Upon heаring Fаn Qi's words, Zhou Shаojin brokе intо а соld swеat, her hеart clouded with suspiciоn.
Shе dismissed Fаn Qi and hurriеd tо thе Аutumn Embrасе Раvilion.
Zhоu Chujin was helрing Мadаm Mian chеck the gift list fоr the Dragоn Воаt Fеstivаl. Вoth werе surрrised tо sее Zhou Shаojin.
Маdam Miаn quiсkly аsked, "Has sоmething hapреnеd?"
"Nothing mаjor," Zhou Shaоjin rерlied, glаnсing аt hеr sistеr. "I just сamе tо seе what mу sister is doing."
Аt this time, Zhоu Shаоjin should hаvе bееn at Cold Grеen Mountain Hоuse coрying scriрtures.
Undеrstаnding the unsрoken meaning, Madam Mian ordered the maids to serve tea and snacks, excusing herself to check the festival gifts in the storeroom, leaving the sitting room to the Zhou sisters.
Zhou Shaojin pulled Zhou Chujin aside and whispered, "Sister, do you remember that year when Aunt Zhuang came looking for us... I pushed her onto you to handle..."
"I remember!" Zhou Chujin replied warily. "What? Have they come looking for you again? Don’t pay them any mind—just let them come to me! Father already sent over the official court judgment documents. Even if they try to cause trouble this time, we have nothing to fear."
"It’s not about that," Zhou Shaojin hesitated. "I just suddenly remembered and wanted to ask how the matter was resolved back then?"
Her younger sister was growing up, developing her own thoughts and feelings. Moreover, the Zhuang family was her maternal relatives, bound by blood—perhaps she couldn’t entirely let go.
Guessing this, Zhou Chujin thought for a moment but ultimately kept her advice to herself. Smiling, she said, "Back then, the magistrate of Jinling City was Father’s classmate. I wrote to Father about it. Steward Ma took Father’s name card and requested official intervention, which finally scared Uncle Zhuang into submission."
Zhou Shaojin asked, "Then, was the Zhuang family’s old residence sold or not?"
"I don’t know about that," Zhou Chujin replied, somewhat puzzled but tactfully added, "Whether it was sold or not, it was allocated to Uncle Zhuang—it’s his property now. No matter how unwilling we are, it’s not our place to interfere. Has someone been saying things to you? Do you want to know about Mother’s past? You needn’t worry about that. All the things Mother used were reclaimed by Father back then. They’re now stored in the Zhou family ancestral home. Father has an inventory, Steward Ma has one, and Grandmother here also has a copy. Father said that when you marry, everything will be handed over to you to decide. If you wish to take them with you, take them all. If you don’t care for them, leave them with Father. After Father passes away, his coffin and my birth mother’s will be buried together according to ritual. Mother’s belongings will be placed in Father’s coffin as burial offerings. Father has already made arrangements for all this."
Listening to this, Zhou Shaojin suddenly felt a pang of sorrow, her eyes welling up with tears.
Father treated Mother... even better than he treated Sister’s birth mother... The things she did in her past life must have broken Father’s heart...
Her tears began to fall uncontrollably.
Zhou Chujin took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, speaking gently, "What’s wrong? Are you missing Mother? Father truly cares for us deeply—he just couldn’t keep us by his side. Don’t blame him. Although Father is a fourth-rank official, the Cheng family has served as officials for generations since the previous dynasty. As the granddaughter of the Cheng family, with an official father, your status is already quite distinguished...""I know!" Zhou Shaojin took the handkerchief from her sister and wiped her eyes hastily. "I don't blame Father. I still have you, Sister! I'm just a little sad."
Zhou Chujin sometimes felt sad too.
Only she chose not to dwell on it.
"That's right!" She hugged her younger sister. "You still have me, and I still have you!"
The sisters remained melancholy for a while before Zhou Shaojin suggested visiting the Zhou family ancestral home someday: "...I just want to see what Mother left for me."
In her previous life, her father had also sent her birth mother's belongings to the capital, but they were all antiques, calligraphy, and paintings—none of the gold and silver jewelry she had worn, nor the dressing cases, zithers, or flutes she had used. The person delivering the items unloaded them and left, and she hadn't dared to ask. In this life, however, she wanted to see her mother's relics.
Zhou Chujin said, "Don't worry, I'll arrange it."
Their grandmother and eldest aunt had raised them with kindness. If they constantly dwelled on their birth parents' affection, how would their grandmother and eldest aunt feel?
Zhou Chujin was very mindful of such details, usually avoiding mention of her own parents and rarely speaking of the Zhou family.
Zhou Shaojin understood this. She said, "I can go anytime; Sister, don't force yourself."
"I know," Zhou Chujin replied. "If we can find the time, we'll go together."
Truth be told, she hadn't returned to the Zhou family ancestral home for at least twenty years, counting both her previous life and this one. If she could go with her sister, that would be best.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded. The sisters chatted a while longer before the maids entered to serve tea and snacks. When Madam Mian arrived, Zhou Shaojin stood up to take her leave and went to Cold Green Mountain House.
Her mind preoccupied, she spent the entire afternoon that day but only copied half the usual amount of scripture.
Old Madam Guo said nothing about it. However, after Zhou Shaojin returned to the fourth household, she summoned Xiao Tan: "Do you know what's troubling Second Miss?"
"I don't know," Xiao Tan replied, bowing her head respectfully. "Second Miss speaks very little. She grinds ink and lays out paper herself without letting others help. I merely stand guard at the door to announce visitors or run errands and fetch things for her."
Old Madam Guo asked no further and dismissed Xiao Tan, instructing Feicui, "Keep an eye out."
Feicui respectfully acknowledged the order, but her mind was in turmoil.
What kind of person was the Old Madam? Only Miss Sheng and Young Master Xu received such attention from her. Since when had the Zhou family's Second Miss also caught the Old Madam's eye?
She thought of Cheng Xu's actions... The Old Madam had merely excused him from evening greetings.
Could the Old Madam have some other intention?
Since the day of the second household's ancestor's birthday celebration, Feicui had been somewhat avoiding Zhou Shaojin.
Now she couldn't help but smile bitterly.
How should she treat the Zhou family's Second Miss from now on?
Feicui left the main room with a heavy heart.
Zhou Shaojin knew nothing of this.
When Zhou Zhen's Dragon Boat Festival gifts arrived, the Zhou sisters finally found an opportunity to return to the Zhou family ancestral home.
Old Madam Guan repeatedly reminded them, "That place has been unoccupied for a long time. It's probably swarming with mosquitoes and insects. Stand on higher ground in the courtyard and come back once the servants have mostly cleaned the rooms. I'll be waiting for you two sisters to have dinner with me."
As for ancestral worship, since the Zhou sisters were girls, it wasn't their place to participate.
"Don't worry," Zhou Chujin said with a smile. "With Madam Ma Fushan accompanying us, nothing will go wrong."Even so, Old Madam Guan insisted on seeing the sisters off all the way to the gate.
The Zhou family ancestral home was located on Flat Bridge Street in Taipingfang, south of Jinling City. Though it covered only four or five mu of land, it featured small bridges over flowing water, winding paths leading to secluded spots, pavilions and towers, and lush flowers and trees—a truly exquisite landscape. To reach it from Nine Prosperities Lane by sedan chair required crossing through Jinling City, a journey of about half an hour.
Outside the sedan chair, the clamor of hawkers calling their wares, customers bargaining, loud shouts, and conversations filled the air, creating an unceasing din.
Inside the sedan chair, Zhou Shaojin sat quietly. In the past, she would have lifted the curtain to peek out curiously. But now, she had no such mood; instead, she felt a sense of trepidation, as if she had been transported to another lifetime.
If everything unfolded as she anticipated, what should she do?
Zhou Shaojin twisted her handkerchief anxiously. It wasn’t until the sedan chair came to a stop in the courtyard of the Zhou ancestral home and she heard the respectful voice of Ma Fushan that she snapped out of her reverie. With Shi Xiang’s assistance, she stepped out of the sedan chair.
The bluestone slabs at the entrance were smooth yet pitted with small depressions. The black six-paneled partition doors of the front hall were inlaid with transparent glass. On either side, old locust trees spread their umbrella-like canopies, obscuring much of the house and blocking the morning sunlight at the hour of Si (around 10 a.m.). The black-lacquered incense table, master’s chairs, and tea tables in the hall were barely discernible in the dim light. In contrast, the painting of an Immortal Pointing the Way hanging in the central hall stood out prominently due to its generous use of blank space.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
The fragrance of roses drifted through the courtyard.
Her heart inexplicably settled, filling with a sense of ease and joy.
This was her home. What did she have to fear?
Following behind her elder sister, Zhou Shaojin listened as Ma Fushan respectfully and attentively reported to her sister on the household’s recent income, the distribution of Dragon Boat Festival gifts, their father’s instructions in his letters, and the sewing of summer and autumn clothing for the servants. Yet her eyes kept wandering, taking in everything around her as if she were visiting for the first time.
Zhou Chujin was amused by her sister’s behavior. As she had matters to discuss with Ma Fushan and worried that Shaojin might grow impatient, she also wanted to give her sister a chance to look through Madam Zhuang’s belongings alone. Thus, she instructed Madam Ma Fushan, “Accompany the Second Young Lady to Mother’s storeroom—she needs to find a few things. I’ll go to the accounting room with Steward Ma to talk.”
The Ma Fushan couple responded respectfully. One accompanied Zhou Chujin to the accounting room, while the other escorted Zhou Shaojin to the storeroom.
Three adjoining side rooms had been combined into one, neatly and orderly filled with trunks, tables, chairs, screens, and other items.
Madam Ma Fushan led Zhou Shaojin toward the pile of trunks on the west side. “These were left by the Madam,” she said, pointing to the red labels on the trunks. “These contain the Madam’s fur coats and skirts… These hold her writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and a zither… And these are the calligraphy, paintings, and antiques she brought from her maiden family…” Finally, she pulled a string of keys from her pocket. “The Madam’s gold and silver jewelry are in my care. I’ll fetch them for you now.”
“No need,” Zhou Shaojin replied, as she hadn’t come for these items. “I’ll look through these slowly on my own. Are there any old servants who attended to Mother? I’d like to ask about her life.”
As children grow older, they naturally seek their roots.Madam Ma Fushan, suspecting nothing, replied, "Yes, there is. She originally served in the mistress's chamber. After the mistress passed away, the master showed mercy and released all those who had served her. She had nowhere to go, so she stayed. Since her husband's surname is Yu, we all call her Granny Yu. Now she tends to the flowers and plants in the house. Her hearing and eyesight are still sharp, and she speaks clearly. I'll go fetch her right away."
Zhou Shaojin nodded.
Madam Ma Fushan turned and led in an elderly woman wearing a coarse blue robe.
The old woman was about to kowtow to Zhou Shaojin, but Zhou Shaojin quickly took her hand and said, "You served my mother. Please don't embarrass me." She then instructed Shi Xiang to set a seat for Granny Yu. "I just came to take a look while my sister has matters to discuss with Steward Ma. Please don't stand on ceremony with me!"
※
In the blink of an eye, I've missed several updates... Sisters, tonight's update will be around eight o'clock.
PS: Still seeking pink votes...
※ (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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