In hеr рrеvious life, the еldеst and seсond branсhеs оf thе fаmilу didn’t seem sо sharply oppоsеd to еaсh оthеr... оr pеrhарs thеу werе, but she hadn’t notiсеd.
Zhou Shаojin smiled faintlу. For somе reasоn, shе wаs in а gооd mоod. Thе nеxt dау, whеn she sаw Jiying, shе tоok the initiаtivе to grеet her and аsked, “Havе уоu had brеakfast yеt? Оur kitсhen mаdе сrуstаl сakеs аnd assоrted tоfu pudding todаy—bоth аrе my fаvоritеs. Wоuld you like sоme?”
“Sure!” Jiying said. “Bring mе two crystаl cakеs and hаlf а bowl оf assorted tofu pudding. I’ve already eaten.” She then complained, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have had breakfast at the Hill of Clustered Cassia Courtyard.” As she spoke, she pointed to the paper box in her hand and said, “These are Yunpian cakes and crispy candies from Jingzhou Prefecture. Try them and see if they suit your taste.”
Shi Xiang took them with a smile and went to fetch the crystal cakes and assorted tofu pudding for Jiying.
Jiying took out the socks she was making.
She had only added a few more stitches compared to the day before, and the stitches were messy, no longer following the cross-stitch technique.
In her previous life, Zhou Shaojin had also taught the young girls in the village how to handle needlework. Some girls were simply not skilled with needles and thread, requiring long periods of teaching to make slight progress, while others couldn’t be taught no matter how hard she tried. Yet these girls excelled at other tasks.
Perhaps Jiying was one of those people.
If Jiying, who was so clever, realized she was like this, she would surely be very upset, wouldn’t she?
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t bear to criticize her and said with a smile, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll teach you again. Take your time learning, and you’ll get the hang of it soon.”
Jiying nodded.
Zhou Shaojin carefully unpicked the stitches Jiying had made earlier and taught her again, guiding her hands. She watched as Jiying added a few stitches.
Jiying said, “I always feel like you sew better than I do. Why don’t you sew a few stitches with me?”
Zhou Shaojin gave her a kind smile, picked up the cut-out sock, and demonstrated a few stitches for Jiying.
Jiying watched intently.
Zhou Shaojin thought that since the thread was already threaded, she might as well finish sewing with it.
Her needle flew swiftly, and in just a few moments, she finished sewing the sole.
Jiying followed her instructions, slowly sewing along.
Shi Xiang brought in the crystal cakes and assorted tofu pudding.
Zhou Shaojin invited Jiying to eat.
Jiying didn’t stand on ceremony, thanked her with a smile, and sat down to eat.
Zhou Shaojin, with nothing else to do, simply finished sewing the other sock.
Jiying put down her bowl and said, “Oh, I ate too much. I need to walk around to digest.”
Zhou Shaojin smiled and began embroidering a forehead scarf.
Jiying walked around the room to aid her digestion.
Chunwan ran in and said, “Second Miss, Miss Jia is here.”
Cheng Jia visited so frequently that Zhou Shaojin was already accustomed to her unannounced arrivals. She said to Chunwan, “Please invite her in!”
Chunwan acknowledged and left.
Jiying raised an eyebrow and asked Zhou Shaojin, “Miss Jia from the third branch?”
“Yes!” Zhou Shaojin replied with a smile. “Do you know her?”
“No!” Jiying said bluntly. “But I’ve heard of her.” She looked rather disdainful.
Zhou Shaojin didn’t say anything, recalling how Jiying had acted when they first met.
Was Jiying disdainful of most people, or was it just because Cheng Jia was from the third branch?
But when Cheng Jia saw Jiying, she was greatly surprised and exclaimed, “Who is this? Why is she so beautiful?”
Jiying’s expression darkened slightly, and she raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly introduced Jiying to Cheng Jia.
Jiying nodded at Cheng Jia with a somewhat haughty air.Cheng Jia was not the least bit offended.
She looked Jiying up and down, all the while saying, "So you're from Uncle Chi's household. How come I've never seen you before? Why are you learning needlework from Shaojin? That bracelet on your wrist is really pretty! Is it agate? Agate bracelets of such fine quality are quite rare!"
Who speaks so bluntly upon first meeting someone?
Zhou Shaojin wished she could cover Cheng Jia's mouth and hurriedly asked, "What did you come to see me for?"
Cheng Jia let out an "ah" and pulled Zhou Shaojin to sit on a nearby armchair, saying, "My mother wants me to start classes at Jing'an Zhai after the Double Ninth Festival. I wanted to ask what you think?"
Currently, there were only two female students at Jing'an Zhai—herself and Zhou Shaojin. If Zhou Shaojin didn't go, what fun would it be for her alone?
Zhou Shaojin said, "I need to discuss this with my grandmother and my eldest aunt."
Cheng Jia nodded and sighed, "I really wish I could get married. Then I wouldn't have to be bossed around by my mother every day."
What nonsense was this?
Zhou Shaojin glared at her.
But Cheng Jia paid no mind and casually flipped through the items on Zhou Shaojin's sewing table, asking, "Who are you making these socks for? Why so many?" As she spoke, she even picked up the sock Zhou Shaojin had just finished to examine it.
Zhou Shaojin's heart skipped a beat. She pressed a hand to her chest and took several deep breaths.
Cheng Jia asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine," Zhou Shaojin said. "Jiying brought some Yunpian cake and crispy candy from Jingzhou Prefecture. Would you like to try some?"
"Forget it, I just had a bowl of lotus seed soup before coming out," Cheng Jia replied. "Maybe when I'm hungry later."
Zhou Shaojin didn't press further.
Chunwan brought in tea and snacks. Seeing that Zhou Shaojin still had needlework to do, Cheng Jia drank her tea, chatted for a bit, then stood up to take her leave.
Jiying came over and sat down to do needlework with Zhou Shaojin.
But Zhou Shaojin fell silent.
She quietly finished the other sock and placed it with the other five, saying to Jiying, "There's still one more pair of socks. Take your time with them—you'll manage to finish them eventually."
Jiying looked at her, her eyes flickering.
Zhou Shaojin took out the forehead kerchief she was making for Old Madam Guo, lowered her head, and quietly began embroidering the pattern.
Jiying bit her lip and watched Zhou Shaojin for a while. Seeing that Zhou Shaojin never looked up, she finally began sewing the socks as Zhou Shaojin had taught her.
The room was quiet, with only the sound of Zhou Shaojin's needle piercing through the silk fabric, making the room feel even more silent and somewhat oppressive.
With a "thud," Jiying threw the sock in her hand onto the sewing table and said irritably, "I admit I was wrong about this. I apologize. I made a bet with Nanping that if I could make four pairs of socks for your Uncle Chi, she would never boss me around again. I originally wanted to tell you directly, but I know the Cheng family has strict rules. You're still an unmarried young lady, and making socks for a man—even if he's your uncle—I thought you probably wouldn't agree. That's why I resorted to this underhanded method...""You don't need to explain to me." Zhou Shaojin still kept her head lowered. Though Jiying couldn't see her expression, she could hear her voice sounding muffled, as if she had been crying. "This is between you and Miss Nanping. But I hate being deceived most of all. Please leave now, and never come to Fragrant Garden Residence again!"
Jiying felt extremely awkward, murmuring apologies to her. Uneasily, she probed, "You... have you been crying?"
"I haven't!" Zhou Shaojin lifted her head. Though her eyes were red, no tears had fallen. "Someone like you isn't worth my tears."
Jiying's face flushed red, then paled. She mumbled, "I... I really didn't mean to. I just wanted to win against Nanping..."
"Regardless, the fact remains that you deliberately deceived me." Zhou Shaojin stood up, looking at her coldly. "Leave! I don't have a friend like you."
"Friend?" Jiying stared at Zhou Shaojin in shock.
Zhou Shaojin had already turned her head and called Shi Xiang in, saying, "Escort Miss Jiying out of Fragrant Garden Residence." With that, she walked straight into the inner chamber without looking back, bolted the door, and threw herself onto the bed.
How could she have been so foolish?
How could she have trusted Jiying so easily?
Zhou Shaojin's heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife.
In Uncle Chi's eyes, was she also a fool who could be easily deceived with a few words?
Otherwise, why would the maid by his side treat her this way?
As soon as this thought arose, Zhou Shaojin felt a pang of shame.
It was Jiying who had deceived her. What did it have to do with Uncle Chi? She shouldn't blame Uncle Chi just because she had been gullible with Jiying.
Jiying appeared so coldly elegant and dignified—who would have thought she could do such a thing? Truly, appearances can be deceiving.
Zhou Shaojin felt deeply wronged.
"Second Miss, Second Miss," Jiying knocked on her door. "I was wrong in this matter. I apologize to you. Please don't be angry with me. If you want, you can hit me a couple of times... or tell me what I can do to make you feel better. I'll accept whatever you decide... Second Miss, Second Miss..."
Zhou Shaojin's head ached from the noise. She shouted toward the door, "If you never appear before me again, my anger will subside."
The knocking suddenly stopped.
Zhou Shaojin lay weakly on the bed.
After a while, Shi Xiang whispered outside the door, "Second Miss, Miss Jiying has left."
"Oh!" Zhou Shaojin lay in bed, her bones feeling as if they had fallen apart. She didn't want to get up until Shi Xiang called her for lunch. She then hastily washed up and went to Jia Shu Hall.
But when she returned from Cold Green Mountain House, she realized Jiying hadn't taken the three pairs of socks she had made for Cheng Chi.
The evening sunlight shone on the snow-white socks, casting a mottled glow.
She slowly sat down at the sewing table, put on a thimble, and finished the remaining six pairs of socks. Then, rubbing her sore eyes, she instructed Shi Xiang, "Take these to Miss Jiying tomorrow. Tell her I'm no longer angry, but also ask her to pretend she doesn't know me from now on."
Shi Xiang nodded sadly.
Zhou Shaojin went to bed early.
But when she woke up the next morning, Shi Xiang nervously told her, "Miss Jiying has come!"
Zhou Shaojin was puzzled.Shi Xiang cautiously said, "I hadn't had time to deliver the socks yet when Miss Jiying arrived first. She brought many snacks, saying she wanted to apologize to you. No matter what I said, she wouldn't leave, and I couldn't stop her... She's sitting in the main hall waiting for you to wake up!"
Zhou Shaojin was furious.
Was she calculating that I'm easy to talk to and easy to bully? Now she's using soft tactics to wear me down!
Zhou Shaojin stormed out angrily and immediately saw Jiying sitting at the table with it covered in pastries.
"Second Miss," Jiying stood up at once and said, "I was wrong about yesterday's matter. I thought about it all night and still decided to ask for your forgiveness..."
"I forgive you!" Zhou Shaojin interrupted Jiying's words, saying, "You can leave now!"
"Second Miss..." Jiying frowned, her expression somewhat displeased, carrying a hint of intimidating coldness.
Zhou Shaojin's heart skipped a beat.
How could she forget that Jiying was someone who didn't even fear Cheng Xu, so why would she fear her?
But to her surprise, Jiying lowered her eyelids, said "I'm sorry" to her, and actually obediently left.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief.
※
Sisters, an extra update for cadyss!
These past few days, pink votes have doubled. Sisters with pink votes, please continue supporting "Jinling Spring." Thank you, everyone!
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※ (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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