The end of summer gave way to the beginning of autumn. Since the north differed from the south, the temperature slowly became drier and colder. Due to the temperature, the Sheng household began to make sweet syrupy soups to soothe the lungs and stop coughs.

Every since Minglan came to this place, she spent half of her time in illness, and when the temperature changed, her condition only became worse. She kept on coughing and wheezing.

There were doctors that came to attend to her, but they could only prescribe medicines for her nutrition. But unfortunately, Minglan hated the smell of traditional medicine the most. She missed the days where she could just take cough drops and loquat syrup. The more she wished for cough drops and loquat syrup, the more she hated traditional medicine. If she drank a bowl, then she would puke out half the bowl. She spent all her days sickly and weak, without any kind of strength. She was so far different compared to her old self, who had a strong body and even practiced self-defense arts.

Sheng Hong and Wang shi contemplated for a while and investigated, to learn more about Yuan Wenshao's character and talents before finally deciding on him. Thus, they accepted the formal proposal for the marriage and sent out the eight characters of Hualan's birthday to the Yuan family [1].

Wang shi's thought process was very unusual. She had separately invited a well respected Buddhist Monk, as well as a well respected Taoist Priest to look at the eight characters. Wang shi was only relieved when both the monk and the priest had said that the eight characters from both sides of the match have signs of a well blessed and fortunate life.

When Sheng Hong saw a prayer table in Wang shi's room, he noticed that on the left of the table was a fly-whisk, and on the right was a wooden fish. He couldn't help but laugh, "Does Madame believe in Buddha or the Dao? You should at least pick the correct one, so that your prayers can be realized."

Wooden fish

A wooden round object that Buddhists will tap on while they pray.

Fly Whisk

A symbol of Taoism, the practical function is to whisk away insects instead of killing them.

Wang shi knew that her husband was making fun of her and replied, "I'll pray to whatever power that works best. If they're good luck to Hua'er, I'll even pray to the grass and the wall."

Sheng Hong gathered his expression and said, "I know that you're the picture of kind motherhood, and you have the most generous heart. Recently, I've noticed that Ming'er isn't doing so well, so you should take more care of her. If she continues to cough this much, I'm afraid that she might pass away."

"Yesterday, a letter came from the capital, it states that the household of Earl Zhongqing will be sending out their betrothal gifts any day now. Hua'er knows that I've been very busy, so she took up the task of looking after Girl Ming," Wang shi said.

Sheng Hong shook his head, "Hua'er is only a child, what does she know? It's better if you yourself look after things."

Wang shi laughed, "Listen to your own words! How is Girl Hua still a child? As long as everything goes smoothly, she'll be married either by the end of next year or the beginning of the year after. Afterwards, she'll have to take care of her husband and her in-laws. That's why she should start learning how to look after people. For this past few days, she's been giving her portion of pear soup and walnut soup to Girl Ming. And she's even watching Girl Ming eat her medicine every day. If she throws half a bowl up then she'll make her drink another bowl. Girl Ming was frightened that she's not throwing up medicine anymore."

Sheng Hong's heart was put to rest. He nodded happily, "Good, good. Sisters should be like this. Hua'er has the attitude of an eldest sister, this is very good, indeed this is very good."

Eldest Young Miss Hualan was a strict enforcer of caregiving. What she lacked in gentleness, she made up for in authority. If Minglan so much as showed a little bit of reluctance to eat her medicine, Hualan would roll up her sleeves and personally jam the medicine into Minglan's mouth. She gave Minglan a frightful sweat that Minglan's illness did improve by half. Then Hualan began to make her kick a shuttlecock everyday. Minglan was akin to a prisoner under the supervision of Hualan, as she stood in the courtyard and obediently bounced the shuttlecock with her feet. She needed to kick it for thirty times a day, and increase this amount by five after every three days. Eldest Young Miss Hualan even brought out a booklet for Minglan to record her daily exercises. Hualan crossed off goals every day with the expression of a strict prison guard, and Minglan couldn't even miss one kick.

Hualan had the stereotypical personality of a big sister, and her heart burst with a need to perform her duties as the eldest sister. Unfortunately, both her own siblings were unable to give her that satisfaction. Changbai had a naturally mature personality, it would be a miracle if he didn't turn around to preach to Hualan instead. Rulan's personality was stubborn and haughty, and she hated being controlled, so Hualan never got along well with her. If Hualan scolded her with one phrase, Rulan would speak back to her with three phrases. And with Wang shi's protection, she couldn't really punish Rulan. She refused to care about the Concubine Lin's two children, and Changdong was too much of a toddler for her to act the part of an elder sister.

Minglan's temperament was gentle and obedient. She did whatever she was told, and if scolded, she wouldn't speak back, she would only stare with her big, sparkling eyes glittering at you. Occasionally, her mind would wander. Hualan was very pleased with this younger sister, to the point where she almost liked Minglan better than her own younger sister.

The Earl's household worked very quickly, and before long they sent over their betrothal gifts. Because Yuan Wenshao's age wasn't considered as young anymore, they indicated that they wished to finish the wedding ceremony by the middle of next year.

When Sheng Hong replied back to the letter, he brought forth within him the literary talent he used in his civil examinations, with dense and elegant prose.

It was unknown whether or not the other party fully understood, but the gist of his letter was that his daughter was still young, and he couldn't bear for her to marry so early, and he expressed his fatherly affections towards his daughter in his phrases.

Thus, the Yuan family immediately sent even more betrothal gifts, and invited a ceremonial official from the Hong Lu Administration to give the gifts. Having earned enough principle and face, Sheng Hong then, in accordance with good manners. added more dowry, and set the wedding date for the May of next year. Both families were very pleased.

After that, Hualan was locked in her room to sew her bridal garments to improve her personality. Minglan could finally let out a sigh of relief. Currently, the amount of times she had to bounce the shuttlecock had already been up to sixty five times a day. Now that the person looking after her had been shut away, she could finally return to the life of a piglet, where all she needed to do was sleep and eat. Of course, this included occasional harassments from Rulan.

The weather slowly, yet continuously, became colder. Unlike the rest of the seasons, as soon as winter came, the differences in weather between the north and south would immediately appear. Every room began to heat up their floors.

There were also detailed and pretty wooden adobe beds. Essentially they combined the wide and comfortable wooden beds with the adobe beds to form a sleeping platform. Minglan was originally a southern person, and she never knew that people from the olden days in the north had this kind of pretty yet comfortable heated bed.[2]

A heated clay bed with a pretty wooden frame

Most likely due to the shuttlecock exercise, Minglan didn't fall ill even when the weather turned this cold. However, someone else did.

Old Madam Sheng's age was catching up to her, and the journey up north was very far, hence her body couldn't adjust very well to the climate and the land. After autumn set in, she also started to cough. She had ultimate authority in her courtyard, so none of her maids or older servants dared to make her eat medicine or kick a shuttlecock, so her illness had never been healed.

As soon as winter came, she would start burning up with a fever from time to time. That day, her temperature suddenly spiked and she fainted away. When the physician came, he also said that she was in danger, because this kind of harsh and chilly illness was what old people should fear the most. If they weren't careful there was a chance of her passing away, and this thought frightened Sheng Hong and Wang shi to no end.

If Old Madam Sheng passed away, Sheng Hong would have to begin a period of bereavement, in which he would have to relinquish his post for at least a year, and Hualan would have to observe a period of mourning, so she wouldn't be able to get married.

Yuan Wenshao was already twenty years old, there was no way he would wait for Hualan. The Sheng couple knew how serious this matter was, so with the same goal in their minds and hearts, they combined their strengths and took turns day and night to look after Old Madam Sheng.

They carefully looked over every prescription and personally tasted every bowl of medicine, they gave so much effort that they themselves almost fell ill due to exhaustion. And this "imagery of a filial son and a virtuous wife" led to praises being heaped on them by all the good families of the Deng Prefecture, so they managed to hit the nail with a crooked hammer.

A few days later, Old Madam Sheng's fever finally healed, and she managed to take a clear breath of air at long last. She had avoided death this time. But the Sheng couple didn't relax, and immediately sent over all kinds of nutritious herbs and medicine from their storage house over to the Hall of Peaceful Ages.

For Minglan, no matter how precious nutritional herbs were, they still counted as traditional medicine, so there was no way their taste would be any good. She couldn't help but sympathize with Old Madam Sheng. After barely two days of Minglan's sympathy, the Hall of Peaceful Ages suddenly sent out a message, saying that Old Madam Sheng was lonely in her old age and wished to bring up a girl at her side in order to relieve her of her loneliness.

"Mom, why do you want me to go? That Old Madam has such a temperament and cold personality. She would barely say even a few words in the household in an entire year. Her rooms are simple and ugly and has nothing of value. And Old Madam has always despised you, I don't want to go and make a fool out of myself." Molan curled within a cage of blankets on top of a heated bed. A vest of chestnut squirrel fur dotted with gold covered her body, and she held a horizontal gourd shaped hand warmer made of filigree and enamel. The young girl was beginning to show a refined and delicate face.

Concubine Lin looked at her daughter with both pride and worry, "Dear child, how could I bear for you to go and suffer? But we cannot forget to plan for the future. You've seen the spectacle for the preparation of your big sister Hualan's marriage. That's the scenery of a girl whose hand in marriage is begged for by a hundred families! Remember how majestic it is! But how would we know if you'll be the same when you come of age a few years later?"

"If it would be the same?" Molan shrugged, her voice was just as elegant as before, "Mom, please don't talk about legitimate and non-legitimate, father already said that he wouldn't let me suffer any inconveniences in the future. He'll treat me the same way he treats big sister. I'll definitely have my own majestic affair. Besides, you have businesses and properties in your hand, so I have nothing to fear."

"My child, what do you know? There are three reasons why your Older Sister Hualan can be well-regarded today. Firstly, it's thanks to your father. This is because his official career has been smooth flowing, his reputation in the public has been good, and his relations and interactions with others have gone smoothly, hence it's no wonder why there would be a lot of people who want to have a connection with your father. Second, our house has more properties than the poor minor officials. Third, it is because Girl Hua is from the legitimate line. She has a hairpin handed down through generations from her uncle's house.

'How can you compare to this last point? Especially since you and that Girl Ru only differ in age by a few months. In the future when it is time to discuss marriage, who knows if there will be any good families left for you?" Concubine Lin took the heater from her daughter's hands and opened it. Using a copper stick, she poked the coal before covering it and returning it.

Even if Molan was mature for her age, after hearing that, she couldn't help but turn red, "What muddy words is Mother saying? How old is this daughter for you to be saying this?"

Concubine Lin grasped her daughter's pair of small hands, her elegant brows appeared to become stricter as she lowered her voice, "I have never regretted everything I've done in that year when I became a concubine for another and in turn offended the Old Madam, and made the Madame unable to tolerate me. With no exceptions, I'm afraid of no one. After all, your Older Brother is a young master, and no matter whether he's legitimate or concubine, he will still able to inherit a piece of the family property and be able to establish a place for himself in the future. It is only you that I am worried about."

Molan asked in a low voice, "Mother, do not take it to heart, Father loves me so dearly. After Oldest Sister, I will be the oldest. In any case, he will not treat me unfairly in the future..."

"But he also won't be generous enough!" A single sentence from Concubine Lin interrupted her daughter and she leaned against the gold python mattress. She closed her eyes and deliberately said, "You are now seven years old, and should start to understand some things. When I was seven, your maternal grandfather ruined our family. From then on, I have never enjoyed a decent day. Your maternal grandmother had no strategy, she could only live by pawning off property. During those times, she was always lamenting about how she wasn't able to marry into a respectable family. Even though she and her childhood friends had played together, some of her friends ended up rich and wealthy, while others fell into poverty in despair. Those women weren't even liked by their maiden family. At least she did one right thing before she passed on, which was to send me to the Sheng Household."

The room was quiet, while the incense burner on the ground slowly spit out smoke, drifting into the air. Concubine Lin began to fall into reverie, as she remembered the scene of her arrival into the Sheng Household. Even though Sheng Hong's position wasn't high then, Great Grandfather Sheng had earned a large inheritance for his sons and grandsons, and Grandfather Sheng had earned a Tanhua title [3]. The Sheng Household was dignified, there were beautiful and delicate gardens, there were gilded and silver lined furniture. They adorned themselves with silk and feathers during all four seasons. In her life she had never thought that such a luxurious existence was possible, that she can live such an elegant life. Then, Sheng Hong was handsome and poised, he was such a dignified person that she couldn't help having other considerations...

Molan looked at her mother's beautiful but obscured face. She suddenly asked, "Mom, why did you insist on becoming a concubine? Wouldn't it have been better if you married outside and live as the proper wife? Now there are so much scandalous gossip about you, they say...they say that you...degrade..."

Concubine Lin suddenly opened her eyes and glared at her. Molan immediately lowered her head, too scared to say anymore. Concubine Lin stared for a while more before finally turning her eyes away and replying slowly, "As you grow older, you should start understand the world. Old Madam Sheng is a good person in every aspect, except for one. She always liked to nag about how it's 'easy to obtain a priceless treasure, but difficult to obtain a true lover.' But poor and lowly couples have so many troubles. Old Madam Sheng was born from a Marquis Household, of course she wouldn't understand the harshness of poverty.

"A linsheng [4] living on government grants could only receive around seven to eight dou of rice and one string of copper coins per month. The higher maids of our household already earn eight silver coins per month. Just your vest costs around fifty to sixty taels of silver, those silver threaded coals in the hand warmer you're holding costs two taels per ounce. Add that to what you eat and wear day to day, how many granary students would be needed to afford that?"

Molan's forehead dotted with sweat, as Concubine Lin bitterly laughed.

"Besides, just because a man is poor doesn't mean his character is good. At that time, my older cousin married a poor student, and her wish was that one day they could live a good life. But all that student could do was to write some vulgar and hypocritical texts. He wasn't able to pass the civil examinations, nor was he able to do business. Your aunt had to handle every single matter; she suffered along with her husband, she bore him children, and she even helped him obtain several plots of land.

'One year, the harvest was a little better than usual, so that student wanted to bring in a concubine. When your aunt refused, she was scolded everyday for being unvirtuous and she was almost cast out by the family. She couldn't handle the pressure and let that concubine in, and was angered to death in a few years. The children that she left behind suffered under the hands of others. Hmph! When that student came to propose, he also said lofty things and pretty words. His mouth was filled with the words and deeds of the ancient scholars, he promised to love my cousin, he promised conjugal bliss, to treat her as an honored guest...pah! Empty words!!!"

Molan listened as if in a trance, as Concubine Lin's voice warmed and softened.

"A woman needs to rely on a man for her whole life. If that man is useless, then no matter how strong that woman is, she can't live with her head held high. So that's what I was thinking then, that no matter if I'm legitimate or not, my husband must have a good character, he must hold emotions and feelings important, be talented, and be able to shield his family from danger...since I followed your father, I haven't had the need to feel afraid, even if I'm only a concubine. I could at least have a peaceful life, and my children will also have good backing."

The mother and daughter were quiet for a moment. After a while, Concubine Lin laughed softly, "All the families the Old Madam had found for me back then were farmers and scholars. She herself lives frugally and simply, how could she give me a proper trousseau? Pah! I'm also a young lady born from a proper official's family, if I'm looking for a life of simplicity and poverty, then why did I enter the Sheng Household? What a joke."

"And you're still making me go to Old Madam's place? How can she accept me?" Molan couldn't help but ask.