The landlord renting the house to Cai Damei was relocating with his family to the capital. Given the distance, collecting rent would be inconvenient, so he decided to sell the property.
He first approached Cai Damei to ask if she wanted to buy it.
If she agreed, he would offer a discount of 15 taels of silver.
The original price was 380 taels, but he would sell it to her for 365 taels. After deducting the rent for the second half of the year, the final price would be 360 taels.
Cai Damei was tempted, but her household didn’t have enough silver on hand. She considered pawning the gold bracelet Ye Yunniang had given her to raise the funds.
Ye Yunniang was quite satisfied with their current small courtyard.
"Alright, I’ll go see the landlord tomorrow and buy the house. We’ll register it under your name," Cai Damei said.
"Register it under yours," Ye Yunniang insisted, believing Cai Damei, as the head of the household, should own the property.
"But the money for the house was all earned by you. It should be in your name," Cai Damei argued, feeling it rightfully belonged to Ye Yunniang.
"Mother, are you abandoning me?" Ye Yunniang panicked, her mind consumed by the thought that Cai Damei no longer wanted her. Her mother was casting her aside.
"Mother, please don’t leave me…"
"I’m not abandoning you. You’re my daughter—how could I ever do that? Alright, alright, we won’t register the house under your name, but not under mine either. Let’s put it in Pan'er’s name, how about that?" Cai Damei suggested.
"Mm," Ye Yunniang agreed without further protest.
"Look at you, crying at your age." Cai Damei picked up a handkerchief to wipe Ye Yunniang’s tears. "Yunniang, let me teach you something else. Chastity, reputation—these things are just illusions. What matters is that you live well and return to me."
Ye Yunniang nodded firmly. "I will live well."
She had returned with a heavy heart, but after Cai Damei’s reassurance, she left with a smile.
Before departing, she remembered she hadn’t told Cai Damei about her newfound literacy and quickly mentioned it.
Cai Damei was delighted for her.
"This is your opportunity—study hard."
"Yes, Mother, I will. When I return, I’ll teach you to read too." Ye Yunniang’s smile widened at the thought.
"Good, I’ll be waiting," Cai Damei replied warmly.
Ye Yunniang carried the provisions Cai Damei had prepared and headed back to Jiang Mansion. Passing a bookstore, she recalled she was running low on paper.
She stepped inside.
"Madam, what would you like to purchase?" the shop assistant asked.
"May I ask how much writing paper costs?" Ye Yunniang glanced at the shelves.
"Madam, we’ve just received a new batch of Luan’an paper, perfect for writing. Three hundred coins for one bundle," the assistant quoted.
"How many sheets are in a bundle?" she inquired.
"One hundred sheets, or three coins per sheet," the assistant clarified helpfully.
Three coins—the price of two eggs.
"Do you have anything more affordable?" Ye Yunniang asked softly.
"Certainly. Our cheapest is locally made bamboo paper—eighty coins per bundle. If you buy three bundles, we’ll throw in fifty extra sheets," the assistant offered enthusiastically.
"I’ll take three bundles of the bamboo paper." Ye Yunniang handed over two mace of silver and counted out forty copper coins.
With the paper and her bundle in tow, Ye Yunniang entered the mansion through the side gate.
Granny Tian was on duty there.
Ye Yunniang retrieved an oil-paper package from her bundle and handed it to Granny Tian.
"Auntie Tian, my mother made some rice crisps. Please try some."
"Thank you, I certainly will." Granny Tian accepted it. "Your mother and son—are they well?"
"They’re doing fine. Mother also said if you have time off, you should visit. She’d like to thank you properly for finding me such good work."
"I can’t take credit. You earned this yourself." Granny Tian, having guarded the gate for years, saw things clearly. She’d given Ye Yunniang a chance, but it was Ye Yunniang’s own skill that secured her position.
After a brief chat, Ye Yunniang bid Granny Tian farewell and headed toward Zhiyu Pavilion.
On the way, she encountered a patrol.
"Halt!" The leader, a matron, stopped her.
"Which courtyard do you belong to? Where are you going with that bundle?"
Ye Yunniang obediently stopped. "I’m the wet nurse for the Sixth Young Master of Fanghua Courtyard. The mistress granted me leave to visit home today. I’ve just returned."
"Your name?" The matron flipped open a register.
"Ye Yunniang."
Finding her name, the matron confirmed her identity.
"Open your bundle."
Ye Yunniang complied.
After inspecting the contents and finding nothing amiss, the patrol dismissed her.
"Go on. Don’t wander unnecessarily."
"Understood. Thank you." Ye Yunniang retied her bundle.
Back at Zhiyu Pavilion, Li'er and Nanny Shi were chatting quietly by the door.
"Sister, you’re back!" Li'er reached for the bundle.
"It’s heavy—you won’t manage." Ye Yunniang carried it inside herself, then returned with two oil-paper packages.
"My mother’s rice crisps. Try some." She handed one to each.
Li'er immediately opened hers, biting into a crisp. The sweetness of the sugar mingled with the fragrance of rice, bursting on her tongue.
"So delicious! Aunt Cai’s cooking is amazing." She eagerly took another bite.
"Has anything happened in the mansion lately?" Ye Yunniang mentioned the patrol’s inspection.
At this, Li'er perked up.
"I heard—just rumors, mind you—that the Fifth Young Lady lost a precious hairpin."
"When was it lost?"
"During the Sixth Young Master’s first birthday banquet."
That very night, Jiang Mingyue had made a scene, searching the gardens frantically. She claimed her jade orchid hairpin, worn that day, had gone missing.
The hairpin had been passed down from Old Madam Jiang’s maternal grandmother to her daughter. Since Old Madam Jiang had no daughters of her own, she’d given it to Jiang Mingyue.
When Old Madam Jiang learned of the loss, she wanted the entire mansion searched. Zhuang Meixue persuaded her otherwise.
Guests had just departed—conducting a search would imply suspicion of theft, offending visitors.
Instead, patrols were increased, both day and night, to intimidate the thief.
The patrols questioned servants at random, detaining anyone suspicious and sending them to Zhuyun Pavilion for interrogation by Nanny Kong.
No thief had been caught yet, but many lazy or troublesome maids, grannies, and servants had been fined, leaving the household in low spirits.
"Today, fetching meals from the kitchen, I was questioned twice. Carrying laundry to the washhouse, another two rounds. At this point, I don’t even want to step outside," Li'er grumbled, biting fiercely into another crisp.
If only the thief would be caught soon.
"If it was lost, why call it theft?" Ye Yunniang wondered aloud, trying to recall if Jiang Mingyue had worn the hairpin in the bamboo pavilion that day.
She was certain—Jiang Mingyue hadn’t.
So why claim the hairpin was lost? A suspicion grew: was Jiang Mingyue using the missing hairpin as a pretext to hunt down the eavesdropper—herself?
