Мinghе sаw Zhоu Shaojin’s fасе flushеd сrimson, even hеr nеck tinged with а faint pink, аnd fеlt tоо еmbаrrassed tо laugh further. Instead, she struck uр а cоnversаtiоn with Zhоu Shаojin: “Наs Sесоnd Miss dеcided on thе stуle? Мadam Wang is аn exрerienсеd ехреrt—аsking her will surelу уield thе right аnswеr.” She аdded, “It’s а рity the nееdlewоrk in our quarters is mаnaged by Sistеr Nаnрing. I’m all сlumsy hands and fееt, оnly gооd fоr sеrving tеа and wаtеr, so I сan’t bе of much hеlp tо уоu.”
Thоugh thеir асquaintancе was shallow, these wеre merelу politе words.
Zhоu Shаojin thаnked Minghe, who, after settling the matter of the summer socks, rose to take her leave.
Hongrui, who served by Eldest Young Madam’s side, stared at Minghe’s retreating figure, her gaze somewhat fixed. “Who would have thought such an outstanding girl like Minghe is merely a runner in Fourth Master’s quarters?” she remarked with a laugh. “I wonder what kind of celestial being that stewardess, Miss Nanping, must be?”
Madam Wang couldn’t help but chuckle. “Look at Minghe’s demeanor—does she seem like a runner? There are three senior maids in Fourth Master Chi’s quarters, and she’s one of them. She’s also the boldest, daring to go anywhere and everywhere, which is why everyone knows her best!”
Three senior maids?
Shouldn’t there be four?
Zhou Shaojin was taken aback.
She asked Madam Wang, “Aside from Minghe and Nanping, what is the name of the other senior maid in Uncle Chi’s quarters?”
“It’s Jiying!” Madam Wang replied, turning to fetch a few black jade pieces the size of rice grains and handing them to Hongrui. “Will these do?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Hongrui thanked her repeatedly but remained standing, clearly waiting to hear more gossip from Madam Wang.
Seeing this, Madam Wang grew more enthusiastic. “Don’t think I help Miss Minghe with needlework just because. With Nanping around, the tasks in Fourth Master’s quarters never fall to us. It’s just that Miss Minghe is forthright and generous, often dropping by our place. When she asks us for small favors, how can we refuse? So we do it as a gesture of goodwill… Even so, most of these things aren’t actually for Miss Minghe herself—she isn’t that particular. Nine times out of ten, it’s Miss Jiying who assigns them, and Miss Minghe, finding it troublesome, passes them on to us…”
Small items like summer socks were usually made casually by junior maids as practice pieces.
Given her fawning demeanor, who would believe such words?
Zhou Shaojin was somewhat distracted.
Jiying—so she really is Uncle Chi’s maid?
Yet she didn’t behave like a maid at all.
She even ordered Minghe to run errands for her… and Minghe couldn’t refuse…
Could she be Uncle Chi’s…
For a moment, countless thoughts flooded Zhou Shaojin’s mind… It wasn’t until she left the needlework room and Hongrui bid them farewell that she snapped back to reality.
“…I’m Eldest Young Madam’s accompanying servant and have been here for several years, but this is the first time I’ve walked such a long distance. May I come find you to play sometime?” Hongrui asked Biyu.
Who was Biyu?
How could she not see through Hongrui’s little schemes?
But she never made enemies lightly and replied with a smile, “If you come to find me, I’d naturally welcome you with open arms. However, I usually serve by the Old Madam’s side and rarely have the chance to venture out. If you wish to find me, you’ll need to send a junior maid ahead with a message. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to locate me.”
Hongrui obediently agreed, curtsied to Zhou Shaojin with a smile, and parted ways with them at the fork in the path.Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but ask Biyu, "Do you know why Uncle Chi's room only has three senior maids?"
Biyu smiled and replied, "After Sister Jiale from Fourth Master's room was married off, no one has been added to Fourth Master's room. Perhaps there aren't any suitable candidates?"
Such an answer was no answer at all.
Zhou Shaojin asked, "Doesn't Old Madam Guo inquire about it either?"
Biyu thought carefully and said, "Our Old Madam seems to have never interfered with Fourth Master's affairs."
Unable to find an answer, Zhou Shaojin returned to Cold Green Mountain House feeling somewhat dejected.
Seeing this, Old Madam Guo smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Did they not have any good patterns?"
"No, no," Zhou Shaojin hurriedly replied. "That Madam Wang is quite nice. She found several patterns for me and said I could go to her anytime if I didn't understand. I plan to consult her if I encounter difficulties in the future."
From her perspective, Madam Wang indeed had her own expertise in tailoring.
The only difference between her and Madam Wang was experience—but after all, Madam Wang specialized in tailoring, while she only did it occasionally. If there were issues with measurements later, she could simply ask; there was no need to specially seek guidance.
Old Madam Guo nodded with a smile.
Biyu said, "We encountered Minghe from Fourth Master's side at the needlework room."
Old Madam Guo asked, "What was she doing there? Hasn't the needlework for Si Lang always been managed by Nanping? Why would they need help from the needlework room?"
"She said she needed help making a few summer socks," Biyu replied with a smile. "Judging by the style, they were for women. They were likely for themselves, but they didn't have time to make them, so they took them to the needlework room for help. If it were Fourth Master's things, they wouldn't leave them to the needlework room."
Old Madam Guo nodded slightly and said to Zhou Shaojin, "When it comes to needlework, Nanping from Si Lang's room is truly first-rate. Unfortunately, she did too much in her early years and strained her eyes. In recent years, Si Lang hasn't let her handle needlework much, which is why Minghe and the others had to ask the needlework room for help."
Zhou Shaojin didn't know what to say.
Women skilled in needlework often faced this. Because they were good at it, they did a lot when they were young, only to find their eyes failing them as they grew older... Thankfully, they only did it occasionally.
Zhou Shaojin took the clothing patterns given by Madam Wang and returned to Fragrant Garden Residence.
Zhou Chujin and Zhou Shaojin opened the storeroom to find fabric for Zhou Zhen and Madam Li.
News came from the prefectural office.
Cheng Lu ranked sixth in the prefectural examination and was awarded the status of a stipendiary student.
Zhou Shaojin's hand, holding the needle, hesitated to move.
Cheng Lu would no longer need to rely on the Cheng family to be exempted from corvée labor and taxes.
But what exactly did Cheng Lu intend to do?
Whenever Zhou Shaojin thought of the mansion on Official Street, her heart felt as if it were on fire.
And Cheng Lu proved to be true to his word.
After paying respects to his teacher at the prefectural office, he went to see Cheng Mian and reclaimed the properties and fields that had been registered under the Fourth Branch in the past.
Cheng Mian couldn't help but confide in Old Madam Guan with some emotion, "Judging by his demeanor, he is no ordinary person. I wonder if what we did was right or wrong?""Foolish!" Old Madam Guan said with displeasure. "Those vicious and ruthless people are often talented but lack virtue. It's best to stay as far away from such individuals as possible—what is there to regret! As for holding grudges, if he is a gentleman, he will repay a drop of kindness with a flood of gratitude. If he is a petty person, even if we preserve our relationship in this matter, we are bound to offend him in other ways sooner or later. It's better to cut ties cleanly from the start." She then instructed Madam Mian, "From now on, we should also reduce our interactions with Madam Bai's side."
Both women agreed in unison and began preparing for Old Madam Guan's birthday celebration.
As was customary, the congratulatory gifts from the estate managers of the fourth branch arrived earliest. Cheng Yi also gained some breathing room, allowed to reduce his daily copying of the Spring and Autumn Annals by one hour to help the stewards with errands as a form of training.
Cheng Yi reverted to his old ways. Taking advantage of the stewards' inattention, he would sneak into Zhou Shaojin's study to laze around, always bringing a sweet melon with him. He would have Shi Xiang chill it in well water and share it with Zhou Shaojin and others to relieve the summer heat.
Zhou Shaojin chided him, but he remained indifferent, saying, "Our family already has Eldest Brother to rely on. I plan to take over Father's responsibilities and manage the household affairs."
Some things cannot be understood without personal experience—no amount of advice from others will suffice.
Zhou Shaojin could only sigh as she watched his naive and unworldly demeanor.
Two days later, Cheng Xian hosted a banquet—Pan Zhuo had also successfully passed the prefectural examination. Although his results were not as good as Cheng Lu's, he exchanged his plain white robe for a scholar's gown, earning an official title and becoming a xiucai.
This was something that had happened in her previous life, so Zhou Shaojin took it lightly. She pooled money with her sister to send a set of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones as a congratulatory gift.
On the day of the main banquet, while Pan Qing and Cheng Xian entertained guests in the Water Pavilion, Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia hid in a corner eating sweet melons.
Pan Qing, dressed in a turquoise lake-Hangzhou robe, smiled radiantly.
Cheng Jia, furious, slammed her sweet melon onto the plate and pulled Zhou Shaojin to leave. "Let's go to Ruyi Pavilion to play cards."
"I'm not going," Zhou Shaojin continued eating her sweet melon. "After the banquet, I plan to return to Fragrant Garden Residence—I've been doing needlework every night lately and want to sleep early."
Cheng Jia was exasperated by her lack of ambition. "Can't you be more assertive?"
She insisted on dragging her away.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly held Cheng Jia back.
Cheng Jia, pulled off balance, steadied the swaying hairpin on her head and asked, "What's wrong with you..." Before she could finish, she was struck speechless.
A large group of men approached... Cheng Shi, Cheng Zheng, Cheng Xu, Pan Zhuo, along with Cheng Gao, Cheng Yi, Cheng Nuo, and others were among them.
Cheng Jia only noticed Pan Zhuo.
She whispered, "When did Pan Zhuo return? Why haven't they left yet? Do they plan to stay here forever?"
Zhou Shaojin, however, was thinking of Cheng Xu.
She had finally enjoyed a few peaceful days—why was Cheng Xu wandering around the inner courtyard again?
Neither of them spoke, but they saw Pan Qing walk over.
She greeted Cheng Xu and the others with a bright smile, pointed toward the Water Pavilion, and spoke for a while before curtsying and turning back.
Both Cheng Jia and Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief.
The former did not want to appear as a mere backdrop in front of her male cousins, while the latter hoped to avoid being seen by Cheng Xu.
Pan Qing, however, glanced at Cheng Jia and Zhou Shaojin with a faint smile and said to Cheng Xian, "Cousin Shi is hosting a zither gathering at Yicui Pavilion and has invited us to listen..."
She looked at her mother, her eyes full of anticipation.
Cheng Xian hesitated slightly.Old Madam Li, however, said, "Go on, go on! Listen to what your elder brothers are discussing, and you can also broaden your horizons."
Madam Jiang also thought it was a good idea.
Zhou Chujin was also quite interested.
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia reluctantly went to the Yicui Pavilion.
Cheng Zheng and the others sat on the grass beside the Yicui Pavilion, while Zhou Shaojin and her companions sat inside the pavilion, which was surrounded by bamboo blinds on all sides.
Cheng Shi played a piece titled "Wild Geese Alighting on the Sand."
His fingering was skillful, the melody flowed smoothly, and the artistic conception was lofty.
Zhou Shaojin was initially worried that Cheng Xu might disturb her, but later, seeing that Cheng Xu kept his gaze fixed forward as if he didn’t know her, she gradually relaxed and immersed herself in the sound of Cheng Shi’s zither.
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Sisters, Chapters 65 and 66 have undergone major revisions. If the content doesn’t connect smoothly, you can go back and take a look. Mobile users can simply refresh the screen.
o(n_n)o~
※ (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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