Page 52 of Silk and Sensibility

There were so many merchant boats and government barges on the Grand Canal connecting Suzhou and Hangzhou that the Wōkòu activity Captain Bai warned of seemed unlikely. As far as Meilin could tell, his worries were excessive.

Meilin was optimistic about this trip. Whether due to her determined attitude or the slower pace of travel on a canal compared to a river, even the nausea that usually plagued her on water was manageable, which was a blessing, because she needed all her mental faculties to execute her plans.

First, she would ask Uncle Meng to deliver her letter to Master Wei. She was confident he would come see her as soon as he knew she was in Hangzhou. After that, she needed Uncle Meng to deliver her letter to Enze asking him to talk to Ailin in person. As awkward as such a meeting might be, she was sure Ailin would be better off when it was over. With Enze by her side, there was no way she would let Shen Lusi walk all over her the way she had been doing.

With this in mind, Meilin humored Grand­mother Jiang and Madame Pang when they wanted to chat, and she didn’t even go out of her way to avoid Shen Lusi. She could tolerate the snake because her days of tormenting Ailin were numbered.

The trip from Suzhou to Hangzhou took four days. Upon docking in the city, the ladies in the traveling party boarded carriages that transported them directly to the Jiang family’s Hangzhou estate, where they were welcomed by Madame Pang’s birth mother—a pretty, vivacious woman called Madame Cai.

Meilin was surprised when Madame Cai and Grand­mother Jiang embraced like sisters. She could not understand how the widow got along so well with one of her husband’s former concubines, but Madame Cai was deferential to Grand­mother Jiang and warm to everyone else in a way that was less vulgar than expected for a merchant’s concubine.

Madame Cai’s house, in terms of style and opulence, was almost an exact replica of Batong Mansion, only on a slightly smaller scale. There was a central courtyard for the main family as well as several side courtyards for guests. Meilin was happy to learn that Madame Cai had prepared spacious rooms for her and Ailin in a quiet side courtyard with lots of sunlight and several hǎitáng trees not yet blooming. Meilin imagined their deep pink blossoms would be beautiful by late spring.

As soon as Meilin’s travel boxes were set in her room, she opened them to retrieve her letters. She wanted to send them out as soon as possible.

As Meilin had hoped, Uncle Meng was more than willing to deliver her letters. He was expecting to go into the city every day to help with Master Pang’s tax captain duties, so taking a letter or two to old friends on the way was no problem at all.

Uncle Meng reported a successful delivery of both her letters, and Meilin patiently waited for a response. Unfortunately, the next few days brought rain, drenching her hopes for visitors as much as the rain drenched the streets.

Without news of Master Wei or Enze, the days in Hangzhou blurred together. Unable to bring all her books because she’d tried to pack lightly, Meilin had to rely on her zither for entertainment while Ailin painted in her own room.

It wasn’t until a week later that Grand­mother Jiang’s maid knocked on the door of Meilin’s room, announcing that guests had arrived and she was wanted in the receiving hall near the front of the residence. Meilin was ecstatic.

On her way through several gardens and columned corridors, Meilin saw Ailin slowly walking in the same direction.

“Are you going to see the guests too?” she asked when she caught up with her sister.

Ailin wore a faded blue ǎoqún which she often donned while painting. She must have been interrupted in her work because she didn’t seem happy. “Grand­mother Jiang’s maid told me I was to come, but she didn’t announce who was here. Do you know?”

Meilin remained upbeat. “I don’t know, but I have guesses. Both possibilities are good.”

When they entered the guest receiving hall together, Enze rose and bowed.

Meilin smiled genuinely as she ran toward him. Of all the people in Hangzhou, Enze was the person she second-most wanted to see.

“It’s so good to see you again, Enze-gēge!”

“I feel the same,” Enze replied.

A young man she didn’t recognize sat near Grand­mother Jiang and Shen Lusi. The latter glared at Meilin through narrowed eyes. She smirked in response. Now that Enze was here, everything would be set straight. The fact that he responded to Meilin’s request as soon as the rain let up showed his sincerity.

Grand­mother Jiang waved from her chair. “Ailin and Meilin, come sit down so we can chat comfortably with our guests. Aren’t we lucky today to get a visit from both Master Fan Enze and Master Fan Ruoze?”

As Meilin took a seat, she assessed Fan Ruoze. She had never met him, but she knew he was Fan Fulan and Enze’s half-brother, the only biological child of their stepmother, Madame Fan. Fan Ruoze resembled a livelier version of Enze. Dressed in bright silk robes more expected from the young master of a flourishing house than a declining one, he certainly made an impression.

Enze didn’t seem to mind his younger brother’s flamboyance, sitting quietly, staring at his hands while letting Fan Ruoze talk with Grand­mother Jiang. Enze looked thinner since Meilin had last seen him, and she wondered if he had suffered in the months he’d been apart from Ailin. His worn appearance made her doubly glad he was here now.

While Grand­mother Jiang and Fan Ruoze chatted energetically about the silk trade and other ways of making money, Meilin noticed that Enze’s eyes kept flicking toward Ailin, as if he wanted her attention but was too nervous to speak. He hardly glanced at Shen Lusi, who was miraculously enthralled by the conversation and too busy to be jealous.

Meilin was struck by how much better off everyone would be if Shen Lusi redirected her possessiveness from Enze to his brother.

Ailin kept her eyes focused on the ground in front of her feet, but when Fan Ruoze mentioned that Enze was pausing his studies, she looked up abruptly.

Grand­mother Jiang addressed Enze directly. “I heard from Madame Duan that you are a promising young scholar. Why are you giving up now?”

Enze bowed his head. “I’m flattered that Madame Duan spoke so well of me, but I regret that my abilities do not match her expectations.”

“My brother doesn’t have as much time to study anymore since he accepted a job tutoring the young master of the Huang family,” Fan Ruoze explained. “Have you heard of the Huang family, Grand­mother Jiang?”