By the time she returned to the inn, the sky was verging on evening.
Yin Zheng went downstairs to fetch hot water, while Lu Tong sat at the long table, lost in thought.
At the junction of the long table and the inner room, there was a wooden screen. Splashed ink depicted a courtyard bathed in the dusk of autumn on it. Lu Tong stared blankly at the screen, her gaze lingering over the clusters of hibiscus flowers in the painting. Gradually, she reached out a finger and traced the blooming branches.
The new wife of the Ke Family today also wore a silver hibiscus hairpin in her hair.
Lu Rou’s face flashed through Lu Tong’s mind.
Among the three children of the Lu Family, Lu Rou was gentle and radiant, Lu Qian was smart and stubborn, and she, being the youngest, was strictly forbidden by their father, yet always treated with indulgence in reality.
Though their family was poor, they never lacked food or clothes. Lu Rou, a few years older than Lu Tong, had already become very beautiful when Lu Tong was still an ignorant girl.
Their mother took a silver and gemstone-encrusted hibiscus hairpin from her dowry box and fixed it into Lu Rou’s hair, then chose a jade-blue plain dress for Lu Rou to wear, hoping that at the riverside spring festival, her daughter would be the fairest of all.
Lu Tong, looking at her older sister who seemed so different than usual, tugged at their mother’s skirt hem and pointed at the hibiscus hairpin on Lu Rou’s head, "Mother, I want that one."
"Not this one," her mother said with a smile. "You’re still young and don’t need it now. When our Tongtong is grown up, mother will pick another one for you."
Being young and spoiled without fear of consequences, she was relentless, "I want the one sister has!"
Until her father entered the room and saw her throwing a tantrum. Angrily, he punished her to stay home from the flower-viewing festival and copy books a hundred times.
She was left at home alone, crying and copying books. When hunger struck around noon, and she wanted to grab some leftover pancakes from the kitchen, she suddenly smelled a strange aroma.
Lu Rou walked in from outside, holding a paper-wrapped roast chicken, her new dress spotted with riverbank mud, her forehead glistening with sweat.
She was startled, "Why have you come back?"
Lu Rou pinched her cheek, "If I hadn’t come back, your eyes would be swollen as walnuts." She then unwrapped the paper and tore off the largest chicken leg, handing it to her mouth, "Crybaby, eat up."
"Didn’t mother say that today you were to meet your future husband?" she asked with her mouth full of greasy chicken, her words indistinct. In Changwu County, where the area was small and neighbors well-acquainted, people often took advantage of the spring festival to scope out potential sons-in-law or daughters-in-law early on.
Lu Rou’s face turned red, simply saying, "What do you know?" After a pause, she laughed, "What husband is more important than my little sister?"
She was quite smug inside.
Lu Rou touched the flower hairpin on her head again, "Wait until tonight, after mother has gone to sleep, I’ll give you this hairpin, just don’t let mother find out. Such a fuss over a hairpin."
She ate the roast chicken, her hands now captives to gratitude, and as she looked at the hibiscus hairpin, which was quite becoming on Lu Rou’s head, she said, "Never mind, just keep it for me for now, I’ll come and ask you for it someday."
Lu Rou was nearly amused by her, teasing her back, "You better hurry up then, otherwise when I get married, you might wish to ask for it but won’t be able to get it."
When she heard this, she felt inexplicably upset, purposely smearing her greasy hands on Lu Rou’s face, "Then wherever you marry, I’ll follow. After all, you’re my sister!"
"Creak—"
The door opened, and Yin Zheng came in carrying a basin of water.
Lu Tong looked up, her nose still tinged with the gentle scent of lychee cream from her older sister. In the blink of an eye, all that was left in front of her was the cold screen.
Yin Zheng placed the basin on the table and turned to close the door. Lu Tong picked up a handkerchief and slowly wiped the red rash from her painted face.
"Miss," Yin Zheng asked cautiously, "Did you say today that the eldest miss was killed by the Ke Family?"
Lu Tong fell silent before speaking, "When we were in Changwu County, what was the time when the Lu Family received the news of the death from the Capital City?"
Yin Zheng thought for a moment, "It was in March."
"Correct," Lu Tong said calmly, "but today the people of the Ke Family said that Lu Rou died in the summer."
Yin Zheng was startled, and looked at Lu Tong in astonishment.
Lu Tong’s eyes were cold.
Today, after being provoked to anger by her, Madam Ke blurted out, "If it weren’t for her jumping into the pond and ruining the feng shui of my new house, why would I need to spend so much silver to fill the pond and plant peonies instead. What a pity for the newly blossomed red lotuses...", immediately arousing Lu Tong’s suspicions.
Lotuses do not bloom in March, and even if the journey from the Capital City to Changwu County was delayed as much as possible, it would at the most take a little over a month. It couldn’t be that Lu Rou died last summer, and the news only reached Changwu County the following year. Moreover, that summer, Lu Qian had not yet gone to the Capital City.
Out of the two pieces of news, one must surely be a lie.
Lu Qian went to the Capital City after receiving news of Lu Rou’s death. If Lu Rou was still alive at that time, why would the people of Changwu County say that the letter was about Lu Rou’s death? Could it be that the Ke Family knew in advance that Lu Rou was going to die?
Or rather, did the Ke Family intend to dismiss the Lu Family with the news of Lu Rou’s death, not expecting the persistent Lu Qian to go to Shengjing alone to find out the truth for himself?
Or perhaps, the letter Lu Qian received was not about Lu Rou’s death at all?
The truth was complicated and elusive, and Lu Tong did not believe a word Madam Ke said. Lu Rou’s failed seduction of the son from Grand Preceptor Qi’s Mansion, yet a year earlier the Ke Family had gained favor from Grand Preceptor Qi’s Mansion, leading to the flourishing of their porcelain business. It all seemed too coincidental.
She had to stay in the Capital City, remain here, to find out what exactly had happened to Lu Rou and the source of the Lu Family’s misfortune.
And...
To take back the Hibiscus Hairpin worn on the Ke Family bride’s head.
The last hint of red was wiped clean, and Yin Zheng, looking at the person in the mirror with a clear face, hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "However, Miss, before that, there is something I must remind you of."
She sighed, "Our silver is running low."
...
As night fell, lights were lit in the Ke Mansion.
Ke Chengxing lifted the bamboo curtain and stepped into the hall.
Seeing him, the maid by Madam Ke’s side smiled sweetly and greeted him with a "Master" as she poured tea for him on the side.
Ke Chengxing, nearing thirty, unlike other merchants, had a handsome face and had taken good care of himself. His honey-colored Hangzhou silk robe further accentuated his graceful demeanor. The Ke family’s porcelain business was thriving, and in business banquets, he was always the center of attention, with many young ladies throwing themselves at him.
Madam Ke also noticed the maid’s smile and frowned slightly. After dismissing the servants, she glanced at Ke Chengxing, who was picking up chestnuts at the table, and said, "You’ve come back late today."
"I was drinking," replied Ke Chengxing nonchalantly.
"With so much alcohol on your breath, be careful, or Lady Qin will make a fuss again."
At the mention, Ke Chengxing’s smile diminished a bit. Lady Qin was his new wife, known for her fiery and domineering temperament, who kept a tight rein on him; she was truly bothersome. At such times, Ke Chengxing would sometimes miss his late wife’s gentle affections.
Just as he remembered the name of his late wife, Lu Rou, he heard Madam Ke speak, "Today, a cousin from the Lu Family came."
Ke Chengxing was shocked, "A cousin from the Lu Family? Since when did the Lu Family have a cousin?"
"You haven’t heard Lu Rou mention her before?" Madam Ke was skeptical and shared with her son what had happened at the Ke Mansion during the day, adding, "I find this person’s appearance suspicious. I sent someone to follow her, but they lost track of her."
Ke Chengxing thought carefully and then shook his head, "I’ve never heard her talk about any cousin after we got married. She must be a fraudster looking to deceive people."
Madam Ke’s expression flickered slightly, "Somehow, I’m feeling uneasy. After all, what happened with Lu Rou back then... you shouldn’t have acted... Now we can’t clear ourselves of the matter."
Upon hearing this, Ke Chengxing also grew tense, "Mother, you don’t think something’s going to happen, do you?"
Madam Ke waved dismissively, "I’ve sent someone to Changwu County to inquire if there’s a girl named Wang Yingying."
Her gaze fixed on the tea cup before her, her voice growing stern, "If there’s anything amiss, there are those above us who will take the fall. What is there to fear? The Lu Family can’t stir up any trouble."