Chapter 145: The Foshan Trip, Part Eleven

Speaking of this Baihu, he was a handsome man, but he suffered from “the king’s ailment.” Ever since inheriting his family’s post, he had been inclined to expand his household, constantly searching for beautiful women. If not for concerns about his official reputation and financial constraints, he would have likely acquired a dozen or so concubines by now. Even so, by the time he married, he already had four concubines and maids. With the addition of Mrs. Lin, he smugly declared, “This is ‘Five Fortunes Surrounding Longevity.’”

At this moment, the Baihu was seated in the host’s seat next to his wife, with his four concubines arranged in a semicircle behind him, like stars attending the moon. He looked around, feeling quite pleased with himself.

As they were watching the opera, a servant came to announce, “Miss Li has arrived.”

Lin Ming frowned. “Which Miss Li?”

“The daughter of Master Li from the Jiangning garrison…” the servant said, handing him a note from Li Yongxun.

“Oh, it’s her.” Lin Ming was puzzled. Li Yongxun was his wife’s cousin. Since his wife had married into his family in Foshan, the two families had not had much contact due to the distance. Why had she shown up so suddenly without even a letter in advance?

“Who brought her?”

“According to the young lady, it was two medicine merchants—”

“Nonsense!” Lin Ming muttered under his breath.

“What’s wrong, my dear?” Mrs. Lin turned to him.

“Your cousin from the Li family is here,” Lin Ming said, handing her Li Yongxun’s note. “She’s fifteen years old and still so reckless!”

“She’s already here. There’s no point in being angry,” Mrs. Lin said calmly. “I’ll go and get her.” She smiled, revealing two deep dimples on her cheeks, which instantly made the Baihu go weak.

“Alright.”

“And we must host a banquet for the merchants who brought her. After all, they escorted her safely over a long distance.”

Lin Ming thought for a moment. “Very well. The kitchen has everything ready anyway.”

Mrs. Lin left with two maids. She asked the messenger, “Where is my cousin now?”

“In the flower hall.”

“Take her to my room.”

When the cousins met, there was much to say after their long separation. Soon, Li Yongxun said, “Sister, I’m dying of heat. Let me wash up and change my clothes first!”

“Of course, of course.” Mrs. Lin instructed a maid, “Bring a few buckets of hot water and have Zhang Ma buy a new bathtub from the back street.”

In a short while, the hot and cold water and the bathtub were ready. Mrs. Lin closed the door, secured the windows, and lowered all the bamboo blinds, plunging the room into a dim twilight. She came over to Li Yongxun, removed her hairpins, untied her sash, and took off her outer robe. Then, she unwrapped the cloth binding her chest, layer by layer, revealing a silk dudou. With a delicate touch, Mrs. Lin unfastened the silver chain of the dudou, and the soft, smooth satin garment slipped off.

Li Yongxun shyly turned away, but Mrs. Lin placed her hands on her waist and whispered in her ear, “Qianqian, your waist has gotten much thinner.”

“You’re so naughty, sister—” Li Yongxun wriggled. “Are you saying I used to have a thick waist?”

“No, it was always slender. But,” Mrs. Lin’s hands cupped the small buds on Qianqian’s chest, “this has grown much larger…”

“You’re so annoying, sister, touching me like that!” Li Yongxun felt a tingling sensation in her chest and quickly pushed her hands away. “I’m going to bathe. Just have a maid attend to me.”

“The maids are clumsy.” In the dim light filtering through the blinds, Mrs. Lin saw a slender, fair-skinned figure, a cascade of black hair falling over her shoulders. The girl stood with her legs pressed together, clutching a dudou to her chest in a futile attempt to cover herself. She smiled. “Have you forgotten when you were little and I used to bathe you at my house?” She walked over, took her hand, and whispered, “Come, let sister help you wash.”

A fragrant scent, a mix of musk and orchid, wafted from her sister, captivating Li Yongxun, and she followed her.

After a refreshing bath, Mrs. Lin had a maid bring a new dressing box and helped her redo her hair and makeup. She gave her a clean set of her own clothes to wear before they went out to see Lin Ming.

Lin Ming was indifferent to the arrival of his sister-in-law. Since his wife was willing to take her in, he let her handle it. Besides, having such a charming and lively sister-in-law around would add some fun to his life. When he asked about her journey, Li Yongxun naturally told a story that was one part truth and nine parts fiction. The only completely true part was the boat trip from outside Guangzhou to Foshan. Of course, she omitted the parts about stealing the plaque, pretending to be a prostitute, and using the “Elixir of Bliss.”

Lin Ming nodded. “It seems these merchants are decent gentlemen. We should thank them properly.”

“Indeed. We should at least send a formal invitation to show our gratitude.”

“You’re right, my dear.” Lin Ming was very obedient to his wife. He immediately had an invitation prepared and sent to the inn.

How to thank them? He was reluctant to give them money. Although his position as acting Baihu was lucrative, he had superiors to bribe, passing colleagues to entertain, a wife and four concubines to keep in fine clothes and food, and a host of servants to support. His expenses were considerable. The court’s salary was limited, especially in a department like the Jinyiwei, which was bloated with officials. Pay was never on time. Fortunately, his position in the provinces was profitable; otherwise, he didn’t know how he would manage.

Simply hosting a banquet seemed too meager a gesture, and it would invite gossip from relatives and friends. As he was deliberating, Mrs. Lin suggested, “Since you’re inviting them tomorrow anyway, and they’re here in Foshan on business, why not invite a few prominent local merchants to join them? It would be a small favor to them.”

“An excellent idea, my dear.” Lin Ming thought it was a simple, effortless way to fulfill his social obligations. “But who should we invite?”

“Qianqian said that Master Liu is a doctor and Master Yang is a pharmacy owner. Why not invite Manager Yang from the Yang Run Kai Tang? He’s a leader in his field in Foshan.”

“Good, you’ve thought of everything.”

“And also invite Master Li Luoyou. He just arrived in Foshan a few days ago and also sent a birthday gift today. His family used to trade beyond the Great Wall, a huge business. I’ve heard that many precious medicinal herbs come from there. Although Master Li has been living within the pass for many years, he might still have some stock…”

Lin Ming certainly knew Li Luoyou. Not only did he know him, but he had also accepted a “generous gift” from him that day, in addition to the birthday present, and had sealed a deal. He smiled. “You’re thinking too much, my dear. Let them handle their own business affairs. I’ll just bring them together. Whether they can work something out is up to them.”

“Yes, you are right, my dear,” Mrs. Lin smiled. “Qianqian is here tonight, and we sisters have some private matters to discuss. Would you mind staying with Qingyun tonight?”

“You’re always having private talks with your sisters,” Lin Ming grumbled. “You spend more nights with Qingyun and Bibo than you do with me…”

“Oh, don’t be like that, my dear,” Mrs. Lin said, her eyes full of charm. “Have I ever left you to sleep alone? Besides, she’s my cousin, practically my own family. I have to take care of her.”

Lin Ming still seemed to have some objections. Mrs. Lin whispered, “Tomorrow night, Bibo and I will serve you together…”

Li Luoyou had arrived in Foshan a few days earlier, accompanied by two foreigners: an Englishman named John Quark, who had been doing business in Macau for many years—Li Luoyou and his other Chinese acquaintances jokingly called him “Quark Qiong” (Quark the Poor)—and a German Jesuit missionary named Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

Ever since he had taken over his family’s foreign trade business in Guangzhou at his father’s behest in the late Tianqi era, Li Luoyou had been coming to Foshan every two or three months to order porcelain, silk, and medicinal herbs for export through Quark’s channels.

The Li family were prominent merchants for generations, and being from the capital region of North Zhili, they carried themselves with a certain “official” air. Their journey from Guangzhou was a grand affair, a fleet of three large boats sailing up the river. Upon docking, they went straight to the “Liaohai Company,” their branch in Foshan’s Datong Street. To receive the owner, the branch manager, Cheng, had made all the preparations ten days in advance. As the sedan chairs arrived, Li Luoyou, his guests, his wife’s nephew Gu Baocheng—the sole surviving member of his wife’s family, whom he had rescued from the chaos of the Guangning retreat—and a secretary were ushered into the living room. Four nimble young servants bustled about, pouring water and tea. While being attended to, Li Luoyou inquired about the local news.

After the initial flurry of activity, everyone settled down. Li Luoyou ordered the two foreign guests to be taken to their rooms to rest and to be well looked after.

One of his personal servants, Saoye, came to prepare his hookah and whispered, “Concubine Jiang has been settled in. She asks when you will see her.”

“Did she come to Foshan to play?” His tone was sharp with disapproval of Concubine Jiang’s lack of sense. “Tell her to kneel and reflect until I come in.”

His first words were a punishment, devoid of any tenderness. Everyone held their breath, not daring to speak.

“Yes, sir.” Saoye didn’t dare to say more and went to deliver the order, feeling sorry for the unfortunate Concubine Jiang. This cruel and unforgiving discipline had become more and more common since Li Luoyou’s near-death escape back to within the pass.

“Master,” the branch manager, Cheng, came to ask for instructions. “How should we arrange dinner? Should we have your chef prepare a Western meal?” The Li family, due to their long-standing dealings with Western merchants, always had a Western chef and a full complement of spices, utensils, and ingredients, which they had brought with them. In addition to entertaining the two foreign guests, they also planned to treat some of their clients to a taste of Western cuisine.