When Third Master attended the banquet despite his illness, Third Madam found out and was furious. But before she could even begin to scold him, he returned home with a high fever and fell unconscious.
Once again, the third household was thrown into chaos.
After keeping vigil for two days, her eyes sunken from exhaustion, it was only in the late hours of the third night when she felt his fever had finally subsided that Third Madam dared to doze off on the small couch.
She hadn’t slept long when Third Master woke up.
Opening his eyes, he saw his wife’s haggard face and tried to speak to the maidservant, only to be seized by another fit of earth-shaking coughs and wheezing.
Startled awake, Third Madam hurriedly fed him a spoonful of loquat syrup to moisten his lungs and stop the cough, then went to warm the medicinal broth.
Once Third Master had recovered his breath, he grasped his wife’s hand: “Don’t trouble yourself. Let them handle it, you should rest… cough… How long have I been unconscious this time?”
Third Madam burst into tears, angry and distressed: “You still ask! You just had to go join that crowd—you’ve been burning with fever for three whole days! I think you simply don’t want to get better!”
If anyone else had spoken like this… no, in truth, no one would dare to reprimand Third Master this way.
As Old Madam’s most beloved youngest son, aside from the late Lord Pei, only his lawful wife—the woman who had married him in her teens—dared to point her finger at his nose and scold him harshly.
Third Master listened with a faint smile, occasionally offering gentle words of agreement or comfort: “You know how my health is… it’s just like this. Lying in bed all day only makes me miserable, going out for a walk is good.”
Third Madam cried even harder.
Third Master had no choice but to coax her softly: “The smell of medicine is unpleasant, why not light the incense again?”
In the end, Third Madam still listened to him, wiping her tears as she lit the incense.
The scent of osmanthus steeped in honey was sweet and delicate. Third Master found that breathing it in eased his urge to cough.
Watching his wife’s face veiled behind the mist of incense, looking much younger, he felt dazed, unsure if this was the fleeting memories before death.
During his high fever, he had kept dreaming of the first two years after their marriage—sometimes of his wife blending fragrances while he played the zither beside her, or of them creating a painting together in the art of painting, finally stamping both their casual seals upon the finished work.
He missed those times dearly.
Since resigning from office, Third Master’s heart had been set on a life of idle freedom. Though his health did not allow him to travel the landscapes like the poets, he had gained a virtuous wife, carefree and content, and they had Sixth Brother.
He and his wife could only have this one child in their lifetime, so naturally they cherished him like the apple of their eye. Later… Third Master closed his eyes, hearing the servant woman announce from the courtyard: “Young Madam has arrived.”
Third Madam muttered that she was too busy to see her and was about to have Mammy send her away when she heard Third Master speak: “Since she’s here, let’s invite her in to sit for a while.”
Third Madam looked at him in slight surprise.
Third Master propped himself up: “You… mustn’t always take your anger out on her.”
As he moved, he coughed twice more.
Third Madam quickly supported him, chiding gently: “I don’t do that.”
Third Master changed into an outer robe and, accompanied by Third Madam, walked to the main hall. Seeing Sang Wu standing quietly and plainly by the seat, he said kindly: “Daughter-in-law, please sit.”
Sang Wu had thought that Third Madam would not see her today either.
Third Master had just woken from his high fever, a time when he needed careful rest, and usually Third Madam personally attended to him. Unexpectedly, even Third Master had come out.
As a junior, her first concern was for Third Master’s health.
Third Master replied, “All is well.”
But in truth, his poor health was visible to the naked eye.
From the moment she entered, the words "gaunt and emaciated" dimly shrouded Sang Wu's heart.
After exchanging a few pleasantries and opening up the conversation, Third Master said to her, "You are still young after all, why should you spend your whole life guarding us? If you wish to choose another good husband, your mother and I can provide you with additional dowry to fulfill this bond."
Sang Wu's brow twitched, and she instinctively looked at Third Madam, who also wore a face full of surprise. She knew then that this was Third Master's idea alone.
Among the people she knew, there were indeed widows who had remarried—her stepmother, Madame Zhao, had remarried into the Sang family with her daughter.
But was this genuine concern for her, or merely a test?
Without hesitation, Sang Wu bent her knees and knelt down. "Wu Niang made a vow long ago to fulfill Xiao Lang's filial duties on his behalf, to honor both of you as my own parents. How could I ever think of remarrying? Please, Father-in-law, do not speak such words again in the future."
Third Master shook his head. "How can we let you, so young, endure such a bitter life forever?"
Sang Wu earnestly replied, "Having the fortune to be a daughter-in-law of the Pei family is a blessing Wu Niang cultivated in her previous life."
Third Master fell silent, merely observing her calmly.
If she were dressed in a pomegranate-red skirt, adorned with the most fashionable gold foil floral ornaments on her brow, complementing the small mole beneath the corner of her eye, it would be hard to tell whether it was the brilliance of spring or the beauty's radiance that shone brighter.
Yet even now, due to her widowhood, she appeared plain and unadorned, with not a trace of resentment in her eyes.
Third Master gazed at her for a moment before turning to Third Madam with relief. "See, our daughter-in-law is filial. In the future, you two…" He stopped mid-sentence, smiling as Third Madam shot him a glare.
Sang Wu lowered her eyes to conceal her emotions.
Over the past two months, Third Madam had increasingly lost the heart to see her. What lay behind this, Sang Wu understood all too well—and it was something she herself was unwilling to witness.
After Sang Wu left, Third Master dismissed all the maids and servants from the room and calmly said to Third Madam, "With this body of mine, I don't even know if I can last until the end of the year."
Third Madam scolded him, "Nonsense! If you went out less and stopped wandering about, it would be better than spouting such gloomy talk all day!"
Third Master smiled gently. "I know my own body best. These medicines are unbearably bitter, and drinking them is useless… but if it brings you peace of mind, I'll drink as much as needed."
Third Madam turned her face away, overcome with sorrow, but her hands were tightly held by Third Madam.
"Madam, Lan Niang…" he whispered, "have you thought about how you will live after I'm gone?"
Third Madam wept. "At my age, could I possibly remarry?"
Third Master sighed. "I cannot bear to see you remain a widow, yet I would be even more unwilling… to watch you become another man's wife from the underworld."
"But if that day truly comes, you, a lonely widow, and your daughter-in-law, left without support, will surely be bullied relentlessly."
His voice was soft, like the smoke from an incense burner, ready to dissipate at any moment. Third Madam's heart ached unbearably. "Why not let Mother decide and adopt a child from a collateral branch for you? I will raise the child together with our daughter-in-law, giving us something to hold onto."
This matter had been brought up by Third Madam before the New Year, but Third Master had disagreed at the time.
Now, he still shook his head. "An adopted child will never be the same as one's own. With their biological parents still around, I fear they may not honor you as their true mother."
Moreover, the assets of the third branch falling into the hands of others was something he could not accept.
Though Third Master held no official rank, he was not a man of indifference. Otherwise, he would not have been managing the Household Management of the estate all along.
Third Madam's brow gradually furrowed, then slowly relaxed. Decades of marital understanding made her think of Third Master's unusual behavior today. She tentatively asked, "Do you have a better plan in mind?"
Third Master grunted in acknowledgment, pondering before saying, "Today's test of Wu Niang showed she truly has nowhere else to go. I was thinking… let her bear a child to be recorded under our third branch. That way…"
He lay back on the couch, closing his eyes lightly. "…It would be good."
But for a long moment, he received no response from his wife.
When Third Master looked over, Third Madam appeared lost in thought.
"Lan Niang? Lan Niang?"
Third Madam looked at him, her lips moving slightly. After a long silence, she finally said, "…I thought you genuinely wanted to arrange a marriage for Wu Niang."
Third Master chuckled at this. "You…"
Naive. This was Third Master's lifelong assessment of Third Madam.
"If Zhao hadn't tried to send her back to the Shen family back then, do you think she would have come to the mourning hall to put on that show? Treating us like her own parents with filial piety…" Third Master snorted softly. "I only worry she's too young, cough, cough… and might commit some disgraceful act in the future, betraying Sixth Brother."
"Having a child of Pei blood would make life more secure."
Pei Liulang had inherited his mother's naivete, but Third Master resembled his two elder brothers more—worldly-wise and calculating. If someone claimed Sang Wu refused to remarry out of deep affection for his son, he wouldn't believe it for a moment.
Back when Pei Liulang had starved himself to force the marriage, Third Master had already sent people to investigate this jeweler's daughter. This young lady had been involved with several noble young masters from prominent families in Yuhang even before meeting Sixth Brother. Since no scandals erupted and those connections were later severed, Third Master hadn't objected.
After Sixth Brother's passing, when Sang Wu cleverly maneuvered him and his wife into a corner before their guests, he had pretended to be moved. But since her entry into the household, Third Master had deliberately refrained from showing her favor, watching as Third Madam neglected her, Old Madam disliked her, and Second Branch's Pei Ba Niang targeted her. Yet her situation had only improved.
Only then did Third Master gradually feel relieved.
Meanwhile, his health had been deteriorating.
His only remaining concern in this world was Lan Niang. Accustomed to his protection, Lan Niang didn't understand human malice. Though his daughter-in-law was clever, her background limited her ability to command respect.
They still needed descendants to rely on for security.
Third Master didn't explain all this to Third Madam. After a lifetime together, he knew where her vulnerabilities lay.
Hearing his reasoning, Third Madam was indeed mostly convinced, except…
"How can she bear a child alone?" Third Madam asked, puzzled.
Just then, voices of servants announcing from the corridor drifted in: "Our Master has been waiting for you, Fourth Young Master."
Third Master said calmly, "Jian-si."