Chapter 19 Madam Cao swept her gaze across everyone present, then said to Old Madame Dou, "Your family's young ladies are all so lovely and refined—each one fills my heart with joy."Old Madame Dou smiled and said to Luo Shilan, "Why don't you take your younger sisters to pay respects to Madam Cao."Yaoniang followed along beside Shifang as the sisters together performed a curtsey. The three girls of the eldest branch all wore white-based jackets and skirts patterned with light red bamboo and plum blossoms, their hair styled in hanging buns adorned with pink and white piled gauze flowers on either side. The second branch's girls, meanwhile, wore bright red backless gowns with auspicious cloud patterns. Only the eldest young lady, Shilan, who had already come of age, was dressed differently from the rest.Clearly, Madam Cao was familiar with Luo Shilan and Luo Jingrou, and their interaction was warmer and more intimate. But as she listened to Luo Shilan and Luo Jingrou introduce the younger sisters, Madam Cao treated each one with equal courtesy."These are my third sister Shizhen, fourth sister Shifang, fifth sister Shiwei, and sixth sister Shiyu."Madam Cao's reaction to Shizhen and Shifang was fairly neutral, but when her eyes fell upon Yaoniang, they lit up. Then, looking at Shiyu as well, she found herself quite impressed by the grace and intelligence of the Luo family's daughters.After the greetings were completed, the girls stood to one side and listened as the adults conversed. Madam Cao had come to present wedding gifts, and she also inquired about the young men of the Luo family. Mrs. Yu replied, "Our second son has just passed the examination to enter the Zhongshe Academy and is still studying there. As for my youngest, he has only just begun his foundational schooling.""Our young one has only just started his studies too," Madam Cao said with a helpless sigh. "But he doesn't care for books at all—he prefers waving spears and brandishing staves. I can't do a thing with him, so I've had to leave his upbringing to his father."After that, Mrs. Yu had Hao-ge'er summoned. The moment Madam Cao laid eyes on him, she was utterly delighted: "What a handsome child this is! I don't think I've ever seen a boy with such long eyelashes."Old Madame Dou pointed to Cao Wanxuan and Jinghao and said, "Let the two young lads play together—we'll just sit back and watch."Everyone laughed, but Mrs. Ren thought to herself, No one has mentioned bringing my little grandson here. She felt a pang of grievance, though she dared not show it on her face.The boys played together in a muddle, with Jinghao taking out the grass grasshoppers and grass dragonflies his sister had made for him, along with the little whistle Yaoniang had given him—he kept them all carefully stored away, for these he considered true treasures.Cao Wanxuan naturally had his own playthings as well—the Dongyang Marquis's household was hardly lacking in such things—but upon seeing Jinghao's treasures, the two of them ended up playing together with great enthusiasm.The little grasshopper in particular captured his heart; he couldn't bear to put it down. Jinghao stood watch nearby and said, "You can play with it for a while, but then you have to give it back. My sister only makes me one each month.""I know, I know! Who is your sister, anyway? She's amazing." Cao Wanxuan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.Jinghao grinned and replied, "My sister is the fifth in our family. She's incredibly skilled—she can jump rope all day without getting tired, and when we play eagle catching chicks, she can even catch my second brother."Cao Wanxuan was filled with envy.Yaoniang had no idea her little brother was singing her praises so extravagantly. She was currently listening to Madam Cao mention that her niece had hired a renowned master from Jiangnan to teach her needlework, and now that her niece had reached the age of coming-of-age, such lessons were no longer needed.Madam Cao had spoken without any particular intention, but Mrs. Yu took the words to heart. She herself rarely had the time to teach her daughters needlework. Most girls knew how to sew, of course, but as for true mastery—that was another matter entirely.Therefore, Mrs. Yu said, "If it's not too much trouble, Madam Cao, could you perhaps make an introduction for us? The older girls in our family are fine as they are, but my fifth and sixth daughters are still young and have only just begun learning their stitches—they're in real need of proper instruction."Madam Cao readily agreed. She had heard that this madam of the Luo family's eldest branch was an amiable person, and now seeing how she treated legitimate and illegitimate daughters alike, with even her stepdaughter Luo Jingrou being warm and affectionate toward her, she couldn't help but nod inwardly in approval.Throughout the entire visit, Yaoniang found it very strange—not only did Madam Cao not treat Shifang with any special regard, but even Cao Wanxuan only played with her younger brother.In fact, by the end, Jinghao came to Yaoniang with a pitiful look and said, "Cao Sanlang took back my grass grasshopper."Seeing him about to cry, Yaoniang quickly comforted him, "How about I weave you another one next time, alright? Don't cry anymore."Meanwhile, at the dinner table, Mrs. Yu also brought up the matter of hiring an embroidery instructor to Luo Zhizheng: "It just happened to come up in conversation, and I thought we might invite one over. First, needlework is the foundation of a woman's accomplishments—if our girls can do fine embroidery, weaving, and tailoring with skill, they'll be held in higher regard. Second, this little girl Yaoniang spends all her days thinking about playing. Doing some needlework will help settle her temperament a bit."Luo Zhizheng neither agreed nor objected, but Mrs. Yu felt certain he wouldn't oppose it.Even Concubine Qin, upon hearing Shiyu's report of the news, was extremely pleased: "This is wonderful. The madam is truly a woman who thinks of every detail. The third young miss will soon be thirteen—this embroidery mistress is being hired for you and the fifth young miss. You must study hard."Shiyu nodded. "Daughter understands. But do you think Fourth Sister will come over too? I really hope she doesn't. When we were at the schoolroom, she was always dozing off, whispering, and even flicked ink onto me and Fifth Sister. She's so annoying.""That won't happen. Although our eldest branch and the second branch both live in the capital now, that's only because this compound was jointly purchased by the two old masters back then. Besides, living together means we can look after each other. But the families have long been separated. In the past, the master and madam didn't mind people from the second branch coming over, but now that things have gotten so tense, they certainly won't let her come." Serving as an official in the capital meant one might be transferred away in three to five years, so it was better to live together for mutual support. But since the two families had long since divided their households, there was no need to defer to the second branch in everything.And indeed, that was exactly what happened. Mrs. Yu moved quickly and settled the matter with Madam Cao within about three days—the embroidery mistress would come to the Luo household to teach after the New Year.As for the Luo family's recent stream of distinguished guests, Yu Yan happened to be visiting Yaoniang. Both Yaoniang and Shiyu had received gifts from their cousin Chen Ziheng—two boxes of pearls, a pair of red lychee-patterned bracelets, and a pair of jade ruyi scepters each. He was extremely generous with his gifts.Yinrong put the items away and smiled. "The Chen family truly lives up to being maritime merchants. Everyone in our household has received fine things from them."Yaoniang nodded. "Cousin Chen's family has been maritime merchants for generations. Back then, Grandfather went to Fuzhou to serve as an official and was fortunate enough to make their acquaintance, leading to the marriage alliance between our families. I heard this cousin is very close with Eldest Brother. Is that right, Sister-in-law?"Mrs. Fan, who was teaching her young sisters-in-law needlework, nodded. "Yes. Your eldest brother said the two of them studied together in the past. Later, your brother came back to continue his studies, while he began managing the family business. I've heard that in recent years he's even traveled as far as Luzon."So that was it. Yaoniang asked no more after that.But Yu Yan's heart stirred. She had heard her aunt and grandmother mention this Young Master Chen—he had lost his wife last year and had asked her aunt to help find him a new wife. If that person could be her, that wouldn't be a bad prospect at all.Yu Yan had seen quite a few people in the main hall these past few days. As a guest residing in the household, she was ultimately not on par with the legitimate young ladies of the Luo family—she did not receive such lavish gifts as they did.Others showed her a bit of courtesy for Mrs. Yu's sake, appearing no different from Yaoniang and the others on the surface, but in reality, the difference was vast.Another month passed, and the day of Luo Shilan's wedding arrived. The Luo sisters were all dressed in fresh new attire, and Yaoniang was handed a rolling pin, supposedly for the custom of beating the groom when he came to fetch the bride.Although Yaoniang knew that her younger brother would only meet with misfortune next year due to her eldest sister-in-law's funeral, she still had to be cautious now. Keeping him by her side was the best option."Mother, since you'll all be too busy to manage later, why not leave my little brother to me? He's only four, so he doesn't need to go out and socialize. I can take him to play."Seeing Yaoniang holding Jinghao's hand, Mrs. Yu agreed: "I was just worrying about him. He's young, and there are people everywhere today. I was planning to have him stay at home. Since you'll be with him, I can rest easy."She was still young, and although Mrs. Yu would bring them along when entertaining guests, the ones who truly needed to socialize were Luo Jingrou and Luo Shizhen, the two elder sisters who were already thirteen, as well as Yu Yan, who was around the same age.Therefore, Yaoniang first went to check on Luo Shilan. At that moment, Luo Shilan was having her hair styled by the dressing maid. This transformation was remarkable—it was as if a person had grown up in an instant, transitioning from maiden to matron. Her face seemed unchanged, but her hair was entirely swept up.Seeing her and Jinghao enter, Luo Shilan kindly had someone bring out snacks. Seeing the bustling crowd there, Yaoniang didn't want to disturb her, so she put Jinghao's hat on and led him outside."Sister, last time Cao Wanxuan took my grass grasshopper. It's been over a month now—when will you make me another one?" Jinghao complained."Look around—there are only withered branches everywhere. Where would I find leaves? Besides, the wind is blowing hard," Yaoniang poked her brother's forehead.Jinghao pouted. He was usually very well-behaved, but he treasured the grass grasshopper his sister had made him like a precious gem. He placed it beside his pillow every night when he slept, and the grass dragonfly hung on his bed. Now that Cao Wanxuan had taken it, he missed it dearly.Yaoniang spent every day with Jinghao, so how could she not know what was on his mind? She said, "Alright, I'll take you to the garden now. I remember there's a greenhouse at Tianshui Studio. Let's go play there, and I'll weave one for you. How about that?"Even the most well-behaved boy would want to go see the excitement outside, but with such a mixed crowd of people coming today, and him being so young, Yaoniang was very worried. So she had his wet nurse make sure his hat was on properly, and the two of them headed to Tianshui Studio.Halfway there, they encountered a lady with a child who looked very anxious."Miss, how do I get to the front courtyard?"Seeing how anxious she was, Yaoniang smiled and said, "Go east from here for about three li, cross an arched bridge, then head west past two intersections and you'll be there."The lady said again, "But I don't remember the way! What should I do?"Although guests were to be treated with courtesy today, there were always people of mixed backgrounds among them. Noticing that while the woman's expression seemed urgent, her actions didn't match, Yaoniang became wary and said, "In that case, I'll have someone escort you there.""No, no, miss, you take me there yourself," the woman said directly.Yaoniang knew well that the kidnappers outside always appeared with children, some even pretending to be pregnant women, all to lower people's guard. True villains never wore their wickedness on their faces; instead, they appeared as kind-hearted souls.The woman, seeing that Yaoniang was young and should be soft-hearted and easy to persuade, tried her luck.But Yaoniang refused outright: "I still have matters to attend to. Walk twenty paces ahead, and you'll find servants there. Ask them to show you the way."The woman felt a surge of inexplicable anger, but fortunately, after walking a few steps forward, she encountered a little girl as adorable as a dumpling, who kindly led her along. The woman was deeply grateful.It turned out the little girl was Shifang, who couldn't help but ask who this woman was.The woman said with some pride, "I am known as the 'Number One Needle of Jiangbei,' Jiang Caiping. Little girl, I can see you have excellent aptitude. If you're willing, I could take you on as my disciple."Shifang never expected to receive such praise from a master of needlework by sheer chance. Overjoyed, she brought Mrs. Jiang to meet Mrs. Ren. Upon hearing that Jiang Caiping was a master of embroidery and needlework, specially invited from Jiangnan by her sister-in-law Mrs. Jiang to sew the wedding dress for the eldest young lady's marriage, and had originally planned to open a shop in the capital while taking on a disciple, Mrs. Ren was pleased.Mrs. Ren had already been irritated that the main branch had hired embroiderers from the Dongyang Marquis's household. Now, with an embroiderer delivered right to her doorstep, she was delighted, though she still maintained a somewhat haughty demeanor on the surface.Mrs. Jiang immediately said, "I was originally testing to see which disciple showed the most kindness. Learning needlework requires not only dexterity and skill, but most importantly, a calm heart and a kind nature. When I met that Fifth Miss on the road, she was far too full of herself. It's your Fourth Miss who has the qualities I seek in a disciple. If you, Lady Luo, agree, I will teach her without charging a single coin.""Speaking of which, if it weren't for your Fourth Miss, my grandson would likely have been done for today. He has always suffered from vertigo. Truly, thank heavens."Mrs. Ren was overjoyed inside. Having the "Number One Needle of Jiangbei" teach her daughter without spending a single copper was simply wonderful. She had always thought other people's daughters were cleverer, while her own was too naive. She never imagined that being kind-hearted would prove to be the best quality after all.Shifang's face was beaming with joy as well.Though Mrs. Jiang's expression remained calm, her heart was dancing with delight. She was a widow with a son, and opening a shop in the capital was no easy feat. Back home, her son had offended someone, and it had taken great effort to settle the matter. Had it not been for that, she wouldn't have traveled all this way to the capital to take on this commission.She had originally hoped to find protection under the Luo family, but without any connection, who would willingly offer their protection?She had initially set her sights on the Luo family's Fifth Miss, the legitimate daughter of a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel, whose mother was the household's matriarch. But that young lady had been far too aloof. Fortunately, there was this Luo family girl instead. With the Luo family backing her business in the capital, no petty ruffians would dare to cause her trouble.

The Second Wife’s Daughter