Chapter 046

Chapter 46: I Have Nothing to Do with Her Anymore

Tao Yi Ran looked a little haggard as she called out to the departing Xin An: “Sister-in-law, please wait a moment.”

Xin An stopped and turned back, asking calmly: “Elder Sister-in-law, do you need something?”

Biting her lip as she walked forward, Tao Yi Ran said softly: “What happened earlier is already past. The household has handled it properly. I hope Second Brother and Sister-in-law can look beyond it and not cling to what is over.”

This was a veiled complaint about Tang Mo’s beating of Tang Rong. Xin An nodded, answering evenly: “Elder Sister-in-law is right. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave.”

Tao Yi Ran shook her head, and Xin An turned to go. After leaving the gate and walking only a few steps, she reached Qiu Shi Courtyard. Inside, Tang Mo was applying medicine to his knuckles; he had used too much force pounding Tang Rong and had inevitably scraped some skin.

Xin An sat down beside him and asked with a glimmer of wicked humor: “So, did he end up as wretched as a dog?”

Without lifting his head, he blew on his sore hand and replied through a wince: “I’d call it injuring the enemy a thousand at the cost of eight hundred. I suffered for it.”

“They are only surface wounds,” Xin An said, amused. “Injuries on top of injuries. Your fists are not up to the task. You ought to train. You still have to go to the Northern Garrison Army later. How can you go like this? Real experts can break two ribs with a single punch and leave a man gravely hurt. How many punches did you throw, and you only managed to scrape his skin.”

Tang Mo bristled that he was sturdy and strong. Xin An laughed: “A man who, after two fits of anger, can die of rage dares tell me he is robust?”

“You and your tiny heart,” he snapped, glaring at her with clenched teeth when she mocked him again. “My ‘kicking the bucket’ was because I fell into the Lotus Pond and swallowed too much foul water. I did not die from anger.”

Xin An nodded in mock solemnity: “Filthy water has plenty of nutrients. It shows you are too weak to handle nourishment.”

She burst out laughing first. Tang Mo rolled his eyes so hard he nearly saw the inside of his skull, then decided to claw back some dignity: “All your wrath went straight at Tang Rong. Why did you not lay a hand on Tao Yi Ran? Because she is a woman, you let her go?”

“I spared her for your sake,” Xin An said coolly. “I thought you might feel bad.”

“Save me your talk,” Tang Mo muttered. He prided himself on being a man and would not stoop to taking revenge on a woman, though he had no objection to watching from the side. He added, with deliberate emphasis: “I have nothing to do with her anymore.”

Xin An sighed and stopped sparring with him: “I did consider making her pay. With my methods, dealing with her would be easy.”

Tang Mo eyed her, thinking she was bragging, and asked with a crooked smile: “Then why sit on your hands? Waiting for the right moment? Or not confident enough?”

“Neither,” Xin An said. “She is hateful to me, and I used to hate her very much. But then I thought, a fly will not bite an uncracked egg. The real culprit is Tang Rong. If he were upright, how could anyone hold him so easily in the palm of their hand? I want to see, in this life, when the two of them follow their hearts without you and me as their stepping stones, whether they end up unrivaled in affection or disgusted with one another.”

In their last life, Tao Yi Ran had been flawless in Tang Rong’s eyes: beauty, talent, a woman who understood him. There had been no entanglement of interests and none of the chores of rice, oil, and salt. Each saw only the best of the other. In this life, without her and Tang Mo to shoulder drudgery for them, would they still stroll beneath flowers and moonlight? She wanted to watch. Tang Mo wanted to watch too.

Xin An glanced toward the room and said: “Grand Matron’s attendants just brought word. We are still going to the manor tomorrow, and Mother is coming along. Have you packed?”

“I have,” he answered.

For Xin An as she was now, she was most eager to go out.

That night, Tang Mo was summoned by men from Tang Gang. Faced with his father’s sudden mildness, Tang Mo felt only dislike. [In the past he would have been moved. Now he knew this gentleness was only the product of calculation.] He put on a show of anger and hurt, let his eyes redden, and yet stubbornly refused to bow his head. In the end he declared he would not pursue past grievances. When he returned, his face was sour, as if someone owed him money and refused to repay it. He said nothing, went straight to his bedchamber, kicked off his shoes, lay down, and pulled the quilt over his head.

Curious, Chun Yang went to peek and came back shaking her head, murmuring: “I do not know what is wrong with the young son-in-law.”

“How unclean,” she grumbled, “going straight to sleep on the bed like that.” Fortunately he had not collapsed here. Then she remembered that sooner or later he would be sleeping here and felt upset. After two griping remarks she was rapped on the forehead by Auntie Wang, who scolded in a low voice: “Mind your tongue. That is the young son-in-law, the master of Qiu Shi Courtyard. He does not take offense only because he is good-tempered. In another residence you would have been dragged out and given the board.”

“From now on, be careful what you say so you do not make the young madam’s life difficult.”

Xin An looked up and said evenly: “Auntie Wang, starting today, everyone who followed me into the marquisate must learn to put a gate on their mouth. Know what to say and what not to say.”

Auntie Wang agreed and shot Chun Yang a warning glare. Chun Yang hunched her shoulders and dared not speak. When Auntie Wang left, Xin An told her: “Do not speak of him carelessly again. Auntie Wang is right. He is easygoing and unwilling to fuss with you. He is like this tonight because he is in a bad mood. Show him more respect.”

Chun Yang nodded: “I understand. We took liberties only because the young son-in-law is kind and approachable. We will not do it again.”

They slept passably well. At dawn the next day, Tang Mo escorted three generations of women from the household out of the city toward the manor.

The manor granted by the Emperor lay a hundred li from the capital. It was a relatively level place with pleasant scenery. The season had turned to early summer, but the heat was not yet oppressive. The crops in the fields were thriving, and people stood in the furrows, busy at their work.

They had left the marquisate early in the morning and arrived at dusk. In the carriage, two generations of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went from excited at first to slumped against soft cushions without the strength to speak. When they got down, their heads were still spinning. The air, laced with the faint fragrance of cut grass, flowed into the heart and lungs, and their spirits slowly revived.

The evening glow filled the sky, flocks of birds flew low, and a few dogs trotted down the path between the fields toward them. The manor’s steward brought men to greet them at the gate and, with warm solicitude, invited them in.

“Upon learning that the Second Young Master was coming,” the steward said, “we prepared as best we could. But the manor is simple and cannot compare to the city. I beg the honored guests’ indulgence.”

The steward’s surname was Yang. He had served here earlier as well. He had been a royal man, though now his monthly stipend came from the marquisate. Tang Mo lifted his gaze and looked around. He thought the manor very good indeed. It was neither too near nor too far from the capital, quiet, elegant, and pleasing. The buildings were well kept, and flowers were planted everywhere, blooming in lush profusion.

“These flowers are splendid,” he remarked.

Xin An thought of something, then guided the Grand Matron to stop before a clump of jasmine. She said with a smile: “These blossoms are as white as snow, and their scent is sweet. We have jasmine in the residence too, but it is not as fragrant as this.”

The Grand Matron plucked one and held it to her nose: “This jasmine is also called yuxiang. Its fragrance is the most delightful. It clears the summer’s irritation and helps one sleep.”

Her eyes moved over the paths. “Why are so many planted?”

The road leading to the manor gate was lined with such jasmine. Steward Yang stepped forward and bowed: “To answer the Grand Matron, this manor’s former master was Prince Jin. Princess Consort Jin loved yuxiang above all. The prince ordered the manor to cultivate the finest yuxiang and send it into his residence. Over time, they multiplied into the abundance you see.”

Prince Jin was the Emperor’s younger brother. Two years ago, he incensed the sovereign and was banished from the capital. The palace reclaimed the houses and businesses that had been bestowed. Otherwise this very manor would not have fallen to the marquisate. Xin An toyed with the jasmine in her hand and thought: [Going out more truly opens new paths. Here is another road to walk.]