It was nearly midnight, and the festivity in Jiangning was climbing toward its peak. The carriage had cut across from the Su residence by way of a road with fewer people on it, and as it neared Wuyi Lane its pace gradually slowed.
All along the way, countless festive lights flickered beyond the carriage. Lift the curtain and look out, and even the roads that were quiet on ordinary days were thronged tonight; by the time they reached the commercial street near Wuyi Lane, the road ahead was a solid mass of heads, and the carriage could no more push forward than if it had sunk into a swamp. A dragon-dance troupe was coming from that direction, gongs and drums pounding, so the young driver had no choice but to stop the carriage off to the side.
"Sister Xiao Chan, it's no good up ahead."
The boy was probably a year or two older than Xiao Chan, but he still called her sister.
It might look as though these past months Xiao Chan had done nothing but trail around after Ning Yi, but in truth this little maid and her two sisters had been trained under Su Tan'er for years, and Su Tan'er might well be the one to take charge of the Su family one day; for her three most trusted maids, even stewards great and small had to show some face.
That was why a little maid could call up a carriage. This youth, who had entered the Su household not long ago and signed a twenty-year indenture, knew a fair bit about who she was, and was accordingly respectful toward her — and watched this girl who looked younger than himself with a certain curiosity.
"I see it. I'll get off right here, you head back." Xiao Chan pushed the curtain aside, climbed out, and jumped straight down from the carriage. She turned and smiled at him, then waved. "Thanks a lot."
"I—my name is Dongzhu." The boy mustered his courage and said his name with a slight stammer, then raised his head. "There are too many people up ahead. Let me walk you over."
"Brother Dongzhu." Xiao Chan smiled and bowed her thanks, then waved and turned away. "No need, I'll be fine." She went darting into that crowd like a butterfly; her small hand could still be seen waving a couple of times in the air, and then she was swallowed up and gone.
Xiao Chan had already wandered the city back and forth many times over and knew it well. And setting aside anything extreme, when it came to plain social graces, getting things done, and handling a small trouble or two, the innocent, adorable-looking Xiao Chan was in fact far more capable than that country boy named Dongzhu.
Besides, in a place where crowds like this gathered, no one was likely to make things hard for a little girl out to enjoy the bustle. Rich young idlers, spoiled heirs, thugs and local bullies — there were plenty of those around these days, but you didn't really run into them so easily.
Amid the din she hopped and skipped through the crowd of dragon dancers. From a brothel nearby came faint, languid singing that blended into the boiling noise of the street. Before long someone came racing up the road holding a sheet of xuan paper high: "The Lichuan poetry gathering — a new poem by young Master Tang Yu, on bamboo..."
Then he pasted the sheet onto the poetry board in front of a shop, and heads crowded tight around it. Stories like this came up every year, and sooner or later they all became the fashionable topic.
In such talk a man naturally stole the show; afterward, when his name was spoken, people would envy you as a romantic talent, and your fame would ring a little louder.
Being praised like this, Xue Jin naturally made a show of modesty, and the lady of the Wu household beside him laughed too: "Master Xue's verse moved even me a little." Su Tan'er liked the poem as well and put in a few words of praise. In truth, one sedan chair is carried by many pairs of hands — everyone lifts everyone else; among those who really knew, like this Wu woman and like Su Tan'er, all of them understood that poems like his were mostly bought from some famous poet so he could show off.
Xue Jin smiled happily, deferred a few more times, and the two sides chatted for a while, until Xue Jin said, "What a pity Brother Ning didn't come. Otherwise, seeing a scene like this, he would surely have produced a fine work..."
Su Tan'er frowned. The group looked to be talking merrily enough, and a middle-aged man of the Pu family came over; as one of the hosts, he was making the rounds greeting the guests.
This man was the younger brother of the Pu family head, by name Puyang Yu; in his early years he had passed the provincial examination, and he had talent of his own. He was making the rounds, greeting the guests, and now he smilingly cut into the conversation and asked what they were discussing.
Xue Jin explained: Su Tan'er's husband, Ning Yi, had meant to come, but unfortunately he had caught a chill these past few days, a great pity, for otherwise, with Ning Yi's talent and so on and so forth.
"I wouldn't be so sure," said a voice from behind them. "I hear this Ning Yi, though he's had a few years of schooling, is nothing but a mediocrity. Whether he comes or not makes no difference."
Xue Jin turned with a smile. "Brother Feng, don't talk nonsense. I've seen Brother Ning's bearing and manner with my own eyes. The Su family searched high and low before they chose Brother Ning..."
That Su Tan'er's husband, Ning Yi, had little talent was something the Wu family people, who were on friendly terms with her, knew perfectly well; so in the conversation just now, though they asked after Ning Yi's health, they did not touch on poetry or learning.
Watching the other man's performance, the two from the Wu family naturally understood what Xue Jin was about. Xue Jin had courted Su Tan'er once, his proposal had come to nothing, and he carried some resentment over it; now he was playing a few tricks.
Honestly, the performance took no skill at all, but its effect would not be discounted — if it went on like this, before long the word in these little circles might well be that Su Tan'er had married a good-for-nothing.
The Wu woman shot her husband a look, wanting him to cut it short; the man saw it, but hesitated a moment, and who knew what he was thinking. Su Tan'er kept the smile on her face and was about to speak when Xiao Chan popped out from beside her.
"That's right, the son-in-law is really good at writing poems." She had been romping and snacking with Juan'er and Xing'er; holding a piece of pastry, she had meant to repeat the magic trick Ning Yi taught her, but she botched it and the pastry fell to the floor. Then the three of them noticed what was going on over here, and Juan'er and Xing'er said that young master of the Xue family meant no good. Xiao Chan thought it over, and now she came over. "The son-in-law even wrote a poem tonight."
At these words from the little maid, both Xue Jin over there and Su Tan'er here were taken aback for a moment. After a pause, Xue Jin laughed. "Oh? Brother Ning has produced a masterpiece too? Wonderful — do bring it out and let us all admire it."
He looked delighted and open, but in his heart he was already laughing. He had long since made inquiries about what Ning Yi's learning amounted to: after so many years of study he could certainly write a poem, but what it would come out looking like was another matter.
At this moment he simply assumed that little Xiao Chan didn't know how to judge such things. Given how things stood, a few people might gossip, but it wouldn't matter much; if, however, a truly bad poem were brought out for everyone to "appraise," then the whole thing would be nailed down for good.
"Mm, all right." Xiao Chan nodded and fished the folded sheet out of her clothes, chattering as she did so. "Tonight the son-in-law wasn't feeling well and wanted to hear Xiao Chan sing, so Xiao Chan brought him a book of poems and had him pick one. But the son-in-law said he didn't much like any of them, so he wrote one himself. Here, this is it — Xiao Chan copied it down..."
He didn't much like any of them, so he wrote one himself... What a grand tone. Su Tan'er and Puyang Yu beside her both frowned; only Xue Jin smiled more brightly and more earnestly than before. As she spoke, Xiao Chan handed the note paper to Su Tan'er, whose face was still full of doubt. Su Tan'er looked at the xuan paper, made certain there really were characters on it, looked at Xiao Chan again, and only then turned her eyes properly back to the paper, her lips parting slightly as she silently read the words.
Halfway through, the pace of her parted lips slowed, and the look in her eyes grew complicated by degrees. At last she steadied herself, glanced at Xiao Chan once more, and then went back to silently reading the verses on the paper. Across from her Xue Jin was smiling, craning his neck to peek; though he could not see a thing, he was still thoroughly pleased...
What's the use of reading it silently? You'll have to show it to everyone in the end anyway. When the time comes, I'll read it out for you. Ha!
With the feeling of a prank already pulled off, he thought happily.
A moment later, a great burst of fireworks rose from one side of the boat's hull, and amid the gorgeous flare Su Tan'er handed the verse out.
"Please, Uncle Puyang, give us your appraisal..."
Puyang Yu had already caught a hint of what was going on, and now he nodded with a smile. He was very fond of this Su girl, who looked frail but would not yield an inch to any man; even if the family had taken in a live-in husband of no great learning, that was common enough.
Xue Jin, on the other hand, was rash and unkind, and he did not like him. He decided on the spot that even if the poem was poor, he would say a few good words and smooth things over as best he could.
He took the poem, lowered his eyes to it, and was already thinking about just what appraisal to use.
The fireworks climbed; the others waited for his first remark. Xue Jin smiled with elegant, gentle modesty. Su Tan'er looked at him once, then let her gaze fall back to the paper in Puyang Yu's hands, and softly bit her lower lip.
As the flames flared and faded, the look in her eyes was beyond words...