Xu Da Lang’s friend spoke very nicely, saying that once there was an opening in Jinling, he would recommend him.
Xu Da Lang was full of hope, but Huang Shi disagreed.
She believed their home was in Suzhou, and they had relatives and friends there.
Even if she no longer worked as an embroidery maid in the Deputy Thousand Household’s residence, she could still get by in her uncle’s Silk and Cotton Shop.
She earnestly said, “You’re often so high-minded and don’t understand worldly ways. You might as well find a position at a local academy as a lecturer. That wouldn’t be bad either. You can’t expect me to support the family all by myself forever, can you?”
Her words wounded Xu Da Lang’s pride: “Yes, you earn money, and it’s only you earning for the family.”
“I never said I was that capable. I know you look down on me for being ugly, that you think I’m not good enough for you, and you just want to dump me so you can go to Jinling and be your charming self…”
Huang Shi had always felt insecure about her appearance, and now she was afraid Xu Da Lang would really go out and live a carefree life without her.
They argued bitterly, exchanging no kind words.
Luckily, Xu Da Lang cared about his pride and was afraid of his younger brother’s ridicule, so he finally backed down.
Miaoyun, though young, understood how to shield her parents.
She knew their quarrel was bad and busied herself with needlework at Miaozhen’s place, never mentioning anything else.
Just then, Miss Ma Yulan from next door arrived.
Miaozhen quickly asked someone to make tea and brought out persimmon cakes and goose-fat spring pancakes.
She said, “Sister Ma, please sit down. Let’s talk together.”
“Zhen Zhen, my mother wants you to help Madam Li look at her illness,” Ma Yulan said.
Miaozhen shook her head.
“I’m not yet qualified to diagnose or prescribe medicine alone. If you ask me about some gentle nourishing broths in everyday life, I can share the recipes, but that’s all for now.”
As a healer, she naturally had a compassionate heart, but she felt she hadn’t fully graduated and didn’t want to treat patients yet.
This was also a way to protect herself.
After some persuasion, Ma Yulan said, “Alright, I’ll tell my mother.”
Once she left, Miaoyun thought regretfully that if Miaozhen could help Madam Li, perhaps she would gain favor with the Li Family.
Now that their second uncle’s household was doing better, maybe one day she could marry into the Li Family.
Though young, Miaoyun was very mature for her age.
She asked, “Zhen Zhen, why don’t you go see her? That Madam Li is important, it would be good for you too.”
“I’m still far from ready,” Miaozhen shook her head.
As the sisters talked, Xu Siniang came upstairs wearing slippers.
She immediately noticed the two pairs of silk flowers, carved combs, and various hair ties on Miaozhen’s dressing table.
She averted her eyes, then noticed the gold collar around Miaoyun’s neck with a gemstone inlaid.
She couldn’t help but say, “Sister Yun, your collar is so expensive.”
Miaoyun replied, “It was a gift from the Qian Hu Fu Ren. I don’t know how much it cost.”
“Zhen Zhen, why don’t you ask your parents to buy one for you too?”
Xu Siniang’s own envy flared up, and she was stirring the pot.
Miaozhen didn’t fall for it.
“Xiao Gugu, why don’t you have Grandfather and Zumu buy one for you? I already have a silver collar and don’t need another.”
Xu Siniang pouted, saw them lowering their heads to sew, and walked straight to the front hall.
After their needlework, Miaozhen usually rested her eyes for a nap at noon, so Miaoyun headed home first.
Two days later, as the rain was about to stop, Miaozhen was studying medical books when Xu Siniang came running up like a thief, whispering, “Zhen Zhen, do you know what I just saw? I saw Miaoyun talking with a man from the Li Family.”
Before she finished, Miaoyun came downstairs and said, “I was just delivering Spring Never Old to Second Aunt at the Majia and happened to run into the eldest son of the Li Family. She only complimented Second Aunt’s Spring Never Old with a few words, yet you’re spreading rumors about me behind my back. I think you stole Zhen Zhen’s purse to give as a gift to the Li Family’s young master, and I caught you. Is that it?”
“Xiao Gugu, you stole my things?”
Miaozhen didn’t expect Xu Siniang to act like this.
Xu Siniang hesitated, looked back at Miaoyun’s glare, and stubbornly denied it.
Miaozhen told Mei Shi about it.
Mei Shi said, “If you’re so nosy and malicious, just wait for the rain to stop and the sun to come out, then send her home.”
Their own daughter often visited the Majia and never acted like this.
Xu Siniang’s parents hadn’t taught her properly; she was a real embarrassment.
Even Mrs. Ma next door said, “Zhen Zhen is a good girl, upright and proper, but the girls in her family don’t have any manners.”
Fortunately, the next day the sky cleared and Suzhou returned to calm.
The main household still hadn’t bought a new residence.
Huang Shi asked her uncle to rent a new house near Xumen.
Xu Siniang was quickly sent back and wore a set of clothes given by Mei Shi.
Everyone in the courtyard was sweeping away rotten leaves and branches left by the continuous rain.
The family’s study reopened, and moss covered the steps.
The floor seemed uneven and damp.
Xiao Xi took out clothes to dry.
Because Xu Siniang had lice in her hair, Miaozhen had her pillow thrown away directly, fearing she would catch them too.
Miaozhen opened the window, and sunlight streamed in, chasing away the damp darkness in the corners.
She went as usual to study medicine under Ru Shi.
Today’s patient was a woman in her sixties or seventies.
She had already passed menopause but was now experiencing menstruation again with purple clots.
Ru Shi explained carefully to Miaozhen, “Generally, women over forty-nine stop menstruating. It’s not like the cycles of younger women. This is because the liver can’t store blood and the spleen can’t govern blood, so we need to use Anlao Decoction.”
Miaozhen noted the recipe and pondered the difference between bleeding caused by old age after sexual activity and menstruation returning in old age.
She had once thought this diagnostic method too difficult but was now beginning to grasp it.
She made notes on several easily confused cases.
Ru Shi then taught her several methods of diagnosis and prescription and asked, “Zhen Zhen, is your female teacher’s surname Qiu?”
“Yes. Do you know her?” Miaozhen asked curiously.
Ru Shi laughed, “I heard her brother was just reinstated as Inspector Yushi of Zhejiang and is planning to bring her back.”
Miaozhen only knew that Madam Qiu had once become a nun after being widowed and that her nunnery no longer existed, and she didn’t return to her natal family.
Now someone was coming to pick her up.
She wondered when Madam Qiu would leave and thought to send her some things.
Back home, she discussed it with her parents.
Xu Erpeng gave her some silver: “Your own teacher—buy whatever you need, but don’t be stingy.”
“Yes, daughter knows,” Miaozhen said, putting the silver into her purse.
It turned out Madam Qiu planned to teach them until the end of the year before closing the school, which meant over four months of ample time.
They hadn’t seen each other for over a month, so when they met again, they were especially affectionate. Many things had happened.
For example, the youngest, Miss Tong Pan’er, had become engaged.
Wang Xie, her best friend, teased, “You have good news and don’t tell us?”
Miaozhen asked which family.
Wang Xie whispered in her ear, “It’s the Er Langjun of the Li Family.”
That was a good match indeed.
Miaozhen congratulated her.
Tong Pan’er, usually so casual, blushed, and everyone tactfully changed the subject.
Madam Qiu’s expression brightened.
Mrs. Ma said that Madam Qiu’s parents were very traditional and conservative and believed a daughter belonged to her husband’s family after marriage, naturally unwilling to take her back.
Now that Inspector Qiu was her only family after their parents died, he had tracked down his sister and wanted to bring her home.
He even wrote an essay praising her talents.
Fortunately, Madam Qiu didn’t slack off despite her impending departure and continued teaching diligently—writing, painting, playing the guqin, needlework, cooking—even more strictly than before.
Though Miaozhen sometimes complained, her progress was undeniable.
For the Double Ninth Festival, she knew to prepare chestnut cake and chrysanthemum wine with the Xu family.
She bought fresh chestnuts, steamed and mashed them, sifted the pulp, then mixed it with glutinous rice flour and sugar in proportion.
She topped the mixture with pine nuts and melon seeds, steamed it, and after cooking, cut it into diamond-shaped pieces and placed them in a box.
Afterward, the family of four went to San Shu’s house at Fengqiao.
San Shu had planned to do business today, but San Shen Baomu had driven away a skilled flower cake helper out of jealousy, causing business to plummet, so San Shu wanted to get out and relax.
They arrived at Fengqiao, and after half an hour, the main family came late.
Huang Shi, who had moved to the second household and gotten along well with Mei Shi, immediately started talking, saying that the Deputy Thousand Household’s tutor would only stay until the end of the year.
Mei Shi replied, “Our Zhen Zhen is also studying until the end of the year, and then the teacher will leave.”
She then told the story of their female teacher’s background, smiling with secret pride, “When Zhen Zhen goes out in the future, saying she’s a disciple of the talented Madam Qiu will add to her glory.”
Huang Shi just listened and nodded, but Miaoyun looked at Miaozhen with envy.
Meanwhile, Xu Laotai pulled Xu Erpeng aside to talk, “Your sister is getting older, and we don’t know anyone. You should worry about her future.”
Xu Erpeng shrugged, “Isn’t my sister the one who loves matchmaking and setting people up? You’re asking me instead of her.”
Xu Laotai asked, “I heard there’s a Li Family young master nearby…”
Hearing this, Xu Erpeng understood and laughed, “Mother, you really have bold ideas. The Li Family’s youngest son is engaged to Tong Pan’er. Even so, I heard the Li Family isn’t very satisfied. Tong Pan’er’s father is at least an Official of the Eighth Rank.”
Xu Laotai retreated a bit upon hearing this.
But Xu Siniang’s marriage couldn’t be delayed forever.
She’d be fourteen next year.
Huang Shi and Mei Shi were both asked by Xu Laotai to look around, but none of the matches seemed suitable.
In the early winter month, Huang Shi found a family of weavers.
The man worked at the Suzhou Weaving Bureau.
They had two sons and two daughters, and the proposal was for the youngest son.
Xu Siniang was anxious.
She’d heard the Weaving Bureau was an official household and that the groom was the youngest son.
Remembering her parents’ fondness for San Shu, she agreed.
But then the problem arose: Xu Laoguan suddenly demanded a bride price of 150 guan.
The groom’s family bickered for a long time before agreeing, but with one condition—the bride’s dowry also had to be 150 guan.
Since Xu Laoguan had given the rice shop to his youngest son, money was tight.
He liked gambling with leaf cards and fancied himself, so now he was openly demanding this bride price.
As for the dowry, he told his sons to raise it.
They pooled their money.
But afraid his sons would refuse if told in advance, Xu Laoguan decided to act first, agreeing to the match and keeping the bride price, only allowing the dowry to be arranged later.