Chapter 19: It’s Bad to Be Fickle

When Zhang Xin returned, he brought his wife and children, but when he left, he took with him two beautiful young women. Watching his uncle Zhang Xin board the carriage with a gloomy expression in his eyes, his aunt Feng nearly crushing her handkerchief in her hands, and his siblings Zhang Qing and Zhang Jiu looking depressed, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but feel the unpredictability of life and career.

According to Mr. Du, serving as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works to manage coastal defenses in Zhejiang was hardly a good assignment. After all, no one could stop subordinates from seeking personal gain in such matters, and one might easily be dragged down if careless. Moreover, he himself found it puzzling—why could one bring concubines on a business trip but not family members? What kind of rule was that?

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but glance at his father, Zhang Zhuo, beside him. Compared to his uncle’s excessive affection for his new favorites, his father was much more restrained.

Based on his count over half a month, Zhang Zhuo had spent only four nights in those two new concubines’ rooms—unequally distributed, seemingly intended to create internal strife. Most of the time, he saw his parents acting like young lovers when no one else was around. His mother’s coquettish charm was indeed astonishing, but his father’s tenderness left him in awe.

Zhang Xin left, leaving behind his wife and two children. Thus, the Zhang family’s mansion soon had three wives living there. Although the second wife, Dong Fang, had previously managed the household, with the eldest wife, Feng, now in charge, rumors began to spread among the servants.

The most loyal servants under Dong Fang were anxious and constantly went to the north courtyard of the second wing, hoping to get reliable information. Those who were less favored headed to the east courtyard where the eldest family lived, hoping to ingratiate themselves with the wife who might take charge of the household. The west courtyard remained quiet, with even few flies visiting.

Mr. Du was no longer a tutor at the clan school, and Zhang Yue didn’t want anything to do with those mischievous students. So his father arranged a new home for Mr. Du, and he went there to attend classes every day, never returning to the clan school. In the mornings, he practiced martial arts with Peng Shisan, a guard from the British noble family, to strengthen his body. After breakfast, he went to Mr. Du’s place for lessons, and in the evenings, he reviewed his studies. In his free time, he taught Qiu Hen to read and write and chatted with his parents. Life was busy but pleasant.

That evening, as he was teaching Qiuhen to write hand in hand, he heard a noise at the door curtain and turned his head. It was Zhang Qing walking in with a smile, and he quickly put down his pen to greet her.
“Why have you come, elder sister?”
“I was just talking with grandmother. I heard you were studying in your room, so I came to check. It seems you’re not reviewing old knowledge to gain new insights, but rather enjoying some company!”
As she spoke, Zhang Qing glanced at Qiuhen’s face. Seeing her blushing deeply and too shy to even lift her eyes, looking like an honest, speechless person, she was puzzled. Walking over to the desk, she saw many sheets of paper on it and began to examine them one by one, realizing there were two different handwriting styles.
“Is the third brother teaching her to write?”
Zhang Yue nodded with a smile. Seeing Zhang Qing’s extremely surprised expression, he scratched his head and said, “Qiuhen has been with me for many years. I don’t expect her to be skilled in poetry or painting. I just hope she can read and write so she can help me more in the future. Besides, isn’t it a great pleasure to teach what one has learned to others?”
Hearing this, Qiuhen was overjoyed, and Zhang Qing was also moved. But then she remembered Amber, whom she had met in the main house that day—a girl with excellent character. So she teased again, “The third brother is truly different from others. But I remember Amber in your room is already literate. Instead of putting in the effort to train her, you prefer to teach Qiuhen from scratch?”
“Qiuhen has been with me for so many years. I can’t just ignore her just because Amber is better,” Zhang Yue said, pointing to the slightly worn green satin cushion on the chair with a smile. “It’s like this cushion. Though it looks old and unremarkable, it’s comfortable. People have feelings—no matter how fancy or beautiful something new is, one can’t just prefer the new and discard the old, right?”
“You’re so good at speaking and so considerate. Your maids are really lucky!”
Zhang Qing acted like an elder sister, giving Zhang Yue a light tap on the head, then glanced at Qiuhen again and shook her head. “I really wish my little Si had your kind nature… He’s always fickle, changing his maids frequently at such a young age, only choosing the best and unable to tolerate others’ mistakes. As soon as the new ones, Fangcao and Yaixiang, arrived, he dismissed the previous two. I even feel sorry for those two maids. Sigh!”
How could that spoiled brat ever know how to cherish things?

Zhang Yue sneered inwardly. Suddenly, he noticed a pair of embroidered shoes peeking out from under the curtain, as if someone was standing there. Frowning slightly, he calmly stood up and chatted a few more words with Zhang Qing. Then, without warning, he lifted the curtain and saw an unexpected figure.
“Mother? When did you return?”
Madam Sun glared at Zhang Yue before stepping inside. When she saw Zhang Qing coming to greet her, she quickly stopped her and, taking her hand, said with a smile, “I just came out of the main house right behind you. I wanted to see if your third brother was slacking off at home, but I didn’t expect you to come to see him instead. Qing’er, tell your third auntie what your third brother was doing when you first came in.”
Zhang Qing glanced at Zhang Yue triumphantly. Seeing him sending her desperate innocent looks, she smiled and said, “My third brother has always been the most diligent. Of course he wouldn’t slack off. Auntie, please don’t blame him. Auntie, it’s not that I’m praising him, but among all the brothers, he’s the most hardworking and has the best temper. You’re really lucky to have him.”
It was just a casual remark, but receiving such praise made Madam Sun very happy. She found her niece even more likable. After chatting for a while longer, she personally saw Zhang Qing off. When she turned back into the room, she saw Zhang Yue sitting there, studying and writing diligently. Though she knew there was an element of pretense, thinking of her husband’s comment that Mr. Du had spoken highly of their son the last time they met, her slight annoyance vanished.
As she observed Qiu Hen, who was obediently waiting nearby, she suddenly heard a commotion outside. Turning to look, she saw her husband, Zhang Zhuo, rushing in, his face covered in sweat and dust, his clothes filthy.
“Sir, what happened to you? Did you get hurt?”
At that moment, Zhang Yue also stood up and politely bowed. Seeing his father looking as if he had rolled around in mud, he couldn’t help but find it strange.
“Don’t even ask. I just came back from the Yellow River!” Zhang Zhuo saw a maid bringing water, so he washed his hands first, then quickly wiped his face with a hot towel before saying angrily, “It’s rained for over ten days straight. Although it’s been cloudy these past couple of days, it’s still raining upstream. I just went to see the old lady and suggested moving to higher ground outside the city earlier, but she kept talking about the high-ranking monks at Daxiangguo Temple, saying there definitely won’t be a flood this year!”

At these words, Zhang Zhuo angrily punched the door frame, startling the maid who was busy undressing him.
“The old lady shouldn’t even think about it—if Buddha were really effective, how could Daxiangguo Temple keep getting flooded over and over again!”
Seeing his mother pull his father outside to discuss things, Zhang Yue immediately lost all interest in reading or writing. Although he wasn’t an all-knowing time traveler, he still vaguely remembered the terrifying scenes of vast areas being submerged by the Yellow River’s floods. Kaifeng City was right by the Yellow River; if anything went wrong, the outcome was obvious even without thinking about it.