Zhоu Shаojin was just wоrrуing аbоut hоw to strike up а сonversаtion with Chеng Сhi whеn hе аrrivеd at Cоld Green Mountain Hоusе to sеe Оld Маdаm Guo. А wаvе оf dеlight washеd over Zhou Shаоjin's heаrt.
Wouldn't she havе the chаnce tо mееt Unсlе Сhi аt Cold Grееn Mоuntаin Нousе from nоw оn?
Out of hаbit, Zhоu Shaоjin stood up, рreparing tо withdrаw. Вut as sоon as she rоsе, shе felt sоmеthing wаs аmiss. If shе аvoidеd him еverу time Unсle Chi visitеd, how соuld shе evеr sреаk with him? Yet, not withdrawing wоuld be somewhat imprоper aсcording tо etiquеttе.
For а moment, she hesitated.
Old Madam Guo, however, didn't overthink it. She hastily instructed Feicui, "Quickly invite Fourth Master in!"
Feicui smiled and replied, "Yes," then left the resting room.
Old Madam Guo let out a long sigh and only then noticed Zhou Shaojin still standing beside her.
She had originally intended to ask Zhou Shaojin to withdraw, but seeing the girl's somewhat flustered expression, she decided to let her stay—after all, she was just a twelve-year-old child. It was normal for her not to know what to do when an elder suddenly visited without clear instructions. As for the propriety between men and women, given the difference in seniority and age, and being relatives, there was no need to be overly rigid.
"Sit down and talk!" Old Madam Guo beckoned Zhou Shaojin, smiling. "It's no stranger coming—it's your Uncle Chi. Fourth Master of the eldest branch."
Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and obediently sat down.
If Old Madam Guo had asked her to withdraw... she truly had no good way to stay.
Soon after, Feicui lifted the curtain, and Cheng Chi entered.
Today, he wore a moon-white fine linen robe, a green bamboo hairpin, stone-blue fine cloth shoes with blessings patterns, and carried a string of 108 sandalwood prayer beads in his hand. A faint, elegant fragrance of "Thus I Have Heard" drifted from him intermittently, exuding an air of refined nobility and dignified grace.
Zhou Shaojin instinctively stood up.
Cheng Chi smiled at her and stepped forward to pay his respects to Old Madam Guo.
Before he could bow, Old Madam Guo approached and took his hand, saying gently, "The weather has been getting increasingly hot these days. Are you eating well? Sleeping soundly?"
Cheng Chi didn't insist on the formality and stood up naturally. He smiled and said, "My place is shaded by green trees and near Clear Stream Lake, so it's quite cool. It's you, Mother, who should take walks by the lotus pond morning and evening—to escape the heat and to strengthen your health." He paused, thought for a moment, and added, "How about you stay at Algae Garden for a few days? The scenery there, with its lakes and mountains, is even better."
"No need," Old Madam Guo chuckled, sitting with Cheng Chi on either side of the round table. "Going out is too troublesome. I'm used to living here, where I can easily find whatever I need, even in the nooks and crannies. Over there, I'd have to make do. I'd rather stay at Cold Green Mountain House. But as you said, I should take walks by the lotus pond morning and evening."
A young maid brought tea and snacks.
Zhou Shaojin cleverly helped arrange the pastries.
Cheng Chi glanced at her with another smile.
Seeing this, Old Madam Guo remembered and said with a laugh, "Old age makes one's memory worse and worse. This is the second young lady of the Zhou family from the fourth branch. I invited her here to copy scriptures for me."
Zhou Shaojin, as if she didn't know him, curtsied with a slight bow.
Cheng Chi nodded with a smile. "Since you're a guest, there's no need for you to serve while Mother and I talk here."
Ah!
It felt like a bolt from the blue.
Zhou Shaojin was left speechless.She had originally thought the obstacles to speaking with Cheng Chi came from Old Madam Guo or societal etiquette, but she never expected Cheng Chi himself would avoid her.
Then how could she ever manage to speak with him?
Zhou Shaojin was stunned for a long moment.
Seeing her standing there dazed and foolish, like an abandoned puppy with dark, moist eyes wide open, Cheng Chi couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth upward.
The first time, it was to help her out of an awkward situation that he had covered his ears to steal the bell, so to speak, by having her pretend to be a maid and pour tea for him. The second time, seeing her scurrying around anxiously like a little mouse, he had jokingly ordered her to pour tea for him again, just as he had during their first meeting… Who would have thought this little girl would take it seriously and start dutifully acting as a maid whenever she saw him?
He smiled, his tone growing even gentler. “You may go now. The maids here can attend to me. You should hurry and go copy the sutras.”
Zhou Shaojin’s face instantly flushed bright red.
To be dismissed like this… How could she possibly have the face to stay any longer?
Zhou Shaojin hastily performed a curtsey and left Old Madam Guo’s sitting room, though she couldn’t help but feel her eyes grow slightly damp.
Just as Cheng Jia often complained: This is so embarrassing!
Feicui hadn’t noticed at first, but seeing her come out, she hurried over and asked in a low voice, “What are Old Madam and Fourth Master doing? Do we need to go in and add more tea? Or is there any other instruction?”
“No,” Zhou Shaojin blinked, forcing her vision to clear. “Old Madam and Fourth Master have matters to discuss… That’s why I came out.”
“That’s good then,” Feicui smiled, though inwardly she felt suspicious.
The Second Young Miss’s eyes were damp, as if she were about to cry. Could she have been scolded by Old Madam Guo or Fourth Master?
Not being as close to Zhou Shaojin as Biyu was, Feicui pretended not to notice and continued standing outside the curtain, straining her ears to listen for any movement inside.
Zhou Shaojin went to the Buddhist hall.
Shi Xiang was grinding ink, while Xiao Tan was lighting mugwort incense.
After copying one page of the sutra, Zhou Shaojin gradually calmed down.
Uncle Chi’s earlier action was actually quite ordinary. It was just that she had never lowered her head to ask anyone for anything before, so being suddenly rejected felt unbearable… If these were peaceful, prosperous times with everything going smoothly, it wouldn’t matter much—she could simply ignore Uncle Chi from now on. But ten years later, the Cheng family would be exterminated. When she was reborn, she had vowed to change the fate of her previous life. That meant she couldn’t afford to be as sensitive as before, unable to bear even the slightest grievance. Thinking of her elder sister—such an outstanding person—even she faced some difficulties when she first married into the Liao family. But later, her brother-in-law gradually came to understand what kind of person her sister was and grew to deeply respect her. Her sister was also accepted by the Liao family and integrated into their household. She should learn from her sister and not always focus solely on her own feelings when facing difficulties. She should also consider what she truly wanted.
As the books say, when Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on someone, it first tests their resolve, exhausts their body and mind… She would treat this as Heaven testing her. Otherwise, why would she have been reborn?
With this thought, Zhou Shaojin’s mood improved again, feeling that the future might not be as bleak and colorless as she had imagined.
She called Xiao Tan over and whispered to her, “Go and see if Uncle Chi has left yet? What did he come to see Old Madam about?”
Xiao Tan was taken aback, hesitating and showing no sign of daring to go inquire.
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but sigh.After all, she was from Cold Green Mountain House, so it would indeed be a bit difficult to ask her to do these things. But aside from Xiao Tan, it would be even more inappropriate for anyone else to inquire.
She smiled and said, "I'm just very curious. It doesn't necessarily have to be a thorough inquiry. You can just casually ask around. Originally, I thought I would only stay at Cold Green Mountain House for three or four months at most, but the old madam said that these scriptures are to be offered at Mount Putuo, and she might even take me along. So, I thought of copying an Amitabha Sutra for myself to offer to the Bodhisattva and wanted to discuss this with the old madam. If I know about the affairs in the main quarters, I can find an opportunity to bring it up with the old madam."
After all, Zhou Shaojin had entered Cold Green Mountain House under the pretense of copying scriptures for Old Madam Guo.
Moreover, when people arrive in an unfamiliar place, they always like to inquire about their surroundings. It isn’t necessarily about gossiping or making judgments, but more about feeling at ease.
Xiao Tan understood Zhou Shaojin’s words and agreed with a smile before heading to the main quarters.
Shi Xiang asked curiously, "Miss, since it’s for your own use, couldn’t you copy it after returning home? By autumn, when the weather turns cooler, traveling back and forth like this every day will be very cold."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and replied, "Since it’s a scripture to be offered to the Buddha, its appearance is also important—Cold Green Mountain House uses red-veined luowen paper. I’ve asked about it, and this paper is from ten years ago. Nowadays, it’s impossible to find paper with exactly the same texture. Wouldn’t it be even better if Old Madam Guo allowed me to use this paper to copy a scripture? I can always return more paper to Old Madam Guo later."
Shi Xiang felt Zhou Shaojin’s reasoning was a bit far-fetched, but seeing her determined expression, she swallowed her words of advice.
After about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, Xiao Tan returned with a reply: "The old madam called Fourth Master over, originally intending to ask about the Gu family’s ghost marriage. Unexpectedly, you already knew about it, miss. So, after discussing family matters with Fourth Master for a while, the old madam started playing chess with him. The game hasn’t ended yet! The old madam has asked Fourth Master to stay for dinner."
Playing chess again…
Zhou Shaojin was no longer surprised.
Perhaps this was how the mother and son spent time together—playing chess.
Just like how her grandmother and Uncle Mian would always discuss household affairs whenever they met…
She thanked Xiao Tan with a smile and calmly resumed copying the scriptures.
Shi Xiang and Xiao Tan sat at the entrance of the prayer hall, sorting threads by the light from outside.
In the evening, after returning, Zhou Shaojin still had some needlework to do.
As the sun set behind the mountains and the western sky blazed with clouds, they would usually have been on their way home by this time. But today, Zhou Shaojin had yet to put down her brush.
Shi Xiang’s eyes were already straining, so she quietly packed up the threads first.
Feicui came to deliver a message: "The old madam says Second Miss should have dinner here before returning."
In the past, Zhou Shaojin would have felt uncomfortable and returned to the Fourth House for dinner.
Just as Shi Xiang was about to politely decline on Zhou Shaojin’s behalf, Zhou Shaojin unexpectedly smiled and said, "Alright," then asked Feicui, "I wonder if there are any particular customs regarding dinner here?"
Feicui clearly hadn’t expected Zhou Shaojin to agree. After a moment of surprise, she smiled and said, "There aren’t any particular customs. It’s just that the old madam doesn’t eat meat, and Fourth Master doesn’t eat fish."
One doesn’t eat meat, the other doesn’t eat fish… and that doesn’t count as particular customs?
Zhou Shaojin chuckled and asked Feicui to send someone to inform the Fourth House, so they wouldn’t wait for her for dinner.
Feicui smiled and left the prayer hall.Shi Xiang whispered, "Is it really all right for us to stay for dinner at Cold Green Mountain House like this?"
In the past, it was Zhou Shaojin who said it wasn't quite proper.
"Staying for dinner too often wouldn't be good," Zhou Shaojin replied calmly. "But once in a while is fine." She added, "It's not good to always refuse the old lady either."
Shi Xiang thought that made sense.
After helping Zhou Shaojin tidy up her writing brushes and ink, she assisted her in washing her hands and face, then simply arranged her hair and clothing before following her to the main room.
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