Fortune

During Xiao Ya's first few days at the Jinghai Marquis Residence, she was given a small room in the most secluded part of the West Side Courtyard. It was not large, with just a bed, a table, and a wardrobe. It had once housed an elderly nanny who had returned to her hometown to retire the year before, leaving the room empty for over half a year. Madam Xie had the maids clean it again and put out fresh bedding. On the table stood a coarse pottery vase holding a few osmanthus branches freshly cut from the courtyard. The blossoms had already faded, but the leaves were still green, lending the table a little life.

The nanny assigned to guide Xiao Ya was surnamed Zhou, and everyone in the residence called her Nanny Zhou. She had been Madam Xie's dowry maid and had spent over twenty years in the marquis's household, having come with her when Xie Ting married. The maids feared her because she enforced the rules strictly: they were not allowed to make a sound when walking or spill a drop when serving tea, and they had to lower their heads and bow whenever they met someone. But she neither struck nor scolded them. If they did something wrong, she made them do it again-once, twice, three times, until they got it right.

On the first day, Nanny Zhou took Xiao Ya to her room and had her remove her mud-stained mourning clothes and change into clean, plain cloth garments. These were the standard clothes worn by the household's maids: a pale green sleeveless vest over a moon-white inner robe, with the cuffs tied snugly. Nanny Zhou turned her back while Xiao Ya changed, then turned around and looked her up and down when she was done. The girl had good features, but she was thin, with a pointed chin and wrists so slender that the outlines of her bones showed. Her skin was fair, certainly, but it was the pallor of someone who had gone hungry for years, with little color in it. Her hair, however, was good, thick and black. It probably had not been cared for much before, and several broken strands came away when it was combed. Nanny Zhou had her sit before the mirror and taught her to arrange her hair in the style worn by the household's maids, braiding each side, coiling the braids up, and securing them with hair ties. She learned quickly. Though her fingers were still a little clumsy, after two tries she had something quite presentable. Nanny Zhou stood behind her, looking at the face in the mirror and pondering just what her mistress intended.

Her mistress's intentions were unclear. Everyone in the household was guessing. When the second young master had brought the girl home that day, Madam Xie had merely stood beneath the covered walkway, looked Xiao Ya over, and asked a few questions. Did she have any family left? How old was she? Could she read? Xiao Ya answered each in turn: she had no family left, she was about fifteen that year, and she could not read. Her voice was quiet, but her words were clear. Once she had answered, she stood there with her head lowered, neither servile nor timid. Madam Xie murmured an acknowledgment and told Nanny Zhou to take her to change and eat first. She said nothing else.

Had this been an ordinary maid, Madam Xie would have given instructions that very day about which courtyard she should work in and what duties she should perform. Had she been intended as a bedchamber maid for the second young master, Madam Xie would likewise have told Nanny Zhou directly to place her in his courtyard. But none of that happened to this girl. She was assigned neither to the laundry nor to the kitchen, much less sent into the second young master's courtyard. Madam Xie merely told her to learn the rules from Nanny Zhou for now.

Having served her mistress for over twenty years, Nanny Zhou knew that she was still observing. She was watching the girl's character and temperament, seeing whether she was suited to remain in the marquis's household. Her mistress never rushed things. Back when she had chosen a study companion for the eldest young master, she had spent half a year just assessing candidates. Naturally, she would not be hasty about the second young master's affairs now.

The maids were whispering among themselves, too. Some said that since the second young master had brought the girl back himself, perhaps he meant to take her into his bedchamber. Others said that Madam Xie would never allow a girl of unknown origins into the family, and she would be no more than a maid for rough work. Someone else added in a whisper that the girl's mother had starved to death and she was in mourning; even if the second young master wanted her, he would have to wait until her mourning period ended. Nanny Zhou heard them and glanced back at the gossiping maids. They hurriedly scattered.

Xie Ning knew nothing of any of this. Every morning, he rose and practiced with his staff at the Drill Ground. Afterward, he returned to bathe and change, went to the front hall to pay his respects to his parents, and then either visited Qi Yu at the Imperial Study or rode out of the city. As far as he was concerned, Xiao Ya's situation had already been resolved. He had brought her home, the household provided her with food and lodging, and Nanny Zhou was teaching her the rules. It was all quite good. He had no idea whatsoever what the act of bringing her home itself implied.

A few days later, while Xie Ning was practicing with his staff at the Drill Ground, Xiao Ya passed along the covered walkway carrying a tea tray. Her steps were steady, and the cups on the tray did not move at all. Xie Ning lowered his staff and wiped away his sweat. Turning to see her, he beckoned her over. Xiao Ya approached, curtsied, and addressed him as second young master. Xie Ning asked whether she was settling into the household, whether she was eating well, and whether Nanny Zhou was strict with her. Xiao Ya answered each question, then curtsied again and left with the tray. Watching her walk away, Xie Ning thought that she did look better in different clothes than she had kneeling by the street that day. Her face was still thin, but at least it was clean, and her hair was neatly arranged. As for why she had passed the Drill Ground with a tea tray, Xie Ning gave it little thought. Nanny Zhou had specifically told her to come this way at this hour. Her mistress wanted to observe, so she would help her do so: see how the girl reacted upon meeting the second young master, and see whether he took any particular interest in her.

Xiao Ya's response was proper, neither evasive nor ingratiating. The depth of her curtsy was just right, as was the volume of her answers. Xie Ning's reaction was even more straightforward: his thoughts had never gone in that direction at all. His mind held only two things: why his staff technique kept falling half a beat behind that day, and whether the sugar-roasted chestnut shop Qi Yu had mentioned last time was at the southern or northern end of the East Market.

Nanny Zhou saw all of this and reported it when she went to the main courtyard to speak to her mistress. Madam Xie sat on a couch by the window, trimming a pot of asparagus fern with silver scissors. The fern was a fine specimen she had recently acquired, with sturdy, rugged stems and leaves like wisps of cloud. After listening, she set the scissors on the table and took a sip of tea. Nanny Zhou stood beside her and waited. When Madam Xie had finished her tea, she remarked that the girl did have deft hands; the bun she had styled for her that day was more securely arranged than those done by any of the maids before her arrival. Nanny Zhou agreed, then spoke of Xiao Ya's progress in learning the rules, saying that she learned quickly, spoke little, noticed work that needed doing, and did not shirk. Madam Xie nodded and set down her teacup. After a long while, she added, "Let's watch her a little longer."

As for Xiao Ya herself, she rose before dawn every day to learn the rules from Nanny Zhou. How to walk, how to serve tea, how to curtsy, how to bow-every movement had to be done correctly. After leaving Nanny Zhou's room, she turned the words Madam Xie had spoken that day over and over in her mind: "Let's watch her a little longer." She did not know how long Madam Xie wanted to watch her, nor did she know where she would end up. Would she wash dishes in the kitchen, serve tea in the front hall, or be sent to the second young master's room, as the other maids said? She did not know what being a bedchamber maid meant, or what attending to brush and ink meant, and Nanny Zhou had not explained either in detail. She simply thought that the second young master was a good person.