Small Buddhist Hall

When Fan Ninghua first arrived at the Liu family, she met Master Liu a few times, but nothing happened. Master Liu joked with the concubines in the backyard, "That Fan is average-looking, has a wooden personality, and is boring."

When Mrs. Qin heard this, she didn't react at all. She just lit a stick of incense and recited scriptures softly.

There is a small Buddhist temple in the Pomegranate House in the East Courtyard. It was originally built to pray for Liu San's health, but as time went on, people became greedy and began to pray for more than just Liu San's health.

Ning Hua was not stupid. Knowing that Mr. Liu was unreliable, he went to Shiliuju to pay his respects every day and accompanied Madam Qin in burning incense and chanting scriptures.

"Actually, you don't need to accompany me. You'll only make yourself look old. The lingering sandalwood incense in the Buddhist temple is not as pleasing to the master as the scent of rouge and powder."

"Madam, I sincerely pray for the Third Young Master. I hope he will be in good health."

"It would be better to pray for a child for myself." Madam Qin turned a bead and silently recited the scriptures, then continued to close her eyes and chant softly.

Ning Hua could only watch Madam Qin's back and imitate her earnest recitation of the sutra. Her words were three-tenths true and seven-tenths false. Three-tenths true, that she really hoped the Third Young Master would be healthy so she wouldn't have to serve the Master, and seven-tenths false, that she was afraid of losing her support in the Liu family and that was why she came to please Madam Qin.

The Liu family was wealthy, and Madam Qin was born into a family of officials. No matter how much Mr. Liu flirted with women, he had to give Madam Qin some face. Unfortunately, Madam Qin married far away, and her family was unable to support her, so she had wasted the past few decades.

Madam Qin and Master Liu had a disagreement during their wedding night. It was said that Master Liu had drunk too much that night, went to the wrong room, and slept with a maid. Madam Qin sat and waited all night until the Liu family's maid came to retrieve the handkerchief. Only then did she realize that Master Liu had not returned home that he had gone to sleep with a prostitute.

At that time, Madam Qin was only fifteen years old and didn't understand what all this meant in the future. She simply believed that having children would win her husband's heart, and that having children would make men mature.

Nonsense.

Mrs. Qin gave birth to a daughter and a son. The eldest daughter was healthy and still unmarried, while the son was bedridden due to congenital deficiencies. This was Liu San. It was said that when Mrs. Qin was still pregnant with Liu San, she was so angry when she learned that Master Liu had conceived an illegitimate child on a Yangzhou pleasure boat that she went into premature labor. If the child had been born at full term, it might have been a healthy one.

Madam Qin sighed deeply, looked up at the Bodhisattva statue in the small Buddhist temple, and said, "It's all fate."

These were all things Ning Hua had heard from her maid Qiuyan when she first arrived. She was a reckless young woman with an endless amount to say.

Ning Hua didn't get up until Madam Qin left in the evening before she followed. He knelt in the Buddhist temple all day, his legs so stiff he couldn't straighten them, only the crackling of his joints. He didn't know how Madam Qin managed to hold on day after day. In the end, Ning Hua could only barely walk with the help of servants.

Shiliuju was not far from her own residence, and it was the Jinlan Courtyard specially arranged by Mrs. Qin.

The Liu family wasn't a family of scholars, and as a merchant family, they were still somewhat lacking in cultural heritage. Most of the courtyards were named after the plants they grew in, or with auspicious characters. Jinlan Courtyard was named after the orchids planted there.

Orchids are delicate and often need care. Ning Hua was afraid that his wife would be worried, so he took care of them day and night for fear that they would get sick or die.

"Madam is so kindhearted, I can't let her down." Ning Hua muttered quietly as he wiped the flowerpot. Qiu Yan beside him laughed, "Then Madam, it would be better if she had a baby to live up to Madam's high expectations. I see that Butler Liu has been scrambling to make some rooms recently, so I'm afraid they're going to bring in someone new."

Fan Ninghua didn't say anything else. She just kept changing the water and wiping the flowerpot. She didn't stop until the flowerpot was shinier than a bronze mirror.

Qiu Yan naturally didn't understand and didn't bother to pay attention to her, thinking she was just a blockhead.

Ever since the new arrival in the North Courtyard, Liu Er had locked himself in his room again, staying there for five or six days at a time, refusing to venture out of the courtyard. Yulan could only sigh helplessly as she stared at the closed door.

Haitang was also a reckless person. She knew Liu Er was annoyed by her, but she would still wake him up at the door before dawn every day. Liu Er naturally didn't listen, so Haitang would just walk into the room, grab Liu Er and start washing him. Liu Er wanted to resist, but Haitang was naturally strong and lifted him up like a chicken. Not to mention that Liu Er had a broken hand and was no match for Haitang.

Every time this happened, Yulan would go in to smooth things over, taking over Haitang's job of dressing Liu Er, and saying with a smile, "I'm the one who takes care of the Second Young Master on weekdays. He's not used to other people." Only then did Haitang give up.

But who would have thought that Haitang was also a fool? She would give up today and come again tomorrow. This happened day after day, until Yulan had to rush to get up before Haitang to help Liu Er finish washing up.

Liu Er was annoyed and said that no one should enter the house from now on, and he would clean up the situation himself, then he blocked all the doors and windows.

But blocking it was useless, Haitang broke into the room directly.

Finally, Yulan couldn't stand it anymore and discussed with Haitang that Liu Er's room would be under her and Bao Fu's management, while Haitang could take care of the servants in the courtyard. Haitang finally agreed. However, although she was in charge of the servants in the courtyard, she would still stand in front of Liu Er's room from time to time, and no one knew what she was doing.

"Brother Fu, what do you think that crabapple ate to be so strong? She almost gave me a bruise yesterday." Yulan cracked melon seeds and made an egg-sized shape with her hand.

"I heard that she was born in a stable and was born in the wrong womb." Bao Fu looked around guiltily to make sure there was no one around before whispering in Yulan's ear.

"Stable? How could he be born in a stable?" Yulan had some vague bad guesses in her mind.

"I heard that a maid had an affair and gave birth to a child, and she sneaked into the stable in the middle of the night. The maid died of hemorrhage on the spot, and no one knew who the father of the child was. At that time, it was the old lady who made the decision, and she was kind enough to let her stay." Bao Fu became more and more excited as he spoke, and he almost wanted to put his ear close to Yulan's ear.

"I didn't expect Brother Fu to be so well-informed." Yulan pushed Bao Fu's head away and gave him a handful of melon seeds and joked.

"Oh! How could I have any news? It was Qiuyan from Jinlan Courtyard who told me all that. She's a notorious chatterbox in the Liu family, while her master isn't a talkative person. They complement each other really well." Bao Fu smiled as he spoke, not knowing what he was thinking about. "Sister Yulan and the Second Young Master also complement each other well, one quiet and the other active."

"You're talking nonsense!" Yulan spat out the melon seed shells and ignored him.

Yulan had no idea what to do with Liu Er's current state. She spent her days half-lying on her bed, lifeless and reading. She saw some of the servants playing cricket fighting in their spare time, and wondered if Liu Er, bored all day, would also like to have some fun.

"Brother Fu, can you catch crickets?"

It was rare for Yulan to ask Bao Fu for help, and this question made Bao Fu's heart flutter.

"Whatever Sister Yulan wants, I can catch it."

"Pick up the good ones and catch them. I'll send them to the second young master." Yulan took a branch and a jar and squatted beside the grass with Bao Fu to look for crickets together.

It's only summer now and it's not cricket season yet. Obviously, the crickets we catch are either thin or small, and there's nothing particularly good about them.

"Don't be anxious, sister Yulan. Give your brother Fu a few days and I will find you a great general." Bao Fu squatted in the sun with sweat all over his forehead. His round body curled up in the grass, wiping the sweat off his face while taking small steps.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Brother Fu." Seeing him catching crickets, Yulan poured a bowl of cold tea and handed it to Bao Fu, and wiped the sweat off his face.

The silk handkerchief with a light floral scent felt cool in the summer, and when it touched Bao Fu's hot forehead, his already hot heart became even hotter. For a moment, the cold tea choked his throat and he kept coughing.

"Private transactions between men and women are prohibited in the North Courtyard." Haitang popped up a head out of nowhere.

Yulan realized she had overstepped her bounds and immediately withdrew her hand, saying it was Haitang's fault. Bao Fu blushed and scratched his neck, pretending to look at the clouds. Only Haitang said solemnly that it wouldn't happen again.

The three of them parted ways and went their separate ways.

Qiuyan suggested that Ning Hua go to the garden and meet Master Liu. She was reluctant, but Qiuyan's temper was unstoppable. Qiuyan's mouth was like a bird, chattering non-stop from before dawn. But since she was sent by Madam Qin, Ning Hua couldn't say anything.

She stood in the garden, watching birds, holding her ice jar. She didn't run into Master Liu, but she did run into Concubine Yun, who was pregnant. She had planned to take a different route after not expecting to see her again, but she was unexpectedly called back by Concubine Yun.

"I heard your father is a teacher?" Aunt Yun leaned against the stone table in the garden, peeling a grape and popping it into her mouth. She was born into an opera family, and her every gesture carried a woman's unique charm and the charm of opera. The grapes looked like agate between her fingertips.

"yes."

"Then write me a poem." She deliberately made things difficult for him, but Ning Hua didn't respond, saying she couldn't write, and left with Qiuyan. Even when Aunt Yun called her back, she ignored her.

Qiuyan walked away feeling somewhat guilty: "Will I be... resented...?"

"If you are afraid of trouble, you shouldn't let me cause trouble. If you have caused trouble, you shouldn't be afraid of it." Ning Hua spoke slowly and without any anger on her face. She was really teaching Qiu Yan how to do things.

"I understand." Qiu Yan was scolded so much that her face was drooping and her words became less and less. "Then..."

"Go clean the flowerpot."

Ning Hua assigned Qiu Yan a task and returned to the house holding an ice jar with iced sour plum soup in it. She had originally intended to give it to Master Liu when they met, but now she thought she should drink it herself, so she picked up the bowl and drank it all.

She had never wanted to compete for favor. Master Liu was too old, and she didn't like him. She wasn't interested in the commotion among the concubines in the backyard; she just wanted to live a peaceful life under the shade of a big tree. If Madam Qin wanted her to compete for favor, she would pretend. If she wanted her to give birth to a boy or girl, she would prescribe infertile medicine.

Ning Hua played with her parrot, a lively, clever little bird. She believed in the saying "walls have ears" and kept it to remind her to be careful with her words and actions.

Mrs. Qin's people were everywhere in Jinlan Courtyard, and what happened in the garden today quickly reached Mrs. Qin's ears.

When she heard this, she was lying in a rocking chair, her eyes closed, resting, sandalwood burning in the room. Aunt Chuanfang was beside her, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan and complaining about how arrogant Concubine Yun was and how cowardly Concubine Fan was.

"It's outrageous that a low-class actor is pregnant with a bastard." Madam Qin frowned, twirled the Buddhist beads in her hand, and said, "Wait until the month is a little later..."

Chuanfang understood and responded, then continued to talk about the other courtyards. It was nothing more than a small matter of jealousy among the concubines. When she talked about the North Courtyard, she only mentioned that Liu Er was in a bad mood and stayed in his room and refused to go out.

Madam Qin sneered, "You're useless."

"The master is actually asking Liu Tong to clean up the study and make room, saying that he wants a scholar to stay and study." Chuanfang fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan as she saw Madam Qin slowly open her eyes and stare at the only ray of light filtering through the paper-covered window into the dim room. She twirled her Buddhist beads and slowly sighed:

"If my child were in good health... he would have been studying long ago..."