Chapter Eight: The Third Brother

Before dawn the next morning, Xu Ruojin awoke. Thinking of the man from last night, she only scoffed coldly for a while, then resolved to cast him from her mind entirely. He had already taken away the jade pendant, her gratitude for saving her life had been expressed—what was left to dwell on? It was far more sensible to focus on today’s lessons.

Chuncao, of course, knew nothing of last night’s events. She merely noticed the second young lady’s gloomy expression, though she had no idea why. Seeing that it was getting late, she fetched a clean set of clothes and helped Xu Ruojin dress, then took the initiative to collect breakfast from the kitchen.

Old Madam Chen, still shaken from the fright she’d received yesterday, dared not skimp on a single thing this morning; whatever delicacy she could find, she brought forth. With a table of pleasing dishes before her, Xu Ruojin’s resentment faded, and she exchanged a smile with Chuncao. Without a word spoken, mistress and maid drew even closer in spirit.

After breakfast, Xu Ruojin, accompanied by Chuncao, made her way toward her younger brother’s courtyard. The Xu family, including Xu Ruojin herself, had three children in total. The eldest brother, Xu Zilin, was already over twenty and held a sinecure post at the county yamen, living off their father’s reputation. The youngest, Xu Zimo, was thirteen, two years younger than Xu Ruojin, and only held the lowest student qualification, one their father had bought with silver.

Not one member of the family was truly reliable or accomplished; their father was nothing more than a ninth-rank petty official. The patriarch of the Zhang family held a fifth-rank position in the Ministry of Personnel—a significant post in the current court. Even if Xu Ruojin was to marry only the Zhang family’s grandson, it was still a connection beyond the Xu family’s reach.

Xu Ruojin could not help but wonder: if the Zhang family looked down on them, why seek such an alliance? Had her father caught them in some scandal, forcing their hand? But one family resided in the county and the other in the capital; they had barely any connection at all. What’s more, the Zhang ancestral home was in Zhonglin County, and even the county magistrate treated them with special deference—her father would never have a word to say in their presence.

No matter how she pondered it, the whole matter was strange, but no one would give her an answer. Xu Ruojin forced herself to drop the thought. What good would knowing the answer do her? If she did not want to be at the mercy of others, to live or die as they pleased, she had only one choice: to become strong herself.

Knowledge is power, she reminded herself. At the very least, she had to master reading first. Although she’d discovered yesterday, after poring over the books for a long while, that all the books of this era were written in traditional characters, she could only rely on memory to smooth her way through the “Three Character Classic.” If she wanted to reach for knowledge with ease, she would have to start from the beginning.

Upon entering Xu Zimo’s courtyard, Xu Ruojin could not help but feel astonished. The small courtyard she lived in had once been a storage yard, utterly incomparable to this one. Here, elegant rockeries and flowering shrubs surrounded pavilions and waterside alcoves. Dozens of ornamental carp meandered lazily through a winding stream; a locust, no bigger than a pinky finger, perched on a floating leaf, leapt into the grass at the sound of approaching footsteps, vanishing from sight.

A pug was kept in a cage by the main house door, rotund and short-legged, seemingly lacking even the strength to rise. It barely lifted its eyelids when it saw Xu Ruojin and Chuncao, grunted twice, and flopped back down.

“So this is what they mean when they say comparison leads to despair,” Xu Ruojin muttered to herself. “Best to keep an even mind.”

As she spoke, she noticed a maid in the distance watering the flowers. The girl cast only a quick glance their way before turning her back, showing not the slightest concern for Xu Ruojin and Chuncao’s arrival. This display of indifference was bewildering. Even if she was not favored, she was still the second young lady of the household. Yang-shi and the eldest young madam could snub her because they were family; Old Madam Chen made trouble for her because she felt cheated out of her own little profits. But for a lowly maid to show her such disregard—what sort of madness was this?

Chuncao, seeing her mistress’s brow furrow, immediately understood what she was thinking. She leaned in to whisper the maid’s identity: “I know her, miss. Her name is Forsythia, niece to Madam Huang. She’s already betrothed, soon to marry one of the old master’s long-serving attendants.”

“No wonder she’s so haughty, eyes practically growing out the back of her head,” Xu Ruojin said, not bothering to engage with the girl. “Go and ask where lessons are held. We’ll find our own way.”

Chuncao nodded and hurried over to inquire. After listening for a while, Forsythia raised her voice and called out, “What are you doing here so early? The young master isn’t even awake yet. The tutor won’t be here for at least another half hour. I can’t just let outsiders roam the courtyard—what if the young master gets upset? Better wait here.”

Chuncao’s face turned awkward as she looked back at Xu Ruojin; her mistress could not have missed such a loud declaration. “Then serve tea,” Xu Ruojin replied, “I’ll wait in the pavilion.” She did not wish to stir up trouble before the lesson, so she chose to step back.

Forsythia approached. “Please don’t take offense, Second Miss. I still have to tend the flowers for the young master. I don’t have time to serve you. If you can be patient, I’ll bring you a cup of water when the young master rises.”

“I’ll go instead,” Chuncao quickly interjected, hoping to smooth things over. “Sister Forsythia, could you show me where to fetch water?”

Forsythia shot her a contemptuous look. “This is the young master’s courtyard. Outsiders can’t just wander around. You’d best stay put.”

Chuncao’s embarrassment was obvious; she did not know what to say. Xu Ruojin, however, was not angered. Instead, she smiled.

“You know who I am, yet you neither greet me nor serve tea. Is it because you believe that, since you’re soon to be married, it no longer matters whether you serve your masters, or do you simply think I’m beneath you and can be brushed off with a few words?”

Forsythia had not expected Xu Ruojin to speak to her in this way. Her eyes darted about as she tried to come up with an excuse. “Please don’t misunderstand, Second Miss. I didn’t mean it that way. I was just busy tending the young master’s flowers and didn’t have time for you. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

“Of course I won’t hold it against you. I wouldn’t dare delay your work. I’ll wait here in the sun, and if I faint from the heat, I’ll simply return to my own courtyard. Or perhaps, when the Zhang family arrives in a few days, you could meet them in my stead?”

Xu Ruojin looked Forsythia up and down. “Actually, I think you’re rather capable. So loyal to your master—no one could compare. It’s a pity you’re only marrying a servant. When I marry, I’ll need more than one maid as part of my dowry. Why not ask the mistress to assign you to me? What do you think?”

Forsythia was taken aback, dropping the shears in her hand. “Wha—what?”

Xu Ruojin’s smile faded; her narrowed eyes glinted with coldness. “Do you really think my temper is so mild that you can order me about as you please? Hmm?”

Panic flickered across Forsythia’s face; she was at a loss for what to do. Just then, a plump figure approached from the distance. Forsythia, hearing the footsteps, looked over and lit up with delight, hurrying over to fawn. “Young Master, you’re up so early!”

Xu Zimo responded casually, then turned to Xu Ruojin. “Second Sister? You’re here so early. Tutor Wang won’t arrive for at least half an hour.”

Although Xu Zimo was two years younger than Xu Ruojin, he was twice her size—not in height, but in width. As he waddled over, his flesh quivered with every step.

His attitude took Xu Ruojin by surprise. He was the first person in the Xu household to speak to her without scorn or disdain.