Speaking of it, he was her husband, but standing before him now, an absurd illusion crept into Wan Niang's mind. This wasn't like a husband at all—it was more like her father.
Gu Lanyin had thought she was just wandering around the city, but to his surprise, she had gone outside the city walls. "Who did you meet outside the city?" He circled her once, then looked at Bao Niang. "You only brought a few maids out? The river bandits on Poyang Lake are rampant; you have no idea how dangerous it is. If you'd run into them, right now I'd be burning incense and praying… or collecting your remains?"
"Hmm? Why aren't you talking?"
Gu Lanyin smiled at Bao Niang. "I thought you were quite clever, but now it seems you're exceptionally vicious."
Bao Niang's head felt so heavy she could barely lift it. At his words, her knees went weak, and she thumped to the ground with a loud thud. "I never intended to harm my mistress. It's just my first time here, and I was muddleheaded. I beg the young master to be magnanimous and spare me this once."
Wan Niang also pleaded for her.
The two young girls stood together, starting to cry again.
"I won't dare do it again," Wan Niang said. She wanted to take his hand and beg him with a bit of coaxing, but she couldn't even touch his sleeve.
"Again? Afraid you won't remember the lesson, so I've specially prepared some homework for you."
Gu Lanyin patted the stack of papers on the table, all covered with questions he had set. "From now on, I'll check them every day. No slacking off."
Wan Niang nodded repeatedly. The moment he left, she looked at the questions and felt the world go dark. They were all arithmetic!
Now she had to write from morning to noon just to finish a single sheet. She wanted to complain, but Bao Niang had to go out for supplies every day, leaving her alone to scratch her head over the pages of problems.
If she had to practice calligraphy, that was fine—but calculating problems!
She complained a few times, but Gu Lang only said that merchants who weren't skilled in arithmetic would only end up being cheated.
Wan Niang was glum all day. When Madam Qian, the concubine of Sixth Uncle Gu, came to visit, she heard about it and laughed heartily.
"So you've married a pedantic old tutor! Steeped in books and ink all day, you'll turn addlebrained." Madam Qian sat in the flower hall, sipping tea, and told her to set aside today's homework. "I've hired a theater troupe to sing at home. You've just arrived in Xunyang and don't know—the troupes here are different from those in your hometown. Come watch with me and see something new."
Wan Niang sighed and shook her head. "If I don't write well, my husband will hit me with a board."
Madam Qian laughed till she doubled over. "Why are you still like a child? You're a married woman now—why be afraid of that? Your Lang is refined and gentle; he won't beat you to death. At most, after he blows out the lamp, he'll teach you a lesson for a while longer."
Wan Niang didn't understand. Madam Qian was shrewd; seeing her bewildered, she covered her mouth with her fan and whispered with a smile, "Between husband and wife, why are you still shy? Just beg him when you go to bed. Men are all the same—he wouldn't actually make you a scholar."
This time, Wan Niang understood, and her face slowly flushed red.
Madam Qian coaxed her again, and she set aside her homework, freshened her makeup, and went to watch the opera.
Today they performed The Story of the Western Wing, so different from the Nuo opera in her hometown.
Wan Niang watched intently. The lingering affection between Scholar Zhang and Cui Yingying left her deeply moved. She twisted her handkerchief, remembering the secret rendezvous she used to have with Gu Lang.
Back then, how could she not have seen he would become such a strict man after marriage?
Her palm stung faintly, and she couldn't help shedding a few tears.
Madam Qian handed her some freshly made pastries and, with the air of a seasoned elder, smiled. "Such plays only sound good on stage. Once married, men become different people. As women, we marry a chicken and follow a chicken; we can't do anything about them. Are you thinking of something sad? Tell your aunt, and maybe you'll feel better."
Madam Qian was Sixth Uncle Gu's later wife, over twenty years his junior. Sitting with Wan Niang now, there was no hint of the generation gap.
Wan Niang sighed. The young actor's drawn-out tune still rang in her ears. She looked at the sky. Two hours had already passed.
When she was doing arithmetic, why hadn't time passed like this?
"Auntie, I have to go. If those homework problems are untouched, my husband will be hard to deal with when he returns." She sounded like a trembling student; just mentioning the teacher made her voice quiver with fear.
"Would he really hit you with a board?" Madam Qian didn't believe it, still smiling. "Auntie will teach you a trick. It works best to coax a man."
Wan Niang blushed, shy and hesitant.
"We're both women—what's there to be ashamed of? Unless you plan never to have children? That's all there is between a man and a woman." Madam Qian beckoned her close and whispered a few sentences in her ear.
Wan Niang stared at her in shock, then covered her forehead, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
Would that work?
She was half-convinced. Madam Qian patted her hand and said, "I'll have Xiao Mei deliver it to you later."
The opera was nearing its end. Wan Niang fidgeted restlessly. As soon as it was over, she hurried back.
Bao Niang returned just as Xiao Mei came to deliver the package.
The rouge-red bundle was tied tightly. Bao Niang couldn't untie it and reached for scissors to cut it, but Wan Niang quickly stopped her. "Go close all the curtains. If others see, it won't be good."
Bao Niang's curiosity was piqued. The mistress and maid hid in the bedroom.
When they finally opened the bundle and saw the gossamer-thin garment, Wan Niang gasped. "Th-this…" She showed Bao Niang and explained, "Auntie forced this on me, said it would… ah!"
Bao Niang's face also turned bright red. "Can this be worn?"
"I don't know. But I haven't written today's homework yet. When Gu Lang comes back, he'll probably be angry."
"Bao Niang, what should I do?"
Seeing her bashful manner, Bao Niang secretly rolled her eyes. Touching her own hot face, she sighed. "Since you've brought it back, might as well try it. Or do you want to get beaten? Later, you can explain to the young master that I didn't teach you this."
"Then help me."
Bao Niang frowned. Looking at the barely-there garment, she stamped her foot. "Miss, you're dragging me into the fire again."
Wan Niang took her hand and coaxed, "Just help me this once. Take any ornament from my jewelry box—consider it a gift from me."
Bao Niang had no choice but to light the lamp and help her change clothes.
Wan Niang had been eating and sleeping and doing calculations lately, so she had put on a little weight. When she put the garment on, Bao Niang's frown deepened. "Don't take it off yet. Wear it underneath."