Being a second wife is difficult

The day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it took longer for the sky to brighten than usual.

When Jiang Wan arrived at Songhe Hall, the charcoal brazier in the hall had just been filled with new charcoal, and the heat had not yet risen.

Today was more relaxed than usual. The old lady had sent word yesterday that the banquet would end late, so there was no need to rush to pay respects. However, people from each household still arrived one after another, though there were a few fewer faces than at yesterday's banquet.

Fang arrived a step earlier than her and sat in her usual seat. She wore a bamboo-green jacket with a simple cloud pattern around the collar, and only a yellow jade hairpin in her hair. She was not wearing any earrings and looked much more restrained than at yesterday's banquet.

She was holding a teacup and blowing on the foam when she heard footsteps and looked up.

"Sister-in-law is here," Fang called out to her warmly.

Jiang Wan replied, "Sister-in-law, you're here really early."

As she spoke, Jiang Wan sat down in her seat. Chunlan brought over some tea, which she took to warm her hands. It was a bit colder today than yesterday, and her fingertips only warmed up when they touched the cup.

Fang put down her teacup and leaned back in her chair. "I left late yesterday and couldn't sleep when I got back. I woke up before dawn this morning. I had nothing else to do, so I came over early."

"But sister-in-law, did Wan'er give you any trouble when you brought her home yesterday?"

She lowered her head and took a sip of tea, her tone slightly amused: "No, that girl was extremely tired and fell asleep halfway there, which made things very easy for her."

Several more people entered the hall one after another.

Zhou's wife left with her husband before dawn today, saying that she had business to attend to at the yamen and couldn't be delayed. Aunt Liu left even more hastily than Zhou's wife, saying that her daughter-in-law had just given birth and she had to rush back to take care of her. The others also found their own excuses and gradually dispersed.

When they left, the old lady had not yet gotten up, and they did not want to disturb her. They simply kowtowed outside the courtyard to apologize before getting into their respective carriages.

With most of the people gone, the mansion became much quieter.

Aunt Zhao didn't come today either. She sent someone to tell her that she "caught a chill yesterday because of the strong wind and couldn't get up today," but everyone knows she's not really sick.

By the end of yesterday's meal, she was already embarrassed and couldn't keep her face up. If she had to meet Jiang Wan and Fang Shi again today, she was afraid she would be the one who would suffer first.

Upon hearing this, Fang's lips curved slightly, and she said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "Why did she have to fall ill at this time, when everyone is here to pay their respects? Aunt Zhao's mouth is always sharp, and she even picked the right time to fall ill more accurately than she ever said."

Fang spoke lightly, as if making a casual joke, but everyone sitting in the room understood that she was saying that Aunt Zhao had gone to avoid trouble. She had been humiliated by Jiang Wan's words yesterday, and this time she didn't even dare to greet her in person, using "illness" as a pretext.

Everyone knew what was going on, but no one took the bait. They pretended not to hear, some drinking tea and others straightening their clothes.

After Fang finished speaking, she picked up her teacup and said no more, as if her words were over and done with, and there was no need for anyone to come and take them back.

The room had been quiet for a moment when the curtain was lifted from the inside, and Granny Gui came out, bowing slightly as she said, "The old lady has arrived."

Everyone in the room stood up and bowed to the old lady. After saying goodbye, the old lady came out from the inner room and sat down in the main seat with the help of Granny Gui.

The old lady glanced around, waved her hand, and said, "Please sit down."

Everyone then sat down again.

The seating arrangement was also carefully planned, following the order of "first determining kinship, then seniority."

The first person to the old lady's left was Jiang Wan, and the first person to her right was Fang Shi. Behind them, people sat in order of how far apart they were from the family and their seniority, with the closer relatives in front and the more distant relatives in the back. The faces were arranged in a neat and orderly manner.

The old lady wore a dark brown plain jacket today, and her hair was neatly combed, but her complexion was not as rosy as yesterday, and the weariness under her eyes could not be hidden.

When she picked up the teacup to drink, Jiang Wan noticed that the tea soup in the bowl was much darker than the usual light tea, with an amber-like brown color. It didn't look like tea, but more like a medicinal soup.

Jiang Wan's heart stirred slightly. She remembered that she had noticed the old lady's throat was not quite right at the banquet yesterday. She would occasionally cough lightly when she spoke, but the sound was not loud and was drowned out by the noise of the whole table.

The weather has been fluctuating between hot and cold these past few days. During the day, it feels like summer when the sun is shining, but at night, when the wind is cool, it feels like winter. It's common for an elderly woman like me to have a body that can't withstand such fluctuations.

Jiang Wan thought to herself that she had noticed it at the banquet yesterday, so she prepared a box of throat lozenges in advance, planning to give them to the old lady when the banquet ended.

The old lady didn't like to show her illness in front of others, so she didn't want to hand it over in front of everyone, lest the old lady think she was being nosy.

Let's talk about it after everyone has left.

She withdrew her gaze, calmly picked up her teacup, took a sip, and showed no emotion on her face.

The hall was bustling for a while, and everyone exchanged pleasantries. Over there, Auntie was talking to the person next to her about which dish at yesterday's banquet was the best. Someone casually chimed in, "Yesterday's banquet was indeed sumptuous. The old lady went to great lengths."

The old lady waved her hand and only said, "I'm glad you can eat it," without taking any more.

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman from a collateral branch of the family sitting in the back row laughed and said, "If you ask me, the most composed one at yesterday's banquet was still my eldest sister-in-law. Aunt Zhao has a sharp tongue and never holds back when she talks. Anyone else would have been dumbfounded by her, but only my eldest sister-in-law could handle it and not be at a disadvantage."

Her words were half praise for Jiang Wan and half a way to start a conversation. After she finished speaking, she smiled and looked at Jiang Wan, as if waiting for her to say something in response. But her words put Jiang Wan in an awkward position.

If one is humble, it seems pretentious; if one accepts it readily, it seems like one is showing off in front of others.

Before Jiang Wan could speak, Madam Fang had already put down her teacup.

"Aunt Zhao's mouth is so sharp, who wouldn't give her some leeway? My sister-in-law is just magnanimous and doesn't hold it against her."

As she spoke, Fang used the lid of her teacup to skim off the foam, her tone not harsh, "If it were someone else, they probably would have argued with her on the spot."

After she finished speaking, she picked up the teacup and took a sip, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

The woman from the collateral branch of the family, taken aback by her retort, smiled and said, "What the Second Madam says is true," and then fell silent.

Jiang Wan glanced at Madam Fang, but Madam Fang didn't look at her. Instead, she turned to the maid beside her and said, "The tea is cold. Go and get a fresh cup."

After the greetings were over, the people in each room got up and left one after another. Jiang Wan did not leave in a hurry. She sat in her seat and waited for a few moments. When she saw that most of the people in the hall had left, she gave Qinghe a wink.

Qinghe took out a small porcelain box from her sleeve, about the width of a palm, made of white porcelain.

Jiang Wan took it, got up and walked to the old lady, placing the porcelain box on the small table next to her.

"Grandma, you talked a lot at the banquet yesterday, and your voice sounded a little hoarse. These are throat lozenges made with a recipe from my hometown. You can suck on one before drinking tea to make your throat feel better."

The old lady was untying a string of Buddhist prayer beads from her wrist. Hearing her words, she looked up at her and chuckled, "You're so thoughtful."

He then took the porcelain box, opened the lid, and looked inside. The sugar cubes were light amber in color, cut into neat squares, and arranged in an orderly fashion. Each cube was about the size of a fingernail, and the surface had a thin layer of oily sheen.

The old lady picked one up and put it in her mouth. "It's not too sweet, it's refreshing, much better than those sugar-coated throat lozenges sold in stores. Those make your mouth feel sour if you eat too many."

The old lady closed the porcelain box again and placed it on the small table. "Your recipe is quite good. What are you using to make it?"

"The base is made of honey and pear juice, with added licorice and a few cooling herbs. They are all common and nothing expensive. The key is to keep the heat steady while simmering, otherwise it will taste bitter."

Jiang Wan smiled as she spoke, "If the old lady likes it, I'll have Qinghe send some more over."

Fang hadn't left yet either; she heard the commotion and came over as well.

She peeked into the white porcelain box, picked up a piece, and examined it against the light: "Sister-in-law, you have this skill? My throat was dry yesterday too, could you spare me a few?"

The old lady gathered the porcelain box closer to her, glanced at Fang Shi, and said with a hint of a joke in her tone, "You certainly know how to pick your time. Your sister-in-law just gave me this candy, and you naughty girl are already trying to take it from me. I haven't even had a chance to enjoy it yet."

Fang was not annoyed and laughed, "It's because the old lady dotes on me that I dared to ask for it. If the old lady doesn't give it to me, I'll just ask my sister-in-law myself."

As she spoke, she gave Jiang Wan a look, as if to say, "You see, the old lady is reluctant to give it to me."

Jiang Wan caught the look in her eyes and replied, "There are still some in the box. Sister-in-law, take a few. If you don't have enough, I'll have someone send some more to your yard."

Without any hesitation, Fang picked up two kernels, wrapped them in a handkerchief, and tucked them into her sleeve: "Then I'll thank you in advance, sister-in-law."

After she finished speaking, she bowed to the old lady and turned to leave.

After Fang left, the hall quieted down. The old lady picked up the porcelain box again and looked at it, weighing it in her palm as if she had some other considerations.

Granny Gui came over to clear away the teacups, and casually removed the plate of cold pastries with light and steady movements. The old lady didn't say anything more about the throat lozenges, only asking, "That courtyard on the east side, I asked you to check last time, have the window paper been re-painted?"

Granny Gui stopped what she was doing and replied, "Reporting to the old lady, the window paper was replaced at the beginning of the month, and there is no dust in the room. The bed frame is newly made, and the wardrobe and chairs are all made of old materials, resized, and repainted. They look almost brand new."

"We haven't had time to match the calligraphy, paintings, and ornaments in the room yet. We were thinking of waiting for you to take a look in person before making a decision."

The old lady nodded and didn't continue speaking.

Hearing this, Jiang Wan knew it was time to get up and take her leave. She stood up and bowed, and the old lady raised her hand and said, "Go on, go back and pack your things. I'll have Granny Gui take you to see that courtyard later."