Shi Yuanping pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a steaming bowl of chicken soup. His face wore that trademark gentle smile.
“Second Uncle, what brings you here?” Shi Huai poked his head out from Qinghe’s arms, his eyes fixed on the bowl of chicken soup. His stomach gave a loud rumble.
Shi Yuanping set the soup on the table, then reached out and lifted Shi Huai onto his lap.
“I brought you some soup. Nanny Wang made it. She said you’re weak and need something nourishing.”
Qinghe hurried to fetch a bowl and spoon. She ladled out some soup, blew on it to cool it, and held it to Shi Huai’s lips.
Shi Huai took a sip, narrowing his eyes at the delicious flavor. “It’s good.”
After drinking more than half the bowl, he let out a satisfied burp and leaned against Shi Yuanping, rubbing his round belly.
“Second Uncle, will the Marquis’s wife come back to cause trouble?” Shi Huai asked, tilting his head up. His voice was soft and childish.
Shi Yuanping gently patted his back, his tone indifferent. “I don’t know. But if she comes again, Second Uncle will be here. You don’t need to be afraid.”
Shi Huai nodded.
You’re exactly why I’m afraid. You’re far more frightening than Madam Liu.
But he kept those thoughts to himself. He merely nestled obediently against Shi Yuanping and put on an innocent, guileless expression.
And so the days passed in the Marquis’s residence. The Grand Madam’s health fluctuated from day to day.
When she was feeling better, she could sit up and drink a bowl of porridge. When she was worse, she would lie in bed unconscious for the entire day.
Nanny Zhou said that the Grand Madam was suffering from an illness of the heart. The affairs of the residence had exhausted her, so naturally her health could not improve.
Every day, Shi Huai went to pay his respects to the Grand Madam, keeping her company, chatting with her, and giving her medicine.
Whenever the Grand Madam looked at him, her eyes held a complicated emotion that was impossible to put into words.
“Huai’er, what do you want to do when you grow up?” the Grand Madam asked him one day.
Shi Huai was peeling an orange for her. He paused at the question, tilted his head, and thought for a moment.
“I want to study, pass the imperial examinations, and become a high-ranking official.”
The Grand Madam smiled, her face full of approval. “Good. You have ambition. Grandmother will pay for your schooling and let you take the examinations.”
Shi Huai separated the orange into segments and held one to the Grand Madam’s lips. The old woman opened her mouth and ate it, the wrinkles on her face smoothing out like a chrysanthemum in bloom.
“Grandmother, don’t worry about anything. Take good care of yourself. Once I become the top scholar, I’ll petition the emperor to grant you an honorable title,” Shi Huai said in his soft, childish voice.
The Grand Madam laughed at his words. But as she laughed, she began to cough. Nanny Zhou hurried over to pat her back and help her catch her breath.
Shi Huai watched the Grand Madam cough until her face turned bright red, and his heart ached.
He knew the old woman would not last much longer. Her body was like an oil lamp nearing the end of its fuel, liable to go out at any moment.
Sure enough, in the winter of Shi Huai’s fifth year, the Grand Madam’s condition suddenly worsened.
That night, Shi Huai was jolted awake by a burst of hurried footsteps. Qinghe rushed into the warm chamber, her face as pale as paper.
“Young Master, wake up quickly! Something’s happened to the Grand Madam!”
Shi Huai’s heart lurched. He scrambled out of bed and ran toward the Grand Madam’s room without even putting on his shoes, his bare feet slapping against the floor.
The room was brightly lit. Nanny Zhou stood guard beside the bed, her eyes red from crying. The Marquis, Shi Yuanzhi, stood to one side with an ashen expression, while Shi Yuanping leaned against the doorframe, his face unreadable.
Madam Liu had come as well. She stood in a corner with a look of carefully measured concern on her face. But Shi Huai caught a trace of barely concealed glee in her eyes.
“Grandmother!” Shi Huai cried as he rushed to the bedside and clasped the Grand Madam’s cold hand.
The Grand Madam lay on the bed, her face waxen and yellow. Her eye sockets had sunk deeply, and she had become so thin that she looked like little more than a skeleton.
Hearing Shi Huai’s voice, she slowly opened her eyes. A glimmer of light flickered in her cloudy gaze.
“Huai’er...” Her voice was as faint as a passing breeze, barely audible.
“Grandmother’s here. Grandmother’s right here.” Tears suddenly streamed down Shi Huai’s face, impossible to stop.
“Grandmother is sorry, Huai’er...” Tears slipped from the corners of the Grand Madam’s eyes and fell onto the pillow, spreading into a dark patch.
“Grandmother couldn’t protect you and made you suffer so much...”
Shi Huai clutched her hand and shook his head desperately. “No. Grandmother has always been good to me. You saved me. Otherwise, I would have died long ago.”
The Grand Madam smiled, her expression filled with bitterness.
“I saved you because I owed you...”
“I owed your grandfather, your father, your Second Uncle, and everyone else in this family...”
Shi Huai did not understand what she meant, but he could feel the Grand Madam’s hand growing colder and stiffer in his grasp.
“Huai’er, you must remember this.” Her voice suddenly became clear, as though she had been granted a final burst of strength.
“You are a member of the Shi family by blood. You have a place in this residence. No one can drive you away. No one...”
Before she could finish, her hand dropped limply. Her eyes slowly closed, and her breathing stopped.
The room fell silent for a moment. Then Nanny Zhou let out a wail.
“Grand Madam! Grand Madam, wake up!”
Shi Huai lay against the bed, tears streaming down his face. But he did not make a sound. He merely clung tightly to the Grand Madam’s hand, which had already turned cold.
Shi Yuanzhi stood there, the expression on his face shifting from shock to grief. His eyes were red, but no tears fell.
Madam Liu covered her mouth with a handkerchief and began to sob. Yet through the gap in the cloth, Shi Huai saw the corners of her lips curve faintly upward.
Shi Yuanping remained leaning against the doorframe, motionless. His face was as still as a pool of stagnant water, revealing nothing.
The Grand Madam was gone. She passed quietly, like an oil lamp burning out in the dead of night.
The entire residence went into mourning. A funeral hall was set up in the main reception hall, and guests came and went in an endless stream.
On the day of the burial, heavy snow fell. White spirit money fluttered through the air alongside the snowflakes, making it impossible to tell which was which.
Shi Huai stood before the grave and watched as the coffin was slowly covered with earth.
Shi Yuanzhi stood at the front, weeping like a child, his face smeared with tears and mucus.
Madam Liu stood beside him, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. Her sobs were shrill, but not a single tear fell.
Shi Yuanping stood at the very back. He neither cried nor spoke. He merely stared silently at the gravestone, as still as a stone statue.
After the funeral, Shi Huai did not return to the estate. Instead, he remained at the Marquis’s residence.
Nanny Zhou relayed the Grand Madam’s final words to the Marquis without leaving out a single word.
“The Grand Madam said that Young Master should continue living in Shou’an Hall. No one is to drive him away.”
Shi Yuanzhi nodded without objecting. Madam Liu looked as though she wanted to say something, but one glare from Shi Yuanzhi silenced her.
And so Shi Huai moved into Shou’an Hall, taking up residence in the room where the Grand Madam had once lived.
Qinghe moved in with him and continued to serve him exclusively. Nanny Zhou remained in charge of Shou’an Hall. In every respect, things continued much as they had when the Grand Madam was alive.
The only difference was that Madam Liu’s gaze grew increasingly hostile whenever she looked at Shi Huai. The hatred in her eyes was like the tongue of a venomous snake, constantly flicking in and out.
