“What time is it now? Tangtang still hasn’t gotten up?” Madam Du’s voice, brimming with curiosity, cut through the morning air. They had slept soundly, oblivious to Shang Ji’s late-night return and his equally early departure.
Li Zhu, quick as a whisper, intervened. “Madam, please quiet down. The General arrived last night and left early this morning. He specifically asked us not to disturb the Young Lady’s sleep.”
A knowing smile touched Madam Du’s lips, and she raised her eyebrows playfully. Turning to her husband, Du Changfu, beside her, she said with unconcealed delight, “I understand, I understand, dear. Let’s go back and continue our breakfast.” Mr. Du, equally pleased by his son-in-law’s apparent devotion to their daughter, nodded in agreement, a warm smile gracing his face as he departed with his wife.
Their words brought a momentary flush of embarrassment to Du Jingyi’s cheeks, but it quickly faded. After all, they were married; there was no need for pretense. She simply burrowed back into the covers, drifting back to sleep once again.
Days bled into weeks, and Du Jingyi luxuriated in the tranquility of Zhuangzi. As the date of the Pingliang Temple visit drew near, she knew it was time to return to the Duke’s mansion. After a quiet breakfast with her parents and sister, she announced, “It’s been almost half a month since I left home. If I don’t go back, I fear there will be an uproar. Father and Mother, please enjoy yourselves for two more days; I’ll return first .”
Madam Du nodded understandingly. “What would we do without you here ? Don’t worry, we’ll make arrangements for you and leave soon.”
“That’s good,” Du Jingyi replied.
After a pleasant breakfast, Du Jingyi set off for the Duke’s Mansion. It was late September when she arrived at Zhuangzi, and now, it was mid-October. As her carriage drew to a halt before the Duke’s Mansion, the doorman, as if witnessing a miracle, practically leaped into the air. “Young Madam, you’re finally back!” he cried, his voice laced with relief.
Stepping from the carriage, Du Jingyi immediately noticed the Duke’s Mansion adorned with festive lights and colorful decorations. It was undoubtedly for the Duke of Guo’s birthday banquet. This house, she mused, was truly a world of ice and fire: joyous preparations on one side, anxious frustration and obstacles on the other. She didn’t need a spy to know the turmoil that had gripped the Mansion these past few days.
As she had barely stepped inside, hadn’t even found a seat, when Aunt Dou arrived to report that Madam Wu, accompanied by a crowd of female relatives, waited at the gate of Dongyuan for her , claiming urgent matters to discuss.
“Why are they acting so rogue?” Li Zhu fumed. “They’re like brown sugar candy ; once they’ve stick on you, you can’t shake them off.”
Du Jingyi, sensing the opportune moment, instructed Aunt Dou to ask them to wait in the flower hall for her as she would join them shortly. Mama Dou hurried off to relay this message, while Yingtao , with a cup of hot tea in hand,feeling worried said softly, “Young Lady has just returned from a long journey; why not rest before going?”
“You feel sorry for me, but they do not,” Du Jingyi replied. “It’s better to deal with it earlier, so no one disturbs me when I return to catch up on my sleep.”
“That’s also true,” Yingtao conceded.
After a brief respite in Xitang Courtyard, Du Jingyi rose and, accompanied by her maids, proceeded to the flower hall. Within, Mama Dou and Mama Cai stood sentinel, ostensibly serving the guests , but in truth, keeping a watchful eye on thm. The women of the fifth branch were like a bundle of nerves; they had already consumed two cups of tea, and still, Du Jingyi had not appeared. The Fifth Old Madam, restless as ever , began to suspect Du Jingyi was deliberately trying to wear them down. She resolved that if Du Jingyi didn’t appear within the next quarter of an hour, she would force her way in to her bedroom to confront her .
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a shout echoed from outside: “The Young Lady has arrived.” At this sound, every head in the flower hall turned toward the door, their expressions a stark contrast. Days ago, they had come to “make trouble”; now, they were here to plead. While the Fifth Old Man had been arrogant, the Fifth Old Lady, at least, displayed a touch more humility than before. Recognizing her role as a supplicant, her expression and tone were overtly flattering.
Upon seeing Du Jingyi enter, she gushed, “It’s been a hard dayfor you, Liulang’s wife, for going out.”
It had only been a few days, yet the Fifth branch had now mastered the art of flattery. It seemed their desperation was truly dire. Du Jingyi offered a faint smile in return. “I am indeed a little tired, but I heard from Aunt Dou that my fifth uncle is very anxious. Is there anything you wish to see me for?”
Seeing her directness, the women of the Fifth House abandoned their pretense. “Since Liulang’s wife is so straightforward, I won’t hide anything from you . I’m here today for no other reason than that you can help Qiniang for the sake of our relationship.” As she spoke, she let out a theatrical sigh, a performance that almost made Du Jingyi laugh aloud.
But it was not her place to expose the charade. Instead, she feigned confusion. “help Seventh sister? What’s wrong?”
“Of course, for her wedding!” the Fifth Old Lady exclaimed. “She’s not much younger than you, yet it’s been more than three years since you married into the Duke’s palace, and she’s still an unmarried girl at home. Doesn’t that worry you?”
Hearing her grandmother’s words, Shang Qiniang’s face, partially turned away, flushed with a hint of embarrassment. Both were eighteen-year-old women. The life Du Jingyi, her sixth sister-in-law, now enjoyed was the very life Shang Qiniang yearned for. Du Jingyi, born into privilege, experienced all the world’s blessings, while Shang Qiniang struggled even to survive. The self-pity in her eyes intensified, becoming undeniably real as she compare both of them more and more.
Du Jingyi saw it, and so did Madam. Guo. The reason for her daughter’s meekness and sorrow, she knew, lay ultimately with her. Before anyone else could speak, she burst into tears.
Mama Dou frowned seeing this , then spoke. “Second Madam, would you like to go with this old slave to wash your face first and freshen up your makeup? You were crying so sadly that you couldn’t leave the gate of Dongyuan like this . If outsiders saw it, they might think our Young Madam had insulted you.” Mama Dou had little patience for women who constantly wept. Life for a woman was indeed difficult, but one still had hands and feet. When life proved challenging, one had to muster the strength to live. What was the point of crying? Tears could neither satisfy hunger nor provide for a family. Her impression of the rarely-seen Madam Guo plummeted even more.
Perhaps realizing her gaffe, Madam Guo quickly wiped away her tears. She raised her face to Du Jingyi, her voice filled with panic and timidity. “No, no… Madam, I… that’s not what I meant.”
Du Jingyi remained silent. Witnessing Madam Guo’s distress, a pang of sadness echoed in her heart. To be unable to speak fluently—one could only imagine her struggles of living in the fifth branch for so many years.