Chapter 42

 Baoning waited until nearly midnight, but Pei Yuan still hadn’t returned.

During this time, she retrieved the wooden sculpture she had thrown out during the day and finished carving its face. She put a lot of effort into it, and the result was a lifelike miniature of Pei Yuan.

Although Baoning felt a bit uneasy and disappointed about Pei Yuan’s recent busyness, she still supported him. As his wife, she believed she should encourage his pursuits.

So Baoning kept waiting, preparing a little surprise for him, hoping he would be happy when he returned home and feel that he wasn’t fighting alone.

She thought it was a good idea.

But Pei Yuan didn’t come back.

He didn’t return all night, not even sending her a message.

It was impossible to say she wasn’t upset. Baoning spent the whole night lost in thought, and when she woke up the next morning, her mind was still groggy.

Madam Liu brought her water for washing up and noticed her pale complexion. Concerned, she asked, “Madam, did you not sleep well last night?”

Baoning reached out to touch Pei Yuan’s side of the bed, which was cold and untouched. Despite already knowing he hadn’t returned, she still held a sliver of hope. “Did the Fourth Prince leave early this morning?”

“No,” Madam Liu shook her head in confusion. “I haven’t seen the Fourth Prince this morning.”

Baoning’s heart sank.

She sighed softly, pushed those thoughts away, loosely gathered her hair, dressed, and got out of bed.

As she passed the vanity, she saw the little wooden carving she had made for Pei Yuan the night before. Pressing her lips together, she grabbed it and locked it in the bottom of her jewelry box.

Baoning went about her usual routine. First, she checked on the leeches, feeding them. Many had already hatched, though quite a few had died. The ones that survived seemed healthy.

She counted them one by one, finding only twenty-six, far fewer than she had expected.

After breakfast, Qiu Lingyan came to visit Baoning early. She didn’t have many friends in the manor, and Baoning was feeling lonely too, so they kept each other company.

The bracelet was ready. The mold Madam Liu bought from the blacksmith’s shop was simple, two iron blocks joined together with a gap the width of a bracelet. The molten gold was poured into it, forming a long bar.

Baoning took a small hammer and made it more round and delicate. Then she moistened the paper with the engraved pattern and carefully carved it onto the bracelet.

This technique wasn’t difficult for her. The pattern was repetitive, so after some initial awkwardness, it became easier. Qiu Lingyan chatted with her as she worked.

“Sister, does your husband treat you well?”

Baoning smiled lightly. “He’s quite good.”

“Is he very busy during the day? I really want to meet him. Since Sister is so beautiful and skillful, your husband must also be very handsome and gentle.”

Baoning’s hand paused for a moment. “Yes, he is quite good-looking.”

Perhaps because of what happened last night, Baoning didn’t want to talk about Pei Yuan. Thinking of him brought a faint sense of fear and resistance to her heart.

What bothered her wasn’t that Pei Yuan didn’t come home at night. He might have been busy or had other reasons, which she could understand. But he didn’t even bother to inform her, showing he didn’t care about her, that she didn’t matter to him.

That was what hurt Baoning the most.

Qiu Lingyan noticed Baoning’s reluctance to continue this topic, fiddled with her nails, and changed the subject. “Sister, do you know how many children my father has?”

Baoning asked, “How many?”

Qiu Lingyan said, “Sixteen. I’m the youngest. I don’t know why, but after I was born, my father didn’t have any more children.”

Baoning was surprised. She had known General Qiu was a romantic, but she hadn’t realized he was so prolific.

Qiu Lingyan continued, “I heard it’s because my father’s favorite woman died the year I was born. Since then, he’s never set foot in the back courtyard again, not even visiting my mother’s room, which caused many arguments between my parents.”

She added, “I heard this from a maid in my mother’s courtyard. It’s a secret, so you mustn’t tell anyone, Sister.”

Still in shock, Baoning nodded and agreed.

Logically, Baoning knew she shouldn’t ask further. This was General Qiu’s family matter, and she shouldn’t get involved or even know about it. But her curiosity got the better of her.

Baoning tentatively asked, “Lingyan, do you know who that woman was?”

Qiu Lingyan shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s a secret. None of us younger ones know. But I heard my father keeps her portrait in his study. He treasures it and never shows it to anyone. Every time he returns from the northern border, he spends an entire night in his study, looking at the portrait and crying.”

Baoning responded with an “Ah” and didn’t ask any more questions.

She found it strange. What kind of mindset did General Qiu have? If he loved that woman so much, why did he marry so many concubines and have so many children? Now that she was gone, he was suddenly faithful.

But this wasn’t fair to that woman, nor to the other concubines. It was so strange.

Baoning suddenly thought of Pei Yuan. Would he do the same thing once he achieved his ambitions? This kind of male selfishness.

Baoning didn’t want to think about it anymore.

She refocused on the bracelet. After another hour or so, she finally finished carving it.

She took a suitably thick round piece of wood, bent the carved gold bar around it, carefully hammered the joint, and it took shape.

It looked almost identical to the original bracelet. Qiu Lingyan was thrilled, running back to her courtyard to bring Baoning her most cherished candies as a token of thanks.

Baoning had lunch with her.

Pei Yuan still hadn’t returned.

Baoning was no longer disappointed, just numb.

Qiu Lingyan told her that the servants in the back kitchen were raising a group of lambs.

“Sister, I snuck a peek a few days ago. The lambs are so cute. The kitchen said they’re raising them for food. By the New Year, when they’re fat, they’ll be slaughtered.”

Qiu Lingyan wrinkled her nose. “It’s such a pity. One of them was born just half a month ago. Its eyes are particularly pretty, but it was premature and weak. The kitchen maids said it wouldn’t survive.”

Hearing this, Baoning became interested. “Where are they?”

“In the backyard of the kitchen,” Qiu Lingyan invited her. “Sister, after lunch, we can go see them together.”

Baoning agreed with a smile, but before they finished eating, a maid came looking for Qiu Lingyan.

“Seventh Miss, Sixth Miss has returned from the temple. She couldn’t find you and is angry. She wants you to go back.”

Qiu Lingyan’s shoulders slumped. She nervously put down her chopsticks. “Can I stay a little longer?”

The maid spoke kindly but firmly. “No, Seventh Miss. You know Sixth Miss’s temper. If you’re late, she’ll come looking for you herself. Do you want that?”

Qiu Lingyan stood up immediately.

“Sister, I have to go now…” She apologized to Baoning, looking timid. “Can I come again tomorrow?”

Baoning also stood up, seeing her off with a smile. “Of course you can.”

Qiu Lingyan sighed in relief, turned, and waved goodbye to Baoning before leaving with the maid. Baoning leaned against the door, watching them disappear around the corner.

When Baoning returned to the table, the dishes had gone cold. She couldn’t bring herself to eat, so she gave up.

She washed her face, took a short nap, and then took Ah Huang to see the lamb Qiu Lingyan had mentioned.

The lamb was indeed fragile, standing barely a foot tall. When Baoning picked it up, it was soft and leaned its head against her shoulder, breathing heavily. Its joints were swollen, and its little legs trembled.

“It’s congenital lameness, a defect from the womb,” the kitchen maid explained warmly to Baoning. “It probably won’t survive for many days. It can’t eat properly, and no one has the time to take care of it. It’s a pity.”

The maid added, “And it’s too thin. Even if we slaughtered it now, it wouldn’t be good to eat, all bones.”

Ah Huang placed its front paws on Baoning’s knee, craning its neck to sniff the lamb’s rear.

The lamb wagged its short tail at Ah Huang. It was unclear whether it was itchy or saying hello.

The maid laughed when she saw this. “This lamb, aside from being weak, is very clever, almost like a dog, and very lively.”

Baoning stroked the lamb’s long, soft ears, which were furry like a donkey’s.

“Nanny, how much is this lamb? I’ll buy it and take it home to raise,” Baoning instructed Liu Mama to get the money.

The kitchen maid was very surprised and quickly waved her hands. “It’s just a lamb. What money is needed? If you like it, take it home. Even if you want to eat it now, it’s fine. The General instructed us to take good care of you.”

“But I must pay. Let’s clear the accounts. From now on, whether this lamb lives or dies, you can’t come to me about it,” Baoning joked, insisting on paying. “But I’ll still need to trouble you to send us some goat milk.”

The maid was delighted and agreed readily. “Of course, we’ll send it to you fresh every morning!”

Baoning thanked her with a smile and carried the lamb back to her courtyard.

Baoning spent the entire afternoon with the lamb and Ah Huang. The lamb was indeed gentle and clever, bringing her much joy and making her forget the unhappiness Pei Yuan had caused.

The bed in her room was a four-poster bed, almost like a small private room. It was enclosed on all sides with carved wooden panels, and the side for getting on the bed had a small wooden door.

The bed was draped with curtains and veils, making it impossible to see inside from outside, and the wooden door could be locked.

It was a bed that gave a great sense of security, and Baoning liked it very much.

After dinner, Baoning bathed Ah Huang, dried him with a towel, then cleaned the lamb’s hooves, and played with them on the bed.

The lamb’s lameness was mostly due to undeveloped bones. Baoning gave some money to the kitchen to get some bone meal, which she mixed into the lamb’s milk and fed it spoon by spoon.

The goat milk smelled delicious. Ah Huang wanted to drink some too, but Baoning was reluctant. She dipped her finger in the milk and let him taste a drop.

Ah Huang whined in frustration. Baoning pushed him aside and focused on feeding the lamb. It drank most of the bowl of milk, then got sleepy and fell asleep in Baoning’s arms.

Even though she told herself she wouldn’t wait, when night fell, Baoning couldn’t help but think of Pei Yuan.

The door of the four-poster bed was wide open, and she sat at the head of the bed, able to see the candlelight on the table.

The candle had burned down halfway, indicating it was past the Hour of the Pig. Baoning was so sleepy her eyelids stuck together, and Ah Huang had already woken up three times.

“No more waiting!” Baoning pressed her lips together, slammed the bed’s door shut, pulled the quilt up to her nose, and closed her eyes to sleep.

When Pei Yuan returned, Baoning was in a daze. She vaguely heard some rustling and suddenly opened her eyes to see Pei Yuan’s shadow as he sat beside her taking off his shoes.

She didn’t react immediately, thinking she had encountered a thief. Her heart pounded, and she kicked Pei Yuan off the bed, then locked the door with a bang.

The lamb was also startled and bleated.

Baoning had used all her strength, and Pei Yuan, unprepared, was pushed off the bed, landing on the floor in a sprawl.

Staring at the ceiling, Pei Yuan was dumbfounded. It took him a while to sit up, gritting his teeth. “Ji Baoning, what are you doing?”

No one had ever pushed him so hard in his life.

His pride and his body were both hurt.

Pei Yuan sat on the floor, pounding on the bed’s door. “Ji Baoning, isn’t this a bit much? Open the door!”

“Woof!”

“Baa—”

The commotion woke up the animals, and they made noises in succession.

Pei Yuan recognized the dog’s bark but couldn’t identify the other sound.

Baoning heard him shouting outside, “What did you hide on the bed?”

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