Brother-in-law? Beautiful Moonlight Serenade? (1)

Time is like a ginseng fruit, before you can even savor the taste, it has already reached the stomach, with not even the dregs left behind. And before I knew it, another ten or so days had already passed.

In celebration of Daddy’s birthday, a banquet was being held for guests of all sorts, from the most distinguished officials in Yangzhou to the magistrates of Pengmen County. Daddy was personally greeting the male guests in the outer hall, and Yiniangs1 were greeting the female guests in the inner hall, resulting in a lot of commotion in the house. Even before dawn, TangYuan had been dragged away from his bed by the little Yiniang. She dressed him and my little brother up like lucky children to guard sky lanterns in the ancestral hall. Upon looking at the two of them who were a generation apart, Daddy exclaimed that it would have been nice if TangYuan were a girl so that there could have been a pair of boys and girls to support the family. But I didn’t think so. 

The face2 of the Shen family was supported on pillars of gold and silver, such that even if Daddy had an ugly duckling in his arms, it would still be adored to high heavens, not to mention this cutesy baby. People cared little for it being a girl or a boy. Someone else said, “Look how handsome this little one is, surely a dragon among men in the future!”

Daddy responded to all these words of flattery with a burst of resolute and happy laughter.

After the feast, Daddy invited everyone to go to the back garden to listen to the opera and watch the play. I accompanied the madams upstairs, while the lords and masters sat downstairs.

However, not every woman had the same refined interest in watching martial arts and fighting performances as I did. And it wasn’t long before these madams began to chatter and gossip about one matter after another. One of them was the madam of the Guangzhou government office who seemed unusually interested in me. She affectionately took my hand and said, “Miss Shen, do you have someone you are currently interested in?”

“What?” I asked, a bit confused. 

The madam continued with a smile, “Miss Shen, no need to be shy with me, we have both been through this kind of thing before, and I understand your suffering. The long nights are cold while the heart yearns for warmth. Although there is the child you care for, they grow up so fast. Before long, he will already be married and have a wife, whereas you, the mother, will be overlooked. I think it is only right to find a good man and companion while you are still young and beautiful.”.

It was only now that I recalled her; following the loss of her husband in their early years, she used her good looks to marry a widower in the Guangzhou government. In recent years, I have seen a lot of people who pretend to be concerned but are watching and gossiping, so I don’t think of it as a big deal. “I am not interested,” I responded to her.

“Oh, what a surprise!” exclaimed the madam with a look of pity and carried on, “I recently heard that Master Pei is about to marry the youngest daughter of the Suzhou governor⎯⎯” 

She paused to gauge my reaction before continuing. “I had thought that Miss Shen would also be thinking of marriage, but I didn’t expect⎯⎯” She tapped her mouth lightly and said, “Aiyo, look at my loose lips. Miss Shen, please don’t take it to mind.”

I smiled slightly at that, can’t blame them. Everyone has a dirty mind or two. For example, Xi Shi was such a beautiful woman that she could make fish drown, but the world still tried to find flaws in her, such as ‘big feet’, to criticize. Just to prove that no one was perfect and so that the ordinary-looking women could have some peace of mind. Similarly, nowadays, our Shen family is prosperous; people are starting to get envious. For the Shen family, I am just like that pair of ‘big feet’ of Xishi, undoubtedly a blemish on their golden ingots, just so that the world’s heart has an outlet of relief. After all, It’s not pleasant to see an only-daughter married twice, ending up all alone and with a shattered reputation.

But… Pei Yanzhen is getting married, how come I haven’t heard of this?

I looked up at the stage, only to see Zhang Yide rubbing the tiger’s whiskers with one hand and holding his saber with the other. He sang and roared, “Woah, woah! Where are the thieves? Take your life!” A group of banner-bearing warriors fought together, and I ground my teeth at their moves, but I found the lines were to my liking, so I continued to watch the play.

However, The madam wasn’t done just yet, and lowered her voice to a mysterious whisper, “It seems like Miss Shen has no intention of leaving, could it be… that you still cannot let go of the Song family’s third son? Song Third might be a good man, but he is a young man nonetheless, and I’ve heard that he spends his days in brothels… maybe because his heart can’t take it anymore, moreover…”

I zoned out her chattering and swept my eyes from the stage to the lords at the bottom, but didn’t find the two Buddhas3, Master Pei and Song Third, who were usually the center of attention, anywhere in sight. Could it be that one has gone to look for my little aunt and the other to the garden?

I don’t know why but I suddenly felt like laughing, so I “snorted.” The madam was dumbfounded by my laughter and quietened for a while.

Lu Ying came up the stairs and said to me, “Miss! Lu Ying apologizes, I didn’t look after the Young Master properly… He disappeared when I left to change the water.”4 

Whenever there was a boisterous fuss in the house, TangYuan would look for a quiet place to go to.

I stood up in a slight panic and said, “Really? I’ll go and look for him.”, This was a good way to get rid of the talkative and noisy Madam of the Guangzhou government office.

After a brief walk through the garden, I saw a white shadow crouching in the depths of the cascading, hidden begonias5, facing me, a kitten. I smiled gently and strolled up to it, moving the begonia branch aside as I did.

When I got closer, I found someone laying under the flowers, not TangYuan, whom I expected, but Song Third, instead.

Under the glow of the moon, Song Xiyuan was half leaning and half lying on a rock by the pond, a pot of flower carvings and a white jade cup at his feet, the moonlight reflection on his cheeks, his eyes drooping and closed, the corners of his mouth curled in a serene smile. His hair was slightly loose, locks of hair fluttered in the wind. The little white cat crouched by the side with two round curious eyes, holding up its paws and grasping at the flowing locks.

I hesitated for a moment and was about to head back to inform the Song’s little servants to help him when a gust of wind shook down a curtain of begonias and a pink petal wavered and perched on Song Xiyuan’s lips.

Song Xiyuan opened his eyes abruptly and smiled at me with his bright hazel colored eyes, “Miao Miao, you’re here.” The pink petals were squeezed and licked into his mouth as he opened it to breathe, and the moist lips inexplicably added a touch of charm.

I looked down at the tip of my shoe in an attempt to compose myself. And when I looked up again, I saw that Song Xiyuan had already half-supported himself, and the white cat jumping away with a guilty conscience, fleeing into the night.

Song Xiyuan reached out and patted the half-empty stone beside him and said to me, “Miao Miao, come and sit here. I just got up. It’s still warm.”

“You’re drunk. I’ll go ask the servants to help you,” I said while taking a half step back.

 “I’m not drunk.” Song Xi Yuan frowned.

“You are drunk,” I reiterated.

“I’m not drunk,” Song Xiyuan stubbornly said but suddenly paused and raised his eyebrows. He almost too casually rested his hand on his crossed knees, looking up at me with an ordinary look. “Okay then, I’m drunk. You can just help me to my room.”

“Stay here for a moment, I’ll go get the attendants.” I moved back another half step.

The corners of Song Xiyuan’s mouth curved and he said, “Oh! I’m so drunk, I can’t hold on anymore, I can’t get any strength out of my body… Miao Miao, come and help me, look, look, I’m going to fall into the pond!” and softly fell towards the pond.