Chapter 29: Winter Amusements
Concubine Yun was a seasoned veteran who had navigated the inner courtyards for over a decade, so she naturally saw things clearly. The way the young mistress and Tai Furen were playing the hero and the villain respectively made it obvious that this matter had been premeditated. Yet, there were countless beautiful young women of marriageable age—why insist on her obscure niece when merely mentioning the Gu family of Shi'an would draw swarms of eager candidates?
The whole affair seemed utterly peculiar.
But this wasn’t something she needed to ponder. From every angle, this matter only brought her benefits without any drawbacks. Currently out of favor and struggling, if she could help the young mistress secure this marriage, Tai Furen would surely reward her, the Second Master would treat her well, and in the future, should any trouble arise… the young mistress of the Gu family would likely lend her a hand in gratitude.
Concubine Yun rose and said respectfully, "Tai Furen, Young Mistress, rest assured. It would be a blessing for the child to become a concubine in the Gu family. Why don’t I set off today for Taihe County?"
She was obedient, and Gu Jinzhao nodded subtly in approval. If not for her fear that among the maids and matrons accompanying them might be Concubine Song’s spies—who could tip her off and allow her to prepare—she would have preferred to go herself.
But with Mama Song accompanying them, there shouldn’t be any issues.
Ji Wu Shi went to the reception hall of Immortal Crossing Pavilion.
Over a dozen stewards and shopkeepers were already waiting there, each holding account books or land lease agreements. The accountant, Mr. Zeng, stood beside her grandmother, abacus at the ready. If any steward reported questionable expenditures, he could verify them immediately.
When Gu Jinzhao arrived, Mr. Zeng greeted her with a smile.
Jinzhao sat to the side, watching as her grandmother handled matters with clarity and precision. No matter how complex or thorny the issue, her grandmother always pinpointed the crux first, providing direction, and the senior stewards would quickly discuss and reach a consensus.
She remembered when she was little, she would climb into her grandmother’s lap and cause mischief while she dealt with affairs, even insisting on playing with the accountant’s abacus.
Mr. Zeng had once passed the imperial examinations at the county level but failed the provincial exams several times. Eventually, he relied on his exceptional abacus skills to work for the Ji family. As a favorite of her grandmother, he earned hundreds of taels monthly, and his abacus—made of pure gold—had been dismantled by little Jinzhao, who treated the beads as toys. Yet he never lost his temper, patiently reassembling it after she was done.
After the stewards withdrew, Ji Yao arrived with Ji Yun, Ji Can, and Gu Jinrong to pay their respects to their grandmother.
With a smile, her grandmother asked Gu Jinrong what he had done with his cousins the previous night.
Gu Jinrong sighed ruefully, "…The cousins played Go with me. Unfortunately, no one could defeat Second Cousin—his skills are truly formidable!"
Ji Yao chuckled modestly. "Just luck."
A senior steward nearby laughed and added, "Don’t let our Second Young Master’s gentle demeanor fool you—his strategic mind is sharp. Anyone who crosses him in secret will regret it!"He recounted the early days when Ji Yao managed the Hangzhou silk shop: "...When the Second Young Master was overseeing the Hangzhou silk shop in Xianghe, there was a shop across the street specializing in Shu brocade. The shopkeeper, thinking our Second Young Master young and easy to bully, repeatedly sent his clerks to solicit customers outside our store... The Second Young Master wasn’t angered by this. Instead, he ordered his clerks to buy up all the woad in the market and store it in the warehouse... We found it strange, but who would have thought that months later, the price of woad would multiply several times over? Yet the Second Young Master remained unmoved, showing no intention to sell."
Gu Jinrong was puzzled: "What is woad used for? Why stockpile it?"
Ji Yao smiled and explained: "Woad is a blue dye. There’s a precious type of Shu brocade called Lantai brocade that must be dyed with woad. At the time, it was the season when Shu brocade merchants came to Tongzhou to trade. Sichuan doesn’t produce woad, so those supplying Shu brocade had to purchase this raw material upon arriving in Tongzhou."
The chief steward continued: "Exactly so. Those Shu brocade merchants couldn’t find woad anywhere and, hearing that the Second Young Master had large stockpiles, came to plead for a purchase... The Second Young Master agreed to sell to them—but only if they paid with Shu brocade of equal value. The merchants had no choice but to hand over all their Shu brocade to the Second Young Master... Later, the manager of the Shu brocade shop across the street, unable to secure any stock, was driven to distraction and eventually had to swallow his pride to apologize to the Second Young Master, begging him to sell Shu brocade back to him."
Ji Can patted Ji Yao’s arm and said with a laugh: "I think it’s too much trouble. The Shu brocade shipped to Tongzhou was transported on our Ji family’s merchant vessels anyway! Second Brother could’ve just ordered the ship’s steward to hand over the brocade. Why go through all this hassle?"
Ji Yao thought for a moment and said, "That really would’ve been a better method!" Everyone burst into laughter.
The grandmother smiled and said, "Yao’er has a clever mind, well-suited for such matters. Tomorrow is your eldest nephew’s first birthday ceremony. Why don’t you take your cousins to Baodi today and buy some trinkets for him?"
Gu Jinzhao noticed Ji Yao’s smile fade slightly, his eyelids lowering.
But he nodded in agreement and said, "It’s a good time to visit Baodi. The lantern festival is about to begin, and Yuchengfang should be especially lively."
Gu Jinzhao didn’t want to put him in a difficult position, nor did she wish to go to Baodi at this time. She was still worried about whether Concubine Yun could handle the matter properly.
She said to her grandmother, "...It’s freezing outside, and traveling with a large group would be exhausting. Why don’t I stay and chat with you in the greenhouse? I’d love to spend more time with you, Grandmother!"
Ji Wu Shi had originally hoped Jinzhao might enjoy an outing to lift her spirits, but seeing her disinterested, she let the matter drop.
Upon returning to Eastern Dwelling, it began to snow. Ji Wu Shi watched the snow grow heavier through the window and said to Jinzhao, "Good thing we didn’t go. With such heavy snow, the carriage wouldn’t have made it back..."
Jinzhao gazed at the roaring fire in the stove and recalled the days she had lived with Wansu. Wansu loved making crab-shell pastries by the fire. Back then, they didn’t have enough charcoal for winter, so this was a way to both warm themselves and bake. She said to her grandmother, "Heavy snow has its perks—nothing beats eating piping-hot pastries! How about I make some for you to try?"Her grandmother was somewhat curious: "When did my Chaojie learn all this? You wouldn't even step into the kitchen before."
Jinchao smiled without answering, instructing Qingpu to fetch the prepared dough from the outer courtyard kitchen while she herself soaked the preserved mustard greens and prepared the filling in the small kitchen of Eastern Dwelling. After wrapping the cakes, she arranged them on a large doucai white porcelain plate and brought them back to the greenhouse.
Yet her grandmother never thought Jinchao had done anything improper. Seeing her enter with a plate of cakes, she even smilingly helped lift the stove lid for her.
The cakes were soon placed inside, and before long, their aroma began to waft out.
Mama Song remarked nearby, "...Even I find the smell irresistible!"
The maids and elderly servants all watched the pot with wide eyes. None of them were skilled in cooking, nor had they seen cakes being baked in a greenhouse before—it was all quite novel to them.
Jinchao held a pair of long bamboo chopsticks. When she lifted the stove lid, the cakes inside had turned golden brown, with the sprinkled sesame seeds releasing a mouthwatering fragrance. She picked up the cakes and placed them on a plate, first offering them to her grandmother: "Try them and see how they taste."
She then shared them with Mama Song, Qingpu, Caifu, and the little maids standing outside.
Qingpu, having witnessed Jinchao's culinary skills before, wasn't surprised. But Caifu was delighted: "So crispy and fragrant—they're delicious!"
Ji Wu Shi tasted one. The layers of pastry flaked apart, melting in her mouth, filled with the savory aroma of preserved mustard greens. The flavor was truly excellent.
Just as the greenhouse was bustling with activity, an elderly servant announced from behind the curtain: "Tai Furen, the Second Young Master, Third Young Master, Fourth Young Master, and the cousin have arrived together."
Ji Wu Shi smiled and said, "How timely! Please invite them in quickly."
Ji Can was the first to lift the curtain and enter. "Grandmother, what's that wonderful smell here? I caught a whiff of it from afar."
Ji Wu Shi pointed to the stove. "Your cousin baked some crab-shell cakes for us using the stove. Come and try them—they're quite delicious!"
The group entered, and Ji Yao's gaze immediately fell upon Gu Jinchao.
Jinchao was still intently watching by the stove, the firelight casting a warm glow on her face, her eyes clear like a pool of spring water. Her delicate eyelashes were outlined with a faint golden halo, enhancing her striking beauty. She wore a white and blue satin jacket with interlocking vine patterns, and as she tilted her head slightly, the skin of her neck gleamed like jade, shimmering faintly...
Ji Yao quickly averted his gaze, thinking to himself that no matter how flawed Gu Jinchao's character might be, her appearance was the most beautiful he had ever seen... He hadn't noticed it before, but now, for some reason, she seemed even more captivating...
Jinchao looked up at the group and smiled faintly. "This batch will be ready soon." She lowered her head again, focusing intently on baking the cakes.
"...We came to bring you pear soup," Ji Yao said, setting down the food box he was carrying. "I just took Cousin Rong for a stroll around the estate, and we dug up some frozen pears from the cellar. I had the kitchen prepare this for you."
Ji Wu Shi was delighted. "Today, everyone seems determined to bring me food."
Jinchao finished baking the cakes, but the group had to leave soon—their uncle had summoned them to meet a renowned scholar from Tongzhou to discuss the Eight-legged essay. Jinchao had Qingpu fetch a food box to pack the freshly baked cakes for them to take along.
They entered carrying a food box and left with another. Ji Can couldn't resist picking one out to eat immediately. "It smells amazing—I never knew our cousin had such skills."Ji Yun shook his head disdainfully at Ji Can, "Look at you, such a glutton... But our cousin from the Gu family is quite an amusing one, actually baking flatbread in the greenhouse, and even the maids and servants got to eat some!"
Ji Can laughed heartily, "As long as the food is delicious, that's all that matters to me. I couldn't care less about the rest!"
Ji Yao chuckled, "If you dared to bake flatbread in the greenhouse, grandmother would surely punish you with days kneeling in the ancestral hall."
Gu Jinrong, however, remained silent.
He was thinking about that plate of cloud-patterned sesame leaf cakes.
Seeing her so focused on baking the flatbread today reminded him of that day when Gu Jinzhao had made pastries just for him. Yet all he had done was question her about Qingpu. Had she been disappointed then, seeing her carefully prepared treats go to waste...
When he looked at Gu Jinzhao, he felt she wasn’t the kind of person Gu Lan described, yet the facts seemed to align with Gu Lan’s words...
Gu Jinrong pondered for a long time, staring blankly at the heavy snowfall late into the night.
When Qing Xiu came to urge him to sleep, he asked, "Qing Xiu, tell me—can you really judge a person’s character just by their appearance?"
Qing Xiu thought for a moment and replied, "This servant believes evil people don’t wear their wickedness on their faces. Often, those with the kindest appearances harbor the cruelest hearts. Haven’t you heard the saying that when traveling the martial world, one must be most wary of the elderly, children, and monks?"
Gu Jinrong nodded thoughtfully.
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