Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Manor of Silken Fragrance (III)
Tao Ming took the two little ones by the hand and stepped out the door. Two young maids approached and said, “Cousin, why don’t you let us take the little miss?”
Tao Ming smiled, “That won’t be necessary, thank you.”
Ha, she thought, I’ve raised Ruanruan myself, and you girls haven’t even had children—what do you know about looking after them?
With that, Tao Ming picked up one child in each arm and followed behind Spring Grass toward the flower hall.
As they neared the hall, Tao Ming felt as if she’d entered a bustling marketplace, the noise making her head ache.
She whispered to Spring Grass beside her, “Are there really this many people in the household?”
Spring Grass replied, “There are still more than twenty young masters and misses not at home: some are in seclusion, some at the academy, and others are handling clan affairs at the Silk Garden.”
“How many cousins do I have, then?” Tao Ming’s curiosity was piqued.
Spring Grass thought for a moment before replying, “There are sixty-five young masters, eighteen young ladies-in-law, forty-two young misses, and twenty-seven young misses have already married out.”
Tao Ming felt her mind freeze for a moment before she managed, “That’s a lot of people.”
Spring Grass laughed, “The matriarch is wonderful at taking care of the younger generation—our young masters and misses are all exceptional.”
Tao Ming was left speechless.
At the entrance to the flower hall, Spring Grass saw the chaos and announced loudly, “The cousin has arrived!”
The crowd instantly fell silent; nearly a hundred pairs of eyes turned to Tao Ming.
Spring Grass led her around, introducing each person in turn, but Tao Ming barely registered a word—it was all in one ear and out the other.
Ruanruan, on the other hand, ended up with several boxes of longevity locks.
When the crowd finally dispersed, Spring Grass led Tao Ming to the Brocade Courtyard, with Summer Lotus and Winter Snow following behind.
Although the Brocade Courtyard was said to be next to the Embroidered Silks Courtyard, it still took a few minutes to walk there—about a hundred to two hundred meters, Tao Ming guessed.
Upon arrival, Spring Grass said, “Cousin, the matriarch has sent Summer Lotus and Winter Snow to serve you. I’ll go report back now.”
With a bow, she and Autumn Leaf left together.
Tao Ming looked around the courtyard. There were many buildings, all constructed of brick, tile, and wood, with a prominent row of six doors at the center.
A few young maids were sweeping and cleaning windows in the courtyard.
Tao Ming looked at the two pretty maids before her and asked the round-faced girl in pink, “Are you Summer Lotus?”
The round-faced maid replied, “Yes, I am Summer Lotus.”
The maid in white, with an oval face, said, “I am Winter Snow.”
Tao Ming nodded, “I won’t be staying more than a couple of days—maybe not even past tomorrow. Just keep things simple.”
Summer Lotus went to the central door, lifted the curtain, and said, “Cousin, the room is ready. Would you like to rest for a while?”
Tao Ming entered with the two little ones. The first thing she saw was a six-panel screen, its blood-red silk embroidered with blossoms.
Beyond the screen, a set of tables and chairs stood against the far wall. Each side wall had a door, with more tables and chairs along the walls. The room was about forty or fifty square meters—clearly a receiving room.
Summer Lotus opened the door on the left. “Cousin, this is the Twelfth Young Lady’s bedroom.”
Tao Ming followed her in.
The bedroom was about thirty square meters. A bed stood against the wall farthest from the door—not so much a bed as an enclosed space, with beams supporting canopies at each corner and hangings all around, the bedding all a deep, oppressive red.
Beside the bed was a dressing table with a mirror. Curious, Tao Ming approached and found it was not bronze, but some kind of polished mineral, reflecting her image clearly.
On another wall, a small door stood beside a row of cabinets, and a window covered with gauzy fabric let in plenty of light, with a table and chairs beneath it.
Tao Ming took off the children’s shoes and let them play on the bed.
Ruanruan bounced and said, “Mama, there’s no bounce to this at all!”
No surprise there! It wasn’t a spring mattress—at most a few layers of bedding.
Nuonuo, on the other hand, quietly kept to herself.
Tao Ming instructed, “You two play for a bit. If you get sleepy, just nap. Mama has things to do.”
Ruanruan pouted, “Then get my toys out.”
So Tao Ming took out a set of kitchen toys, and the two little girls began playing house.
Summer Lotus and Winter Snow looked at the toys in fascination but stood silently aside.
Tao Ming thought for a moment, then took out the wedding rings she’d strung on a cord before and put one around Ruanruan’s neck, tucking it into her clothes.
Ruanruan wriggled her neck in protest. “Mama, this is so heavy!”
Nuonuo whispered, “Mama, you’re the weakest. You should wear it. And besides, we have the ten-thousand-year stone spirit amulet for protection—it’ll hold out for a while.”
Tao Ming, feeling a pang in her heart, took the ring back and wore it herself.
Seeing the girls happily playing, Tao Ming sat by the window and called Summer Lotus and Winter Snow over. She recalled that what Tao Banxia had told her before didn’t quite match the customs here—after so many years, things must have changed, so it was best to ask again.
“How many meals do we have a day here?” After all, a day here lasted thirty hours—sixty by her reckoning—it would take time to adjust.
Summer Lotus replied, “Cousin, meals are served every three hours. Breakfast comes at nine, lunch at noon and three, and at six in the afternoon, all idle masters in the house dine with the matriarch at Listening Waves Pavilion, east of the Embroidered Silks Courtyard. Late-night snacks are served at nine, midnight, and three. The rest of the time is for sleeping or cultivating.”
Tao Ming felt a headache coming on—she’d need to get used to this new way of telling time.
“So which meal comes next?” She really wanted to know what time it was now.
Summer Lotus replied, “We’ve just finished the third meal. In about an hour, it’ll be time for the fourth.”
Tao Ming calculated—they must be at about seventeen in the afternoon. “So the next meal will be at Listening Waves Pavilion?”
“Yes,” Summer Lotus said.
Tao Ming was already hungry—after all this commotion, she hadn’t even had a drink of water. “What if I’m hungry or thirsty now?”
Summer Lotus quickly replied, “Cousin, the Brocade Courtyard hasn’t been lived in for a while, so all the utensils were put in storage. They should be delivered any moment now.”
Winter Snow added, “Cousin, I’ll go hurry them along.” She turned to leave.
Tao Ming stopped her. “Never mind. I’ll only be here half a day, anyway.”
She continued, “I’m not used to being waited on. Send all the servants in the courtyard away, and you two can go rest as well. Just come get me at mealtime.”
Summer Lotus said, “Cousin, the matriarch specifically ordered us to look after you well.”
“It’s fine. Do as I say—I’ll explain to the matriarch,” Tao Ming replied.
Summer Lotus and Winter Snow bowed and left.
Once outside, Summer Lotus muttered, “Autumn Leaf came to tidy up the Brocade Courtyard earlier—why didn’t she bring the tea set?”
Winter Snow glanced around to make sure no one was listening and whispered, “It’s not just the tea set—there’s nothing in the kitchen, no pots, pans, or dishes. I doubt there’s bedding in the cabinets, either. I bet Grandma Liu from the storeroom is playing some trick. Let’s go check.”
Winter Snow called the young maids together. “Clean up, then go rest. We’ll call if needed.”
The maids acknowledged her and dispersed to their tasks.
Once they left, Tao Ming took off her shoes and climbed onto the bed. She asked the two little girls, “Are you thirsty? Hungry?”
Ruanruan, seeing no strangers around, said, “I’ve been hungry for ages.”
Nuonuo said, “I’m fine.”
Tao Ming took bread and bottled water from the Star Shifting Pouch and gave it to them. “Have a snack—dinner’s soon.”
Ruanruan pouted, “I want yogurt.”
Tao Ming took out yogurt for her as well.
Watching the two girls each eat two pieces of bread and drink a box of yogurt, Tao Ming ate some herself.
When they finished, she packed up all the wrappers back into the pouch and played house with the girls—they had nothing better to do, after all.
Meanwhile, Summer Lotus and Winter Snow reached the backyard storeroom, where they saw Autumn Leaf fuming, “Grandma Liu, you still haven’t found it after all this time? Don’t tell me you snuck it out to exchange for crystal coins!”