Chapter 9: Whisking Tea and Chatting on the Way to the Zhu Residence

　　Upon returning to the Zhulan Residence, Qianli Xun found Kuqiao sitting at the tea table, preparing tea. Piqued by curiosity, she sat down to watch, temporarily tossing her important errands to the back of her mind.

　　“Why are you making tea again?”

　　Kuqiao whisked the tea in the bowl and said, “Miss drinks a bowl every day after breakfast.”

　　“What’s that thing in your hand called?”

　　“A tea whisk.”

　　Kuqiao picked up the purple clay teapot nearby, poured some hot water along the edge of the tea bowl, and continued whisking. Fine foam gradually formed.

　　“How magical!” Qianli Xun marveled.

　　Kuqiao added more hot water and whisked. She repeated this seven times until the tea liquor transformed into a surging, creamy froth that rose right to the brim. Only then did she stop. Setting the tea whisk aside, she picked up the bowl and presented it to her miss. “Miss, please have a taste.”

　　Qianli Xun took it. This time, instead of downing it in one gulp like last time, she took a small sip, slowly savoring the fragrance, before taking a second. It suddenly dawned on her that “elegance” had absolutely nothing to do with advanced technology. Back in her highly advanced era, she had never been this elegant.

　　After finishing the tea for her miss, Kuqiao went to the desk to tidy up. She arranged the paper and brush, then began grinding ink.

　　Qianli Xun finished the last sip of tea, placed the bowl on the table, and asked, “Kuqiao, what are you doing?”

　　“Every day after drinking tea, Miss sits here to write poems, compose ci, or read. I’m preparing everything for her in advance.” Kuqiao continued grinding ink.

　　This was Kuqiao’s unvarying daily routine. She refused to abandon it, nor did she bother asking Qianli Xun’s opinion or trying to adapt to this “reborn” miss. Deep down, she simply couldn’t accept that her original miss was truly gone.

　　Qianli Xun sat down at the desk. She had never truly had a desk of her own.

　　When she was in school, her parents and the school had provided desks, but she never liked them.

　　Later, she bought a house on her own. During renovation, the designer asked if she wanted a desk. She thought about it and decided she didn’t need one—a computer desk would do. Later still, she rarely used the computer desk either. When writing novels, she always sat on the bed, back against cushions, hugging a large Hello Kitty, typing on her phone.

　　Only after transmigrating and becoming Zhu Shuzhen did she truly own and need a desk.

　　Qianli Xun looked at the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk. Her muscle memory ended with typing on computer and phone keyboards, while Zhu Shuzhen’s hands only knew how to hold a brush.

　　Fortunately, Qianli Xun had learned calligraphy with a soft brush in middle school and practiced through university, giving her seven or eight years of training.

　　Out of the corner of her eye, Qianli Xun noticed a square wooden bucket on the floor filled with rolled-up calligraphy and paintings. She picked up one piece and unrolled it. A ci poem appeared in elegant handwriting:

　　Spring night, my jade body is soft as a gold hairpin,

　　as, back to the lamp, I unfasten my silk skirt.

　　But the quilt and pillow are cold. The night’s fragrance is gone.

　　Spring is a deep courtyard of many locked doors.

　　Petals falling in falling rain make the night seem forever.

　　Regret comes to me in dream. There is no escape.

　　(“Huanxisha · Spring Night” by Zhu Shuzhen, translated by Tony Barnstone & Ping Zhou, from The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry)

　　Qianli Xun had read this ci before. Now, reading it in Zhu Shuzhen’s own voice, she could better feel the resentment, dissatisfaction, and loneliness of a woman trapped in a less-than-ideal marriage. She could also sense her longing for ideal love.

　　Qianli Xun picked up the brush. After the tip absorbed enough ink, she copied the ci again, following the handwriting on the paper.

　　Seeing her miss put down the brush, Kuqiao came over to admire it for a while: “Miss’s handwriting is about seventy or eighty percent similar to before. With more practice, it will definitely become a perfect match.”

　　Qianli Xun thought about the mutual divorce: “Kuqiao, I need to return to the Zhu residence. Tell me about the situation there so I can prepare.”

　　Kuqiao scratched her head: “The situation at the Zhu residence? Miss is asking so suddenly, I don’t know where to start. Could you ask something more specific?”

　　Qianli Xun felt thirsty again: “I’m thirsty. Make me another bowl of tea. We can chat while you make it.”

　　“Alright.” Kuqiao sat back down at the tea table and opened the small porcelain jar holding tea powder: “There’s no tea powder left. I’ll make some now. Miss can ask whatever you want, and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

　　Qianli Xun watched Kuqiao take some roasted dried tea leaves and put them into the stone mortar, gently pounding with the stone pestle: “First, tell me who’s in the Zhu family?”

　　Kuqiao continued pounding the tea leaves: “The master, the madam, the eldest son, and the young mistress—that’s your sister-in-law. When Miss married into the Lin family, she was already eight months pregnant. The child has probably been born by now.”

　　“Could it be that I haven’t returned to the Zhu family once in over half a year since I married here?”

　　Kuqiao put all the crushed tea leaves from the mortar into the tea roller and rolled them back and forth: “It was the master who agreed to this marriage. Miss didn’t agree at first. But once the marriage was set, she could only nod. Forced against her will, she married here. On the third day, when it was time for the return visit to the maiden home, Miss was angry and didn’t go.”

　　“Is my relationship with my parents very tense?” Qianli Xun worried that if Zhu Shuzhen’s relationship with her parents was too strained, it would make the mutual divorce more difficult.

　　Kuqiao continued rolling the tea leaves: “It was pretty tense at the time, but where’s the grudge between parents and children that lasts overnight? Besides, the madam has run into me on the street several times and asked about Miss’s situation.”

　　“You’re right. There really is no grudge between parents and children that lasts overnight…”

　　Qianli Xun thought of her own parents. When she was little, she was a real tomboy and often got scolded by her parents. Once, she even ran away from home, but her parents found her. She hugged her mother and cried, and all her resentment instantly vanished.

　　Later, her mother died in a car accident when she was twelve. After her father taught her all the Qianli Fist techniques, he instructed her to carry forward the legacy. Then he shaved his head to become a monk and wander the world. When he left to join the monastery, she had just graduated from university. From then on, she single-handedly held up the Qianli Fist Manor.

　　She wondered if the Qianli Fist Manor had survived the earthquake.

　　Thinking of this, Qianli Xun felt very sad and couldn’t help sighing.

　　Kuqiao had already ground the tea leaves into fine powder and swept it into the tea sieve with a small brush. Hearing her miss sigh, she comforted her: “If Miss misses the master and madam, I’ll accompany you back to visit them. They’ll definitely be happy to see you.”

　　Qianli Xun said, “I can’t understand it. The daughter didn’t return for the maiden visit, and the father holds a high official position. Couldn’t he ask his chosen son-in-law about the situation? I don’t believe Lin Jue would dare ignore the face of the Prefect of Lin’an.”

　　Kuqiao sifted the tea as she spoke: “The matters between the master and the son-in-law—I’m just a maid and don’t know much about them. But I know the master values reputation highly.”

　　Qianli Xun thought to herself that her unseen father valued reputation. She wondered if, when faced with the matter of mutual divorce, he would step forward for his daughter.

　　Qianli Xun decided there was no need to ask Kuqiao any more. She would wait until she met Zhu Shuzhen’s parents and find out in person before making plans.

　　“Kuqiao, after you finish this bowl of tea, accompany me back to the Zhu residence.”

　　“Yes, Miss.”

　　Kuqiao had finished sifting the tea. She put some of the green powder into the tea bowl and swept the rest into the small porcelain jar for later use. Then she added some hot water to the bowl, picked up the tea whisk, and began whisking. After seven rounds, a bowl of tea was ready. She got up and brought it to her miss.

　　“Miss, please enjoy.”

　　Qianli Xun took it and sighed, “Watching you make tea, step by step with such care, I can’t bear to drink it.”

　　“Only by drinking this bowl of tea will Miss not waste my effort.”

　　“I didn’t expect you to be so skilled at making tea and so sharp-tongued. From you, a maid, I can see the style of your previous miss. She must have been someone who was very particular about everything. Not like me, so careless…”

　　Kuqiao got anxious: “What is Miss saying? How many times do I need to emphasize it before you understand? I only have one miss—you!”

　　Qianli Xun didn’t pay attention to Kuqiao. She was eager to return to the Zhu residence. More precisely, she wanted to end this completely unnecessary marriage as soon as possible. She had no mood to savor the tea. She drank it all in one gulp, put down the bowl, and stood up: “Kuqiao, let’s go back to the Zhu residence!”

　　Kuqiao followed her miss out of the Lin Manor and instructed the Lin family’s coachman to harness the horse carriage. The two of them boarded the carriage one after the other and sat down.

　　This was Qianli Xun’s first time riding in a horse carriage. It was filled with novelty—even more so than riding in Shen Jianchen’s Rolls-Royce. In her eyes, that car was nothing more than a tool for him to show off his wealth. She hated men like him the most—those who flaunted their money in front of girls, appearing extremely ignorant.

　　The carriage started and moved forward with bumps and jolts. Qianli Xun had to admit deep down that the Rolls-Royce was more comfortable to sit in. She tried hard to steady herself.

　　After the carriage traveled for a while, she heard bustling sounds. She lifted the cloth curtain and looked out. The streets of Lin’an City were crowded with people coming and going, very lively. Shops lined both sides of the streets. The carriage wove through the crowd, and she could hear all kinds of conversations and bargaining. There were also tea houses and taverns, packed with customers. From time to time, the sound of storytellers drifted out from inside.

　　Qianli Xun put down the curtain: “I didn’t expect Lin’an’s markets to be so lively.”

　　“This is nothing. Dongjing Bianliang is where it’s really lively.”

　　“Have you been there?”

　　“No, I heard Miss say before that Lady Wei from Dongjing Bianliang sent a letter inviting her to make friends through poetry. She also said she’d take me to visit the capital sometime.”

　　“Lady Wei? Is her name Wei Wan?”

　　“I’m not sure. Miss never told me Lady Wei’s name.”

　　Qianli Xun thought it must be Wei Wan. Later historical records showed that Zhu Shuzhen had corresponded with her, with poems as evidence. She had no mood to search for those verses now. Better to think about how to win over Zhu Shuzhen’s parents.

　　She pondered all the way. When the surroundings grew quiet, the carriage slowly stopped.

　　Kuqiao said, “Miss, we’ve arrived.”

　　Qianli Xun was somewhat nervous: “We’re here already? I haven’t figured out what to say to my parents or what expression I should have.”

　　“Don’t be nervous, Miss. This is the place where you grew up.”

　　“Is it that obvious? Even you noticed.”

　　Kuqiao smiled without speaking. She got off the carriage first, stood beside it, and waited to help her miss.

　　Qianli Xun hesitated in the carriage for a moment, then steeled herself and got off.

　　Seeing her miss come out, Kuqiao reached out to help her.

　　Qianli Xun looked up and saw the vermilion main gate tightly closed. The plaque above read “Zhu Residence.” The stone lions on both sides of the gate made the entrance look even more grand.

　　“Kuqiao, go knock on the door.”

　　“Miss, we don’t enter through the main gate.”

　　“If not through the main gate, are we going through the back door?”

　　“It’s the side gate. Come with me, Miss.”

　　“How strange. If they don’t let people use it, why build it so grand? Isn’t that a waste?”

　　“Miss, you may not know, the main gate is usually kept closed. Only when important guests come to the residence is it opened to welcome them. As a family member, Miss should use the side gate. Even the master uses it most of the time.”

　　Led by Kuqiao, Qianli Xun turned to the left of the main gate. After walking a short distance, she indeed saw a side gate that was much less grand compared to the main gate. Tall bamboo grew on both sides, creating a refined scene.