WSMTATMC C156

Chapter 156

The Old Madam of the Marquis’s household invited Lin Sui to pay a visit; she had no other intention, only to see what kind of person her son wished to marry, and what the one her granddaughter liked looked like.

But Lin Sui did not know this. He was from a modest family to begin with; if not for following his cousin and cousin-in-law to the prefectural city, he might never have seen much of the wider world in this lifetime.

At the news that he was to go to the Marquis’s residence, he was so nervous he could hardly sleep for half the night. In the morning, with two dark circles under his eyes, he could not decide which outfit to wear, nor how to style his hair.

He called Qingyun to help him choose clothes, but he was dissatisfied with both of the two sets picked. In the end, Wang Ying came and chose a stone-blue long robe he usually wore. His hair was simply tied behind his head, and a hairpin was selected and set in place.

Lin Sui was young and good-looking; he needed little adornment to look very presentable.

Standing behind him, Chen Qingyun let out an exaggerated exclamation, “Our Sui’er is really handsome, a proper delicate young husband!”

Lin Sui looked in the mirror and, for once, showed a shy smile. Both he and Lin Qiu took after Third Aunt in looks, and Third Aunt resembled Father Chen greatly; so much so that when Lin Qiu, Lin Sui, and Qingyun stood together, they looked less like cousins and more like full siblings.

“All right, let’s first go buy some things on the street to bring along; on a first visit, it’s not good to go empty-handed.”

“Mm.” Lin Sui followed Wang Ying out to the street first.

They did not buy anything too expensive; they were commoners to begin with, and even if they emptied the household savings, the other family might not value it.

So they bought some practical items instead: two pretty hair ornaments for Qing’er, and a small wooden mechanical puppy which, when its tail was flicked, would waddle forward.

For the elderly lady, they bought four boxes of pastries. It was just the season when large dates were coming in, so they also bought five jin of fresh red dates. The two took a carriage all the way to the Residence of Marquis Wuping.

As soon as the carriage stopped at the gate, before the servant could explain matters to the gatekeeper, the main doors opened. “Our Lord Marquis instructed in advance that when Little Mister Lin arrived, he was to be let in directly.”

The carriage stopped in the outer court. Wang Ying and Lin Sui alighted and followed a page toward the inner residence.

The Marquis’s household was much larger than their home. Inside the courtyard there were not only rockeries and ornamental landscaping, but also a pond. It was said this had been the former residence of the grand corrupt official Dou Yi from the previous dynasty.

After Li Mu was ennobled as Marquis, this residence was bestowed upon him as well. Following refurbishments, the estate shed its former extravagance and took on a touch of simplicity.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, they finally reached the Old Madam’s courtyard. “We’ve arrived just ahead; honored gentlemen, please enter.”

Madam Luo loved quiet and did not live in the main quarters; instead, she chose a small courtyard among the side quarters. On ordinary days she kept cats and tended flowers and plants, living quite leisurely.

Just as Lin Sui entered the courtyard, a child came running toward him—it was little Qing’er, whom he had not seen for several days. Lin Sui picked Qing’er up and said, “Did you miss me?”

Little Qing’er nodded earnestly. Lin Sui pinched her small nose and said, “I missed you too.”

Qing’er struggled to the ground, took his hand, and led him inside. Turning past a stone screen, they saw the Old Madam of the Marquis’s household seated beneath a locust tree.

They hastened forward to salute. “This junior pays respects to Old Madam.”

Madam Luo raised her hand for them to rise, and looking toward the young husband whom Qing’er clung to, said, “You must be Lin Sui. Come here and let me have a look.”

Madam Luo had embroidered a great deal in earlier years, and her eyesight was poor; from a distance, people were all a blur to her.

Lin Sui approached with restraint. She examined him carefully for quite a while and said, “A neat and proper young man. Are your parents in good health at home?”

“Mother is well. Father… has already passed away.”

“Oh, sit down quickly. Serve tea to the two gentlemen, and bring over the longans that were delivered from the southern regions the other day to let the guests have a taste.”

The maid standing to the side curtsied and hurried to the side room to fetch tea.

During this, Madam Luo asked Lin Sui’s age; upon learning he was only twenty-six, she could not help being surprised. By calculation, her son was nine years older than him!

Perhaps because it was a first meeting, both sides were a bit nervous. Wang Ying kept the atmosphere lively at the side and brought out the prepared gifts for Qing’er and the Old Madam.

The little girl was very fond of the wooden mechanical dog and dragged Lin Sui along to play with her.

Old Madam Luo watched and could not help sighing inwardly: since childhood, this granddaughter of hers had not spoken, with a somewhat solitary temperament, and did not easily grow close to others. She did not know what kind of affinity she had found with the Lin family’s young husband to be able to get along so harmoniously.

The topic then shifted from Lin Sui to little Qing’er.

Wang Ying asked, “Was she unable to speak from the very beginning, or did she fall ill at some point and then stop speaking?”

“You’ve asked the right question. When this child was first born, she was like any normal baby—when she cried, her voice was loud. At two years old, she babbled and could call ‘father’. Who knew that not long after, she had a fever, and afterward she stopped speaking entirely.”

Though Wang Ying did not know medicine, he could surmise that Qing’er’s speech impediment might be related to that illness—perhaps damage to the nervous system that led to the inability to speak.

Lin Sui stroked Qing’er’s hair with affection. Qing’er nuzzled his hand like a kitten, quiet and adorable.

Before long, the maid came over carrying tea and said softly, “The longans couldn’t be found—perhaps the Lord Marquis took them.”

Old Madam Luo said, “That can’t be; I saw them this morning.”

“…We’ll take our leave after a little while.”

When she brought the tea to Lin Sui’s side, her wrist suddenly seemed to lose strength; her hand tilted, the teacup fell, and scalding hot tea splashed all over Lin Sui.

Lin Sui reacted quickly, pushing Qing’er to the side, while he himself sucked in a breath at the burn.

“Did it burn you badly?”

With a thud, the maid fell to her knees. “It’s all because I didn’t hold the cup steady. I beg the young master’s forgiveness.”

From the side, Old Madam Luo also said, “How could you be so careless! Little Mister Lin, later—”

“No, no need.”

With his clothes soaked, it was inconvenient to stay any longer. The two rose to take their leave. As they reached the central courtyard, they happened to meet Li Mu returning from outside. “How is it you’re leaving after such a short while?”

Lin Sui, embarrassed, clutched his sleeve and said, “Tea soaked my clothes. I’ll go back first to change into another set; I’ll come again next time.”

Li Mu’s brows knit slightly. “Wait here for me a moment; I’ll be right back.”

Wang Ying and Lin Sui did not know what he intended, but with the Marquis having spoken, they could only go to the side corridor to wait.

“Does it hurt?” Since the scald was on his leg, it was inconvenient to check, and Wang Ying was quite worried.

Lin Sui shook his head. “It hurt when it first spilled, but now there’s not much feeling.”

Wang Ying glanced around and could not help muttering under his breath, “It feels like that maid did it on purpose—how can one not even hold a teacup steady?”

Lin Sui had the same feeling. “Could it be that the Old Madam is dissatisfied with me?”

“Even if she were dissatisfied, she could say it outright. Why resort to dousing someone with tea?” Wang Ying’s impression of the Li family plummeted, and by extension, he found Li Mu less pleasing to the eye.

If one were to marry into such a deep, grand household, could Lin Sui bear it? Better not to marry at all than to suffer like this.

After about a quarter of an hour, Li Mu returned—not alone, but dragging along that very maid from before.

The two immediately stood.

Coming up to them, Li Mu released his grip and pointed at the maid. “Was it she who spilled tea on you just now?”

The maid knelt and kowtowed incessantly. “It was all this maidservant’s fault. I beg the Marquis’s forgiveness, I beg the Marquis’s mercy.”

Lin Sui said awkwardly, “It’s nothing…”

Li Mu snorted coldly. “This maid has long been unruly. Several times at night she tried to slip into my room, but there are four soldiers on duty by my side, so she never found a gap. I didn’t expect she’d dare to do something so despicable today.”

Wang Ying widened his eyes in astonishment, fixing the maid with a gossip-laden stare—so the bed-climbing plotlines from television dramas really do exist!

The maid, realizing that the Marquis had laid bare what she had done, flushed scarlet with shame.

Some time ago, when she learned the Marquis was going to take a new spouse, she became anxious. She was already twenty years old this year; in a few years, the Old Madam might assign her to a houseboy. She would rather be a concubine of the Marquis than the wife of a menial.

Having seen the person chosen by the Marquis today, she felt Lin Sui’s looks were nothing special, and he was a young husband who had already been divorced—how could he compare to herself?

Driven by jealousy, she deliberately used hot tea to scald him while serving. A moment before, she had even secretly rejoiced at having driven him away, not expecting that the Marquis would discover it immediately after.

Li Mu continued, “If not for considering that you have served my mother for a fair length of time, you’d have been dismissed long ago. Since you remain incorrigible, there is no need to keep you.”

“This maid knows her wrongs…” Now truly frightened, the maid began to sob.

“Someone come. Drag her away and sell her off.”

“Marquis, don’t! Spare me—I was blinded by lard; I won’t dare again…”

Lin Sui did not want to make a big fuss; he hadn’t really been badly scalded. “How about… we let it go this time…”

“This time she dared scald a guest; next time she might scald Qing’er. Such a person cannot remain in the Marquis’s household.”

Wang Ying seconded, “Right. Servants must keep a servant’s place. Without rules, nothing can be set in order. The Marquis is right!”

Hearing his cousin’s words, Lin Sui also felt it reasonable. “Thank you, Marquis, for standing up for me.”

Li Mu then took out a small porcelain bottle from his breast and handed it over. “This is medicine for burns. Go back and apply it well. In a few days, I’ll personally come to apologize.”

Lin Sui took the salve and held it in his palm, bowed, and took his leave. Even after they exited the Marquis’s residence, the maid’s heart-rending cries could still be heard.

Seated in the carriage, Wang Ying sighed. “The Marquis is quite discerning—he could tell at a glance it was the maid’s trick.”

Lin Sui said, “I even thought the Old Madam disliked me.”

“In any case, so long as the Marquis treats you well, that is enough. The days ahead are for the two of you to live. Don’t be too forbearing in everything; otherwise the servants will bully the masters—some of those old, senior servants will end up stepping on your head.”

“I understand.”

—

In mid-September, Chen Qingyan’s letter arrived at the Cao family rickshaw shop in Longquan County.

Cao Kun, who had not received news for a long time, saw that it was a letter from his own cousin and immediately said to the clerks, “I’m heading home for a bit. Handle the small jobs yourselves; for big ones, come call me at home.”

“Got it, boss.”

Cao Kun hurried home. In the courtyard, Lin Qiu was washing clothes, and Chen Rong, with the baby on her back, was feeding the pigs.

“Where’s Xiaomai?”

Lin Qiu put down the clothes and said, “Asleep in the room. How are you back at this hour?”

“A letter has come back from the prefectural city. I’ve brought it for you to see.”

At this, Chen Rong immediately put down the slop bucket and came over. She was literate, and, taking the letter from her son-in-law, looked it over. “It’s Qingyan’s handwriting.”

Lin Qiu urged, “Quick, open it and read.”

She tore the seal and took out the letter. The three crowded together, reading it one character at a time. The front part mainly related the family’s recent situation, and that the provincial exam results would not be released until winter.

In the latter half, the tone shifted: “Sui’er is doing very well in the prefectural city, diligent and capable, and has helped the family a great deal. Now there is a marriage to be discussed with Aunt: the Marquis Wuping of the prefectural city has taken a fancy to our Lin Sui and wishes to marry him as his husband…”