Four Seasons Brocade – CH 016

Chapter 16 ☆、 Strange Garden, Strange Guest, Not Strange

Lady Cui shook her head. “This shop purchase is no small matter. Our daughter’s family does not go out much, and we might be swindled if we do not know the market. Besides, your father was just selected as a Hanlin scholar, a prestigious official. If he knew we were buying a shop behind his back, I am afraid people would gossip about him.”

Ah Wu had already considered these concerns; otherwise, she would not have come to speak with Lady Cui.

“Madam, you are mistaken. Among the ladies of prominent families in the capital, which one does not own a shop or two? Take Scholar Wang of the Hanlin Academy, for example; his daughter’s dowry included two shops near the East Gate. Even Father’s superior has such things. What’s a little property for Mother?”

“How do you know Scholar Wang’s daughter had shops as part of her dowry?” Lady Cui asked curiously.

“Uh…” This put Ah Wu in a difficult position. She’d blurted out something she knew from her past life, unsure if it was true in this life. But she’d appease Lady Cui for now, and if asked later, she’d just say she’d misheard. “I heard it from a maid in Eldest Uncle’s household.”

The eldest son’s household had countless maids; Lady Cui did not doubt it. Women loved to gossip, so the eldest son’s household naturally had sources.

“But what kind of business should we do after we take over the shops?” Lady Cui hesitated.

Ah Wu had already planned what kind of business, but since nothing was concrete yet, there was no rush to discuss it.

“Sister Si-Hua, could you please pour me a cup of hot tea?” Ah Wu dismissed Si-Hua, then pulled Lady Cui aside and whispered, “Let’s not talk about the business for now. I think Madam should tell Father about this first. He’s more involved in the outside world and knows the situation better than we women in the inner quarters.”

“That’s right.” Even if Ah Wu had not said it, Lady Cui would have told Third Master Rong anyway.

“But this shop cannot be taken over in our name. The Duke’s Mansion does not own any private property.” Ah Wu did not mention this, except for the daughter-in-law’s dowry, but everyone knew Lady Cui did not own any shops. This extra shop would cause a lot of trouble later, and it might even benefit someone else.

“Madam, Father should find a reliable person to take it over in his name.” Not having divided the family property was troublesome.

Lady Cui nodded, finding her youngest child’s recent sharpness a sign of good fortune. She attributed it to the blessings of the Bodhisattva she had prayed to; her husband had achieved high honors, her sons were filial, and now her daughter was intelligent—she truly had no more desires.

In truth, Lady Cui had wondered how Ah Wu had become so clever, but what mother did not wish for her children’s well-being? She could only think of the good in her heart, convincing herself to dispel her doubts and simply assume Ah Wu had become more enlightened and sensible after studying.

As for Third Master Rong, although he knew his youngest daughter’s temperament, he spent more time studying away from home than being at home. He attributed it to Lady Cui’s effective parenting and did not suspect anything.

Only the two head maids in Ah Wu’s room harbored some suspicions, but they only dared to discuss it behind her back. Ah Wu usually relied on her fifth sister to speak and act, which fooled them for a while. Later, through a combination of kindness and strictness, she completely controlled Zi-Yan and Zi-Shan, leaving them speechless. Over time, they grew accustomed to it.

Only Ah Wu sighed, realizing she was still too young, making many things inconvenient. Fortunately, Lady Cui was not one to think things through and readily obeyed; otherwise, things would not have been so convenient.

That night, Lady Cui told Rong Jichang about the shop acquisition. Rong Jichang immediately agreed, saying he would find someone to handle it, but from then on, the management would still depend entirely on his wife. The two chatted and laughed, enjoying a sweet moment together before leaving the matter unresolved.

Rong Jichang’s efficiency exceeded Ah Wu’s expectations. Only five days later, she heard from Lady Cui that they had acquired a shop located on East Street, under the name of Third Master Rong’s wet nurse.

Third Master Rong’s wet nurse had offended the Old Madam and was expelled from the Rong mansion ten years ago. However, Third Master Rong had always remembered her kindness, visiting her every year and sending gifts. The wet nurse was also extremely loyal to him; otherwise, the Old Madam would not have found a pretext to expel her.

As for what kind of business to run, Lady Cui did not discuss it with Ah Wu anymore, because Third Master Rong had already thought of it for her: a needlework shop. Lady Cui’s embroidery style was unique, and with her guidance, the shop should do quite well. If Ah Wu were to give advice, she would also suggest a needlework shop.

The remaining matters were temporarily no longer Ah Wu’s concern, which made her feel more relaxed. As for the management of the maids in the courtyard, Ah Wu mentioned it to Lady Cui, who reprimanded the scribe and the painter, but it was not very effective. She could only bear with it for now and wait for a more suitable opportunity.

Ah Wu had her own plans, but the time was not right yet.

After their fight, neither Ah Wu nor Fourth Young Lady Rong had gone to school for half a month. When Fourth Young Lady Rong returned to school, Ah Wu was like a completely different person.

Fourth Young Lady Rong, having won the fight, felt superior to Ah Wu and looked at her with pity, saying, “Sixth Sister.”

Ah Wu glanced at her coldly, bowed, and replied, “Fourth Sister,” before settling back into her chair without saying another word. She was using this opportunity to change, to avoid getting tired of her later.

It was normal for a young girl to change after something like this.

Fourth Young Lady Rong kicked Ah Wu’s chair leg in frustration, but Ah Wu ignored her, letting Fourth Young Lady Rong’s punch land on cotton.

“Oh, what’s going on? Are you still blaming me?” Fourth Young Lady Rong shrieked.

Ah Wu remained silent.

Fourth Young Lady Rong, using the same trick again, splashed ink on Ah Wu’s skirt. Ah Wu, having deliberately worn the same skirt Fourth Young Lady Rong had splashed with ink on the other day, was not afraid of being splashed again.

Ah Wu stood up. Fourth Young Lady Rong smiled, expecting Ah Wu to lash out again, but then saw her pack up her books and say to Zi-Shan, “You stay here and ask the teacher for leave for me. I am going back to change my clothes.” With that, Ah Wu did not even look at Fourth Young Lady Rong and turned to leave.

Fourth Young Lady Rong was completely annoyed.

Fifth Young Lady Rong, however, watched Ah Wu’s retreating figure thoughtfully. Her little sister did not seem any more humble because of the kowtow and apology that day; on the contrary, her back was even straighter. Looking at Fourth Young Lady Rong, Fifth Young Lady Rong curled her lip.

In the past, Fifth Young Lady Rong had looked down on Ah Wu. Talented women were often proud, and Ah Wu’s past record was particularly problematic; Fifth Young Lady Rong’s disdain was understandable. Although Ah Wu had changed a lot recently, Fifth Young Lady Rong’s opinion of her had not changed much.

Therefore, when Fourth Young Lady Rong and Ah Wu fought, Fifth Young Lady Rong did not rush to intervene. She wanted them to embarrass themselves so they would behave better in the future.

But after the ink-splashing and kowtowing incident, Fifth Young Lady Rong actually thought more highly of Ah Wu.

Compared to Fourth Young Lady Rong’s unreliability, Ah Wu, despite her young age, was well-behaved, patient, and intelligent—far more so than Fourth Young Lady Rong. Fifth Young Lady Rong could not help but think highly of someone so clever, and being her sister, she harbored some ulterior motives.

One day, after Teacher Bai’s class ended, Fifth Young Lady Rong, unusually, called out to Ah Wu, “Sixth Sister, let’s go together.”

Usually, Ah Wu would go to Tinglan Isle with Fourth Young Lady Rong first.

Ah Wu stopped in surprise, not expecting Fifth Young Lady Rong to greet her first. Fifth Young Lady Rong had risen to fame that year, and with it, her arrogant, self-important nature, so Ah Wu was truly surprised by her initiative.

As for Ah Wu, there was an inherent competitive spirit among talented women; neither would yield to the other. Ah Wu had never respected this half-baked talent in her past life, so she had always maintained a lukewarm attitude towards Fifth Young Lady Rong in this one.

But today, Fifth Young Lady Rong had extended an olive branch, and Ah Wu had no reason not to accept. It was always best for sisters to be close, and it was best not to turn against each other unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, Fourth Young Lady Rong herself lacked substance and was arrogant, inevitably losing her self-awareness and appearing arrogant, shallow, and foolish. Ah Wu could only keep her distance from such a person.

Now, the Old Madam had stirred up a rift between Ah Wu and Fourth Young Lady Rong, and there was no turning back.

Seeing Fifth Young Lady Rong and Ah Wu leave together, Fourth Young Lady Rong was furious. She quickly grabbed her handkerchief, rushed ahead of them, and walked away with her head held high.

In Tinglan Isle, Gu Yu praised Ah Wu again without reservation. Ah Wu was becoming increasingly outstanding in her musical skills. Fifth Young Lady Rong privately asked Ah Wu for guidance, and the two gradually grew closer. Fifth Young Lady Rong observed that Ah Wu was well-mannered and not overly ambitious. Her speech and behavior were becoming more and more pleasing to the eye. Furthermore, with Rong Jichang being appointed to the Hanlin Academy, she became more proactive towards Ah Wu.

Meanwhile, one day while dining with Lady Cui, Ah Wu felt something strange in her mouth. She touched it and felt her upper front tooth loosen. Ah Wu tugged at it and, to her surprise, pulled out a tooth by the root.

“Oh, our Ah Wu is starting to lose her baby teeth?” Lady Cui exclaimed with a smile.

Nanny Li, standing nearby, quickly took the tooth from Ah Wu’s hand and looked at her mouth. “It’s an upper tooth. You have to throw it under the bed so you can grow a set of perfectly straight teeth like grains of rice.”

With that, Nanny Li and Lady Cui pulled Ah Wu into her room and made her close her eyes and throw the tooth under the bed herself.

Now that Ah Wu was missing a tooth, she could not speak clearly and often made mistakes. If she opened her mouth even slightly, a gap in her teeth would be visible, making her too embarrassed to speak. No matter how much people teased her, she would not say a word or laugh. This led Rong Jichang to tease her as soon as he returned home, and her two older brothers also liked to tease her whenever they had the chance.

Ah Wu found them annoying. One day, the Old Madam came to say that she did not have to go to school that day, so Ah Wu went to the back garden to relax. The courtyard of the Duke’s Mansion, decorated by someone who seemed to be catering to the tastes of the first Duke of Anguo, had a nouveau riche feel to it—awkward and haphazard, but better than nothing. “What kind of day is this? Why are classes canceled without warning?” Zi-Shan muttered to herself. If there was something urgent in the mansion, they should have told them days ago, but they only sent someone to inform them when Ah Wu was about to leave for Yuxiu Pavilion.

Ah Wu was also curious and walked with Zi-Shan towards the Qihua Garden. The Qihua Garden contained rare flowers, exotic plants, root carvings, and bonsai collected by generations of the Duke of Anguo, including several unique and exquisite pieces.

As Ah Wu and Zi-Shan reached the corner, an old woman approached them, smiling. “Sixth Young Lady, you are strolling in the garden too? Today, distinguished guests have arrived at the mansion. The Old Madam is entertaining them in the Qihua Garden. Because there are male guests present, the Old Madam asked you to avoid suspicion and perhaps go elsewhere.”