Chapter 48 – Girls’ Talk
After supper, the two maidens sat in Jade’s room, preparing the threads they would need for the decorative screen.
Clara had suggested blending the thread colours under candlelight, since the finished screen might eventually be displayed at a ball or party – precisely the sort of place where people liked to show off their newest purchases. As such events were usually held at night, with halls lit by candlelight or the warm yellow glow of gas lamps, they needed to consider how the colours would appear under that lighting if they wanted to create something the wealthy might admire – or even buy.
Of course, they would not recklessly begin with the large £50 decorative screen standing on the floor. Instead, they planned to start with a smaller one meant for a table: a three-fold screen that could neatly divide a tabletop in half or create a small private corner for a discreet conversation.
Both maidens had a good sense of colours. They compared threads under the candlelight, discussing which combinations would look best while chatting idly.
For Jade, having a female friend from a different social class was an eye-opening experience. She now understood more clearly why people of different classes behaved so differently. The conversation naturally diverted in favour of Clara, and Jade could not help suspecting that this east with polite conversation must be a skill taught at girls’ day school – it gave Clara the upper hand in extracting information, and Jade was one step slower in realising she had been steered toward Clara’s intended topic.
In a way, Miss Clara Whitcombe wasn’t totally unarmed; she was simply prepared in a way that didn’t fit Jade’s circle. But Jade quickly set these random thoughts aside and focused on the newly acquired information Clara had shared.
“So, being upper class basically means you do not and should not worry about how to make a living? And all they gotta do is enjoy their wealth and luxury?” Jade stiffly rephrased what Clara had explained, processing it piece by piece. Her brow furrowed in open disbelief. “It’s like, their main objective is simply… not to work? And not to think about where their money comes from? Just be fancy and glamorous, and that’s their entire purpose? No checking accounts?”
It wasn’t that Jade objected to the idea of rich people living comfortably without worrying about income. She was well aware that such people had existed in her previous life as well. What baffled her was that, here, the idea had been turned into a rigid social rule: forbidding upper-class people from working, discouraging the rich from checking their own accounts, and restricting their actions, simply because of their status.
That was far beyond Jade’s imagination.
It had already been mind-blowing when she tried to persuade herself to accept that Lord Ashborne’s social circle looked down on peers who engaged in trade or business. At the time, she had assumed it was merely the attitude of a small, snobbish group.
She had not realised that this was the expected way of life for the upper class – and that many people actually admired it and longed to join their ranks. Hence the existence of “social climbers”, those who strove desperately to ascend the social ladder and become members of this workless but wealthy class.
But what if some rich gentleman genuinely enjoyed woodworking? Or gardening? Or trading? They were not even allowed to check their own accounts!
Jade could not help imagining unethical stewards or accountants quietly stealing their employers’ money presenting neat but completely fabricated account books. After all, if no one checked, who would ever know? One could theoretically drain an entire inheritance and flee to a foreign country before anyone noticed – and by then, the kingdom’s authorities would have little chance of catching them!
Which, by comparison, made Lord Ashborne – the rich sponsor and landlord of their domus – stood out as something of an anomaly. He paid close attention to his estates and tenants, and therefore seemed to have a much clearer understanding of how his money actually worked.
So… he invested in those scammers just to maintain friendships with his peers? Jade’s thoughts drifted for a slight moment before she pulled herself back to the present and returned her attention to Clara.
Clara blinked, processed Jade’s blunt summary, and nodded. “Though I would not have phrased it quite so… directly,” she said carefully, “yes, Jade. That is more or less how upper-class people live.”
Then she added with a faint sigh, “Oh, Jade… you should be more mindful of your speech. Your accent bursts out from time to time like an uncontrollable firecracker.”
“Language is meant for communication,” Jade said, rolling her eyes as she continued blending the colours of the unraveled threads. “As long as you understand what I’m sayin’, my message gets across just fine even if my sentences sound kinda weird. I’m not writing literature anyway.”
“But it will affect your marriage,” Clara said, casting a worried glance at Jade. “Men prefer spouses with a proper accent.”
“And I’m glad my peasant accent scares away that nonsense,” Jade replied with a dismissive wave. “I don’t like the idea of marrying anyone. The men here all seem stupidly arrogant to me. I can’t imagine living with any of them for the rest of my life!”
“But Jade…” Clara sighed. She looked at Jade, who seemed to prefer paying more attention to the threads than the topic of their conversation about marriage. Still, Clara decided to try once more and asked gently, “Do you know how people will view you if you remain unmarried? Remember the spinsters in the Sister’s House?”
The fingers blending the thread paused.
Society in this world – or more precisely, the society of this kingdom in its current era – did not function like the one Jade had lived in during her previous life, where she could practically ignore what others said about her. As long as she was happy, no outsiders could intervene in her life.
Here, however, public opinion could shape a person’s entire future. The most obvious example was that a woman was expected to marry at the proper age, play the role of the obedient wife, and become a good mother who did not defy her husband.
If Jade simply followed that path – blindly matching with a man and having children – she could likely enjoy a peaceful life. And as a teacher, she would even be respected for having an honourable profession. There would be no scandals, no malicious gossip, and no one whispering rumours behind her back.
Of course, that peace depended on one important condition: the husband she chose must not turn out to be abusive, alcoholic, addicted to gambling or drugs, or any sort of disaster.
However, if she refused to follow the expected path – if she remained unmarried beyond the acceptable age for whatever reason – people outside the domus would treat her as though she carried some sort of infectious disease. They might isolate her: refuse to buy her products, refuse to hire her, bad-mouth her, and spread stories that she must be unstable, unwell, or insane for not choosing to have a family…
The entire society would exert immense pressure on her, practically discrediting her and making it impossible to continue living there.
That was why “spinster” – the term people here used for unmarried women – carried such bitter meaning. It was inextricably linked to the stereotype of an old cat lady living in a dim corner of the street, isolated and far from everyone else, spinning yarn in a creaking old hut.
Some spinsters, like those Jade knew who lived in the Sister’s House, relied entirely on the mercy of the domus. They were almost like half-nuns – living a quiet, restrained life similar to that of the sisters, even though they had never taken religious vows.
It was not that they had chosen such a life; it was simply the only way they could survive.
Though Jade had once mentioned her plans for the future to Sister Miriam, she had done so only to comfort the nun. In truth, Jade had never considered the matter before Clara mentioned it.
Her thoughts had been focused elsewhere: finishing the third semester, ensuring the school had enough funds to hire another teacher to replace her, and then finding a job as a baker. Ideally, she hoped to work in a restaurant. Street bakeries focused primarily on bread-making, while her strength lay in cakes; in her mind, restaurants would likely need well-decorated cakes far more than ordinary bakeries did.
Marriage had never entered her calculations. She had never thought of marrying someone as a way to sustain herself, even though many young women of this era viewed marriage as the ideal escape from poverty – a chance to enter a new life where they would never again have to worry about whether there would be bread for the next meal.
Jade’s instinct was the opposite: find a job, earn a salary, and solve everything else afterward.
“You once said that people need to go with the flow in order to live,” Clara continued gently. “And marriage is part of that flow, Jade. If you want to marry within the next few years, you’ll need to start building a proper reputation now. Otherwise, people will soon consider you too old to be a suitable wife.”
Jade did not actually know how old she was.
When she arrived in this world, she had simply awakened in this body. She had no memories of how the girl had grown up, nor how she had ended up drowning in the river.
Judging by what she saw in the mirror, Jade estimated the body to be around twenty-five years old. Father Rochester, however, had registered her as twenty-three. Well, she certainly was not going to object to being considered two years younger than she expected. If someone wished to praise her youth, she would gladly accept it. So, officially, she was twenty-three.
In any case, a woman was generally considered past the marriage market once she reached thirty, while the ideal age for marriage was somewhere around twenty-five.
Which means that, if she really had to find herself a barely acceptable husband, she would need to do so within the next two years.
Jade sighed. “I’m not against the idea of marriage,” she said. “I just dislike the idea of being forced into it. If I happen to meet someone suitable – someone I love and am willing to tolerate for the rest of my life – then I’d be more than happy to send out wedding invitations.”
“That’s wonderful!” Clara’s eyes lit up. “I thought you disdained love and romance entirely. So you do believe in true love after all.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “I don’t disdain love. I disdain unrealistic love – the kind that believes love can solve everything, including tomorrow’s meal. Let me remind you again: love cannot buy bread. Between love and starving to death, I would rather live alone, remain single, and keep my stomach full.”
“You could choose someone who can feed you,” Clara suggested hopefully. As she spoke, she seemed to be imagining what sort of person might suit her friend. “Jade, why don’t you attend a public ball? You might meet some interesting people there. I’m sure the men at a ball would be better candidates than those we meet during Sunday prayers… They’re good people, of course, but I don’t think you could have much of a conversation with them. Jade, you need someone who can actually talk with you.”
“Not just me, Clara. You too should find someone you can talk with,” Jade said, trying to steer the topic away from herself. “I don’t like the idea of pretending to be some accomplished lady at a ball, but I can easily imagine you there. I could help prepare you for it! Perhaps some flowers made by our students?”
Clara lowered her head slightly, the brightness in her eyes faded. “I cannot attend any ball or parties now,” she said softly. “Not after Papa passed away only two months ago.”
“Oh, right, mourning. I forgot…” Jade said with a wry expression. “So… three years?”
Under the influence of Confucian tradition, Chinese families before modernisation often observed three years of mourning for deceased parents or grandparents. During this period, families avoided weddings and birthday celebrations, and were forbidden from attending the festivities of others. Wealthier households lived quietly behind closed doors, sending servants out only to handle purchases or maintain social connections. While many modern families no longer follow such strict traditions – Jade, for instance, only mourned for three months after her parents died – she has little memory of the period, as she was only eight when she lost them.
“A year for me, and three years for Mama,” Clara explained. “Usually the mourning period lasts two years, but Mama loved Papa very much. She wishes to mourn for him for at least three.”
Now Jade understood their financial situation a little better.
Three years of mourning, jobless, living only on bank interest. Apparently the widowed mother had not thought much about how inflation or simple living expenses might erode that income.
“Clara,” Jade said bluntly, “you need to find yourself a rich husband.”
Otherwise, this gentle, defenseless doe with no survival instinct would suffer badly. Jade might be able to figure out ways to survive on her own, but Clara was far better suited to the traditional solution of securing a husband to escape the mud.
Clara shook her head. “Jade, I can’t simply choose bread. As we’ve discussed, at the very least… he must be someone I’m interested in.”
The faint blush on her cheeks suggested she had already begun imagining what her future husband might look like.
Jade narrowed her eyes and sighed inwardly. Well, at least she’s no longer a completely dreamy doe. She’s a little more realistic than when we first met.
As for myself… Jade considered the matter for a moment before declaring calmly, “If I can’t find anyone suitable, I’ll become a nun and serve the Light.”
Clara looked at her in surprise. But when she saw the determined expression on Jade’s face, she decided not to question her friend’s decision.
Who am I to doubt Jade? Clara thought. She’s clever. She must have considered this carefully. I only hope she finds happiness in her future.