Chapter 180

Chapter 180: With a backbone this firm, who would you fear?

Familiar with both Lin Yao and Madam Liao, Xin An felt at ease. After sitting down and taking a sip of tea, she asked curiously: “Does Qian Ya Garden grow only chrysanthemums?”

It was a reasonable question. Everywhere she looked were chrysanthemums. Beautiful, yes, but a bit monotonous.

Lin Yao replied: “Not only. There used to be plenty of peonies, herbaceous peonies, and roses. It has been unchanged for years, and after looking at it for so long, it felt stale. I’m changing the arrangement. In a few days a new batch of flowers and plants will be brought in.”

She added with a smile: “For now, just make do with what you see.”

At that, Xin An understood and teased: “This garden must not belong to Sister Lin, right?”

Lin Yao said frankly: “It’s a garden from my dowry.”

She explained that His Majesty the Emperor had originally bestowed it upon her father and that it later came to her: “It’s spacious and quiet, perfect for leisure, though I rarely host banquets, so most of the time it sits unused.”

Xin An laughed and told them: “I’m preparing to open a restaurant. I just checked on the renovation and saw that the peonies inside are particularly fine. The steward said they were bought from Qian Ya Garden. I got a real bargain. They’re stunning.”

She grinned: “So the bargain I took was Sister Lin’s.”

Lin Yao was momentarily taken aback, then laughed and said to Madam Liao: “This Younger Sister Xin is a lucky one. Even things like this turn into windfalls for her.”

She urged Xin An: “Hurry and tell us where the restaurant is and when it opens, so we can go support you.”

Xin An beamed as she shared the details, then added: “When it opens, I’ll certainly host a banquet. You must come.”

She said with relish: “You didn’t see it. Those peonies and roses look perfect in the restaurant. With luck like this, won’t the money start pouring in.”

Lin Yao told her: “The flowers and plants in this garden were all planted by imperial craftsmen, and they’re first-rate varieties chosen from other provinces. The steward already disposed of a batch, and the rest were divided among various households. Especially that bed of peonies, which is now in my natal family’s garden.”

Lin Yao did not think selling flowers to Xin An was a problem, and Xin An felt no embarrassment at buying what had been cleared out. Both were open-minded.

Playing along, Xin An said: “If I’d known sooner, I would have rushed in to snatch them.”

Madam Liao laughed, a flicker of envy in her eyes. She had married into the capital much earlier than Xin An, yet she was far less free. The Liao family had made her suffer.

She sighed: “If I’d known sooner, I would have grabbed a batch to take home. You don’t know it, the Liao family’s compound is all trees and almost no flowers. No wonder my mood is often foul. Without seeing lovely blossoms, how can anyone feel cheerful?”

The Liao family had many sons and had once been poor, with no money to buy flowers. After she married in, the household was never peaceful, and she never had the time.

She set her jaw: “No. When I get back I’ll have people dig up those wretched, eye-sore weeds in the yard and plant a selection of pretty flowers.”

Xin An asked: “I heard the Liao family lost one branch of the household. Sister Xu should feel much more at ease now, right?”

Unashamed, Madam Liao said what others might avoid. Those who did wrong had no shame; as the victim, why should she protect their reputation? She admitted: “It is somewhat better, but still worrying. If someone had told me before marriage that I’d be short of money, I never would have believed it. Now, ai…”

She had been stifled for too long, and perhaps the Liao family had pressed her too hard. Once her words began to flow, they wouldn’t stop. She also knew that if you never speak frankly outside, you won’t make real friends, so she held little back.

She continued: “Fine if the second branch is gone, but the third branch still has several boys, all at the age to discuss marriage. I’m not afraid you’ll laugh at me. The Liao family is an empty shell. With what will they marry wives?”

Everyone was relying on her. She had been smoldering for days. Last night she quarrelled with Liao Zhi. Or rather, she scolded him while he mostly kept quiet, and even after scolding him she still felt aggrieved.

Xin An said plainly: “Wear shoes that fit your feet. If there’s no money, then don’t marry. They still have parents. Does a sister-in-law have to do the worrying?”

She added, half teasing and half sincere: “Sister Xu, you’re too good-natured.”

[If being the household’s mistress means doing it like this, better not to be one at all.]

Lin Yao agreed with Xin An: “If you try to manage everything, you cannot possibly manage it all.”

“Because you take charge, they expect you to take charge of everything.”

She then thought of her own situation and understood why her mother had chosen Yan Shi Mao for her. Among the men proposed for her, he had the fewest advantages. He was neither the legitimate eldest son nor a man of extraordinary talent. Yet her mother had insisted he was the right one, saying she herself was not suited to managing a household. If she had to manage the Liao family, she would probably have wanted to finish them all off.

Xin An said earnestly: “Commander Liao is young and accomplished. Look around the capital: how many people his age have such power?”

“He has ability and authority, and the Liao family counts on his support. Sister Xu has the talent to manage and the means, and the Liao family counts on you for a good life. Given that, why should you be the one tiptoeing around them? That’s turning the world upside down.”

“Younger Sister Xin is right,” Lin Yao said approvingly, then told Madam Liao: “With a backbone this firm, who would you fear?”

Madam Liao paused, then smiled, lifted the pot, and poured tea for them both: “Today I have the good fortune, thanks to Younger Sister Xin, to take tea with Second Madam Yan. I’m grateful to you both for pointing out the path and opening my eyes. I offer tea in place of wine to thank you.”

They raised their cups. Lin Yao said: “I like forthright people like Madam Liao.”

As the tea slid down, Madam Liao’s expression eased. She said that today she would host them, her thanks for their advice.

Beyond wanting to see whether she could befriend Madam Liao, Lin Yao had invited Xin An and Madam Liao to chat because she also wanted to hear the gossip about Tao Yi Ran and the Liao family. Noblewomen needed a few savory tidbits to spice up a leisurely day.

Lin Yao said: “The situation at the imperial court is none of our concern. Your elder sister-in-law is the interesting one. What, is she planning to keep living with her parents?”

“Who knows?” Xin An pursed her lips: “It isn’t my place to meddle, and I don’t dare ask. From what I can tell, no one is thinking of bringing her back.”

Lin Yao snorted: “Bring her back for what. A letter of divorce could settle it.”

She laughed: “That woman never keeps quiet. The Second Prince’s Consort has been furious these past two days. People who weren’t on her guest list forced their way in, and not only that, they were adept at stirring up trouble.”

“I heard that once she left the Second Prince’s residence, she cried, and sobbed all the way back to the Tao family. She’s ridiculous.”

Xin An sighed: “What can you do. She wanted to perform on the zither and didn’t get to. I hear practicing the zither is no easy feat. If she doesn’t show it off, wouldn’t that feel like a waste?”

Now that the topic had come up, Xin An dropped the restraint and, with the look of someone holding a huge piece of gossip, told them: “There’s also trouble at the Duke of Xiang’s manor. That Third Young Master Zhu even laid hands on his wife. I don’t know if it’s only a rumor.”

Lin Yao quickly set down her cup: “It’s not a rumor. I know this one…”

After spending enough time with Lin Yao, Xin An had learned that her sources were both plentiful and accurate. She wasn’t like Madam Zhang, who was loud and showy. Lin Yao shared such things only with those she knew well and never gossiped in crowded settings.

Lin Yao told it better than Tang Mo had, and more vividly: “It wasn’t the first time. I heard that Zhu You even called out Tao Yi Ran’s name in his sleep. Huang Wei slapped him so hard his face swelled.”

Xin An’s eyes widened: “My elder sister-in-law does have a certain charm. She’s beautiful and accomplished. It’s normal for men to like her.”