Chapter 23
Ailin
Despite Grand-mother Jiang’s best efforts, Meilin’s outburst attracted attention.
Even separated by a boat deck, Ailin could hear the muffled sound of Meilin arguing with Grand-mother Jiang before becoming audibly ill.
The ladies who had been watching Ailin paint were now darting glances downstairs while whispering amongst themselves.
This was bad. While Ailin sympathized with her sister’s pain, she had to draw the ladies’ attention back to her.
If Miss Gao’s betrothal to Wei Luobi was true, then she couldn’t let anyone know about Meilin’s feelings for him.
Meilin had no standing in Hangzhou, and her reputation was as vulnerable as a sheet of rice paper in water.
“Your portrait is finished, Miss Gao,” Ailin announced as she stood up.
Taking careful steps, she brought the still-drying painting toward the seated lady.
Her movements drew notice. That was good.
The more eyes on her, the less on her sister.
She hoped it would provide Meilin enough space to recover her composure.
Miss Gao took the paper from Ailin and assessed the painting from top to bottom.
Ailin awaited judgment, more worried about Miss Gao’s emotional state than the quality of her painting.
She had used graceful lines to sketch out the contours of Miss Gao’s figure, an elegant arch for her nose, and delicate brushstrokes for her cherry lips.
The portrait was flawless, but who knew how the lady might respond after Meilin had raised such a commotion?
“It’s all right, I guess.” Miss Gao turned to her friends. “What do you all think?”
The compliments on the painting and Miss Gao’s beauty flowed, giving Ailin a reprieve to look at her chaperone, Madame Cai. The woman smiled and patted her gently on the back. Ailin sighed in relief at having avoided conflict. Meilin’s grief would have to be dealt with once they returned home.
On the carriage ride back to the Jiang residence, everyone sat in uneasy silence. Meilin’s eyes were rimmed red and swollen. Perhaps she was still feeling nauseous too.
When they arrived at home, Grand-mother Jiang sent her own maid to escort Meilin to her room, with careful instructions to bring the girl stomach-soothing foods and rest-promoting incense.
Ailin moved to follow, but Grand-mother Jiang pulled her aside.
“Come with me. I need to speak with you.”
Ailin obeyed, but her unease grew with each step as they headed to Grand-mother Jiang’s personal chambers. Accustomed to speaking her mind freely, the old lady would not take pains to talk to Ailin privately unless the matter was serious.
Despite Grand-mother Jiang’s wealth and how richly she liked to dress, her room was surprisingly bare. Her furnishings were minimal and decorations nonexistent except for a few paintings obviously produced by her grandchildren. She seemed very different in public and private.
The old lady sat down at a table and pointed to a chair near her. Once Ailin joined her, Grand-mother Jiang spoke.
“Now that we are alone, I must speak pointedly. What happened today was not good. Your sister’s reaction to the betrothal announcement of Miss Gao was noticed by many. Even if Miss Gao herself did not notice at the time, word will get back to her.”
Ailin bowed her head. She had warned Meilin against behaving carelessly multiple times and failed. “I’m sorry for my sister’s lack of discretion.”
“Chin up, dear. It’s not your fault that your sister is not suited for social events. She’s a perfectly fine girl otherwise. And if I had been in her shoes today, I would have been just as upset, perhaps more so.”
Ailin looked up as Grand-mother Jiang poured herself a cup of tea from a pot on the table.
The old lady sipped, then frowned as if the drink was over-steeped.
She set the cup down. “While your sister emptied her guts over the back of the boat, I listened to the gossip from the other ladies. I already knew that Wei Luobi left Suzhou because his inheritance was threatened, but, today, I learned that he became betrothed to Magistrate Gao’s daughter as soon as he returned to Hangzhou.
They met through mutual acquaintances at the theater and are set to be married next month. ”
“So soon?” Ailin could not hold back her surprise. Although she had warned Meilin against being too open with her affections, she had perceived Wei Luobi’s interest in her sister as genuine, even if not committed.
“He’s marrying Miss Gao so Old Master Su can’t cut him out as an heir,” Grand-mother Jiang explained. “If they marry, then he’ll not only get a fat dowry from Magistrate Gao but also more influence in court if he wants to fight his uncle over the inheritance.”
Ailin clenched her fists. She had never particularly trusted Wei Luobi, but he had at least seemed gentlemanly.
His behavior now was deplorable in all senses.
Meilin had given him her heart, and he played with it like a cheap toy before discarding it for money and power.
There was no excuse for his actions except for greed.
Grand-mother Jiang took another sip of tea and sighed.
“I’m not telling you these things because I want to gossip, Ailin.
It’s because I want you to be prepared. You look delicate, but you’re a strong girl.
Your sister, on the other hand, looks bold on the outside, but her heart is made of crystal.
Someone who loves passionately also hurts deeply when disappointed.
She’s going to need your help over the next few weeks. Stay strong and don’t give up on her.”
“I promise I will do my best, ma’am, and I apologize for the trouble we are causing.”
Grand-mother Jiang shrugged. “She’s young, so perhaps trouble is to be expected. All we can do is learn and move forward.”
“Thank you for your patience.”
Ailin took a deep breath. Having recently experienced heartbreak herself, she knew how difficult the news of Wei Luobi’s marriage must be for Meilin.
Unlike Ailin, Meilin hadn’t yet had time to sift through her feelings.
On top of that, Meilin’s dramatic reaction had brought the threat of social repercussion from Miss Gao.
The coming weeks were going to be a storm.
A whole week passed, but Meilin’s mood only grew worse, not better.
For seven days, she didn’t touch her zither.
It was as if her soul had died and she was in mourning.
As soon as Meilin’s arms had grown long enough to reach the different parts of the instrument, she had never stayed away from the zither for more than a day at a time.
She played when she was happy, and she played when she was sad.
When their father passed away, she played his favorite song for days, as if repeating “The Fisherman and the Woodcutter” enough times could bring him back from the dead.
Meilin’s silent zither strings were unnerving.
Ailin’s efforts to comfort her sister—checking on her every morning, talking to her about happy topics, and making her walk in the garden for physical exercise—were all useless. Nothing roused Meilin from her despondency.
It was only through Ailin’s daily cajoling that she even came to the dinner table with the rest of the family. Even when she was there, she ate little besides rice and vegetables. After a week, other family members were clearly worried as well.
One night, Uncle Meng pushed a plate of sweet-and-sour fish toward Meilin. “Why don’t you try some of this delicious fish? Your mother and I never had delicacies like this to eat when we were young. The carp was freshly caught from West Lake today.”
At the mention of West Lake, Meilin’s lips trembled, and her eyes began watering.
Flustered, Uncle Meng pulled his hand back from the plate as if it was cursed.
Ailin felt bad and snagged a boneless piece of fish, placing it in Meilin’s bowl herself. “Please try some,” she pleaded.
“Come, come, Meilin,” Madame Pang said sympathetically from across the table. “You’re probably not the first girl to lose her heart to the wrong man, and you won’t be the last. Cheer up and have some fish.”
Tears fell from Meilin’s eyes. Without asking to be excused, she stood up and ran from the dining room. In the past, Ailin would have considered this the epitome of rudeness, but this had become Meilin’s new normal.
Ailin apologized on her sister’s behalf and rose to follow her.
“Please sit,” Grand-mother Jiang said, making Ailin freeze in her tracks. “My maid will check on Meilin. We need you here to discuss a recent matter.”
The atmosphere in the room shifted. The air, once heavy with tension, was now cold and sharp, like a northern army commander’s tent in winter. Terrible news seemed on its way.
“Jiehan and Tai told me that Magistrate Gao’s yámen runners came to them this afternoon, demanding an early shipment of taxes or they would arrest our workers. They’re coming after us personally.”
“What does that mean?” Ailin’s stomach tightened as she looked from Grand-mother Jiang to her kind Uncle Meng. He was usually energetic for a middle-aged man, but today he looked old.
Madame Cai answered. “The magistrate is sending his men to threaten us because he thinks we embarrassed his daughter at the poetry club gathering. He never liked our family before, but his extortion is outrageous this time.”
This was Ailin’s worst nightmare. Not only was Meilin suffering, but their whole family was being targeted.
This was far worse than the nasty looks and whispers Ailin had been expecting.
Grand-mother Jiang might be rich, but her family consisted of merchants, not people who could counter the threats of government officials.
Ailin had been careful to observe etiquette her whole life precisely to avoid offending powerful people.
She suspected this was why Father avoided politics as well.
“What can we do?” she asked even though the matter felt hopeless.