Chapter 3
A little girl of six or seven came running from the inner room, her hair in two buns, her round eyes full of expectation and her chubby cheeks bouncing with every step.
The sight of her slowly eased the tightness in my chest.
I took out the plum-blossom hair tie and waved it in front of her eyes. Amid squeals of delight, I tied it into her hair.
With a new hair tie, who needed a mother?
Off she went, so delighted that she never noticed the stranger in our house. Halfway to the door, she stopped short, turned back, and planted a loud kiss on me.
Smiling, I watched her admire herself in the bronze mirror. Then I turned and helped the woman I had neglected all this while into a chair.
She had been perfectly quiet until she sat down, when a soft hiss escaped her.
Understanding at once, I crouched and removed those filthy embroidered shoes.
Just as I thought. How could such delicate showpieces be fit for a mountain path? Several large blisters had already risen on her pale feet.
A young lady of her background had probably never suffered anything like it.
Yet she had endured the whole walk.
I rummaged through my broad wooden chest for a sewing needle, held it in the candle flame, and pierced the blisters one by one. Then I sent Xiaohua to pick dandelions, crushed them for their juice, and applied it to her feet.
She did not make a sound. Her eyes reddened, but she kept her teeth sunk into her lower lip and let me work.
Once everything was done, I opened the door and let Xiaohua go show off to her friends. With no one else in the room, the woman finally spoke softly.
“I will never forget your kindness. My name is Wanrong, and one day I will repay my benefactor properly.”
As she spoke, she stood and bowed gracefully.
I scrambled up as well.
“Just call me Lin Xiushui. I’m only a midwife. Being called a benefactor makes me feel odd.”
She introduced herself. “I am Zhou Wanrong, Lady Qinghe, daughter of Princess Huayang. And now the lawful wife of the Marquis of Yongning.”
At that, her eyes dropped, and she gave a bitter smile.
“Today I left the estate to pray for my unborn child at Lingyin Temple. I never imagined my driver would conspire with outsiders to send me to my death in a carriage crash.”
Afraid I would not believe her, she reached inside her clothes and drew out a piece of jade worn against her pale neck.
The size of a baby’s fist, it was lustrous as cream, smooth as butter, and warm to the touch. At its center stood one neatly carved character: Zhou.
No ordinary thing.
It must have been worth many times the priceless jade vases the maid at the Yongning estate had boasted about.
I already believed her. But remembering that little maid’s words made my heart pound.
Seeing my expression change and the distress on my face, Zhou Wanrong pleaded urgently, “Miss Lin, could you take me back to the Yongning estate as soon as possible?”
I could find no words. My mouth was dry, and I could scarcely meet those hopeful eyes.
The room was silent. The only sound was a woman’s strained voice, stumbling over the words.
“But I was just called to the Yongning estate today…”
“To deliver the marchioness’s baby.”