Yuchen resided in the left-wing house of the main courtyard; all three rooms inside belonged to her alone.
As soon as Yuxi entered the house, she saw a long mahogany table in the centre. On the table, there was a tripod incense burner made of cloisonné enamel1, emitting a sweet and fragrant aroma.
Yuxi's eyes fell on the two-inch-thick wool carpet on the floor. The carpet was embroidered with exquisite patterns and looked incredibly beautiful. This wool carpet alone was worth a fortune.
A maid named Shishu opened the beaded curtain, made of red-painted rattan beads on gold cords, to let them in.
Yuxi gazed at the furnishings in the room. Aside from the luxurious Huanghuali wood furniture and the priceless decorations on the display shelves, even the stationery on the desk was exceptional. It was often said that boys should be raised in poverty while girls should be raised in wealth2, and Yuchen was truly raised in luxury. Compared to Yuchen, Yuxi's own courtyard was so shabby that it could make her want to cry. When Yuxi first saw Yuchen's room decorations in her previous life, she cried when she returned home. But now she looked at these external possessions with indifference.
Yuxi was particularly envious of the room's double-sided embroidered kang screen. One side depicted a beautiful woman enjoying flowers, while the other showed magnificent peonies. "It's really beautiful." Embroidery was the only skill that Yuxi could be proud of from her previous life, and after marrying into the Jiang family, embroidery was her only pastime.
Seeing the sparkle in Yuxi's eyes, Yuchen smiled and offered, "If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Yuxi exclaimed with joy, "Really?" If she could take it and study the techniques, she too could learn to embroider double-sided pieces.
Shishu, the maid standing behind Yuchen, grew anxious. The double-sided embroidery was so precious; how could it be given away? She hoped that the Fourth Miss would refuse, but from the look on her face, she knew that was impossible. "Miss, you can't do that. This is something the late Lady left for you."
Yuxi's enthusiasm waned, and she shook her head. "San Jie3, this is too precious. I can't accept it."
Yuchen's smile was still on her face. "I'm giving it to you, so just take it!"
Yuxi didn't refuse anymore and accepted it with a smile. "Thank you, San Jie3." She shamelessly accepted it. If she could figure out the techniques and learn to embroider double-sided pieces, she would embroider an even better one for Yuchen.
Not only were the furnishings in Yuchen's room exquisite, but even the stationery on her desk was extraordinary. Yuxi looked at the slightly wet calligraphy on the desk and sighed in admiration. Yuchen was only five years old, yet her handwriting was already so beautiful. It was probably the same as her writing in her previous life.
Seeing this scene, Shishu immediately spoke up, "This set of light green jade camellia stationery was given to our Young Miss by the Old Lady." The meaning behind her words was, 'Don't you ever think of coveting the stationery on the desk'.
Yuxi's expression stiffened. She turned to Yuchen and said, "San Jie3, I still have to pay my respects to Eldest Aunt. I'll come back later to greet Grandmother." She didn't want to be treated with suspicion as if she were a thief.
After Yuxi left, Yuchen glanced at Shishu and asked, "Who gave you the audacity?"
Shishu's heart sank, and she quickly knelt down. "Miss, it was this servant's fault. This servant was only thinking that the embroidery had been left for you by the late Lady. This servant's heart became anxious, causing me to lose my sense of propriety."
Yuchen nodded. "I'll let it go this time, considering it's your first offence. But if there's another time, don't blame me for being merciless. Regardless of Fourth Miss' status, she's still the mistress of the residence." Yuxi might not have Grandmother and Father's favour, but she was still a young miss of the household and should never have been mistreated by a maid.
Shishu was frightened and remained kneeling on the ground, not daring to say anything further.
Yuxi was unaware of this particular incident and only took Moju to the master courtyard. The place where the mistress of the household lived was the most imposing courtyard in the Duke's residence. It had five rooms in the main house and a series of interconnected wing houses and ear rooms, making it a magnificent place to live.
When Liuyin saw Yuxi, she greeted her with a smile. "Fourth Miss, come, the Lady is waiting inside!" After saying that, she led Yuxi in.
Qiu Shi was dressed in casual clothes. She looked plump and prosperous, with a friendly smile on her face. She seemed like an amiable person to be around.
Without speaking, Yuxi directly knelt down and kowtowed to Qiu Shi three times, saying sincerely, "Thank you so much, Eldest Aunt, for saving my life." These three kowtows were not only for the recent smallpox incident but also for Qiu Shi's kindness to her in her past life.
Qiu Shi was taken aback but soon realised what was happening. She walked over and helped Yuxi up, gently scolding her, "What are you doing, child? What life-saving grace? It's something Aunt should have done."
Yuxi gratefully said, "Eldest Aunt, I know that if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be alive today." Not only that, but she also owed her peaceful upbringing in her previous life to Qiu Shi.
Feeling comforted, Qiu Shi stroked Yuxi's head and said softly, "It's also your own good fortune that you made it through." In truth, she hadn't had much hope at first. Having the physician examine Yuxi was more for her own peace of mind. She hadn't expected Yuxi to actually pull through.
Just as Yuxi was about to speak, a maid announced outside, "My Lady, Eldest Miss is here." Eldest Miss Yuru's biological mother had been the Eldest Lady's personal maid, but she passed away shortly after giving birth to Yuru.
Yuru was dressed in a delicate lotus-coloured garment. Her hair was combed into a simple double bun, and two jade hairpins adorned her head. She had slender eyebrows, large eyes, a bright gaze, and a slight smile. Two small dimples on her cheeks indicated her budding beauty.
Yuru entered and greeted Qiu Shi with a curtsy. Then, she turned to Yuxi and said, "Si Meimei4, I hear you've recovered. Congratulations."
Yuxi also returned the gesture. "Thank you for your concern, Da Jiejie5." Yuru was eight years old, four years older than Yuxi. They didn't interact much with each other.
Qiu Shi smiled and said, "You two sisters are so courteous."
A stewardess came over to report some things to Qiu Shi, and Yuru tactfully excused herself. Before leaving, she told Yuxi, "Si Meimei4, if you don't mind, come sit in my room."
Yuxi was surprised. First, it was Yuchen, and now it was Yuru. She remembered that in her previous life, after she had recovered from her illness, there had been no such interaction. She replied, "Sure!"
In the Duke's residence, when a young lady turned eight, she would have her own independent courtyard unless there were special circumstances, like Yujing, who still lived with Concubine Rong.
Yuxi entered the room and saw a pair of shoes in an embroidery basket. The stitches on them were very dense, obviously done with great care. Yuxi smiled and asked, "Da Jie6, are these shoes for Eldest Aunt?"
Yuru nodded with a smile. "Yes, I embroidered them for Mother7."
Yuxi said with a smile, "Eldest Aunt will definitely like them." In reality, as a Duke's wife, Eldest Aunt had everything she could wish for. Yuru's gesture was simply to please Eldest Aunt.
From this pair of shoes, Yuxi saw her own shortcomings. Eldest Aunt had been taking care of her for over a decade without fail, but she had never done anything for Eldest Aunt. At this moment, Yuxi reflected on herself.
Yuru was a little surprised but still pleased to receive compliments: "I didn't embroider them well enough to deserve such praise."
Yuxi smiled and said, "This is Da Jie6's filial piety. Eldest Aunt will be very pleased." Eldest Aunt was a generous person, so even though Yuru was a shu8 daughter without a mother of her own, life was not difficult for her.
After a brief conversation, Yuxi returned to her own courtyard.
Yuru watched Yuxi's retreating figure, lost in thought. Her maid, Qingxuan, asked curiously, "What is Miss looking at?"
Yuru whispered, "Si Meimei4 has changed a lot."
Yuxi used to be gloomy, but now she had become more cheerful.
Yuxi's change might not necessarily be a good thing for her.
Qingxuan picked up the embroidery basket and said, "Fourth Miss has changed for the better. Perhaps she will be willing to spend more time with Miss in the future."
Yuru smiled wryly, "I am a shu8 daughter, while Fourth Miss is still a di9 daughter even if she is not favoured. Why would she be willing to associate with me?" Yuru had reason to say this. She had tried to befriend Yuchen, but Yuchen remained indifferent towards her.
Qingxuan didn't know what to say.
When Mama Fang saw Yuxi return, she approached her and asked, "Miss, Third Miss sent someone to deliver an embroidered piece here. I couldn't refuse it. Miss, what's going on?"
Yuxi entered the room and saw the double-sided embroidery. "San Jie3 gave this to me." After a while, she would take the double-sided embroidery apart and study it carefully.
Mama Fang was worried. "Miss, why would Third Miss give you such a precious gift all of a sudden?" It was no wonder that Mama Fang felt that way. Yuxi receiving such a valuable gift from the Third Miss would cause the Old Lady to be displeased.
Yuxi shook her head. "I don't know either." She genuinely had no idea why Yuchen would give her such a valuable gift. However, she wouldn't refuse it since it was given to her.
Just as Mama Fang was about to speak, they heard that Liuyin had arrived.
Liuyin had also brought gifts. This time, Qiu Shi went all out, sending not only precious supplements like bird's nest and ginseng but also two pieces of brocade: one in cerise and the other in fresh green.
After Liuyin left, Mama Fang looked at the two pieces of brocade and was delighted. "With this fabric, Miss can make a few more clothes." Yuxi's clothes were provided according to the general quota of the residence's public funds, six sets per season. Six sets of clothes might be a lot for ordinary people, but it was pitifully few for the young ladies of the Duke's Residence.
Moju, on the other hand, opened the box of bird's nests and exclaimed, "Oh, it's blood bird's nest!" The blood bird's nest was the best among the bird's nests, known for its extraordinary nourishing properties.
Yuxi felt a sense of familiarity. She remembered that in her previous life, after she recovered from her illness, her Eldest Aunt had sent her some food supplements, but they weren't as precious as a blood bird's nest. Why was it different now? This made Yuxi fall into deep thought.
Mama Fang's happiness was short-lived when Cuiyu, the Old Lady's maid, arrived. Cuiyu didn't come to present gifts but to relay a message from the Old Lady: "Fourth Miss, the Old Lady says to take good care of your health and not to pay her respects every day."
Mama Fang's expression changed slightly. What was the Old Lady doing? Directly telling her own granddaughter not to pay her respects? This was too much.
The Old Lady's message clearly indicated that she didn't want to see Yuxi. In her previous life, Yuxi was so saddened by these words that she fell ill for a while, but now they did not even cause a ripple in her heart. Nonetheless, she still put on a look of hurt on her face. "Cuiyu Jiejie, please tell Grandmother I will take good care of my health."
Cuiyu responded, "I will deliver the message."
Fearing that Yuxi would be upset, Mama Fang hurriedly comforted her, "Miss, now that you're recovering, the Old Madam is showing her concern for Miss by not wanting you to overexert yourself." It had not been easy for Miss to be as cheerful as she was now. If Mama Fang had said that the Old Lady was biased, it would have been bad if Miss took it to heart and became depressed.
Yuxi deliberately forced a bitter smile and changed the subject: "Today, I saw Da Jie6 making shoes for my Eldest Aunt. Mama Fang, I want to learn embroidery and make shoes for my Eldest Aunt in the future!"
Mama Fang quickly agrees, "All right, if you want to learn, then learn." It was good for Yuxi to have something to do to take her mind off other sad things.
Footnotes Full List
- This proverb reflects a traditional Chinese belief that boys and girls should be brought up differently. The idea behind raising sons in poverty is to cultivate resilience, independence, and a strong work ethic. By contrast, raising daughters in wealth is seen as a way to foster refinement, grace, and a sense of self-worth.
- san=third, jie=elder sister, short form for Jiejie
- si=fourth, meimei=younger sister
- da=eldest, jiejie=elder sister
- da=eldest, jie=elder sister, short form for Jiejie
- Yuru used the word 母亲 (mǔqīn) here, which is the formal version of the word Mother in Chinese.
- born to a concubine: illegitimate
- born to a formal wife; legitimate
きつね's Musing
Done translating! Yay... now back to the latest chapters.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi