Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A little over ten days later, the Second Young Master returned.

That day, after I had finished sorting the vegetables, I finally had a moment free and was washing clothes in the back courtyard when I suddenly heard a horse neigh from the front courtyard, followed by a whole series of noises.

Ever since disaster had struck the Wei Family, the vast estate had been lifeless and still. Now, hearing such a sudden commotion, my heart jumped, and I wondered in alarm whether officials had come to confiscate the property.

I mustered my courage and went out to look, only to nearly run headfirst into a wall of a man.

He had no attention to spare for me. Taking three steps in the space of two, he ran straight toward Madam’s courtyard. All I managed to glimpse was the dusty hem of his robe.

Following behind him at a trot was Steward Uncle Wu.

Uncle Wu was panting. When he passed me, he paused briefly and said, “Go heat some water for the Second Young Master.”

Uncle Wu’s eyes were bright, filled with a light I had not seen in a long while. I answered on instinct, then carefully chewed over what he had said-huh? The Second Young Master?

Just then, from Madam’s courtyard came a choked cry. “Mother-your son has returned too late-”

For some reason, my heart trembled too. Then a slow ache rose inside me. The Second Young Master had come back. At long last, the Wei Family was whole again.

The Second Young Master had ridden hard all the way home, so naturally he needed a proper hot bath. I set the water to boil and, of my own accord, added a few more dishes to the meal.

I thought Madam would not want the Second Young Master to know how poorly the Wei Family had been eating these days.

With the Second Young Master back, the manor finally gained a little vitality. The steward must have watched him grow up; over the next two days, when he gave us instructions, there was actually the occasional hint of a smile on his face.

The first thing the Second Young Master did after returning was invite the most famous physician in Shangjing City to take Madam’s and the Eldest Young Master’s pulses. Then he personally went out and bought some ginseng to stew into soup.

Now that the Second Young Master had returned, he could not be left without anyone to serve him, so Cui Jiu was transferred to his courtyard. As for the sweeping and cleaning, Uncle Wu said each courtyard would clean its own area, while the remaining front hall and corridors were assigned to me.

For the first time, I had the chance to leave the tiny kitchen and see other parts of the estate.

This Wei Family residence had beautifully designed gardens, understated and refined. I heard that back then, because the Crown Prince valued the Eldest Young Master, he had specially invited renowned craftsmen to build them.

But all I could do was take a quick look as I passed by.

I already had plenty of work on my hands, and now sweeping had been added on top of it, leaving me almost no time to rest. There was hardly anyone using the covered walkways, so all I had to sweep away were fallen leaves. Fortunately, autumn had not yet arrived, so sweeping once in the morning and once in the evening was enough.

One night, after I had cleaned the stove and set the bowls and chopsticks on the rack to drain, I picked up the broom as usual and went to sweep the front hall. As I walked along the corridor, I suddenly heard the sound of a xiao drifting from far away, flowing through the moonlight with an indescribable desolation and loneliness.

Looking north from the corridor was Madam’s courtyard. When the wind rose, I could faintly see the flower branches swaying in the distance. Looking south was the Eldest Young Master’s courtyard, hidden behind a cluster of lush green bamboo. Farther south still lived the Second Young Master, though his courtyard was more distant; only a corner of gray brick could be seen.

The sound of the xiao came from the south. I did not know whether it was the Eldest Young Master or the Second Young Master playing. I became entranced as I listened and, before I knew it, leaned against the long corridor hugging my broom. In the end, I did not even know how I returned. I only remembered that even in my dreams, some nameless melody seemed to echo faintly.

Later, when I went to sweep the courtyard again, I never heard the xiao after that. It was as if the wind lanterns swaying that night had been nothing but a dream.

On the fifth day after the Second Young Master returned, Madam came to my place.

She stood before the stove, simmering a bowl of mung bean soup to cool the summer heat. Then she crushed osmanthus flowers that had been dried in previous years. From the look of it, she meant to make osmanthus cakes.

This was the first time Madam had ever come to the kitchen, and she had not brought Sister Zhu’er with her.

She did not speak, and I did not dare strike up a conversation. I only silently pulled out a few pieces of firewood that were burning too fiercely to make the flame gentler. When I looked up again, I saw tears on Madam’s face.

The tears slid quietly down her cheeks, yet her body did not shake at all. Every part of her was held taut. I did not know how much pain was in her heart.

On my first day at the Wei Family, I had also been taken to Madam’s courtyard to let her see my face. Back then, I had only thought she was a very dignified and virtuous person. Now, after a mere dozen or so days, white hairs had appeared on her head, and her whole body had thinned down.

I knew Madam was here to make food for the Second Young Master.

Cui Jiu told me that Madam had driven the Second Young Master back to the academy to study, and he would leave tomorrow. With the Wei Family in its current state, the Second Young Master’s return would not help much. If the Wei Family wanted to rise again, someone had to enter the imperial court once more, and the Second Young Master still had to take the official path.

The mung bean soup and osmanthus cakes must have been things the Second Young Master used to love eating.

I took the handkerchief from inside my clothes, folded it neatly, and handed it over, placing it where Madam could reach it with a stretch of her hand. Then I turned around, gently pulled the door shut, and sat down against the wall with my knees hugged to my chest.

Seeing Madam like this made me think of my mother.

Back when I still had a mother, she would make sliced noodle soup for me too.

Later, when Mother’s health failed, she taught me how to cook. I used that skill to scrape by under my stepmother, and now I had come to the Wei Family to earn a living.

No matter how far the Wei Family had fallen, it still had a home.

But I had no home anymore.

Madam cried inside. I sat outside in a daze.

The setting sun at the edge of the sky was red as blood. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, I stood up, patted the dust from my clothes, leaned closer to listen to the movement inside, and only then pushed the door open and went in.

Madam had already composed herself and was arranging the basin for kneading dough. Only the corners of her eyes were still a little red. I went over and asked if there was anything I could help with.

Madam told me to ladle out a bowl of water.

Once the conversation had begun, Madam asked why I had stayed back then.

Of the few people left in the manor, I was the only one she was not familiar with.

I told her the truth. Apart from the Wei Family, I had nowhere else to go.

Madam sighed and said, “The Wei Family now can hardly be called a good place to go.”

Cui Jiu had said the same thing before.

But to me, where in this world would I not have to work? At the Wei Family, there was a roof over my head when it rained, noodles could be cooked in the pot when I was hungry, and I was paid silver every month. There could be no better days than these.