Chapter 348 — A Visit

What use was beauty to a fool like this? If she had not come from Zhending, she would likely have been trodden down long ago and never risen.

Smiling, she listened as Ruozhu recounted the goings-on in Dou Yan's household, now and then interjecting a word or two, which only spurred Ruozhu to ever greater enthusiasm.

A little maid lifted the door curtain and called out to Ruozhu: "Hurry, the heir's wife from the Yan'an Marquis's estate has arrived."

"I must go serve tea." Ruozhu leaped up at the words, bade a quick farewell to Qixia, and was off like a gust of wind.

Another little maid came to fetch Qixia: "Sister, the Second Young Master is returning to his chambers."

Old Madam Lu and Princess Ninghuai were in-laws, but the young madam of the Yan'an Marquis's estate was a female guest, so Song Han naturally could not linger.

Qixia hurried over to help Song Han into his cloak, then supported him as they made their way to the main house.

Along the way, Song Han asked her: "What were you all talking about just now?"

When visiting another household like this, if Song Han required the attendance of the maids who had come with him, they followed wherever he went. If he had no immediate need of them, these maids were usually settled in the tea room or a side chamber, where the host's own maids or nurses kept them company over tea.

After what had happened the day before, Qixia could not help wanting to ingratiate herself with Song Han, so she recounted the goings-on in the tea room as though telling a funny story.

"A three-courtyard compound?" Song Han murmured when he heard it. "Are you certain? Three rooms, or three courtyards?"

"This servant heard it perfectly clearly," Qixia said. "Three courtyards!"

Song Han stopped in his tracks. Standing on the winding covered walkway, he gazed for a long while in silence at the withered branches shivering and sighing in the cold wind, then said: "Go find that Ruozhu and see what congratulatory gifts Gu Yu sent over."

Qixia, too, thought Ruozhu was the sort who could not keep a secret to save her life. She answered "Yes" with great confidence, escorted Song Han back to the main house, then rummaged through chests and cupboards until she found a few knotted tassels, and that afternoon set out again for Yizhi Hall.

Since she was a maid from Song Han's household, everyone in Dou Yan's service treated her with great courtesy. Hearing she had come to see Ruozhu, they invited her to sit in the rear chamber behind the main house.

"There are ever so many guests today, and Sister Ruozhu is still serving in the main house," said a little maid of eight or nine named Fufeng, as she poured Qixia tea. "Does Sister Ruozhu have some urgent business? If it's urgent, I'll slip away and carry a message for you. If not, Sister, do sit a while and have some cakes and fruit while you wait for her."

At such a moment, Qixia ought to have come again another day. But all at once the image of Song Han's sinister face rose before her eyes, lit by lamplight... She could not suppress a shudder, and a vague dread came over her that if she failed to carry out the task Song Yan had given her, last night's scene might play itself out once more.

Thickening her skin, she smiled and said: "Then I'll wait here for Sister Ruozhu."

Fufeng brought her some fruit and such to pass the time, excused herself, and turned to go about her own duties.

Qixia waited in the rear chamber until the hour for the evening meal, and only then did Ruozhu come running in, short of breath.

First she gulped down a bowl of tea, then asked: "What business does Sister have with me?"

Qixia explained her errand.

Ruozhu laughed. "For such a trifling matter, why should Sister come in person? You might have sent a little maid with a message. Today has been far too busy, I simply couldn't get away, and it's nearly time for the keys to be turned—the heir's lordship has no idea how many people he sent word of the good news to, and now this one and that one all come to offer congratulations. Tomorrow I'll go to the accounts office and ask for you, Sister."

Qixia thanked her profusely, gave her the knotted tassels, and returned to the upper courtyard.

Ruozhu examined the tassels: one was set with two pieces of jade in a plum-blossom heart pattern, and the other was worked with several pearl flowers along its length—plainly worth no small sum.

Smiling, she carried the tassels to the main house.

Dou Yan was at the evening meal with her aunt and Zhao Zhangru.

Seeing Ruozhu peeping in, she laughed: "Come in and speak!"

Ruozhu came in beaming and showed the tassels to Dou Yan: "Madam, these are from Qixia in the Second Young Master's household. She also asked me to find out what congratulatory gifts Master Gu sent you."

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I set out tomorrow for Guilin to attend an authors' salon, and will return on Monday. For these four days I can only manage one update a day—I'll add extra chapters once I'm back!

o(∩_∩)o~

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