11 Swallow Song

Because the madam and the elder young ladies were having a lively gathering over there, the girls here were freer than before.

Shen Biwei was truly kind. It was hard to say so openly in front of Ye Lingbo, but as soon as her back was turned, she discreetly handed Yan Yan a small wooden horse. Yan Yan treasured it like a precious gem and even showed it to A’cuo, saying, “Look, I have another little horse. If I get two more, I’ll have a full set. Then I’ll show you my treasures...”

A’cuo had no interest in the wooden carved horses at all. Not only that, she had some slight criticisms of Yan Yan. Although she knew Yan Yan was innocent and carefree, she thought she was a bit too oblivious to the hardships of life. With two elder sisters protecting her so much, she still had the heart to play like this.

Because of this, A’cuo didn’t really play with Yan Yan but instead kept an eye on the situation at the Flower Message Banquet or recognized the madams and young ladies from various families with Yang Hua.

Yan Yan was carefree and didn’t take it to heart. Even if A’cuo didn’t play with her, she called over the three girls she was good friends with to look at her new wooden horse.

The He family’s warm chambers were three rooms connected—two bright and one dim. The madams played cards in the outermost room, the elder young ladies did needlework in the second room, and Yan Yan and her friends were in the third room, where a thick cashmere carpet lay on the floor, said to be a tribute from the nomads, making it quite warm. Yan Yan simply sat on the floor with the three girls, each taking out some food and toys.

But their family was strict, so they only had things like jade balls or nine-linked rings, nothing like Shen Biwei’s carved wooden horses, which were lifelike and even bore knife marks, full of the outside world’s spirit. The girls were curious, and Yan Yan seriously taught them, “This is called a Rouge Horse, a famous horse. Doesn’t the name sound beautiful?”

“It sounds nice, but why is it called the Rouge Horse?” the girls asked, puzzled. “Is it because it’s the color of rouge?”

“But this one is clearly black.”

“I heard it’s because girls liked to ride this type of horse, so they called it the Rouge Horse.”

“No, it must be because of the rouge color, just like the sweat-blooded horse...”

As the girls argued, a voice spoke from behind.

“It’s because there’s a mountain called Rouge Mountain in the nomad lands. Horses from there are called Rouge Horses.”

The girls turned to look. The speaker was Wei Leshui, the distinguished guest at today’s Plum Blossom Banquet. Seeing everyone looked at her, she felt a bit embarrassed and tried to leave, but Yan Yan was delighted and jumped up to grab her hand.

“You know about horses too? So impressive,” she praised wholeheartedly. Wei Leshui was shy and quickly shook her head, but Yan Yan asked again, “Why is that mountain called Rouge Mountain?”

“It must be because the mountain produces rouge.”

“Taoli’er is just like that—only cares about rouge and makeup all day,” Yan Yan said disdainfully, making the other girls laugh. Taoli’er frowned in defiance. Yan Yan ignored her and introduced, “Let me introduce you. This is Taoli’er, that’s Guo Yuenu, and the one eating is Ni Shuangshuang. They’re all my good friends. We’re all fourteen. How old are you?”

“I’m fifteen,” Wei Leshui said shyly.

“Right, you still haven’t told us why it’s called Rouge Mountain,” Taoli’er pressed.

“My father told me it’s not Rouge Mountain, but Yanzhi Mountain,” Wei Leshui said, wanting to write it down but had no paper. Yan Yan generously offered her palm for writing. Wei Leshui wrote and explained, “Long ago, Huo Qubing defeated the Xiongnu at Yanzhi Mountain. The Xiongnu lament: ‘Lost is our Yanzhi Mountain, leaving our women colorless. Lost is our Qilian Mountain, causing our livestock to fail to breed.’”

“So it’s still about rouge makeup. Otherwise, how could the women lose their color...” Taoli’er stubbornly argued.

Everyone laughed, and Wei Leshui couldn’t help but laugh too. Being with peers made her more at ease.

Yet Lu Wenyin was determined to win her over. After a while, she sent a maid to look for Wei Leshui. Seeing her sitting with Yan Yan and the others, the maid smiled, “Miss Wei, so you’re here. Our madam has been looking for you everywhere...”

“Go back and tell your madam we’ll come later,” Yan Yan saw Wei Leshui’s troubled expression and answered for her.

The maid hesitated and left. Taoli’er, sharp as ever, said, “Watch, Madam Chen will come herself soon. Quickly pack up your things; be careful she doesn’t complain to our mothers.”

Wei Leshui felt uneasy for disturbing them and hesitated, “Should I go now? Then she won’t come.”

“Do you want to go?” Yan Yan asked. “She just wants you to watch her play cards; it’s no fun at all.”

Wei Leshui looked troubled, hesitated, then shook her head.

“If you don’t want to go, then what’s the point?” Yan Yan patted her chest. “Leave it to me. Stick with us, and they won’t find you.”

She and the girls led Wei Leshui through the back garden of the He family’s residence. The girls, all experienced, warned, “This way, don’t let the He family servants see us. If they do, they’ll tell Madam He.” Another said, “Let’s go to the small study. It’s a good hiding place...” Everyone had ideas. Eventually, they found a lush corner in the garden to hide by a stone table, chatting and eating their snacks.

“Don’t tell the madams about today. You seemed to listen to them well,” Taoli’er warned Wei Leshui.

She was the most delicate and a bit bossy among the girls, speaking bluntly. Wei Leshui blushed. She knew she looked like a grown-up’s sycophant surrounded by madams today. Though simple in nature, she still had some stubborn pride among peers.

“I know they’re nice to me for my brother’s sake,” Wei Leshui stated firmly. “They kept asking about my family, mostly about my brother.”

“Good you know,” Taoli’er said. “Lu Wenyin is the worst, often bullying Yan Yan’s sister. Don’t believe them...”

She wanted to say more but was stopped by Yan Yan.

No wonder A’cuo disliked her. Even Wei Leshui found her a bit too naive. The madams and young ladies at the Flower Message Banquet were like warriors, each eager to promote their faction and speak ill of others, making her dizzy.

Only Yan Yan seemed focused solely on food and play. She didn’t even know Taoli’er was speaking up for her.

“All right, no more unhappy talk. Let’s go out and play,” Yan Yan said brightly. “I’ll take you somewhere nice. Do you want some rice flower candy?”

“Rice flower candy again? I won’t go. My mother will complain,” Taoli’er was the first to back out. The other two girls either didn’t want food or wanted to go back to warm by the fire.

“So boring,” Yan Yan wilted instantly. Wei Leshui saw this and felt sorry, hesitating, “How about I go with you?”

“Really?” Yan Yan looked at her with hopeful eyes.

Wei Leshui was usually steady, which was why her mother dared let her come alone to the banquet, but with Yan Yan’s bright obsidian eyes looking at her, she couldn’t help but agree.

“Really, I’ll go with you.”

Yan Yan treasured this only friend willing to accompany her for rice flower candy. She quietly led her to the front courtyard and called her maid to prepare a small sedan chair.

“Are we taking a sedan chair?” Wei Leshui was surprised.

“Of course. The banquet’s rules must be followed. We can’t just climb the wall, or we’ll be scolded later,” Yan Yan said very obediently.

Wei Leshui felt reassured. She had heard the rules of the Flower Message Banquet in the capital were strict; young ladies seldom went out. Her mother had taught her many things about this. She had even planned that if Yan Yan wanted to do something too outrageous, she wouldn’t go. But it turned out Yan Yan’s rules were even stricter than hers.

The sedan chair went along the alley to the end, entering a residence. They got down at the second gate, where the housekeeper’s wife was waiting, holding an umbrella and greeting Yan Yan, “Fourth young lady is here? Where are the eldest and third young ladies?”

“This is the Song family, my grandmother’s maternal family,” Yan Yan whispered. “Just at the alley’s end. We’ll sit here for a while, then go back to the banquet. No one will know.”

After explaining, Yan Yan confidently told the housekeeper’s wife, “This is my new friend. I brought her here for candy. She’s a distinguished guest.”

The housekeeper’s wife was friendly, smiling as she looked at Wei Leshui, then coaxed Yan Yan, “All right, all right. Knowing she’s a guest, miss and guest sit inside. I’ll send someone to buy rice flower candy. Tao Hua, bring tea!”

Yan Yan proudly led Wei Leshui into the Yang family’s hall. Soon, a steward’s wife brought candy—bamboo sticks with sugar lollipops resembling candles, fragrant with rice aroma, good with hot tea.

“Don’t you have a maid?” Yan Yan asked Wei Leshui.

Wei Leshui didn’t understand why she asked now and explained, “I used to have a maid, but she’s still learning the rules, so I came alone.”

Yan Yan didn’t inquire further but called her maid, Fu Ling, who was very mature. She took out a few small silver ingots from her pouch and handed them to the Yang housekeeper’s wife. “This is Miss Wei’s reward. Buy tea for everyone.”

The housekeeper’s wife quickly thanked her, and the Yang family’s maids bowed, “Thank you, Miss Wei.”

Only then did Wei Leshui realize the reward was on her behalf. She hurriedly whispered, “I’ll ask my mother for money when I return and repay you tomorrow.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal,” Yan Yan said casually. “You don’t have to repay me. Friends shouldn’t be so petty about money. Sister Shen taught me that not counting money is true friendship.”

Wei Leshui wanted to laugh, thinking Yan Yan’s temperament somewhat resembled her own brother, who often got scolded by their father. She wondered who Sister Shen was but guessed she must be a good person.

Yan Yan was truly different from the madams and young ladies at the Flower Message Banquet. What she said was just what she meant, never hiding a second meaning. She didn’t gossip about others or seek connections, only urging Wei Leshui to eat candy: “Hurry, eat it. My sister forbids me from eating this because it makes my mouth dirty, like a beggar. I always sneak out to eat.”

Wei Leshui knew this rice flower candy was messy, likely to dirty clothes and hands. The banquet’s young ladies ate delicate flower-like pastries with handkerchiefs, nibbling daintily. This candy looked like skewered wild sheep roasted over a fire in the frontier. No wonder her sister forbade her.

After eating and drinking tea for a while, Wei Leshui was about to ask when to return when another sedan chair arrived outside. She thought it was Yan Yan’s sister coming to fetch her, but an old lady got down instead, supported by a maid, frail and feeble.

Wei Leshui thought it was the Yang family matron returning and quickly stood to greet her.

“This is Madam He Wu, from the neighboring He residence,” Yan Yan told her and stood to greet, “Madam He Wu, hello.”

“It’s Yan Yan,” the old lady said. Her hair was completely white, and she looked like an old noblewoman, but her attire and jewelry were less grand than Madam He at the Plum Blossom Banquet. Her eyes seemed blind, covered with a white film. She reached out, feeling toward Yan Yan, smiling, “Are you eating rice flower candy again?”

Yan Yan laughed shyly and reached to support her.

“How did you know?”

“As soon as I heard your family sent someone to buy candy, I knew you were here.” The old woman touched Yan Yan’s face and said, “Yan Yan is looking more beautiful every day. By the way, today is the Plum Blossom Banquet, right?”

Wei Leshui also showed respect, stood up, and offered a seat as Yan Yan helped the old lady sit by the table.

“Yes,” Yan Yan replied.

“Have you seen my Wen Yin and Wan Yang?” the old lady asked hopefully. “Have they said when the banquet ends? I sent someone to ask, hoping they could visit me after. But they said they’re too busy...”

Wei Leshui’s heart tightened, fearing Yan Yan might not answer well. Fortunately, Yan Yan replied cleverly, “They’re both busy. It seems Madam He asked them to help oversee the Plum Blossom Banquet, so they can’t leave at all.”

“Oh, I see,” the old lady said, immediately convinced. She beckoned a maid, who brought out two pouches. Patiently, the old woman explained to Yan Yan that inside were peace charms she had prayed for at the start of the year, burned with the first incense at Puzhao Temple, very effective, and asked her to give them to the two sisters.

Yan Yan said nothing but took them. Though the old lady couldn’t see, Wei Leshui noticed Yan Yan’s expression darkened, lips pressed tight.

Madam He Wu continued to chatter about trivial matters and inquired about the Lu sisters, especially Lu Wanyang, who had been ill over the new year and hadn’t come to pay respects. She wondered if she was well, if she had lost weight.

“Has the madam not seen the sisters for a long time?” Wei Leshui couldn’t help but ask.

The old lady paused, then smiled again. “What young lady is this? Sounds unfamiliar.”

“She’s my friend,” Yan Yan said suddenly. “She looks a bit like Sister Lu Wanyang. If you touch her face, you’ll know what Sister Wanyang looks like now.”

The old lady hesitated, but Wei Leshui silently stepped forward, holding out her face.

The old woman’s fingers were thin and cold like kindling but moved gently, as if truly treating her like the granddaughter she hadn’t seen in years. After touching her face, she smiled with relief.

“Thank you, good girl.” She called a maid, “It’s our first meeting, and I have nothing to give you. This gold bracelet was offered before Buddha. It’s nothing special; keep it with you as a toy.”

Wei Leshui refused at first, but after Yan Yan signaled her, she accepted. Seeing the old lady so happy made her heart ache.

Because of this, the two were silent all the way back. Upon arriving at the He residence and getting down, Yan Yan handed the two peace charms to Wei Leshui.

“You go give these to them,” Yan Yan said.

“Why?” Wei Leshui was puzzled.

But she somewhat understood.

“I brought them two last year, but Lu Wenyin refused,” Yan Yan said. “You’re a guest; they’ll accept from you.”

Wei Leshui clenched her fists angrily.

“Why don’t they visit their own grandmother? Do they have a grudge?”

“Not that I know of. Maybe they just don’t get along with the old lady,” Yan Yan said, not mentioning their snobbishness.

“They treat Madam He so well but can’t find time to see their own grandmother?” Wei Leshui was stubborn and shoved the charms back to Yan Yan. “You give them these. I want to see if they’ll accept.”

Yan Yan didn’t argue and took the charms inside. Wei Leshui stayed hidden nearby, watching. The madams were admiring flowers in the courtyard. Yan Yan approached Lu Wenyin, said something, handed over the charms, and left. Lu Wenyin’s expression was cold; she stood for a while, then, passing the corridor, casually threw the charms into a copper brazier without a glance back and returned to the madam group, chatting as usual.

Wei Leshui had grown up on the frontier with her parents; her father often went to war, her mother was often ill, and she was raised by her grandmother. When her grandmother died, she cried nearly to fainting. Seeing such behavior made her tremble with anger.

She looked up to find Yan Yan had returned unknowingly, watching her knowingly.

“I don’t like the Flower Message Banquet,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Me neither,” Yan Yan said. “My second sister always wants me to strive for the best, but I think the banquet is meaningless. Everyone wears masks. But I can’t say this to others.”

“You can say it to me,” Wei Leshui promised her new friend.

Yan Yan smiled.

“All right, then I promise you. Every banquet from now on, you can find me to play. If you don’t want to stay, we’ll go out and play. We’ll always be allies.”

“Okay,” Wei Leshui said.

Yan Yan held out her hand.

“Pinkie promise.”

Wei Leshui thought for a moment and decided it didn’t violate any of her mother’s rules.

“Pinkie promise.”