The May weather grew hotter day by day.
A sudden rainstorm had fallen last night, clearing before dawn. As the sun rose early in the morning, the rainwater from the night before brought no coolness; instead, it added a layer of dampness. The humid heat was stifling and uncomfortable.
An Ruosu did not want to go out. A small, delicate bundle, she sprawled on the daybed in the outer room and had her head maid, Honglian, push open the louvered windows to catch the few stray gusts of cool wind passing through the corridor.
But even the wind was muggy.
A young maid named Bihe carried a carmine-red peony lidded bowl and walked in hurriedly. Feeling a trace of coolness upon entering the room, she couldn’t help but curse, “This devilish weather. It’s only May and it’s already this hot. How is anyone supposed to live?”
Having opened the window, Honglian sat by the door separating silk threads. She was looking after An Ruosu while also ensuring the younger maids didn’t get into mischief.
She was fifteen this year and had been assigned by the mistress, Zhou Shuyu, to serve her youngest daughter. She was ten years older than An Ruosu and five or six years older than the maid Bihe.
Seeing Bihe acting so rashly, Honglian stopped her work and chided, “You’re so young, yet your mouth is full of talk about dying and living. Aren’t you afraid of the bad luck?”
Bihe quickly offered a flattering smile and held out the items on her tray like a prized treasure. “Sister Honglian, look! This is the Xuehualao Concubine Wu just made. She sent several bowls to the Madam. I just happened to pass by the main house, and Sister Xiaoyu pulled me over, telling me to bring a bowl back for our Young Miss.”
Delighted, Honglian dropped her silk threads and stood up. Taking the bowl personally, she walked to the soft couch and gently nudged the dazed, half-asleep An Ruosu. She called out softly, “Miss, Miss, wake up. Look at this wonderful treat.”
An Ruosu had suffered a difficult birth; she had been stuck in the womb for too long, which left her with a somewhat frail constitution. Whenever the weather turned hot, she lost her appetite. Her stomach and spleen were weak, so she couldn’t indulge in too many cold foods. Thus, every time midsummer arrived, getting her to eat became a major ordeal.
This year, the heat had come exceptionally early. An Ruosu’s appetite dwindled daily, and the baby fat on her face had significantly thinned out.
Honglian saw this and felt pained, but she was at her wits’ end. She only hoped that eating this bowl of Xuehualao would dispel the summer heat in the Young Miss’s stomach, so she might at least eat a proper meal later.
“What is it?” An Ruosu asked lazily. She didn’t even want to open her eyes. Her thick eyelashes curled slightly, opening only a tiny slit. Her voice was muffled and vague, and her whole being was like a flower bud that had lost its moisture—wilted and limp.
Bihe hurried over and said excitedly, “Miss, get up quickly! It’s the Xuehualao made by Concubine Wu. If you don’t eat it soon, it will melt.”
“Xuehualao?”
Triggered by the keyword, An Ruosu’s eyes brightened, and her spirit instantly returned. she sat up abruptly. “Quick, give me a bite! Concubine Wu has the best skill at making this.”
Xuehualao was the ancient version of soft-serve ice cream. The ingredients were substantial, made entirely with whole milk. Once prepared, it was sprinkled with chopped candied fruits, dried nuts, and seasonal fruits.
In terms of texture, it naturally couldn’t compare to modern industrial products. But this was ancient times; having ice cream in the summer was already a luxury. What more could one ask for?
Seeing her so eager, both maids burst into laughter.
Honglian had Bihe hold the tray while she took the carmine peony bowl, removed the lid, and set it aside. She then picked up the silver spoon and scooped a portion mixed with bits of candied fruit and nuts, bringing it to An Ruosu’s lips.
An Ruosu opened her mouth wide and swallowed the whole spoonful in one go. The sudden icy chill stimulated the nerves in her mouth, triggering a wave of sharp pain. She gasped several times in shock but refused to spit it out.
Honglian said amusedly, “Slow down, slow down. You’ll be another year older come June. How can you still wolf things down like this? If the Madam sees you, she’ll make you recite the Liji as punishment again.”
After a good while, An Ruosu finally recovered. She slowly chewed the tiny bits of candied fruit and nuts, letting the iced cream melt in her mouth, sliding down her throat with a rich, milky fragrance.
Only after swallowing everything did she huff and say, “Let her punish me then. I’ve already memorized it by heart anyway.”
The girls in their family didn’t start their formal schooling until they were six. Her birthday was on the sixth day of the sixth month, only a month away.
The female tutor who was supposed to teach her should have been invited into the house by now. However, half a month ago, her father, An Jieshan, had received a transfer order from the Libu for a promotion, appointing him to return to the capital as the Left Vice Minister of the Hubu—the Hubu Zuoshilang.
An Ruosu had traveled with her father on his official postings since she was a child. Now that her father was being transferred to the capital, she naturally wouldn’t be staying in Shandong for long. The female tutor they had initially scouted was unwilling to leave her hometown, so her mother, Zhou Shuyu, had no choice but to drop the matter, thinking they would hire a renowned teacher once they reached the capital.
Since she hadn’t started school yet, she didn’t know how to write. Even if her mother wanted to punish her, she could only make her recite texts, not copy them.
Perhaps because of her Taichuan—transmigrating into the womb—her mental strength was formidable. An Ruosu’s memory in this life was even better than in her last. Having a photographic memory and memorizing inscriptions at a glance were commonplace for her; she was not afraid of reciting books at all.
Bihe smiled and said, “That’s true. Our Miss has the best memory. No matter what book it is, as long as she reads it once, she can recite it without missing a single word. In this regard, neither the Eldest Miss, the Second Miss, nor the First and Second Young Masters can compare.”
She spoke with a face full of pride, swaying her head. Honglian said teasingly, “The Miss is the one great at reciting; why are you so proud? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were the one who could recite the books.”
Bihe lifted her chin and said boastfully, “I am the Miss’s maid. Ever since I was assigned to this courtyard, I belong to the Miss for life. If the Miss is amazing, then I am amazing too!”
This one sentence made both An Ruosu and Honglian laugh. Seeing them laugh, Bihe joined in as well.
In the blink of an eye, more than half of the season’s first bowl of iced cream had been eaten by An Ruosu. Seeing her still wanting more, Honglian quickly stopped her. “Miss, you mustn’t eat any more. You should at least leave a bite for Bihe. Look how greedy she looks.”
The mentioned Bihe was momentarily dazed. Huh? Me?
In the next moment, she caught Honglian’s meaningful look and immediately put on a face of longing. She pleaded, “Good Miss, give me a bite. Concubine Wu’s skill is the best, but she rarely makes it. I haven’t tasted it in so long.”
An Ruosu knew that the two were acting in concert because they were afraid she would get a stomachache from eating too much cold food. She went along with them and smiled, “You poor thing, then I shall bestow it upon you.”
“Thank you, Miss! I’m in for a treat!” Bihe hurriedly took the bowl and happily finished the remaining small portion.
Honglian served An Ruosu by removing her jewelry, re-washing her hands, and rinsing her mouth. She then put a pair of gold bracelets with dangling bells back on her wrists and advised softly, “You’ve just eaten a stomachful of cold things. If you just sit here, it might settle uncomfortably. Why don’t you go out for a stroll, Miss?”
An Ruosu looked at the sky outside with a troubled expression, really not wanting to move.
Just then, Chan’er, the maid of the second daughter, An Ruoyu, walked in and said with a smile, “Third Miss, Aunt Xue, who makes silk flowers, has arrived. Our Miss invites you to come over.”
An Ruosu’s spirit immediately rose. She let Honglian help her change into clothes suitable for going out, then took Bihe along and followed Chan’er to the courtyard of her second sister, An Ruoyu.
The master of the An family, An Jieshan, had two sons and three daughters. The eldest daughter, An Ruofei, and the second daughter, An Ruoyu, were both born to Concubine Wu. The eldest son, An Ruotai, and the third daughter, An Ruosu, were born to the legitimate wife, Madam Zhou. The second son, An Ruoran, was born to Concubine Zhu.
Concubine Wu was an ill-fated orphan. Because her family’s fortune had declined and her parents died young, her clansmen bullied her for being a lone girl. They stayed in her house and feasted on her family’s remains for half a month, then kidnapped her while she was sleeping and sold her to a human trafficker to be sent far away.
At that time, An Jieshan had just arrived at the place where Concubine Wu was sold to serve as the Tongpan. Because he and his wife had been married for ten years without children, the mistress Zhou Shuyu found a matchmaker to look for a girl with decent looks and a gentle temperament to bear children.
Actually, Concubine Wu did not meet Zhou Shuyu’s requirements. Although she was indeed decent-looking and beautiful, she had a stubborn streak.
The female broker who handled her also worked as a matchmaker. Pitying her plight, she recommended her to Zhou Shuyu, hoping the girl could find a place to settle for the rest of her life.
After hearing the matchmaker’s words, Zhou Shuyu had her brought over and asked her face-to-face if she was willing to come to the An family.
Concubine Wu knelt on the spot, her attitude resolute: “If Master An can help me obtain justice and recover my usurped family property, I am willing to serve the Master and Madam for the rest of my life as a slave.”
Zhou Shuyu admired her character. She paid the matchmaker fifty taels of silver and kept her, telling An Jieshan about the matter that night.
An Jieshan immediately wrote a letter to the local county magistrate. Concubine Wu’s clansmen had no legal standing to begin with; they were merely bullying an orphan with no backing. Now that she had a powerful supporter, they had to spit back every bit of the feast they had eaten and every penny of the missing dowry.
And so, Concubine Wu entered the An family.
Zhou Shuyu did not make her sign a contract of indenture; all procedures followed those of taking a “good concubine.” The recovered family assets also became Concubine Wu’s dowry, serving as her financial security in her husband’s house.
She was indeed fortunate. In the first year of her marriage, she conceived and gave birth to the eldest daughter, An Ruofei. A year later, she gave birth to the second daughter, An Ruoyu.
By then, An Jieshan was already over thirty. For the sake of having heirs, Zhou Shuyu took it upon herself to make her personal maid, Cuier, a concubine, promising that as long as she had a child—regardless of gender—she would be promoted to the rank of an official concubine.
It was also in this year that Zhou Shuyu, who had been infertile for many years, suddenly conceived and gave birth to a son in one go—An Jieshan’s eldest son, An Ruotai.
The following year, the maid Cuier was found to be pregnant. Zhou Shuyu did not break her promise just because she now had a son. Once the physician confirmed it, she immediately held a feast and promoted her to a concubine—this was Concubine Zhu.
Because Concubine Wu was a grateful person, she had always been close to the main house. The two daughters she bore were also entrusted to the main mistress to be raised. An Ruosu had been very close to her two elder sisters since childhood, and An Ruofei and An Ruoyu also took great care of this younger sister. If there was anything good to eat or play with, they never forgot her.
The Aunt Xue who came today was a famous female broker in the area. Every day, she carried a basket and walked through the inner quarters of various manors, moonlighted as a matchmaker, and also kept an eye on traveling peddlers for the various madams and ladies to find unusual trinkets.
Because she had a pair of skillful hands, she was an expert at making silk and pearl flowers, and she even knew the art of Diancui. The ladies and young misses of every household favored her more and more, often inviting her to their homes to make jewelry.
There were also some smaller households that didn’t have specialized hairdressing maids. During festivals or major events, they would call her over in advance to do hair and makeup.
An Ruoyu was fourteen this year and already had her own courtyard, not far from the main courtyard. The three of them arrived in less than fifteen minutes.
A wisteria trellis had been set up in the courtyard. An Ruoyu was sitting with Aunt Xue beneath it. As Aunt Xue talked with An Ruoyu, her hands never stopped; a pearl flower was already more than half-finished.
As soon as An Ruosu entered, An Ruoyu saw her and hurriedly smiled, beckoning her over. “Little Sister, come here quickly. Didn’t you say you wanted to string a bracelet last time? Aunt Xue has just obtained a batch of yellow jade beads. You’re young; this color will suit you perfectly.”
Aunt Xue hurriedly stood up and greeted her with a beaming smile, “Greetings to the Third Miss. It’s been a few days since I last saw you; the Third Miss has grown even more prosperous.”
In modern times, telling someone they had grown “prosperous” (fat) upon meeting would be seen as picking a fight. But in this era, it was a sincere compliment.
An Ruosu had been here for six years since her Taichuan and had long since grown accustomed to it. She didn’t mind at all and smiled as she returned the greeting. “Aunt Xue, you’re one to talk. You look much more prosperous than before. You must have made a fortune somewhere.”