Chapter 4

Early in the morning on the first day of the Chinese New Year, the sound of bamboo firecrackers could be heard from the stretch of streets outside the residence. One after another, children of the residence appeared to set off the firecrackers for the ‘door-opening ceremony’[1]. After the bamboo firecrackers had exploded, the entire ground was covered with red, as resplendent as embroidered brocades, implying that one would obtain success and prosperity in all aspects of their lives.

[1] Kai men pao zhang ( 开门炮仗 ) – Opening the cannon is a traditional Chinese custom. In the early morning of the Lunar New Year’s Day , as soon as people get up, the first thing for every household to do is to fight for “opening the gun” ceremony, knocking on the door thrice, and firing the guns to declare the beginning of the new year. The sound of firecrackers in the whole city symbolizes the sending of the old and welcoming the new year with blessings.

The entire residence began to bustle. It was unknown if the act was deliberate or if they had simply forgotten about Jiang Ruan and her maids. After the New Year’s Eve dinner, it was unbelievable that no one bothered to visit their residence.

Bai Zhi lit the brazier by the door. Half of her frame blocked the entrance as she fanned the suffocating smoke away. The residence barely managed a hint of warmth, as the sunlight shone through the windows. Considering that this residence was the most remote and dilapidated one in the courtyard, wind and rain often leaked through the roof throughout the year. Field mice often scampered about. The blankets that were originally sent by the manor were already very thin. Moreover, most of them had been gnawed by the mice to the extent of being unusable. Bai Zhi sighed, unable to stop herself from turning her head to look at Jiang Ruan, who was sitting on the bed with a blanket wrapped around her.

Jiang Ruan leaned on a coarsely-sewn brown pillow with a blanket covering her chest, lost in thought, her head drooping. It had been four years since she had been sent to this residence. With the Zhang Lan family depriving her of basic clothing and food, she had reached maturity much later than the other girls. Her hair was dry and showed a yellowing tint. At this moment, the sunlight filtered through the window, onto her long tresses, giving them a hint of shifting glow. Her slightly pursed lips appeared to have a healthier color than usual, accentuating her facial features to appear delicate and proper. As she sat silently, she was notably quieter than in the past, almost as if she had turned into a completely unfamiliar person.

Bai Zhi fiddled with the firewood in the brazier. She recalled how yesterday, Lian Qiao had told her about the incident with Qiu Yan in its entirety. At the end of her story, she wondered, “Why do I feel as if there is something wrong with our lady? This sudden transformation has caused a disparity in her personality. Is it possible that her meek submission in the past was meant to deceive?”

Bai Zhi did not know how to answer her. Actually, Lian Qiao was right. Jiang Ruan had changed so much, and as her personal maids, it was even more apparent to the both of them. Since she was sent into the residence four years ago, Jiang Ruan often wept, as the Zhang Lan family deliberately made things difficult for her. Gradually, she did not have the will to cry any longer and merely accepted their treatment quietly. With sadness plaguing her heart, she became even more timid and withdrawn. Yesterday, when she interacted with Qiu Yan, her expression and manners seemed as if she was a whole new person. Bai Zhi had some suspicions in her heart, and wondered if it was possible for someone’s personality to change so drastically after suffering from a severe illness.

Regardless of the change, Jiang Ruan was still their master. Perhaps, it was a blessing that Jiang Ruan’s current attitude was completely different from the past. Just as she was lost in thought, Lian Qiao walked in carrying a package wrapped in oil paper, almost bumping the brazier over.

“Be a little more careful,” Bai Zhi reproached lightly, “Why are you so impetuous?”

“I went to purchase some New Year goods,” Lian Qiao was not angered by her, continuing to smile happily as before. Stepping inside the residence, she unwrapped the oil paper from the package and spoke to Jiang Ruan, “Miss, come and eat some too, the spring pancakes are still piping hot.”

Bai Zhi was baffled, “Where did you get them from?” Surely, the Zhang Lan family would not be this kind-hearted. Nowadays, because of the incident with Chen Zhao, Zhang Lan resented Jiang Ruan quite a bit. The servants would not initiate any contact with them in order to avoid trouble. Even more so, they did not have any spare change in their hands to purchase snacks.

“It seems that some important guests will soon be arriving at the residence. So for the past few days, everyone has been busy preparing for it. They have also prepared more snacks. I am on slightly friendly terms with Bai He, who is new in the kitchen, so I asked for some.” She smiled, “Even though we are in a rough situation, we still have to celebrate the New Year. Look, Miss, I also have this.” She fished out a bracelet made from bronze coins from her sleeves, “When I was coming back, I bought it for ten taels to invite a good omen, so everything will proceed smoothly this year.”

Bai Zhi chortled, “What do we need a bracelet to invite good omens for?

Bai Zhi chortled, “What do we need a bracelet to invite good omens for? Is it so that we can pray for our lady to rake in fortune in this upcoming year?”

“What is wrong with raking fortune in?” Lian Qiao went on to say, “If you have money, you can make the devil push the millstone for you. What is wrong with being wealthy? If we have money, I bet these people would never dare to bully our lady.”

Bai Zhi quickly flashed a disapproving face towards Lian Qiao, warning her to stop speaking in Jiang Ruan’s presence. Lian Qiao knew that she had said words that should not be spoken, and immediately held her tongue. She glanced at Jiang Ruan cautiously.

Yet, Jiang Ruan shook her head, lifting her sheets slowly before stepping down from the bed. Lian Qiao hurriedly assisted her by the arm. Jiang Ruan walked to the table and sat down. After taking a look at the bracelet on the table, she held her hand out and wore it on her wrist. She showed it off and said, “I should invite a good omen.”

Lian Qiao’s heart ached. In her heart, she thought, was there any daughter from an influential manor that does not have a collection of jewelry and accessories made for the New Year? But her own lady only possesses a bronze coin bracelet that merely costs ten taels. It was not something that was worth mentioning even in an ordinary commoner’s household. Turning her head to the side to conceal the pain in her eyes, Lian Qiao smiled, “Miss, you should eat another spring pancake.”

Jiang Ruan shook her head, “I don’t feel like eating. You can eat.” She paused, and spoke again, “I do not have any money to reward you. By following me to this residence, you have suffered greatly these past four years. Fortunately, with the start of this new year, we will not need to suffer anymore.”

“Yes, yes, yes.” Bai Zhi spoke quickly, “This year, Miss will absolutely have a good fortune for the entire year. Everything will go smoothly!”

Jiang Ruan knew that she had misunderstood her meaning. She did not explain further, however, and just peered outside the window. “The weather outside is excellent, let’s go out for a walk.”

Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao looked at each other in pleasant surprise. Normally, unless she had chores to perform, Jiang Ruan would be unwilling to take a walk outside on her own accord. Whenever the servants in the residence saw them, they always seemed to have a knack for ridiculing them. Lian Qiao’s bold personality barely managed to subdue some of them, but it did not suppress everyone. Gradually, Jiang Ruan became unwilling to meet people, and always stayed in her own residence.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Lian Qiao rummaged through the trunk with a smile, “Which clothes does Miss plan to wear?”

Jiang Ruan could not help but laugh, in spite of herself. In reality, it didn’t matter which clothes she wore. When she initially arrived at the residence, she brought numerous sets of clothes and accessories with her. But it was not long after, they were either tricked or snatched away by Zhang Lan and Chen Fang. In the end, they did not spare even a single clothing of hers, substituting them with crude, tattered and worn clothes. Appearance and clothing materials aside, the cotton padding for the jackets meant for the winter were so sparse that they failed to provide a basic protection against the cold.

“You pick,” Jiang Ruan spoke.

Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi took a long time making a choice, and settled on an old cotton-padded jacket with a dark green buckle. Underneath, was a loose, light yellow thick dress that Bai Zhi had altered. For the outermost layer, she wore a long, brown cape. Afraid that an exquisite hairstyle would clash with the outfit, Bai Zhi helped her to style a simple dumpling hair bun that suited her young age. This ensemble could not be counted as festive, but with Jiang Ruan’s fair complexion, she did not appear uncouth. Additionally, with a calm and apathetic aura, it was obvious that if someone was to differentiate her from her usual self, they would consider them two different people.

After packing up properly, the trio walked out of the residence. Lian Qiao suggested a walk along the streets. Just as they emerged from the main residence, they bumped directly into a few people. A pleasantly surprised voice could be heard, “Younger Sister Ruan!”

Lian Qiao creased her brow. Without a sound, Bai Zhi protectively positioned Jiang Ruan behind her. Jiang Ruan raised her head, the other person’s shadow clearly reflected in both her eyes.

It was the young son of the Zhang Lan family, Chen Zhao.