For the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner, Father had servants set up tables in the pavilion by the lake, hung lanterns, and placed lotus lanterns in the lake. By evening, Father, Concubine Song, and several younger sisters sat together, while Concubine Guo and Concubine Du, whose status wasn’t high enough, stood by to serve them.
Father said, “The kitchen has prepared several types of dumplings—seafood, cabbage, and shepherd’s purse—some with gold beans inside. Be careful when eating.” Father’s handsome face was animated with joy; there was no trace of the unpleasantness between him and Mother from the past few days.
Jin Chao secretly shook her head. Gu Xi was only eight years old; what if she accidentally swallowed a gold bean? Father didn’t think things through.
Gu Lan smiled and said, “That’s a good omen. Whoever finds a gold bean will surely have a smooth and prosperous year ahead.”
In the end, everyone got a gold bean. Jin Chao even got two, which she put in her pouch.
After finishing the dumplings and dishes, the kitchen brought desserts—frozen pears, jujube paste cakes, dried persimmons, and pear pastries with white sugar—all served on tall stands and porcelain plates. Jin Chao stood up: “Father, please continue eating. I’m afraid I must leave first.”
As soon as she stood, Gu Lan immediately looked at her, still smiling, but with an inscrutable gaze.
Concubine Song, sitting next to Jin Chao, gently held her hand and said with a smile, “Does Chao’er have something to do? Could you delay a bit? Leaving early from the New Year’s Eve dinner isn’t very auspicious…”
Jin Chao smiled and said, “I was just thinking that Mother is alone in her room and might be lonely. I wanted to keep her company.”
Hearing this, Father couldn’t help nodding: “She can’t be in the wind, and it must be boring alone in Xie Xiao Garden. It’s good for you to keep her company.”
Gu Jin Rong looked at her, seeming to want to say something, but turned his head away to look at the lotus lanterns on the lake. The night breeze blew, making the lanterns floating on the lake surface shimmer beautifully in the darkness. Jin Chao left the table with Qing Pu, also turning to glance at the lotus lanterns.
Lotus lanterns…
The year she first arrived at the Chen family, Third Master Chen held a Lantern Festival. Chen Xuan Qing had prepared a lake full of lotus lanterns for Yu Wan Xue, flowing like a brilliant silver river from the distant stream into the lake, outshining all other lanterns at the festival. At the time, she had thought Chen Xuan Qing was reserved and unexpressive. She hadn’t known that when he truly cherished someone, he could love them to his very core.
Seeing it made others as uncomfortable as having sand in their eyes—and that uncomfortable person was naturally her. It turned out that merely wanting to look at someone and enduring immense pain while looking at them were two entirely different matters. Later, after everyone had dispersed, she had her maid hold her hand as she carefully leaned down to retrieve one of the lanterns, which she kept in her study. Holding this stolen lantern, her heart beat faster, as if the lantern had truly been a gift from him.
…Thankfully, all that was in the past. Seeing Mother’s Xie Xiao Garden just ahead, Jin Chao put on a smile.
Mother hadn’t gone to sleep yet. Madame Xu was helping her wash her face and hands. The room was filled with the warm, soft glow of candles, and without conversation, it felt especially quiet.
Jin Chao recalled the laughter and chatter in the pavilion earlier.
Hearing her arrive, Mother looked up, appearing very happy. She beckoned Jin Chao to sit beside her, but couldn’t help scolding her: “…How dare you leave the New Year’s Eve dinner so early!” Jin Chao leaned her head against her mother’s chest, acting coquettishly: “Without Mother, how can it be called a New Year’s Eve dinner?”
She then took out her pouch, opened it with a smile, and showed it to her mother: “I found two gold beans in the dumplings. I’ll hang them on your bed curtain to pray for good weather and harvests.”
Madam Ji smiled at her daughter, thinking she was still like a child. She asked Madame Xu for red silk thread, tied it into a plum blossom knot, and hung it on Mother’s bed curtain. Madam Ji was in good spirits: “Would you like to stay up with me tonight for New Year’s Eve, Jin Chao?”
Jin Chao smiled and said, “Of course, but how can we just wait around doing nothing?” She had Madame Xu bring many colorful silk threads, wanting to make knots with her mother. She insisted: “Mother’s knots are the most exquisite. Please make more for me!”
Madam Ji smiled helplessly and began making knots with a few threads she selected. Her knots were indeed well-made. Her fingers wove the threads back and forth, creating incense stands, high stools, elephant eye blocks, and rhombus knots, each one perfectly formed and lifelike.
Mother always had skills that she wasn’t good at, Jin Chao thought. Perhaps all mothers were like that.
At this time, the maids had been called away to join the servants’ New Year’s Eve dinner. Only Madame Xu remained in the room, talking with them. They didn’t even notice when someone approached the door.
“Mother…” It was Gu Jin Rong’s voice. He walked past the screen, holding a pouch in his hand.
Seeing mother and daughter, as well as Madame Xu looking at him, he frowned, then nodded: “Greetings, Elder Sister.” He had seen Jin Chao leave the table and had also thought of his mother. Not wanting to see Jin Chao, he had timed his visit, thinking she would have left by now, but was surprised to find her still lingering.
Madam Ji noticed the dark blue pouch embroidered with the Three Friends of Winter in his hand and asked with a smile: “What brings you here, Rong’er? Are you also bringing gold beans for Mother?”
Gu Jin Rong was quite surprised: “How did Mother know!”
Madam Ji pointed to the inner room’s bed curtain: “That one is from your sister. You two siblings think alike!”
Gu Jin Rong coughed, tightening his grip on the pouch. How could he have known that Jin Chao had the same idea?
Jin Chao smiled and said: “We’re making knots for fun. Would you like to join us?”
Gu Jin Rong pressed his lips together and said: “No, Second Sister invited me to stay up with her for New Year’s Eve!”
Jin Chao heard the coldness in his voice and thought to herself that he was, after all, only twelve years old—he couldn’t even pretend to be on good terms with her. She simply responded with an “Oh” and casually said: “Then you should go.”
Gu Jin Rong was about to leave when he saw Jin Chao talking with Mother, admiring the knots Mother had made and asking with a smile how she had tied them. Her profile, illuminated by candlelight, looked exceptionally gentle, and vaguely resembled Mother by about fifty percent!
Gu Jin Rong doubted what he saw. Jin Chao didn’t resemble Mother at all; she looked more like their maternal grandmother in her youth, as beautiful and vibrant as a crabapple flower. But his steps halted. Mother was ill, and if he left her to stay up with Second Sister, wouldn’t that be unfilial?
He stepped forward and said: “Since Elder Sister has invited me, I should naturally spend more time with Mother!” He sent his page boy to tell Gu Lan he wouldn’t be coming.
Madame Xu smiled at his awkward expression and brought more silk threads for the three family members. After playing with the knots for a while, Jin Chao suddenly had an idea and asked for white radishes to be brought from the kitchen’s cellar.
Madam Ji was puzzled: “What do you want those for?”
Jin Chao just smiled without answering. When the radishes arrived, she asked for a small knife used for twisting threads and skillfully began carving.
Not only Madam Ji and Madame Xu, but even Gu Jin Rong watched intently. Jin Chao’s fingers moved deftly, and before long, she had carved Chang’e Flying to the Moon, holding the Jade Rabbit in her arms. Chang’e looked lifelike, with flowing sleeves, feathered robes, and fluttering ribbons.
Madam Ji had no idea Jin Chao possessed such skill and marveled: “My Jin Chao is so talented!”
Jin Chao played with the small knife while reciting: “Behind the mica screen, deep candle shadows fall; the long river gradually descends as dawn stars appear. Chang’e must regret stealing the elixir; night after night, her heart turns to the blue sea and azure sky.” She suddenly felt a flash of loneliness. “Chang’e must regret stealing the elixir; night after night, her heart turns to the blue sea and azure sky”—was this also about her?
She had harmed Yu Wan Xue’s child, so she was confined to a small courtyard to die alone and ill!
In her previous life, after Yu Wan Xue fell from favor, she often came to visit Jin Chao in the small courtyard. After her miscarriage, she could no longer bear children, and Chen Xuan Qing had taken a concubine. Feeling lonely, she would come to find Jin Chao for company, bringing many gifts. This person truly had a pure heart and treated her very well. Jin Chao had been blinded by jealousy and had harmed her so much!
Madam Ji said: “What a pity. This would be perfect for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Since it’s New Year’s Eve now, Chao’er, why not carve a qilin instead? That would be auspicious.”
Jin Chao snapped back to reality and hurriedly waved her hand: “…I’m afraid I don’t know how. Your daughter only knows how to carve Chang’e!”
Gu Jin Rong kept his gaze on his elder sister. Had he seen it wrongly earlier? How could he have thought Jin Chao’s expression seemed… desolate?
Though they had planned to stay up all night, Mother, due to her weak health, grew tired and went to sleep first. Jin Chao and Gu Jin Rong sat in silence. When the maids returned, she had Mo Yu bring a Go board. Jin Chao smiled and said: “Your sister can at least keep you company with a game of Go!”
Gu Jin Rong didn’t believe she played well, and after a few games, she indeed suffered crushing defeats. Jin Chao frankly admitted: “I’m merely an amateur. Let’s stop after these few games.” She added, “You should go back now. We have to pay respects to the ancestors tomorrow morning. I’ll stay here to keep the New Year’s Eve vigil.”
Her candid admission made Gu Jin Rong find her casual and unrestrained. After a moment of silence, he surprisingly said: “…It’s good enough that you know how to play.” He meant well, knowing that Gu Lan wouldn’t know these things. But after saying it, he felt his words weren’t particularly kind and didn’t know how to explain.
As he left Xie Xiao Garden, he looked back and suddenly felt that perhaps his elder sister wasn’t as people described her, nor as Gu Lan portrayed her. She gave him a strange feeling that he couldn’t quite articulate.
Outside, a young maid was waiting for him. He recognized her as Mu Jin from the Second Sister’s side. She smiled, curtseyed, and said: “…Our Second Young Miss is still waiting for you.”
Gu Jin Rong frowned, feeling both sympathy and reproach: “Second Sister is still waiting… She really shouldn’t, it’s so late!” Yet he quickly headed toward Cui Quan Courtyard.