10

Zhao Wensheng never saw A Chan. He hurried into Zhao Manor with a fish basket in hand. The back door closed behind him, but the fishy smell lingered for a long time.

A Chan didn't take the matter to heart. But after she returned home, she kept feeling as though a foul, fishy odor clung to her. She endured it for a while, then went to the kitchen to heat some water. She bathed first, then washed her clothes.

Perhaps a draft had slipped in through the gap beneath the kitchen door. The next day, she came down with a fever.

Fortunately, after her last bout of fever, she had learned that people needed to see a doctor when they fell ill. With a frail body like hers, she could easily drop dead.

She forced herself up and went to the clinic on the next street to get a prescription.

The doctor who took her pulse also said that she was weak and needed to take good care of herself. She would have to be especially careful in her daily life.

A Chan thanked the doctor and rubbed her wrist. As long as the black lines remained there, this trouble could not be resolved, and she probably wouldn't be able to nurse her health back to normal.

The illness came on quickly, but it was slow to leave. At first, she felt better after taking the medicine for two days, so she stopped taking it on schedule. Who knew the illness would flare up again?

Having learned her lesson, A Chan no longer dared to stop taking her medicine without permission. She took it for several more days before she finally recovered.

By the time she had fully regained her health, it was already the second month. Mama Sun hadn't come by in all that time, so A Chan had no idea how Lady Xiao Lin was faring.

The weather was bright and clear on the tenth day of the second month.

A Chan dressed a little more warmly and burned mugwort in her room. She smoked the room for about fifteen minutes, until it was full of smoke, then opened the doors and windows to air it out. But the moment she pushed open the window, she spotted the Zhao family's carriage below.

She hurried downstairs and heard a knock at the door just as she reached the first floor.

When she opened it, Mama Sun was standing outside. The strong smell of mugwort on A Chan made her step back.

A Chan smiled at the clothes in Mama Sun's hands and asked softly, "Mama Sun, have you come today because Aunt has recovered?"

"Indeed." Mama Sun nodded, though she sounded hesitant. "Madam has finally recovered after taking a few days of medicine to stabilize the pregnancy. It's just that her appetite has been far too good lately."

"Isn't that a good thing?" They said that a hearty appetite was a blessing, didn't they?

"It is." Mama Sun managed a smile, but a cloud of worry remained between her brows.

A Chan was curious, but didn't press her.

Mama Sun only lost focus for a moment before turning her attention back to A Chan. She held out the clothes and said, "Flower Festival is in two days. Madam wants to visit the Flower Goddess Temple and pray. She specially picked this new outfit for you."

The top was white, with pink peach blossoms embroidered at the collar and cuffs. The skirt faded from white to pink, and flowered branches were embroidered along its hem. It was quite exquisite. The fabric and workmanship were far better than what A Chan wore, and naturally, it was much more expensive too.

A Chan didn't refuse. She accepted the clothes graciously. "Please thank Aunt for me, Mama Sun."

Only after taking the clothes did she notice a wooden box tucked beneath them. Mama Sun placed that in her hands as well.

She smiled and explained, "There's a new set of hair ornaments inside, along with several pairs of earrings and a few velvet flowers. Madam chose these especially for you too. Don't forget to wear them the day after tomorrow."

"Since it's Aunt's kind thought, I'll accept them."

She accepted the gifts. As for whether Lady Xiao Lin would get what she wanted, that depended on her mood.

A Chan was looking forward to the Flower Festival—or rather, she liked lively places.

On the morning of the twelfth day of the second month, she changed into her new clothes and put her hair up in a simple style. She chose a peach blossom hairpin and a pink velvet flower hairpin, and even her earrings were shaped like peach blossom petals.

This boxful of golden peach blossoms suggested that Lady Xiao Lin very much wanted to find her a few promising, well-to-do matches.

She had only just finished getting ready when Mama Sun arrived.

When Mama Sun saw A Chan at the door, she drew a quiet breath. Madam really had a keen eye. The young cousin had only done herself up a little, yet even Mama Sun couldn't take her eyes off her. Others would be even more captivated. She truly was bewitchingly lovely.

A Chan rode back to Zhao Manor with Mama Sun. They would wait for Lady Xiao Lin and Zhao Wenyue before setting out for the Flower Goddess Temple.

Lady Xiao Lin had been up for a while in the main residence. When A Chan arrived, she was eating breakfast.

Before she even entered the room, A Chan caught the smell of fish again. She couldn't stand it, and slowed her steps before asking Mama Sun quietly, "Does Aunt eat fish in the morning too?"

At the mention of it, worry showed plainly on Mama Sun's face. "She does. I don't know what's come over Madam lately, but she wants fish at every meal and can finish a whole one each time. Yesterday, the kitchen didn't make any, and she scolded the cook so badly that the woman nearly got thrown out of the manor."

A Chan sensed something was off and asked, "Three live fish every day? Live fish must be hard to find at this time of year, right?"

"They are. The Eldest Young Master has been buying them from a fishmonger he knows and bringing them to the manor."

"It can't be easy for Cousin to find so many live fish at this time of year."

"Isn't that so? The Eldest Young Master has been very filial lately, and Madam has been much happier." Mama Sun agreed.

When she couldn't get any more answers, A Chan changed the subject. "Did you have someone investigate the crying Aunt heard that day?"

"We did, but couldn't find anything. Fortunately, Madam hasn't heard it again since."

A Chan nodded.

In truth, setting aside the possibility of spirits at work, the most likely explanation was that someone had caused it. After all, unless there was some deep-seated grudge, spirits wouldn't have that much free time. But she was an outsider and couldn't say so outright.

Lady Xiao Lin was the only mistress in the manor. The others were her husband and their two legitimate children. If someone really was behind it, there wasn't anyone they could even suspect.

Mama Sun hadn't noticed the change in A Chan's expression. She went on, "Madam has already seen the scented pouch you made last time. She likes its fragrance very much and said she'd like you to make several more for the summer. She just thinks the embroidery on the outside isn't delicate enough."

A Chan felt awkward and didn't dare admit she had bought the pouch elsewhere.

"By the way, do you know how to make a scented remedy to drive away rats and insects?"

"What do you need it for, Mama Sun? Are there rats in the manor?" A Chan asked in confusion.

Mama Sun furrowed her brows as if remembering something. "A few days ago, the cook told me that swarms of flying insects have been gathering outside the kitchen every morning, and there are a lot more rats in the manor."

"Could it be that someone prepared food in the kitchen and left the scraps behind, attracting the rats and insects?"

"I thought so too, but Cook Wang refuses to admit it." Mama Sun gave a quiet snort. "It's because Madam is pregnant and has no time to keep an eye on them. Not one of them is doing their job properly."

"Haven't you tried using rat poison?"

"How could we not? We used the same powder we've always used, but this time it had no effect at all. The rats are running wild all over the kitchen."

A Chan thought for a moment before saying, "Ordinary scented remedies aren't very effective against rats and insects. Incense would work better, but the kitchen would be left smelling of it afterward, and no one could go in for a day or two."

"This... that probably won't work. Could you think of another solution?"

There were no other masters in the manor, so they hadn't set up any private kitchens. The entire household relied on the main kitchen for its meals.

A Chan didn't refuse. "All right. I'll go back and think of another recipe."

Ordinary incense recipes wouldn't work, but she could use a few special ones. The ingredients might be hard to find, though.

Still, Lady Xiao Lin was always generous, so of course A Chan would do her best to meet her needs.

Mama Sun beamed at her words. "Then sorry for the trouble, Miss."

As they talked, they entered the main residence. The maid who had been picking fish bones from the dish at the table was sent away to the side. Lady Xiao Lin sat there with no regard for anyone else, eating from the plate of fish. She had already finished half of it and hadn't even looked up when they entered.

The fish wasn't particularly large, weighing about a pound. Even if she liked it, there was no need to eat it at every meal.

A Chan herself loved chicken, but even she wouldn't eat it every day. Sometimes she would still nibble on a few leaves of vegetables, let alone someone who was pregnant.

But even Mama Sun, who had served Lady Xiao Lin for years, didn't dare say anything. Of course A Chan wouldn't either.

Only after Lady Xiao Lin had finished the entire fish did she put down her chopsticks, looking completely satisfied.

A Chan studied Lady Xiao Lin carefully. She seemed to have gained some weight over the past few days, but her complexion was worse than when A Chan had first seen her, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes.

When she stood, A Chan noticed that her belly also seemed larger than it had been a few days ago.

"Sit." Lady Xiao Lin pointed to a chair beside the table, then instructed Mama Sun, "Go see if Wenyue is ready. Tell her to hurry up."

Before Mama Sun could leave, Zhao Wenyue's voice rang out. "I've been ready for ages. You're the one taking the longest, Mother."

After entering the main residence, Zhao Wenyue noticed A Chan was there too, wearing the velvet flower hairpin she liked. Her gaze immediately turned unfriendly.

But she soon remembered what her mother had said the day before: finding Ji Chan a good match would benefit the family. So she held herself back.

Ji Chan could only enjoy her moment of triumph for now. No matter how temptingly she dressed, she was only fit to be someone's concubine.

Once Zhao Wenyue arrived, Lady Xiao Lin left the courtyard with Mama Sun supporting her. Two carriages slowly rolled away from Zhao Manor and headed west toward Yongding Gate.

Because it was Flower Festival, the road to Yongding Gate was especially crowded with carriages and horses. It took them an hour and a half to queue their way out of the city gate.

The carriage stopped and started along the road. Another half hour later, they finally reached Yong Mountain.

The Flower Goddess Temple stood halfway up the mountain, so everyone had to get out and walk uphill. Fortunately, the slope wasn't steep, and they could take their time without getting too tired.

By then, the trees along both sides of the mountain path were hung with Five-colored paper slips. When the wind blew, it looked as though the trees were bursting into bloom.

Lady Xiao Lin had also prepared Five-colored paper slips for A Chan and Zhao Wenyue. A Chan found a low branch and hung hers up. When she turned around, she saw a beautiful middle-aged woman climbing up behind them. A closer look confirmed it was Madam Xue.

Both Madam Xue's children followed behind her, and her younger brother, Xue Mingtang, was there too.

Just as A Chan looked toward Madam Xue, Madam Xue happened to glance over.

A Chan didn't avert her gaze. She even smiled at her, but Madam Xue seemed startled and took a step back. Xue Mingtang caught her.

Lady Xiao Lin had also spotted the Xue family. Her expression was neither warm nor cold, and she didn't make way for them.

Though she disliked her elder sister, she certainly wasn't going to be friendly to the lowborn woman who had stolen her sister's place.

Zhao Wenyue, on the other hand, had just finished hanging her Five-colored paper slip. When she turned around and saw Xue Mingtang, a smile immediately bloomed across her face.