Chapter Twenty-Four: Wise Lady Arrives

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. The days grew warmer, and the chicks and ducklings that Banxia raised had grown considerably. In the backyard, the pumpkin and loofah vines stretched out long tendrils. Returning from the fields, Banxia excitedly told Gansu, “The fish has grown again, it’s this big now.” She demonstrated the size with her hands.

Gansu hurriedly handed her water and wiped her sweat with a cloth. “I’ve told you so many times already, when the sun is strong you must wear a hat, but you forgot again.”

“Wearing a hat is such a bother,” Banxia muttered quietly, still feeling hot.

“If you end up sunburned and peeling, that’ll be comfortable, won’t it?” Gansu looked at Banxia’s flushed face, as red and juicy as a ripe peach. He suddenly felt thirsty, wanting to take a bite. He handed her the cloth, turning away awkwardly. “If you get tanned like a little black girl, you’ll really be happy then.”

“That won’t happen.” Banxia was most satisfied with the original owner’s appearance—fair and clean, with a pair of watery almond eyes, giving her a naturally fragile, lily-like beauty.

The biggest transformation, however, was Gansu. After a month of good food and regular exercise, his already decent foundation flourished. Once gaunt and thin, he now exuded the elegance of an unparalleled young gentleman. Most importantly, Gansu looked slender in clothes, but muscular without them. Last night, after his bath, he came out in a sleeveless sleeping garment Banxia had made, accidentally revealing his waist—he even had abdominal muscles. Banxia unconsciously swallowed.

Seeing her dazed expression, Gansu chuckled. “Would you like to touch it?”

Banxia, embarrassed, wrapped herself in a blanket to cover her lascivious thoughts. Gansu laughed even harder.

Beauty is a dangerous thing; beauty leads people astray.

Since Banxia had confronted her last time, Aunt Gan had behaved herself, staying in the courtyard and passing Banxia without so much as a glance. Sometimes she would sneak peeks into the small courtyard, but Banxia paid her no mind—as long as she didn’t hear any gossip, she was content to ignore her.

Banxia was about to prepare lunch when she heard someone knocking at the door. She went outside and was surprised to see Huiniang, accompanied by a man and an elderly woman, presumably her husband and mother-in-law. They carried quite a few items in their hands.

“What brings you here? And with so many things! Come in, come in.”

They entered the house. Gansu was reading and, seeing their arrival, quickly went to pour tea.

“Sorry to disturb you, Scholar,” said Huiniang’s husband, Tian Defu, clearly an honest man. Gansu handed him tea, and he rubbed his hands, looking a bit embarrassed.

His mother, Old Madam Tian, appeared kindly. She accepted the tea and, after thanking them, said, “We’ve wanted to come thank the Scholar for a while, but my son and I have both been unwell, so it’s been delayed until now. Such a great favor, and we haven’t thanked you in person—I truly feel uneasy. So we made the trip today, though I hope we’re not causing trouble.”

“Auntie, don’t say that. Gansu and I are just two people here, no relatives to visit. Having you here makes things lively. Are you all better now?”

“All better. The money from the Lin family was generous, and the pharmacy was attentive. Not only did they cure this illness, but even my chronic arthritis is gone. It’s a blessing in disguise, all thanks to you. We’re here to thank you both.” With that, she was about to kneel.

“No, no, please don’t! That’s shortening our lives. It was nothing, just lending a hand.” Banxia quickly helped the old lady to her seat.

“It was no small thing. My daughter-in-law told me, that Lord Lin and the magistrate are brothers. Offending people like that—anyone else wouldn’t dare. And this wasn’t a minor matter, it concerned our family’s lives. This is a favor we’ll remember forever,” the old lady said, growing more emotional.

Huiniang quickly comforted her, “Mother, Scholar Gan and Lady Su are both good people; they understand our gratitude. Don’t worry.”

She turned to Banxia, “Mother-in-law has been thinking about this great favor for so long, and seeing you now, she’s a bit overwhelmed.”

“It’s no trouble, no trouble. You haven’t had lunch yet, right? I’ll cook, let’s eat together.”

“We’ll all help. I brought plenty of vegetables, and some fish,” Old Madam Tian said. The three women went into the kitchen.

Tian Defu held a natural respect for scholars, and with Gansu as his benefactor, he was a bit awkward at first. Luckily, Gansu wasn’t the type to speak in incomprehensible scholarly terms, and he seemed quite interested in crops. Tian Defu was an expert in farming, and soon felt much more comfortable.

Not only was Tian Defu skilled in farming, his handiwork was impressive. Seeing Banxia’s small basket broken, he found some tools and quickly repaired it. He seemed to find his niche at once, swiftly fixing a broken stool and damaged farm tools in the corner. His repairs even had an artistic touch, with patterns on the bamboo baskets, making them look better than before. Gansu, for the first time in ancient times, felt utterly defeated. He had always struggled with crafts in the modern world; the last time he fixed a basket, it turned out hideous. Now, witnessing a genius at work, he was humbled—truly, talent lies among the common folk.

When Banxia and the others finished cooking, they found that almost everything broken had been repaired. Banxia came out and exclaimed, “Wow, Brother Tian, you’re amazing! These repairs are like works of art.”

Tian Defu blushed, scratching the back of his head with a shy smile. “It’s nothing, nothing at all.”

Gansu felt even more dejected, and Banxia twisted the knife further. “Gansu’s repairs were so ugly before. If not for their sturdiness, I wouldn’t even want to take them outside.” Gansu couldn’t even force a smile. Must they hurt each other like this? Truly, theirs was a fake, plastic marriage.

Old Madam Tian was a die-hard fan of Gansu, quickly smoothing things over. “Scholar Gan is remarkable for his learning already. If he could do everything, what would others do for work?”

“That’s right! My husband is truly amazing at his studies. If he reads a book twice, he remembers most of it, and his handwriting is beautiful…”

“All right, let’s eat,” Gansu, unused to Banxia’s elaborate praises, blushed and changed the subject.

Everyone gathered around the table, chatting and laughing freely. The meal was joyful and lively.

After lunch, Gansu and Tian Defu went to the back hills to cut bamboo. Summer had arrived, and they planned to make a bamboo bed. Banxia and Huiniang, along with her mother-in-law, tidied up the kitchen and sat down. Huiniang took out shoes she had made for Banxia to try on. Banxia was amazed.

“You and your husband are so talented!” Indeed, Huiniang had embroidered a lively dragonfly on the shoe, as if it might take flight any moment.

“It’s just a little craft, nothing special.”

“Not at all! I don’t know any of these skills. Huiniang, teach me, please. Now that summer’s here, I want to make some clothes for Gansu.” Banxia had been thinking about this for a while. She had already bought fabric at the last market, but had no idea how to cut it. She had planned to learn from Aunt Wang, but now Huiniang was here, it was perfect timing.

Huiniang was surprised Banxia knew nothing, but considering her background, it made sense. Motherless girls often lacked domestic skills. If not for a kind neighbor teaching her and her own diligence, she wouldn’t know embroidery herself. Looking at Banxia, she felt a kinship and quickly asked her to bring out the fabric.

Banxia brought it out, and Huiniang touched it, remarking, “This is good material—you must have spent quite a bit.”

“Two taels of silver. I thought, since he often goes to town and the government office, he should dress better, so he’s not looked down upon.”

“That makes sense. Scholar Gan is capable, but people judge by appearance first. Dressing well leaves a good impression.” Old Madam Tian added, “With such fine material, don’t waste any scraps—the leftover bits can be pieced together for shoes. Since we have time, I’ll prepare the shoe soles for you.”

Banxia admitted she didn’t understand and smiled. Old Madam Tian soon explained, “If the shoe soles are made well, they’re soft and breathable, making them comfortable to wear.”

Banxia understood—it was about making the soles.

“Lady Su, do you have any spare fabric?”

“No, but I have two worn-out garments.” Banxia quickly fetched them, and Old Madam Tian went to the kitchen for flour to make paste.

Huiniang saw Banxia following eagerly and laughed, “First time making paste, Banxia?”

“I’m realizing now how little I know. I should learn everything I see.”

“No need to rush, Banxia. Next year, when Scholar Gan passes the provincial exam, you’ll be the wife of a scholar. Then you can buy whatever clothes you want, or have servants make them. No need to do it yourself. Don’t worry.”

“Still, learning a skill is never wasted.”

“That’s true,” Old Madam Tian said, pouring flour into a pot and stirring with chopsticks. “You must keep stirring while making paste, never stop, and the fire shouldn’t be too strong. If it boils, the paste won’t be sticky enough. See, it’s about ready now.”

Huiniang quickly turned off the heat, and Banxia saw it looked just like store-bought paste.

Old Madam Tian scooped it out, brought it to the courtyard, and found a wooden board. “The first layer of the sole must be flat.” She evenly spread a layer of paste on the board, then pressed the cut fabric pieces from the old clothes smoothly on top. “No gaps, it must be flat. Then another layer of paste, another layer of fabric. Men’s soles need at least five layers, women’s not less than three. The last layer of fabric should be larger, to wrap around the others, and then another layer of paste. Let it dry in the sun. Today’s weather is good, but it must dry thoroughly. Once dry, take it in quickly—if it cracks in the sun, you’ll have to start over.”

Banxia hadn’t expected making a simple pair of shoes to be so complicated. Her head spun.

Old Madam Tian comforted her, “It sounds complicated, but once you try it, it’s simple. Here, you try.”

Banxia took a deep breath and followed Old Madam Tian’s instructions.

“This part isn’t flat enough, press it down… That’s better, now another layer. For your first attempt, this is quite good,” Old Madam Tian remarked.

“I’ll make a few more for you. You go learn how to make clothes from Huiniang.”

“Huiniang, this is really hard,” Banxia said pitifully.

“This is just the first step. Once the soles are dry, you have to cut them into pieces, wrap the edges with new white fabric strips, glue the wrapped soles together, sew around the edges with hemp thread, then stitch the soles, soak them in hot water, and finally hammer them flat with an iron hammer. Only then are the soles finished.”

“That’s just the soles?” Banxia felt her nerves fraying. “Forget it, I don’t think I can learn this advanced skill. Too hard—I’ll stick to clothes.”

When Gansu returned, he was greeted by Banxia’s puppy-eyed gaze. Seeing her pitiful expression, he hurried over, ignoring his sweat. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t make shoes or clothes. I feel useless.”

Gansu sighed in relief, thinking it was something serious. “It’s fine, if you can’t make them, just buy them. Steward Yan will settle accounts tomorrow; you can use the money to buy whatever you want.”

Banxia felt this bold “just buy it” attitude could truly heal the soul.

Huiniang laughed nearby.

“You play with Huiniang; I’ll be in the yard making the bamboo bed with Brother Tian.”

I’m not playing, Banxia thought with teary eyes.

“Look how much Scholar Gan dotes on you,” Huiniang teased. “Making clothes is all about practice; you can’t master it instantly. I’ll take the fabric home and make it for you.”

“I’ll pay you for your work.”

“Saying that means you’re treating me as an outsider.”

“I say it because I don’t treat you as an outsider. Our friendship is one thing, but it’s another to trouble you. I can’t always rely on our friendship for favors…”

Huiniang tried to protest, but Banxia interrupted her.

“I value our friendship too much to let small favors become an expectation. You mustn’t refuse.”

Huiniang sighed, “Let’s talk about it when the clothes are done. I saw a damaged garment of Scholar Gan’s—let me teach you to mend it.”

“That’s perfect!”

Tian Defu and Gansu worked so efficiently that they finished the bamboo bed in an afternoon. The family stayed until after dinner before leaving.