Lovable Beauty

In the reception hall of the forecourt, Madam Jiang took a sip of the hot tea and sighed regretfully to her nephew Jiang Huaizhou, “Before I married your uncle, I’d spend every summer at Zhenyue Palace to escape the summer heat simply for the water from the Jade Well—it’s so sweet and cool.” 

Once she married and became the wife of a government official, she had to be dignified and follow all etiquette, rarely having the chance to go out. The last time she returned to her childhood home was when her mother passed away. Revisiting her hometown once again, she recalled how carefree and happy she was as a daughter of the Jiang family. Madam Jiang became lost in thought, staring into her tea. 

Jiang Huaizhou saw his aunt was deep in thought reminiscing about her childhood; his aunt’s mother-in-law suddenly came to his mind and it agitated him and he proclaimed, “If Aunt likes it, we can stay here for a few more days— there’s still time until Eldest Brother’s wedding; I will have someone send the word home so that Father doesn’t worry.” 

With the Jiang family’s wealth, his aunt could marry any man she wanted—yet she ended up losing her heart to some brute, leaving Shanxi and marrying all the way to Hangzhou—all alone and far from home. To be honest, her husband was decent: he truly adored her and didn’t blame her for not giving birth to any sons.  The only catch was the stepmother Madam Chen—an absolute harpy of a woman. Before she married into the Xie family, she was already having an illicit affair with Xie Ding; his first wife died and she married into the manor—once she realized she couldn’t bully his uncle-in-law, she turned and vented out her frustration on her daughter-in-law. 

Her nephew’s thoughtfulness gladdened Madam Jiang as she said, “There’s no need for that. It’s been years since I’ve been home, so I wish to return without any delay.” 

The Second Young Lady, Xie Lanqiao—decked out in menswear—refilled her mother’s teacup, asserting, “Mother, we can go see uncle first; then on our way back, we can make a stop here and linger for some time. Before we left, Father said Mother can stay as long as you like—there’s no rush to go home.” 

“Mother can’t bear to do that.” Xie Lanyin had been eavesdropping outside for quite some time and choose to walk in at this moment, smiling impishly at her mother. “Sister, don’t take father’s sweet talk seriously. Didn’t you see Father’s expression? He was clearly begging Mother to come back sooner…” 

“Oh, be quiet, you even dare to make fun of me? Aren’t you afraid your cousin will laugh at you?” No matter how nostalgic Jiang was, she snapped out of it when she saw her mischievous daughter, shooting her a dirty look. 

Xie Lanyin wasn’t afraid of her. She turned and plopped down on the seat next to Jiang Huaizhou and pouted prettily, “Third Cousin would never laugh at me.”
 

Jiang Huaizhou tapped her forehead with his folding fan. As he turned, he caught a whiff of a familiar scent and smiled, “How is the balm?” 

“All of Third Cousin’s products are phenomenal. I’ll only be using this set of ‘Lovable Beauty’ from now on.” Having received something good, Xie Lanyin smiled particularly sweetly. 

Xie Lanqiao scoffed at her little sister, “Knowing you, you probably just like the word ‘Beauty’ in the name. All you do is show off all day long; you don’t do anything productive. Have you learned any of the four arts?” Eldest Sister learned martial arts and she herself was into business; neither of them was the good girl that the elders liked. She didn’t want to learn these things, so she hoped her little sister would live up to their mother’s expectations. 

Xie Lanyin was indignant. She rolled her eyes, retorting, “You speak as if you can. At least my needlework is better than yours.” 

Xie Lanqiao snorted with a laugh, “All right, since you’re better than me, you better stop coming to me to ask for spending money.” 

“No way! You’re my sister. If I don’t come to you, who will I go to?” Xie Lanyin countered cheekily. 

These two sisters would bicker every day. Madam Jiang sighed with exasperation, “All right you two, let’s eat first, then you two can continue with your argument.” 

Hearing this, Xie Lanyin looked at her sister and burst into giggles. 

In a flash, the two sisters sat down together at the table, chattering like best friends once again. 

After breakfast, Madam Jiang went searching for a familiar Taoist nun to catch up with one another.  Meanwhile, Jiang Huaizhou took his two cousins to enjoy the scenery. 

Jiang Huaizhou was tall and handsome. Xie Lanqiao was only older than Xia Lanyin by a year but was much taller. She wore a jade-green men’s robe with a round neckline, making her look like a dashing young gent.  Xie Lanyin who was in a dress walked between the two of them, appearing even more dainty. 

After they finished strolling through the Medicine King’s Hall, Jiang Huaizhou worried his delicate cousin’s feet were sore and pointed to a wooden corridor across from the main building, “This is the Jade Well Complex. The second floor is available for drinking tea and taking a rest. Do you want to go and have a look around?” 

Xie Lanyin was exhausted, so when she heard this, she nodded vigorously—as long as she got to sit down and rest her feet, she would be fine going anywhere. 
 

The Jade Well was one of Zhenyue Palace’s famous landmarks. Xie Lanqiao worried there would be too many tourists, so she accepted Yingge’s veiled hat and put it on for her little sister.  Her little sister’s beauty stuck out like a sore thumb—like a rare and precious treasure; Xie Lanqiao loathed to let outsiders have a look. 

Through the gossamer white veil, she saw her second sister fussing over her, Xie Lanyin’s heart warmed. “Sister is the best!” 

Xi Lanqiao laughed and pinched her little sister’s nose. 

As it was close by, the three of them soon arrived at the Jade Well Complex. 

In the center of the first floor was the Jade Well. The well appeared bottomless, giving off a serene glow. 

Xie Lanyin leaned over the well, examining it, then turned to her cousin. “Legends say Emperor Xuanzong’s little sister, Princess Jinxian, was fetching water to wash her hair when she accidentally dropped her jade hairpin inside. Later, the hairpin was found within the spring of the Jade Spring Courtyard at the foot of the mountain, hence why they’re called Jade Well and Jade Spring.  Are these two really connected?  Or is it just hearsay?” 

The complex was spacious, allowing the young girl’s voice to spread far—like the trickling of a tranquil spring within an empty valley. 

In the tearoom of the second floor, someone’s heart trembled as he listened in. The teacup was already on his lips, but he forgot to take a sip. 

Notes from the author (as translated): 

Xiao Yuan: Hn, I like your daughter—give her to me. 

Madam Jiang: Which one do you like? 

Xiao Yuan: The one with the best voice. 

Madam Jiang: …you like my daughter’s voice? No sincerity at all! Go home and play with your oriole!