HGSBFT 29

Chapter 29 — A Lifetime, One Love

Xue Ning was stubborn to the core. Lowering her head, she plunged straight into the howling winter wind. “I’m fine. I just need to go back and sleep for a while.”

Su Man couldn’t talk her out of it, so she hurried after her instead. “Ah Ning, wait for me!”

Winter was nearly upon them, and the weather in Tokyo grew colder by the day.

By the time Xue Ning returned to Qiyun Pavilion, another quarter hour had passed.

The two girls were covered in windblown snow, even the fur cloaks on their shoulders dampened through.

Little Lingdang puffed out her red lips in complaint. “Miss never likes wearing a hood. Look at your hair—it’s soaked already.”

Su Man laughed brightly, her tone carefree. “My health’s strong enough. I’ll be fine once I warm myself by the fire.”

Baochan and Little Lingdang hurried to take their cloaks to the warming cage to dry, then brought over hot tea and ginger soup.

Once the charcoal fire was lit and the heated floors warmed the room, the chill quickly melted away. Before long, the chamber felt as warm as spring.

Su Man pulled Xue Ning over to sit on the low couch beneath the south window. She had brought back all sorts of curious little trinkets from her grandmother’s estate and eagerly laid them out one by one for Xue Ning to see.

“My cousin is truly fascinating,” Su Man said excitedly. “Not only does she come up with the strangest ideas, she’s always saying things like, ‘Who says women are inferior to men?’ and ‘Women can hold up half the sky.’ The way she talks, it’s as though there’s nothing men can accomplish that women can’t.”

Xue Ning found herself intrigued. “How old is Miss Jiang this year?”

“Seventeen. Nearly eighteen,” Su Man replied. “About the same age as Eldest Sister.”

“Has she discussed marriage yet?”

Resting her chin in one hand, Su Man idly played with a strange little object called a compass and another wooden toy that could fly.

“Not yet. My grandmother’s already looked at several families for her, but she wasn’t satisfied with any of them. She keeps saying that if she can’t find a husband who’ll devote himself to only her for an entire lifetime, then she’d rather never marry at all. Says she can support herself just fine.” Su Man clicked her tongue. “Really now, what kind of talk is that?”

Xue Ning fell silent for a moment.

“A lifetime… with only one person,” she murmured softly.

Su Man smiled helplessly. “Doesn’t it sound absurd? What noble family in this world doesn’t keep concubines? Among the sons of aristocratic houses, which one doesn’t have multiple wives and women in his chambers? A man with only one wife is rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns. If she insists on finding a husband who loves only her, isn’t she practically waiting to become a nun?”

Xue Ning lowered her eyes, her attention returning to the embroidery in her hands. She remained quiet for a long while.

Su Man continued, “My grandmother’s been worrying herself sick over it lately. She even said that during the Hou Manor’s upcoming kinship banquet, she plans to bring my cousin along to see what the young noblemen of Tokyo are like these days. If they happen to find someone suitable, they’ll inquire further. After all, what woman doesn’t marry? Otherwise wouldn’t she become some kind of oddity?”

Xue Ning answered softly, “Mm.”

Yet inwardly, she couldn’t help admiring this Jiang Zhiyu whom Su Man described as fearless and untamed.

Xue Ning rarely went out or socialized. She had few friends. If she could come to know such a woman and become friends with her, that would be nice too.

Su Man waved a hand dismissively. “Forget it, forget it. I should think about what gift to prepare for Princess Xiuning instead.”

After a brief pause, Xue Ning smiled faintly. “A gift for Princess Xiuning should naturally be something valuable. We can’t let the Prince’s Manor look down on our Hou Manor.”

“You’re right!” Su Man immediately agreed. “Then I’ll have to dig through all my treasured belongings and pick out the best one.”

Then, as though suddenly remembering something, she lifted her puzzled gaze toward Xue Ning across from her.

“But Ah Ning, why did you suddenly think of giving Princess Xiuning a gift?”

Xue Ning paused for a heartbeat, then smiled meaningfully. “It’s nothing. I simply felt like giving one.”

Su Man still found it strange. “But that jade phoenix hairpin—it was Eldest Brother’s coming-of-age gift to you. You treasured it like your life before. And now you’re just giving it away?”

Xue Ning’s expression remained calm, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

“That hairpin suits Princess Xiuning better. Keeping it serves no purpose for me anymore.”

After all, in this lifetime, she would never wear it again.

---

“Mother, what am I supposed to do?!”

Inside Dong-shi’s Wanxiang Hall, Su Qing paced anxiously like an ant on a hot pan.

Seeing her mother still calmly sipping tea only made her more agitated.

“Mother, how can you still be in the mood for tea at a time like this?”

Dong-shi glanced at her lazily. “You still haven’t explained what happened. What’s the use of panicking?”

“I…” Twisting the handkerchief in her fingers, Su Qing sat beside her mother with a pitiful expression. “It’s all that little bitch Xue Ning’s fault. Now I have no idea what gift to prepare for Princess Xiuning.”

Dong-shi frowned impatiently. “Isn’t it just a gift? She’s a princess from a royal household—she’s seen more treasures than you ever will. Just pick the most expensive thing you own and send it over.”

Su Qing bit her lip. “That’s true, but…”

Dong-shi’s brows knitted tighter. “What exactly happened?”

Realizing she could no longer hide it, Su Qing finally confessed in a small voice, “The things Grandmother and First Madam rewarded me before… I pawned them.”

Dong-shi’s face changed instantly. “What?”

Su Qing bit her lip until it turned pale, grievance filling her voice.

“First Madam treats the second branch better than us anyway. Father never cares about you or me either—he’s always showering those concubines with gifts and rewards. I haven’t bought jewelry in months, and I desperately needed money, so I took a few valuable items to the pawnshop.”

For a moment, Dong-shi was so furious her face darkened completely.

“You foolish girl… What exactly did you pawn?”

“The others don’t matter,” Su Qing muttered carefully. “But the white jade Buddha Grandmother gave me last year…”

Dong-shi nearly blacked out.

“You even dared pawn something that belonged to the Old Madam?” she snapped. “Have you lost your mind?”

Su Qing hurriedly rubbed her mother’s chest to calm her down.

“I didn’t mean to! Last time I bought that medicine… it cost a great deal of silver…” Her voice softened into pleading. “Mother, please help me think of something. I truly don’t have any presentable treasures left right now. Don’t you still have your dowry and private storehouse? Just give your daughter one nice item, please?”

Dong-shi was so angry every part of her body ached.

Her status in the family had always been low, her birth family the humblest among all the sisters-in-law.

Naturally, her dowry couldn’t compare to Jiang-shi’s or Liu-shi’s wealth. The only things she possessed of any value were one or two antique paintings and calligraphy pieces.

But no matter what, Su Qing was still her daughter. She couldn’t let her lose face before all the noble young ladies.

“Enough. Stop crying like that.” Dong-shi smacked her lightly on the arm. “You may choose one item from my private collection. But listen carefully—the Old Madam’s white jade Buddha must be redeemed as soon as possible.”

Her tone turned stern.

“That object means a great deal to the Old Madam. If you hadn’t spent an entire month devotedly attending to her when she was ill last year—and if that monk hadn’t claimed you took on disaster in her place and helped restore her health—she never would have rewarded it to you.”

Su Qing lowered her head obediently. “Your daughter understands. There’s no time today, but in a few days, I’ll definitely redeem it.”

Dong-shi waved dismissively, not considering it a major issue. “Fine. Go choose something.”

Su Qing quickly curtsied, then hurried off with her maidservants toward Dong-shi’s private storeroom.

…