Аftеr thаt, Zhоu Shаojin was in а сhееrful mоod, and her trаnsсription оf the scriрturеs flоwеd раrticularlу smoothly. In just over an hоur, shе had finishеd cоруing аll the sсriрturеs shе hаd plаnned to. Feеling sоmewhаt unsatisfied, she сopiеd a few mоrе раgеs. Sееing that it was gеtting lаte, shе finаllу put dоwn her brush аnd wеnt to bid farеwеll to Оld Madam Guо.
The upреr сourtуard was quiet, withоut а sоund. Thе mаids аnd еldеrlу servаnts stоod rеspеctfully undеr the еаvеs, heаds bоwеd аnd eyes lоwered.
Zhou Shaojin sаw the young аcolуte Qing Fеng stаnding besidе the bamboo curtain of the hall with Biyu and Feicui.
It seemed Uncle Chi was in Old Madam Guo’s room.
No wonder he had suddenly appeared in the prayer hall earlier.
He must have passed by the prayer hall, seen her inside copying scriptures, and curiously stepped in to take a look.
Zhou Shaojin pondered this, hesitating whether to inform the maids and servants in the upper rooms that she would return to Jia Shu Hall first or wait until Cheng Chi left before bidding farewell to Old Madam Guo. Just then, she saw Biyu smile at her, turn around, and lift the curtain to enter the upper room.
She must have gone to announce her to Old Madam Guo.
What would Old Madam Guo say?
Zhou Shaojin felt inexplicably nervous.
She saw Biyu walking quickly toward her.
“Second Miss!” Biyu greeted her softly with a smile. “The Old Madam asks you to come in.”
Zhou Shaojin responded with a soft “Mm,” straightened her collar, and followed Biyu into the upper room.
In the resting chamber, Old Madam Guo and Cheng Chi sat on either side of a luohan bed with a marble-inlaid backrest adorned with auspicious cloud patterns. In the center, a black-carved tea table with mother-of-pearl inlay held a sandalwood chessboard. White and black jade chess pieces were arranged in a complex pattern, reaching the final stage of the game.
Old Madam Guo held the black pieces, while Cheng Chi held the white ones.
Zhou Shaojin almost let out a surprised “Huh.”
In chess, the elder or the more skilled player typically holds the white pieces, while the other holds the black ones.
Cheng Chi was Old Madam Guo’s son. Could it be that his chess skills were exceptionally high? But between mother and son, why bother with such distinctions? Even if Cheng Chi were highly skilled, there was no need for Old Madam Guo to hold the black pieces!
Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat uneasy about this.
In a daze, she stepped forward and bowed to both of them.
Cheng Chi nodded to her with a smile.
Old Madam Guo, also smiling, asked her, “Have you finished copying today’s scriptures? You should head back early. Another day, I’ll keep you for dinner!”
Whether it was mere politeness or sincerity, it gave Zhou Shaojin ample face.
Zhou Shaojin respectfully expressed her thanks and, accompanied by Biyu, left the resting chamber. However, she couldn’t help but glance back at the silent room.
Through the fine bamboo curtain, Cheng Chi leaned lazily against a large cushion behind him, just as he had that day at Three Branches Pavilion. The white jade chess pieces moved nimbly between his fair, slender fingers, exuding an air of casual indifference. Old Madam Guo, however, frowned as she stared intently at the chessboard, her expression serious.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but quietly ask Biyu, “Is Uncle Chi very skilled at chess?”
Biyu smiled and replied, “Very skilled—he gives the eldest young master a ten-piece handicap, the eldest master a four-piece handicap, and the Old Madam a three-piece handicap.”
So impressive!
Zhou Shaojin had little talent for chess or arithmetic. Zhou Chujin had spent great effort teaching her to play chess, but her skill remained at the level of Gomoku. She couldn’t even beat Shi Xiang at Gomoku.
Feeling a surge of admiration, she asked Biyu, “From what you say, it sounds like the Old Madam is also very skilled at chess!”"Of course." Biyu rarely showed such a proud expression, as if sharing in the glory. "I heard from Nanny Shi that even the old master was no match for the old madam back then..." Before she could finish her words, a loud crash suddenly came from the resting room, followed by the crisp sound of jade pieces scattering on the stone floor.
Biyu’s face turned pale.
Faint sobbing could already be heard from the resting room.
Biyu could no longer care about anything else. She hurriedly said, "I won’t see you off, Second Miss," and rushed into the resting room in quick strides.
Zhou Shaojin knew that, both emotionally and logically, she should leave at this moment. But she was too curious. After thinking it over and seeing that no one else came to investigate, she couldn’t restrain herself and took a few steps forward.
Biyu stood beside Old Madam Guo, whispering words of comfort. Old Madam Guo was wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Cheng Chi remained as indifferent as ever, leaning casually against a large cushion. The chessboard had fallen to the floor, and the pieces were scattered everywhere.
What was going on?
This was the first time Zhou Shaojin had ever seen Old Madam Guo cry!
Even if she had lost a game of chess, and it was her own son in private, Old Madam Guo wouldn’t have overturned the chessboard and wept over it.
She was stunned.
Then, she felt a chill on the top of her head and saw Cheng Chi’s indifferent gaze sweep over her.
She had been caught red-handed...
Zhou Shaojin quickly lowered her head and turned to leave.
Feicui and Qing Feng both looked anxious, but they remained at the entrance to the hall and asked Zhou Shaojin nothing.
Zhou Shaojin returned to Jia Shu Hall full of doubts. For reasons she couldn’t quite explain herself, she said nothing about what she had witnessed in the main room of Cold Green Mountain House in front of her grandmother, her eldest aunt, or her sister.
The next day, she heard the news.
Cheng Xun, the only grandson of the Second Old Master of the eldest branch, who was the same age as Cheng Xu and only five days younger, had passed away from illness.
In her previous life, she had felt nothing upon hearing this news. Even after being reborn, she couldn’t remember when Cheng Xun had died. But now, perhaps because she had also experienced the pain of losing a child, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably upon hearing of Cheng Xun’s death.
The Cheng family had always had few descendants. With Cheng Xun’s death, the Second Old Master’s line had been cut off. Would they adopt someone from the main Cheng family? Who would they adopt?
Old Madam Guo must have considered this even more than she had.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know the outcome and couldn’t even offer a word of comfort to Old Madam Guo.
Old Madam Guan, noticing Zhou Shaojin’s reddened eyes, pulled her into her arms and sighed wistfully. She said to Madam Mian, "The hardest thing in this world is for the elderly to bury the young. The Second Old Master of the eldest branch was said to have started his studies under Old Madam Guo. Now that such a tragedy has befallen the Second Old Master, I can’t imagine how heartbroken Old Madam Guo must be. I think you should discuss with the First Master whether to send a steward to the capital for the funeral or have Gao’er or Yi’er represent the fourth branch and go to the capital."
Madam Mian wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and softly agreed before heading to the outer courtyard.
Zhou Shaojin felt confused.
She remembered that in her previous life, when Cheng Xun died, Cheng Gao and Cheng Yi continued their studies and calligraphy practice as usual, with no change. Why was it different this time?
Zhou Shaojin asked Old Madam Guan, "Should I still go to Cold Green Mountain House today to copy the scriptures?"
"Go," Old Madam Guan sighed. "With something like this happening, I’m afraid Old Madam Guo’s devotion to copying the scriptures will only grow stronger."Zhou Shaojin nodded and went with Old Madam Guan to Cold Green Mountain House.
As they were grandchildren and there were still elders in Nine Prosperities Lane, it was inappropriate to wear mourning clothes. The maids and matrons serving in Cold Green Mountain House merely removed their gold and silver jewelry and changed out of their red and green garments.
For a time, Cold Green Mountain House seemed permeated with a chill.
Old Madam Guo showed traces of weariness between her brows. She thanked Old Madam Guan for her condolences and said, "Seeing as the weather is getting hotter day by day, and the children are still only sixteen or seventeen years old, let's not trouble them too much. We must be careful to avoid complications. I appreciate your kindness—just send a steward to offer incense. The child hasn't yet come of age, so let's not disturb his reincarnation."
These words brought tears to both Old Madam Guan and Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin offered, "When will the stewards depart? I would like to copy a few chapters of the 'Rebirth Mantra' to burn for Cousin Xun."
"Good child, you are thoughtful," said Old Madam Guo, her eyes growing moist. "Chief Steward Qin has already set off. The second, third, and fifth branches also said they would send people to the capital to pay their respects. I told them to leave tomorrow, but time is tight—I'm afraid they may not make it. However, I will go to Sweet Spring Temple tomorrow to hold a Buddhist service for Brother Xun. Would you like to come with me? Offering incense for him before the Bodhisattva will be enough to show your sincerity."
Zhou Shaojin nodded repeatedly but still copied three chapters of the "Rebirth Mantra" overnight and asked the chief steward of the fourth branch to take them to the capital.
When Old Madam Guo learned of this, she patted Zhou Shaojin's head and had Biyu attend to her so she could catch up on sleep in the carriage, saying, "Later at the temple, there will be a service. Don't wear yourself out."
Zhou Shaojin hadn't stayed up so late in a long time and was also afraid she might not hold up at the temple, so she accepted without hesitation and slept in the carriage.
When they arrived at Sweet Spring Temple and alighted from the carriage, she noticed that Cheng Chi had also accompanied Old Madam Guo to the temple.
However, Cheng Xu was not seen.
Zhou Shaojin breathed a great sigh of relief.
But Cheng Chi still appeared rather listless, as if not overly grieved by Cheng Xun's death. However, perhaps men and women are different—women tend to show their emotions on their faces, while men keep them hidden in their hearts. For instance, when Uncle Mian heard the news of Cheng Xun's death, he was also very sad, but soon he returned to normal, solemnly instructing the steward to prepare for the journey to the capital to pay respects to Cheng Xun.
Accompanying Old Madam Guo today, besides Zhou Shaojin, were Cheng Chi, Madam Yuan, and Cheng Xu; from the second branch, Madam Yi and Cheng Shi; from the third branch, Madam Jiang, Cheng Xian, Cheng Zheng, Cheng Jia, Pan Zhuo, and Pan Qing; from the fourth branch, Madam Mian, Cheng Gao, Cheng Yi, and Zhou Chujin; from the fifth branch, Madam Wen, Cheng Nuo, Madam Yu, Cheng Ju, Madam Dong, and Cheng Lu.
Cheng Xu and several male cousins were in the front hall, while Old Madam Guo, Zhou Shaojin, and the other female relatives were in the side hall of the rear courtyard.
Zhou Shaojin knelt on a prayer cushion, reciting scriptures with devout sincerity.
Just as she had done on many nights in her previous life, kneeling in the small Buddhist chapel of the Daxing estate, reciting scriptures for her unborn child.
When Cheng Chi entered, he saw Cheng Jia kneeling unsteadily before the incense table, Pan Qing kneeling on her calves, and Zhou Shaojin, as straight as a birch tree in a desolate wilderness.She slowly turned the dark red sandalwood prayer beads in her hand. Her fair skin glowed like jade in the dimly lit hall, and her long, curled eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath gently closed eyelids, resembling the lotus before the bodhisattva—solemn and dignified.
He was momentarily dazed.
She was only a twelve-year-old girl—how could she be so serene and composed, so calm and self-possessed?
Cheng Chi looked up.
He saw the compassionate face of Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Mercy.
Perhaps some people are born with a natural affinity for Buddhism?
Cheng Chi turned and said to Biyu, who was serving outside the hall, "Go and inform the mistress that it is almost time for the midday meal. Please ensure the elderly madam does not overexert herself."
Biyu respectfully acknowledged the order and entered the hall to relay the message.
Cheng Chi then quickly left the rear courtyard.
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Dear readers, this is the fiftieth chapter I promised. The public chapters end here. Starting from the next chapter, the story will transition to VIP chapters. Many friends may leave, but I hope even more will stay and continue supporting Jinling Spring.
Thank you all for your unwavering support! As before, during the first month of VIP access, every 30 pink votes will trigger an extra chapter. Please give me the chance to add more updates.
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