Outside the palace, the New Year was a completely different scene. Unless strictly forbidden, the common people were not about to mistreat themselves by skipping the festivities just because the Son of Heaven was unwell. The markets of the South District were crowded with carriages and horses, and the Qinhuai River was festooned with lanterns and streamers. Lu Shuqing’s and Lu Shuning’s hearts had already drifted far away while in the carriage leaving the palace; they wished they could fly back to their maternal grandfather’s house instantly.
In the quarters where the great clans resided, there was never a shortage of guests regardless of the time, and Wuyi Lane was especially crowded. In previous years, Xie Yi and Xie Yan would entertain guests from dawn until dusk. When the four from Prince Zhao’s Mansion returned, they slipped back in like thieves, not daring to use the main gate for fear of being seen and stopped for idle conversation, which would inevitably spiral into a tedious round of formal pleasantries.
As soon as Lu Shuning entered the inner courtyard, she was snatched up by Lady Yao, who rubbed and doted on her for a long time with her experienced child-handling techniques. She and Xie Yan had no daughter of their own, so she had always showered Lu Shuning with boundless affection, treating her as her own.
While doting on the child, she pulled Xie Jing aside with a profound look and asked, “Did you see her?”
Xie Jing was utterly confused. “See what?”
Lady Yao pouted toward the outside. “The girl from the Li family.”
Xie Jing looked into the courtyard and noticed three youths gathered together under the veranda; it was Xie Jun and Li Qi’s two nephews. Originally, the Li family were up-and-coming merchant elites, while the Xie family belonged to the old, cultivated nobility. The two sides would not ordinarily have had much contact, nor was mutual regard something to be taken for granted. However, because of the marriage between him and Lu Lingcong, the two families, from large-scale interests down to the socializing of the younger generation, had become friendly in a harmonious manner.
Xie Jun caught sight of him with his sharp eyes and called out a greeting, “Little Uncle is back!”
The two people beside him also turned around; they are a pair of twins, a girl and a boy with elegant and refined bearings, they offered Xie Jing a respectful greeting from a distance.
Li Ye was perhaps the most pleasant and refreshing young woman Xie Jing had ever met. She was born with smiling eyes that looked upon others with a soft, gentle grace, entirely devoid of aggression, yet never leaving one with the impression that she was tepid or easily bullied. Even in the official circles where everyone displayed their unique talents, someone with such a natural gift for inspiring goodwill and trust was truly a rare sight.
In contrast, her brother Li Kuang, who shared a similar countenance, appeared somewhat unapproachable. He had a habit of slightly knitting his brows, carrying a hint of acerbic arrogance; even when he laughed, it was usually a cold, mocking sneer. That he could become best friends with someone like Xie Jun, a somewhat thick-skinned optimist, was both unexpected and yet somehow made perfect sense.
Xie Jing acknowledged them, then turned to his sister-in-law in astonishment. “…The firl from the Li family and Jun’er, are they…? I thought they were just close friends.”
Lady Yao threw up her hands. “I’m asking you precisely because I don’t know if they are or not.”
Xie Jing found it difficult to accept for a moment; in his subconscious, Xie Jun was still a clingy little sprout like Lu Shuqing, and he hadn’t realized that in the blink of an eye, the boy had grown into a handsome young man with romantic sentiments he wasn’t ready to share.
The sound of Lu Shuqing calling for “Aunt” came from the hallway. Lady Yao instructed Xie Jing, “Keep an eye out for me when you have the chance.” Having said that, she gave a loud response and hurried off while cradling Lu Shuning.
Xie Jing and Lu Lingcong became idle for the time being. They first took a loop through the back kitchen with each swiping a few deep-fried sesame cakes and then sat side-by-side in the courtyard under the veranda to chat idly to pass the time.
“I’m thinking,” Xie Jing mused, “that when I visit my teacher to offer New Year greetings in a few days, I’ll mention sending Qing’er to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion more often. When there’s nothing else going on, I’ll ask my teacher to take him to the Imperial Academy to broaden his horizons.”
A bit of pastry oil clung to the corner of Xie Jing’s mouth, glistening slightly. Lu Lingcong pointed it out with his fingertip, but Xie Jing just waved him off nonchalantly: “Aiya, no one’s looking anyway. I’ll wipe it off once I’m done eating.”
Lu Lingcong thought for a moment and said, “Qing’er will be nine after the new year. Time is passing far too quickly.”
Lu Shuqing turning nine meant they were approaching their ninth year of marriage. Xie Jing could still clearly remember the seventh day of the first lunar month in the eighth year of Zhenyou; the scene where he stepped out of this very residence and placed his hand into Lu Lingcong’s palm, dressed in ceremonial robes embroidered with gold and red peacocks.
“We’re both near thirty.” Xie Jing clicked his tongue. “How terrifying.”
Lu Lingcong glanced at him. Xie Jing didn’t look terrified in the slightest with his fresh, carefree expression and the pastry dangling from his hand.
He patted Xie Jing, “I’ve had something I’ve been curious about for a long time, but I was too embarrassed to ask you.”
“Oh?” Xie Jing was surprised. “Is there actually something you’re too embarrassed to ask after all these years?”
Lu Lingcong brushed aside the strand of hair resting on Xie Jing’s chest and picked up the silver incense locket. “Back when you secretly tied this hair knot, what exactly were you thinking?”
Xie Jing froze, chewing slowly twice. He hadn’t seriously thought about it.
His feelings for Lu Lingcong; from initial curiosity to admiration, to attachment, and finally to “love”, had clearly been a long trek. Though there were occasional flashes of insight, most of the changes happened in the quiet, unnoticed moments.
On his wedding night, it was true that he must have liked Lu Lingcong well enough; but it could hardly be said that he was already so deeply enamored as to be willing to follow him through life and death. Thinking about it now, Xie Jing himself felt that secretly tying their hair together while the other party was fast asleep was perhaps a bit too intense and bold.
After being choked up for a long while, Xie Jing could only say, “…I think, perhaps, it was because I’d shared such intimacy with you that night… I was only sixteen then and had never been that close to anyone in my life. Maybe in a moment of passion, my head just spun, and…”
The more he spoke, the more reasonable it sounded. A youth with no experience in matters of affection, sharing his first intimacies with a husband he already held some fondness for, and who had only just become his rightful partner; finding the experience pleasing, could easily fall into a kind of hazy intoxication and, in that dazed state, lightly promise a lifetime together.
Lu Lingcong mulled over his answer, wearing an expression that was partly playful and partly flattered.
“You’re just trying to trick me into saying sweet things.” Xie Jing poked him in the chest.
Lu Lingcong said, “Don’t be in such a hurry. I didn’t just have a question I was too embarrassed to ask; I also have something I’ve been too embarrassed to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve been thinking about it carefully, and I think I’ve finally figured out why Emperor Father said you were the one who could ‘keep me in check’.”
He thought back for a moment. “Even before you became top scholar of the three examinations, I had already heard countless rumors about you. They said you were extremely arrogant, lacked tact and courtesy, aloof and eccentric, rude and impolite, ignorant of propriety and ritual—anyway, there was hardly a single kind word.”
“Since I was a child, I’ve dealt with nothing but ‘spirits’; every one of them is slicker and more calculating than the last. I had never seen anyone in Jinling who dared to care so little for superficial pretenses, so I really wanted to see for myself exactly what kind of sacred being you were.”
Xie Jing leaned in and squinted at him. “And were you disappointed once you saw me?”
“No,” Lu Lingcong shook his head. “I just thought you looked like a porcelain doll, like you weren’t real.”
“Oh, so that explains why some people felt perfectly comfortable climbing into the same bed as me the moment we were married without even considering separate rooms.”
Lu Lingcong gave him a playful shove and laughed. “I actually envy you. I feel like I’ve been living under a burden a thousand times heavier than yours since I was a child, yet I’ve never once dared to say the word ‘no.’ I didn’t dare offend the high officials and noble families, I didn’t dare go against Emperor Father and Empress Mother’s wishes; and I didn’t even dare so much as frown at people I disliked or things I didn’t want to do.”
“Later, as I truly got to know you, dealt with you more, got married, and had Qing’er… I don’t know if you noticed, but I stopped being as ‘obedient’ as before. I often wanted to follow your example; such as acting on impulse, meeting the world with a cold stare, doing as I pleased, screaming when angry and cursing when resentful… In short, seeing you was like seeing the side of myself that I longed for but could never reach. Naturally, I couldn’t help but cherish and value a temperament like yours.”
As the words landed, Xie Jing was dazed for a moment. Suddenly, Lu Shuning darted into the courtyard. Caught up in some game or other, she ran straight toward him and threw herself into his arms, her little face flushed red from exertion, calling out “Mother” several times in a row.
“What is it?” Xie Jing asked.
“I just wanted to call you.” Lu Shuning shook her head, the bells behind her hair tinkling softly.
Xie Jing broke off a small piece of pastry in his hand and fed it to her. “Have a taste; they’re most fragrant when they’re fresh out of the fryer.”
Lu Lingcong reminded her, “Save some room for the plum blossom steamed dumplings later. You’ve been clamoring for them for half a month; if you don’t finish them, I’m not making them next time.”
Xie Jing embraced Lu Shuning while looking down at her small baby teeth struggling a bit to bite into the pastry. He suddenly responded to Lu Lingcong’s earlier words: “You simply grew up earlier than I did and shouldered more burdens, that’s all. I never needed you to join me in cursing people in the streets, nor did I ever need you to defy the Emperor and Empress for my sake. What I want is actually just a terrace and pond, a plate of steamed dumplings, and a jar of wine. Isn’t that right, Ningning?”
Lu Shuning hadn’t listened to a word he said; she simply tilted her neck back and rubbed the top of her head against his chin.
By evening, the guests finally began to disperse. Xie Jing made his way to the front courtyard and found Madam Xie and Lady Yao sitting around a brazier, keeping watch over the fire while cutting window papercuts. Madam Xie was highly skilled, adept at cutting patterns such as “magpies on branches” and “prosperity year after year.” Seeing her second son arrive, she fell back on a trick she had used to amuse him in childhood, casually snipping out a small floral medallion and sticking it onto the back of his hand with a dab of paste.
Xie Jing still enjoyed this treatment, scrutinizing it happily for a good while. Lady Yao teased him: “Even Ningning doesn’t care for those anymore; you’re worse than a child.”
“I saw the ‘Fu’ character newly pasted on the main hall door when I came in,” Xie Jing said. “It’s the one Qing’er wrote.”
In previous years, he would set aside an entire afternoon in the twelfth lunar month to write the Spring Festival couplets for every courtyard and room in both Prince Zhao’s Mansion and Wuyi Lane in one go. A few days ago, Lu Shuqing happened to be idle and was watching by his side, so Xie Jing had him write a couple of them as well; they actually looked quite respectable.
Madam Xie teased, “It made your father so happy he nearly lost his mind. This morning he was up before the roosters, excitedly pasting them up everywhere. He made sure to tell every single guest who came by, afraid they wouldn’t know it was written by his precious grandson.”
Lady Yao asked, “You’ll stay the night at home, right? The beds in the South Courtyard have all been ready. Since the Palace hasn’t restricted you, you might as well stay for a few extra days.”
Before Xie Jing could respond, Xie Jun came in with his younger cousins. Lu Shuning was seated on his shoulders, while Lu Shuqing was tucked under his arm, still holding a gauze lantern; likely just bought from a street lantern vendor outside. Seeing this, Lady Yao said directly, “Qing’er and Ningning will sleep with Aunt tonight, it’s settled.”
“How come I don’t get that treatment?” Xie Jun plopped himself heavily onto the center of the daybed, grabbed a sheet of red paper and a small pair of scissors, and started cutting away in a completely careless fashion.
Lady Yao slapped his hand and glared at him. “How old are you now? Is this something for you to play with?”
Xie Jun ducked as Madam Xie patted his head like one would a kitten or puppy, protesting, “Grandmother, did you hear that? I’m too old to have my head patted like this, I’m still trying to grow taller!”
The fire in the hall had been burning all day, and the air was thick with warm fragrance. Seeing that the siblings were sweating from their play, Xie Jing told them to unbutton their outer coats. Noticing the longevity lock hanging on Lu Shuqing’s chest, Xie Jun remembered something: “Little Uncle, the Prefect of Yongzhou sent someone over today with some jade as New Year gifts. Father thought that since the Prefect shared a teacher-student bond with His Highness in the past, it would be improper to decline, so he sent a return gift and accepted them. Some have already been sent to the Prince’s Mansion; you and His Highness can dispose of them as you see fit.”
Xie Jing gave his verbal assent but felt a bit strange in his heart. Lu Lingcong actually had very little contact with this former mentor of his youth; the man usually didn’t even maintain ties with Prince Zhao’s Mansion. Why, at this particular juncture, was he suddenly sending gifts to the Xie family? Could it be that he had heard rumors regarding the succession turmoil and wanted to take the opportunity to curry favor in hopes of being transferred back to the capital?
Because there were so many people for this New Year’s Eve, dinner was served in the outer hall. Xie Jing had brought “Meishan Snow Liquor” from the Prince’s Mansion, but fearing his parents would worry about him due to the recent reports of his daytime drinking, he didn’t dare drink much, only ordering one jar to be opened to liven things up.
It wasn’t a local custom in Jinling to eat dumplings during the New Year; usually, they boiled glutinous rice balls as a staple and wouldn’t go out of their way to wrap dumplings. The steamed dumplings were something Lu Lingcong made specifically for Xie Jing. At first, everyone knew he liked them and insisted on saving them for him until Xie Jing took two bites and realized, “Pick up your chopsticks! I can’t finish all of these by myself.”
Lu Lingcong added, “I chose two and wrapped copper coins inside. I wonder who will get the lucky draw for financial prosperity and smooth sailing in the coming year.”
At these words, the whole family began to reach in, and even Xie Yi joined in discreetly. First, Lu Shuning and Xie Jun targeted the same one. Xie Jun was about to yield to her, but despite her young age, Lu Shuning understood that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. She rolled her eyes and turned the tables: “Cousin’s luck has always been bad; I’ll pick another one.”
Then, she watched helplessly as Xie Jun bit into the first copper coin.
Xie Jun truly did have a history of misfortune, so he was absolutely overjoyed. He didn’t even have time to comfort the dumbfounded Lu Shuning before asking Lady Yao for a silk thread on the spot. He tied the coin around his neck, swearing he wouldn’t take it off even for a bath. “I’m counting on you to help me win back the silver I lost to Li Kuang at the horse tracks next year.”
Xie Jing and his father and brother took the route of using their keen eyesight. The dough of a dumpling containing a coin would look slightly different, and they had clearly all observed this at the same time. Three pairs of chopsticks struck fast and accurately, poking six holes into a long-shaped dumpling until the edge of the coin was exposed. The “conspiracy” immediately became an open rivalry of who could handle their chopsticks more nimbly.
Xie Jing held his chopsticks very high. They used to find it strange and joked about it, saying that holding chopsticks high meant one would marry far away, yet Xie Jing had married so close that even riding a horse there felt like a bit too much trouble.
Whether the folk saying was true or not remained to be seen, but Xie Jing was indeed less adept with chopsticks than his father and brother. Having eaten for many more years than him, they quickly gained the upper hand. He dejectedly admitted defeat, sighing at the lost fortune.
In the end, Xie Yi withdrew of his own accord, feigning disdain for such trivial competitions with his juniors. With a huff, he yielded to Xie Yan. Noticing his younger brother’s competitive, child-like expression, Xie Yan couldn’t help but chuckle as he pressed the copper coin into Xie Jing’s hand. “Here, take it!”
Xie Jing’s face lit up instantly, changing faster than Lu Shuning’s. With a voice as sweet as honey, he thanked him, twirled the coin through his fingers like a magic trick, and held it up before Lu Lingcong’s eyes to show off. “See that? My brother gave it to me.”
Finding him utterly adorable, Lu Lingcong leaned in and whispered, “Are you really that happy? And who was the one who wrapped that coin in for you in the first place?”
Xie Jing gave him a mischievous smile, filled his wine cup, and clinked it against Lu Lingcong’s. In a voice meant only for their ears, he said, “Naturally, it was also my Gege.”
That said, he beckoned Lu Shuqing and Lu Shuning to use tea as a substitute for wine and raised his glass. “Enough, enough! This cup is to thank my parents, my brother, and my sister-in-law for taking us in on New Year’s Eve and preparing such a feast. But let me say this up front: now that this toast is made, we’re going to be freeloading here until the Lantern Festival. No kicking us out!”
Madam Xie laughed and scolded, “Listen to the way he talks! Laoda[mfn]Refers to the eldest child.[/mfn], you should have just thrown that coin into a bowl to let him hear the clink; anyone listening would think a beggar had wandered into Wuyi Lane!”
Xie Jun had already begun channeling power into his “amulet,” saying, “Little Uncle is being unfair. Since you got the lucky draw, you should cough up some cash and treat us. Tonight’s warding-off-evil gift should be properly more generous.”
Lu Shuqing was preoccupied with eating in a slow and deliberate manner; he had started long before everyone else, and while everyone else was full, he was still going with a steady, persistent stream of consumption from beginning to end. He couldn’t spare his mouth for talking, but upon hearing his cousin mention New Year’s gift, he nodded “mm-mm” with great enthusiasm to show his support.
After dinner, once the leftovers were cleared away, Lady Yao slapped her knee and cried out, “I hid some good stuff this morning! This is the perfect time to play while we digest.”
With that, she hopped up from her seat with the excitement of a young girl and nimbly led the children outside. She hadn’t even put on a thick coat; it was Xie Yan who called her back and tossed his own cloak over to her.
Lu Lingcong and Xie Jing followed them out to join the excitement. It turned out Lady Yao had somehow procured a whole assortment of fireworks from who-knows-where and was arranging for the two of them to help light them. “Su Xian Plum Blossoms” bloomed with purple petals and white stamens; “Treasure Vase Facing Heaven” burst open like clusters of jacarandas in full bloom; there were also “Watering Lotus” and “All-over Brocade.” One after another, they rose into the sky, flared in full brilliance, and then fell away; scattering within the limited stretch of night above the Xie residence into countless, boundless sparks, like stars as numerous as grains of sand in the Ganges.
They weren’t trying to compete in extravagance, nor were they showing off their noble status to catch the public eye; they simply wanted to feast their eyes and bring a smile to themselves and their family. Lu Lingcong had initially worried Lu Shuning might be scared and covered her ears, but she was already mesmerized by the “fiery trees and silver flowers.” Reaching out her small hand to catch the firework debris, she found the sensation was not what she expected and murmured blankly, “It’s cold.”
Standing nearby, Xie Jing’s smile froze upon hearing those words. Cold, scattered; it was not an auspicious sign. He spoke up and muttered for no reason, “Let’s go back inside. Watch out for the wind.”
And so the children, like swallows returning to their nest, followed his lead and huddled back by his side.
Everyone was merely putting up a brave front; they spoke of staying up to see the New Year in, but they began to yawn one by one. Madam Xie could never handle late nights and was already leaning against Xie Yi with her eyes closed. Xie Jun had been resting his head on her lap, passing the time with a storybook, when he noticed Xie Yi gesturing to him. Looking up, he saw his grandmother’s head nodding in sleep, and both grandfather and grandson shared a quiet smile. Lu Shuning had fallen fast asleep in Xie Yan’s arms; Lady Yao, who was unable to keep her hands idle, was folding gold foil paper into ingots for the ancestral rites the next day.
Meanwhile, Lu Shuqing sat sandwiched between his parents, bundled in a thick fleece blanket, occasionally letting out a small burp of fullness. Xie Jing had him take off his shoes and socks to rest his feet near the brazier under the blanket, toasting his soles until they were nice and warm.
Perhaps it was the soothing incense, or the warmth from the wine, or perhaps the very air of his childhood home was infused with a sense of peace, but Xie Jing felt his entire body relaxed.p His bones felt light and soft within his skin as he idly toyed with Lu Lingcong’s fingers. He thought to himself that it would be wonderful if every New Year’s Eve from now on could be spent this carefree and at ease.
Around the third or fourth watch of the night, even he was becoming bleary-eyed when he suddenly felt Lu Lingcong tap him gently. “Zhiwu, wake up. Look.”
Xie Jing snapped back to attention and widened his eyes slightly. Beyond the curling mists of incense, he suddenly discovered fine white snowflakes fluttering down in the courtyard, illuminating the early hours of the New Year as bright as day.
Lu Lingcong let out a soft sigh. “It’s snowing again.”
It was unclear whether this “again” referred to the snow before their wedding in the eighth year of Zhenyou or that handful of snow Lu Lingcong had stuffed down Xie Jing’s collar when they first met as mere children many, many years ago.
After the fireworks had dispersed, the brilliant paper scraps lay in the courtyard, shimmering under the reflection of countless lanterns like a spread of gorgeous brocade. Now, the snow covered them; thinly, silently, and slowly, instantly quieting the heat of the warmed wine, the bubbling porridge, and the New Year’s bustle, turning it all into a long, porcelain-white conclusion.
Timely snow promises a good harvest. This ought to be a good omen, Xie Jing thought. He hoped that in the seventeenth year of Zhenyou, everything would go smoothly, and the whole family would remain safe and sound.
