Chapter 9: Clan School (Part 2)

Translator: Tygris
English proofreader: 247Reader

Sixth niangzi smiled and asked Seventh niangzi, “Seventh Younger Sister, your new clothes are so pretty. I hear from others that these were made by Xianxiufang?”

Seventh niangzi could only nod in response. “Mother said that these past years I have always been in the Northwest, and have never gotten clothes from Xianxiufang.” She could only pull out her past in the Northwest as a pretext and excuse.

Sixth niangzi’s eyes revealed pure longing and appreciation. “Very pretty.”

Her tone carried only admiration, with no jealousy.

Seventh niangzi curled the corners of her lips up, feeling that Sixth niangzi was very adorable.

“Your clothes are also very pretty,” she complimented.

Sixth niangzi was wearing a pale purple dress decorated with ever-blooming flowers, and on top a vivid yellow padded jacket made of glossy satin. This color pairing was very bold; Seventh niangzi was secretly impressed. Her hair was in two long braids. Overall, she looked as if she were a butterfly flower in flight: charming, lively, and pure.

Sixth niangzi giggled. “This morning I woke late… Dongzhi was very anxious and grabbed two random articles of clothing for me to wear. Does it look good?”

Seventh niangzi remembered a story from long ago. It turns out that when a person is pretty, they will still be pretty no matter what they wear. She gave a slight smile, “Very beautiful.”

Her tone was very sincere. Sixth niangzi also smiled happily, pulling Seventh niangzi to leave the small courtyard with her. Third niangzi and Fourth niangzi were walking distantly ahead of them. Fifth niangzi remained in the courtyard, practicing calligraphy.

“I have long wanted to find you to play.” Sixth niangzi’s voice was full of happiness. “Sigh, there are so many people at home, but there is not a single one willing to jump rope or play on the swings with me.”

Seventh niangzi smiled, “Now that I am at the main courtyard, it is much easier for me to move about.”

Sixth niangzi sighed, looking like a miniature adult. “There is such a long distance between Xiaoxianguan and the main courtyard.” Though the hint of envy in her tone was not obvious, it was undeniable.

Seventh niangzi smiled slightly, not revealing the slightest trace of bitterness.

No matter how far Xiaoxiangxue was, it was still Seventh yiniang’s domain. There, Sixth niangzi could blithely eat her fill and blithely sleep as she willed. All she needed to do every day was to pay her respects to Eldest Madam, and nothing else.

She would much rather live in Xiaoxiangxue than reside carefully and cautiously in the main courtyard, not even daring to say a single extraneous word.

Sixth niangzi looked at Seventh niangzi, then turned her head back and smiled and greeted Fifth niangzi. “Fifth Elder Sister, walk quicker so that we can walk together.”

Fifth niangzi, who sported a sullen face, did not respond to Sixth niangzi.

“Fifth Elder Sister’s temperament has always been strange like this.” Sixth niangzi whispered to Seventh niangzi. “Before, when Eldest Sister was here, everyone listened to Eldest Sister, and there were no issues. Now, Eldest Sister has been married out for only a few months… and she has already made trouble.”

She referenced Fifth niangzi’s cutting up of clothing in a very natural manner, with no sense of either mockery or smugness. It was as though she were talking about a common occurrence.

Seventh niangzi’s sense of awkwardness also decreased somewhat. Pressing her lips together, she said, “Fifth Elder Sister has a fiery temperament.”

“Just let her get her way more.” Sixth niangzi gave her a heart-to-heart talk. “Fifth Elder Sister is not bad at heart. Much better than…” She made a couple of hand gestures, “those two Elder Sisters.”

Seventh niangzi could not contain her smile. “And Second Elder Sister?”

“Second Elder Sister…” Sixth niangzi made a funny face. “I certainly do not dare to gossip about her.”

The two’s eyes met in the air and simultaneously burst out into laughter. Their mirth conveyed a tacit understanding that could not be expressed in words.

After reaching the end of the narrow path, Sixth niangzi made a detour to the back of the main courtyard, reluctant to part. Upon entering Baifangyuan, Seventh niangzi stood next to the door, waiting for Fifth niangzi.

Fifth niangzi had Guyu by her side and was walking very slowly. Lixia, who was next to Seventh niangzi, twitched. Seventh niangzi glanced at her—her face was full of timidity and fear.

Fifth niangzi’s commotion had paid off, and her initial show of power had been so thorough that Lixia felt fearful whenever she saw her.

“What are you afraid of? She is merely a young lady.” Seventh niangzi spoke lightly.

Her words were very faint, but the disdain within was very clear. Lixia looked at Seventh niangzi in surprise.

Amidst the chilly winter wind, Seventh niangzi seemed like a small stalk of bamboo, majestic and graceful, not in the least fearful in the face of the freezing wind.

Lixia suddenly understood something.

“Yes,” she respectfully responded. “Seventh niangzi speaks correctly.”

Fifth niangzi had already walked close.

“Fifth Elder Sister, shall we enter together?” Seventh niangzi said gently with a smile, giving one the feeling of a spring breeze.

“Such a short distance, is there a need to walk together or not?” Fifth niangzi rolled her eyes at Seventh niangzi, her tone extremely aggressive. Guyu had a face full of unease—she wanted to advise her young lady, but did not know how to begin.

Seventh niangzi pressed her lips together in a smile.

“After all, everyone is from the main courtyard,” she replied leisurely. “If we can walk together, then naturally we should walk together.”

Fifth niangzi remembered Second niangzi’s words and barely managed to suppress her temper.

“How many years have you been practicing calligraphy?” After silently walking for several steps, Fifth niangzi could not help but ask.

Seventh niangzi even felt that Fifth niangzi was somewhat cute. She remembered Sixth niangzi’s evaluation: Fifth niangzi was but a dog that only knew how to bark, and her bites were relatively painless.

“Two or three years,” she replied with a smile. “There was nothing to do back in the Northwest, so I practiced calligraphy by drawing in the sand.”

“You began recognizing characters at the age of three or four?!” Fifth niangzi could not help raising her voice in shock.

The daughters of the Yang family began their enlightenment at the age of six.

“The ancestral home in the Northwest was truly boring and lacking in things to do,” Seventh niangzi said faintly.

Master Yang, Yang Haidong, was originally from Baoji, Shaanxi. His had been a scholarly family for generations, and there often were members serving as officials of the imperial court. They could be considered one of the most prominent families of Shaanxi. 

With a large family and a large business, naturally, there were more conflicts. When Master Yang was just thirteen years old, he had separated ^[1]分家 (fēn jiā) refers to the practice of family division where a large extended household is legally separated into independent households, including the splitting of property, land, and other assets and responsibilities. from his family and started living on his own. In the Yang Family Village ^[2]This is a common naming style of small, rural villages where mostly everyone has the same last name. So <Last name> Family Village. of Baoji, he had only a single residence with two courtyards, ^[3]See: Diagram of a two-courtyard house in https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/home/tintrhme.htm and even had to share it with his younger brother, Yang Haixi. If Eldest Madam had not brought a dowry worth tens of thousands in gold when she had married in, how could he have had the funds to smooth relations over left and right and climb step by step until he soared to the position of the Governor of Jiangnan?

Master Yang had become successful, but he did not forget his roots—he never got rid of that two-courtyard residence. Ninth yiniang and Seventh niangzi had lived in that small residence for five years. The Northwest was poor and desolate. They themselves had little money on hand, and their funds were often embezzled by the lady housekeeper. Ninth yiniang could only embroider day and night, asking a few kind-hearted pozi to take them out to sell, in order to supplement their income.

The lady housekeeper had kept a tight rein on them. Usually, they were not even allowed to step out of the inner courtyard. Every day, they spent their time confined in that small courtyard. When Seventh niangzi was four, she had become somewhat more sensible, and so she began to help Ninth yiniang with preparatory embroidery tasks, acting as an assistant. When she had nothing to do, she would sit in the middle of the courtyard, gaze at the sky, or take a stick to write and draw on the bluestone tiles to pass the time. It was in this way that her calligraphy skills had not rusted away.

Fifth niangzi could not imagine this kind of life. Since she was born, she had lived a life of luxury. Even if she admired Seventh niangzi’s calligraphy now, she would probably give up in a few days.

Seventh niangzi added another sentence. “The most important thing is to practice diligently and unceasingly. The teacher has told me to wake early and write a hundred large characters before going to pay respects to Mother. Fifth Elder Sister can also give it a try if interested.”

Fifth niangzi, seemingly lost in thought, gave a faint hum in response.

Upon entering the main courtyard, they each returned to their own rooms. Bailu had already arranged lunch. Once Seventh niangzi had finished eating, Bailu opened up the wooden box. Taking out a silver ingot, she  broke it into several pieces.

“Now that Seventh niangzi has come, the main courtyard prepares food for an additional person. The kitchen needs to be given some benefits,” she explained with lowered eyes. ^[4]低眉顺眼 (dī méi shùn yǎn) literally translates to having ‘drooping brows and obedient eyes’ and describes submissive/docile and deferential/humble behavior.

Seventh niangzi pondered for a moment. “Do Second Elder Sister and Fifth Elder Sister send money over?”

“Second niangzi does not do so often, but Fifth niangzi often desires seasonal fresh delicacies or palace-style snacks. Whenever she makes a special request to the small kitchen, it is accompanied by a monetary reward.” Bailu answered.

It seems that it is the norm to tip the small kitchen. Seventh niangzi nodded. Money that should be spent should not be saved.

Not long after Bailu left, she came back with a plate of pastries. Placing it on the table, she said to Seventh niangzi with a smile, “These are freshly baked plum blossom cakes, which can only be made by the small kitchen. Does the young lady want to have a taste?” She knew that Seventh niangzi was rarely able to have such exquisite pastries in the southern side-courtyard.

Seventh niangzi smiled and was just about to speak when Lichun entered the room.

“Madam invites Seventh niangzi over to talk,” she said with a smile.

Seventh niangzi quickly rose.

“Madam also said for Seventh niangzi to change into Ninth ge’s clothes.” Lichun hurriedly added.

Both Seventh niangzi and Bailu were stunned.

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