А dау оf trаveling by bоаt аnd sеdаn chair left еvеryonе in the Zhou hоusеhоld thоrоughlу exhаusted. After dinner, they аll rеtired tо their rооms tо rеst.
Thе nехt mоrning, thе Zhou sistеrs woke up аs usuаl at thе hour of Mаo (6 a.m.). Вeforе thеу соuld gеt uр, Chixiаng, whо was оn night dutу, hеard thе movеmеnt and entеrеd with a smilе, saying, "Eldеst Miss, Secоnd Мiss, just nоw the mаster sent Mаdаm Мa Fushаn tо rеlау а messаgе: the twо yоung ladies wеre tirеd frоm уestеrdау's jоurney, so thеy should rest well todаy and neеd not attеnd the mоrning grеetings fоr the master and madam."
In other words, they could sleep in today.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shaojin’s eyes and brows lit up with a smile. "It’s so much better at home!" she exclaimed.
Zhou Chujin, seeing her younger sister’s charming, begonia-like innocence, chuckled and pinched her nose. "What’s so good about home? It’s fine once in a while, but if it were like this every day, I’m afraid you’d be spoiled and lose all sense of propriety."
Zhou Shaojin giggled and flopped back down to catch a few more winks.
Zhou Chujin asked Chixiang, "What about Madam?"
Chixiang, ever the thoughtful confidante of Zhou Chujin, replied with a smile, "Madam hasn’t risen yet either."
Only then did Zhou Chujin relax, letting out a yawn before settling back to sleep.
By the time the sisters opened their eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky.
"Oh no!" Zhou Chujin hurriedly urged her sister to get up and asked Chixiang, who was attending them, "Has anyone from the study come to inquire?"
"No," Chixiang replied briskly as she hung up the bed curtains. "The master has gone out—some of his former classmates heard he had returned and dragged him out for a drink."
"Ah!" Zhou Chujin was taken aback.
Did that mean they would have to face Madam Li alone?
She couldn’t help but frown, casting a hesitant glance toward Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin, however, seemed unperturbed. She whispered to her sister, "Perhaps she’s just as worried about it!"
Zhou Chujin laughed and wrapped an arm around Zhou Shaojin’s shoulders. "No wonder Father says you’re a clever little imp!"
Zhou Shaojin smiled demurely.
The sisters took their time washing up, dressing, and having breakfast before going to pay their respects to Madam Li.
Madam Li was exceedingly warm and invited the sisters to stay and chat.
It was then that Zhou Chujin learned that the Li family was originally the wealthiest in Jiangxi. Madam Li was the youngest daughter, with four older brothers. All her brothers had married daughters from merchant families. The eldest brother was the most steady, assisting their father in managing the family business, while the third brother was the boldest, having opened his own kiln to specialize in blue-and-white porcelain. Madam Li added with a laugh, "...When the time comes for you to marry, I’ll ask my third brother to fire a set of wedding porcelain for each of you."
Wedding porcelain varied in quantity, from one pair to one hundred and eight pairs, depending on the family’s wealth. Its defining feature was that every item came in pairs, with all patterns symbolizing fertility, longevity, or marital harmony.
Zhou Chujin’s cheeks flushed slightly, but inwardly she felt displeased. She thought that Madam Li, after all, came from a merchant background and seemed only capable of offering petty favors to win people over.
What might be a kindness to others felt somewhat grating to Zhou Chujin, who hailed from Nine Prosperities Lane.
She responded with a perfunctory smile, "Thank you very much, Madam."
Madam Li was no fool when it came to reading people. On the contrary, although she was the youngest in her family, her mother was advanced in years, and her eldest sister-in-law managed the household. She knew that even after marriage, she would rely on her brothers and sisters-in-law for support, so she had learned to be observant of others’ reactions.
The faint trace of disdain underlying Zhou Chujin’s demeanor made her heart ache with each passing moment.With her husband away from home, she had thought it the perfect opportunity to curry favor with her two stepdaughters. That was why Madam Li had kept the sisters to chat, but who would have thought that instead of winning them over, she had ended up being looked down upon.
Madam Li’s face flushed bright red.
Zhou Shaojin hoped her father could enjoy his later years in comfort.
Since she and her sister would eventually marry and leave home, her father’s old age would have to rely on Madam Li’s care.
She quickly smiled and said, “Madam, I like famille rose porcelain. Could I ask your third brother to fire a set of one hundred and eight pairs of colored famille rose pieces for me?”
Madam Li was taken aback, and her heart instantly warmed.
No wonder the elderly lady of the Cheng family liked Zhou Shaojin so much. This child was truly well-behaved, beautiful, and considerate.
She hurriedly replied with a smile, “Good, good, good. My third brother is in this line of work. Even if his kiln doesn’t fire such pieces, he can find skilled artisans. I’ll have them bring you patterns to choose from, and I’ll definitely have a top-quality bridal porcelain set fired for you, one that can be passed down to your descendants.”
Zhou Chujin also understood her sister’s intention. She sighed inwardly and lowered her head to drink her tea.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin’s innocent and lively nature, while Zhou Chujin appeared shrewd and formidable, Madam Li’s instinct for self-preservation made her avoid saying much more to Zhou Chujin. Instead, she focused entirely on engaging with Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin was not naturally adept at socializing, and after just a few exchanges, she found it quite exhausting.
She cast a pleading glance toward her sister.
Zhou Chujin, displeased to see her chatting so warmly with Madam Li, pretended not to notice.
Left with no choice, Zhou Shaojin steeled herself and continued to make small talk with Madam Li. Just as the conversation was running dry and an awkward silence loomed, her peripheral vision caught sight of a rattan basket on the flower stand, inside of which lay a half-finished child’s garment. Her eyes lit up, and she pointed at the basket, saying, “Is this a garment Madam is making for your younger brother?”
Although she knew Madam Li was carrying a daughter, in her previous life, Madam Li had dreamed of having a son. She had no intention of shattering that dream.
Upon hearing this, Madam Li indeed smiled happily, her voice softening by three degrees as she said, “Yes! It’s a little shirt.”
Zhou Shaojin walked over to take a look.
Madam Li stood up and moved closer as well.
The two began discussing embroidery and tailoring, finally managing to pass the time until lunch.
After having lunch with Madam Li, Zhou Shaojin and her sister returned to their quarters.
As soon as they entered, Zhou Chujin poked Zhou Shaojin’s forehead and chided, “You little ingrate! Mother went through so much to give birth to you, yet you’re chatting so warmly with that woman. Are you even Mother’s own daughter?”
So her sister couldn’t accept another woman as their mother!
Zhou Shaojin felt ashamed.
She truly had no strong feelings about it… It was as if a guest had come to stay at home for a few days before leaving. As the host, she naturally had to be polite. Her sister had grown up under their mother’s care, so of course she couldn’t accept Madam Li as easily as she could… In that sense, her sister seemed more like their mother’s own daughter…
Zhou Shaojin felt both happy for her mother and a pang of sorrow.
She couldn’t even remember what her mother looked like.
To her, her mother was just a name, not even as close as her sister!
She tightly hugged Zhou Chujin and cooed, “Didn’t I just think she seemed pitiful? I promise I’ll never pay her any attention again!” She was afraid her sister would be angry.
Zhou Chujin sighed helplessly.
In the afternoon, she took Zhou Chujin to the greenhouse that Madam Zhuang had tended to during her lifetime, but unexpectedly, they ran into Nanny Yu.Auntie Yu was delighted and brewed them a fruit tea, saying it was her mother's favorite when she was alive. She also told them which flowers were left by her mother, which had been repotted later, which were grafted from her mother's original plants, and which were newly added... Zhou Shaojin had always enjoyed gardening, so she not only found it interesting but also asked Auntie Yu questions whenever she encountered something she didn't understand.
Seeing that Shaojin's questions were all quite knowledgeable, Auntie Yu felt that Shaojin truly was Madam Zhuang's daughter, sharing even her temperament. She became even more enthusiastic, leading Shaojin to pick out a few pots of orchids and saying, "...These are all rare varieties. They'll start blooming one after another once the autumn wind rises." Worried that Shaojin might not know how to care for them, she instructed the gardener, who was over sixty, to fetch some red paper strips. "I'll write numbers one, two, three, and four on them. If Eldest Miss and Second Miss arrange them accordingly, these flowers can bloom from mid-autumn all the way to the beginning of spring. After they finish blooming, if there's no one to care for them over there, Second Miss can send the flowers back. Once spring begins, I'll send another batch to Second Miss."
Shaojin nodded repeatedly.
When the old gardener brought the red paper strips, the sisters helped write the labels.
Auntie Yu sighed, "These characters were taught to me by Madam Zhuang back then. She was afraid I'd mix up her flowers, so she pasted these characters on the pots to help me identify them. I've never made a mistake since."
Zhou Chujin and Zhou Shaojin felt a wave of melancholy upon hearing this before they began writing the labels.
After the labels were written, Shaojin, noticing Auntie Yu's age, wanted to ask Shi Xiang to find a servant to help Auntie Yu move the flower pots onto the shelves. But as she turned around, she saw her father, Zhou Zhen.
He was leaning against the greenhouse doorframe, quietly watching them with a somewhat sorrowful gaze, as if seeing something heartbreaking through them.
When had Father arrived?
Shaojin cautiously called out, "Father!"
Chujin also noticed Zhou Zhen.
She too called out "Father" in surprise.
Zhou Zhen seemed to wake from a deep dream, letting out an "oh" as he straightened up. The sorrow in his eyes vanished, replaced by a warm smile and an expression as bright as summer sunshine.
"What brings you two here?" he said, walking in and affectionately touching the leaves of the Huixin orchid left by their mother. "I never expected this flower to still be growing so well!"
For a moment, Chujin and Shaojin didn't know what to say.
Auntie Yu quickly curtsied, breaking the silence.
Zhou Zhen asked Shaojin, "Do you enjoy gardening?"
Shaojin smiled, "I just dabble in it when I have free time. I'm not as good as Mother was."
"That's because you live with the Cheng family," Zhou Zhen said with a laugh. "Your mother said the same thing when she first married me. But once this place became her home, her flowers grew better and better."
Could it be that Mother didn't consider this place her home at first?
Nor did she consider the Zhuang family her home?
Shaojin looked at her father with suspicion.
But Zhou Zhen had already moved on from the topic. "Shaojin, stay here and play for a while. I have something to discuss with your sister."
Both Chujin and Shaojin were very surprised but obediently agreed. One followed Zhou Zhen to the study, while the other waited in the greenhouse.
Shaojin sat in the greenhouse, resting her elbows on a surface, watching the sun gradually set without feeling lonely.This is my own home.
I could never tire of looking at it.
Sister is already eighteen. If only I could persuade Father to let her and me move back here to live!
Her thoughts were running wild when Zhou Chujin walked over, her face flushed like morning clouds, and said shyly, "Father wants you to go to the study!"
What did Father say to Sister?
Curious, she linked arms with Zhou Chujin.
But Zhou Chujin refused to say anything, only urging her, "Hurry to the study. Father is still waiting for you there!"
Zhou Shaojin chuckled to herself, deciding to ask her sister again when they went to bed that night.
※
Sisters, today's update!
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
!!
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