Returning to Qingya Courtyard, Bai Fei Wan finally felt like she had come back to life. The world outside was too terrifying; everyone had a thousand schemes up their sleeves. She decided it was best to go out less in the future.
“Quick, Zi Zhu, bring me that Snow Mochi. I need to calm my nerves.” With that, she walked over to the stone table and sat down.
Hearing this, Zi Zhu immediately brought over the dessert she had prepared earlier. Her lady had taught her how to make it and called it Snow Mochi. She didn’t know why it had that name, but whatever her lady said was always right.
Placing the Snow Mochi on the table, she asked nervously, “Mistress, did anyone give you a hard time during Qing An today?”
Bai Fei Wan took a bite of the Snow Mochi and said indistinctly, “It was fine. A slight bit of trouble, but nothing serious. Still, where there are many women, there is much gossip. I should interact with them less from now on and try to stay in as much as possible.”
Zi Zhu nodded at her words. “You’re right, Mistress. I’ll go out less in the future.”
The other three maids also nodded in agreement.
Seeing the four of them gathered around her, Bai Fei Wan waved her hand. “I had Zi Zhu make some extra Snow Mochi this morning. You all should go have some too.”
Hearing this, the maids were all delighted. Their mistress was so good to them. After thanking Bai Fei Wan, they went to the kitchen to eat.
Ziyu, in particular, was quite the foodie. She had been helping Zi Zhu make the Snow Mochi, and just watching had made her mouth water. Hearing her mistress’s words, she was overjoyed and couldn’t wait to dash to the kitchen.
Bai Fei Wan, meanwhile, continued to slowly enjoy her Snow Mochi. Before she had her own small kitchen, she had deprived herself for so long. Now, she was going to make up for everything she hadn’t eaten in the past two months. With that thought, she ate two more.
She had woken up rather early for Qing An today. Seeing that it was now around Chen time, which was about eight in the morning, she remembered that she hadn’t used her laboratory since it was set up. Thinking that it was still early, she decided to go take a look.
Bai Fei Wan spent the entire morning immersed in her laboratory. It wasn’t until Zi Zhu knocked on the door for lunch that she finally came out.
After lunch and a nap, she was embroidering under the courtyard corridor when Consort Ye arrived with her maid for a visit.
When Ye Yu Xi came to Qingya Courtyard, the gate was open. From outside, she could see Bai Fei Wan surrounded by several maids, talking and laughing.
She politely had her maid knock on the gate and saw Bai Fei Wan look up.
“Sister Bai,” she began, “I’ve come to see you. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Bai Fei Wan looked up and saw it was Consort Ye. Hearing her words, she immediately stood up to welcome her. “Sister Ye, you’re here! Please, come in. You’re not disturbing me at all. I was just bored and joking with my maids. I couldn’t be happier that you’ve come.” As she spoke, she led Consort Ye into the main hall.
Hearing Bai Fei Wan’s words, Ye Yu Xi’s tone became much more cheerful. “I woke up from my nap and was bored all by myself in Fangfei Courtyard, so I thought I’d come find you for a chat. You’re truly so beautiful. I liked you the very first time I saw you,” she said, her eyes fixed on Bai Fei Wan.
Zi Zhu, who was serving tea to Consort Ye, happened to overhear her words and stole a glance at her.
Hearing Consort Ye praise her again, Bai Fei Wan didn’t quite know how to respond. She figured Consort Ye must be what people on the internet called a “face-con”—someone obsessed with looks.
“I was bored too, just passing the time with some embroidery. I’m glad you’re here, Sister Ye, to keep me company and relieve my boredom.”
At these words, Ye Yu Xi grew even happier. “Sister Bai, were you just embroidering? Wow, you’re so amazing.”
Bai Fei Wan was a little speechless at her thoughtless praise. Consort Ye was complimenting her before she had even seen her embroidery. What if it wasn’t any good?
“Yes, just some casual stitching to pass the time.”
After chatting for a while longer, the two gradually became more familiar with each other.
Ye Yu Xi then spoke, her tone hesitant and probing, “Sister Bai, during Qing An this morning… it’s not that I didn’t want to speak up for you, really.” Growing agitated, she stepped forward and took Bai Fei Wan’s hand.
Leaning closer to Bai Fei Wan, she whispered, “I’ve been in the Prince’s mansion for over two years. The Wangfei loves to instigate the older consorts to pick on the newcomers during their first Qing An, only to step in as a peacemaker to display her own magnanimity.
“So we’ve all gotten used to it. We don’t respond to her provocations when a newcomer is paying respects, so she can’t carry on with her act. Even the perpetually arrogant Consort Dong won’t stand up for her.”
Then, she looked at Bai Fei Wan with pleading eyes. “So I really didn’t intentionally refuse to help you. You have to believe me.”
Bai Fei Wan hadn’t been bothered by it in the first place. She and Consort Ye had only just met that morning, so she hadn’t expected the other woman to speak up for her. Besides, nothing major had happened to her that morning.
But she hadn’t expected Consort Ye to come and explain the morning’s events to her. Bai Fei Wan looked at her earnestly. “I didn’t mind at all. And besides, I wasn’t really given a hard time during Qing An.”
Seeing that Bai Fei Wan truly wasn’t bothered, Ye Yu Xi let out a deep sigh of relief.
Then, she said with some embarrassment, “Actually, I wanted to explain this to you right after Qing An, but there were too many people and prying eyes on the road, so I didn’t.
“When I got back to Fangfei Courtyard, I agonized over it all morning, afraid you might misunderstand me and not want to associate with me anymore. So I came over this afternoon to explain. It’s not good to let a misunderstanding fester overnight.”
“Yes, I understand. I really don’t mind, but thank you for coming to explain it to me.”
With the matter cleared up, Ye Yu Xi visibly relaxed and picked up a pastry from the side. “Oh, Sister Bai, the pastries here are so delicious.”
Seeing Ye Yu Xi’s somewhat childish demeanor, Bai Fei Wan smiled. “If you like them, have some more. I’ll have some packed for you to take back when you leave.”
Ye Yu Xi’s face lit up as she nodded. “Then I won’t be polite! Sister Bai, you’re so kind.”
Bai Fei Wan smiled. “It’s just some food. How does that warrant such praise?”
Ye Yu Xi shook her head. “No, it’s not that. You don’t know… in the Prince’s mansion, because I’m a merchant’s daughter, no one is really willing to get too close to me. I can always see the disdain for me in their eyes.
“But you feel different from the others. You don’t look down on me.”
Hearing this, Bai Fei Wan said, “There’s really nothing wrong with being from a merchant family. You shouldn’t worry about it too much. Merchants also earn money through their own labor; it’s just a different way of making a living.
“Their families all have commercial enterprises to some extent. Otherwise, with such large households, it would be difficult to maintain their splendid lifestyles just on an official’s salary without other sources of income.”
Ye Yu Xi’s eyes reddened at her words. “You’re right, Sister Bai. Merchants earn money through their own hard work. I shouldn’t feel inferior because of my background.
“Thank you. You’re truly a wonderful person, the kindest I’ve ever met.”
Bai Fei Wan didn’t know that because of her words, Ye Yu Xi would later expand the Ye family’s commercial empire across the entire country, contributing significantly to the nation’s prosperity and playing a crucial role in filling her son’s national treasury. But of course, that was all in the future.
Because of this incident, their relationship grew much closer. Ye Yu Xi went on to tell Bai Fei Wan many things about the women of the rear court.
The two of them talked for a long time, and Ye Yu Xi even stayed for dinner at Bai Fei Wan’s place before leaving.
From that day on, Ye Yu Xi would often come to chat with Bai Fei Wan. In private, they began calling each other by their names, no longer using the more distant terms of “sister.”