As summer approached, most of the younger generation in the dignified Jing Guogong Residence had moved to Zhilan Garden to spend the summer. Only Shenhui Courtyard was a few days late in doing so because of Zhao Huanxi’s illness.

Now that he has recovered from his illness and started going back to school, Xu Nian’an has also started preparing to move.

Yifang Garden is a courtyard with one entrance, larger than Shenhui Courtyard, with five main rooms. The room on the left side is the bedroom, and the one on the right side is the study. Zhao Huanxi no longer needs to go to the side room to study or write, as he did in the Shenhui Courtyard.

Because Zhao Huanxi stays at Yifang Garden every year, all the furniture and items are already complete. They only need to move the bedding and some books from his study there.

The courtyard has stones and trees, as well as a pergola covered in climbing roses. Under the pergola, there is a three-foot-long and two-foot-wide swing chair with a backrest.

Xu Nian’an is someone who didn’t have a childhood. Her mother’s health suffered after giving birth to her fifth sister, and she has been frequently bedridden since then. Her father teaches at the Imperial Academy and is rarely seen during the day. Her Zumu is biased, and her Bomu domineering. The servants are accustomed to flattering and demeaning others, so how could they wholeheartedly serve her and her siblings?

Since she can remember, Xu Nian’an has been constantly watching over things. Has her mother’s medicine been delivered on time? Did her younger siblings are being mischievous? Is her father’s clothes worn or torn? Did the study’s writing materials need replenishing?

Until her father passed away, their branches separated from the Count Residence.

She sat on the swing, gently swaying, remembering how in her childhood, she used to walk hand in hand with her younger siblings through the garden of the Count Residence. She recalled how they had looked at those Tang Zimeis playing on the swing in the garden with envy, and couldn’t help but smile faintly.

The swing was spacious and had a backrest, and the cool breeze under the flower frame was quite pleasant. Xu Nian’an curled up on it, leaned against the backrest, pressed her cheek against the back of her hand, closed her eyes, and fell asleep like that.

Songyun, Yisu, and others were still tidying up the rooms where the maidservants lived. When they passed by and saw Xu Nian’an in this state, they couldn’t help but unconsciously lighten their footsteps and speak in hushed tones.

✦

In the evening, Zhao Huanxi returned to Yifang Garden carrying two paper packages and saw Xu Nian’an sleeping on the swing.

He raised his hand to stop the maidservants from bowing, handed one of the paper packages to Songyun, and then tiptoed to the swing with the other package. He picked up a bamboo skewer from the package, unfolded it, and waved a skewer of lotus duck in front of Xu Nian’an’s nose. Unfortunately, in a moment of carelessness, the sauce from the skewer accidentally touched the tip of Xu Nian’an’s nose.

Xu Nian’an was startled awake.

Zhao Huanxi quickly hid both hands behind his back and looked down at Xu Nian’an with a concerned expression, saying, “Dong Jiejie, what dirty thing got on your nose?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian’an raised her hand and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, looking confused at the unknown mark on it.

The maidservants beside her were all trying to hold back their laughter, except Mingli, who was eating the skewer and said, “Xiaojie, it was Gu Yé who accidentally smeared the sauce from the skewer onto your nose.”

Xu Nian’an glanced at Zhao Huanxi: “En?”

Zhao Huanxi pointed at Mingli and angrily said to Songyun, “Don’t let her eat. She ate the things I brought back and then betrayed me!”

Mingli stuck out her tongue at him, and the maidservants ran giggling to the pavilion to share the skewers.

Zhao Huanxi asked Xu Nian’an to move aside a bit to make room for him, and then sat next to her on the swing, eating skewers side by side.

“How did you suddenly think of buying these to eat?” Xu Nian’an asked.

“After class, Qian Xiong and the others went together. They said they were hungry and wanted to buy some snacks, so I went with them. They said this was delicious, so I thought of buying some to let you all taste it. Is it good?” Zhao Huanxi asked, tilting his head to look at her.

Xu Nian’an nodded, smiling with narrowed eyes. “It’s quite tasty.”

The two sat on the swing, eating the skewers while enjoying the evening breeze and the fragrance of flowers.

“You’ve been studying at the Imperial Academy for some time now. How is it?” Xu Nian’an asked Zhao Huanxi.

“There are some parts that I don’t quite understand. I ask Qian Xiong and the others, but they understand even less than I do. I want to ask Boshi, but if I do, I’ll be taking up his lunch break or his time after school. I feel a bit embarrassed to disturb him,” Zhao Huanxi replied. He didn’t have much to hide from Xu Nian’an, since she had seen him in his worst state anyway.

Xu Nian’an thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t I write to Ah Xiu and ask him to take a ten-day leave and come directly to our house? He can stay overnight, and you can ask him about anything you don’t understand. Besides, we need to discuss the matter of He Xuning with him.”

旬假 (xúnjià): Ten-day break or Decade holiday. In ancient China, officials and students typically worked for nine days and rested on the tenth (a xún is a period of ten days).

Zhao Huanxi was overjoyed and said, “Great! I was just thinking about him. Are you going to write now? I’ll go and grind the ink for you.”

Seeing Zhao Huanxi’s eager expression, Xu Nian’an didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “What’s the rush? Let’s talk about it after dinner.”

After dinner, Zhao Huanxi went to practice martial arts. Now that he has moved to Zhilan Garden, Master Qu and Zhao Huanrong naturally followed him to teach and practice there.

After practicing martial arts and taking a bath, Zhao Huanxi said to Xu Nian’an, “Huanrong Tangxiong hasn’t moved to Zhilan Garden. It’s too far from the Fourth Branch. There’s still an empty room in our courtyard. Can we let him stay there?”

“If you can persuade him and Mom, then of course it’s possible,” Xu Nian’an said.

In other courtyards of Zhilan Garden, there are also mixed accommodations. After all, with so many people, it’s impossible for everyone to be treated like Zhao Huanxi.

He thought for a moment and said, “Okay, I’ll talk to them.” Then he asked, “Are you going to write the letter now?”

Xu Nian’an said, “I actually finished writing it while you were practicing martial arts. I borrowed your writing materials.”

Zhao Huanxi looked disappointed. “Why didn’t you wait for me? I have a few words to say to him.”

Xu Nian’an smiled awkwardly. “Isn’t it the same if we wait for him to come?” She actually wanted to tell Xu Moxiu to be patient with Zhao Huanxi in the letter. How could she write it in front of him?

Zhao Huanxi suddenly remembered something else. “Next time we have a ten-day break, Qian Xiong and the others are planning to invite me to go out again. If Wenlin comes, should I stay at home?”

Xu Nian’an hurriedly said, “Last time you were sick and couldn’t go, which was already breaking a promise. If you don’t go this time, they’ll think you don’t want to play with them, which isn’t good. It’s better to go out and play with them. As for Ah Xiu, there will be plenty of time in the future. He’s going back to see my mother during his ten-day leave and won’t be able to stay here all day to accompany you.”

When Zhao Huanxi heard her say that, he dropped the matter.

✦

After moving to Zhilan Garden, Yin Furen said that the road was long and the weather was hot, so she only needed to greet her every ten days. However, Xu Nian’an still went over after sending Zhao Huanxi every day. Firstly, she had already sent Zhao Huanxi, and secondly, there was nothing much to do in Yifang Garden, so Yin Furen just let her be.

One day, after finishing her work, Yin Furen said to Xu Nian’an who was sitting beside her, “You and Huanxi come to my place for dinner tonight.”

Xu Nian’an calculated the dates and realized that the confinement period for the two courtyard of Zhao Huanchao and Zhao Huanyang was almost over. She asked, “Has there been any progress with Pang Daixue’s matter?”

Yin Furen nodded and said, “Send her away before Qin Shi comes out, and then we’ll discuss it.”

Xu Nian’an smiled and went to fetch tea, but Yin Furen looked worried. After glancing at her, she couldn’t help but say, “It seems that Lao Taitai is about to come out of the Buddha Hall.”

Xu Nian’an paused her tea-drinking and looked at Yin Furen, asking, “Then will Mother’s stewardship be handed over?”

Yin Furen smiled sarcastically. “Lao Taitai hasn’t managed the household for ten years. Even if she wants to, she needs the people below to listen. Besides, as long as I don’t make mistakes, why should I hand over the stewardship? It’s just that the intention of the Fifth Branch to invite Lao Taitai out by pretending to be ill is very obvious. They see that Huanxi is gradually improving and starting to gain Zufu’s favor, so they can’t sit still. In the future, you and Huanxi should be more careful in your actions and not give them any handles. Although she is a stepmother, after all, she is also a mother-in-law. I cannot openly have conflicts with her.”

Xu Nian’an nodded. “I’ve noted that. Thanking Mother for the advice. Mother should also take care of yourself. If you have a minor illness or problem, they might take the opportunity to demand the stewardship.”

Yin Furen smiled. “I’ll be careful. By the way, I sent someone to ask something from the witness bought by Hu Gang yesterday, but he said you had already sent the person away. Is the matter resolved?”

“Not yet, but I’ve asked all the necessary questions. Keeping this person here is no longer meaningful for us. Once the matter at the Wu Residence is settled, his presence would become a threat to exposing us. That’s why I had Hu Gang give him some money and send him away,” Xu Nian’an said.

Yin Furen nodded. “As long as you know what to do.”

✦

In the Wu Residence, when Wu Family’s Da Laoyé Wu Dechun returned home, he changed into casual clothes and went out again by sedan chair. Shortly after he left, two men emerged from a nearby alley, with one of them sneaking behind and the other running away in different directions.

Wu Dechun made an appointment with three good friends from work to have a casual drink at a secluded and peaceful tavern. The four of them chatted and drank, enjoying a pleasant time together.

Just as they were about to call the waiter to complain about the noise from the next private room, the commotion suddenly died down, leaving only one man saying, “Alright, alright, do I still need to say more? Look at how impatient you guys are! What I’m saying is strange is that I didn’t expect the son of an official and noble man would actually take a prostitute back as a concubine. The key point is, that prostitute is pregnant with who knows whose child! Do you think this is strange?” He burst into laughter after speaking.

“Yao Xiong, you’re probably drunk. Aren’t officials most concerned about their reputation? How could they allow their children to do such embarrassing things? How is this any different from taking in a woman from a brothel?”

“Hey! Who’s lying here? Let me tell you the truth. I once used her business. The prostitute’s surname is Zheng, from Wuchang County. She has a brown birthmark on her right buttock, shaped like a scarab beetle. When she shakes on the bed, the birthmark also trembles, just like a bug coming to life. It’s really fascinating.”

There was a burst of laughter from the next room.

After the laughter subsided, someone else said, “Yao Xiong, since you find this so amusing, could it be that the child in the prostitute’s belly is yours?”

“No way, I haven’t touched her for months. Where would the child come from? That prostitute is actually trying to blackmail me. Who does she think I am? Let her say whatever she wants? I bet even she doesn’t know who the child’s father is, so she’s just trying her luck everywhere. Whoever is foolish enough will be the child’s father. I didn’t expect her to actually hit the jackpot. By the way, it’s funny to say that the official’s son who took her in happened to be surnamed Wu. I wonder if it’s ‘Wu’ from ‘wūguī wángbadàn’?”

乌龟 ('wūguī) means tortoise, and 王八蛋 (wángbadàn) is a very vicious insult. To fully understand the context:
Wangbadan means "the egg laid by Wang Ba," or "the egg laid by a turtle." So why is a turtle also called "Wang Ba"? This is because the texture of a turtle's plastron (the lower part of its shell) looks like the Chinese characters "王八" (Wang Ba), with "王" in the middle and "八" at the head and tail. Therefore, people jokingly call turtles "Wang Ba."
At the same time, ancient people mistakenly believed that male turtles were unable to mate, and female turtles had to mate with snakes to lay eggs. Therefore, the common people of the Ming and Qing dynasties called men who were cuckolded by their wives "Wang Ba" and called their children "Wang Ba Dan." To insult someone as a "Wang Ba Dan" is to insult them as a child born from their mother's adultery with someone else, not their father's child.

Also the Wu Family (乌) shares the same character with Wu from 乌龟 ('wūguī) 😆.

There was another burst of loud laughter from the next door.

Meanwhile, Wu Dechun choked on his drink and started coughing.

“Wu Xiong, are you okay?” his colleague asked with concern. But when he said the word ‘Wu (乌) Xiong’, he couldn’t help but pause.

Wu Dechun’s face turned red, and he waved his hand, saying, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”