35. The Courtyard’s Depths

Although Little Red detested these cunning and vicious Wolves of Hedong, as a key figure in the restaurant she understood well that harmony brings wealth. She had no wish to offend any of the guests, especially such petty characters as the Wolves of Hedong. So she smiled and said, “Dear friends, if our service at the restaurant has been lacking in any way, I hope you will forgive us. Allow me to thank you here.”

At that moment, the Third Wolf of Hedong pulled out some silver and tossed it toward Manager Yang, saying, “Here’s your payment for the food and drink!” Manager Yang saw the silver flying through the air and, startled by its speed, dared not catch it. Little Red, standing beside him, reached out and took it, saying, “Thank you.” With that, the Third and Fourth Wolves of Hedong left.

Little Cloud had always admired Second Uncle Xie most, believing him to be the greatest of men—but there is always someone greater. Now, Second Uncle Xie seemed rather ordinary to him, and his admiration began to shift toward Little Red. He thought, “Little Red is quite pretty, so imposing and authoritative here. What if someday I touched her cheek—what sort of expression would she make? Would she, like Sister Xue, close her eyes and let me do as I please…?” Toward Sister Xue, Little Cloud felt love—whenever he saw her pitiful, helpless look, he could not bear to act rashly.

But he felt nothing of the sort for Little Red, and as a mere errand boy, he would not dare touch her face even if he had a hundred times his courage. Lost in these wild thoughts, he looked up to find Little Red gazing at him. His face flushed, and he quickly lowered his head, moving over to help the other waiters tidy the tables.

Yet Little Red’s gaze lingered on him, making Little Cloud uneasy. Could it be she had noticed his laziness just now? Little Red called out, “Little Cloud, come here.” “What is it?” he asked, guilty at heart. “You’ll see when you get here,” Little Red replied. “Yes, ma’am,” Little Cloud answered quickly.

Head lowered, he followed behind her. Jade, nearby, made a face at him and laughed softly, “Congratulations, good brother.” Little Cloud, uneasy, ignored him and followed Little Red inside.

Little Red led Little Cloud through several rooms and into a large courtyard at the back of the restaurant. They were now far removed from the bustle of the dining hall; no noise reached this place, and the courtyard was very quiet.

Sister Lingzhi had once explained to him what was meant by “the deep recesses of the courtyard”—surely, this was it, Little Cloud thought. A faint fragrance of osmanthus drifted on the air. He looked up and saw, written above the gate, “Osmanthus Courtyard.”

So this was the Osmanthus Courtyard, he thought—no wonder the scent was so strong, there must be osmanthus trees inside. But then he remembered—it was winter now. Osmanthus blooms in the eighth lunar month, so how could there be such a fragrance at this time?

Curious, Little Cloud followed Little Red into the courtyard. The place was spacious and serene; only a few yellow sparrows could be seen, pecking for food in the snow and calling out occasionally. Within the courtyard were houses, pavilions, towers, and galleries, all surrounded by flowers, bamboo, and trees—osmanthus trees most of all.

The entire courtyard was like a paradise, enveloped in tranquility and delicate fragrance. The scent of osmanthus filled the nose, the sparrows’ gentle chirping caught the ear—even the unsophisticated Little Cloud felt his spirit lifted.

Little Red entered a large room and turned to say, “Wait here by the door for a while. I’ll call you in when I need you, understood?”

Little Cloud nodded and took the opportunity to look around. Several osmanthus trees by the door still bore a few lingering blossoms, and some buds yet to open, proving that certain varieties could bloom even in the snow. No wonder the air was filled with their fragrance.

“So osmanthus doesn’t just bloom in the eighth month,” Little Cloud thought. “In special circumstances, some varieties can blossom even in winter.”

He sat on a stone bench by the door, thinking, “With such a lovely setting, is this perhaps the residence of Miss Jiu, Little Red’s mistress?”

Curiosity got the better of him, and he quietly lifted the door curtain to peek inside. He had barely stuck his head through when someone behind him called out, “Hey, kid, what are you doing?”

Startled, Little Cloud turned to see a young woman about Little Red’s age, gazing at him with a curious look.

Flushing, Little Cloud said softly, “Sister, I was brought here by Little Red.”

“How odd that Little Red would bring a boy here,” the woman mused.

“I don’t know anything,” Little Cloud hastened to explain. “I just obeyed Little Red’s instructions and followed her here.”

She looked him over and asked, “What’s your name? You must be new, I haven’t seen you before.”

Grateful for the chance to explain, Little Cloud nodded quickly, “My name is Little Cloud. I just started not long ago, helping with odd jobs in the restaurant… I’m young and ignorant, unfamiliar with the rules here. Please forgive me, sister.”

The woman, seeing his delicate features and gentle speech, took a liking to him and smiled. “I don’t mind, but if you wander into Miss’s study, and she sees you, she won’t be pleased. That could cause trouble.”

Little Cloud hurried to apologize, “I didn’t know this was Miss’s study. I won’t ever peek again.”

She smiled, “Never mind, Miss didn’t catch you, so you’re lucky.”

Then Little Cloud asked, “May I know your name, sister?” She laughed lightly, “I have no fancy name. The Miss usually calls me Little Jing or Jing’er.”

“Then, may I call you Sister Jing’er from now on?” Little Cloud asked.

With his perceptiveness and sweet tongue, along with his handsome looks and lively spirit, it was easy for Little Cloud to win people’s affection. Calling her “Sister Jing’er” so naturally, he quickly endeared himself to her, though they had only just met.

Thus, the two sat together on the stone bench outside, chatting happily, when Little Red’s voice called from inside.

“Little Cloud, what are you doing?” At the sound, Little Cloud jumped from the bench in fright. In his mind, Little Red was even more intimidating than Bai Xuehua.

He looked up to see a young woman about twenty years old emerging, with Little Red following at her side. The woman was tall and slender, her long skirt brushing the floor, making her appear elegant and graceful. Her clothing was light, revealing graceful curves, and she wore a pale pink sable cloak over her shoulders. Her long, lustrous hair tumbled naturally over the fur.

It seemed she had not yet finished arranging her hair. One snow-pale hand was holding the front of her cloak to keep it from slipping, while the other gently brushed her hair back from her face.