Chapter 052

Chapter 52: First Time in Two Lifetimes

The stomachache hit Tang Mo at midnight; he almost died on the chamber pot. There was no physician on the estate, and the nearest barefoot doctor was ten li away. Xin An wiped his sweat, fed him sugar water, and pressed acupoints; only after half the night did the cramps finally stop.

He groaned, complaining: “I didn’t even eat that much, so how did I end up like this?”

Xin An let go of his hand and scolded him, saying: “Think about what you usually put in your mouth. That wild game was charred pitch black, and you took a bite of meat and a bite of melon. I told you a weak constitution cannot handle tonics, yet you still brag you are as strong as a tiger.”

Tang Mo opened his eyes weakly and pleaded: “My dear grandaunt, can you stop saying ‘too weak to take tonics’? It is the middle of the night, be a little cautious. If Black and White Impermanence drags me away, won’t you become a widow?”

She coolly replied: “Then you would be so pitiful.”

Xin An rose to pour herself some water, then turned and climbed back into bed, reminding him: “Remember not to stuff everything into your mouth. Good thing you didn’t eat those gaudy mushrooms. You should thank me; I just saved your little life.” She yawned and said: “Sleep.”

After tossing about half the night, both were exhausted. Even the weakened Tang Mo could not hold on. They soon fell asleep. By daybreak, Grand Matron and Madam Wang learned that Tang Mo had been running to the chamber pot half the night and broke into a cold sweat. Chun Yang reported matter-of-factly: “The son-in-law is already fine. The young madam knows a few acupoints that stop diarrhea. They worked rather well. It is just that they slept very late last night, so they have not yet gotten up.”

Madam Wang pressed her palms together and chanted softly: “Amitabha,” then ordered the kitchen to prepare a light breakfast. Still uneasy, she stayed close and kept the Grand Matron with her.

Grand Matron brushed it off, saying: “I did not eat anything wrong. Besides, did you not arrange for a doctor to come? What is there to be afraid of?”

After arriving at the estate these past few days, Grand Matron’s tone and bearing had changed; she was increasingly casual, doing whatever she pleased. Yet her spirits were much improved. Madam Wang, for her part, could only endure it; this Ancestor was not someone she could afford to offend.

The two in the inner room slept until the sun was high. Tang Mo woke first. Opening his eyes, he saw Xin An still sleeping soundly. He had meant to get up for some warm water, but instead found himself gazing at her face. After admiring her for quite a while, he murmured: “When you are not needling me, you are actually rather endearing.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he clapped a hand over his lips. How had he said his thoughts out loud?

He scrambled out of bed in a hurry, shoes half on, and because his legs were still weak he pitched forward. He managed not to let a sound escape his mouth, but the thud on the floor startled Xin An awake. Seeing him struggling to get up in such a sorry state, she rushed to help and asked: “What happened?”

She reached out and felt his forehead, saying: “You’re fine.”

Tang Mo forced himself to seem calm and explained: “My legs went weak and I fell. It’s nothing.”

Xin An exhaled in relief; that scare had driven away whatever drowsiness she had left. As Tang Mo lowered his head to straighten his clothing, he noticed that she had no shoes on. Her pale feet stood out against the bluestone floor. He drew her to sit on the bed’s edge, pulled over a handkerchief, squatted, took hold of her ankle, and wiped the dust from her soles.

If he had kept up a bit of chatter, it would have been easier; but he did not say a word the whole time. Xin An wanted to speak and did not know what to say. Lowering her head slightly, she could clearly see Tang Mo’s face. A handsome young man earnestly wiping her feet like this—at such a moment, she could not help letting her mind wander.

Such treatment, first time in two lifetimes. She blurted, half dazed: “I really am getting older; I find myself liking younger men more and more.”

Tang Mo slowly lifted his head. Xin An froze, both embarrassed and at a loss, then asked: “Did I… just say that out loud?”

He answered: “You did.”

Still holding her other foot, Tang Mo suddenly pictured himself fallen on hard times, serving a rich old lady; the rich old lady was perfectly satisfied with his service. Xin An slowly covered her face and insisted: “I didn’t say anything.”

Tang Mo’s gaze drifted down to her feet again. At that moment Chun Yang pushed the door open. She looked up and saw a bizarre scene. One of her feet was inside the room, the other still over the threshold. Entering or retreating both seemed wrong, so she stood there, one foot in and one foot out, completely unsure what to do.

Afterward, the two behaved terribly politely. When they finished tidying up and went to leave the room, they reached the doorway at the same time. Tang Mo halted and said: “You first.”

She replied: “You first.”

He persisted: “You go out first.”

She shook her head and insisted: “No, you go out first.”

Chun Yang watched with keen curiosity, dying to know what on earth had happened. Seeing them hem and haw for quite a while, she stepped forward, opened the other half of the door wide, and announced: “Second Young Master and Young Madam may go out together.”

They smiled awkwardly and went out. At the table they ate absentmindedly, heads down over their bowls of rice porridge. If Madam Wang had not warmly picked dishes for them, they might not have lifted their chopsticks at all.

Madam Wang asked curiously: “What is going on?”

They answered in unison: “Nothing.” Looking up, they met each other’s eyes, then moved their gazes away in a hurry.

[Xin An: A handsome boy wiping her feet is truly seductive. She had already imagined him kneading her shoulders and pounding her legs. The thought is too dangerous, and she can no longer look Tang Mo straight in the eye.]

[Tang Mo: Serving a rich old lady would be frightening, but attending to a beauty is genuinely enthralling. The more he looks at Xin An, the lovelier she seems. If it were to happen… he would not refuse.]

Madam Wang’s eyes flicked back and forth between the two of them, and she asked: “Did you quarrel?”

They answered together: “No.”

Tang Mo rose and said: “I still have things to do. I am going out for a walk.” At the doorway he turned back, looked at Xin An, and invited: “Come with me?”

She startled, then nodded quickly: “Ah? Oh.”

Grateful to be spared her mother-in-law’s questioning, Xin An hurried after him. Once outside, she took three long breaths until her head cleared. All at once she felt that the earlier awkwardness was unnecessary. She despised her own lack of nerve. [I am not a young girl; how did I almost get flustered by a lad?] She asked briskly: “What are we doing today?”

Tang Mo, too, had recovered his calm. Food settled in him, his legs felt steady again. He also felt the earlier awkwardness had been unnecessary. She was his wife, after all. Though they had not bowed together in the wedding hall, she had entered his bridal chamber; she was the wife he had openly acknowledged. [I nearly let a slip of a woman get the upper hand. That should not be.]

He decided: “Let us find Steward Yang to ask a few questions.” He had much to do next and would need a quick-witted runner. He was still thinking about Er Shan.

Steward Yang arrived promptly. After a few words of concern for Tang Mo, he reported on Er Shan’s family: “They have many children, so it is inevitable some go neglected. The boy is headstrong and is always chafing at the family’s favoritism. He keeps going against them and always ends up taking a beating for being ‘worrying.’ As for his cousin Xia’er, she is truly a pitiable girl. She is not outstanding in looks, but she works hard and is never lazy. Unfortunately, after having three daughters, her parents finally had a son. Of course they dote on him like a treasure. The two older girls have already married out. This Xia’er they originally planned to sell off in secret, but Er Shan reported it to me. People on the estate have signed indenture contracts. Prince Jin, being benevolent, allows them to choose their own marriages, but buying and selling is forbidden, so the girl was brought back by the estate people. Once she returned, life became worse. A thirteen-year-old girl, skin and bones, fresh wounds layered on old. I went and talked to them. They agreed in front of me, then went back and beat her again.”