Chapter11

Distinguished Guests Arrive (4)

Yu Manyi also wanted to know what was wrong with herself. She hadn’t cried when she was beaten, hadn’t cried standing in the rain, and hadn’t cried when the fever and headache made her dizzy. Yet, when she saw Song Qi walking ahead of her, seemingly fine, the grievance surged uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her face.

She closed her eyes for a moment. While she did, Song Qi stared intently at the scar on her palm. Those ten days in the cellar made him realize even earlier than Yu Manyi herself just how high her pride was—she hated others thinking she was pitiable. She hadn’t brought up the origin of that scar to him because she didn’t want him to know the misery behind it. But the grievances in her heart had grown too heavy to bear silently and could only be cried out—and luckily, Song Qi wanted her to cry.

Finally, Yu Manyi had cried enough. She wiped her hand on her clothes and opened her eyes to find Song Qi slightly leaning forward, his hands resting on his knees, studying her facial features carefully. Startled, she stepped back and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Why are you crying?” Song Qi countered, “Are you crying tears of joy because you see I’m back?”

Those four words made her instantly stop crying. She knew Song Qi’s heart was good, but his words were always irritating and annoying. After a year apart, instead of caring why she was crying, he blamed it on his irresistible charm. Yu Manyi pushed him hard and strode toward the back of the courtyard, asking as she walked, “What’s wrong with your sleeping? The rooms here are all good. Which one do you want to stay in?”

“What’s wrong with me?” Song Qi said, “I slept very soundly in the cellar. Pick whichever room is convenient for you; I’ll stay wherever.”

“No, you stay farther away from me.”

“Why? Yu Manyi, how come your temper got so bad in just one year? I thought you’d be happy to see me back.”

Of course she was happy. When she first heard his voice in the main hall, she almost jumped up. At this time, Yu Manyi didn’t know that according to Western scientific theories, what she was experiencing was a delayed puberty, which arrived in a torrent along with that summer rainstorm. Happiness and sadness were intense, closeness pushed away, love rejected. Or maybe her puberty had long since come, but in this paper-thin Yu family mansion, everyone was a shadow puppet, and she had to keep a pale face and perform along—otherwise she’d be thrown into the rain and have her last bit of vitality extinguished.

But Song Qi was alive, and when she was with him, she could come alive too.

She marched ahead angrily, while Song Qi followed behind innocently. Even Yu Manyi herself felt her anger was irrational. Song Qi caught a flicker of hesitation in her figure and sighed deeply, “Alright then, I’ll sleep in the cellar once more. When I was in the cellar, you really took care of me—makes one nostalgic.”

“Not nostalgic at all,” Yu Manyi said, “I woke early and stayed up late to bring you meals, listened to your nonsense, and developed so many improper thoughts. You climbed over the wall and left, leaving me alone in the courtyard. Everything’s the same as before, yet everything’s different.”

“What’s different?” Song Qi asked."If I had known, I wouldn't have lost my temper," Yu Manyi said, "I'm not like you all, who've been to school and have many classmates to discuss everything with. I was locked outside alone, neither able to go out nor come in..."

What nonsense was she babbling?

Yu Manyi hated her own ability to express herself. She realized people had a vocabulary when they spoke. Her previous vocabulary was filled with teachings from the private school and Third Madam’s admonitions, which she had consolidated and expressed skillfully over sixteen years. But over this past year, that vocabulary had filled with strange things, clashing wildly with the old words, causing her thoughts and speech to become confused. This confusion worsened after meeting Song Qi, and when a person can't express themselves clearly, they get anxious and seem like they're throwing a tantrum.

It turned out she wasn’t throwing a tantrum—she was just too anxious.

Song Qi understood her anxiety even sooner than she did. He was still bent over looking at her, smiling at her, and said, “Don’t be anxious. Take your time to tell me, or I can ask you. Yu Manyi, how did you dare to send me letters? Where did you buy the newspapers, and where did the money come from?”

As he spoke, he lowered himself to be level with her. Yu Manyi didn’t need to look up or down to avoid him. She clasped her hands behind her back and finally spoke to him as if they were in the cellar together. The story’s full details even connected seamlessly with the nagging from those days in the cellar. She recounted everything, down to the owner saying his newspapers weren’t selling well when she bought one, which made Song Qi a little embarrassed. When she reached the last time she was locked outside, she suddenly lost interest in detailing it and skipped with a few words, just saying that it rained heavily that night, and she caught a cold.

Song Qi understood what the fragmentary phrase “couldn’t go out or come in” meant and furrowed his brows slightly. Yu Manyi spoke clearly and cleanly, with every sentence trailing softly at the end. Song Qi was used to picking out the most important words from her detailed descriptions, even though he usually only listened to concise statements.

Yu Manyi no longer lost her temper. She clarified what she wanted to say. When a person can speak clearly and someone listens, they don’t lose their temper. If Third Uncle listened to Third Madam more, she probably wouldn’t scream hysterically at everyone all the time.

They both calmed down a bit.

Song Qi’s expression was no longer relaxed as before, but Yu Manyi looked relieved. She took his hand and walked through several rooms, asking where he wanted to stay, and he repeated, “Wherever’s convenient for me to find you.”

This time Yu Manyi didn’t make him stay far away. She indeed pointed out the room closest to hers.

After choosing the rooms, they returned to the main hall where Yu Old Master was entertaining guests. When Song Qi came in, his teacher gave him a shameful look. Yu Manyi was amused by the old gentleman’s disappointed yet caring expression. Her smile drew an unhappy glance from Third Madam. Song Qi glanced sideways, calmly shielding Yu Manyi behind himself. The “four-not-like” classmate who had sat back down when Yu Manyi left didn’t get up again. Song Qi didn’t let him stand, instead pushing Yu Manyi onto his seat, then acted as if he wanted to stand by the teacher’s side, completely shielding Yu Manyi.

Yu Manyi sat behind him and saw him clasp his hands behind his back, straighten his spine, looking upright. When he stood, he was steady and balanced, but when sitting, he had no proper posture at all.He stood beside the teacher, making it easier to join the conversation. Yu Manyi heard him actively participate in the discussion between Yu Old Master and the elderly gentleman about literacy efforts, speaking with a sense of duty. Even his classmates found it unusual. Sure enough, after a short while, he suddenly changed the subject and said that the literacy classes required at least two girls per class, so why not have Miss Yu be one of them?

Yu Manyi looked up in surprise, but he was blocking her view too well, so she couldn’t see anyone’s reaction. Soon, she heard Third Madam’s cold and slightly angry voice. She said Yu Manyi already knew how to read and write, so there was nothing more to learn.

Song Qi replied that literacy classes were not just about reading and writing.

Third Madam said, "Knowing how to read is enough. What else is there to learn? After all, she has to marry someday. Learning useless things is pointless—better to practice needlework at home." She added that Yu Manyi’s proud painting skills were just for making embroidery patterns.

Song Qi’s speech faltered for a moment, then another female voice interrupted. Yu Manyi turned her head and saw one of Song Qi’s female classmates with a very displeased expression, saying, "What kind of foot-binding cloth spirit has possessed this place?"

Her insult was much harsher than Song Qi’s—she was a student who surpassed her teacher.

The atmosphere became very tense, and even Yu Old Master felt awkward. Song Qi’s teacher turned around to scold the students and tried to ease the situation by saying that Yu family matters should be arranged by Yu family people. Yu Old Master immediately stood and invited everyone to move to the adjacent restaurant, as Yu family was hosting a banquet today and the carriages were ready.

He patted the shoulder of his third son and left the main hall. Others followed in order, but Song Qi didn’t move. His teacher came back around, gave him a hard smack on the back of the head. Yu Manyi laughed and quietly said behind Song Qi, “It’s nothing. He can leave now.”

He glanced at the direction of her palm but didn’t take her words seriously.

“There are guests today,” she said. “Yu family has rules.”

Indeed, the Yu family had rules, and Yu Old Master had just praised Yu Manyi today, so she felt confident about her current situation. Song Qi, under the teacher’s stern anger, had no choice but to leave, but he couldn’t help glancing back once before going.

Yu Manyi sat with her hands folded in her lap, eyes on her toes, wearing a purple robe embroidered with mandarin ducks. How could he have said this was like a patchwork spirit coming to life? She looked beautiful in this outfit. She quietly sat there, opposite Third Uncle and Third Madam, who stayed behind at Yu Old Master’s subtle urging. They would decide her fate next, just as they had decided every matter of her life.

She sat there like a finely crafted mist-purple porcelain piece—not the same Yu Manyi who had cried and laughed with him in the backyard just now.

Song Qi sighed and decided to eat quickly so he could come back as soon as possible.Soon, Yu Old Master, the other members of the Yu family, the visiting teachers, students, and even the servants all left. Only Third Uncle and Third Madam remained in the main hall, sitting side by side like mannequins, with Yu Manyi sitting opposite them, head lowered. She covered her hands with her sleeves, fingers entwined tightly, sweat between them like a criminal awaiting judgment.

But what crime had she committed?

In the silence, she finally rarely heard Third Uncle’s voice. She was used to hearing Third Madam’s voice, but whenever Third Uncle was present, Third Madam lost her right to speak. He first sighed deeply, then began his speech.

His words were not as direct as Third Madam’s but rather twisted and tactful. He started by speaking about Yu Manyi’s parents. His father was Third Uncle’s fourth younger brother, with whom he had a poor relationship since childhood—a rebellious man who did not follow family arrangements in marriage. His wife was also rebellious, and two rebellious people together had a tragic ending.

Yu Old Master had previously been cold to Yu Manyi precisely because her parents were like that. He worried she might grow crooked too and thus entrusted Third Uncle and Third Madam to raise her well. Fortunately, Yu Manyi had been obedient since childhood, never doing anything rebellious. Today she even brought honor to Yu Old Master’s face. Yu Old Master believed Third Uncle had done well raising her and quietly praised him a few words, greatly encouraging Third Uncle.

Encouraged, Third Uncle thought hard with his not-so-bright brain. He knew the praise was because Yu Manyi was good at painting, which inspired him. He realized that for girls of Yu Manyi’s generation, "talentlessness is virtue" was no longer absolutely correct. Third Uncle himself suffered from the dullness and torment of having an untalented spouse—referring here to Yu Shen.

Therefore, Third Uncle made the following judgment: he hoped Yu Manyi would have some talent. Her future husband was a scholar returned from studying abroad, who would certainly demand knowledge in his partner. But Third Uncle emphasized that Yu Manyi’s talent needed to be controlled within limits: not too low, as that would make her husband feel ashamed and bored; not too high, as that would make him feel out of control and inferior.

In short, too low and she would lose face; too high and she would also lose face. Therefore, the two-month literacy course was very good, just right. He agreed to let Yu Manyi participate in the literacy course that Song Qi mentioned.

Third Madam listened expressionlessly to Third Uncle’s arrangements. This time, she had no way to refuse.

Third Uncle finished his speech, feeling he had spoken perfectly. He waved Yu Manyi away and sat down to sip some tea in the main hall. Yu Manyi quietly listened from start to finish, stood, thanked Third Uncle, then lowered her head and slowly stepped out of the main hall, heading toward her room.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging deeply into her palms, causing the freshly healed wound to threaten reopening. She hoped Song Qi would return soon so she could share this news with him. She carefully recalled everything that had happened since the day she brought Song Qi back, feeling a strong sense of luck. One stroke of luck followed another, and together with Song Qi, in the midst of chaos, they tore open a narrow gap.

That gap was so narrow and fragile, but finally, she could breathe through it.