Zhou Shaojin was sweating.

Cheng Jia leaned on their shoulders, clicking her tongue mockingly at Gu Shiqi: “Someone who only knows how to look at appearances!”

“A belly full of poetry and books naturally emanates elegance,” Gu Shiqi retorted. “Isn’t one’s appearance determined by their inner qualities?”

The two of them bickered while Zhou Shaojin felt as though Cheng Chi had glanced in their direction.

She couldn’t help but widen her eyes to look.

Cheng Chi stood tall as a pine tree, looking straight ahead as Biyu served him, lifting the door curtain as he entered the main hall.

Zhou Shaojin let out a breath of relief.

Perhaps she had seen wrong?

Cheng Jia said, “Should we be going to offer birthday greetings soon? Should we wait in the side room?”

Gu Shiqi said, “Let’s wait until Cheng Chi and Cheng Jiashan have left before we go out, to avoid running into them.”

Zhou Shaojin agreed wholeheartedly, saying, “Biyu mentioned earlier that we would go after Uncle Chi and the others had finished offering birthday greetings.”

The three of them waited behind the bamboo grove.

Two young ladies emerged from the side room. Both were around fifteen or sixteen years old. One wore a lake-green Hangzhou silk jacket, her hair styled in double spiral buns adorned with pearl hairpins. The other wore a bean-green Hangzhou silk jacket, her hair in double maiden buns, wearing a red gold lilac hairpin. Their eyebrows were like distant mountains, their eyes like autumn waters, bearing some resemblance to each other and very beautiful.

Cheng Jia asked, “Who are they?”

Zhou Shaojin didn’t recognize them either.

Gu Shiqi thought for a moment and said, “They seem to be grand-nieces from Vice Minister Sun’s wife’s natal family. I can’t remember their names. When my sixteenth sister got married, Madam Sun brought them to the wedding banquet. The two are cousins from Huzhou. Their grandfather was just promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.”

As they were talking, a maid on duty outside the side room had already walked up to the two young ladies. After some whispered words, the maid led them toward the main hall.

Zhou Shaojin said, “How come we haven’t seen Miss Lin?”

Gu Shiqi laughed, “Didn’t you know? Miss Sun from the Sun family got engaged to the seventh young master of the Liu family from the Mei estate. She’s probably confined at home learning proper etiquette.”

Cheng Jia pouted, “Learning proper etiquette and all that is so annoying. When I marry in the future, I must find a mother-in-law who dotes on her daughter-in-law, so I won’t have to learn all those rules.”

Gu Shiqi covered her mouth and laughed.

Someone else emerged from the side room.

This time it was a young married woman and a girl of about fifteen or sixteen. The woman spoke softly to the young girl as they walked toward Zhou Shaojin and the others.

Zhou Shaojin and the others were all startled.

The woman and young girl drew closer and closer.

Only then did Zhou Shaojin realize that the young woman was actually the wife of Liu Mingju, the magistrate of Jiangning County.

She didn’t recognize the young girl, who wore a pink jacket. Her eyebrows were like new moons, her face like peach blossoms, delicate and tender like a flower, with exceptionally beautiful features.

Zhou Shaojin was very surprised.

What was Madam Liu doing here?

Should they go out and greet her?

Zhou Shaojin looked toward Gu Shiqi and Cheng Jia.

Both their expressions were equally bewildered.

As they hesitated, Madam Liu and the young girl had already drawn near, and they heard Madam Liu saying to the young girl, “…Since you came out with your sister-in-law, naturally your sister-in-law will make decisions for you. Even if this matter reaches the Old Madam, your sister-in-law will shield you. What does it have to do with you!” Before her words had finished, Madam Liu had already walked around and her gaze fell upon the three of them. She revealed a startled expression, and her words came to an abrupt halt.

The three quickly stepped forward to greet Madam Liu.

It took Madam Liu a long moment to recover. Looking somewhat unnatural, she smiled and introduced the girl beside her: “This is my younger sister-in-law, the ninth daughter in her family.” She then introduced Zhou Shaojin and the others to Miss Liu Jiu.

The young ladies exchanged greetings.

Madam Liu laughed, “Why aren’t you in the side room? What are you standing here for? You gave me quite a fright just now.”

She appeared both gracious and friendly, but somehow Zhou Shaojin felt that her body was somewhat tense.

Could there have been something hidden in what she had just said to Miss Liu Jiu?

As Zhou Shaojin pondered this, Gu Shiqi had already stepped forward with a smile, saying, “Earlier we were talking in the courtyard, then when Cheng Chi and the others came by, we couldn’t avoid them in time, so we hid here.”

“Is that so?” Madam Liu smiled, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes.

Miss Liu Jiu lowered her head, looking very shy.

Cheng Jia whispered in her ear, “Look at Miss Liu Jiu from the Liu family. Doesn’t she look like you?”

Zhou Shaojin looked carefully but couldn’t see any resemblance at all.

“Miss Liu Jiu is very beautiful,” she whispered back.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Cheng Jia said quietly. “But she’s as shy as you used to be.”

Zhou Shaojin was speechless.

Gu Shiqi had already struck up a conversation with Madam Liu: “…Have you seen our Grand Madam? Last time you came to our house for the wedding banquet, you left without staying long. Our Grand Madam still mentions it to this day, saying that you’re always so courteous, yet we haven’t been able to host you properly. She doesn’t know when you’ll be free, but once the chrysanthemums in our garden bloom, she’d like to invite you over for drinks, flower viewing, and opera!”

Madam Liu laughed, “I was just discussing this with your Grand Madam earlier. I was thinking of coming to your house on the sixteenth of the ninth month to drink, admire flowers, and watch opera…”

The two of them exchanged pleasantries back and forth without any awkward silences.

Now this was a true master of social grace!

Zhou Shaojin gazed at Gu Shiqi with great admiration.

Miss Liu Jiu stood quietly beside Madam Liu, occasionally glancing at Zhou Shaojin.

Zhou Shaojin smiled kindly at her.

Miss Liu Jiu’s face flushed crimson as she lowered her head.

As Zhou Shaojin, Cheng Jia, and Miss Liu Jiu stood there listening to Madam Liu and Gu Shiqi exchange pleasantries, sounds came from the main hall.

Everyone looked over simultaneously.

They saw the door curtain sway as Cheng Chi and Cheng Xu emerged.

Cheng Chi’s expression remained indifferent as always, while Cheng Xu appeared more cheerful than before, making him look even more refined and elegant.

However, just as the two descended the steps, the two grand-nieces from Vice Minister Sun’s wife’s natal family happened to emerge from the small path leading to the main hall.

The two groups came face to face.

The two young misses blushed crimson as they curtsied. One of them said something in a voice barely above a whisper. Cheng Chi glanced at the two young ladies, nodded slightly with an expressionless face, and walked straight ahead. Cheng Xu followed behind Cheng Chi, and as he passed the two young ladies, he couldn’t help but look back. His gaze happened to meet that of the young lady wearing the bean-green Hangzhou silk jacket.

The young lady smiled brilliantly at Cheng Xu.

Her radiant smile was like flowers blooming in summer—bright and captivating.

Cheng Xu looked surprised. His steps paused slightly. He nodded at the young lady, then hurried to catch up with Cheng Chi.

What was going on here?

Zhou Shaojin, Cheng Jia, and Gu Shiqi exchanged bewildered glances.

But what surprised them even more was that upon seeing this, Madam Liu chuckled softly and said to Miss Liu Jiu from her family, “I didn’t expect your Fourth Brother Cheng to be here. Come with me to pay your respects to Fourth Brother Cheng!” Then she turned to Zhou Shaojin and the others with a smile, saying, “Would you like to come with me to greet them?”

The three of them shook their heads in unison, looking confused and at a loss.

When had this Miss Liu become a generation senior to them?

Or had she always been a generation above them?

Zhou Shaojin’s mind was a bit muddled as she watched Madam Liu lead Miss Liu Jiu toward Cheng Chi and Cheng Xu with a smile. She watched as Cheng Chi’s expression softened slightly as he greeted Madam Liu, watched as Miss Liu Jiu shyly curtsied to Cheng Chi and Cheng Xu… It wasn’t until Madam Liu led Miss Liu Jiu into the main hall that Cheng Jia nudged her with an elbow, and only then did she come back to her senses. But as soon as she did, she saw Gu Shiqi covering her mouth, laughing silently and continuously.

“What, what’s going on?” she asked, confused.

“I’m dying of laughter!” Gu Shiqi laughed until tears came out, saying breathlessly, “Cheng Jiashan actually got ambushed by young ladies… I’ll bet you anything that when he was in the main hall, there were definitely more girls watching him… If Vice Minister Sun’s wife doesn’t bring her two natal grand-nieces to visit Madam Yuan tomorrow, she’ll definitely come the day after…”

Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia suddenly understood.

Cheng Jia even jumped up, saying, “Doesn’t Madam Sun always speak so righteously about others? How could her own natal grand-nieces do such things? I wonder if she knows about it. If she does know, I wonder if she’ll send both grand-nieces home overnight?”

Gu Shiqi finally managed to stop laughing. As she took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes, she said, “She definitely knows! It might have even been her own idea! Now I understand why she didn’t bring Third Miss out—she was afraid people would notice and ruin Third Miss’s reputation. Those two young ladies are foolish enough, letting Madam Sun point them east and west like that!”

Zhou Shaojin wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing this, Cheng Jia said displeased, “I really don’t like it when you act like this! We’re sisters, so just say what you want to say! Even if you’re wrong, what does it matter?”

“That’s not it.” Zhou Shaojin looked at Gu Shiqi and said carefully, “Then, is Miss Liu Jiu here to… ambush Uncle Chi?”

“Most likely,” Gu Shiqi said, her emotions calmer than before, smiling. “Otherwise, why would Madam Liu have been sitting in the side room earlier? With her status, she should have been sitting in the main hall. Didn’t you see her just now going to the main hall with Miss Liu Jiu?” She speculated, “There are probably many young ladies in the main hall, so to leave an impression on Cheng Chi, she deliberately led Miss Liu Jiu to ‘coincidentally’ encounter Cheng Chi.”

“But Miss Liu Jiu is about the same age as us,” Zhou Shaojin said, puzzled. “If Uncle Chi were looking, shouldn’t he look for someone older?”

“For a successful imperial examination graduate as a son-in-law, never mind ten years older, even twenty years older—what would it matter?” Gu Shiqi laughed. “Besides, Cheng Chi has never been married before. At least she’d be his first wife. What’s wrong with that?”

“Oh, right!” Zhou Shaojin said. “But why hasn’t Uncle Chi ever married?”

“Yes, yes!” Cheng Jia said excitedly. “Why hasn’t Uncle Chi ever married?”

The eloquent Gu Shiqi was stumped. After a long moment, she said, “I, I don’t know either! I’ve never heard the elders mention it!”

All three of them looked in the direction Cheng Chi had left.

The lush tree branches on both sides swayed gracefully.

Cheng Chi had long since disappeared from sight.

A supervising matron came over to request their presence: “The auspicious hour is approaching. Young ladies, please return to the side room for some tea and refreshments!”