Su Muhe stood beneath a cluster of wood hydrangeas, their blossoms as pale and pink as drifting clouds. Half of her delicate face was turned toward Li Qiao, watching him intently. Behind her stood a maid dressed in pink, whose expression soured upon seeing the youth.
"Why is Master Li in the back garden today? And were you alone just now?"
"Shangqu, do not be rude," Su Muhe chided softly, her eyes never leaving the person before her.
Li Qiao’s expression remained as calm as ever, showing not a hint of panic. He gave a respectful bow, his voice carrying a trace of subtle resignation.
"I am here accompanying the Second Young Master of the Qiu family. He has been feeling some tightness in his chest lately and feared the garden's flora might trigger his asthma, so he instructed me to follow and keep watch."
Hearing this, the maid named Shangqu couldn't help but let out a soft huff.
Who didn't know that Xu Qiuchi loved to dally with women? Most likely, he was off meeting some young lady in private and had dragged a servant along to act as a lookout, concocting such a transparent excuse to cover his tracks.
She wanted to say a few more words to warn the servant to keep a better eye on his master so they wouldn't stumble upon anything unseemly, but seeing her mistress's expression, the words died in her throat.
Su Muhe’s gaze had not wavered from the youth’s face for a single moment. Her expression was softer than ever before, and her voice was exceedingly gentle.
"Master Li mentioned the Second Young Master of the Qiu family just now. How did you two...?"
"My family is in the pharmacy business. It is an honor to serve as the Second Young Master's attending physician."
Whether it was Li Qiao’s imagination or not, the moment he finished speaking, a strange look flickered across Su Muhe’s face.
"The Second Young Master is usually closer to my elder brother. Perhaps it is because of the impending marriage alliance that he hopes to gain a share of the Su family's business. It is a pity..."
Had she brought up such private family matters in the past, he certainly would have stayed to "chat" at length. But currently, his mind was elsewhere. He merely offered a small smile.
"I am but a crude man, Miss Su. I truly do not understand such matters. My master went to the eastern garden a while ago to clear his head and sober up; I must go check on him lest something happens."
Su Muhe smiled, her voice low and possessed of a perfectly measured silkiness.
"This is the Su estate. What could possibly happen?"
Li Qiao paused for a moment, seemingly no longer in such a hurry to leave. He replied with humble compliance.
"The young lady is right. The Su family of Jiugao is the undisputed leader of the medicinal trade; they would hardly let a guest fall ill in their own garden. However..." He looked hesitant, a bitter smile touching his lips. "However, if the Second Young Master sees me admiring flowers here alone instead of searching for him, I fear..."
"So that is how it is," Su Muhe said, turning her head slightly to give a soft instruction to the maid behind her. "Shangqu, go to the front and look around. If you see the Second Young Master of the Qiu family, come and call for us."
Shangqu understood instantly. Though reluctant, she eventually gave a low murmur of assent and quietly withdrew.
In the vast bamboo grove and flower garden, only Su Muhe and Li Qiao remained.
The wind brushed through the branches, and the pinkish-white petals separated into fragments, fluttering down with a faint, intoxicating fragrance.
"These are wood hydrangeas. Their blooming season has already passed, but this one in the estate bloomed a bit late, so we can still see some flowers. What does Master Li think of them?"
As Su Muhe spoke, her eyes were not on the flowers. Instead, she gazed at the youth before her with a look that was half-bright, half-shadowed.
The woman’s lovely face was set with eyes that seemed to hold the clarity of spring water. Her dark brows slanted down gently, and the floral ornament on her forehead complemented her snowy skin and rosy cheeks. Truly, she did not pale in the slightest compared to the great clusters of blooming flowers.
Yet, faced with such a beauty and such a scene, Li Qiao merely took a quiet look before lowering his head again.
Her betrothed was just a few walls away at the banquet, yet here she was, alone in a remote courtyard with an unidentified man of lower status, speaking in such ambiguous tones.
This Second Miss of the Su family was far bolder than she appeared.
He bowed his back slightly, adopting the posture of a servant.
"I am a crude man and truly do not know how to appreciate flowers. If the young lady says they are beautiful, then they are beautiful."
The words were both humble and fawning, yet to Su Muhe’s ears, they were inexplicably jarring.
He was clearly trying to draw a line between them.
Was it because of the identity he used to attend the banquet today? Was it because they were currently in the Su estate? Or was it because...
Su Muhe couldn't help but bite her lower lip, though she quickly regained her composure.
"There are only the two of us now, Master Li. There is no need for such restraint. I have no other intentions; I simply wished to chat about trivial things and find some topics of conversation. I wonder how your elder sister and grandfather are doing? That day at the magistrate's office, I left in a bit of a hurry and was subsequently grounded by my father. I truly do not know what happened afterward. Did Magistrate Fan trouble you again?"
For a wealthy young lady to personally inquire after a common village doctor met only once—anyone hearing this would surely praise her for being "as kind as she is beautiful," and the little doctor's family would be expected to be moved to tears of gratitude.
However, the youth merely glanced at Su Muhe’s eyes before bowing again.
"I am grateful for the young lady's concern. My sister and grandfather are both well."
Another such response, so brief it left no room for further conversation.
Su Muhe felt both aggrieved and bewildered.
Was she truly so repulsive? If he was going to be this polite and distant now, why had he given her his umbrella back then?
Or was it because he had learned of her identity? It must have been that day at the magistrate's office; her father's appearance must have changed something, as well as her fiancé, whom she had rarely even seen...
But so what if she was the Second Miss of the Su family? So what if she had a marriage contract? It was not her choice, nor was it something she could choose. To treat her this way because of it—was it not too unfair?
She was unwilling to accept this. She wanted to strive to grasp something, and once she grasped it, she would never let go.
Su Muhe deliberately remained silent for a moment. Only when he looked up at her did she suddenly speak.
"What is your name? You refused to tell me last time. Surely you won't find another excuse to put me off today?"
As expected, he could not avoid her question. After a moment's hesitation, he replied respectfully.
"I would not dare. My name is Qiao. The young lady may call me by my name."
From childhood until now, aside from her elder brother and the servants who swept the courtyards, she had never called another man directly by his name.
Su Muhe opened her mouth and called out softly, "Li Qiao."
"What are the young lady's instructions?"
The broken thread of conversation fell back to Su Muhe. She truly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She should have brought up the matter of the borrowed umbrella, but she didn't want to. If she brought it up now, wouldn't that settle the debt and leave her with no further reason to talk or meet?
But perhaps she could bring it up in a different way.
"Your umbrella is still with me. However, it would likely be inconvenient for you today. After all, you are here as an attending physician; it wouldn't be good to suddenly have an extra item in your hands."
He paused, then gave another brief reply.
"Thank you for your understanding, Miss Su."
After a few exchanges, Su Muhe had actually grown somewhat accustomed to this style of dialogue. She decided that he wouldn't truly turn hostile toward her, so she resolved to keep questioning him.
"You said earlier that your family is also in the pharmacy business. I wonder which one it is? Do you have business dealings with the Su family? My father might hand over some of the family business to me next month. Perhaps we can build the business together then; it would be a rare stroke of fate."
"A village pharmacy is not worth mentioning, and we would not dare to aspire to the Su family's connections."
"In the practice of medicine and saving lives, how can there be high or low status? I thought that was precisely what made us different from other trades. Do you not think so?"
Li Qiao finally looked up at the person before him again.
The Second Miss Su’s eyes were bright, showing not a hint of hypocrisy or affectation, but also no trace of the hardships of the world.
He knew her words were sincere. But he also knew that because of this, she did not realize how fragile and brittle her self-proclaimed resolve truly was.
Li Qiao did not speak, and the light in Su Muhe’s eyes gradually dimmed.
Tonight’s reunion was so precious to her, yet to him, it seemed to be nothing more than a disorienting and strange encounter.
"Never mind. If we truly meet by chance in the medicinal trade one day, you will know that I am serious. When that time comes, do not pretend to have forgotten today's conversation."
Knowing that this rare reunion would likely end this way, Su Muhe, despite her unwillingness, had to take two steps back to preserve her dignity.
"It is getting late; I must go. If the servants delivering dinner find that I have left without permission, they will tattle to my father again."
Su Muhe gave a bow and was about to leave when Li Qiao’s gaze stopped on her the moment she turned.
"What happened to Miss Su’s hand?"
In an unseen corner, the spark that had almost died out suddenly flared up again.
Su Muhe visibly stiffened. She immediately hid her white-bandaged wrist inside her sleeve, clutching the cuff as she said softly, "I burned it while clipping candle snuffs a while ago. It has been some days now; it is no longer an issue."
Li Qiao did not speak for a moment, merely watching her quietly.
Su Muhe felt that gaze and hardly dared to look up. Thus, she did not know that there was nothing in the youth’s eyes but scrutiny.
Even when weaving a lie, people often subconsciously borrow a part of the truth. It was both a way to make a lie seem reliable and a reaction in the heat of the moment.
Had he not seen the oil lamps of the Su estate with his own eyes, he might have thought nothing was amiss with Su Muhe’s words. But just now at the banquet, he had personally disassembled one of the glass lanterns to look. The scented wax oil burned slowly; from the moment it was lit until it burned out, the wick would not produce a single candle snuff. Not to mention that a young lady of such a great household, no matter how neglected, would not be reduced to tending to a candle herself every day.
How exactly had Su Muhe’s hand been injured? And why did she lie to cover it up?
The sounds of the guests feasting in the front courtyard drifted over faintly. As the sky darkened, the Su estate grew more lively, yet at this moment, a cold wind seemed to blow through the bamboo grove, bringing a chill that seeped into the marrow.
In the main courtyard, the banquet was more than half over. The guests were mostly half-drunk, their gazes becoming unfocused, and their speech losing some of its rigidity and etiquette. They leaned closer to one another, their voices dropping lower.
Amidst this hazy atmosphere, a pair of exceptionally clear eyes was observing everything from a corner without a sound.
The gaze of the maid in purple swept across the scene, finally stopping on a splash of green in the southeast corner.
That seemed to be the woman traveling with the Second Young Master of the Qiu family. Judging by her attire, she did not look like a maid, yet her identity and origin were difficult to discern. Before her sat three empty fish-shaped wine vessels, arranged neatly. Clearly, she had already dealt with many guests, yet upon closer inspection, there wasn't a hint of drunkenness on her face. Her every movement was remarkably steady.
Xinyu stood there watching for a moment, then suddenly called out to a passing maid.
"Give me the soup you're carrying."
The maid did not dare say a word and respectfully handed over the wooden tray holding a soup tureen. Xinyu looked at the steaming tureen, took the tray, and walked briskly toward the tables.
She took the service corridor used by maids to change wine vessels. Her soft silk slippers stepped on the wooden boards without a sound. She only spoke once she was very close.
"Excuse me..."
"Is this lady looking for my Second Young Master?"
Her words were cut off as soon as they left her mouth. The woman in green spoke as she slowly stood and turned around, a smile on her vermilion lips, yet her eyes held a mystery that was impossible to fathom.
Xinyu paused, then immediately put on her smiling mask again.
"Not exactly. It's just that the Master instructed me to look after the honored guests. I saw just now that the Second Young Master seemed a bit overwhelmed by the wine, so I had the small kitchen send over some hot sobering soup, but I couldn't find him anywhere..."
Her words were very proper, but before she could finish, the other woman spoke again gently.
"In that case, please give the soup to me."
Xinyu glanced at the woman in green. After only a moment's pause, she followed the suggestion.
"Very well," she said, handing over the tureen padded with thick gauze. A wave of heat rushed toward them. "Please be careful. This soup was just served and was boiling a moment ago; it is very hot."
The round soup tureen was about the size of a persimmon, with no place to grip it except for the small knob on the lid. As she handed it over, she intentionally pulled back the padding. The tureen looked as though it would fall directly onto those soft, delicate hands.
The maid in purple remained smiling. In the next instant, the tureen landed steadily in the other woman's hand, so quiet that not a single sound was made.
"Thank you for delivering the soup. When my Second Young Master returns, I will certainly pass it to him."
The smile on Xinyu’s face faded slightly. her gaze fell on the tureen, as if she didn't recognize the "hot potato" she had been carrying all this way.
Liu Caiwu’s wrist moved slightly, and the tureen spun nimbly in her palm.
If someone were to look closely at this moment, they would discover that she was not holding the tureen with her bare palm. Instead, she had extended five fingernails, precisely "pinching" the tureen.
The contact point between the tips of her nails and the tureen was as thin as a hair, and the surface of the fine porcelain tureen was as smooth as a mirror. Yet the woman did everything with effortless grace. The strength and angle of her five fingers were controlled to near perfection; there wasn't the slightest slip or shift between her nails and the porcelain wall. It was as if she were holding not a tureen full of hot soup, but merely a persimmon that had just fallen from a branch.
Xinyu’s expression froze for a split second. She looked up at Liu Caiwu, who was also looking at her, her expression no different than before.
This woman, who looked as fragile as a willow branch, was actually a hidden master. She truly lived up to her name—at first listen, it held the warmth of a spring breeze, but upon closer inspection, it was as sharp as a blade.
Though Xinyu was surprised, she ultimately didn't seem to see anything more. After a long moment, she stared at the other woman's hand and curled her lip.
"This lady's hands are truly remarkable."
Liu Caiwu gave a shallow smile, her voice remaining gentle.
"I've spent a long time flicking an abacus every day; consider it a skill I've practiced. You're staring so intently that I'm starting to feel a bit embarrassed."
Not far away, several servants carried a mahogany folding chair onto the jade platform and began arranging layers of curtains around it. Xinyu finally stopped her pestering. After a few brief pleasantries, she departed.
Watching the purple figure blend into the crowd of guests, Liu Caiwu finally withdrew her gaze. She looked down and sniffed the soup tureen, then lifted the lid and poured every drop of its contents into a nearby empty fish vessel.
Having done this, she touched her sleeve and adjusted her posture as she sat back down at the table.
Tonight’s banquet seemed exceptionally long.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 木绣球 | Wood Hydrangea | Specifically the Chinese Snowball (Viburnum macrocephalum). |
| 商曲 | Shangqu | Name of Su Muhe's maid. |
| 喘症 | Asthma | Or a chronic respiratory condition. |
| 花钿 | Huadian | A decorative forehead ornament worn by women. |
| 樵 | Qiao | Li Qiao's given name, meaning "woodcutter." |
| 鱼盉 | Yuhe | A fish-shaped wine vessel or container. |
| 心俞 | Xinyu | Name of the maid in purple. |
| 柳裁梧 | Liu Caiwu | A character traveling with the Qiu family; her name implies "willow cutting/shaping the phoenix tree." |
| 烛花 | Candle snuff | The charred part of a wick that forms a flower-like shape. |
