The roses in the Rose Courtyard were in full bloom. The dense flowers covered the whole courtyard wall. Their colours were as gorgeous as the sunrise, full of vitality under the ornament of green leaves.
Yuxi sat in the yard, carefully embroidering roses on a handkerchief. She did her embroidery for a short time every day and only when the light was good. She did not do it at other times, afraid it would ruin her eyesight. In her previous life, her eyes turned bad because she worked too much on embroidery without caring if the light was enough for her to see them.
While she embroidered, Hongshan came into the yard smiling and announced, "Miss, Liuyin is here."
Liuyin always came to Rose Courtyard to send things from Qiu Shi. But it wasn't the case this time around. She had come to invite Yuxi to come over to the main courtyard.
Yuxi didn't know that Qiu Shi intended to give the four sisters some jewellery until she arrived. Those pieces of jewellery would be their dowry when they got married in the future.
After Qiu Shi brought a tray of jewellery, she said to the sisters, "Each of you choose two or three kinds that you like." Rather than being thankful to Qiu Shi for being generous, Yujing hated being unable to take all the excellent jewellery back to her room.
She looked at the jewellery in the tray and said, "It won't be enough with only two or three since all these pieces are stunning, Mother. So, I want to choose two more."
Qiu Shi had expected this, so she said, "There will be another new batch of jewellery from Linglong Pavilion in a few days. By then, I will acquire some more for you, sisters." Linglong Pavilion was the best jewellery shop in the capital. The jewellery sold there was novel in style and exquisite in workmanship. The shop was a favourite among women of noble families.
When Yujing heard this, she was no longer attached to the jewellery before her.
Yuxi was the youngest, so she was always the last to pick every time. When it was time for Yuchen to choose, she looked around and said, "Eldest Aunt, San Jie1 hasn't come yet." This means that she couldn't select anything till Yuchen finished her turn.
Qiu Shi smiled and answered, "Your San Jie1 has already chosen hers."
Yujing's eyes flashed with jealousy when she heard this. It was not a wonder that she felt like this. Yuchen's clothes and jewellery were all excellent. Even if Yujing were given special treatment with all kinds of fine materials and jewellery from the residence, she still couldn't be compared with Yuchen.
Yuxi took one look at Yujing and knew what she was thinking. It could be said that Yuchen was the symbol of misfortune to her other sisters.
Seeing that Yuxi was still sitting, Qiu Shi smilingly said, "Yuxi, what are you stunned about?"
After being shocked by her aunt's words, Yuxi immediately walked to the tray and picked out a string of ruby flower head ornaments and a pair of red emerald bead earrings. Influenced by her experience of fleeing in her previous life, Yuxi especially liked jewellery that looked valuable.
After Yuru and Yujing left, Qiu Shi asked the maid to bring forward a gold lock charm with strings attached. It was inscribed with the words Prosperity and Long Live. She was planning to give it to Yuxi.
"Eldest Aunt, this is too valuable for me to accept," exclaimed Yuxi. This golden lock charm was exquisite in workmanship, with round pearls hanging at the bottom. Yuxi estimated it to be worth at least 780 taels of silvers.
This was the type of lock charm that Qiu Shi had given to Yuxi, except hers had pearls hanging down on the lock charm, like the picture on the right. Its function is the same as other charms: to protect a person from evil and bring good luck, fortune, official rank and long life. The lock charm was either worn around the neck by the child or hung in the house to "lock" the child's life. To read more on this, try to visit Made in China website.
Qiu Shi patted Yuxi's head and laughingly said, "This is Aunt's dowry, which Aunt doesn't use now. Aunt has no daughter, so Aunt decides to give this to you." After that, she hung the gold lock charm on Yuxi's neck.
Yuxi shyly said, "Thank you, Eldest Aunt." In the past two months, from time to time, Qiu Shi would send her things, which were usually clothes or food. Only this time, her aunt gave her a big, valuable thing.
Yuxi did not stay long in the master courtyard. She returned to Rose Courtyard with the gold lock charm hung on her neck. The news spread quickly in Duke Han's official residence. Within half a day, all the residents knew that Qiu Shi had bestowed Yuxi with good things.
Yujing knew that Yuxi had received Qui Shi's golden lock charm and bitterly cursed, "Flatterer." Although Yujing was domineering, she was not stupid. Qiu Shi may not have liked her, but she wouldn't withhold Yujing's share from the public account for her reputation. Yujing's wishful thinking was to grab some good things from Qiu Shi's hands.
Yuru didn't say anything when she knew about it. Before Yuxi got smallpox, her mother was very kind to her. However, after Yuxi recovered from her illness, her mother became more indifferent to her.
Qingxuan saw that Yuru was sad again and tried to console her, "Miss, the Lady is only good to the Fourth Miss because her mother had once saved her son's life. Don't worry; the Lady still loves Miss dearly."
Yuru, silent from the beginning, still didn't utter a word. Whether her mother loved her dearly or not was clear in her heart. Mother disliked Yujing, and Yujing treated her nicer because of her close relationship with their mother. But after Yuxi was cured of her illness, she discovered that her mother's kindness toward her was superficial.
Yuxi wasn't aware that some residents would feel miserable because of the lock charm. She returned to Rose Courtyard and asked Moju to open the wardrobe so that she could choose some clothes.
Moju asked with a smile, "How did Miss suddenly remember to take care of her clothes today?"
Yuxi stated, "Tomorrow, I will attend a banquet at my granduncle's mansion. So, my clothes have to be jubilant."
On the day of the banquet in Zhou's residence, Yuxi wore a bright cherry red dress with her hair combed into two buns. The buns were then decorated with a pair of headdress flowers made from strings of ruby beads. She also wore the gold lock charm that her aunt had given her. And on her fair and tender hands were a pair of gold bracelets. Her appearance was highly festive.
Yujing was also wearing a bright red dress. However, she was a much older young lady. Obviously, her style wasn't as childish as Yuxi's. Meanwhile, Yuru was well-dressed in an autumn-coloured attire. She stood next to Yujing, and both managed to attract other people's attention.
Unfortunately, everyone's attention to them was short-lived. When Yujing saw Yuchen in the main room, her face immediately turned sour.
Yuchen wore a simple sapphire blue attire, as she didn't dress herself up deliberately. Even when she just dressed up as usual, she still stood there like the beautiful Goddess of Mercy, immediately turning Yujing, who had spent half a day dressing herself up, into an act of uselessness.
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Yuxi's dress was originally festive, but when Yuchen was present, she immediately looked cheap. As if she didn't seem aware of it, Yuxi smilingly went up to Yuchen and cried, "San Jie1."
Yuchen nodded slightly at Yuxi. She also greeted Yuru and Yujing. Unfortunately, Yuru's and Yujing's amiable impressions looked unnatural when they faced Yuchen.
The Zhou family was the Old Lady's maiden family. The current Marquis of Changping and the Old Lady were siblings. At this time in Yuxi's previous life, she was still recovering from illness in Rose Courtyard, so she couldn't attend the Marquis of Chanping's Shizi2 wife's birthday banquet.
Marquis of Changping's residence was not as spacious as Duke Han's, but it was richly decorated everywhere. All the servants were also well-disciplined.
When they arrived at the Marquis of Changping's residence, they first paid respect to Old Lady Zhou, who was wearing a dark dress with gold-printed thousand characters, which made her look kind and had a good nature.
Old Lady Zhou smiled at Yuxi, "This child looks so happy." Elderly people like Old Lady Zhou liked looking at lively and lovely children.
The first time you met an elder, there would always be a jian mian li, a first-time meeting gift. After meeting Yuxi, Old Lady Zhou gave her a gold bracelet inlaid with five giant pearls.
The people in the room looked at the gold bracelet strangely. Although it was a valuable item, nobody would wear it because the bracelet looked too tacky.
On Yuchen and Yuxi's way out from the main hall, the Ninth Miss of Marquis of Changping's residence, Shixu, asked Yuxi with a smile, "Will you wear the bracelet in the future?" The question was hostile as if it was asked to mock Yuxi's gold obsession.
Yuxi should not have answered her, but still, she did, "It's too heavy for me to wear." She loved this kind of bracelet since its weight determined its value. The heavier it was, the more valuable it would be.
Shixu giggled and said, "Then you can wear it when you grow up." She had never seen such a money-grabbing person like Yuxi before.
Hearing this, Yuchen frowned, but when she looked at Yuxi, she didn't feel angry with her. Although she was uncomfortable in her heart, she didn't say anything about the conversation between those two.
When they reached the garden, a beautiful little girl came up and said to Yuchen, "Chen Meimei3, you are here too!"
Yuchen introduced Yuxi to the girl, "Shihua Jiejie4, this is my Si5 Meimei3, Yuxi." Zhou Shihua, the Sixth Miss of the Marquis' residence, was seven years old.
Zhou Shihua looked at Yuxi for a moment and said with a smile, "Yuxi Biaomei10 is so adorable."
Instead of feeling embarrassed, Yuxi generously replied, "Thank you, Biaojie6, for your praise." She may be inferior to Yuchen in beauty and talent, but why would she intentionally want to dress up shabby? She adorned herself with jubilant clothing and accessories so that people would like her when they saw her.
In her previous life, Yuxi had never been to the Zhou family residence, so the Young Misses from the Zhou family treated her indifferently. Because of this, Yuxi felt pity for herself. Later, when she had the chance to go to the Zhou's mansion, she avoided meeting them. But in this lifetime, the situation was different. She didn't know if it was because of the introduction made by Yuchen earlier, but somehow, Zhou Shihua had treated her much more kindly in this life.
Zhao Shiya, The Eighth Miss of the Zhou family, was also four years old this year. When she arrived at their gathering and saw Yuxi, she smiled and said, "Ah, you look so good."
Yuxi looked at her with some embarrassment. She noticed that Zhao Shiya was wearing a bright cherry dress with a ring of red coral beads wrapped around her hair buns. On her neck, she wore a golden necklace with 18 precious jewels lying on her chest. Yuxi and Zhao Shiya were dressed the same way and quite similar in appearance. They were both round-faced and had tender white skins. Others would think they were twins if it weren't for Yuxi's short stature.
Yuxi's communication skill was terrible. She could only respond with, "You look good too."
Zhou Shiya was delighted with Yuxi's praise and said, "Well, we both look good." Zhou Shiya was the only daughter in the second branch and was born as a di9 daughter. Therefore, she was extremely favoured, which made her a bit naive.
When Zhou Shihua heard this, she became speechless. But she managed to ask, "Ba7 Meimei3, how could you be like Wangpo sold melon and sang his own praises8?"
It's a Chinese Idiom that means to give credit where credit's due. It was based on the story of a melon seller named Wang Po during the Song Dynasty. You can read the short comic version by clicking the image.
Image credit to Global Chinese Network
Image credit to Global Chinese Network
Zhou Shiya tilted her head and blinked her big, round eyes. She asked, "Liu Jie13, could it be that you think Si5 Biaomei10 and I don't look good enough?" I will cry if you said we are ugly, she thought.
Zhou Shihua lightly said with a smile, "Yes, you are good-looking, and my Ba7 Meimei3 is the best one. Ba7 Meimei3, Si5 Meimei3 is feeling bored. Why don't you play with her?"
Shiya turned her back on Zhou Shihua and said to Yuxi, "Biaomei10, there's a lot of delicious food in the pavilion over there. Let's go there."
Yuxi knew she was not good with communication and must improve on it. Making more friends was more than talking to other people; it was also about acquiring more contacts. Thus, she would not decline Shiya's friendly offer.
Shiya took Yuxi to a pavilion and asked a maid to bring fruit snacks there. Sweeping her eyes on the fruits the maid had brought out, she said to the maid beside her, "Go and bring out the litchi sent by my uncle."
Yuxi had eaten a few litchis before. After all, it was transported from southern Fujian, so ordinary people could not afford to eat it. Even Duke Han didn't eat much litchi. "No need to worry. They are free!" said Shiya. Yuxi remembered that a jin11 of litchi in the market was worth several taels of silver.
Seeing Yuxi's reaction, Shiya pursed her lips into a smile and said, "This is from my uncle in Southern Fujian. So, they didn't cost any money."
Yuxi felt slightly embarrassed but said, "You should keep them for yourself!"
Shiya felt that Yuxi was wasting too much time, so she retorted, "I'm providing you with something to eat, so why are you arguing so much?"
The maid soon brought out a plate of litchi. Shiya peeled off one litchi skin and revealed the tender white flesh inside. When she saw Yuxi didn't move, she urged, "This is a private collection. Not everyone has it. Better try it."
Yuxi thought for a moment and then stopped arguing about it. Both of them started to eat the litchi one by one.
Zhou Shihua looked at Yuxi and Shiya from a distance and felt they were getting along well. She smiled and said to Yuchen, "I heard that Si5 Biaomei10 was very dull before, but I think she is quite an interesting person."
Yuchen also smiled. "Si5 Mei12 has become much more clever since she got well."
Zhou Shihua felt this situation was fascinating. With smallpox wreck havoc in the capital, even her family was affected. Four children from the mansion got infected and died afterwards. All those who survived were very lucky, while those who had hard luck died.
On their way back inside, Zhou Shiya took Yuxi's hand and said, "Biaomei10, next time we meet, we should wear the same clothes and accessories again. In this way, when others look at us, they will surely think we are twins. Hey, hey, think about it, okay? I find it particularly interesting."
Yuxi's face turned stiff. Shiya was a terrifying girl. This little girl had been talking continuously from morning till now, which had already reached half a day. She didn't even feel tired of all the chattering. Yuxi couldn't hold herself anymore; she stopped Shiya and said, "Let's continue talking next time, okay?!"
Who would have known that when Yuxi went to Marquis of Changping's residence for the first time in her life, she would also gain a friend?
Yuchen had been to the Marquis' residence before, so she knew the temperament of the Zhou's Eight Miss. She smiled and said to Yuxi, "Ya Biaomei10 is very easy to get along with, except she is quite a chatterbox."
"I know," Yuxi said with her still stiff face. Everyone had shortcomings, and so was she. As long as you had a good heart, everything else would be all right.
Despite being absent from the banquet, Qiu Shi still knew that Zhou Shiya requested Yuxi wear the same clothes as her the next time they met. She found it very interesting. When Yuxi came to pay respect later, she said, "Yuxi, I think it will be interesting to see you dress up just like Shiya next time."
Yuxi immediately shook her head and said, "No. I don't want to." She didn't want to be treated like a monkey.
Qiu Shi was merely joking around with Yuxi. When she saw that Yuxi did not want to talk about it anymore, she told her, "Yuxi, you should go out and walk more in the future." Her maids had said to her that Yuxi had not performed well today. Since it was Yuxi's first time going out, she did not criticise her. However, she decided to take Yuxi out to socialise more in the future. Otherwise, it would be a big problem if she couldn't speak well.
Yuxi wouldn't oppose her aunt's advice, so she replied, "Okay." At the banquet, she watched Yuchen getting along so well with Zhou Shihua that she felt envious of Yuchen and ashamed of herself. The Old Lady's bias towards Yuchen was not unreasonable. Yuchen was flawless in every aspect.
Footnotes Full List
- san=third, jie=elder sister, short form for Jiejie
- an heir of a noble house
- younger sister
- elder sister and a term used on elder female
- elder female cousin
- eight
- Chinese well-known phrase : every potter praises his own pot
- born from a formal wife
- younger female cousin
- a traditional Chinese unit of a catty, or 500g
- younger sister, short form for Meimei
- liu=sixth, jie=elder sister, short form for Jiejie
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi