Chapter 3

Once it was settled, we passed ourselves off as two young girls from Mrs. Xue’s home district.

She would take us to the Zhou house in a few days, which would make us seem respectable and trustworthy.

“Explain it clearly to your sister,” Steward Zhou told me. “She must be good and sweet when she enters the house, so my mistress will take to her.”

I nodded.

“Stay with me until then,” Mrs. Xue offered warmly.

We spent three nights in her little room.

Before we left, she gave each of us a pair of shoes.

We tried them on. Both fitted perfectly.

She stroked the uppers, her voice a little hoarse. “I made them years ago. The colors have faded some. I hope you don’t mind.”

A wooden chest stood by the corner of the bed, secured with a small, finely made brass lock.

I wondered whether it held many more pairs, in every size from childhood onward.

At the back gate of the Zhou house, my sister suddenly spoke.

“If we leave Mrs. Xue all by herself, who’ll work the bellows for her? Sister, let’s go back!”

Mrs. Xue looked flustered.

She had a warm heart.

If she could have kept us, she would have.

She must have difficulties of her own.

I crouched, took my sister’s little hands, and carefully explained it all again.

“There’s a kind lady in this house, and she’s ill.”

“If you’re willing to be her daughter, keep her company, and make her happy, she’ll get better.”

My sister looked helplessly at Mrs. Xue.

Mrs. Xue smiled. “I’ll visit whenever I can and bring you flatbreads.”

Steward Zhou came out to meet us.

He led us down a path shaded by flowers and trees to a building.

A well-dressed, middle-aged man with a square face and broad forehead stood beneath the eaves, his hands clasped behind his back.

Steward Zhou bowed slightly.

The man looked us over from head to foot, nodded, and went inside.

Steward Zhou smiled and murmured, “You’ve passed the master’s inspection.”

Mrs. Xue was pleased too.

We followed him to his mistress’s rooms.

Before we even reached the door, there came a crash.

Something had broken.

Then we heard a groan.

Steward Zhou asked us to wait and hurried into the west wing.

A moment later, we heard him speaking angrily.

“Disgraceful! Why are you all in here playing cards?”

“Has your mistress ever treated you badly? Have you no conscience, neglecting her in broad daylight?”

A woman’s voice answered prettily. “Master Zhou, don’t be angry. No one’s refusing to care for her.”

“Xiaocui, what are you standing there for? Go on!”

Steward Zhou gave a cold laugh. “Yanhong, you haven’t become a concubine yet. Restrain yourself a little. Don’t get above your station.”

The woman laughed too. “Oh, listen to you! That’s unfair. I was the one on night duty yesterday.”

Steward Zhou came back out and stood beneath the eaves, his chest still heaving with anger.

Only after a good while did he enter the main room to ask his mistress’s permission, then come out to fetch us.

In the dim room, a thin, pale woman leaned against her pillows. “Why are there two of them?” she asked softly.

Steward Zhou answered respectfully. “Madam, the servants in these rooms barely manage to look after you. I bought a maid for the young lady as well.”

“She’s twelve, on a five-year contract for five taels of silver in total. With your permission, she can stay.”

The lady gave a faint smile. “One willing servant is enough. Ten unwilling ones are no use.”

“I trained them all myself. Now every last one watches me, waiting for me to breathe my last.”

She had said too much and began gasping violently.

I gathered my courage and went forward to adjust her pillows and rub her back.

My sister clung to the edge of the bed, looking up anxiously.

When the lady’s breathing eased, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and sighed. “An honest child. They’ll make you suffer for it.”

I dropped to my knees and bowed my head. “Thank you for taking us in, Madam!”

Seeing me, my sister tried to kneel too.

Mrs. Xue lifted her and gently set her on the edge of the bed. “Sit safely, young lady.”

The lady watched her with a smile. After a while, she said, “I’ll look through my books and choose you a proper name.”

Then she turned to me. “You shall be called Ruixiang.”