Chapter Fifteen: Dealing with Feng Da (Part Two)

When Feng Da heard what Chang Sheng had said, his beady eyes spun several times before he forced a sheepish smile and replied, “I can’t think of anything right now, brother.”
“No worries, no worries. Here, Brother Feng, have a drink.” Chang Sheng, seeing the fish had taken the bait, stopped pressing and simply urged him to drink. The two sat together for a while, emptied two pots of wine, and then went their separate ways.

But Feng Da, having learned of such a lucrative opportunity, could hardly sit still. His luck had been dreadful lately, and his mother had no spare money to support him. Now, he was nearly desperate enough to turn into a fly and bore a hole into someone else’s purse. This stroke of fortune left him both delighted and anxious. He was anxious because, after pondering all night, he couldn’t come up with a way to curry favor with the young lady. Though Feng Da liked to show off with flowery speech, he had little true learning; his trade was gambling and drinking, and he knew nothing else. By the next day, he gave up thinking and went straight to the Liu household, treating it as a gamble with fate.

First, Feng Da paid his respects to the old mistress. When Madam Liu escorted him out, she intended to ask for some silver, but instead received a scolding from her mistress, leaving Feng Da annoyed and impatiently driving her away.

Leaving the main house, he passed through covered corridors and over a small bridge, catching glimpses of lush, artfully arranged gardens. Yet Feng Da had no heart to appreciate such beauty; his eyes darted around, searching for something. Suddenly, his face lit up, and he hurried toward a pavilion meant for rest.

Inside the pavilion, Liu Qin was amusing Chao, her little nephew. The maids and nursemaids had been sent off to fetch things, so only Cui Yu remained by their side.

Feng Da rushed to the pavilion, still catching his breath, and hurriedly bowed, “Your humble servant Feng Da greets the young lady and young master.”

Little Liu Qin tilted her head and pondered, then clapped and laughed, “I know you—you’re Madam Liu’s son!”

“Yes, you have a fine memory, miss. May I ask what brings you here…”

“It’s not fun at all, really not fun. Where’s Chang Sheng? Cui Yu, go fetch Chang Sheng.” Seeing Cui Yu hesitate, Liu Qin urged her, “Quick, go now!”

Cui Yu was not concerned about leaving the two children alone—there would be no trouble in the household—so she followed the order and left.

With no one else around, Liu Qin gazed up with wide, innocent eyes and asked, “Feng Da, do you have anything fun?”

Feng Da’s anxiety sparked an idea. He produced two dice from his pocket and placed them on the stone table before Liu Qin. Though she had seen such things often in her previous life, she pretended to be fascinated, turning them over in her hands and asking, “What are these?”

“These are called dice. They're great fun, miss. Look, this side is one, this side is two… If you toss them like this, you and young master can guess what number comes up. Whoever guesses right is the cleverest!”

“That sounds wonderful! What do you think, Chao?” Liu Qin clapped her hands, delighted, and asked Chao. He always believed whatever his aunt and uncle said, so he nodded eagerly.

“Feng Da, how much silver are these? My mother says I mustn’t take anything for free.”

“It’s only right for me to gift these to you for your amusement, miss. If you wish to reward me, perhaps just a—” He hadn’t finished before the young lady interrupted, “A hundred taels? Very well.”

Feng Da was stunned on the spot. He meant a single tael, not a hundred, miss! Then, a wave of wild joy swept over him—money had come so easily.

The young lady rummaged through her purse, producing only a small silver ingot worth two taels. She glanced around, slightly embarrassed, then fixed her eyes on Chao. “Chao, give me your jade pendant.”

Placing both the jade pendant and silver on the table, Liu Qin slid them toward Feng Da. “Take these. Chao’s jade pendant is very valuable.” Without bothering about Feng Da, who was still dumbfounded, she pulled Chao along and left. “Come on, Chao, let’s go play inside.”

With such treasures in hand, Feng Da could not wait a moment longer and dashed out of the household, heading straight for the Laiyue Gambling House.

Liu Qin led Chao back to the main house. The old mistress took her daily stroll in the gardens at this hour, admiring the flowers and scenery. Liu Qin was in no hurry, and the two children waited by the main room, playing with their new toy.

As soon as the old mistress entered, she heard the children’s laughter from the inner room: “Big! Mine’s big! Chao, you lost again!” She was curious—usually, Qin was nowhere to be found at this hour, but today, she was obediently staying indoors to play. She waved off the maids and, smiling, went behind the screen to see her two treasures.

She was first stunned, then furious, and called out repeatedly, “Where’s Cui Liu, and Wu’s nursemaid? Find them, quickly!”

Wu’s nursemaid, Chao’s wet nurse, and Cui Liu had been sent off to fetch things. By the time they returned to the pavilion, the young lady and young master were gone. Cui Yu happened to return, and the two maids could not help but complain to her. Upon learning the children had gone to the main house, they hurried there, only to be called in by the old mistress.

The old mistress pointed at them, her tone stern, entirely unlike her usual gentleness. “Explain yourselves. What’s going on here? Who gave the young lady and young master such inappropriate toys?”

Only then did they notice Liu Qin and Chao sitting happily on the couch, tossing dice, oblivious to the old mistress’s anger over their new belongings. The two maids exchanged bewildered glances—they had no idea where the dice had come from—so they knelt and pleaded, “We are at fault, please punish us, madam.”

Liu Qin, hearing the commotion, scrambled off the couch, ran to her mother, and hugged her leg, asking curiously, “Mother, what mistake did Sister Cui Liu make?”

The old mistress sat down and took Liu Qin into her lap, coaxing her gently, “Qin, what is this in your hand? Who gave it to you?”

“This?” Liu Qin shook the dice in her hand and smiled proudly. “Madam Liu’s son, Feng Da, gave it to me. He said it’s called dice. You don’t know what it is, mother?”

Seeing her mother shake her head, Liu Qin became even more pleased. “You don’t know, either? It’s so much fun! I traded my silver and Chao’s jade pendant for it.”

“What?”

The old mistress was both shocked and furious, and Madam Liu, who had just entered, was left frozen on the spot.

“It was Feng Da who said so—he claimed it was worth a hundred taels of silver. I didn’t have that much, so Chao gave him his jade pendant. Isn’t that right, Chao?”

“Yes,” Chao replied in his childish voice, the perfect accomplice.

The old mistress was so angry she could barely speak. She pointed outside, her voice trembling, “You… you… why haven’t you brought Feng Da to me yet?”

A young servant had already been dispatched and caught Feng Da in the Laiyue Gambling House, finding Chao’s jade pendant on him. Feng Da was promptly bound and brought back to the household.

All the way, Feng Da protested his innocence, insisting to the old mistress that the young lady had given him the items as a reward.

“Mother, I gave them. We agreed, silver and the jade pendant for his dice,” Liu Qin nodded, confirming Feng Da’s story.

The old mistress grew even angrier. She scolded, “Well, Feng Da, I always thought you were a decent sort, and have pitied you and your mother, treating you kindly. Who would have thought you’d behave like this? You… you… do you really take others for three-year-olds? Never mind what dangerous thing you’ve introduced, does what you brought truly cost a hundred taels of silver?”

Madam Liu finally came to her senses, throwing herself at Feng Da, beating and berating him. “Wretch! How could you deceive the young lady and young master? Do you know Chao’s jade pendant was a gift from the master at his birth? How dare you take such a thing? Have you eaten the heart of a bear or the gall of a leopard? Oh, his father, how did we ever raise such a troublesome son?”

Feng Da dodged and protested, “Mother, I didn’t, I didn’t!”

The old mistress, hearing from the servant that Feng Da had been caught at a gambling house, grew even more furious. “Tell me, all of you, what else has this rogue gotten up to?”

With the household against him, everyone was quick to report Feng Da’s misdeeds: gambling, drinking, frequenting brothels, and even boasting of being a Liu family relative to cheat others. How did people know all this? The blame lay with Feng Da himself—his fatal flaw, besides his vices, was his love of bragging. After a few drinks, he would spill everything, heedless of what should or shouldn’t be said. Now, his words had become evidence.

The old mistress closed her eyes, unwilling to look at him again. She turned to the equally stunned Madam Liu and remarked, “You’ve raised a fine son.”

As for Feng Da, the old mistress imposed no punishment, simply ordering him to be expelled, and forbidding him ever to set foot in the Liu household again.