Chapter 7

That night’s meal was particularly different. Mrs. Bai personally cooked several dishes and asked Uncle Tu to bring back some wine. The long-neglected quadrangle courtyard became lively again. In the past, Uncle Tu and Little Fu would eat at the table with Mrs. Bai, but today, with Guan Zhuofan sitting at the table, they refused to sit down no matter what, hurriedly finishing their meals on the side. They lingered at the entrance of the hall, staring at Guan Zhuofan’s official attire as if they couldn’t get enough of it.

"Uncle Tu," Guan Zhuofan smiled, "What’s going on?"

"Ah," Uncle Tu suddenly shed tears, "Since Master passed away, we haven’t seen this uniform in our house anymore."

Um... Guan Zhuofan was speechless. It seemed that Alhatu had thought things through for him. This seventh-rank official uniform, though a military post, had its uses. From Uncle Tu’s tone, it seemed that his father had also been an official, though not a high-ranking one.

"Sis—" Little Yun, having finished her portion of the meal, stared at the table and gently tugged at Mrs. Bai’s sleeve, "I want more meat..."

"Stop being naughty, didn’t you eat?" Mrs. Bai coaxed Little Yun, "Go play outside nicely, and I’ll buy you some sesame candy tomorrow."

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing!" Guan Zhuofan hurriedly pulled Little Yun over, picked up the two largest pieces of meat with his chopsticks, and placed them in her small bowl, "Eat slowly, and when you’re done, Third Brother will give you more."

Mrs. Bai’s eyes welled up, and she turned her face away.

"Sister-in-law," Guan Zhuofan, seeing Little Yun wolf down her food, felt a lump in his throat, "Is it... that hard at home?"

Mrs. Bai calmed herself and slowly said, "These past few months, fighting the foreigners has made the capital restless, and everything has become expensive. Forty coins can’t even buy a sheng of rice. My pension was originally one tael per month, but now it’s reduced like everyone else’s. People are cursing Lord Su, saying he’s black-hearted."

This cursed Lord Su, of course, was Su Shun. He was favored by Emperor Xianfeng and was the actual chief minister, equivalent to a prime minister. When Guan Zhuofan studied Qing history, he had admired Su Shun. He dared to cut the Manchu’s stipends to support the soldiers fighting at the front, which Guan Zhuofan thought was the right move. The Manchus neither farmed nor worked, so why should they receive a monthly stipend? However, now, seeing the dire situation at home and hearing Mrs. Bai’s words, he couldn’t help but feel some resentment towards Su Shun, thinking: Indeed, one’s position determines one’s perspective.

He thought for a moment and asked Mrs. Bai, "Isn’t there still my share?" He knew that according to Qing rules, he was a cavalryman and should receive three taels of silver per month. With the military pay, the family shouldn’t be in such dire straits.

"You..." Mrs. Bai looked at him strangely, silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "Oh, why are we talking about this? You’re finally back, eat more." She then picked up the wine jug and refilled his empty cup.

Guan Zhuofan knew he had asked the wrong question. It seemed that his share, along with the monthly military pay, had mostly been squandered by him, with not a single coin reaching Mrs. Bai’s hands. Feeling ashamed, he thought for a while and said, "Sister-in-law, take those twenty taels of silver, buy Little Yun some new clothes. From now on, you don’t have to worry; I’ll take care of everything."

Mrs. Bai looked at her younger brother-in-law, finding him completely different, as if he were a different person. She felt greatly relieved but still shook her head, saying, "That won’t do, you should keep the silver. A poor home but a rich journey, you might need money outside... By the way, when are you leaving?"

"I’m not leaving."

"Not leaving?" Mrs. Bai seemed to not believe it, her voice trembling, "You’re not leaving?"

"I’m not leaving." Guan Zhuofan drained his cup in one gulp, stretched, and smiled, "I’ll support this family."

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In the following days, Mrs. Bai’s face was always radiant. Even Uncle Tu and Little Fu spoke and acted with a different spirit. With Guan Zhuofan, an official, in the house, the family had a new spiritual support, a new hope and drive, no longer just enduring a hard life. Even the war outside the city walls seemed less daunting.

However, Guan Zhuofan often locked himself in his room, only coming out for meals. Whenever Little Yun wanted to play with him, Mrs. Bai would pull her back.

"Don’t disturb your Third Brother!" She always warned her little sister, "He’s writing."

Saying he was writing was giving Guan Zhuofan too much credit. In fact, he was learning to write.

During this time, he probed and learned more about the family. His father was a "fifth-rank official" with a minor post in the Imperial Household Department and had passed away four years ago. His elder brother, Guan Zhuoying, had a student status due to the court’s favor but was always in poor health and had a bad habit: opium smoking. He passed away two years ago. Mrs. Bai had been widowed less than three months after her marriage, and soon after, her entire family was killed by the Taiping rebels, except for her younger sister, who was saved by a neighbor.

As for Guan Zhuofan himself, he had always liked martial arts and had studied for a while but didn’t achieve much. Later, through a distant relative connection with Sheng Bao’s wife, he was recognized as Sheng Bao’s "fourth uncle" and got a position in the cavalry. His arranged marriage was a half-joking promise made by his father and a friend, a censor named Ran, when he was young. Later, Ran was transferred to Guiyang as a magistrate, and with the Taiping rebellion, all contact was lost, making the marriage arrangement invalid.

Now, Guan Zhuofan needed to pick up the cultural knowledge he had learned, especially writing, which was crucial for his future.

As a history graduate student, he was familiar with classical Chinese and traditional characters, with no problem in reading and punctuation. He could even write a few five-character and seven-character poems, often praised for his "wet writing." However, when he picked up the brush, problems arose. Writing movements are a form of "muscle memory," which he had mastered, but the traditional characters he wrote often lacked strokes, looking half-right. This was the result of simplified character training, and he had no choice but to work hard to overcome this.

Days passed. On August 26, Guan Zhuofan calculated the date and called everyone to the main hall early in the morning.

"Three days from now, the foreign troops will enter the city," he said, looking at everyone, "I have a few things to tell you."

This was like a bolt from the blue. Uncle Tu and Little Fu were stunned, but Mrs. Bai remained calm. She knew that if Guan Zhuofan said this, he must have a plan, so she just nodded and waited for his instructions. Surprisingly, no one asked how he knew this, as if everyone believed it was natural for the third young master to know.

Guan Zhuofan was a bit disappointed. The prepared "divination" speech he had planned was useless. He looked at Mrs. Bai, whose calm demeanor impressed him, thinking: My beautiful sister-in-law really has some wisdom. Clearing his throat, he began to give instructions.

"Prepare enough rice, flour, and vegetables for a month." This was the first thing.

"Three days from now, no one is allowed to go out. If there’s an emergency, only Uncle Tu can go." This was the second thing. He looked at Little Fu and added, "If you dare to go out to see the sights, be careful the foreigners take you as a concubine."

Little Fu looked like she was about to cry.

"Uncle Tu, get some wood for me," he gestured the size, "and buy some white tung oil." This was the third thing.

"Also, no one is to tell anyone what I said today. Otherwise..." He made a serious face and slashed the air, "It’s a capital offense!"

After Uncle Tu and Little Fu left, he turned to Mrs. Bai to say something special.

"Um... Sister-in-law," he chose his words carefully, "When the time comes, change your clothes... and your face..." He made a wiping motion.

Mrs. Bai looked confused, looking down at her clothes and touching her face.

Guan Zhuofan was anxious and blurted out, "You’re too beautiful, be careful the foreigners take you as a concubine!"

Mrs. Bai’s face turned red with embarrassment, lowering her head and clutching her collar tightly, saying nothing.

Guan Zhuofan knew she understood. Seeing her, he felt amused: Why are you clutching your clothes so tightly? It’s not like I’m going to take you as a concubine...

Um... a concubine?

Looking at his beautiful sister-in-law, he suddenly felt a surge of heat.

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