Xie Miao’er was flustered.
She twisted her fingers and said, “How would anyone know what they said in a dream? I can’t guess.”
Her delicate eyebrows drooped, giving her a dejected look.
Lu Huaihai initially wanted to see her embarrassed expression. Now that his wish was fulfilled, he didn’t even have time to secretly rejoice. Instead, he felt as though her unconditional trust in him had placed him over a fire, leaving him neither able to advance nor retreat.
Just moments ago, when handling matters at the cloth workshop, she exuded such a commanding aura that even Cheng Yuandao, a businessman with decades of experience, had been utterly subdued by her.
But now, with just a random lie he made up to tease her, she hadn’t seen through it at all.
She trusted him this much?
Lu Huaihai sighed quietly, losing all interest in teasing her further. He then said, “I was lying to you.”
Xie Miao’er’s gaze flickered, a hint of cunning flashing in her eyes. She replied, “Shaoye, you don’t need to cover for me. Tonight, when I go back, I’ll cover my own mouth while I sleep, so I definitely won’t disturb you again.”
Hearing this, Lu Huaihai was caught between laughter and tears. “I really was just teasing you. Don’t overthink it.”
The west side of the city was much livelier than the east, and the streets and alleys bustled with noisy chatter. As Lu Huaihai listened, he faintly heard Xie Miao’er murmur an “oh.” Lowering his eyes, he saw that her head was now hanging even lower than before, her tall bun of hair nearly touching the ground.
She looked utterly dispirited.
Feeling a pang of guilt, Lu Huaihai also imagined her bun pulling painfully at her scalp. Nudging her lightly with his elbow, he asked, “Are you mad at me?”
But no matter how much he nudged, she didn’t respond. The plain silver hairpin on her head bobbed up and down, as if crying.
This kind of tricky situation was beyond Lu Huaihai’s ability to handle. He muttered to himself, Young girls are such trouble—just a few teasing words, and now she’s crying. I’ll never bother her again.
Rubbing his palms together awkwardly, he forced himself to speak stiffly, “Don’t be mad. I’ll treat you to…”
Glancing at a street vendor, he continued, “I’ll treat you to cat’s ears.”
“I don’t want to eat,” the girl replied sulkily. “I just want to ask you one question. Shaoye, you have to answer me.”
Lu Huaihai had already tossed a few coins to the vendor, bought two servings, and handed one to Xie Miao’er. “Ask away.”
These cheap snacks weren’t wrapped in paper but were served on freshly picked leaves instead.
Though she said she wouldn’t eat, Xie Miao’er still accepted the food.
She finally raised her head, and Lu Huaihai noticed there wasn’t a trace of sadness on her face. Only then did he realize she’d been playing along to tease him in return.
Her face was full of curiosity as she asked earnestly, “Shaoye, I want to know, what does Ma Shang Feng mean?”
Back when she first started reading, if there was even one punctuation mark she couldn’t understand, she’d pester Grand Tutor Xie for half a day. Earlier, Wen Ying had mysteriously covered her mouth, which only made her even more curious about this unfamiliar term.
Lu Huaihai, still recovering from being outwitted by her, was caught completely off guard by her question.
The two walked side by side, and Xie Miao’er didn’t notice that Lu Huaihai’s body had suddenly stiffened. She continued mumbling to herself, “I’ve only heard of xie jia feng.1 Xie jia feng is when a general, after finishing a battle, returns to camp, removes his armor, and dies from exposure to wind. So does Mashafeng mean dying of exhaustion after dismounting from a horse?”
Lu Huaihai wasn’t thick-skinned enough to explain something like this to her directly. Hearing her guesses grow more and more outlandish, he finally couldn’t bear it any longer. Interrupting her speculation, he said, “You… Forget it. I’ll explain it to you when we get back.”
Xie Miao’er obediently closed her mouth and quickened her pace to follow closely behind him.
Huh?
Why were his ears red?
Xie Miao’er didn’t understand.
—
In Du Family Village, a woman in coarse hemp clothing was pounding laundry by the riverside.
Xie Miao’er’s stepmother, Madam Du, was fuming. Each swing of the laundry bat was heavier than the last.
Her husband was dead, and now she was living with her two children in her elder brother and sister-in-law’s house. The couple despised them for freeloading and were planning to marry her off again.
Madam Du panted heavily, finished rinsing the clothes with a bitter expression, and carried the heavy basket back home.
As the sun set, cooking smoke rose from the chimneys of the villagers’ homes. The air was devoid of any meaty aroma—it wasn’t the farming season, and having any meal at all was considered fortunate.
But at Du Dalang’s2 house, the kitchen was cold and the stove unlit.
Madam Du returned with a darkened face. The moment she stepped through the door, Xie Jinfu’s five-year-old son from his late wife, Xie Teng, and her own biological daughter, Xie Ying’er, rushed over, hugging her legs and wailing hungrily.
Seeing her return, Du Dalang cast her a sidelong glance and said, “There’s still some porridge in the pot. You can heat it up yourself.”
Looking over at her brother’s children sitting nearby, she noticed they weren’t crying from hunger. Instead, they were quietly playing with mud, and the oil stains lingering on the corners of their mouths made it clear they had already eaten.
Suppressing her anger, Madam Du took Xie Teng and Xie Ying’er to the kitchen.
The so-called porridge was so thin and tasteless it resembled dishwater; you could probably play skipping stones with it if you found a pebble.
Finally unable to bear it any longer, Madam Du grabbed a kitchen knife and stormed into the main hall, slamming it down right in front of Du Dalang.
“I just brought you money a few days ago, and now there isn’t even a single bite of food left?”
Du Dalang, however, remained completely unfazed.
His younger sister had a temper bigger than her abilities. She threw tantrums all the time, but every time, he managed to handle her easily.
Du Dalang said, “Who doesn’t live like this when they don’t work? My dear sister, do you want to eat your elder brother’s marrow? If you can’t bear it, then leave. I won’t stop you.”
Those words struck Madam Du’s Achilles’ heel.
Her father had died early, leaving only an elderly, half-paralyzed mother bedridden and dependent on Du Dalang. For Madam Du, with her two children, there was nowhere else to go besides her brother’s house.
“Since I married into the Xie family, when have I ever shorted you anything? Over the years, I don’t even know how much I’ve given to support you. And now you’re treating me like this?”
Tears streamed down Madam Du’s face as she spoke, and Du Dalang looked at her with disdain.
However, having recently been approached with a lucrative deal, he forced himself to remain patient and said, “Good sister, there’s something you can do. If you agree, you and the kids can return to the city and live comfortably.”
Madam Du shrieked, “You want to marry me off as a concubine to some old man? Don’t even think about it!”
Du Dalang knew her all too well. He snorted coldly, “A few days ago, you secretly tried to send a letter to someone to sneak back to the city. I let that slide. And your precious daughter in the city—what is she now? Someone else’s concubine. Even if she has a bit of silver in her hands, the Xie family’s properties and houses have all been sold off. Don’t expect her to bring you back.”
Hearing her scheme exposed, Madam Du’s expression faltered. Back when she married Xie Jinfu, his eldest daughter, Xie Miao’er, had been so obedient and hardworking that Madam Du had hardly needed to do any housework herself.
Du Dalang continued, “Do you know that Zhang Duan is dead?”
Zhang Duan?
Madam Du gasped sharply. Before she could celebrate the death of the man who had ruined her husband, Du Dalang added, “His mother, Madam Zhang, only had him as a son. Now that your precious daughter has become Young Master Lu’s concubine, she believes it’s the young master who caused her son’s death. She wants us to do her a favor. Once it’s done, the payment will be generous.”
Du Dalang explained Madam Zhang’s request, and Madam Du immediately waved her hands in panic.
“This kind of heartless thing will bring calamity upon my children and grandchildren!” she exclaimed.
Du Dalang finally dropped his pretense, revealing his true colors as he threatened her bluntly: “Do you have any other choice? An elder brother is like a father. Asking you to become a concubine for Master Chen is already a favor! Be obedient and think of Ying’er.”
After the hard approach, he softened his tone, coaxing her: “I’m doing this for your own good. This matter won’t harm you or your children directly. At most, that cheap daughter of yours will have a hard time in the future. But since you’ve been raising her little brother, isn’t it only fair for her to repay her debt to you? Once this is done, you can take the money, leave with your two kids, and start fresh. Life will be much easier for you then.”
Madam Du’s eyes flickered uncertainly, her hesitation revealing that some part of her was absorbing his words.
—
Lu Huaihai accompanied Xie Miao’er to the local yamen to update the ownership of a property deed, transferring it to her name.
Since her younger siblings were still small, it was natural for Xie Miao’er, as the eldest sister, to take responsibility for such matters.
The clerk in charge of paperwork and contracts at the yamen was swamped with work. While waiting, Xie Miao’er overheard conversations and noticed that a lot of people were selling their houses and properties recently, which surprised her.
Lowering his gaze, Lu Huaihai explained, “The threat of Japanese pirates is growing worse. Many people want to move farther inland, away from the coast.”
After they returned home, to avoid Xie Miao’er continuing to pester him about the meaning of Ma Shang Feng, Lu Huaihai reluctantly went back to his study. He selected a medical book, found the relevant page, folded the corner, and sent it to her.
When Xie Miao’er saw the medical book, she was initially confused. However, as she read line by line, she finally understood what Ma Shang Feng meant. By then, her face was redder than a ripe peach.
Compared to her, Lu Huaihai’s slightly flushed ears that day were nothing at all.
—When a man’s blood rushes too intensely, causing sudden death during intercourse, it is called Ma Shang Feng.
What on earth?! Xie Miao’er was so mortified and indignant she almost wanted to die. What had she been pestering Lu Huaihai about?
She buried her head in her pillow and stayed there for a full fifteen minutes to calm down.
For the first time in her life, Xie Miao’er realized that excessive curiosity could be a major flaw.
For the next few days, the two of them tacitly avoided bringing up the topic again.
—
One night, as usual, Lu Huaihai came to visit her.
That evening, he arrived earlier than usual. Xie Miao’er had just returned from the East Courtyard after spending the afternoon playing with Lu Baozhu.
After dinner, Yue Lian cleared the dishes, but Lu Huaihai didn’t seem his usual restless self. Instead, he sat upright at the table, his hands resting firmly on his knees, looking as though he had something serious to say.
Sensing that he wanted to talk, Xie Miao’er refrained from leaving.
After a brief moment of thought, Lu Huaihai spoke. “There’s something I’d like to ask your opinion on.”
He quickly added, “It’s not about me—it’s about a friend of mine.”
Xie Miao’er was a little surprised. “What is it?” she asked.
Looking directly into her eyes, Lu Huaihai said, “I have a friend who wants to join the army.”
—
Footnotes:
- Xie Jia Feng (卸甲风): Literally “removing-armor wind,” referring to a traditional belief that a sudden illness or death could occur when someone’s body, weakened after battle, is exposed to wind upon removing their armor.
- “Dalang” (大郎) is a term often used in traditional Chinese contexts to refer to the eldest son in a family.