Miss Chan

Bai Xiuming's interruption didn't dampen A Chan's anticipation of dinner. The flatbreads she'd made really hadn't tasted very good, and they'd been a little burnt, but the smoked chicken had been delicious.

When night fell, A Chan snuggled beneath the soft, thick cotton quilt she'd just bought and drifted off to sleep, still savoring the taste of the smoked chicken.

Meanwhile, in the main residence at Zhao Manor.

After the maid had finished helping Lady Xiao Lin wash up, she withdrew respectfully. Zhao Ming, the master of the house, sat at the table reading a letter.

"What are you reading, husband?" Lady Xiao Lin asked, walking toward Zhao Ming with a hand at her waist.

Zhao Ming casually set the letter on the table, then rose to help her. "You're far along now. Be careful."

"I know. You're the one who reminds me all day long." Though she complained, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

It would be hard to find another man in all of Shangjing as considerate as her husband.

Zhao Ming helped Lady Xiao Lin sit at the table. She glanced at the open letter. The words Zhao Lang were written on it, but she could only recognize the Zhao.

She was a concubine's daughter. Her mother had been favored for a few years, and when Lady Xiao Lin was young, her mother had pleaded with her father to send her to study alongside her elder sister, the legitimate daughter.

The woman who taught them always praised her elder sister and said Lady Xiao Lin's mind wasn't on her studies at all. After attending for only two months and learning a few characters, Lady Xiao Lin begged her mother to let her quit. The only reason she recognized the character Zhao was that it was her husband's surname.

"You still haven't told me whose letter that is, husband," Lady Xiao Lin said.

"It's from my parents back home. They're asking how you're feeling." Zhao Ming glanced at the letter, a gentle smile on his face.

"Oh." Lady Xiao Lin gave a lukewarm response and lost all interest in asking further.

She didn't get along with her parents-in-law. Her husband was gentle and considerate in every way. Though his looks were rather ordinary, he was very talented and knew how to cherish her.

But what his mother had done back then still rankled.

At the time, Lady Xiao Lin had been softhearted. Listening to her husband, she had brought her parents-in-law to Shangjing after giving birth so they could all live together.

Things had been fine at first. But after she'd had two children, her health had suffered, and her belly had stayed empty for two years. Her mother-in-law had actually been secretly persuaded by someone to take a concubine for her husband.

That alone would have been bad enough, but they hadn't even told her, the woman of the household. They'd simply brought the woman home.

How could Lady Xiao Lin have tolerated that? She'd had a huge fight with her parents-in-law on the spot and driven them out along with the woman they'd chosen—the so-called cousin of her husband.

When Zhao Ming came home, he'd quarreled with her. Furious, Lady Xiao Lin had gone straight back to her parents' house.

Only a few days later, her husband came to bring her home. He apologized, saying he'd lost his temper and argued with her without finding out what had happened.

She'd heard he had arranged for someone to escort his parents back to their hometown and had driven away the woman they'd brought. Only then had the matter ended.

Later, Lady Xiao Lin ran into that woman twice in the capital. By then, the woman was pregnant. She recognized Lady Xiao Lin and came over to greet her, but Lady Xiao Lin ignored her and walked off.

After that, Lady Xiao Lin stopped bothering with anything concerning her husband's parents. The holiday gifts sent back to their hometown were handled by the steward, and she rarely asked about them.

Zhao Ming was used to Lady Xiao Lin's coldness toward his parents. He said nothing, only folded the letter and put it away carefully.

Lady Xiao Lin then began complaining about their daughter. "I can't imagine what's so good about Xue Mingtang. He's bewitched that silly Wenyue so thoroughly she's lost her mind. Don't you, as her father, have anything to say?"

Zhao Ming came up behind Lady Xiao Lin and massaged her shoulders. "Mingtang is ambitious, and his superiors value him. Given time, his prospects will be limitless."

Lady Xiao Lin wasn't buying it at all. She gave a derisive laugh. "And when exactly is 'given time'? Is my daughter supposed to marry him and wait ten years for him to get promoted? Besides, he's a widower. Just hearing that is bad luck."

Zhao Ming coughed lightly. "It won't take that long. The Marquis of Jinyang values Mingtang, too. If he can distinguish himself at the Ministry of Justice, he'll have no trouble getting promoted."

Lady Xiao Lin shot him a sidelong glance. "Xue Mingtang is the Marquis of Jinyang's brother-in-law, and you're his brother-in-law, too. Has he ever helped you get ahead? Yet you still keep eagerly sucking up to him."

Zhao Ming was left somewhat at a loss for words. He could only offer a stiff explanation. "I know you only want what's best for Wenyue. But the matches you showed her before may have come from prominent families, yet the men themselves weren't particularly capable. Some hadn't even passed the county-level exam, and most were spoiled wastrels."

"Didn't you tell me yourself that it was nice to shelter beneath a big tree? I chose legitimate sons who are favored in their families. If they really want to enter officialdom, the imperial exams aren't the only path. They may be reckless before marriage, but they'll settle down afterward."

The couple each held fast to their opinion about their daughter's marriage, and neither could persuade the other. It was close to the end of the Hai hour before Lady Xiao Lin finally yawned her way off to bed.

She was in a bad mood and wouldn't let Zhao Ming sleep beside her, sending him to the outer room instead.

Zhao Ming was used to his wife's caprices. He carried his bedding to the couch in the outer room and went to sleep.

After the candle in the room was blown out, Lady Xiao Lin drifted into a heavy sleep. In the middle of the night, she vaguely felt a pulsing discomfort in her belly. She wondered if the baby was kicking her, but she was so sleepy that she paid it no mind.

Yet in her drowsy haze, she thought she heard an infant crying. The sound was piercing enough to jolt her upright.

When she opened her eyes, the room was utterly still. She was wondering if she'd been dreaming when the crying sounded again.

This time, she heard it more clearly. It seemed to come from outside the window. The longer she listened, the more it sounded like a shrill, mournful wail—not at all like a newborn's cry.

Fear seized her. Remembering that her husband was in the outer room, she felt around for her embroidered shoes and got out of bed. As she made her way toward the outer room, she called, "Husband? Husband?"

The outer room was so quiet it seemed no one was there.

When she had finally felt her way to the door, she heard the window bang open before she could leave. The infant's cries grew clearer and clearer.

Lady Xiao Lin felt the hair on her scalp stand on end. Startled, she began to feel pain in her belly, too. She clutched her stomach with one hand and braced the other against the doorframe, then slowly slid down and collapsed onto the floor.

Just then, a candle lit up in the outer room.

Zhao Ming, his hair loose and dressed in his underclothes, hurried over with a candlestick.

Seeing his wife on the floor, he immediately called for the maid on night watch to fetch a doctor, then went to help Lady Xiao Lin.

Her husband's face looked perfectly normal as he helped her to bed, as if he hadn't heard the infant's cries at all. She clutched his wrist tightly. "Husband, didn't you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Zhao Ming asked, confused.

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"An infant crying, right outside the window." She pointed to the open window. "There. The window suddenly opened by itself just now."

After helping her back to bed, Zhao Ming went to the window and even leaned out to look. He saw nothing.

He closed the window, then returned to Lady Xiao Lin and comforted her. "There's nothing outside. The window probably wasn't latched properly tonight, and the wind blew it open."

"But I can still hear the baby crying. What's going on?" Since her husband had appeared, the cries seemed to have grown much fainter.

Zhao Ming looked at Lady Xiao Lin, still bewildered and uneasy, and said, "We scholars say that if you've done nothing shameful in life, you needn't fear a ghost knocking at your door in the middle of the night. If you haven't done anything wrong, what is there to fear?"

Lady Xiao Lin slapped his hand. "And how do you know that ghost's heard the saying?"

By the time she'd finished talking to her husband, the crying had disappeared. Looking at his gentle face in the candlelight, she couldn't help wondering if she'd imagined it.

That night, the mistress had been frightened when she got up and her pregnancy had been disturbed. The servants in the manor were busy until morning.

It was nearly dawn when Zhao Ming had to go to court. Only then did Lady Xiao Lin finally fall asleep.

A Chan had no idea what had happened at Zhao Manor that night. Thinking of the arrangement from the day before, she judged it was about time and brought the scented pouch to the Zhao household.

The gatekeeper didn't dare let her in without permission and only went to announce her arrival.

Before long, Mama Sun hurried over. Usually impeccably turned out, she looked rather disheveled now; even her hair wasn't neatly pinned up.

When she saw A Chan, some of the worry faded from Mama Sun's face. "I'm sorry you had to make the trip today, Miss Chan. Unfortunately, the madam's pregnancy was disturbed last night, and she's still resting. She really can't see anyone."

"My aunt's pregnancy was disturbed? What happened? The doctor said yesterday that all she needed was proper rest." A Chan asked, puzzled.

She didn't think Lady Xiao Lin was using this as an excuse to avoid her. Given her aunt's temperament, if she didn't want to see someone, she wouldn't need an excuse.

Mama Sun sighed. "Who can say? Last night, the madam said she heard an infant crying, but the master and the maids on night watch all said they hadn't heard anything. We don't know what happened. The master's gone to work, and the madam's still asleep. This old servant doesn't know what to do."

A Chan thought for a moment before saying, "If all she heard was an infant crying, it might not have been a baby. I've read some Strange Tales. The books say certain insects or spirits that have gained awareness can make cries like an infant's. If Aunt wants to investigate, she might look into that possibility."

Mama Sun's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly. "Miss certainly knows a great deal. I'll have someone look into it."

A Chan handed Mama Sun the scented pouch she was holding. "I mixed this incense just yesterday to repel mosquitoes and other insects. It doesn't contain any precious spices, so please take it, Mama Sun. Just remember not to put it near Aunt. Smelling spices for a long time isn't good for her health."

"Don't worry, Miss. I'll remember. Go home and wait without worry. Once the madam has recovered in a few days, I'll come fetch you."

"Good. Please take good care of Aunt for me, Mama Sun."

Though she hadn't seen Lady Xiao Lin, A Chan had still accomplished what she'd come for today.

After saying goodbye to Mama Sun, she walked along the wall of Zhao Manor toward the back street.

Not far from the rear gate of Zhao Manor, she ran into her cousin from the Zhao family again. He was holding a fish basket with what looked like live fish inside; they were still wriggling.

The fish smelled strongly of the sea, and she could still catch the odor from more than ten meters away. *Read novels at *