Page 16 of Silk and Sensibility

Fan Fulan gave a shallow curtsy to Mama. “I hope this visit finds you well, Madame Duan. May we come in to bring you tea?”

Meilin’s caution rose as she looked toward her mother. This visit was odd. Serving tea to one’s elders was a standard courtesy expected of daughters-in-law, but Fan Fulan rarely observed the etiquette.

“It’s good of you to visit,” Mama said kindly as she led Fan Fulan and the maid into her room. She motioned to a pair of square-backed chairs much more formal than Meilin’s stool. “Please sit.”

Fan Fulan took the teapot from the maid’s tray and poured tea into a cup. She handed the cup to Mama with both hands and took a seat before launching into an affected voice of agony. “I’m so grateful you are willing to see me today, Madame Duan. The reason I came is because I was hoping to access the wisdom of your advanced years. I’m afraid I’m in dire need of advice.”

“I don’t know how useful my advice will be, but I am happy to listen,” Mama said, taking a sip of tea.

Meilin stood behind her, keeping her eyes on Fan Fulan. She usually visited to deliver threats, not to seek wisdom.

“I have been terribly worried about my brother Enze lately. You know how dear he is to me. The Fan family quite depends on him to succeed in next year’s exams, yet I worry that he has been getting distracted from his studies.”

“That’s impossible,” Mama said with conviction, holding the teacup steady in her hands. “I have seen for myself what a diligent student Enze is. You have no need to worry.”

“And yet I do worry.” Fan Fulan laid a hand on her chest while furrowing her brows in a third-rate attempt at acting. “Oh, Madame Duan, if you have additional insight, please illuminate me. You see, this morning I was tidying his room when I saw some of his papers. And on those papers, next to his solid, upright handwriting, there was the crooked, flowery script of a woman! I fear there may be a fox spirit in this house who is trying to steal his heart.”

“What are you saying?” Meilin’s ears buzzed like wasps. The audacity of Fan Fulan! She was clearly snooping among Enze’s belongings. And who was she accusing of being a fox spirit?

The woman blew on her cup as if to cool her tea, her long lashes catching the curling steam as it rose. “My younger brother not only has a duty to become a successful scholar but also to carry on the family line with a bride of our parents’ choosing. Since both our father and mother are deceased, it is only proper that we follow the wishes they made clear before they passed, is it not?”

Fan Fulan paused as if for dramatic effect.

“Their greatest wish was to unite our family with their closest friends, the Mo family of Hangzhou. Do you understand why I am so anxious about my little brother, Madame Duan? I feel that anyone who goes against the wishes of the dead is sure to incur heaven’s wrath, don’t you agree?”

Heaven was not to be spoken of lightly. By invoking both the dead and heaven’s wrath, Fan Fulan might as well have been cursing. This was no way to speak to her elder.

Mama said nothing, but her fingers wrapped so tightly around her teacup that her knuckles turned white.

Fan Fulan sipped her tea noisily before flashing a smile. Unlike her earlier show, this expression looked genuine. “You know, I feel much better after our chat. Thank you for listening, Madame Duan.”

Mama sat motionless as Fan Fulan and her maid swept out of the room. Once they were gone, she began shaking. Meilin hurried to take her cup before the hot tea could spill. Despite the heat of the porcelain, Mama’s hands were cold.

“Mama, are you all right?” Dumb question. How could anyone be fine after such an insult? Had Fan Fulan really accused Ailin of being a fox spirit? Conscientious and courteous Ailin? Meilin wanted to run after Fulan and give her sister-in-law a piece of her mind, but Mama needed her more.

The cracked sound of Mama’s breath filled the otherwise silent room like a wind that brought storms. “Meilin, can you help me prepare some ink and paper? I need to write a letter.”

“A letter to whom?” Meilin’s heart pounded. Mama had few friends outside of their family. Raised in a poor scholarly house, she had perhaps even fewer living relatives than friends. And what good could writing someone do against a rude daughter-in-law?

“I will tell you once you get me paper and ink,” Mama said with uncharacteristic rigidity.

“Should I get Ailin?” Meilin was scared. Mama was even more upset than when Fan Fulan had dismissed Nurse Liu. Ailin would know what to do to calm Mama down. She had done it before.

Mama grabbed Meilin’s arm, too weak for comfort, too firm to brush off. “Leave your sister out of this. We will take care of the issue ourselves. What Fulan said today cannot be repeated to Ailin. I will not stand for a daughter of mine to be insulted this way.”

Meilin agreed that Fulan’s behavior was not to be tolerated, but she got a bad feeling about keeping secrets from Ailin.

“Fetch the paper and ink,” Mama commanded again.

Slowly, Meilin complied. In her heart, however, she promised to tell Ailin as soon as she got a chance. Together, they would find a way to deal with both Fulan’s and Mama’s plans.

她令我永不言棄，只因她的美好。

I hope these days never end. My clumsiness makes it impossible to describe the happiness I feel, but when she makes her notes in delicate brushstrokes on the margins of my essays, I see a way to improve, which gives me hope. Even if my chances of exam success are slim, I owe it to her to try my best.

—Unsent letter from Fan Enze to Fan Ruoze

Chapter 5