Zhоu Shaojin felt а slight disрleasurе in her heаrt.
Rеgаrdlеss оf thе reasоn, she sensed that Pan Qing wаs рaуing toо muсh аttеntion tо hеr.
Shе rеsрondеd perfunctоrilу to Рan Qing with a smile, sаying, "It's nothing. I'm just stаnding here tо еnjоу thе brееze."
Thе wind blоwing from thе lаkе was quitе cооl.
"Is that so?" Раn Qing smiled аnd also loоked toward thе Wаtеr Pаvilion acrоss thе wаy, sауing, "I think thе sсеnеry оvеr therе loоks quite plеasаnt. It's а рity it's thе Fifth Ноusе's small garden, sо it's not convenient tо wander arоund."
Zhou Shaоjin smiled withоut sаying а word.
Cheng Jia walked over, waving a large red silk fan with a golden handle embroidered with colorful butterflies and flowers, and asked, "Why are you all standing here? What is there to see?"
"It's just cooler here," Pan Qing said, glancing at Zhou Shaojin with a smile.
"How odd!" Cheng Jia muttered quietly, giving Pan Qing a sidelong glance, then turned to Zhou Shaojin with a smile and said, "Can you take half a day off tomorrow afternoon? I want to invite you to go boating in the garden. The lotus buds in Qingxi River have started to grow, and I want to pick some lotus leaves to dry for making beggar's chicken in winter."
"That won't do!" Zhou Shaojin replied with a smile. "Since I promised Old Madam Guo, I can't go back on my word. You go ahead and pick some for me too."
Such an open request meant she didn’t treat herself as an outsider!
Cheng Jia immediately brightened up and said, "There are plenty of lotus leaves in the pond. I’ll pick some for you. Besides making beggar's chicken, they can also be used for tea..."
The two chatted about this and that, not giving Pan Qing a chance to interject. When Cui Huan came to report that Madam Shen had arrived, Cheng Jia linked arms with Zhou Shaojin and headed to Jing'an Studio.
Pan Qing’s gaze turned slightly cold.
Unfortunately, neither Zhou Shaojin nor Cheng Jia, walking ahead of her, noticed. Even after arriving at Jing'an Studio, the two continued whispering to each other from time to time, leaving her out.
Later, while picking lotus leaves, Cheng Jia nearly fell into the lake.
Zhou Shaojin was greatly alarmed.
In her previous life, before her own misfortune, Cheng Jia had always been safe and sound. How could such a mishap occur in this life?
Fortunately, Cheng Jia was promptly pulled back by an elderly servant and only suffered a fright.
Zhou Shaojin and her elder sister went together to visit Cheng Jia.
Upon hearing about it, Old Madam Guan called them over and said, "...Also, ask on my behalf if Jia needs any calming rituals. If so, I still have some high-quality cinnabar here."
The two agreed with a smile and went with Madam Mian to Ruyi Pavilion.
Ruyi Pavilion was located in the center of the Third House, with Cheng Zheng’s Linglong Hall to the east, the Third House’s Old Madam Li’s Daoxiang Courtyard to the west, and the Third House’s main hall, Changqing Hall, to the south. The scenery was exceptionally beautiful, and the place was lavishly decorated, especially the partition made of nanmu wood on the southern side of the hall, which was a curio shelf filled with various golden, silver, jade, and stone Ruyi ornaments, gleaming so brightly it was almost dazzling to look at.
When they arrived, Cheng Jia was wrapped in a bright red brocade quilt embroidered with a phoenix facing the sun, leaning against the headboard and chatting with Madam Jiang and Old Madam Li, who were seated by her bed. Cheng Xian and Pan Qing stood behind Madam Jiang and Old Madam Li. The personal maids and attendants of Madam Jiang, Old Madam Li, and others waited outside the inner chamber. The spacious main room was crowded with people, and the air was thick with the mingled scents of various cosmetics.
Zhou Shaojin, accustomed to simplicity, found such fragrances unbearable and couldn’t help but frown.Perhaps it was a case of being in a room of orchids for too long and no longer noticing their fragrance. Cheng Jia showed no signs of abnormality. While Madam Mian and Old Lady Li exchanged greetings, she waved to Zhou Shaojin, saying, "Why are you here? I'm fine, don't worry." She then called out loudly to Zhou Chujin, "Sister Chujin!"
Zhou Chujin smiled at her.
From a distance, Zhou Shaojin hadn’t noticed anything unusual. But now that she was closer, she saw that Cheng Jia’s face was glowing, her smile as radiant as a flower, without the slightest hint of having been frightened. In contrast, Madam Jiang and the others looked far more anxious than she did.
Madam Mian chuckled and said, "Children are the same when they fall ill—they forget the pain as soon as they recover. Before we came, our old lady reminded us over and over to ask how Jia’er was doing. And look at her, acting as if nothing happened. It’s us parents who suffer the worry."
"Exactly!" Madam Jiang, having just regained her composure, naturally empathized. Her eyes reddened as she took the tea offered by a maid and personally handed it to Madam Mian. "And she’s still grinning away. Our old lady was so worried that if Madam Zhou hadn’t said everything was fine, she would have forced the master to call another physician."
Cheng Jia blushed and muttered, "It wasn’t that exaggerated. It was just that the old woman picking lotus leaves accidentally stepped on the edge of the boat, causing it to rock a few times. I wasn’t expecting it and panicked, letting out a scream. Then they tried to pull me, and my sleeves got wet..."
"You’re still talking about it!" Madam Jiang glared at Cheng Jia. "You never give us a moment’s peace. If you wanted lotus leaves, you could have just given the order. Instead, you had to get on the boat yourself..."
Old Lady Li, displeased by this, interjected, "Enough, enough, you’ve said it so many times already. She already knows she was wrong, so stop nagging her. What was the name of that servant who pulled Jia’er? She must be generously rewarded! Otherwise, who would want to be a loyal servant?"
Although Madam Jiang didn’t hold her mother-in-law in high regard, she always showed her respect in public and private, careful not to give anyone cause for criticism.
She stood up and bowed respectfully, saying, "Yes," and indeed said nothing more.
Cheng Jia winked at Zhou Shaojin.
But Zhou Shaojin sighed inwardly.
This was how Cheng Jia had been spoiled.
Still, being spoiled was better than not being spoiled at all.
Old Lady Li took Zhou Shaojin’s hand and said, "You two have been close since childhood. Your cousin Jia will need to rest at home for a few days. If you have time, come keep her company and help her pass the time."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and agreed.
Madam Wen from the fifth branch arrived.
Instead of asking about Cheng Jia’s condition, she took Madam Jiang’s hand as soon as she entered, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "I’m a woman of misfortune. After something like this, I truly have no face to visit the other branches."
Madam Jiang, annoyed that she missed the point, led her to a nearby armchair to sit.
Madam Yuan from the first branch, along with Madam Hong and Madam Zheng from the second branch, also arrived.
The people from the fourth branch took their leave early.
Madam Jiang personally escorted them out of Ruyi Pavilion.
The sky was already dotted with stars, and a bright moon hung overhead.
Zhou Chujin linked arms with Madam Mian, chatting leisurely about family matters as they made their way unhurriedly to Jia Shu Hall.
Following behind them, Zhou Shaojin was preoccupied with thoughts of Cheng Yi, her mind filled with worries.At Cheng Yi's age, it was normal for a mischievous boy to be curious about gambling, drinking, and visiting brothels, even to try them out. As long as he could recognize his mistakes and correct them, he was still a good boy. Even if she reported this matter to her grandmother, her grandmother would most likely just restrain Cheng Yi from playing with those people again, but she wouldn’t interfere with whether the small garden in the fifth branch would continue its revelry—after all, that was someone else’s property, someone else’s children. The fourth branch was neither the eldest nor the legitimate branch, and they had always avoided offending the other branches. They had neither the right nor the inclination to intervene. At most, they would discreetly inform the elders of each family. Once this storm passed, they would probably gather again… The loophole in the fifth branch remained.
If she wanted to plug this loophole, the best way was to make a big fuss about it, to let the Cheng family elders know the dangers involved.
But as a young girl, how could she bring the matter before the Cheng family elders?
Zhou Shaojin thought of Madam Wen… She couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
When she met her grandmother, after her grandmother finished asking about Cheng Jia’s situation and told the sisters that they must never pick flowers or lotus leaves themselves again, warning them to be careful of “falling into the water or onto the ground,” Zhou Shaojin had a sudden idea. As soon as she left Jia Shu Hall, she asked Chunwan to summon Fan Qi, saying, “I have something for him to do.”
Zhou Chujin asked curiously, “It’s so late. What’s so urgent that it can’t wait until tomorrow?”
“Well, I want to take half a day off tomorrow morning to spend time with Cheng Jia.” Cheng Jia was resting at home these days, leaving only her and Pan Qing in Jing’an Study. Rather than facing Pan Qing, who was always trying to talk to her, she’d rather listen to Cheng Jia’s chatter. Even if Pan Qing also took time off to accompany Cheng Jia, with Cheng Jia and the maids and servants attending to her present, Pan Qing would have to behave herself—she still had to maintain her virtuous and gentle image in front of others. How could she let Madam Jiang hear any rumors?
Zhou Chujin asked no further questions.
Zhou Shaojin quietly instructed Fan Qi, “Continue keeping an eye on Second Master for me. As soon as there’s any movement on their side, come and tell me. Then, find out how Second Master and the others come over from the fifth branch.”
Fan Qi thought she was going to report them to the elders and patted his chest, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll find out everything without disturbing a single blade of grass.”
Zhou Shaojin smiled faintly and told Shi Xiang to give him a handful of copper coins, saying, “Go and hire a few people to pick some lotus leaves in the garden. This is for you to treat them to drinks.”
She had been involved in Cheng Jia’s lotus leaf picking incident, and now that Cheng Jia was confined to bed, she felt she should at least send her some lotus leaves to repay the favor.
Fan Qi happily took the money and left.
By midday the next day, Fan Qi had brought over two large baskets of lotus leaves.
Zhou Shaojin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She asked Chunwan to lead a few young maids in sorting them by age—the older ones were dried for making lotus leaf rice and beggar’s chicken, while the tender ones were processed into lotus leaf tea. These were sent to her grandmother and, in the name of the fourth branch, to the other branches.
When Cheng Jia found out, she was deeply moved. Seeing Zhou Shaojin, she smiled as sweetly as honey and said to Pan Qing, “Shaojin is still the best to me.”
Pan Qing had also taken time off to accompany Cheng Jia, but Cheng Jia didn’t have a single kind word for her. Yet, Pan Qing remained unfazed, going about her business as usual. Watching her, Zhou Shaojin felt uncomfortable on her behalf, but it also strengthened her resolve to keep her distance from Pan Qing.The next day, as soon as she stepped out of Cold Green Mountain House, she saw Fan Qi squatting idly under a tree by the roadside, drawing back and forth on the ground with a branch.
"What are you doing?" Shi Xiang asked him.
Fan Qi immediately jumped up.
"Second Miss," he whispered, his eyes gleaming. "Second Master and the others have arranged to gamble in the small garden again tonight."
Zhou Shaojin felt a surge of joy, but to ensure nothing went wrong, she asked, "How do you know they’re going to the small garden to gamble?"
Fan Qi chuckled smugly. "The cook from the Fifth House has been hauling chickens, ducks, fish, meat, and all sorts of delicacies home since early morning, yet their lunch today was the same as usual. Then, the servant from Master Ju went to the pawnshop and pawned a woman’s gold hairpin for ten taels of silver on a short-term loan. According to the pawnshop clerk, this wasn’t the servant’s first visit, and he’s been going particularly frequently lately... And then there’s Sanbao, who serves Second Master—the pouch hanging from his waist is bulging. I bumped into him on purpose, and it felt hard inside... What else could they be doing if not gambling?"
※
I caught a cold these past two days and got an injection in the afternoon. I ended up sleeping until midnight. Today’s extra update was written in the morning and hasn’t been proofread yet, so please bear with it for now. I’ll replace it with the corrected version in about an hour.
Since I have to go for another injection later today, I’ll try my best to post the evening update at the usual time, and it won’t be later than eight o’clock at the latest. I apologize for any inconvenience.
※ (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote to recommend it or cast a monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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