Er Ya

Biodata

Background and History

Er Ya grew up with the original Gu Wanning at a country estate. When Wanning was acknowledged by the Gu family and brought back to them, Er Ya accompanied her; Gu Anqi had helped make that possible 1 28.

At the Marquis’s Residence, Er Ya worked alongside the four concubines under the original Wanning’s demanding farming regimen. After Wanning’s transmigration, Er Ya remained her personal maid and assisted with household errands and her corn-growing venture 1 14.

Er Ya continued to serve Wanning after her divorce from Xu Weibei and departure from the Marquis’s Residence. She also visited her own farming family and returned to Wanning after helping with the autumn harvest 175 200 324 325.

Personality

Er Ya is devoted to Gu Wanning, but often interprets her mistress’s circumstances in simple terms. She initially defended the harsh rules and labor imposed on the concubines, reasoning that they were well fed and that work was normal. Nanny Chu later described her as honest and simplehearted despite her lack of manners 1 22.

She can be outspoken and emotional: she cried over First Concubine’s unhappy romance and worried that Xu Weibei might take his anger out on Wanning. After hearing Wanning confront Gu Anqi about her family’s treatment of her, Er Ya gradually recognized how much her mistress had suffered 15 18 29.

Er Ya is also enthusiastic about money and farm work. She counted the household’s silver with delight and, after the poultry was sold, proposed raising more birds and building a pigsty 16 17.

Despite her simpleheartedness, Er Ya can be practical about the difficulties of helping others. When Wanning considered rescuing Shitou and other exploited children, Er Ya pointed out that they would need a secure livelihood and raised concerns about their supervision 68.

Er Ya greatly admires Gu Anqi but does not wish to possess him. She values his devotion to his wife, He Shi, and is deeply fond of He Shi herself. Er Ya has said she would rather remain unmarried than marry a man she does not like 77 82 152.

Skills and Duties

• Farming and animal care — Worked alongside the concubines feeding poultry and cultivating the garden. She later helped plant and protect Wanning’s corn, tended the alpaca Fifty Thousand Taels and assisted with the autumn harvest 1 14 34 267 324.
• Household errands and finances — Delivered banknotes to the steward, counted silver and carried messages between Wanning and the concubines 13 16 22.
• Sewing — Began making shoes for Gu Anqi after noticing his worn soles and patched clothing. She later made tiger-head shoes for Princess Qingyi’s expected baby 33 44 56 345.
• Physical strength — Knocked a door panel loose while helping Wanning shield the corn during a storm, though the panel nearly fell on Wanning 34.
• Reading and study — Studied reading after Gu Anqi encouraged her to learn, taking his instruction seriously 56.
• Business assistance — Suggested a high price for Wanning’s sugar-coated popcorn, tended the fire during her white-sugar experiment and later proposed expanding Wanning’s busy shop into a neighboring space 152 194 249.

Relationships

• Gu Wanning — Her mistress and childhood companion. Er Ya is protective of her, though she does not always understand Wanning’s changed wishes after transmigration. Wanning, in turn, hopes Er Ya will find a good husband if she wants one, or otherwise remain with her like a sister 1 18 29 82.
• Gu Anqi — Wanning’s elder brother, whom Er Ya greatly admires. She was grateful that he helped her leave the estate with Wanning and planned to make him shoes. He encouraged her to learn to read; later, she treasured a birthday gift of his calligraphy arranged by He Shi 18 28 33 56 287.
• He Shi — Gu Anqi’s wife, whom Er Ya admires and likes to help. Er Ya bought her a sixty-tael birthday outfit, intending to conceal its cost by saying Xu Weibei had supplied the fabric 33 77 325.
• Xu Weibei — Wanning’s husband and the marquis. Er Ya resented his treatment of Wanning and feared he might take his anger out on her. Her opinion later improved as she saw him protect and care for Wanning, though she remained protective of her mistress and concerned about her future 4 18 124 273 277.
• First Concubine (Li Jinxiu) — Er Ya sympathized with her account of loving another man, though she later criticized her for wanting to die after her hopes collapsed. She subsequently stayed by First Concubine and challenged Xu Weibei when he frightened her 15 39 56 99.
• Nanny Chu — The Grand Princess’s strict attendant. Er Ya gave her a palm-leaf fan while she kept watch outside Wanning’s room 22.
• Shitou — A child beggar whom Wanning helped. Er Ya learned about the gang controlling him and reassured him after finding him frightened in a bamboo grove 68 152.
• Her family — Er Ya sometimes complained that her mother favored sons, but felt her parents had treated her well. She used part of Xu Weibei’s birthday gift to buy her mother a gold bracelet 325.

Story Role

• The household accounts: After Wanning discovered a shortfall of more than six hundred taels, Er Ya suggested asking her maiden family for help. She later accompanied Wanning to pawn gifted tonics, where Wanning discovered corn for sale 4 9.
• The corn venture: Er Ya helped plant the corn and sent the concubines to weed and catch insects. When a storm threatened the seedlings, she warned Wanning and helped remove door panels to cover them; afterward, she distributed ginger soup and silver to the helpers 14 16 34 35.
• The Gu family confrontation: Er Ya accompanied Wanning to her meeting with Gu Anqi. Back at the residence, she burned paper money with Wanning for her late grandmother and cried over Wanning’s hardships 26 28 29.
• After Wanning’s fall: Er Ya handed Wanning a two-hundred-tael note from Gu Wanqing, which Wanning told her to keep. She later watched Gu Anqi’s son Ling Ge and lowered a parrot’s perch so he could see it safely 50.
• The children’s plight: Er Ya told Wanning that Shitou and other children were controlled and abused by a beggar gang. She discussed the practical problems of employing them at the estate and later comforted Shitou when he became lost at night 68 152.
• Wanning’s divorce and its aftermath: Er Ya accompanied Wanning when Gu Anfang fetched them to the Gu Residence. After the divorce, she questioned Wanning about the separation and encouraged her to consider whether Xu Weibei might agree to the faithful relationship she wanted; Xu Weibei overheard their conversation 157 180 181.
• Sugar and the shop: Er Ya helped with Wanning’s white-sugar experiment and imagined opening a large workshop, but Wanning explained that they lacked the resources and instructed her to keep the recipe secret. Er Ya later suggested renting the shop next door when Wanning’s business became crowded 194 195 249.
• Xu Weibei’s poisoning and imprisonment: Er Ya brought Wanning news that Xu Weibei had been poisoned and accompanied her to his guarded residence. When he was later imprisoned after killing someone to protect Wanning, Er Ya urged her to seek help from her father and trusted that Gu Anqi would help repay Xu Weibei for protecting her 262 277.
• Birthday and family gifts: For Er Ya’s birthday, He Shi gave her Gu Anqi’s calligraphy and Wanning treated her to a restaurant meal. At Wanning’s suggestion, Xu Weibei also gave Er Ya one hundred taels; she later used some of the money to buy her mother a bracelet and bought He Shi a birthday outfit 287 325.
• Preparing for a birth: As Princess Qingyi’s delivery approached, Er Ya made tiger-head shoes for the baby and helped Wanning attend to their guest Yiling 345.