Chapter 327: Homecoming
No news had yet returned from the Chen Family in Wanping.
When Gu Jinzhao arrived and was helped down from the carriage, she gazed at the black-lacquered gate of Osmanthus Hall as if seeing it through the veil of another lifetime.
Only after entering did she notice Yuzhu, Caifu, and others waiting for her, their eyes brimming with tears at her return. Caifu, the most restrained among them, took a deep breath before stepping forward to whisper, "Madam, you should bathe first. I've already prepared hot water!"
Mama Tong kept wiping her tears—just being back was enough!
Gu Jinzhao's clothes had gone unchanged for days, making her unbearably uncomfortable.
She nodded, and Caifu immediately instructed the maids to fetch the hot water.
Her heart ached for her child, and when she entered the western chamber without seeing Changsuo, she missed him dearly. She called Xiuqu over and asked, "How has the young master been these days? Where is he now?"
Xiuqu, having heard from Yuzhu about the recent dangers, had been deeply worried for them. With reddened eyes, she replied, "The young master has been restless these past few days, crying at night, and even the wet nurse couldn't soothe him. He just fell asleep after feeding and is now in the greenhouse."
Gu Jinzhao went to the greenhouse to see him, finding him sound asleep. She gently kissed his cheek before quietly stepping out.
Caifu had already prepared the tungwood bathtub, rosewater, and bathing cloth, waiting for her to wash.
After thoroughly cleansing herself, she changed into a blue Hangzhou silk jacket with a treasure-pestle pattern and a light-colored skirt. Leaning against the daybed to rest, Caifu combed her hair with a fine-toothed comb, occasionally dipping it into the crystal bowl of floral water to smooth through her locks.
These simple, familiar routines finally made her feel like she had truly returned to her life.
As if the kidnapping had never happened.
Once her hair was done, Gu Jinzhao summoned Mama Tong to ask about what had transpired in her absence.
Mama Tong recounted in detail: "...The third master immediately set out to rescue you upon hearing of the incident. He ordered me to keep Osmanthus Hall in order, but news of Yuzhu bringing the young master back couldn't be hidden—after all, the child is still so young. He cried all night without you. So the third master instructed me to tell others that the young master was sent back early to Daxing because he couldn't adjust to life in Baodi and fell ill from the unfamiliar environment. Only a few of us know the truth about what happened to you..."
Hearing about Changsuo's nightly cries, Gu Jinzhao couldn't help but feel her heart ache.
She then asked Mama Tong, "Did Madam Chen inquire about anything?"
Mama Tong replied, "She had me bring the young master to see her once and even fed him some goat's milk porridge. Beyond that, she didn't say much."
"And what about Second Madam?" Gu Jinzhao pressed.
Mama Tong hesitated slightly. "Not much, really. She came by once to see the young master. I excused myself by saying he was asleep and didn't bring him out, only offering her some tea."
Gu Jinzhao sighed in relief and asked Caifu to fetch her usual jewelry to wear.
Having just returned, she ought to pay her respects to Madam Chen.
When she arrived, Madam Chen was being supported by Granny Zheng for a walk along the covered corridor. She remained entirely unaware of Gu Jinzhao's ordeal and appeared in good spirits, smiling as she invited Gu Jinzhao inside and served her a cup of lotus leaf tea.
"I've been drinking this lotus leaf tea lately—they say it clears lung heat. The taste is passable, though a bit plainer than regular tea."
Gu Jinzhao took a sip and asked after Madam Chen's health.As usual, greetings were exchanged.
Madam Chen smiled warmly. "As one grows older, all sorts of ailments start cropping up. Ah, some days are better than others—don’t you worry about me!... Did you enjoy your time in Baodi? You even sent Changsuo back ahead. Ji Wu Shi has always been such a lively character. I’ve always found her company quite pleasant."
Having grown up in the Ji family, she was all too familiar with it—there was hardly anything novel or exciting about it.
It was a pity she had brought gifts for Madam Chen, only to leave them behind at the Baodi courier station.
Gu Jinzhao smiled and replied, "Changsuo was sent back because he couldn’t adjust to the climate, but Xuan Jie'er is doing quite well. I heard she’s expecting."
Madam Chen was delighted and nodded repeatedly. "That’s wonderful!"
Soon after, Wang Shi and Madam Ge arrived to pay their respects. Seeing Gu Jinzhao had returned, both were overjoyed and chatted for quite a while.
Madam Chen asked Madam Ge, "Sixth Master didn’t come to greet me this morning. Where has he gone?"
Madam Ge stammered, "Mother, you know how he is. He never tells me when he goes out... If I ask too much, he even loses his temper. He promised Third Master he wouldn’t visit those unsavory places again..."
Gu Jinzhao fixed her gaze on Madam Ge.
Suddenly, she asked, "Sister-in-law, last time you mentioned your younger sister. Has she been betrothed yet?"
Thinking Gu Jinzhao was helping her out of an awkward situation, Madam Ge shot her a grateful look. "Not yet! Shunde doesn’t have many prominent families. In her last letter, she mentioned wanting to visit me in the capital, but I’m not sure if she’ll actually come."
Madam Chen glanced helplessly at Gu Jinzhao and shook her head slightly to herself.
But Gu Jinzhao wasn’t speaking up for Madam Ge—she had her own reasons for asking.
Madam Ge’s eventual downfall was closely tied to this very sister.
The Ge family was not particularly distinguished. Her father had once served as Prefectural Vice Magistrate in Shunde, but by her generation, the family had only produced two provincial scholars. It paled in comparison to Madam Qin’s family, and while Wang Shi’s family had ties to commerce, they were at least wealthy. Madam Ge had a younger sister.
This sister was her full-blooded sibling, the youngest girl in the family, just turning sixteen this year. Their father had had her late in life, and as Madam Ge’s only sister, she was utterly doted upon. Whatever fine things Madam Ge had, she would always give them to her sister first.
Raised this way, the girl grew up naive, vivacious, and charming.
Later, when she came to Wanping, she stayed in the sixth household. At the time, Madam Ge was still preoccupied with arranging her marriage. Thinking Shunde lacked influential families, she hoped to secure a match for her sister among the prominent clans around the capital—perhaps a legitimate son from a good family, so she wouldn’t have to return to Shunde and settle for a scholar’s or provincial graduate’s son.
But later, this very sister ended up entangled with Chen Six in a scandal involving wormwood.
Chen Six, who had previously refused to take concubines for the sake of his son, became adamant this time—he was determined to take Madam Ge’s sister as his concubine.
Madam Ge couldn’t stop him. She wept and pleaded with her sister, yet couldn’t bring herself to hate her.
That incident nearly drove Madam Chen to collapse from rage. Third Master Chen almost beat Chen Six to death, but as always, Chen Six was stubborn once he set his mind to something—no one could dissuade him from taking the concubine.
The matter escalated, growing uglier by the day. Eventually, Madam Ge could bear it no longer and relented, agreeing to let Chen Six take her sister as his concubine.The one who had disgraced herself was her own sister—what else could she do but tolerate it? Could she possibly send her sister to be drowned in a pig cage?
After this incident, Madam Ge seemed to lose all vitality. She simply didn’t have the strength to compete for favor with the younger sister she had doted on since childhood.
At the time, Gu Jinzhao had found Madam Ge both pitiful and detestable—she couldn’t muster any sympathy for her.
But now, she wanted to help her.
Gu Jinzhao smiled and said, "Then when your sister is about to come, you must let me know."
Madam Ge agreed with a smile, faint wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes.
Gu Jinzhao was also tired and soon took her leave, returning to Osmanthus Hall.
As soon as she arrived, she heard the sound of a child crying—sobbing so hard his voice had gone hoarse.
She hurried into the greenhouse and saw the wet nurse holding the child, trying to soothe him. But no matter how she tried, the child wouldn’t calm down, twisting his little body and refusing to be held. His tiny frame was dressed in a short jacket, his melon-rind cap askew.
Before she could even reach for him, the child seemed to recognize her voice and turned toward her, immediately struggling to throw himself into her arms.
Gu Jinzhao quickly picked him up, patting his back and murmuring softly to comfort him.
But Changsuo seemed genuinely aggrieved, wailing even louder. When he finally cried himself out, he clung to her collar, hiccuping pitifully. Gu Jinzhao tried to have the wet nurse take him to feed, but he refused, stubbornly nestling into her arms, babbling and burrowing into the crook of her arm.
He couldn’t speak yet—he didn’t know how to express his fear.
Perhaps he thought that if he looked away, she would disappear again.
Gu Jinzhao sighed. "Never mind, bring a bowl of goat’s milk!"
She carried the little one out and fed him warm goat’s milk, spoonful by spoonful.
With each sip, he would glance up at her face, as if memorizing her features. He drank quickly, finishing the bowl in no time. In the past, feeding him had been far more troublesome—he would squirm and play, making it impossible to get even a single spoonful down.
Once Changsuo had finished the milk, Gu Jinzhao patted his back until he burped, then handed him his rattle to play with, coaxing giggles out of him. Finally, he allowed the wet nurse to hold and soothe him...
By the time Gu Jinzhao had lulled Changsuo to sleep, she noticed through the lattice window that the sky outside had darkened.
A whole day had passed—she wondered when Third Master Chen would finally return!
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