At the Song family, the grandfather had already passed away. Only the grandmother remained.
The eldest uncle worked as an official in another town, but the eldest aunt did not go with him. She still ran the household, while outside matters depended on the younger uncle. The younger uncle, however, seemed unreliable and often made the eldest aunt angry.
The eldest cousin went with the eldest uncle to his post. The second cousin was still young, and the grandmother favored the youngest son, so the eldest aunt had to deal with all the frustration.
Yan Zigui learned this gossip from the four servant girls. On the day they went back to the Song house, Yan Zhenying didn’t come, so it was just the three brothers and Yan Ziqin.
Liu Yiniang, a maid who had come with her mother as part of her dowry, also returned with them. Her brothers still served in the Song household. So that day, Liu Yiniang rode in the same carriage as Yan Zigui and Yan Ziqin.
Yan Ziqin wanted to get close to Yan Zigui. She had learned sewing and made a small pouch, crooked and imperfect, which she wanted to give to Yan Zigui. Yan Zigui praised it and hung it on her belt.
Liu Yiniang said that since this was the third young lady’s first pouch, it should be kept as a keepsake. Later, when her skills improved, she could make more, and the eldest daughter could switch which one she wore.
“I’m happy that you accepted my pouch,” Yan Ziqin said, blushing. “It’s a little ugly. Don’t wear it in public, or people might laugh.”
“Everyone will know it’s from my little sister. They’ll be envious, not laugh,” Yan Zigui said, patting the pouch. It was the first thoughtful gift she had received from her siblings since coming home. Very precious.
At the Song house, the grandmother held Yan Zigui’s hand and wept. “Good girl, you look just like your mother when she was young. I’ve wanted to hear you say that for so many years.”
“Too bad your grandfather didn’t live to see you.”
Yan Zigui lowered her head, feeling touched by the grandmother’s sincere affection. Her nose tingled. “I know you care about me, and so does aunt. Every year, the gifts I sent to Jialan Pass were used carefully.”
“Your mother missed you so much, she was heartbroken. Don’t blame her. She couldn’t decide about your trip to Jialan Pass.”
“I don’t blame her,” Yan Zigui reassured the grandmother.
“Now that you’re back, it’s a good thing. Mother and daughter reunited. No more crying. Everyone stop crying,” the eldest aunt said, wiping Mrs. Song’s tears with a handkerchief. She hadn’t realized it, but she had shed her first tears at her daughter’s return.
Yan Zigui leaned on her grandmother, seeing Mrs. Song’s tears and feeling a pang of sadness. You can cry too? Are you crying for me?
“Eldest sister is incredible. She came back like a battle, everyone was stunned and forgot to cry,” Yan Shixue joked. The mood was so emotional, he even started tearing up.
He seemed to finally realize that Yan Zigui wasn’t a stranger or a distant relative. She was his true sister, sharing the same parents.
“Family secrets should not be told outside,” Mrs. Song said, pinching his nose. “You say everything.”
“If I don’t say, how would I know?” the grandmother patted Yan Zigui’s back. “My granddaughter won’t let that concubine bully her.”
“You’re stronger than your mother. Back then, your mother had to grit her teeth and call her aunt,” the grandmother said.
“Mother had no choice. When the old grandmother was alive, even grandfather couldn’t argue with her, let alone a new daughter-in-law,” Yan Zigui said.
The grandmother hugged her tightly. “It’s enough that you understand your mother’s difficulty.”
After meeting the aunt and the cousins, Yan Zigui noticed the family had few children. The eldest aunt had two sons. The younger aunt had two legitimate daughters and one child by a concubine.
“Your eldest uncle is away on duty. You won’t see him for now. Your younger uncle is busy at the office today. We’ll take you to see them during the Dragon Boat Festival,” the grandmother explained.
The eldest aunt scoffed. How busy could the office be? They couldn’t even meet a niece they’d never seen? They just weren’t making the effort.
While waiting to eat, a Song family maid brought Chun-niang to see Yan Zigui. “It’s impressive you remembered her. She came to Kowtow ( to kneel and bow so low that your head touches the ground as a sign of deep respect, submission, or apology—often used in front of elders, rulers, or important figures.) to you.”
Chun-niang was very thin. Seeing Yan Zigui, she immediately knelt and bowed.
Yan Zigui asked Chun-niang if she had been doing well.
Chun-niang said she was fine. Before age five, Yan Zigui had depended on her a lot, but after so many years apart, even close feelings had faded. There wasn’t much to say. Yan Zigui had Gancao give Chun-niang a pouch, and that ended the meeting.
“If you want her to serve you, let her go back today,” the eldest aunt said. “She’s not very useful here anyway.”
A wet nurse’s main job is to stay with the child she nursed. Once she leaves, she can’t always coincide with the household’s needs. Without nursing a child, she’s just an ordinary servant. Every other position is crowded; there’s no good spot waiting for her.
Chun-niang had originally gone with Mrs. Song to marry. Her husband was also part of the dowry staff. If she had stayed by Yan Zigui, now returning, her status and treatment would have been fine.
But Chun-niang could become a wet nurse because she had recently given birth herself. Her instincts as a mother made her long for her own child. She returned to see the child.
However, Mrs. Song did not like this, sending her back to her family, along with her husband and child.
Back at her family, there was no good position to place her. Her husband resented her, gave her a divorce paper, and took another maid from the second branch to secure a managerial position.
Returning home, her parents arranged for her to marry another servant. Life as a servant was always like this. Later, she had two more children and tried to place them to serve in a household.
Yan Zigui said to the eldest aunt, “Even though my mother sent her back, I cannot take her again. Missing her own child is not a fault. Since she once nursed me, aunt, please give her some light tasks. I appreciate your kindness.”
“Is that just flattery?” the eldest aunt laughed. “Well, for my eldest niece, I’ll behave properly.”
The eldest aunt showed that she liked Yan Zigui. Yan Zigui held her arm and acted close, making her happy. She even wanted Yan Zigui to stay overnight to spend more time together.
“Too bad the eldest son is already engaged. The second son is too young. Otherwise, I’d think she wanted to become my daughter-in-law,” the younger aunt joked.
“You speak nonsense,” the eldest aunt laughed. “I don’t have a daughter. This clever girl feels like my own child. Naturally, I like her.”
“Now that Yan Zigui is in the capital, the Yan family is just two streets away from the Song family. She will come to play often,” the grandmother said. “Don’t find it annoying.”
“I never find her annoying,” the youngest brother, Yan Shide, said quietly.
Yan Shixue glanced at him. “If you saw her scolding someone, you wouldn’t like her then.”
Yan Shide replied, “In my heart, she is the second sister. I don’t recognize any ‘eldest sister.’” Then he asked Yan Shizhen, “You feel the same, right?”
Yan Shizhen smiled awkwardly. Saying this might at most get a scolding from their mother. They were blood relatives, so there was no lasting grudge. He was not a full sibling, so saying such things was just a bit cheeky.
Although Mrs. Song treated all children equally, in reality, when at the Song family, Yan Zigui had to call the grandmother and aunts formally. His own grandmother and uncle had only been freed from servant status after he was born. So he couldn’t casually treat them as family yet.
His stepmother even sighed that if he had been born a girl, he would have been treasured in the Song family. But as a boy, he had to follow his brothers and watch how he behaved.
Yan Shide kept asking if the second sister was better than the eldest. “We’ve seen the eldest less. Besides, the eldest gave us a clever riding whip.” Yan Shizhen avoided the topic.
“Then you forgot the second sister made us pouches and knee pads, but you remember the whip? Can you even ride a horse?” Yan Shide was unhappy with the answer.
Yan Shixue tapped his brother on the head. “The sixth brother is right. You’re selfish, not knowing who is close or distant.”