Zhou Wen also shared his ambitions with her, promising to treat her well in the future.
From her conversations with Zhou Wen, Ren Yaoying learned that although Zhou's father was merely a minor clerk in the Yanbei Prince's Mansion and their ancestors had never held high office, the Zhou family had been loyal retainers of the Prince's Mansion since Zhou Wen's great-grandfather's time, earning considerable trust. The Zhou family was considered senior within the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. Zhou Wen, being clever and talented, stood out among the younger generation. As long as he could pass the provincial examination, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion would surely value him highly. Provided he avoided major mistakes, his future prospects were undoubtedly bright.
Ren Yaoying was only a teenage girl. It was impossible for her not to be moved by Zhou Wen's deep affection, especially since he was handsome, well-spoken, and witty. At that time, faced with Zhou Wen's heartfelt confessions, Ren Yaoying wavered. She carefully considered the possibility of marrying him.
Zhou Wen was quite confident about marrying Ren Yaoying. Mrs. Zhou had a close relationship with Ren Yaoying's aunt and took great care of her. Zhou Wen adored her, and Zhou Rong, being simple-minded, obeyed her every word. If Zhou Wen could indeed achieve scholarly honors at a young age, coupled with the Zhou family's seniority in the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, his future would be promising.
Thinking this way, Ren Yaoying felt that marrying Zhou Wen might not be a bad choice.
However, when Ren Yaoying returned to the Ren Family with a joyful heart, she overheard the gossip of several old women who had gathered to avoid the rain while snacking on melon seeds. They were chatting about several prominent families in Yanbei, particularly the Lei Family and its head, Lei Ting. By now, everyone in the Ren Family knew that Third Miss was to marry into the Lei Family as the mistress of the household. Therefore, when recalling the Lei Family's past glory, they all felt a sense of shared pride, as if the Lei Family's prestige was the Ren Family's own, acting with great familiarity.
Listening, Ren Yaoying suddenly halted her steps. She stood silently under the covered corridor for a long time, motionless and dazed. After returning to her own courtyard, when Ren Yaoying recalled Zhou Wen's earlier words to her, her joy and self-satisfaction gradually faded away.
The autumn rain seemed to have been meant for this autumn examination. By the time Third Master Ren returned from his invigilation duties, the sky had cleared again, and it even became abruptly hot once more.
Perhaps due to the unusually erratic weather lately, Third Master Ren fell ill on the very day he returned. His illness wasn't severe, just some coughing and a stuffy nose. Third Master Ren disliked taking medicine, so Madam Li could only instruct the kitchen to prepare steamed pear with fritillaria for him. Even this, Third Master Ren was reluctant to eat. Each time, Ren Yaoqi had to personally deliver it to him and watch him finish it before she would leave.
Holding his breath, Third Master Ren gulped down a bowl of steamed pear with fritillaria in one go. His face, scrunched up like a claw, made Ren Yaoqi struggle to suppress her laughter. After he finished, she quickly speared a piece of candied fruit with a pick and offered it to him.
Third Master Ren glanced at it and said disdainfully, "I won't eat it! Bring me tea to rinse my mouth!"
Ren Yaoqi then instructed a maid to bring the tea, while she ate the candied fruit herself.After rinsing his mouth, Third Master Ren said, "I'll go to the academy tomorrow." Due to his illness, Third Master Ren had stayed home for two consecutive days. But as soon as he finished speaking, he sneezed loudly, nearly dropping the teacup in his hand. His nose began to run, and he hastily set the bowl on the table, pulling out a handkerchief to cover his nose, looking quite disheveled.
Ren Yaoqi said, "Does Father want his students to see him in such a state?"
Imagining himself sneezing and having a runny nose in front of his students, Third Master Ren immediately fell silent.
After a pause, he said, "Quite a few people fell ill this time. During the autumn examinations, someone fainted in the examination hall and had to leave midway." At this, Third Master Ren shook his head regretfully.
Though he did not care much for fame and fortune himself, as a teacher, he understood how hard his students had worked in their studies.
Ren Yaoqi comforted him, "There will still be opportunities to take the exam next time."
Ren Shimin shook his head. "Brother Nanming finds it a great pity—that was his most promising student."
The "Nanming" Third Master Ren referred to was the courtesy name of Mr. Liu Xia from Yunyang Academy. Liu Xia was around the same age as Ren Shimin, and their similar temperaments had made them friends. Lady Liu and Madam Li also got along quite well.
Ren Yaoqi smiled. "Mr. Liu values talent—he has quite a few promising disciples."
Ren Shimin glared at Ren Yaoqi. "This one was his most favored. He even mentioned having him study painting under me. But now, seeing how frail this Young Master Zhou is, I fear he wouldn’t be able to endure hardship. Better to forget it." When Third Master Ren called someone frail, he clearly forgot that he himself was still ill.
Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow. "Zhou?"
Ren Shimin nodded. "I’ve heard Brother Nanming mention him a few times before. I believe his name is Zhou Wen. He fainted after sitting in the examination hall for half a day. If he wants to take the exam again, he’ll have to wait three years."
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback. Zhou Wen?
Recalling how Zhou Wen had rushed through the rain to White Crane Town to meet Ren Yaoying the day before the exam, Ren Yaoqi felt both amused and exasperated, unsure of what to say.
Ren Yaoying also learned about Zhou Wen fainting in the examination hall and being carried out. Zhou Rong had written to her.
In the letter, Zhou Rong said that Zhou Wen had been ill for three days. Although his fever had finally subsided, he was left dispirited by the blow. Zhou’s parents were so worried their hair had turned white, but they dared not mention the autumn examinations for fear of upsetting Zhou Wen further. The Zhou household had been shrouded in gloom these past few days.
Knowing her brother’s feelings, Zhou Rong wrote to Ren Yaoying, asking if she could find a way to visit their home. Even if she couldn’t meet Zhou Wen directly, just letting him know she had come might help him recover immediately.
Ren Yaoying wrote back to Zhou Rong, making excuses. She said that after her last outing, her grandmother had confined her to the house, so she truly couldn’t leave.
Zhou Rong promptly replied again. Zhou Wen had always sailed smoothly through life and had never faced such a major setback, leaving him deeply discouraged. The Zhou family was extremely worried. Zhou Rong’s suggestion was that if Ren Yaoying couldn’t visit the Zhou household, perhaps she could write a letter to Zhou Wen to comfort him.
After reading the letter, Ren Yaoying casually lit it with a fire starter and burned it. She did not reply to Zhou Rong again and threw the jade pendant Zhou Wen had given her into the bottom drawer of her dressing table.The year quickly turned to September. Yanbei had always turned cold early, and after the Double Ninth Festival, the weather would grow colder day by day. Thus, the Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month was a lively holiday in Yunyang City. Once the festivities passed, people preferred to stay indoors, reluctant to venture outside.
Every year at this time, the streets and alleys of Yunyang City were filled with flower farmers pushing wheelbarrows selling potted chrysanthemums, and young wives and elderly women carrying baskets to sell cornel sachets door-to-door. Wineries, teahouses, and restaurants of all sizes began selling chrysanthemum wine, five-colored chrysanthemum cakes, and various dishes seasoned with chrysanthemums to mark the occasion. From noble families to humble farming households, everyone enjoyed gathering friends and companions to climb heights and enjoy the outdoors.
This year, Lady Xu discussed with the wives of Yunyang Academy the idea of hosting a larger mountain-climbing festival in the southern outskirts of the city. Madam Li was also frequently called over by Lady Xu to participate in the discussions.
On this day, Madam Li went to Lady Xu’s place, while Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua stayed at home with several senior maids to select ingredients for brewing chrysanthemum wine.
In recent days, they had received many gifts of chrysanthemum wine and five-colored chrysanthemum cakes from other families. It was a custom in Yanbei for households to exchange food gifts two days before the Double Ninth Festival. However, when it came to reciprocating, Madam Li found herself in a dilemma. While five-colored chrysanthemum cakes could be made on the spot, chrysanthemum wine needed to be brewed on the Double Ninth Festival of the previous year. The Ren Family had not prepared any the previous year, so they had no choice but to buy a few jars of chrysanthemum wine from a winery, decant them into bottles, and use them as return gifts.
Gifting wine symbolized the hope for a "long-lasting" relationship between the two families. Feeling that their sincerity was insufficient, Madam Li instructed Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua to take the maids and brew a few jars of chrysanthemum wine to be used as gifts for the following year’s Double Ninth Festival.
Ren Yaoqi was personally selecting ingredients such as rehmannia root, angelica, and wolfberries for brewing wine with several senior maids when Xier ran in with a beaming face to report, "Third Miss, Fifth Miss, the Lei Family has sent wine. Since Madam and Nanny Zhou are not home, how should we reciprocate?" As she spoke, she glanced playfully at Ren Yaohua.
Ren Yaoqi also looked at Ren Yaohua and said with a smile, "Since our family didn’t brew any wine last year, we’ll have to return with some bought from a winery."
Ren Yaohua frowned slightly, then set down the small copper scale in her hand and stood up. "I’ll go take a look," she said, only to meet her younger sister’s teasing gaze.
Ren Yaohua shot Ren Yaoqi a glare before turning and walking out.
Before following her out, Xiangqin winked and grinned at Ren Yaoqi, her comical expression making Ren Yaoqi feel almost pained to watch. She could only suppress her laughter.
With Madam Li not at home, Ren Yaohua personally handled the social exchange with the Lei Family. Ren Yaoqi did not follow to observe, letting her sister handle it. In recent days, she had come to understand that Ren Yaohua harbored no resistance to this marriage arrangement. Since Ren Yaohua herself was satisfied, Ren Yaoqi had nothing more to say.
After a long while, Xier secretly returned to report to Ren Yaoqi that Ren Yaohua had gone to the kitchen and personally supervised the steaming of two trays of chrysanthemum cakes. She had even specifically instructed the kitchen to make an extra tray of chrysanthemum cakes shaped like little rabbits for Lei Pan’er.
Gifts for the Double Ninth Festival were never extravagant; what mattered was the sincerity behind them. Since the Ren Family had no chrysanthemum wine, Ren Yaohua could only put extra effort into conveying their heartfelt intentions.Ren Yaoqi listened with a smile but said nothing, then sternly instructed the bold maids not to mention this matter in front of Ren Yaohua. She feared Ren Yaohua might become embarrassed and angry, taking her frustration out on her.
Amid the laughter, someone outside reported that the Yanbei Prince's Mansion had also sent wine and pastries.
Ren Yaoqi had sent some wine and snacks to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion earlier as a courtesy, but she hadn’t expected them to send gifts in return.
Along with the wine and pastries came a letter from Xiao Jinglin.
Ren Yaoqi took the letter and went into the study to open it. After just a couple of glances, she froze.
Xiao Jinglin wrote about matters in Ningxia.
Some things have happened these past few days, and the author is in a very low mood, unable to recover for the moment. As these are personal matters, it’s difficult to explain, and I’m not sure how to explain them. Apart from apologizing, I really don’t know what else to say.
Thank you all very much for your concern, support, and understanding. The author is sorry to you all and to the two editors, for letting you down.
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