Page 26 of Silk and Sensibility

Ailin

When the carriage dropped Ailin and Mother off at the front gate of Batong Mansion about an hour later, Uncle Meng came out to greet them.

“I hope your ride went smoothly despite the traffic on our streets,” he said. “The walkers had a bit of an adventure, but it turned out fine. Let me show you to your rooms. Meilin and Ming­ming are already there.”

Ailin wondered what Uncle Meng meant by “a bit of an adventure.” Ming­ming adapted quickly to every situation, but Meilin had struggled so much with seasickness throughout their journey down the Yangtze River that Ailin had worried for her. It added to her guilt for being the reason her family had to move. Since she and Enze promised to marry each other, she had been thinking of how she could build up her dowry enough to support both her current family and her future family; at the moment, however, the weight of the unknown pressed down on her.

As Uncle Meng led her and Mother past several lush gardens, Ailin was struck by how deceptively large Batong Mansion was. Unlike Nuolan Garden, which had the same elegant country style inside and out, Batong Mansion’s single unpretentious door from the street masked courtyard after courtyard of hidden beauty. Chrysanthemums in vibrant shades of orange, yellow, and purple bloomed abundantly against a backdrop of carefully pruned trees and tall ornamental rocks in the shape of mountains. Red, white, and gold koi swam in streams below stone footbridges.

The contrast between the sumptuous new environment and the home she was accustomed to reminded Ailin that she and her family did not belong here. As guests with no fortune of their own, they were reliant on the Jiang family’s charity.

Ailin’s mind wandered to Enze. How was he doing now? Did he think about her as much as she thought about him?

“Mama, Ailin, I’m so glad you’re finally here! I have so much to tell you.” Meilin ran up to her and Mother with Ming­ming on her heels.

As Meilin pulled Mother into a garden chair, Uncle Meng excused himself to check in with his wife about dinner.

Ailin could hardly believe the story Meilin told of being attacked by a thief and how her hairpin would have been lost forever had a young gentleman not swooped in to help her.

“Master Wei was amazing,” Meilin gushed as she reenacted the scene. “He fought so bravely that I felt like I was in a play. That’s another thing. He’s a brilliant playwright, and he’s coming back for dinner here tonight!”

Ailin took a seat as she struggled to make sense of Meilin’s behavior. How had a robbery made her sister giddy with rapture?

“I thought we were going to have a simple meal with the family,” Ailin said quietly.

“Uncle Meng said that the Jiang family often invites their tenants to dinner, and Master Wei is a favorite tenant,” Meilin explained. “Family dinners here are very inclusive.”

“And you feel comfortable with that?” The women in their family never ate with strangers. A large dinner party full of new people, including men they weren’t related to, was unorthodox.

“Master Wei has already captured Meilin’s heart,” Ming­ming chanted in a singsong voice as she twirled across the courtyard. “Yī jiàn zhōng qíng. Love at first sight.”

Meilin chased after Ming­ming to get her to stop, but, troublingly, she did not deny the claim.

Ailin felt uneasy. While she wanted to be happy that Meilin was finding joy in Suzhou, she couldn’t tell if Meilin’s excitement over this Master Wei was safe or not.

Meilin barely knew the man, and yet she was already openly showing interest in him. By contrast, Ailin was keeping her feelings for Enze to herself until they could become formally betrothed. Meilin’s behavior was risky. Being known for an infatuation with a man who did not become her husband could cast a shadow on her future prospects.

“I’m glad our uncle extended a dinner invitation to thank the gentleman, but I’m gladder that you’re safe. That story sent my heart into palpitations simply from listening. I can’t believe something so shocking happened when we were apart for only an hour!”

Meilin stopped chasing Ming­ming and returned to Mother’s side. “It wasn’t that dangerous. Besides Master Wei, Uncle Meng’s guards were also there.”

“Don’t worry so much about everything, Mama,” Ming­ming said as she gave Mother a hug. “Uncle wouldn’t have let anything bad happen to us. We just have some things to get used to because Suzhou is new to us.”

Mother seemed comforted by Meilin and Ming­ming’s assurances, but Ailin still worried. Suzhou truly was a new place, and there was much to watch out for.

Dinner was a grand affair in the Jiang household. As Meilin and Ming­ming had warned, the Jiangs treated the idea of “family dinner” very differently from what Ailin was used to. In the middle of Batong Mansion was a large room with a round table wide enough to accommodate twenty people. Ailin had never seen a piece of furniture like it.

Though the table was not full today, the number of people in attendance was nearly triple the number she normally shared meals with at Nuolan Garden. Besides Ailin’s mother and sisters, there was Uncle Meng, his wife and four children, his mother-in-law, and another child Ailin had not yet met.

Noticeably, Master Wei was not in attendance. Meilin frowned after scanning around the room, making Ailin worry again about her indiscretion. Being preoccupied with an absent person while neglecting those present was rude. Ailin hoped the Jiangs were not offended.

Thankfully, Uncle Meng drew attention away from Meilin with introductions to his household. “This is my beautiful wife, Chunwan. She is the love of my life and the pearl of my soul.”

Aunt Meng covered her pockmarked face with her hands. “Stop, Jiehan. Your sister’s family doesn’t want to hear your nonsensical flattery of me.”

Uncle Meng wrapped his arms around her shoulders, showing no bashfulness while displaying affection for his wife in front of so many people. “While my words may be nonsensical, my dear, they come straight from my heart, and surely there’s no point in hiding my heart among family? They already know how I am, for better or for worse.”

“Introduce us next, Papa!” said a child around Heli’s age. With half her milk teeth missing and her hair tied in twin tufts, she seemed too young to be making demands, but Uncle Meng smiled as if such behavior was normal and expected.