Bihe…
As Bihe put away the newly woven bracelet she had made that day, she shook her head, "I don’t know either. Everything was fine along the way, but the mistress called Second Miss over to talk. When our young lady wanted to follow, Sister Xiaoyu wouldn’t allow it."
Honglian thought for a moment and smiled, "Young lady, don’t feel left out. Second Miss is fourteen this year, and next year will be her Ji-ji year. If the mistress called her alone, it’s likely about her lifelong matters. You’re still young—such topics aren’t suitable for you to hear."
Afraid An Ruosu wouldn’t believe her, she instructed Bihe, "Go to the main house and see if the mistress has invited Aunt Wu. If it’s about Second Miss’s lifelong matters, Aunt Wu will surely be called over as well."
Although parents decide their children’s marriages, Aunt Wu is, after all, a respectable concubine and cannot be treated lightly. When Eldest Miss An Ruofei’s marriage was being discussed, the mistress also had her present throughout.
Bihe indeed grabbed two handfuls of melon seeds and went to the main house, circling around to chat and snack with her familiar friends.
After finishing the melon seeds and enjoying some fruit from her friends, she found an excuse to return, eagerly saying, "Exactly as Sister Honglian guessed! The mistress first sent someone to invite Aunt Wu, and only afterward did she call for Second Miss."
Honglian looked at An Ruosu and laughed triumphantly, "See? I guessed right, didn’t I?"
An Ruosu couldn’t help but laugh, "Those who know you came from the mistress’s quarters might think you’re a worm in the mistress’s belly."
Honglian served her half a bowl of red date and longan soup, smiling, "How could I possibly guess the mistress’s thoughts? I just know the mistress’s loving heart toward you, young lady."
After a few sips, An Ruosu felt her stomach bloated and quickly raised her hand to stop, shaking her head to indicate she wouldn’t drink more.
Bihe ran to the antique shelf, crouched down, and fetched a few slightly rounded stones from the bottom shelf, enthusiastically suggesting, "Young lady just ate something, so it’s not good to sleep right away. Let’s take this chance to play Wuo-zi!"
"That’s exactly right. Bihe is becoming more and more thoughtful," Honglian praised her, then turned to bring over the large basin filled with fine sand. She also took a plate of melon seeds and distributed a handful to each of them. The three gathered together to play Wuo-zi, betting melon seeds.
After playing for about half an hour, Bihe lost all her melon seeds and pouted unhappily, "You two teamed up against me! I’m not playing anymore!"
An Ruosu chuckled and casually pushed all the melon seeds in front of her toward Bihe, teasing her, "You’re always the one who wants to play, and you’re also the one who throws a tantrum when you lose. You’re even older than me—aren’t you ashamed?"
Seeing she had melon seeds to eat, Bihe immediately cheered up, happily holding them and cracking them open, sweetly flattering, "I’ll peel them for you, young lady."
An Ruosu was left without any temper, amused, "No need at all. Eat them yourself—I can’t handle them either." With that, she stood up and asked Honglian to go outside and check if the sun had set.
Honglian understood her thoughts best. After going out for a quick look, she returned and advised, "Young lady, your constitution has always been weak. The best way to preserve your health is to worry less. If you fall ill, the mistress and both concubines will worry, and even the two young masters and Second Miss won’t be spared. Why go through all that trouble?"
An Ruosu replied, "I know all that, but this concerns my second sister. I just want to understand what’s going on."
She had been sharp-minded for two lifetimes, able to sense almost immediately who was genuinely good to her and who was merely putting on a show. That was why her frail health in this life was not without reason.
Both her elder sisters treated her with sincere affection, and she knew how harsh this era was toward women. Now that her second sister, An Ruoyu, had reached the age for marriage discussions, and the matter involved Aunt Xue, who also worked as a matchmaker, how could An Ruosu not overthink it?
Bihe didn’t understand, blinking her bewildered eyes as she cracked sunflower seeds and asked, “Miss, elder sister, what are you talking about? Sister Honglian, you usually urge Miss to move around when she’s too lazy. Now that she finally wants to go out today, why are you telling her not to?”
Honglian shot her an annoyed glance. “This doesn’t concern you. Take the seeds and go eat them outside.”
Bihe obediently said “Oh,” gathered all the seeds into a dish, and carried it away.
Her simple-mindedness made Honglian lose her temper. She turned to An Ruosu and said, “If only Miss could find a middle ground with her, it would save us some worry.”
An Ruosu smiled. “That’s just how she is naturally. There’s nothing to be done about it.”
Honglian lowered half of the curtain, picked up her sewing basket, and sat on the round stool by the couch. Threading a needle, she advised, “Even you, as her younger sister, worry so much, let alone Madame and Aunt Wu, who are her mothers. Even the master wouldn’t stand by and watch his own child suffer.”
An Ruosu thought it over and realized this was indeed true. Finally feeling relieved, she smiled and said, “No wonder Mother insisted on placing you here. You really are thoughtful.”
Honglian smiled modestly. “I don’t deserve such praise. If Miss isn’t tired, come help me sort the threads. Separate the yellow ones and don’t mix the dark and light shades.”
An Ruosu knew this was also a way to teach her needlework and agreed, moving closer to help.
A short while later, there was movement outside. The two of them faintly heard An Ruoyu and Chan’er talking. An Ruosu quickly dropped the silk threads in her hand and hurried out, calling, “Second Sister, don’t rush off. Come sit in my room for a while.”
An Ruoyu stood waiting for her to approach, then took a handkerchief to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead, chiding gently, “On such a hot day, why are you rushing around like you’re chasing rabbits?”
An Ruosu took the opportunity to carefully observe her expression. Seeing her calm and composed, without a trace of sadness, anger, or gloom, the heavy stone in her heart finally settled completely. She giggled and cooed, “I was just eager to see you, Second Sister. You’ve come all the way to my door—are you going to imitate Yu the Great and pass by without entering?”
An Ruoyu laughed. “It’s only been a few days, but your learning has improved. You even know how to use literary allusions now.”
The two sisters walked hand in hand into the room. Honglian quickly brought tea. An Ruoyu lifted the lid and saw it was black tea, nodding in satisfaction. She then reminded her sister, “Even with this tea, you should drink less of it usually and replace it with nourishing soups instead.”
An Ruosu agreed absentmindedly and couldn’t wait to ask, “Second Sister, why did Madame and Aunt call you over? Was it about the marriage arrangement with the Chen family?”
An Ruoyu replied, “There’s no need to mention that matter anymore. Second Master Chen is already engaged—to Third Miss Li, his own cousin.”
An Ruosu was taken aback, finally understanding why Aunt Xue had acted awkwardly in front of An Ruoyu.
Although the An and Chen families had not yet formally begun the betrothal rituals, the matriarchs Zhou Shuyu and Madam Xu had already reached a tacit understanding. The second son of the Chen family had accompanied Madam Xu to the An household several times and had even visited on his own under the pretext of calling on the brothers An Ruotai and An Ruoran.
It was only after crossing over that An Ruosu realized that the strict separation between men and women in this era was not as extreme as depicted in later novels. Unless it was a particularly necessary family alliance, before arranging a marriage for their children, families would allow the young couple to meet a few times, speak with each other, and get to know one another.
Only if their temperaments were compatible, or at the very least, if they did not find each other irritating, would the formal betrothal rituals proceed.
If the two parties truly disliked each other, or if one was thoroughly repulsed by the other, the marriage would naturally be called off, and no one would bring it up again.
After all, a marriage between children was meant to unite families, not create enmity. The children were their own flesh and blood, and unless absolutely necessary, their feelings had to be considered.
The An and Chen families were currently in the stage of allowing the young couple to get to know each other. Judging by An Ruoyu's attitude, she seemed to get along quite well with the second son of the Chen family. So why had the matter suddenly been dropped?
Seeing her younger sister looking at her with concern, An Ruoyu smiled and patted her head, amused. "Since it didn't work out, it just means that he and I were not fated to be together. We can each go find someone with whom we share a deeper connection. I think this is a good thing, so why are you feeling so melancholic on my behalf?"
Seeing that she showed no sign of reluctance, An Ruosu threw herself into her arms and laughed. "I knew it—Second Sister isn't the petty type. By the way, Second Sister, who exactly is this Miss Li in relation to Young Master Chen?"
An Ruoyu replied, "Don't say it like that—they are legitimate relatives. Young Master Chen's grandmother, Prefect Chen's mother, Old Madam Chen, is surnamed Li. Miss Li is her grandniece."
Hearing this, An Ruosu understood and nodded in sudden realization. "Madam Xu favored Second Sister, but Old Madam Li insisted on having her grandson marry her grandniece from her maternal family. What about Young Master Chen? What does he think?"
An Ruoyu sneered. "What he thinks doesn't matter. None of the male descendants in the Li family of this generation are promising. Old Madam Li is advanced in years and feels she won't be able to look after her maternal family for much longer. She is pressuring her daughter-in-law to arrange this marriage precisely to solidify the relationship between the Li and Chen families. If the second son refuses to marry her, then the eldest son will have to."
Neither Madam Xu nor Prefect Chen wanted a daughter from a declining family as their eldest daughter-in-law, so this marriage naturally fell on Chen Erlang. As long as he did not want to bear the reputation of being "unfilial to his grandmother," he had no choice but to marry her.
"So, Chen Erlang is just a pawn," An Ruosu said with sympathy in her eyes.
An Ruoyu also sighed. "With such a situation, there's nothing he can do. Let's just hope Miss Li is a good person."
The two sisters chatted together until dinnertime, then decided to share a meal. Afterward, they went together to their parents' quarters to perform the Hun-ding ceremony, after which An Ruoyu returned to her own courtyard.
After sending her two daughters away, Zhou Shuyu turned around and threw her handkerchief onto the couch, sneering coldly. "I used to think Madam Xu was quite decent. Who would have thought that 'adversity reveals true strength, and turmoil shows loyal ministers'? Only when something happens do you truly know what someone is like."
"If the marriage alliance between the two families is to be called off, then so be it. Even if she didn't come to tell us herself, she should at least have sent some women to inform us. Without a word, the Chen family suddenly dropped our family and went to form a marriage alliance with the Li family. Those who don't know the situation might think our family was desperately chasing after them."
An Jieshan stepped forward to help her sit down, smiling as he said, "Anyway, our family is returning to the capital soon. Why bother with them? In my opinion, this is a great blessing."
Zhou Shuyu glanced sideways at him. "A blessing? Our An family's reputation has been trampled underfoot by the Chen family, and you still think it's a blessing?"
"How is it not a blessing?" An Jieshan replied. "If the Li family hadn't intervened, our second daughter would have been married into the Chen family. With a family like theirs, entering their household would be no different from stepping into a quagmire."
Zhou Shuyu thought it over and realized he had a point. She snorted, her tone softening. "Fine, you're right." After a pause, she added, "It's also our second daughter's good fortune."
Mentioning the second daughter inevitably reminded her of the eldest. Zhou Shuyu sighed. "Fei'er has been married into the capital for over a year now, and there hasn't been any good news during the festivals or birthdays. Aunt Wu has already cried in front of me several times over this, always worried that with no signs of pregnancy for so long, she won't be able to stand firm in her husband's family."
An Jieshan said helplessly, "The Su family is a scholarly household, the most proper there is. You're just worrying over nothing."
Zhou Shuyu didn't like hearing this. "How is a mother's concern for her daughter worrying over nothing?"
An Jieshan didn't want to argue with her and changed the subject. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Today, I received a private letter from Brother Ruhai. From his tone, it seems he intends to form a marriage alliance with our family."
"A marriage alliance?" Zhou Shuyu was taken aback. "If I remember correctly, he only has one son, who is just eight years old this year. That doesn't match our Yu'er, does it?"
Although there are many couples where the wife is older than the husband, the difference is usually no more than four or five years. Any greater gap would make her a child bride.
Author's Note:
Third chapter since starting this story—can the male lead be considered to have made an appearance?
But his actual appearance won't happen for several more chapters. Once he appears, his role will be larger than the female lead's. After all, this is a Honglou fanfiction, so the Jia family must be mentioned, and the one who interacts with the Jia family is the male lead.
Also: The male lead of this story is Lin Daiyu, the male lead of this story is Lin Daiyu, the male lead of this story is Lin Daiyu!