That An Da indeed had some skill. Within an hour after taking one medicine pill, Snowball stopped having diarrhea, and by early the next morning, it could already stand up shakily.

Zhou Shaojin was overjoyed and personally fed Snowball a few mouthfuls of rice soup.

Snowball barked and affectionately rubbed against the hem of Zhou Shaojin’s skirt.

Zhou Shaojin picked it up and placed it in the bamboo basket.

Snowball obediently lay in the basket, its big, pitch-black, round eyes gazing at Zhou Shaojin, completely melting her heart.

Shi Xiang came in to collect the bowls and, seeing this scene, said with a smile, “It’s worth all the effort Second Young Miss spent saving it—it knows how to be grateful and repay kindness.”

Zhou Shaojin nodded and took her embroidery frame to sit beside Snowball’s bamboo basket, embroidering the forehead band. “That’s why people say dogs are the most loyal creatures!”

Shi Xiang smiled and answered “Yes,” couldn’t resist touching Snowball’s head, and then carried the bowls and dishes out.

When it was time for lunch, Zhou Shaojin and Shi Xiang fed Snowball another medicine pill.

Ji Ying came over.

She asked Zhou Shaojin, “Has Snowball gotten better? I had people find several more who can treat sick dogs. Don’t worry—Snowball will definitely get better.”

Zhou Shaojin thanked her and said, “It can already stand up. After taking another pill today, it should be able to walk tomorrow.”

“That’s good!” Ji Ying felt the weight lifted from her heart and said, “It’s getting late. You should hurry to the Cold Jade Mountain Room! I’ll watch over things here.”

Zhou Shaojin had no better alternative. After instructing Ji Ying on some things to pay attention to, she went to the Cold Jade Mountain Room.

Because her mind kept dwelling on Snowball, Zhou Shaojin’s writing was somewhat sloppy at first. After writing two pages, her heart finally settled down, and she rewrote those two pages. As a result, she spent the entire afternoon copying only half the scheduled scriptures.

Biyu asked with concern what was wrong. She only said she hadn’t slept well and returned half an hour earlier than usual.

Ji Ying sat on the arhat bed holding Snowball in her arms, grooming its fur while reading a book.

It was like this for three days in a row.

Zhou Shaojin was quite surprised.

She had thought Ji Ying was only helping care for Snowball occasionally because she felt guilty seeing it sick, but she hadn’t expected her to come every afternoon.

Counting the days, Uncle Chi should have returned by now.

Wasn’t she afraid Uncle Chi would blame her for this?

Those socks were clearly made by herself—with Nan Ping’s eye, she should have been able to tell at a glance. Or perhaps she had already admitted defeat and, in a fit of recklessness, had fallen out with Nan Ping?

On the fourth day, Zhou Shaojin asked Ji Ying, “Is everything all right in your quarters? With you coming over every day like this, has Miss Nan Ping said anything?”

This was clearly trying to drive her away!

Ji Ying felt very uncomfortable and said, “Don’t worry. Once Snowball is better, I won’t come to disturb you anymore.”

Zhou Shaojin’s previous quarrel with Ji Ying had been driven by a breath of anger stuck in her chest. Now that time had passed and Ji Ying had given her such an obedient and adorable Snowball, that breath of anger had dissipated.

She couldn’t help saying, “I’m not trying to drive you away. I’m afraid it will be difficult for you to explain to Uncle Chi.”

“It’s fine.” Ji Ying breathed a sigh of relief and said dismissively, “With Nan Ping there, Uncle Chi won’t lack people to serve him.”

She still had that coldly elegant demeanor, but somehow, Zhou Shaojin felt there was a loneliness about her.

Perhaps people who were too beautiful were all like this—not as easily able to blend in with others as ordinary-looking people.

Zhou Shaojin in her previous life had also suffered this kind of hardship.

Her heart softened, and she said, “How is your bet with Nan Ping going? With her eye, I’m afraid you can’t fool her.”

Ji Ying waved her hand dismissively and said, “I’ll just admit defeat. What can she do to me? She’ll just make me serve tea, pour water, and soak Uncle Chi’s feet. If I steel myself, what’s there that I can’t do!”

Soak his feet too?

Looking at Ji Ying’s proud demeanor, Zhou Shaojin knew that she, like herself in her previous life, must view such tasks as a terrible humiliation.

Zhou Shaojin said hesitantly, “How about you still learn the cross-stitch method from me? Miss Nan Ping only asked you to make four pairs of socks—she didn’t specify what kind they had to be. As long as Uncle Chi thinks you did well, Miss Nan Ping can hardly say you did poorly, can she?”

Ji Ying was stunned and looked at Zhou Shaojin for a long while before saying, “You, you’re still willing to teach me needlework?”

“Why wouldn’t I be willing?” Zhou Shaojin said with a smile. “You already gave me Snowball, didn’t you? I can help you too.”

Ji Ying didn’t speak for quite a while.

Zhou Shaojin voiced what had been weighing on her mind for many days: “I see you’re so clever—you don’t seem like someone who can’t learn needlework. Is it that you… don’t really want to learn?”

“Don’t really want to learn…” Ji Ying was stunned and said, “You mean, I, I don’t want to be a maid?”

“That’s right!” Zhou Shaojin said sincerely. “Even a slow bird that flies early will reach the forest first! You’re so clever—if you truly put your mind to it, what couldn’t you learn? The reason you haven’t learned is because you’re unwilling to learn.”

Ji Ying’s expression became somewhat obscure and difficult to read. She didn’t speak for a long time.

Zhou Shaojin felt this matter might be related to Ji Ying’s background. But since Ji Ying didn’t speak of it, she couldn’t bring it up directly. She could only vaguely advise her, “Unless you stop being a maid, sooner or later you’ll have to learn these things. Why make things difficult for yourself?” Thinking of that time she went to the Clear Sound Pavilion and saw Ji Ying’s disheveled state collapsed on the ground, she felt Uncle Chi’s treatment of her might be quite ordinary. After thinking it over, she added, “Right now, Nan Ping is in charge in Uncle Chi’s quarters. I can see that although she has some friction with you, she’s not a petty person. But she can’t stay in Uncle Chi’s quarters forever. When the day comes that she marries out, with your current state, you won’t be able to fulfill the responsibilities of a head maid. Would you really wait for someone with less seniority than you to order you around? You need to plan for your own future.”

Ji Ying said nothing.

Zhou Shaojin sighed quietly to herself.

Every family has its difficult scriptures to recite.

Some things could only be pondered by oneself.

She said no more and continued embroidering the forehead band.

When she had embroidered nearly half a flower, Ji Ying suddenly spoke up: “Second Young Miss, the truth is, I was forced to become Cheng Zichuan’s maid because my father lost a bet to him.”

“Ah!” Zhou Shaojin’s hand trembled, and her finger was pricked by the embroidery needle. A bead of blood rolled out.

She quickly put her finger in her mouth and sucked on it, then said, “What, what exactly happened? I don’t think Uncle Chi is the kind of person you’re describing.”

Ji Ying snorted coldly and said, “Uncle Chi isn’t that kind of person? Then what kind of person is he?” After speaking, she abruptly stopped this topic and said, “Anyway, it’s a long story. In the end, my father lost the bet. According to what my father and Cheng Zichuan had agreed beforehand, my second brother was supposed to serve Cheng Zichuan as a servant for ten years. But at that time, my second brother had already married, and my second sister-in-law was pregnant. Ten years—by the time my second brother returned, their child would be old enough to run errands. Besides, my second sister-in-law is my best friend. I couldn’t bear to watch my second sister-in-law and second brother be separated like migrating swallows… So I persuaded my father to let me enter the household to serve Cheng Zichuan as a maid instead.”

“Ten years?” Zhou Shaojin’s eyes widened. “You entered the household at eighteen, and staying for ten years would make you…”

Twenty-eight years old!

An old spinster!

Zhou Shaojin’s words caught in her throat.

“That’s right!” Ji Ying said despondently. “Ten years… When I go back, who knows what I’ll have become?”

Zhou Shaojin fell silent.

Why would Uncle Chi make such a bet with Ji Ying’s father?

When Ji Ying’s father lost, he even made Ji Ying enter the household to fulfill the agreement… Could there be some hidden circumstances in all this?

Zhou Shaojin’s heart stirred, and she said, “Why did Uncle Chi make a bet with your father?”

Ji Ying hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

Zhou Shaojin felt relieved.

If it had been Uncle Chi’s fault, how could Ji Ying remain silent?

She knew it—Uncle Chi wasn’t the kind of person who would bully a young woman.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help saying, “This matter can’t be entirely blamed on Uncle Chi, can it? It takes two hands to clap. Besides, when it comes to betting, if one party doesn’t agree, how can the bet be made?”

“That’s why I haven’t blamed Cheng Zichuan either!” Ji Ying said somewhat indignantly. “Which task he’s given me have I not completed? I just find Nan Ping annoying, constantly nagging in my ear about how a maid should be, shouldn’t be, what rules I’ve violated, what I’ve done wrong… As if not bowing and worshiping Cheng Zichuan means I’m not loyal…”

Nan Ping really did seem to have the temperament Ji Ying described.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but laugh with a “pfft.”

“See? See?” Ji Ying immediately acted as if she had found an ally and said loudly, “You think so too, right? I’m not wrongly accusing her, am I?”

If she said Ji Ying was right, wouldn’t Ji Ying oppose Nan Ping even more? Then Uncle Chi’s quarters would never have peace.

Zhou Shaojin said, “But you’re also in the wrong. It’s just asking you to do some needlework for Uncle Chi, yet you won’t even try to learn. Since you’ve entered the household, you need to act like a maid. Otherwise, even without Nan Ping, you’d face criticism from others too.”

Ji Ying let out two muffled grunts and said, “I just don’t want to learn. When Cheng Zichuan made the bet with my father, he wanted my second brother to enter the household as a manservant. I should just do a manservant’s work. Why treat me as a maid? Though he lacks maids, why would he still want my second brother to enter the household as a manservant?”

Zhou Shaojin smiled with pursed lips and said, “Can you lead horses and drive carriages for Uncle Chi, keep night watch, dust things, and run errands?”

At these words, Ji Ying’s eyes widened as she stared at Zhou Shaojin, and with great difficulty, she squeezed out the two words “I can’t” from between her teeth.

Zhou Shaojin laughed heartily and casually picked up two scraps of cloth to hand to Ji Ying: “Then you’d better study needlework with me properly!”

Ji Ying gritted her teeth and asked Zhou Shaojin impatiently, “Where’s the thimble? Give me a needle!”

Zhou Shaojin not only found her a needle but also smilingly threaded it before handing it to her.

Ji Ying then resentfully began learning needlework from Zhou Shaojin.

Zhou Shaojin immediately felt Ji Ying’s transformation.

Not only did she quickly learn the cross-stitch method, but she could also draw inferences from one example. With just a slight hint from Zhou Shaojin, she knew where her problems were. In less than half a day, her stitching was at least consistent, and next was just the matter of how to make the stitches uniform.

Zhou Shaojin encouraged her: “You’re much better than I was back then—it took me nearly three months to learn the cross-stitch method!”