Jiуing stаmped hеr fооt in frustrаtiоn, glaring at Yun Ge’еr. “Нow cаn someоnе sо уоung hаve yоur mother’s face and уоur fathеr’s heаrt?”
Zhоu Shаоjin was stаrtlеd аnd quiсklу askеd, “Does Yun Ge’еr lоok likе me? In what waу?”
Jiying reрlied, “Loоk аt his еуеs аnd nоse—how соuld theу nоt rеsemblе yоurs?”
Shаojin grew аnхious. “I hаve a gentlе appеаrаncе, but he’s a boу. Ноw cаn hе lооk likе mе? Hе shоuld be hаndsomе like his fathеr.”
Jiying widеnеd hеr eуеs. “Whаt’s wrоng with looking like уou? You’re much prеttier than Chеng Zichuan. With suсh a bеаutiful child, оf course he takes after you! Cheng Zichuan is just lucky to have married you. Anyone else would never have raised such a lovely child…”
What kind of talk was this?
Shaojin held Yun Ge’er and was about to ask more when the child called out, “Daddy!”
Everyone looked around, but there was no sign of Cheng Chi.
Jiying laughed and pretended to pinch Yun Ge’er’s nose. “You’re trying to scare me!”
Shaojin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “He can’t even speak clearly yet. How would he know you’re afraid of Fourth Uncle? And why would he try to scare you?”
Jiying stubbornly insisted, “Who said I’m afraid of Cheng Zichuan? I just don’t want any conflicts with him that might involve Qin Ziping.”
“Really?” Shaojin asked Jiying with a smile.
She had always worried that Jiying and Qin Ziping weren’t getting along well. But now, seeing Jiying radiant and acting just as she did before marriage, it was clear she was quite content.
Jiying mumbled something unintelligible.
Yun Ge’er then said, “Zi Chuan, Daddy!”
“Oh my!” Shaojin was overjoyed. “Yun Ge’er, you even know your father’s courtesy name.” Remembering that Yun Ge’er had called out “Daddy” twice, she planted two kisses on the child’s little face and smiled at Jiying. “Our Yun Ge’er wasn’t trying to scare you, was he?”
Jiying laughed and affectionately patted Yun Ge’er’s head. “You little one, how can you be so clever? Auntie has something nice for you.” She took a clay whistle shaped like a bird from her pocket and handed it to Shaojin. “You’re good with needlework—make a tassel for him to hang around his neck and play with.”
Unlike the gifts listed formally, this was a token of Jiying’s affection.
Shaojin asked Chunwan to find a tassel and told Yun Ge’er to thank Jiying.
Yun Ge’er called Jiying “Auntie” in his childish voice, making Jiying’s heart melt. She said to Shaojin, “Can I hold him for a while?”
Cheng Chi was nearly thirty when he had this son. No one knew how precious he was to him, and even someone as carefree as Jiying wouldn’t dare treat Yun Ge’er lightly. Besides, this child might one day become the master of the Seven Stars Hall.
“Of course!” Shaojin didn’t overthink it.
After all, every child grows up with bumps and scrapes.
She handed the child to Jiying but couldn’t resist asking, “Does our Yun Ge’er really look like me?”
Jiying looked at Yun Ge’er, who was quietly letting her hold him, then at Shaojin. “You’re both very beautiful…”
In other words, Jiying simply thought they were both good-looking, not that Yun Ge’er resembled Shaojin!
Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiying said, “I think you should have a daughter next. I like girls.”Upon hearing this, Zhou Shaojin was both amused and exasperated. She said, "Go have one yourself! It's not like you're unattractive."
Jiying gave a disgruntled laugh.
Yet Zhou Shaojin's heart sank.
Could it be that things weren't going well between her and Qin Ziping?
But before she could speak, Jiying said, "Oh, right, I almost forgot something important." As she spoke, she called out toward the door, "Da Ya! Er Ya!"
Two young girls, about fourteen or fifteen years old, walked in.
They were of average height, somewhat sturdy in build, with honey-colored skin, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. The one on the left wore a bright red Hangzhou silk vest, while the one on the right wore a parrot-green Hangzhou silk vest. Their features were about seventy to eighty percent similar, and they bowed respectfully to Zhou Shaojin with honest and earnest expressions.
Zhou Shaojin pointed at the two girls in surprise. "These are..."
"Cheng Zichuan asked me to find maids for you," Jiying said without much enthusiasm. "My father-in-law picked them up during the great flood of the Yongding River that year. They're likely sisters, and he adopted them as foster daughters. They've been learning martial arts from my father-in-law since childhood and later followed me for two years to learn etiquette. They're quite skilled, and though not exceptionally clever, they make up for it with loyalty and reliability—they don't gossip... You know how difficult it is to keep women in the inner quarters from talking. I went through a lot of trouble to pick these two sisters from the Qin and Ji families." After finishing, she turned to the two girls and said, "This is Madam Cheng. From now on, you'll follow her and serve in her household. Remember what I told you, and don't make any mistakes."
The two girls bowed to Zhou Shaojin once again.
Jiying added, "If it weren't for these two girls being sent to the Golden Sand Gang to learn water drifting, and me taking a detour to pick them up, which delayed me, I would have arrived in the capital much earlier! Thankfully, I made it in time for Yun Ge'er's first birthday..." As she spoke, Chunwan walked in, bringing a clay whistle with a tassel attached. Jiying took it, blew into it once, then rinsed it in tea before handing it to Yun Ge'er.
Yun Ge'er's eyes lit up when he heard the sound. Seeing Jiying give him the clay whistle, he immediately tried to blow into it.
The clay whistle squeaked twice.
Delighted, he smiled at Zhou Shaojin and gently blew into the clay whistle again.
The room was soon filled with the shrill sound of the clay whistle.
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but say to Jiying, "Well, now you've found him a great toy. We won't have any peace from now on."
Jiying laughed heartily and said, "Well, it's not like I'm the one who won't have peace. The more Yun Ge'er blows it, the more restless certain people will become, and the happier I'll be. Serves him right for trying to discipline me."
Zhou Shaojin was again torn between laughter and exasperation.
Meanwhile, Yun Ge'er twisted around, searching for something. "Tea, want tea!"
Chunwan thought Yun Ge'er was thirsty and quickly poured warm tea, bringing it to his lips.
But Yun Ge'er pushed the tea away, stuffed the clay whistle into the teacup, then pulled it out, imitating Jiying's actions, and shook it vigorously.“How can this child be so adorable?” Jiying looked at Yun Ge’er, wishing she could take him home with her. She pleaded with Zhou Shaojin, “Let me be the one to teach Yun Ge’er in the future. Just look at Huaishan’s people—they’re all strange and sinister. The martial skills they specialize in are vicious, with moves that leave no room for retreat, a fight to the death. Nanny Shang comes from an unorthodox background and can’t be considered proper. But our Ji family’s martial arts are upright and honorable, derived from the Muscle Transformation Classic, and place great emphasis on cultivating inner energy. Even when killing, the movements are graceful, without a trace of ferocity. In the future, our Yun Ge’er will surely be a noble young master—how can he follow the same path as those street performers and beggars from the martial world?”
Zhou Shaojin broke into a sweat as she listened and said, “As for what Yun Ge’er will do in the future, Fourth Master has said it depends on his talent and interests. As long as it’s something he likes and has a talent for, Fourth Master said he can do whatever he wants. As for learning martial arts, we’ll have to wait until he’s older…”
“That makes sense,” Jiying said, not refuting Cheng Chi for the first time. After thinking for a moment, she added, “If a person can live as they wish, that’s true happiness.”
“Exactly, exactly,” Zhou Shaojin said, afraid she might change her mind and insist on teaching Yun Ge’er martial arts. She quickly changed the subject, asking, “Are Da Ya and Er Ya their names? Does Fourth Master know you’ve come? And what about Qin Ziping? I haven’t seen him. The banquet is about to start—shall I take you to your seat?”
“No need,” Jiying replied. Knowing that today’s guests were mostly officials’ wives, she realized that if they started asking questions, she, as a constable’s wife, would inevitably face judgmental looks. She couldn’t resort to her usual martial world ways either. Thinking of this, she felt somewhat grateful that Qin Ziping had become a constable—it gave them a unique status in the martial world, and the title of “son-in-law of the Ji family” made many treat them with respect. “I’ll just have lunch in your room. It’ll be nice to catch up with Nanny Shang—it’s been two years since I last saw you all.”
That works too!
Even without Cheng Chi saying it, Zhou Shaojin could sense the Ji family’s status in the martial world from the pride Jiying showed whenever she mentioned them. Since their paths were different, forcing her to sit among the officials’ wives would only make her uncomfortable.
She arranged for Da Ya and Er Ya to be settled, discussed ordering dishes for Jiying, and then casually asked Jiying to save her a bowl of sweet soup. After that, she picked up Yun Ge’er and went to Cheng Chi, asking him, “Did you know Jiying brought two little girls with her?”
“I know,” Cheng Chi said, taking Yun Ge’er from her. “I didn’t expect her to come today, but it shows she cares. With so many people around and gossip flying, I’ll talk to you about it tonight when I return.”
Zhou Shaojin nodded, kissed Yun Ge’er, and let Cheng Chi carry him outside to socialize. She herself shuttled between Tingxiang Courtyard and the Water Pavilion. It wasn’t until the storyteller began his tale and the opera singers started performing that Cheng Chi finally handed Yun Ge’er back to Zhou Shaojin, who carried him back to her room.
Yun Ge’er usually took his afternoon nap around this time. On the way back, he couldn’t stay awake any longer and fell asleep on her shoulder. By the time they reached the main room, he was limp as clay. Zhou Shaojin changed his clothes while he remained motionless, letting her handle him.
Jiying watched with great interest.
Zhou Shaojin, however, was drenched in sweat. She hurriedly changed her clothes and dismissed her attendants before sitting down to have a heart-to-heart with Jiying: “Are you planning to return to your hometown?”"I'm not going back," Jiying said with a smile. "The old master had high hopes, but after returning, he found everything from food to lodging uncomfortable. I could see he was regretting it. But Fourth Master insisted he stay home longer and even had him renovate the old cellars and hidden passages from before." At this point, she pricked up her ears to listen for any movement around them before leaning close to Shaojin's ear and whispering, "Does Fourth Master have something in mind? From the looks of it, it’s not just about fixing up the old house. It seems more like a cunning rabbit with three burrows—setting things up in advance."
Zhou Shaojin’s heart raced as she listened, and she whispered back into Jiying’s ear, "I don’t know the specifics, but with the Crown Prince suddenly passing away, the eldest imperial grandson becoming the heir, Second Uncle being the Emperor’s confidant, and Fourth Master keeping an eye on the Fourth Prince... Fourth Master is likely preparing for the worst, fearing something might happen in the capital."
Jiying frowned upon hearing this and said, "Is he tired of living? Why get involved in these matters? He’s not alone! Why doesn’t he think of you and Yun Ge’er?"
※
Dear readers, here’s today’s update.
o(n_n)o~
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