Early the next morning, Lin Cui, carrying a small bundle, was escorted by Zhu Yongwen back to her parents' home for a visit.
As for Cao Sanqiao, who had been yelling at the top of her lungs the night before, she was now as meek as could be.
After receiving a thorough scolding from Yang Tieniang, her perceptiveness had improved by more than a single notch. Not only did she refrain from shouting, but even her speech had become so gentle it could drip with water.
She spent the entire day speaking in that strained, honeyed tone, which so frightened Jusheng that he trailed behind his three older sisters all day long, insisting that his mother had been possessed by some evil spirit and refusing to go near her.
And Granny Zhang, the one stirring up trouble behind the scenes?
Lin Cui was such a spineless pushover that she couldn't possibly hold her tongue against Yang Tieniang and Zhu Yongwen.
She had sold Granny Zhang out long ago.
Thanks to Cao Sanqiao's formidable cursing skills, the neighbors all knew about the family quarrel. Therefore, Yang Tieniang wasn't afraid of losing face.
The reason she hadn't confronted Granny Zhang the first night was that Old Master Zhu had come home and asked a round of questions, and by the time they were ready to go knock on her door, it was too late.
If she didn't go after her the next morning, then Yang Tieniang would be a coward.
No sooner had Zhu Yongwen left with Lin Cui than Yang Tieniang cornered Granny Zhang, who was trying to slip out the door with her head tucked low. She delivered two resounding slaps with her fan-sized palm, without saying a single extra word.
But none needed to be said.
Anyone with eyes could see that Granny Zhang, that malicious old hag, was the one who had stirred up trouble in the Zhu family's quarrel.
With two red handprints on her face, Granny Zhang wasn't willing to set up her stall for a while.
After listening to her curse heaven and earth through the wall for a good while, the ones who went out to sell flatbreads that day were her daughter-in-law Liu Sisao and her granddaughter Zhang Yuniang.
None of this had anything to do with Fusheng. With her eldest aunt gone, aside from missing the daily—or even more frequent—sight of red-rimmed eyes, nothing really changed.
In fact, Fusheng, remembering that her master Lady He would soon be returning from Fuqu Village, was in quite a good mood. She watched her eldest sister Meisheng apply her medicine, listened to her elder brother Junsheng recite his lessons, then packed her little satchel with the Linen-core Silk-face sweat towel and went to bed early.
Because she was looking forward to going to her master's house to learn cooking, Fusheng became the earliest riser among the sisters the next morning.
During these two days of holiday, she had been slacking off and getting up a bit later, which had also allowed Junsheng to sleep in.
She adapted to getting up early without any trouble—it was Junsheng who couldn't adjust.
"Zhu Junsheng! Three counts! Three! Two! One!"
A fairly resonant voice rang out from the eastern room of the north house, followed immediately by the clattering sound of Zhu Junsheng getting out of bed.
"This eldest boy—he won't get up unless San Niang calls him."
In the western room of the east house, Zhu Hewen muttered as he climbed out of bed.
He had woken up before Fusheng's voice rang out, but hadn't been able to get up because his wife Hu Xiangdi's arms and legs were draped over him.
Now that his son's laziness had been corrected by his daughter, and the commotion had startled Hu Xiangdi awake, he took the opportunity to crawl out of bed.
In terms of natural talent, he couldn't compare to his son, and with worse luck to boot, he appeared even more incompetent by contrast.
Now that Junsheng was studying diligently under Fusheng's supervision…
Whether or not he could enter the examination hall next time, his studies absolutely had to be intensified.
At noon, he would go to the bookshop to copy texts for money, and in the evening, he would set up a stall on the street to help people write and read family letters.
Others say the morning is the best time to plan the day; for him, it was the only time he could study properly.
It was all out of unwillingness—his own unwillingness, and his father Old Master Zhu's unwillingness as well. It wasn't that his learning was lacking…
Otherwise, he would have found a proper job long ago.
He didn't ask for much, nor did he hope for the luck to pass the imperial exams with distinction—he only wished his bad luck would veer off course just a little, so he could take the exams and become a xiucai.
If that happened, he could be like his father, Old Master Zhu, and work as a tutor teaching children their first lessons, with a respectable and stable livelihood.
"Sleep a bit more—it's still early!" Hu Xiangdi was awake, but her eyes hadn't opened yet, and she was still drowsy.
The daylight outside wasn't harsh. She grabbed hold of Zhu Hewen's sleeve.
The day before, Fusheng had used dried mushrooms to stuff buns, which reminded Yang Tieniang that she still had some dried mushrooms at home. She decided to innovate with the wonton filling, adding dried mushrooms to the Seven Treasures wontons to make them Eight Treasures.
By a stroke of luck, it suited the palate of Lai Xianggong, a food connoisseur from Yuqiao Street. After his round of praise, business picked up.
Although the Eight Treasures wontons eventually sold out, the people who came after hearing Lai Xianggong's words weren't picky and bought up all the other flavors.
With more people, the stall got busier, and with a busy stall, her hands never stopped—it nearly wore Hu Xiangdi out.
In the past, she often thought the busier the business, the better, and had even gone to the temple to make a wish.
Now? She only felt that when she made her wish, she hadn't phrased it right.
She shouldn't have said "the busier the better"—she should have said a steady, enduring kind of busyness, not the kind where everyone flocks in all at once.
"Ah Xiang, didn't Mother say you were supposed to send a letter to your elder brother today, to buy the dried mushrooms your family's been sun-drying? Do you want me to write it for you?"
Zhu Hewen gently pulled his sleeve free and tucked the blanket around Hu Xiangdi.
Though it wouldn't be long before Mother called them to get up, if Ah Xiang didn't want to rise, then let her sleep a little longer!
"You write it."
Hu Xiangdi pulled the blanket over her head—her mind was awake, but her eyes didn't want to open!
Zhu Hewen smiled indulgently, fastened his sash, walked to the table, pulled out a sheet of paper, and picked up his brush to write.
After finishing the letter in handwriting that any examiner would praise, outside the room, Junsheng's clear recitation was joined by Yang Tieniang's loud voice:
"The sun's burning your backsides—get up now!!"
The words were nearly the same every day, yet they worked remarkably well.
At least, Hu Xiangdi sat up with a start, and by the time Zhu Hewen had sealed the letter in an envelope, she was already on her feet, pulling on her clothes.
After breakfast, Fusheng left the house with Yang Tieniang, and Meisheng went along with them.
Lady He's house wasn't far, and they went back and forth almost daily, so the route was well-worn—no need to escort them.
The reason they all left together was that Yang Tieniang was taking Meisheng out for an errand.
It had been mentioned the night before—it was to find a master for Meisheng.
Previously, because Aunt Lin Cui's embroidery skills were truly exceptional, she served as a built-in master, so the old couple had never thought of having Meisheng formally apprentice to someone.
But after discovering Lin Cui secretly hitting him, and seeing her warped temperament, and observing Meisheng's gentle, soft-spoken nature, the old couple would rather Meisheng apprentice to an outsider—at least, if he encountered a truly excellent master, the benefits would go beyond just the craft.
Meisheng needed more contact with people outside, less time with Lin Cui, and to toughen up that soft disposition of his.
Last night, Yang Tieniang said she'd heard that Master Yan, the famed embroiderer of Wenzhou, had let it be known she was considering taking on another disciple. Though the news wasn't certain, there was no harm in trying.
Master Yan was famous for being a strict teacher with an unyielding character.
Yang Tieniang figured that with a master like that, even if Meisheng ended up gentle on the outside, she'd at least be firm on the inside.
"Sanniang," Yang Tieniang called out the moment she stepped through the courtyard gate, spotting Yuniang peeking around the Zhang family's doorway next door. "Go on by yourself, be careful on the road, and give your master my regards when you see her."
The grudge was freshly formed—the mark of Yang Tieniang's slap was still on Granny Zhang's face!
Yuniang looked pitiful, but in truth she'd inherited quite a bit from her mother-in-law.
Fusheng glanced at Yuniang, who was once again wearing that patched-up, layer-upon-layer old dress, then gripped the strap of her satchel and smiled sweetly at Yang Tieniang. "I know, Grandmother."
She turned and headed toward Lady He's house, deliberately skirting around the area in front of the Zhang family's door, quickening her pace as she went.
The day before, Granny Zhang had pulled Yuniang aside with stern instructions. After being slapped yesterday, she'd come home and given Yuniang another harsh lecture. Yuniang didn't want to be skinned alive by Granny Zhang, so she'd been waiting at the door since before dawn, watching for Fusheng to come out.
Her grandmother had told her—if she ruined that expensive sweat towel Fusheng was bringing to Lady He, then today she'd get a bowl of the oil-fried egg and noodle soup that only her elder brother got to eat.
In the past, Fusheng had never paid her any mind, and she hadn't cared much either.
But today was different.
"Sanniang, Sanniang, wait for me!" Yuniang broke into a jog, and once she caught up to Fusheng, she reached for the strap of Fusheng's satchel. "I haven't practiced the vegetable-chopping technique my master taught me yet. Let me carry your bag for you—when we get there, can you cover for me?"
Her excuse was well-reasoned, and the anxiety on her face wasn't feigned.
If she could just rein in the wariness and calculation lurking in her eyes—and if Fusheng didn't know her—she might actually have believed her nonsense.
"You chop vegetables every day and still haven't learned it? Then you really do lack some talent. No wonder your grandmother's always cursing at you."
The satchel held something valuable, and the two families were at odds like fire and water. Fusheng's mouth—that little mouth of hers was practically laced with poison.
At the mention of grandmothers, a thread of venom rose in Yuniang's heart—not toward her own grandmother, Granny Zhang, but toward Fusheng.
Why was it that both of them had grandmothers, yet Fusheng's treated her so well while hers treated her so badly?
Both families were the same—each had only one grandson among the grandchildren.
In fact, the Zhu family even had a few more granddaughters than hers.
Her eyelids drooped to veil her eyes, and her heart was sour and bitter.
Fusheng had no time to guess at her girlish worries. Seeing that she was getting closer to Lady He's house, she quickened her steps even more.
By the time Yuniang lifted her eyelids, Fusheng was already far ahead.
"Sanniang!" Yuniang shouted, chasing after her.
Her grandmother had said that Zhu Sanniang was going to give a gift, so that Lady He would teach only her and not Yuniang. Lady He was already terribly biased—if Zhu Sanniang gave her a gift, then even if her grandmother could find her a new good place to go, she wouldn't have learned what she was supposed to learn right now!
She couldn't let her succeed!
But she also had to destroy that expensive sweat towel on the way…
If she stepped through Lady He's doorstep and then did the damage, she'd be the world's number one fool!
Seeing Fusheng walking faster and faster, drawing closer and closer to Lady He's home, Yuniang's heart felt as if it were being fried in oil.
Glancing at the cobblestone-paved road, her mind turned, and she came up with a plan.
"Third Sister, walk slower, I'm about to fall… Ah!!"