Three Joys

Chapter 6

The weather gradually became warmer, and the flowers in the courtyard started to bloom.

One day, Aunt came by and arranged for someone to change my attire. The silk used was Yunjin, and it jogged my memory, as our household's principal wife had a similar silk. When it got old, she rewarded it to my third aunt. At that time, my third aunt thanked her profusely, but that night, she spat on the dress a few times, saying, "She thinks of me as one of those lowly servants, giving me things she doesn't want, bah!" After a few days, she had it washed and put it on to avoid any questions from the Madam.

The maids dressed me, and Aunt closely examined my appearance, offering a slight smile as she commented, "Though you are not even a fraction as lovely as Fifth Miss, with some effort, you are passable."

I didn't respond. My younger sister was naturally beautiful, like a lovely flower, while I resembled my father more, with somewhat delicate features. There was no comparison.

After that, I followed my aunt. I wondered where she was taking me, but we ended up in the main hall of the Shen family. We entered through a side door, passing by the reception rooms, and soon we arrived. From a distance, I could already smell the sandalwood, and it brought back a faint sense of nausea. When we reached the main hall, I was positioned off to the side in a chair. I sat down, and my aunt stood behind me along with a few maids. "Sit still and don't fidget," she warned me. So I sat upright, not daring to look around.

In front of me, there hung a thin pearl curtain. I was familiar with such curtains. Young ladies from prominent households would use them to shield themselves from view when they needed to see visitors. I just hadn't expected that such curtains would be used in the context of my situation.

In the dim light beyond the curtain, I could see that in the main seats were the eldest madam and my eldest uncle. On the guest seats, however, sat the young steward from the Xu family who had come on the day of my sister's funeral.

I don't know why, but I recognized him at once. He wasn't wearing the yellow shirt from that day but instead had on plain, blue clothing and a headpiece. If it weren't for people saying he was a servant, I might have thought he was a son of the Xu family. As I looked at him, he glanced my way, and our eyes seemed to meet.

At this moment, he spoke "Oh? The Xu and Shen families have shared a longstanding friendship, but I've never been apprised of an unmarried 'kao' within the Shen family."

The Eldest Madam wore a serene smile and responded composedly, "Manager Lu, my great-grandson has been rather frail since his youth. He was nurtured in our villa in Bianzhou, and I primarily prioritized his well-being. Consequently, I haven't delved into the matter of his marriage. Now, he's come of age, and although it's hard to let him go, it's time to secure him a suitable husband."

The implication within the Eldest Madam's words was evident. I was a 'kao' with a male organ and lacked female characteristics, an unconventional circumstance making it hard for the Shen family to secure a suitable marital alliance. As a result, I had been sent to be reared in the rural hinterlands. Now, at the appropriate age for marriage, and with the advent of my period, they could no longer postpone my return to the capital. This story, while challenging to believe, held no obvious contradictions.

Manager Lu appeared to accept the explanation without delving any deeper. Some matters were more judicious when veiled, even among ordinary individuals, and particularly within the aristocratic circles of the capital. With a subdued smile, Manager Lu skillfully redirected the conversation, "I understand now, though I've never come across such a situation. I beg forgiveness for my lack of knowledge. The young master, even though he is genuinely exceptional, if he indeed possesses frail health as described by the Eldest Madam, it might impact his capacity to sire offspring. Would this arrangement have consequences for the two young masters of the Xu family?"