Ten days.  Eleven days.  Shan and the others should have got to the border by now.  They should be safe.  Another ten days and we might hear something.

Daily life goes on.  Xinyi becomes a regular visitor to the Cloud House.  The day after our party, I get home after a morning spent talking to sugar-merchants, to find that he’s discovered a few rusty tools in the stable and has cleared half the garden.  He’s bubbling with enthusiasm.  “There are some really nice shrubs here already, so I’ll clear the rest of the ground and then you can think about what you want to plant.  Autumn’s the best time to plant things, before it gets too cold.  If you’ll just wait a moment, Young Master Zhao, I’ll clean up and then I’ll cook lunch.  I bought a few things.”

When I see the spread he prepares, I realize he wasn’t boasting.  He really can cook. 

“I checked out the shops,” he says happily.  “There’s a good vegetable seller and the butcher looks good too.  Everyone’s so friendly round here.”

“I’ll have to reimburse you for the food.  Yes, I will.  It’s not fair you should pay.  And if you tell me what you need, we’ll go and buy some new tools.  It must be hard work with those rusty old things.”

So we go out and spend the afternoon shopping for garden tools.  Xinyi’s a different person compared to the silent child that I’ve seen previously at Qin Feng’s side.  He smiles and laughs and chats happily with the merchants while bargaining their prices down.  We come home with our spoils and have tea, and then he has to leave to get back to Qin Feng’s house before the curfew.  Yao Lin and I heat up the remains of the feast for our evening meal.

I arrange my tea-party with my women friends and it’s a big success.  Madam Liang’s cajoled into deserting the busy clinic for an afternoon.  Xiaxia’s put out at not being included, though we’ve all pointed out that if you want people to think you’re dead, you can hardly appear radiantly alive in one of the most fashionable tea-houses in the capital.  Her scowl disappears only when we promise to bring cakes back for her and Ah-Lien.  But Shao Su joins us, and is immediately buttonholed by Madam Lei, who has seen the embroidered baby's robe given to Ah-Lien.  She compliments Shao Su on her skill and suggests an export deal.  I listen with amusement as the two businesswomen come to terms.  Lei Qing’s attention seems to be distracted.  I follow her gaze.  She’s looking at a family party across the room, a mother and two daughters.  As I watch, one of the daughters, not the pretty one, steals a look at us and blushes a little.  Lei Qing’s gaze drops and colour rises in her face too.  I suddenly realize something about Lei Qing that I should have seen before.

There’s no use arranging a meeting with General Chen till we get some news.  Similarly, there’s no point getting my plan started till we know that the Third Prince and the others are safe.  So in the meanwhile, I devote myself to learning about trade.  With Madam Lei, Yao Lin and Qing, I visit warehouses, sample goods, learn about quality, origin, history, pricing, transport and all the other variables that affect successful trade.  Yao Lin goes on working at the clinic when he can.  Liang Zhou sends messages from time to time, and we take fresh wagon-loads of herbs when requested.  The epidemic’s coming under control.  The death-toll’s dropping.  But it’s a slow business.

The weather turns rainy.  I tramp home late one wet afternoon and am met by Ah-Bo, who says, “The kid’s inside.  Something’s happened.”

“The kid” is what he calls Xinyi.

In the reception room, I find Xinyi, soaking wet, huddled on the couch with his knees drawn up, rocking to and fro in misery.  His face is bruised, his clothes torn and muddy.

I rush over.  “Yiyi, what on earth happened?”  He’s shivering, his teeth chattering.  “You’ll get a fever if you're not careful.  I’m going to get hot water and you’re going straight into the bath.”

It doesn’t take long to fill the small tub from the cauldrons in the kitchen.  I chivvy the frightened child into my room, get the wet clothes off him and help him into the bath.  He’s so fragile, he looks as if you could break all his bones with the touch of a finger.  I fetch tea and hold a cup to his lips.  After a few minutes, the colour comes back to his face, but tears start to pour down as the shock wears off.

“Don’t cry.  You’re safe now.  Tell me what happened.”

“I – I’ve b-been thrown out,” he whispers.

“Ah-Feng threw you out?” I ask incredulously.

He shakes his head.

“All right, I’ll get you dry and then you can tell me about it.”

I lift him out, wrap him in a drying-cloth and rub him down to get him dry.  I fetch some of my clothes, which are far too big for him.

“Come through when you’re dressed.  There’s hot broth.”

Dressed, a little reassured, and clutching a bowl of broth, he starts to talk.  “This – this morning, I had a – a problem with the steward.  He’s the one who treats me the worst and the other servants are scared of him.  He said I was just a prostitute and wasn’t worthy of the Young Master’s attention.  Then he– he got hold of me and threatened to go and tell the Young Master’s mother-in-law where I am if – if I didn’t do what he wanted.”

“He didn’t….”

His face goes red.  “He was so strong – I couldn’t get away.  But another servant came in before he could get very far– one of the women  – and she went for him and said it wasn’t enough that he was always pestering the women but now he was pestering the Young Master’s friend as well.  So he had to let me go.  I know Ah-Feng’s mother-in-law’s furious about me.”

Ah-Feng’s mother-in-law is reputedly a woman before whom dragons would quail. 

Xinyi goes on.  “I was expecting Ah-Feng this evening, so I was getting ready when there was a huge fuss downstairs and two men came into my room and grabbed me and hauled me down into the courtyard.  All the servants were there and there were six men I’d never seen before, in livery.  There was one with a very stern face.  He said I’d upset some influential people and I had to leave.  Then – then the steward said I was just brothel trash and why didn’t they have some fun with me before they threw me out.”  He gulps and the soup-bowl tilts perilously in his hands.  “But – but the women spoke up for me.  They said I was just a boy and he was a pervert who couldn’t keep his hands off anyone.  And the stern man said his instructions were just to throw me out, nothing more, so they dragged me outside and threw me down in the mud.  There was a carriage waiting, with the same badge as the men had on their livery.  A woman leaned out and looked at me.  Then she said something to the driver and he picked up his whip and started to get down, so I got up and ran for it.  And then I came here.”

“It's a good thing you did.  You're staying till this is all sorted out.  I'll talk to Ah-Feng tomorrow.  In the meanwhile, we’ll get the guest room ready and you can sleep there.”

The tears start again.  “I didn’t know where else to go,” he says miserably, “I don’t want to go back to the brothel.  I’ve got no money and I had to leave all my things behind.”

Yao Lin comes in, just beating the curfew.  He’s horrified when he hears what’s happened.  “I’ll get the room heated up,” he says. “We’ve got a brazier in there and it just needs lighting.  And the bed’s all ready.  Everything’ll be all right, Yiyi, you’ll see.”

“Thank you,” he whispers.

There’s a chicken in the pot for supper, so we share that, and then I send Xinyi off to bed.  He looks as if he’s about to drop.  I go in to see if he’s got everything he needs and find him crying again.  Hardly thinking, I sit down on the bed and take him in my arms, as Shan held me on several occasions in the past when I was miserable and lost.  He clings like a small child.  The contact seems to soothe him and the sobbing finally stops.  He sits back and wipes the tears away with the back of his hand.

“Sleep,” I say, and a faint smile rewards me.

It’s still raining next morning, but both Yao Lin and I have to go out.  He goes to work and I set off to track down Qin Feng.  At the Qin family home, a bored porter directs me to a government office, where I find my quarry half-asleep behind a desk with very few papers on it.  He wakes up when he sees me.  “Ah-Hai, is it really you?  Thank the Gods, I was about to die of boredom.  Let’s go and get a drink.”

“No, this is serious,” I say.  “Xinyi’s at our place.  You know your mother-in-law had him thrown out?”

He sits back down, and I notice his hands are shaking slightly.  “Yes, she showed up at the family house full of righteous indignation and threatened to cause a scandal unless my parents promised to banish me to our country estate.  With my wife, of course.  So they agreed.  If I don’t go, they’ll cut off my allowance.”

“When are you leaving?”

“In two days.  My father's arranged an indefinite leave of absence for me.  What the fuck am I going to do in the country?”

“What about Xinyi?  She threw him out without a penny, with only the clothes he was wearing.”

He looks at me pathetically.  “What can I do?  I can’t take him with me.”

“Do you love him?”

His gaze drops.  “There’s only one person I love,” he says quietly, “And you know who that is.”

“Ah-Feng, you need to stop drinking, forget about me and get your life together.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“No, it’s not easy.  You’re my friend.  I don’t like seeing you like this.”

“You won’t have to see me for much longer.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

We stare at each other for a moment.  To my regret, I see that the drink’s already ruining his good looks.

“Those were great times back in Qiu City, weren’t they?” he says, completely unexpectedly.

“Yes, they were.  I miss them.  Especially now…” I break off.

“Now the Commander’s gone?”

I nod.

“What do you think I should do?” he asks.

“Do what your parents want.  Be kind to your wife.  Have a child.”

“Be kind to my wife?  I can’t get it up with her.  That’s why mother-in-law’s so frantic.”

“That’s probably due to the drink.  You were able to get it up with women before.  Quit the booze, sleep properly, eat properly, talk to your wife.  Ah-Shun says she’s a nice girl.”

“Yes, she is a nice girl.”

“And just think.  Sooner or later you’ll be head of the family and you can tell mother-in-law to go to hell.”

“You’re the eternal optimist, Ah-Hai,” he says.

“Well, there’s no point saying we could all be dead tomorrow,” I say with a grin.  “Even if it’s true.  Now, about Xinyi.  He can stay with Yao Lin and me, we’ve got a spare room.  But you should give him some money and give his personal belongings back.  I’ll explain the situation to him.”

“I’ll do that,” Qin Feng says, “Tell him I’m sorry it worked out like this.  It’s good of you to help out.  You’ll get your reward in your next life.”

“I want it in this life.”

“Don’t we all?”

We part on good terms.  Back home, I find Xinyi still in bed with a slight fever.  I brew up some herbs for him and while he’s drinking them, his face screwed up at the taste, I explain the situation.  He takes it very quietly. 

“So, he’ll be sending you some money and your things.  You can stay here as long as you like.  If you’re happy to keep doing the garden and the cooking, we’ll provide food and lodging.  Would that be all right?”

“You mean I can live here?” he asks, his eyes wide.

“Sure.”

“I’d love that.  I really would.”

“That’s settled then.”

“I could – I could do other things, if you want,” he says, a little hesitantly.  “Services, I mean.”

I realize with a slight shock what he’s talking about.  “Listen, Yiyi, you don’t have to do those things ever again, not unless you want to, with someone you like.  All right?”

He smiles and nods.

“Now try and get some sleep.  You need to get rid of that fever.”

The next day a servant brings a small box full of silver and a bundle containing Xinyi’s meagre belongings.  He unties the bundle with shaking hands and rummages through the contents, coming up with a faded embroidered cushion.  He sighs in relief.  “I thought someone might have thrown this away.  It’s the last thing I have of my mother’s.  She did the embroidery.”  He looks up at me.  “You don’t think I’m weird, do you?”

“No, I don’t.  The last thing I had of my mother was a porcelain tea-set.  It all got broken except for one cup and I had to leave that behind in Qiu City.  I still think about that cup.  So I don’t think you’re weird at all.”

He smiles.  The smile disappears in amazement as he counts the silver.  “There’s so much!”  he exclaims.  “I’ve never had this much before.”

“You can go and buy some new clothes,” I say, grinning. “You keep tripping over mine.”

Life falls into a routine.  Yao Lin and I go about our business, while Xinyi not only continues to clear the garden, weather permitting, but cleans the house and cooks our meals.  Simple things like cooking and shopping delight him.  He goes about singing in a clear little voice like a bird chirping.  Our friends are somewhat taken aback but soon accept the situation, becoming enthusiastic once they’ve tasted his cooking.  It’s generally known that Qin Feng has left for the family estate in the country and won’t be back for some time.  I continue to make the rounds of my friends to keep everyone’s spirits up, including my own.  Li Lien’s recovering and is allowed up, but she remains listless and uninterested in my determinedly cheerful chatter.  The baby thrives.  Xiaxia receives several proposals of marriage.  The epidemic in the army’s under control and the quarantine may be lifted soon, allowing Liang Zhou to come home.

Things settle down so much that when the news I’m waiting for finally comes, I’m totally unprepared.