The Wife of a Loyal Servant - Chapter 32

Ling Bi was not overly surprised by her younger sister’s arrival. She was even fully aware of her purpose. She merely feigned ignorance, taking Xiao Shitou’s hand and asking him softly about everyday matters.

Xiao Shitou had never been shy around strangers, and with this aunt before him being so gentle and amiable, he naturally answered every question in his clear, crisp voice.

Ling Bi lightly stroked his cheek, a faint smile lingering at the corner of her lips all the while.

The annoyance in Ling Yu’s heart had been suppressed long before she entered the room. At this moment, she was holding Ling Bi’s daughter, Tangya, in her arms. The four-year-old Tang Ya not only closely resembled Ling Bi in appearance, but even her well-behaved and quiet nature was, according to Madam Zhou, exactly the same as Ling Bi’s in her childhood.

Hearing that the little girl had already started learning needlework, she was startled. Her questioning gaze turned to Ling Bi, who gave a slight nod: “For a girl, learning needlework early is fine. Anyway, it will only benefit her future.”

“Four years old… isn’t that a bit too early?” Ling Yu unconsciously frowned. What had she been doing at four? She couldn’t remember too clearly, but she certainly hadn’t started learning needlework yet.

Ling Bi smiled but did not pursue the topic. She motioned for her daughter to come closer to meet Xiao Shitou. Xiao Shitou, who had never met such a little older sister before, eyes shining, called out with exceptional loudness, “Sister!”

“She’s your cousin,” Ling Bi corrected him. The little one readily complied, “Cousin!” Tangya called out “cousin” softly and politely, after which Ling Bi sent them outside to play.

Watching the young cousins walk out hand in hand, she let out a low sigh.

“Why sigh, sister? I hear a ‘younger sister’ will soon join the household to keep you company. You should be happy. Why do you still wear such a worried expression?” Ling Yu asked, feigning confusion.

Ling Bi’s expression stiffened. She pursed her lips slightly, and only after a long pause did she reply slowly, “Why must you say such things to deliberately upset me? Continuing the husband’s family line is the fundamental duty of a wife. How could I possibly sever the family lineage for my own selfish reasons?”

“Sister, you are truly a virtuous woman. I am enlightened. Let me congratulate you then. From now on, not only will you have someone to share the household chores and finances, but you’ll even have someone to share your husband with. Once that one gives birth to a son, the Liang family will have an heir, and you, sister, can consider a major worry settled.”

“Only, you must remember to treat that child as your own in the future, and teach Tangya to always put her younger brother first, lest the child in the future thinks only of his birth mother. Also, you must always defer to that concubine and never think of competing with her. After all, this family will eventually belong to them, mother and son. If you offend them, you may suffer the consequences yourself, but you’ll also implicate your daughter, leaving her without any support from her maternal family.”

“Actually, the best thing would be to give up the title of principal wife as well. Since the family fortune and your husband are already hers, wouldn’t clinging to that title just be like a three-year-old clutching a priceless treasure?” Ling Yu’s tone was earnest, but the curve of her lips was full of mockery.

Ling Bi’s face grew paler and paler at these words. After a long while, she replied bitterly, “You’ve come here determined to twist the knife in my heart, haven’t you? You have Xiao Shitou, so of course you can hold your head high. But I, after all these years of marriage, only have Tangya. I’m fated to have no son, what can I do? My mother-in-law watches my every move, and your brother-in-law is buried in his studies. Even if he wished to shield me, he couldn’t do so often. Besides, how could I bear to trouble him constantly with these matters?”

“If that’s the case, then hasn’t Mother lived her whole life in vain? Besides, you’re only twenty-two this year. How far have you even traveled on life’s road? How can you talk of being ‘fated to have no son’?” Annoyed by her resignation yet still aching for the pressure she bore, Ling Yu sighed and grasped her hand. “Did you know, before the New Year, I asked the town’s ‘Sai Banxian’ to cast a divination for you? Have you heard of Sai Banxian?”

Ling Bi shook her head. “No.”

“He’s the fortune teller in town, and his divinations are remarkably accurate; that’s how he earned the name ‘Sai Banxian.’ Last time Shaotang was thrown in jail, Mother asked him for a reading. He said Shaotang was a man blessed by fortune who would certainly turn peril into safety. And look now! If he hadn’t been jailed, how would he have had the chance to become acquainted with Magistrate Guo? How could he have entered the yamen and become a constable? Tell me, isn’t this Sai Banxian accurate?” As she spoke, Ling Yu inwardly scorned herself, but her face wore an expression of complete sincerity.

“Well, if what you say is true, he does seem rather accurate.” A spark of interest lit in Ling Bi’s eyes.

Ling Yu steadied herself. “Ordinary fortune tellers are just ‘half-immortals.’ He is ‘Sai Banxian’—‘Better-than-a-Half-Immortal.’ Just from the name, you know he’s someone extraordinary. I asked him to cast a divination for you, sister. The reading said that this very year, you will surely receive the auspicious omen of ‘dreaming of a bear’!”

“Truly?!” Ling Bi straightened her back, her whole face alight with hope as she stared fixedly at her sister.

“Truly! I could never make up such words!” Ling Yu nodded emphatically. It was true that Ling Bi would be with child this year. Only whether it would be a boy or a girl was unknowable, for in their past life, this child had never had the chance to be born.

“Sister, think it over. What I said earlier was harsh, but was any of it a lie? All that talk about a concubine’s child being the principal wife’s child too—it’s nothing but men tricking their wives into raising their mistresses’ children, making them toil like oxen and horses. A child only truly becomes yours when it crawls from your own womb. Someone else’s child, no matter how fine or accomplished, has nothing whatsoever to do with you!” Seizing the moment, Ling Yu counseled her with grave earnestness. 

“Even if you won’t think of yourself, think of Tangya. Do you truly expect a son born to another woman and your husband to become your and Tangya’s support in the future? To speak plainly, that’s nothing short of a fool’s delusion!”

A shiver ran through Ling Bi. After a long silence, she murmured, almost to herself, “What you say… does make sense…”

With things said to this extent, Ling Yu knew it was time to stop. As long as her sister hadn’t given birth to a son, no matter how persuasively she spoke, it would only sway her temporarily. Before long, she would inevitably revert to playing the virtuous wife.

All she hoped for now was to postpone the taking of a concubine matter a little longer. If a pregnancy were confirmed in three months, then regardless of the child’s gender, there would at least be hope. As for the future, if her sister couldn’t learn to stand on her own, how long could Ling Yu possibly help her?

Just as the sisters were speaking, Mother Liang walked in, all smiles, leading a young woman. “This is your cousin-in-law and her younger sister from her maiden family. Eldest daughter-in-law, this is the Xu family cousin I mentioned to you.” Mother Liang held her niece’s hand dotingly, her smile unstoppable.

Ling Yu observed coldly, watching as Ling Bi, ever proper, stepped forward to greet her, exchanging familial addresses of ‘cousin’ and ‘cousin-in-law’ with the Xu girl.

“We’re all family, so I didn’t bring anything too valuable. This is Jade Complexion Cream from Liufang Hall, priceless and hard to come by. I’ve heard even the Prefect’s wife and daughters can scarcely obtain a single box. Cousin-in-law, you probably haven’t tried it. Please accept this box as a token of our meeting, and I hope you won’t find it beneath you.” Miss Xu said with a hint of smugness as she presented her gift.

Ling Yu finally couldn’t help but turn away to cough. Even Ling Bi and Mother Liang wore expressions of mild bewilderment.

“My apologies, that was most improper.” Ling Yu dabbed the corner of her mouth. The young Miss Xu swept a disdainful glance her way.

Ultimately unwilling to let her niece lose face, Mother Liang gave a light cough. “This Jade Complexion Cream is a rare treasure indeed. It’s quite something that you managed to acquire it.”

“It’s nothing, really. I happen to be on friendly terms with Miss Yang of Liufang Hall, which is why I can obtain it more easily than others.” Miss Xu smiled demurely, then retrieved the Jade Complexion Cream, which was wrapped in a handkerchief.

Ling Yu leaned forward for a look, her lips twitching slightly. She couldn’t help commenting, “This is the famed Jade Complexion Cream? How odd, I don’t recall it being so small. This bit here is scarcely larger than a thumbnail, isn’t it?”

Miss Xu’s face stiffened momentarily before she swiftly masked it. “This version isn’t sold to the public; it’s reserved for family use only. Hence the smaller container.”

“Oh, I see!” Ling Yu nodded, affecting an air of sudden understanding. Ling Bi, however, swiftly smoothed over her own look of surprise and accepted the tiny box with perfect grace. “Thank you so much for the thoughtful gift, cousin.”

Ling Yu’s eyes darted from Mother Liang to Miss Xu, finally settling on her sister, who was ‘carefully’ placing the minuscule box of cream into her vanity case. 

What a truly kind-hearted soul my sister is! She sighed inwardly.

Ling Yu did not frequent Liufang Hall often. Moreover, since its manager was her elder brother Ling Dachun, very few people knew she was, in fact, one of its proprietors, let alone this Miss Xu, whom she was meeting for the first time.

Mother Liang had never expected her niece to act this way. Unable to correct her in front of everyone, she felt acutely embarrassed, and her manner toward the girl cooled noticeably from its initial warmth.

Ling Yu lowered her head to hide her smile. This is a most unexpected boon. Mother Liang’s greatest flaw was her obsession with saving face. Now that the niece she had favored had made her lose face before her daughter-in-law’s family, even if she said nothing outwardly, she was sure to hold a grudge against Miss Xu.

Over in the east chamber, Cheng Shaotang was also speaking earnestly to Liang Huaisheng. “Brother-in-law, taking a concubine immediately after passing the provincial examination only hands your detractors a weapon. Moreover, my sister is your mentor’s daughter. Given that connection, for you to take another woman into your household when your career is barely established and your reputation still unsecured would be gravely detrimental to your name and future prospects.”

Liang Huaisheng’s expression turned grave. After a long pause, he sighed. “How could I be unaware of all this? But your sister’s nature… Ever since the damage to her health during Tangya’s birth, she has been consumed by guilt. I have comforted her earnestly many times, to little avail. I was also against taking a concubine, but she is so determined. In the end, I have not been able to dissuade her…”

“Set your mind at ease, brother-in-law. Xiao Yu will offer her some earnest counsel.” Cheng Shaotang’s thin lips pressed together briefly, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. In the end, he did not expose the man’s pretense, merely nodding in acknowledgment.

“In that case, I am most grateful.” After the couple took their leave, Cheng Shaotang shifted his sleeping son in his arms and let out a long sigh. “Huaisheng is no honorable gentleman. He falls short even when compared to me.”

Ling Yu stumbled, nearly losing her footing. She whirled around to glare at him. “What did you just say?”

Cheng Shaotang steadied her arm. “I said your brother-in-law may not be a worthy match for your sister.” 

Had he openly declared that taking a concubine was his own wish, one could still call him forthright. Instead, he laid all the blame upon his wife’s shoulders. A stark departure from his usual gentlemanly demeanor. 

For such a man, unless his wife’s family holds enough sway to check him, once he gains power and rises above them, his wife’s future will be bleak, even if he never goes so far as to set her aside for a new wife.

Ling Yu fell silent. In her past life, her sister had died amidst the chaos of war. Tangya had lived with her grandmother, Mother Liang, who, despite her many flaws, had at least fulfilled her basic duty to her granddaughter. As for Liang Huaisheng… well, up until the day Ling Yu herself died in that former life, he had remained nothing more than a Provincial Graduate.

Instead of returning to their home near the county office, the couple changed course for Cheng Village. Madam Wang and Cheng Shaoan were both surprised and delighted to see the family of three.

Inside, Jin Qiaorong, who had been working on her embroidery, frowned at the sounds of talk and laughter outside. Setting aside her embroidery frame, she rose and went out.

From the main hall drifted the laughter of her mother-in-law and husband, mingled with the voices of her elder brother-in-law and his wife.

She considered a moment, gathered her skirt to enter, but then Cheng Shaoan’s voice reached her ears again—

“Sister-in-law, how about letting me have a bit more space at Liufang Hall? At most, I’ll pay an extra thirty coppers a month in rent. What do you say?”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Sister-in-law, please, do me this favor! How about forty coppers?”

“It’s truly not a matter of price. The shop has recently taken in a large shipment of rouge and cosmetics, and we simply cannot spare any more space,” Ling Yu replied helplessly.

“Sister-in-law, please, have some mercy…” Cheng Shaoan refused to give up.

Jin Qiaorong’s expression shifted several times. Unable to listen any longer, she turned and retreated to her own room.

Meanwhile, after much persuasion, Cheng Shaoan had finally managed to secure Ling Yu’s agreement to clear a little more space for him at Liufang Hall, allowing him to expand his venture.

He returned to their room in high spirits to share the good news with his wife. To his surprise, Jin Qiaorong listened with an indifferent expression, paying him no heed whatsoever as she continued threading her needle.

Cheng Shaoan scratched the back of his ear, still wanting to say something, when he heard Xiao Shitou calling “Uncle!” from outside. With a laugh, he answered loudly and promptly strode out the door.

Watching the door close once more, Jin Qiaorong bit down hard on her lip. Finally unable to contain herself any longer, she hurled the embroidery frame to the floor with a heavy thud.

It wasn’t until late that night, as the couple lay in bed and she listened to her husband beside her prattle on about leveraging Liufang Hall’s popularity to stock more goods and increase their monthly income, that she suddenly flipped over and sat upright.

“What’s… what’s wrong?” Cheng Shaoan finally noticed, belatedly, that her expression was truly dreadful, and asked in astonishment.

“Must we forever be incapable of opening our own shop and being our own masters? Must we forever grovel and beg others to dole out a scrap of space?” Her face was livid with anger as she demanded.

“Isn’t it simply because we haven’t saved up enough money yet?” Cheng Shaoan replied.

“If the money’s short, we can borrow some from Mother first. Combined with what we have, it would be nearly enough. Why must we still be stuck nesting in their Liufang Hall?!”

“What’s so bad about Liufang Hall? It’s a bustling spot. Even if customers go there specifically for their products, they’ll still take a look at our fabrics and garments on the side. Haven’t you noticed our business has never done poorly?” Cheng Shaoan said, somewhat smugly.

“Our business isn’t bad because our materials, styles, and craftsmanship are all superior. What does that have to do with Liufang Hall! ‘Good wine needs no bush.’ If our products are good, then even in a mediocre location, our business would be no worse than it is while we’re stuck in Liufang Hall!” Jin Qiaorong grew angrier with every word.

They were both daughters-in-law of the Cheng family, both earning their keep through their own skills. Why should she have to defer to the whims of the eldest branch?

“What you say isn’t wrong. All right, all right, don’t be angry. I’ll start looking for a shop in the coming days,” Cheng Shaoan hastily soothed.

Jin Qiaorong was still fuming. “You only talk about how much we’ve benefited from Liufang Hall. Why don’t you mention how many times we’ve been dragged into its troubles?” 

Several times, people had come to cause trouble for Liufang Hall. Even if they hadn’t succeeded, hadn’t they still implicated her and her husband? 

“And with all that, they still dare to charge us rent? And they call themselves family! I see she’s clearly fallen headfirst into a money pit!” At this, she grew even angrier.

Cheng Shaoan was stunned for a moment before he realized who “she” referred to. “You’ve misunderstood,” he said hastily. “Eldest sister-in-law hasn’t collected any rent. It’s just that Mother said Liufang Hall isn’t hers alone, and she didn’t want to put her in an awkward position. That’s why we symbolically give a few coins as rent, to show we’re not the sort who take kindness for granted.”

Little did he know that his words would have the opposite effect. Jin Qiaorong’s face changed drastically, her voice turning shrill. “Take kindness for granted? I earn money through my own skills! Has it all somehow become a favor bestowed by her?!”

“That’s not at all what Mother meant, it’s just… it’s just…” Cheng Shaoan, at a complete loss for how to explain, grew so flustered his face flushed crimson.

But Jin Qiaorong was in the heat of her fury and would not hear him. She wept and railed, “I always knew you and your mother thought me inferior to her in every way! We’re all part of the same family. Who is nobler than whom? Why must I always be one step beneath her?”

Seeing her tears, Cheng Shaoan grew even more frantic. He coaxed and cajoled from every angle, piling sweet words one atop another, but Jin Qiaorong’s tears only fell faster and fiercer, and she absolutely refused to listen to a word he said.

Cheng Shaoan was also a spoiled man. After humbling himself to coax her for so long with not the slightest effect, and then even being dragged into it himself, denounced to his face as ‘a hopeless good-for-nothing, not a real man’, he finally snapped. He spun on his heel and stormed out without even throwing on an outer coat.

Seeing him slam the door and leave, Jin Qiaorong cried even harder.

The quarrel between the second branch’s couple in the west room naturally reached Cheng Shaotang and Ling Yu in the east room, though they couldn’t make out the words. It was only when Cheng Shaoan slammed the door and stormed out that Ling Yu nudged Cheng Shaotang’s hand. “Aren’t you going to check on him? It’s the middle of the night. If Mother finds out Shaoan ran off like this, she’ll worry herself sick.”

Cheng Shaotang shook his head, sighing as he dressed. “I’d thought he’d matured some after marrying. It seems he’s still the same. To quarrel with his wife and even dare to slam the door and storm out after only a few months of marriage… Once the novelty wears off and the days stretch long, won’t they turn the whole house upside down?”

Ling Yu, who was helping him adjust his clothing, shot him an unamused look at his words. “So my novelty has worn off for you already? No wonder you wanted to pick a fight with me last time!”

Cheng Shaotang gave a silent chuckle, shook his head, and went out. Thinking she hadn’t heard, he muttered under his breath, “Women do love holding a grudge. That was ages ago, and she still remembers!”

Ling Yu burst out laughing. Quite right, I do hold a grudge—and I keep a meticulous mental ledger of every single one! One day, I’ll find the right moment to settle all the accounts with him.

Barely half an hour later, the sound of a door opening came from the west room opposite, and shortly after, Cheng Shaotang returned. 

Ling Yu knew he must have persuaded Cheng Shaoan to go back inside and didn’t press for details. 

As the saying goes, ‘Couples who quarrel at the head of the bed make up at its foot.’ Given how dotingly fond Cheng Shaoan was of his wife, his anger surely wouldn’t last long.

Sure enough, the next morning, the couple appeared just as they always did, not a hint of discord between them. 

Although Jin Qiaorong wore a smile on her face as she watched Ling Yu across from her speaking with her son, she noticed the uniquely styled plum blossom hairpin adorning her hair. She had seen that very hairpin once at the Treasure Pavilion in the county town—it cost two taels of silver.

Her gaze turned dark and brooding. Two taels of silver… We’re both Cheng family daughters-in-law, yet the one from the eldest branch flaunts a hairpin worth that much. She doesn’t have to lift a finger, yet a steady stream of silver flows to her daily. And I? I must depend on her charity, on a scrap of space she deigns to give, just to get my dress shop off the ground.

Unconsciously, her hands clenched, tightly twisting the fabric of her sleeves. In virtue, appearance, speech, and domestic skill, I am her equal in every respect. So why…?

“Auntie, look!” A child’s clear, piping voice suddenly cut through her brooding. She looked down, and a soft, plump green caterpillar appeared before her eyes.

“Ah!” she shrieked, instinctively slapping the small hand away with force.

Xiao Shitou let out a loud “Waa!” and burst into tears, immediately drawing the attention of Ling Yu and the others inside.

“What happened? Why is his little hand all red? Let Grandma rub it. There, there, don’t cry.” Madam Wang was the first to rush over. She scooped up Xiao Shitou, who had tumbled to the floor, and began comforting him.

Ling Yu glanced at the wriggling caterpillar on the floor, then at Jin Qiaorong’s pale face, and understood at once. “I’m so sorry,” she said apologetically. “He didn’t mean to frighten you. He has this habit of ‘sharing’ anything he finds novel. Even I have been startled by him more times than I can count.”

“You’re really something,” Cheng Shaoan said, embarrassed that his wife had struck his little nephew. He cleared his throat and put on a stern face. “It’s just a worm. How could you be so frightened? You’re acting less brave than a child.”

Seeing him not only withhold comfort but actually blame her, Jin Qiaorong felt even more wronged. But with her mother-in-law and the eldest branch’s family present, she couldn’t voice her resentment.

Xiao Shitou was an easy child to soothe. Within moments, his sobs subsided, and he nestled obediently against his grandmother. 

Jin Qiaorong did feel a twinge of guilt. She tried to coax him with osmanthus candy, but Xiao Shitou still remembered how much her slap had stung and buried his face in Madam Wang’s bosom, refusing to look at her. Jin Qiaorong stood awkwardly to the side, the candy held uselessly in her hand.

With a sigh of exasperation, Ling Yu pulled her son over and gave his fleshy bottom a light swat. “You were the one who scared Auntie with the worm first. That was wrong. Since Auntie isn’t angry with you, how can you be angry with her?”

The little fellow was most afraid of his mother’s displeasure. Seeing her stern expression, his lips trembled into a pitiful pout.

“It’s all right, sister-in-law. I don’t blame him,” Jin Qiaorong said softly. She took Xiao Shitou’s hand and placed the osmanthus candy in his palm. This time, he didn’t pull away.