Chapter 5: Serving Tea

Over there, Xiniang was animatedly recounting the lively scene in the main hall earlier.

While here, Momo Zhou had come to the room early in the morning to greet them. Knowing that the bride and groom had gotten along well last night, she too couldn’t stop smiling.

“Madam, just put your mind at ease. Master and Madam both understand your inconvenience.”

Momo Zhou and the young maid Lu Wei set the table.

There was a plate of lamb soup dumplings; two small appetizer dishes: evenly colored pickled green bamboo shoots mixed with chopped small chili peppers and tender white radish cubes soaked in salted water; and finally a bowl of eight-treasure fragrant rice porridge.

lamb soup dumplings:  

pickled green bamboo shoots:

tender white radish cubes:

eight-treasure fragrant rice porridge:

The people of Chang’an favored stronger flavors, and the masters of the General’s Mansion liked salty food.

Yesterday, Madam Zhang had specially told Momo Zhou that now a new daughter-in-law had entered the house, the small kitchen should carefully note the Lan family’s tastes. Luoyang was in the Central Plains and mainly served soup dishes, with a distinct sour-and-spicy flavor.

Today’s breakfast was personally overseen by Momo Zhou.

Still feeling uneasy about the delay in serving tea, Lan Yunjin looked at the table full of delicacies but didn’t feel hungry.

Adding to that, she hadn’t rested well last night; her eyelids drooped with weariness, and her unadorned face looked dull.

Shaking her head, Lan Yunjin said, “Thank you for comforting me, Momo Zhou, but in the end, I broke the rules today.”

Momo Zhou bowed as she ladled out porridge. Though a servant, her seniority and standing in the mansion were unmatched, even though she no longer attended Wei Xiao directly.

“Madam, if you feel uneasy, wait until you go to serve tea to Madam, then you’ll see how much she and Master cherish you,” Momo Zhou said, handing the porcelain bowl to Lu Wei to place.

Lan Yunjin forced a small smile. “Only you know how to coax me.”

Wei Xiao was sitting across from her. After last night, he had changed into his usual black cross-collared robe, tied with a black silk belt, his outfit showing the full vigor of youth.

“Momo Zhou isn’t just coaxing you,” Wei Xiao said, lifting his eyes to look at her. Seeing her worn face, his tone softened unconsciously. “I was the one who stopped you from going. I’ll explain everything to Mother. You shouldn’t feel guilty.”

Lan Yunjin froze slightly.

Explain? Was he going to tell Madam Zhang about their absurd night together?

She was already standing in place of her elder sister, and today she had forcibly delayed the tea-serving until noon, which was already damaging her sister’s reputation for being well-mannered and proper.

Even if Madam Zhang said nothing, given the cause was tied to her, there was no reason for her to be displeased, so she should be glad.

Maintaining a composed face, Lan Yunjin nodded her thanks.

Wei Xiao frowned slightly; she seemed to have turned into that wooden doll again, speaking in a steady, proper tone.

She liked to have “thank you,” “much obliged,” and “sorry to trouble you” constantly on her lips.

Ladies from noble families were taught to be like this, just like his mother and elder sister-in-law, always overthinking.

No, that wasn’t right.

His mother and sister-in-law liked to busy themselves.

The General’s Mansion wasn’t like the households of civil officials; there weren’t many complicated rules.

Yet the rules Madam Lan followed seemed even stricter than the ancestral rules set by Grandmother, as if she feared ruining things that he himself thought weren’t worth worrying about.

Wei Xiao didn’t particularly like hearing her thank him.

After breakfast, Lan Yunjin said she wanted to bathe and change clothes, while Wei Xiao went outside to practice martial arts.

After a simple wash, Lan Yunjin went to the dressing table, where Yuchan pinned her hair with pearl flowers and golden hairpins.

Pipa opened the wooden trunk to choose clothes.

On the day after the wedding, the attire for serving tea to the mother-in-law still had to be festive. Madam Yang had invited seamstresses to make two extra skirts: one in bright crimson and one in silver-red.

Pipa asked, “Madam, which one would you like to wear?”

Momo Zhou chuckled and said, “This old servant thinks the one in Pipa’s left hand is eye-catching, while the one in her right hand is a bit pale in color.”

Lan Yunjin said softly, “I’ll go with Momo Zhou’s choice then.”

Her elder sister preferred gentle and elegant skirts in colors like celadon, water blue, and soft pink, with conservative cuts that covered the neck.

For today’s occasion, even her sister would have agreed with Momo Zhou’s suggestion.

Yuchan and Pipa both agreed—wearing something too plain would be inappropriate.

Pipa tightened the silk sash around Lan Yunjin’s waist.

Yuchan, with her round eyes blinking like grapes, fixed her gaze on Lan Yunjin’s face.

Was it her imagination? Dressed like this, Madam looked almost as if Fifth Young Lady’s spirit had taken over her body.

After a long pause, Yuchan blurted, “Madam, it’s lucky you and Fifth Young Lady weren’t in the same room that day, or I wouldn’t have been able to tell you apart.”

Lan Yunjin’s heart gave a sudden jolt, but she smiled calmly. “My younger sister still holds a grudge against Mother over this matter.”

Yuchan’s odd feeling dissolved instantly.

The fifth young lady had been lively and mischievous since childhood, while Madam preferred reading and quiet. It was just that today, dressed in bright colors, Madam had a touch of the Fifth Young Lady’s air.

Yuchan continued, “Yes, Fifth Young Lady was sulking for quite a while,” then added, “I wonder if Fifth Young Lady is getting used to life in the Duke’s Mansion.”

“The fifth young lady is your twin sister, right?” Momo Zhou asked with a smile. “I’ve always heard the Lan family in Luoyang has a pair of identical twin sisters. I used to think, how could it be so uncanny? But hearing Yuchan say this today, I’m even more curious. Are you and your sister really that alike?”

Yuchan’s comment made Lan Yunjin dare not relax her guard.

She smiled sweetly. “When you see Jin-niang, Momo Zhou, you can take a close look; we are really similar.”

Momo Zhou grinned broadly. “Then this old servant will count herself lucky indeed.”

—

Near noon, the main hall was filled not only with the masters and madames of the general’s mansion but also the household’s ladies and young men, seated around the luohan tables to the side.

Madam Zhang wore a purple-red jacket of plain silk patterned with auspicious ruyi, the rouge on her cheeks glowing with moisture.

Joy sharpens the spirit; she sat with her head high and back straight, receiving the teacup from her new daughter-in-law.

Fearing she might lose composure before the girl, Madam Zhang reined in her smile somewhat. She took a small sip, secretly thinking it was the most flavorful tea she had ever tasted.

At once, Lan Yunjin moved on to serve her father-in-law.

Wei Yi could not be said to feel warmth toward his daughter-in-law.

A military official’s standing was never as high as a civil official’s, and when the Lan girl delayed the tea ceremony this morning, he had assumed it was because she was unwell.

But looking at her now, she did not seem ill.

Thus, Wei Yi’s manner was far less genial than Madam Zhang’s.

When she caught the faint disappointment in his expression, Lan Yunjin said gently, “Today I delayed the auspicious hour, which was disrespectful to both Mother and Father. I am willing to kneel in the ancestral hall for a day to express my remorse.”

Madam Zhang nearly choked on her tea at that and quickly said, “Ying-niang, this was not your fault. There’s no need to kneel in the ancestral hall.”

Wei Xiao stood tall beside Lan Yunjin.

He hadn’t imagined the Lan girl could be so stubborn to the point of foolishness and actually volunteer to kneel in the ancestral hall.

In the General’s Mansion, unless one provoked Grandfather or Grandmother, no one was ever punished like that.

When he had been a mischievous child, Grandfather had only smiled and tapped the back of his hand twice, telling him to behave.

Even when he secretly arranged a sparring match with Wei Sanlang, the son of Left Commander Wei Han, and came back with a split lip, Grandfather only scolded for two days straight and confined him for a month at most.

Kneel in the ancestral hall?

He had never done so himself, and the Lan girl would not, either.

Wei Xiao stepped forward and said, “Father, Mother—today was entirely my fault.”

Madam Zhang’s brows curved with delight.

No wonder he was the son she had so carefully raised; he knew to shield Ying-niang.

Wei Yi said, “There was reason for what happened today. No one is to blame. Just be sure not to lose propriety when you serve tea to your grandparents in the future.”

Lan Yunjin bowed and replied, “Your daughter-in-law will remember Father’s teaching.”

Then she turned to salute Second Master Wei and the other elders. “I have delayed Uncle and Aunt’s meal today; please allow me to offer my apologies here.”

The new bride was like a lotus rising from clear water; her words were soft and pleasant. She observed the proprieties so well that her repeated apologies could not possibly have been for the sake of appearance.

They had not intended to take the matter seriously in the first place, much less give her a hard time on her first day.

Fifth Master Wei’s wife, Madam Tao, took a liking to Lan Yunjin at once and said with a smile, “Ying-niang, don’t let this trifle weigh on you. Now that you’ve married into the General’s Mansion, you’re a daughter-in-law of the Wei family; what’s the point of fussing over such small things between family?”

Madam Zhang rose to introduce the elders to Lan Yunjin. Wei Yi had six younger brothers, and among them, Second Master Wei and Fifth Master Wei were the least quick-tempered.

The other brothers’ faces made them look harder to get along with, though they were trying to force smiles.

The other ladies and young men at the luohan tables were Wei Xiao’s sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Wei Xiao had two elder brothers, both great generals stationed on the border.

Lan Yunjin was invited to sit among the ladies.

Wei Xiao’s eldest sister-in-law, Xue Yan, placed a handful of dates into her palm and said, “Sister-in-law, now that you’ve finally finished the tea ceremony, eat something. We’ll be going to Grandmother’s hall for lunch shortly; she’ll probably want to keep you talking for half the day.”

The surrounding women all turned their eyes toward Lan Yunjin’s hair, brows, nose, and mouth…

She had lived through such occasions for decades—where the juniors were timid and the peers full of curiosity.

But now, she was neither their grandmother nor their old friend.

Holding the dates, she found Xue Yan’s accent somewhat familiar and asked, “Sister-in-law, where are you from?”

Xue Yan spat out a date pit, her two front teeth white as jade, and said shyly, “My family’s from Kaifeng, not far from your own.”

Lan Yunjin smiled and asked, “When did you marry into Chang’an, Sister-in-law?”

The question stumped Xue Yan. After thinking a moment, she said, “I’m not very good with the calendar. Two years after I married, I had my eldest boy, two years after that my second, and four years later my third daughter. Sister-in-law, you figure out how long that is.”

Lan Yunjin replied, “By your count, it’s been eight years.”

“Eight years already?” Xue Yan’s mouth fell open in surprise, and she muttered, “Only three children in eight years… sigh.”

Lan Yunjin smiled faintly. “You must like children very much, Sister-in-law?”

Xue Yan blushed, leaned closer, and said, “You’ll understand in time.”

Lan Yunjin’s gaze turned thoughtful.

“When will you return to your family home?” Xue Yan asked. “Changyang will leave for the camp after April; it’ll take at least half a month for you to travel back to Luoyang. By the time you go there and come back, it won’t be enough time.”

Lan Yunjin nodded. “You’re right, sister-in-law, it wouldn’t be proper if it delayed my husband’s return to the camp.”

Xue Yan said comfortingly, “It’s fine; let Changyang think of a way, and see if you can take a shortcut back to Luoyang.”

Lan Yunjin gazed toward the window.

She had been in Chang’an for two days now, and her elder sister had been married into the Duke’s Mansion for over half a month.

As Yuchan had said, she didn’t know how her sister was faring there.

When she returned home, her sister would surely come to see her.

Pei Ye was a man of deep mind, and Lan Yunjin felt torn. The one he loved was her sister; if they grew close, there would be no harm in him discovering they had switched places.

Yet, to deceive two families of such power and influence, such a thing could have unimaginable consequences.

Lan Yunjin thought to herself, “It’s best to wait until she sees her sister before making any plans.”