Wish You All the Best - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The nanny’s wailing was so piercing that even though she was still in the courtyard, the sound permeated the entire room.

Behind Jiafu, it was deathly quiet, with not a single movement to be heard.

Old Madam Pei remained seated just as before, her figure as if frozen. Suddenly, she gripped the cane resting horizontally beside her and stood up straight. Just as Jiafu thought she was about to step outside, she stopped, stood for a moment, and slowly sat back down. She was no different than she had been a moment ago. Only the hand tightly clutching the dragon head of the cane showed several clear, prominent veins on its back.

Footsteps could already be heard in the courtyard. Subconsciously, Jiafu turned her head, her gaze piercing through the carved lattice window before her to look out.

It was the middle of the Zi hour (midnight). In the dark blue night sky, a faint, half-full moon hung at an angle. The frost of the early winter night was heavy, and the tips of the old sweet osmanthus tree outside the window were coated in a thin layer of white hoarfrost. A figure, draped in starlight and treading upon the moonlight, emerged from the thick night, passed through the courtyard gate, and strode toward this direction, casting a long, dark shadow upon the walkway behind him.

The figure drew closer, his footsteps growing faster and faster. With a few strides, he was up the steps and over the threshold. The lamplight flickered slightly as the person turned in from behind the doorway.

It was a young man, bright as jade and graceful as a pine. As he drew nearer, the light revealed his skin to be a slightly sickly, bloodless pale, but this did not in the least diminish the refined air about his brows; instead, it made his brows appear all the more like ink paintings and his eyes all the more clear. He was a head taller than Jiafu and slightly slender, with broad, straight shoulders. As he walked in, his gaze landed on the door beside Jiafu. He walked closer and closer, passing within a half-arm’s length of her.

Jiafu saw it clearly: the frost and dew had dampened his sideburns, and the cloak on his shoulders, colored the same as the night, gave off a damp, cold chill.

From that very first glance, she recognized him. He was Pei You'an.

Inexplicably, she felt tense, stirred by a certain inexplicable excitement. Her little heart hammered like a startled deer, and she stared at him without blinking. Following his movement, she waited until he was before her, then instinctively blurted out, "Eldest Cousin!"

Pei You'an had not seemed to notice her existence; he had already brushed past her. Hearing her voice, he turned, his gaze sweeping over her face.

He did not respond, his eyes merely lingering on her face for a moment.

In his pupils, the pitch-black of the night settled; beneath the reflection of the lamps, however, they were as clear and transparent as water. Although untouchable, a sense of cool detachment washed over her.

Jiafu’s face burned, and she felt a touch of embarrassment.

He hadn't recognized her at all.

She opened her mouth, hesitating whether to remind him who she was, when the man before her seemed to finally recognize her. He arched his handsome brows and nodded slightly toward her as a response, then immediately turned to Yuzhu, who had followed him in, "Is Grandmother inside?"

His voice was warm, cool, and low.

Yuzhu nodded, lowering her voice, "She is right inside. It is so late, and she still refused to sleep... I never expected that the Eldest Master would truly make it back. The Old Madam doesn't know how happy she is..."

Her eyes turned red.

Pei You'an turned around, stopped before the door curtain, and after a moment's pause, said toward the inside, "Grandmother, your unfilial grandson, You'an, has returned."

The room was silent.

Pei You'an lifted the hem of his robe. Yuzhu hurried to offer him a kneeling cushion, but he had already knelt on both knees. Through the curtain, he kowtowed three times, saying, "You'an is late and failed to congratulate Grandmother on her birthday in time. May Grandmother’s blessings be as vast as the sea and her life as long as the mountains. May you flourish evermore, today and every year to come."

There was still no sound from behind the curtain. Pei You'an touched his forehead to the floor and remained kneeling.

After a long while, Yuzhu said, "Old Madam... the floor is cold, and the Eldest Master has traveled from afar; he is still wet..."

A moment later, Old Madam Pei’s voice rang out: "Get up! Are you trying to catch an illness again and make me worry myself to death?"

Pei You'an immediately scrambled up from the floor, lifted the curtain, and walked in.

Jiafu held her breath and slowly retreated from the doorway, standing inside the threshold of the outer room. She hesitated, just about to call Tanxiang to find her mother, when she heard a flurry of footsteps approaching. She looked up and saw people flooding into the courtyard: Madam Xin, Pei Quan, Madam Meng, along with Pei Xiuzhi, Pei Xiuluo, and others. They hurried inside and crowded before the door of the Old Madam’s room before stopping.

"Mother, the servants said just now that You'an returned?"

Madam Xin stood with her back to Jiafu. Jiafu could not see her expression, only hearing her voice, which was pulled as tight as a rubber band stretched at both ends.

Pei Quan and Madam Meng did not speak, simply waiting to the side.

Pei Xiuzhi saw Jiafu, his eyes brightening. He walked over to stand near her, wanting to say something but stopping. Jiafu nodded to him, then turned to Pei Xiuluo, who was greeting her. Pei Xiuluo showed a trace of disappointment, then shifted his gaze toward that door. His eyes were somewhat unfocused, his demeanor different from usual, and his lips were tightly pursed.

"Cousin Fu."

Pei Xiuluo would be twenty by the end of the year. He was always good at his studies, gentle and refined, and he smiled as he nodded to Jiafu.

The marriage negotiations had failed, and her aunt Madam Meng seemed a bit displeased; on this trip, she hadn't fussed over Jiafu as she used to. But this cousin seemed just the same as before; he clearly hadn't taken the matter to heart.

"Mother—"

Madam Xin raised her voice and called out again. Immediately after, a flurry of footsteps sounded from within, and Pei You'an emerged, supporting Old Madam Pei.

Old Madam Pei’s eyes were slightly red, but the wrinkles on her face had smoothed out. She nodded, "You'an has returned."

Madam Xin looked stunned, gazing at Pei You'an, who now possessed the stature of a fully grown man. Her eyes were fixed on him.

Pei You'an turned to her, "Greetings, Mother. I have been away for many years. How has your health been?"

Madam Xin collected herself and revealed a smile, but even Jiafu could see that her smile was clearly forced.

"Good, good," she nodded, her lips trembling, "It is good that you have returned, good that you have returned..." Her eyes looked toward Old Madam Pei, "Every year on this day, I have had people clean your courtyard, just hoping you would return. Today, you have finally returned. Good, good..."

"Thank you, Mother, for your trouble and concern." Pei You'an bowed to her and then turned to Pei Quan and Madam Meng, greeting them as well, "Your nephew greets Second Uncle and Aunt."

Pei Quan hurriedly told him not to be so formal, and Madam Meng was all smiles, "You'an has finally returned! You have been away for years; what day did your uncle and I not miss you? Seeing you suddenly, I almost didn't recognize you! You are far better than before; I am truly comforted! It is good you are back—do not leave again. How can a family be complete without you?"

Pei You'an replied, "I am very grateful to Uncle and Aunt for worrying about me."

Madam Meng let out a laugh, "We are all one family; what is there to talk about gratitude or not? Luo’er, come quickly and meet your big brother! Your big brother is only a few years older than you, but his academic achievements are worlds apart from yours. He is a Jinshi of the Tianxi reign, world-renowned! Even though he was young back then, even your teachers at the Imperial Academy might not have been able to surpass the essays he wrote! Now that he is back, you must learn more from him about studies and trouble him to look over your essays. It is fortunate that you are brothers; outsiders couldn't buy such an opportunity even if they wanted to!"

Pei Xiuluo bowed to Pei You'an, respectfully saying, "Greetings, eldest brother. I hope you will spare the time to share your wisdom."

"I have not touched academic matters for many years and have long since grown rusty with the brush. I fear I am far inferior to you, Third Brother, now. I don't expect to stay home for long this time. If you have any difficulties with your essays, I would be happy to discuss them with you."

Pei Xiuzhi, who had been silent, walked up and smiled, "Eldest Brother! You didn't even send word upon returning. I should have gone out of the city to welcome you! Do not blame me for being negligent."

Pei You'an turned to him and smiled slightly, "Second Brother is too kind. While I was away, Grandmother and Mother have exhausted themselves relying on your filial care; I should be the one thanking you."

"Oh my, you are all own brothers; why be so distant!" Madam Meng laughed, stepped forward to look Pei You'an over, and sighed, "Sister-in-law, look at this. How much suffering You'an must have endured on the road to return for tonight. Since you have already paid respects to Mother, hurry and take him to change his clothes and eat a warm meal. It’s not too late to talk about everything else tomorrow."

Madam Xin turned to Old Madam Pei, "Mother, then daughter-in-law will take him to rest first..."

Suddenly, a piercing cry of a child erupted from the side room—a sound sharp beyond compare.

Madam Xin’s expression changed, "Quan-ge!"

"Madam! Old Madam! Quan-ge is ill again!"

The nursemaid hurried over and froze when she saw so many people present.

"What is wrong with Quan-ge?"

Madam Xin demanded sharply.

The nursemaid realized, hurriedly saying, "Just now, Quan-ge woke up and wanted to find you, so I brought him over. We played for a while, and he became sleepy and fell asleep again. I was afraid of him catching a draft from being carried back and forth, so I, along with Miss Yuzhu, settled the young master to sleep here at the Old Madam’s. Who would have thought he was perfectly fine a moment ago, and then suddenly came down with the same illness as before! He is screaming that his whole body is in pain and itching—he’s crying terribly!"

Madam Xin’s face changed drastically, and she rushed toward the side room.

Pei Xiuzhi stamped his foot and ordered someone to fetch a physician quickly. Old Madam Pei also showed anxiety, sighing, "How could he fall ill again when he was perfectly fine?"

Jiafu suppressed her guilt and slowly exhaled, when suddenly she heard a voice say, "Grandmother, please be at ease. You know that I studied medicine in my youth and am somewhat proficient in it. The nephew’s illness is urgent; let me go take a look to see if I can help stop the pain and itching before the imperial physician arrives."

Old Madam Pei sighed in relief and nodded, "Yes, how could Grandmother have forgotten! Go quickly."

Pei You'an walked quickly toward the side room where Jiafu had just been staying. Old Madam Pei, Pei Quan, and his wife all followed.

Jiafu was very surprised; she hadn't expected Pei You'an to have studied medicine.

Although he only claimed to be "somewhat proficient," since he took the initiative to treat Quan-ge, his medical skills could not possibly be merely superficial.

For some reason, Jiafu suddenly felt a bit of trepidation. Seeing that everyone had gone in, she hesitated for a moment before slowly following, not going inside but only standing at the doorway to look in.

Quan-ge lay supine on the couch, surrounded by maids and nannies. The skin on his face was red and swollen, and he was crying until his voice was hoarse. Seeing that his grandmother and great-grandmother had both arrived, his wailing became even sharper. He thrashed his limbs wildly, displaying strength far greater than a normal child. Several nannies tried to pin down his limbs to undress him, only to be shaken off. One nanny was accidentally kicked and cried out in pain, stumbling back two steps and nearly falling to the floor.

Madam Xin was heartbroken, her eyes brimming with tears.

Pei You'an ordered everyone to move back. He stepped forward and pressed down on the child’s wildly thrashing legs. She didn't know what he did, but he curled his thumb and pressed his knuckle against the soles of the child’s feet a few times. The child’s whole body instantly went limp, lying there with whimpers. After his clothes were successfully removed, it was revealed that his skin was covered in red rashes, and his face, eyelids, and lips were red and swollen.

"He had an inexplicable flare-up a few days ago. At the time, we called an imperial physician, but they couldn't diagnose the cause. Today, he was already fine, but who would have thought he would fall ill again for no reason..."

Madam Xin mumbled at the side.

Pei You'an lifted Quan-ge’s eyelid, observed for a moment, and then leaned over to smell the child’s clothes. His brows furrowed in thought. Suddenly, as if he had realized something, he raised his eyes and turned to look at Jiafu, who was standing at the doorway.

Jiafu could not evade in time and met his gaze.

His two eyes were cool as water, yet sharp as lightning.

Why did he suddenly look at her?

Could he have discovered something?

Jiafu’s heart skipped a beat, and at that very instant, a layer of cold sweat erupted on her palms.

"Well, have you seen what it is?"

Madam Xin pressed.

Pei You'an turned his gaze back, pulled a quilt to cover Quan-ge, and said, "No need to worry. Diligently open the windows for ventilation, give him a bath, and change all his inner and outer clothes. I will write a prescription for medicine to relieve pain and itching; he will slowly recover on his own.”