Spring Message in the Snow – CH 010

Chapter 10

Since that conversation, Shangrou seemed to have come alive again, no longer the bitter, resentful, and confused woman she once was.

She and her sisters were arranging flowers and making tea. With elders and wet nurses looking after the children, she opened her heart and reminisced about the happy times before she was married.

Of course, the news of the Chen family’s concubine’s death did not spread in the capital. In the end, a generous sum of money was given to Pan’er’s family, and the matter was closed.

However, Suizhi still found out the details and had his wife, Lady Bai, tell Shangrou, “Considering that Nian’er… it was clearly found that she had someone deliver the message, and the old woman in charge of punishment had previously had private dealings with her maid. Even though that is the case, Brother-in-law only hinted at it and did not investigate further. I guess it’s because she’s been with him for many years. Even knowing there was something fishy going on, he still suppressed the matter. After all, the dead cannot be brought back to life; it’s better to protect the living.”

Shangrou was making incense with her sisters, her sleeves rolled up with silk ribbons, standing in front of the table, weighing the incense with a scale. Hearing Lady Bai’s words, Shangrou was not surprised. She said indifferently, “I expected this long ago. I, his legal wife, am not as respected as his concubine. I can report this to the authorities, but even if his concubine were to commit murder, he would still protect her like his own flesh and blood.”

Her younger sisters looked up at her expression, fearing she would be angry, and softly comforted her, “Eldest Sister, do not be angry.”

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Seeing their concern, Shangrou was not upset by the cold treatment she received from Chen Ang but rather moved by the sisterly affection. She smiled and said, “I am fine, and I will not be angry. Married into the Marquis Mansion and having lived in this household for three years, I’ve seen all sorts of strange and unusual things. Why would I care about such a trivial matter?”

Surou crushed the sandalwood and agarwood in the mortar, saying calmly, “Actually, I expected things to turn out this way. Since my brother-in-law is reluctant to punish that concubine, it’s fine to keep her at home.”

Jirou retorted indignantly, “That Nian’er escaped with her life this time. At most, she will behave herself for ten days or so. After that, she will definitely become even more arrogant. The master even suppressed a murder case because of her!”

Shangrou understood. This was the time, as Surou had said, to use someone else’s strength against them. She was a respectable wife; why should she stoop to the level of a concubine? The concubine was willing to act, so she would give her a bigger stage and find her a partner. The wicked would be dealt with by the wicked; she would not need to dirty her hands.

Yingrou, who was learning incense making from her sister, added the prepared borneol and musk to the mortar. As the pestle pounded, a rich fragrance slowly began to waft through the air. Mianmian watched from the side, hands tucked in her sleeves, offering no help, only chiming in, “Just a concubine; I am really afraid she will rebel.” Looking at the incense powder in the mortar, she sighed, “The market price of musk is getting higher and higher these days. I’ve heard that top-grade musk is priceless. Anyone with incense-related paper money should sell now.”

Mianmian, raised in a merchant family, was quite shrewd in business. However, a young lady from a wealthy family might have some gold and silver paper money; she could not really deal with things like tea, salt, and spices. When she needed them, she’d simply send someone to buy them from a shop. Making incense was not something she’d spend a lot on.

Mianmian felt she had not said anything wrong, but Jirou challenged her again, saying sarcastically, “How can we compare to our cousin? She’s incredibly wealthy and carries her valuables with her everywhere.”

Mianmian, having been mocked again, glared at her angrily for a while but finally decided to let her have her way. She turned and sat down in a nearby armchair, leaning forward to chat with Surou. “Incense making has become very popular in the capital and Youzhou. It’s said that poor people who cannot afford spices have even created a ‘Mountain Forest Four-in-One Incense.’ Have you heard of the recipe, sister?”

Surou said, “Oh, I heard the eunuchs in the palace mention it. They said it’s made by drying orange peel, lychee shells, pear pulp, and sugarcane residue. Grind them into powder, mix with pear juice, roll into balls, and air-dry. When burned, they have a light fruity fragrance.”

Mianmian listened, resting her chin on her hand and muttering, “Orange peel and lychee shells barely have any fragrance, but what do pear and sugarcane taste like?”

Zhirou glanced at her. “Is there not ‘Goose Pear Tent Incense’? If goose pears do not have any flavor, why use them as a spice?”

Mianmian did not take her words seriously. “Even if goose pears have a fragrance, what about sugarcane? Besides, cousin, you cannot always be so sarcastic. I am your aunt’s only daughter; you have to give her some face.”

Shangrou and Surou, who were making honey balls, laughed at her words. Jirou and Zhirou found her words somewhat reasonable, so they did not continue to tease her.

Mianmian, from a well-off family, often could not understand the thoughts of the poor. She pondered deeply, “They cannot even afford to cook; why bother making incense? Does drinking porridge with incense taste better?”

The younger sisters below, unwilling to talk to this mercenary woman any longer, focused on their work and turned away.

Seeing Shangrou remain silent, Surou, fearing Mianmian would be embarrassed, reluctantly offered a few words: “Nowadays, scholars and poets love burning incense. Incense is, for gentlemen, a refined pursuit for cultivating character. The sparse shadows of apricot blossoms, the willows in the fresh sunshine—it’s about a state of mind. For ordinary people, incense is not about price, but about its spiritual essence. Moreover, incense making is a profound art; even the finest incense from the mountains and forests must be crafted with the proper techniques.”

Mianmian was actually quite dismissive of these words, thinking, “Is this not just poor people being fussy? They do not have the life of the rich, but they have the habits of the rich.” These girls from scholarly families seemed to understand the hardships of life very well. She did not need to argue with them. One of them was focused on their stomach, while the other was focused on their spirit. In the end, they were talking past each other.

“Sigh…” she sighed, changing the subject, touching the white jade butterfly pendant on her ear, and said, “Today’s ice basin is still filled with various peaches and crabapples. I wonder when lychees will arrive in the capital.”

This time, no one answered her. If one talked to her about fruit, she could launch into a long tirade: the common crabapple was inferior to the honey crabapple, and “Chen Zi” was the best of all lychees…

Surou and Shangrou finished rolling the incense balls and neatly arranged them in a pine box, instructing the maids to move them to a shady, well-ventilated place. The incense balls could not be exposed to sunlight; if exposed to direct sunlight, they would dry out and crack, losing most of their fragrance. They could only be kept warm by a gentle breeze. After half a month, they could be piled up into a mountain of ashes and burned over a fire.

After tidying up the utensils, everyone washed their hands, put down their sleeves, and moved to the back corridor by the water. Qingrou sat at the table, preparing hot water. A small stove sat before her, upon which rested a silver dish. She took out some winter plum blossoms, aged in the Sanjiu cellar, and patiently roasted them. She was fair-skinned and slender, dressed in a light blue dress. A breeze ruffled the hair falling beside her temples, giving her a graceful, delicate charm.

As the silver dish grew warmer and the winter plum blossoms began to steam, she gently placed a sunflower-shaped bowl, its surface glistening after a rain shower, upside down on its side. During this time, she brought out some Zisun tea, steeped it with boiling water, and after half an incense stick’s time, removed the bowl. The steam from the winter plum blossoms condensed on the bowl’s surface. Pouring the tea into the bowl released a rich, layered fragrance. She shared the tea with her sisters; this early summertime had a unique, refined, and leisurely atmosphere.

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The tea ceremony ended, and everyone chatted and laughed, enjoying a harmonious time together.

During a casual chat, the topic turned to the fact that Uncle Zhang Zhi’s concubine was pregnant. The physician examined her pulse and said it was a girl, so everyone discussed what to name their youngest sister. Mianmian blurted out, “Shanrou!” Kind and gentle—it was an absolutely perfect name.

Shanrou, on the surface, seemed fine. Yingrou clapped her hands and said, “That’s a nice name.”

Mianmian was smug, only to be met with a sneer from Jirou: “Cousin, you should read more books.”

Mianmian choked, angrily retorting, “What do you mean by that!”

Jirou was not going to let her get away with it, throwing a classical allusion at her: “The Imperial Examination Essay says, ‘Abstain from sensual pleasures, keep away from the kind and gentle; all these are the essence of diligence.’ ‘Shanrou’ means flattery and obsequiousness, you…” “Such a good name, but people will laugh if they know it.”

At first, Mianmian, who had been as fierce as a fighting cock, immediately fell silent, stammering, “I was just saying it offhand…” Finally, she waved her hand defiantly, “Oh well, I will just go back to my studies.”

So, once a dispute arose and someone backed down, it stopped escalating. After two rounds of drinks, everyone chatted about interesting things they had heard. Just as they were getting into a good time, an old woman came in to announce that someone from the Marquis’s Mansion had arrived to take the eldest young lady back.

Everyone stood up upon hearing this. Shangrou, her face expressionless, turned to the maid and asked, “Is An’er with the Grand Madam?”

The maid replied, “Yes, Madam is there too, playing with the young master.”

Shangrou nodded. “Let’s go to Suihua Garden first.”

So everyone moved over together. Surou remembered that the Marquis’s wife had promised to personally come with her son to fetch Shangrou back to the residence. She had expected to see the Chen family mother and son sitting in the hall upon entering, but it seemed she had been too optimistic. Only the Marquis’s head maidservant came, who, in front of the Grand Madam, spoke eloquently: “Our Madam was just about to go out when, unfortunately, the Princess of Qin and the Imperial Censor’s wife visited. The Grand Madam knows this; those two are close friends of our Madam’s. Since they’ve come, we could not be rude, so we had to send this servant to fetch the young mistress and An’er back to the residence.”

Who was this humiliating? Did they think Shangrou was eager to go back? The Grand Madam Zhang put down her Jianzhan teacup and said with a cool smile, “The Marquis’s wife is a busy lady; she should go and entertain the Princess and the Censor’s wife first. Your young mistress has only been back at her parents’ home for four days; there’s no rush to come and fetch her immediately.”

The maid hesitated, then said with an awkward smile, “That’s true, but the Marquis misses An’er terribly, asking about him two or three times a day. Our mistress’s idea is that the whole family should be together, and besides, it’s not good to trouble Grand Madam Zhang and her in-laws too much…”

Before she could finish, the Grand Madam Zhang raised her hand. “Your young mistress is a daughter of the Zhang family, and An’er is also a close relative of the Zhang family. I am happy to have them by my side; what trouble is there? But your Marquis’s young master has not even shown his face since his wife and son returned here. Those who know say he’s busy, but those who do not might think he does not want this marriage and is even planning to abandon his own son.”

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These few words left the maid feeling ashamed and increasingly embarrassed.

Grand Madam Zhang was quite reasonable. This was not an ordinary family visit. Normally, even without a formal invitation, the family would return home on their own when the time was right. This time, they had a specific reason for seeking refuge at their parents’ home, and without their in-laws’ support, the Zhang family would not allow it.

However, the Marquis’s wife also had her own calculations. After calming down and considering the matter carefully, she realized that a murder case had occurred, and the Marquis’s family was not in the wrong. Why should they be forced to bow to their daughter-in-law? There were not any real guests at the Marquis’s mansion today; they had simply changed their minds at the last minute. If Shangrou was willing to return on her own, it would mean she had yielded and could not cause trouble with Chengchuan anymore. After all, people valued their pride. The Zhang family had been too forceful last time, and the Marquis’s family also had its pride. Therefore, they wanted to give the Zhang family another warning; it was just a matter of whether the Zhang family was willing to back down.

The maidservant, having prepared a pre-arranged explanation, carefully began, “I am the most trusted person of the Marquis’s wife. This time, Madam was truly unable to spare the time, which is why she sent me on this last-minute trip…”

“I do not care whether you have face or not,” the Grand Madam said with a smile, uttering the most unforgiving words. “My granddaughter is still recovering and will be staying at home for a few more days. Please trouble yourself to go back and tell your madam that her daughter-in-law and grandson are doing well in the Zhang family, and ask her not to worry. The feng shui of her maternal home is good for health, and Shangrou’s health is the most important thing. She will naturally return once she’s recovered. But if she does not recover and stays for a year or two, please forgive her, Madam.”

The maidservant panicked. “Grand Madam, this is so difficult for me. I will not be able to explain myself when I go back…”

The Grand Madam did not care whether she could explain herself or not. She turned and instructed Nanny Feng, “The young ladies are all here. Have them prepare the feast. Send someone to escort this nanny out.”