Chapter 20
Meilin
As soon as Captain Bai left, Meilin strode to the koi pond, determined to discard the dagger. What was he thinking, giving her something so ominous? Before she could drop it in the water, Ailin grabbed her hand.
“If someone else finds it, there could be misunderstandings. You’re better off hiding it close to you, even if you don’t want to keep it.”
Meilin swallowed her frustration at Ailin’s warning. “Could you hold onto it for me, then? I can’t think of anywhere safer.”
Unlike the jade pendant from Master Wei that she wanted to wear close to her heart, the dagger gave her strange feelings that she wanted to keep at a distance.
Captain Bai was an intelligent man she respected as a friend, but the moment he crossed the line, she felt uncomfortable.
She couldn’t bear how condescending he was.
What gave him the right to warn her against Master Wei?
Meilin was determined to follow her heart no matter what. Not only for herself, but also for Ailin. She needed to be brave so Ailin could see that surrender and resignation were not ingredients for happiness.
That night, after finishing the last of the packing on her own, Meilin drafted a message to Enze, placing it in a box with the letter she intended to send to Master Wei.
When the letters were securely put away, she hid Enze’s umbrella at the bottom of a travel chest. She would bring all these items out again when the time was right.
There were so many merchant boats and government barges on the Grand Canal connecting Suzhou and Hangzhou that the Wōkòu activity Captain Bai warned of seemed unlikely. As far as Meilin could tell, his worries were excessive.
Meilin was optimistic about this trip. Whether due to her determined attitude or the slower pace of travel on a canal compared to a river, even the nausea that usually plagued her on water was manageable, which was a blessing, because she needed all her mental faculties to execute her plans.
First, she would ask Uncle Meng to deliver her letter to Master Wei.
She was confident he would come see her as soon as he knew she was in Hangzhou.
After that, she needed Uncle Meng to deliver her letter to Enze asking him to talk to Ailin in person.
As awkward as such a meeting might be, she was sure Ailin would be better off when it was over.
With Enze by her side, there was no way she would let Shen Lusi walk all over her the way she had been doing.
With this in mind, Meilin humored Grand-mother Jiang and Madame Pang when they wanted to chat, and she didn’t even go out of her way to avoid Shen Lusi. She could tolerate the snake because her days of tormenting Ailin were numbered.
The trip from Suzhou to Hangzhou took four days. Upon docking in the city, the ladies in the traveling party boarded carriages that transported them directly to the Jiang family’s Hangzhou estate, where they were welcomed by Madame Pang’s birth mother—a pretty, vivacious woman called Madame Cai.
Meilin was surprised when Madame Cai and Grand-mother Jiang embraced like sisters.
She could not understand how the widow got along so well with one of her husband’s former concubines, but Madame Cai was deferential to Grand-mother Jiang and warm to everyone else in a way that was less vulgar than expected for a merchant’s concubine.
Madame Cai’s house, in terms of style and opulence, was almost an exact replica of Batong Mansion, only on a slightly smaller scale.
There was a central courtyard for the main family as well as several side courtyards for guests.
Meilin was happy to learn that Madame Cai had prepared spacious rooms for her and Ailin in a quiet side courtyard with lots of sunlight and several hǎitáng trees not yet blooming.
Meilin imagined their deep pink blossoms would be beautiful by late spring.
As soon as Meilin’s travel boxes were set in her room, she opened them to retrieve her letters. She wanted to send them out as soon as possible.
As Meilin had hoped, Uncle Meng was more than willing to deliver her letters. He was expecting to go into the city every day to help with Master Pang’s tax captain duties, so taking a letter or two to old friends on the way was no problem at all.
Uncle Meng reported a successful delivery of both her letters, and Meilin patiently waited for a response. Unfortunately, the next few days brought rain, drenching her hopes for visitors as much as the rain drenched the streets.
Without news of Master Wei or Enze, the days in Hangzhou blurred together. Unable to bring all her books because she’d tried to pack lightly, Meilin had to rely on her zither for entertainment while Ailin painted in her own room.
It wasn’t until a week later that Grand-mother Jiang’s maid knocked on the door of Meilin’s room, announcing that guests had arrived and she was wanted in the receiving hall near the front of the residence. Meilin was ecstatic.
On her way through several gardens and columned corridors, Meilin saw Ailin slowly walking in the same direction.
“Are you going to see the guests too?” she asked when she caught up with her sister.
Ailin wore a faded blue ǎoqún which she often donned while painting. She must have been interrupted in her work because she didn’t seem happy. “Grand-mother Jiang’s maid told me I was to come, but she didn’t announce who was here. Do you know?”
Meilin remained upbeat. “I don’t know, but I have guesses. Both possibilities are good.”
When they entered the guest receiving hall together, Enze rose and bowed.
Meilin smiled genuinely as she ran toward him. Of all the people in Hangzhou, Enze was the person she second-most wanted to see.
“It’s so good to see you again, Enze-gēge!”
“I feel the same,” Enze replied.
A young man she didn’t recognize sat near Grand-mother Jiang and Shen Lusi.
The latter glared at Meilin through narrowed eyes.
She smirked in response. Now that Enze was here, everything would be set straight.
The fact that he responded to Meilin’s request as soon as the rain let up showed his sincerity.
Grand-mother Jiang waved from her chair. “Ailin and Meilin, come sit down so we can chat comfortably with our guests. Aren’t we lucky today to get a visit from both Master Fan Enze and Master Fan Ruoze?”
As Meilin took a seat, she assessed Fan Ruoze.
She had never met him, but she knew he was Fan Fulan and Enze’s half-brother, the only biological child of their stepmother, Madame Fan.
Fan Ruoze resembled a livelier version of Enze.
Dressed in bright silk robes more expected from the young master of a flourishing house than a declining one, he certainly made an impression.
Enze didn’t seem to mind his younger brother’s flamboyance, sitting quietly, staring at his hands while letting Fan Ruoze talk with Grand-mother Jiang.
Enze looked thinner since Meilin had last seen him, and she wondered if he had suffered in the months he’d been apart from Ailin.
His worn appearance made her doubly glad he was here now.
While Grand-mother Jiang and Fan Ruoze chatted energetically about the silk trade and other ways of making money, Meilin noticed that Enze’s eyes kept flicking toward Ailin, as if he wanted her attention but was too nervous to speak.
He hardly glanced at Shen Lusi, who was miraculously enthralled by the conversation and too busy to be jealous.
Meilin was struck by how much better off everyone would be if Shen Lusi redirected her possessiveness from Enze to his brother.
Ailin kept her eyes focused on the ground in front of her feet, but when Fan Ruoze mentioned that Enze was pausing his studies, she looked up abruptly.
Grand-mother Jiang addressed Enze directly. “I heard from Madame Duan that you are a promising young scholar. Why are you giving up now?”
Enze bowed his head. “I’m flattered that Madame Duan spoke so well of me, but I regret that my abilities do not match her expectations.”
“My brother doesn’t have as much time to study anymore since he accepted a job tutoring the young master of the Huang family,” Fan Ruoze explained. “Have you heard of the Huang family, Grand-mother Jiang?”
Grand-mother Jiang’s eyes lit up whenever there was gossip to be traded. “Is young Master Huang the famously rich fellow who took five concubines before the age of thirty?”
“That’s the very one!” Fan Ruoze replied.
Meilin groaned. She couldn’t believe that Enze was tutoring the same degenerate who once asked Junyou to match him with Ailin.
Tutoring him seemed like a waste of Enze’s talent as much as marrying him would have been a waste of Ailin’s life.
Was Enze so pressed for money that he had to pause his studies to work such a thankless job?
Grand-mother Jiang took an interest in the matter too. “I’m sure tutoring does not pay well enough to marry. Have you boys considered silk trading like your late father? If you need any help or mentorship, I would be glad to introduce you to my sons-in-law.”
“We would love an opportunity like that,” Fan Ruoze replied with alacrity. “Right, Enze?”
When Enze hesitated, Shen Lusi answered for him. “It’s a kind offer you should consider, Enze. If you accept, we may be able to marry even sooner than we thought!”
Meilin cringed, but she turned to check on Ailin before voicing her opinion.
To her surprise, Ailin was stone-faced. It looked like she wasn’t listening to the conversation at all.
Rather, she was staring into the garden, where a sad-looking wintersweet bush had lost all its blossoms after the recent rains.
As the chatter continued, Meilin considered how she could get Enze and Ailin alone. Could she pretend she had a gift for Enze from Mama that she needed his help to retrieve? It was a silly excuse, but if she could get Enze away from the others, it wouldn’t matter what kind of story she made up.
She was still thinking about the best course of action when Grand-mother Jiang gestured for her maid to help her stand up.
“Oh my!” Grand-mother Jiang said. “I prattled for so long that Ailin and Meilin have barely had a chance to speak. Enze and Ruoze, what do you think of the Duan sisters walking you to the front gate so you can chat with them before you go?”
Meilin widened her eyes. This was the chance she was looking for. Grand-mother Jiang’s nosiness was making itself useful for once!
Unfortunately, Shen Lusi jumped up too. “Miss Duan and Miss Meilin are too new here to know the way. It might be better for me to show Master Enze and Master Ruoze to the gate instead.”
Sensing her opportunity slipping away, Meilin spoke up. “We can’t trouble you so much, Miss Shen. I’m sure Ailin and I can find the way.”
“If you ladies are willing,” Fan Ruoze interjected, “perhaps we could all walk to the gate together?”
Grand-mother Jiang tapped her cane. “Splendid idea. You young people have fun.”
Meilin quickly modified her plans, realizing that Fan Ruoze’s presence created a new opportunity. She could use him to keep Shen Lusi occupied, and then easily get Enze and Ailin alone. She deftly pushed Ailin and Enze ahead and maneuvered herself between them and the other two.
Finding himself next to Shen Lusi, the talkative Fan Ruoze did what Meilin hoped he would. “If I may be so presumptuous, Miss Shen, may I ask you about your fragrance sachet business? You mentioned it in passing when we were with Grand-mother Jiang, and it sounded fascinating.”
Despite being absorbed in his rambling earlier, Shen Lusi raised her eyebrows.
Meilin seized the moment before Shen Lusi could shut down Fan Ruoze’s efforts at conversation. “It looks like you two have a lot of common interests. Why don’t you stay here and chat? Take your time!”
Shen Lusi looked like she wanted to protest, but Meilin physically pulled Ailin and Enze away. She wasn’t going to lose this opportunity no matter what.
As she moved Enze and Ailin into the courtyard beyond, she could hear Fan Ruoze talking. “I know we’ve never officially met before today, Miss Shen, but I have long heard of you and your family. Your late uncle used to tutor my maternal uncles. Even my mother spoke well of him . . .”
Meilin thanked the heavens for Fan Ruoze’s propensity for talking.
She hoped he would be able to keep Shen Lusi distracted for a long time, because Ailin really needed the chance to converse with Enze alone.
Meilin couldn’t allow her to keep holding her feelings inside while never fighting for herself.
After putting others first for so long, Ailin deserved this one chance for happiness.
Meilin led Enze and Ailin past a courtyard with a pond and into another with a rockery. The gray boulders in the shapes of small mountains provided a natural barrier from prying eyes and ears.
Meilin paused, finally allowing Enze and Ailin to do the same. “Isn’t it lovely to be by ourselves again? This brings back memories of Nuolan Garden.”
“It does.” Enze’s wistful smile reassured Meilin that she was doing the right thing. He was obviously grateful for this opportunity.
The sky suddenly darkened as a cloud moved in front of the sun. Rain seemed likely to fall again, but, this time, Meilin rejoiced. Now was the perfect time to retrieve the item she had saved for this moment.
“Would you look at those clouds? You two stay here while I get some umbrellas.”