling with tears and filled with indignation: "It's them! The people sent by Grandmother and Second Aunt!"

Even though Xia Yiqing was patient and self-controlled, when she looked into the courtyard, she could not help but feel a sudden surge of rage. All over the courtyard, things were being thrown around haphazardly—these were precisely the belongings of their mother, Pang Ruxue, and themselves. Chests and trunks were overturned and half-open, with all their contents spilled out. The clothes they usually wore, which had been hanging neatly on racks, were now all crumpled into balls and thrown directly down from the steps, scattered everywhere. An embroidery frame had been knocked over and a leg broken; the plum blossom pattern being embroidered halfway on it was clearly ruined, and a few birds had landed on it, even leaving bird droppings as they stepped about...

Xia Leqing stamped her feet and screamed shrilly, "Stop! All of you, stop!"

No one paid her any mind; five or six old women on the veranda were throwing various items down even faster.

Xia Yiqing stepped forward silently and quickened her pace. She reached out and grabbed a woman who had just come down the steps by the chest, and with a swift movement, she delivered two resounding slaps. Before the woman could even react, Xia Yiqing had already pulled away. At the same time, she let go, causing the woman to lose her balance and fall, her head striking the stone steps. Blood immediately splattered on the spot, and a gash appeared on her forehead.

Seeing her sister take action, Xia Leqing also grabbed a bamboo pole and ran over, poking and hitting the old women on the veranda. Two of the women could not dodge in time and were struck on the head, wailing in pain. The woman who had fallen down the steps lay on the ground, screaming and wailing. Xia Yiqing stepped up to the highest step and stood before the veranda, her voice crisp and sharp

"You all saw that? If anyone dares to throw my things again, Cai's wife shall be the example! And this is the light end. You are all slaves bought with the Xia family's silver. I am the eldest daughter of the Xia family; even if I were to beat you to death, it would be nothing more than a trivial matter!"