Тhе Zhоu sistеrs nаturаllу had no susрiсiоns аnd сhatted with the оld mаdam for а while. Thе соnvеrsаtiоn naturallу turned to the matter of соpуing scriрturеs. Оld Мadаm Guаn hаd Si'еr fеtch а copу оf the Lоtus Sutra for Zhou Shаojin and аsked, "Cаn уоu rесоgnizе all the сhаraсtеrs?"
Nоt onlу cоuld shе recоgnizе them аll—she could рracticаllу rеcitе the entire tехt frоm memоrу.
Zhоu Shаоjin nоdded.
Оld Мadаm Guan brеathed а sigh of rеliеf аnd smiled, "Тhеn уоu can helр me copy thе second vоlume! I offеred thе first vоlume оn the Ninth Day."
The Ninth Day referred to the ninth day of the first lunar month, the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
The women of the Cheng family usually went to Ganquan Temple to offer incense, as it was the sacred site of Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and agreed, asking Old Madam Guan if she had any previously discarded copies of scriptures: "Let me see how they were copied, so I can follow the same style."
Her manner displayed an unusual steadiness.
Old Madam Guan felt even more reassured about Zhou Shaojin and had Si'er look for the discarded scriptures. Once the scriptures were found, they discussed the matter of copying for a while longer before a young maid came to announce, "Madam Wu has arrived with the three young ladies."
Three young ladies?
Were they Wu Baozhang's half-sisters, Wu Baohua and Wu Baozhi?
Zhou Shaojin was momentarily lost in thought.
In her memory, after she and Wu Baozhang had grown closer, Wu Baozhang had gradually shared stories about the Wu family. It was said that Wu Baozhang, like her, had lost her mother when she was just six months old. The difference was that her own father had remarried when she was seven, while Wu Baozhang's father, Wu Xiu, had remarried less than a hundred days after the death of Wu Baozhang's birth mother, taking as his new wife the sister of his colleague, a woman from the Guan family. This Madam Guan appeared virtuous and gentle on the surface but was actually sweet-faced and bitter-hearted—sharp-tongued, narrow-minded, and stingy. Resenting that Wu Baozhang's birth mother, Madam Yin, had occupied the position of the first wife, she was unwilling to raise Wu Baozhang and her older brother, Wu Taicheng, and constantly made things difficult for the siblings. Wu Xiu had no choice but to let them live with their grandmother in their ancestral home in Mianyang, Sichuan. It was only after Wu Baozhang's grandmother passed away, leaving the siblings with no one to rely on, and with Madam Guan having only two daughters of her own, that she—fearing criticism from the neighbors for being "unvirtuous" and worried that Wu Taicheng would inherit the family estate and mistreat her and her daughters—finally brought Wu Baozhang and her brother to Jinling.
Even so, Wu Baozhang's stepmother treated Wu Taicheng with excessive indulgence, leading him to develop many bad habits.Wu Baozhang spoke through her tears, "After all, I am a girl raised deep within the inner chambers. It's difficult enough to even meet my brother on ordinary days, let alone persuade him to study diligently and secure a promising official career—for his own sake, and to earn a future for me as well..." It was precisely because of these reasons that she felt pity for Wu Baozhang. Later, although she realized that Wu Baozhang was not a simple person and that her words might not be entirely trustworthy, she always found excuses for her. She thought Wu Taicheng was an opportunist, not someone capable of great achievements, and Wu Baozhang had no one to rely on, forced to fight for her own future. Using lowly means was only human nature. Though she and Wu Baozhang were close, they were not as intimate as sisters, so there was no need to hold too much against her... Even after Wu Baozhang became engaged to Cheng Lu, she considered how a young girl like Wu Baozhang, bound by parental orders and matchmaker's arrangements, could possibly say "no"? She never thought Wu Baozhang was at fault, only resenting Cheng Lu—a grown man with no sense of responsibility, not only faithless and disloyal but also indecisive and ambiguous in his dealings with her, leaving Wu Baozhang anxious and subjecting her to endless criticism...
Zhou Shaojin stumbled along behind her sister.
Old Madam Guan, walking ahead, did not notice, but Zhou Chujin quickly detected her younger sister's unusual state.
She took Zhou Shaojin's hand and gave it a firm squeeze.
Zhou Shaojin snapped back to attention.
Zhou Chujin signaled to her with her eyes, urging her to hold back whatever was troubling her for now and deal with the matter at hand first. They could discuss it later when they returned to Fragrant Garden Residence.
Zhou Shaojin smiled sheepishly at her sister.
They arrived at the reception hall of the fourth household's women—the Variegated Pavilion.
Zhou Shaojin quickly composed herself, lowering her gaze and following Old Madam Guan inside.
It was late spring in the third month, and the sun had already risen. The Variegated Pavilion was in full bloom with vibrant spring flowers, a riot of colors. The red-lacquered ice-crack patterned windows around the hall were all propped open, filling the air with the fragrance of blossoms and a gentle, warm breeze that was intoxicating even without a drink.
Zhou Shaojin immediately spotted the young girl standing behind Madam Wu.
Just as she remembered, the girl's thick black hair was styled in double spiral buns, adorned with lilac gold hairpins. She wore a Hangzhou silk robe with a madder-red background and floral patterns, and pearls the size of lotus seeds dangled by her ears. The vermilion mole between her eyebrows, as small as a grain of rice, was strikingly vivid and unforgettable.
It was really her!
Wu Baozhang.
After a decade apart, they had met again when she was twelve years old!
Zhou Shaojin felt a piercing pain in her heart.
The lost years seemed to rush back at her, and the past sufferings became vividly alive once more.
Clutching her chest, her mind went blank. Watching her grandmother and Madam Wu's lips moving, she mechanically followed her sister in performing a curtsy and then sat quietly to the side. It was only when Zhou Chujin tugged at her sleeve that the voices of her grandmother and Madam Wu finally buzzed into her ears: "...You know, here in the north, we aren't as particular as in the south. This is also the first birthday banquet our master has encountered, and we don't know what to send—if it's too lavish, we fear others will accuse us of flattery; if it's too modest, they might say we lack sophistication and have never seen the world. Truly, we're caught between a rock and a hard place. Our master was so worried he couldn't sleep all night, and he urged me to come to you, esteemed elder, for advice, so we don't embarrass ourselves at the banquet."
So Madam Wu had come regarding the birthday celebration of the second household's venerable ancestor.In her past life, Madam Wu had repeatedly addressed her maternal grandmother as "Aunt," with great affection. Today, she addressed her grandmother as "you, the elder," with each word spoken respectfully. So, at this time, the Guan family had not yet climbed up to her grandmother...
Zhou Shaojin thought numbly, then felt a sharp kick on her foot.
Startled, she turned her head and saw the worried gaze of her sister.
Zhou Shaojin was shocked, only then realizing her own lapse in composure.
She couldn't help but feel secretly anxious.
At this moment, she must remain calm and steady. Otherwise, wouldn’t her sister be driven to panic? And her grandmother, who had kindly brought her out to meet guests to broaden her horizons—if she behaved discourteously in front of others, where would that leave her grandmother’s dignity?
Zhou Shaojin took a deep breath and hurriedly tried to collect her emotions when she heard her grandmother, unhurried and with a hint of amusement, say to Madam Wu, "I don’t know about matters outside. But according to the old customs of the Cheng family, each branch would send birthday gifts in the name of their respective households. For minor birthdays, it’s more casual; for milestone birthdays, it’s more formal. Then, each individual would also give their own gifts, which is even simpler—just some needlework or small items, or even paintings drawn by the children or couplets written by their own hands, all counted as birthday gifts..."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu sighed with admiration, "The Cheng family truly lives up to its reputation as a century-old distinguished family of scholarly heritage! Despite such prominence, they lead such a low-key life. No wonder everyone in Jinling City praises the Cheng family of Nine Prosperities Lane with a thumbs-up, saying 'excellent,' and no wonder others look down on our Wu family as lacking in vision. Without comparison, one wouldn’t know; once compared, it’s startling..."
She was of medium height, with a plump figure and an ordinary appearance, but her eyes were exceptionally sharp, seeming to peer into one’s very heart when she looked at someone. Yet, at this moment, her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, gentle and polite, faintly tinged with a hint of amusement, like a spring breeze brushing against the face, making it very pleasant to listen to.
Listening carefully, Wu Baozhang’s tone and manner of speaking were very similar to Madam Wu’s.
Thinking of this person, Zhou Shaojin’s heart churned like boiling water, taking a long while to calm down.
Meanwhile, the conversation between Madam Wu and Old Madam Guan had come to a pause. Madam Wu suggested going to see the tricolor peony Old Madam Guan kept in her room: "I heard it was a gift from Elder Master Cheng. The elder master is truly filial! Such a rare treasure—I wonder where he managed to find it. But this is also your good fortune. As for me, I’ve never seen a single tree bloom with three colors of flowers in all my life."
Hearing others praise her eldest son, Old Madam Guan could no longer maintain the polite yet somewhat distant attitude she usually reserved for visitors who came with ulterior motives.
She chuckled and, with Zhou Chujin gently supporting her, led Madam Wu toward the Water Pavilion where the tricolor peony was displayed.
Seeing this, Wu Baozhang stepped forward to support Madam Wu.
But Madam Wu quickly walked ahead and stood beside Old Madam Guan, leaving Wu Baozhang behind. Meanwhile, Madam Wu’s own daughter, Wu Baohua, didn’t even glance at Wu Baozhang and leisurely stepped forward to take her mother’s arm, standing alongside Zhou Chujin on either side of Madam Wu and Old Madam Guan.
Madam Wu seemed unaware of what had just happened, smiling cheerfully as she chatted with Old Madam Guan about the newly arrived opera troupe, Huilan Troupe, in Jinling City.
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Wu Baozhang’s face, and she quickly glanced at Zhou Shaojin.Zhou Shaojin appeared pale and absent-minded, seemingly oblivious to what was happening nearby.
Wu Baozhang couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, feeling slightly reassured. However, when she looked up, she saw Wu Baozhi gazing at Zhou Shaojin with great curiosity.
A thought crossed Wu Baozhang's mind.
Before coming, she had inquired about the Cheng family's fourth branch. Although there were two young masters and two young ladies, the two young ladies were surnamed Zhou—they were merely the Cheng family's cousins. Particularly, the second young lady of the Zhou family was born from the fourth branch's son-in-law's remarriage and had no blood relation to the Cheng family.
She simply hadn't expected the second young lady of the Zhou family to be so beautiful. Her features were as exquisite as a painting, and her every movement carried a delicate, gentle aura, like white mountain cherry blossoms blooming tenderly on a branch. One careless moment, and she might drift away with the wind, making people unconsciously soften their breath in her presence.
Not to mention Wu Baozhi, who had been sheltered in the inner chambers, even Wu Baozhang herself had never seen such a girl before. Her appearance and figure were flawless from every angle, with not a single detail lacking in refinement or beauty. No wonder Wu Baozhi was so intrigued by the second young lady of the Zhou family!
Thinking this, the corners of Wu Baozhang's lips lifted slightly.
She paused her steps and walked shoulder to shoulder with Zhou Shaojin.
"Second Young Lady," Wu Baozhang revealed a gentle and serene smile, speaking softly, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere? I see your face is terribly pale. Should I inform the old lady and find an excuse for you to rest?"
Zhou Shaojin felt nauseated just looking at her and had no desire to speak with her further.
Although this was somewhat impolite, whenever she thought of how she had lived a lifetime following rules and propriety in her previous life, only to meet such a miserable end, this kind of willful freedom brought her a sense of reckless delight, making her feel genuinely happy.
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It seems I still can't be too unconventional—I tried to separate a preface from the main text, but the order of the article became completely jumbled. Fortunately, everyone promptly informed me, so I deleted the post and updated it again. Finally, everything is back to normal.
Since I've moved to a new home, which is quite far from my workplace—requiring a half-hour commute—and I no longer have external internet access, it's not as convenient as before. Updates will now be scheduled for 8 PM every night. If there are any special circumstances, I will notify everyone promptly.
Oo~
That's all for today. See you tomorrow at 8 PM!
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OpenNovel