Setting aside how furious and anxious Cheng Lu was, and how heartbroken and desperate Dong Shi felt—so much so that the entire Cheng household in Cunren Ward had no heart for celebrating the New Year—on Zhou Shaojin’s side, because the New Year was approaching, she had temporarily stopped copying scriptures and was painting Guanyin at home.

Zhou Chujin teased her younger sister: “How can you not stop even for a moment?”

Zhou Shaojin smiled at her sister with pursed lips.

Zhou Chujin had maids bring in many narcissus plants tied with red strings and place them in her room, saying these were sent over by Nanny Yu, who tended the Zhou family’s flower house, through the Ma Fushan household as New Year gifts for the sisters. Zhou Chujin sent several pots to Old Lady Guan, several pots to Mian Madam, and moved the rest to Wanxiang Residence.

Zhou Shaojin saw that all the narcissus had sprouted, and with their varied forms and many varieties, she was quite delighted. She had an extra brazier lit in the tea room and placed all the narcissus there.

Zhou Chujin warned her with a smile: “With the room so warm, be careful not to kill the narcissus.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Zhou Shaojin said with a laugh. “I want them all to bloom before New Year’s Eve.”

Zhou Chujin asked doubtfully: “Will that work?”

Zhou Shaojin smiled as she pushed her sister out of the tea room, saying: “Just wait and see.”

Zhou Chujin went to Hanqiu Pavilion with a smile to arrange the Little New Year’s Eve reunion dinner with Mian Madam.

Sanbao, the young servant by Cheng Yi’s side, came over timidly to report: “Madam, Second Young Master says, says his bottom hurts, so he’ll eat, eat the New Year’s Eve dinner in his own room!”

Mian Madam was so angry she nearly lost her mind, and shouted: “Then tell him not to come. I have two sons—if I’m missing one, I still have another.”

Sanbao trembled with fright, respectfully acknowledged with “Yes,” and fled in panic.

Mian Madam covered her forehead with her hand and shed tears in front of Zhou Chujin: “How did I give birth to such a thing! He won’t rest until he’s angered me to death!”

After Zhou Shaojin had lectured Cheng Yi, although he no longer clamored to demand Ji Ying from Cheng Chi, he still stubbornly refused to admit his mistake. According to Old Lady Guan and Mian Madam, children were thin-skinned, so this was good enough. But Cheng Mian disagreed, saying something like “Now when he’s so young is exactly the time to distinguish right from wrong. If he does something wrong and doesn’t admit his mistake, when he grows up, will he also be able to just walk away in silence like this?” He insisted that Cheng Yi write a self-criticism. When Cheng Yi grumbled unhappily, Cheng Mian had servants bind him and gave him twenty hard strikes in front of Jiashu Hall.

Cheng Yi wailed outside while Old Lady Guan and Mian Madam cried like tearful figures inside, yet they stubbornly bit their lips and didn’t go out to say a single good word for Cheng Yi.

When Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin learned of this, they both went to visit Cheng Yi. Cheng Yi chatted and laughed with Zhou Chujin, Cheng Gao, and even Cheng Jia who had come to visit him, but completely ignored Zhou Shaojin. Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat hurt. Cheng Gao promptly gave Cheng Yi a slap and said: “If you can’t even tell who’s good to you and who’s bad to you, then you should just stay home from now on and not go anywhere. Wait for death while freeloading. I’ll handle all the household affairs too, so you don’t squander all the family property that Father worked so hard to accumulate.”

Cheng Yi howled in “pain” and said stubbornly: “A real man keeps his word—I said I’d have nothing to do with her until death!”

“Say that again!” Cheng Gao gave Cheng Yi another slap.

Zhou Shaojin hurried to stop Cheng Gao, saying angrily: “Gao cousin, don’t hurt your hand hitting him. If he doesn’t want to associate with me, I’m happily free of the burden. What kind of brother’s eyes go straight when he sees his sister’s friend? I don’t need a brother like that.” Then she called to Cheng Jia: “Are you staying here or coming to my place? I’m leaving!”

Cheng Jia’s visit to Cheng Yi was merely out of cousin consideration—she and Cheng Yi had nothing in common to talk about. Hearing this, she immediately took Zhou Shaojin’s arm and said: “Of course I’m going with you. I think Yi cousin won’t be able to get out of bed for half a month or a hundred days. We shouldn’t stay here and annoy him.” She pulled Zhou Shaojin and left the room.

“Hey, hey, hey, make it clear—do I really have to lie in bed for that long?” Cheng Yi panicked inside and called out after Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia’s retreating backs.

Since the fire at the Fifth Household, it wasn’t so easy for Cheng Nuo and the others to come to the Fourth Household to play with him. If Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia didn’t come either, wouldn’t he have to lie alone in bed for a hundred days?

Just thinking about it frightened him.

Cheng Gao and Zhou Chujin shook their heads helplessly at his behavior.

Zhou Shaojin said: “Does Yi cousin’s injury really need that long? I heard from Sister that Yi cousin’s injuries are all superficial wounds. Ten days to half a month should be enough…”

“You’re really honest,” Cheng Jia giggled. “I was just saying that casually! Who told him to be so arrogant?”

Zhou Shaojin felt embarrassed.

Cheng Jia invited her to see the lanterns at the Lantern Festival.

After eating the Little New Year reunion dinner at the Cheng household, Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin would return to the Zhou family. They wouldn’t come back until the second day of the new year to pay New Year respects to their uncle.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to go out then!” Zhou Shaojin said. “If I can go out, I’ll definitely go see the lanterns with you.”

Cheng Jia left satisfied.

When Zhou Shaojin returned to Wanxiang Residence, Ji Ying was waiting for her.

“I heard you went to see Cheng Yi?” she said. “How is he?”

The matter of Cheng Yi taking a fancy to Ji Ying had already quietly spread throughout the household, and naturally someone had told Ji Ying about him being beaten.

“He’s fine!” Zhou Shaojin recounted what had just happened to Ji Ying, adding: “I saw he was in good spirits, not like someone who’s seriously hurt.”

Ji Ying had only asked casually. Hearing this, she laughed: “Your family has strict discipline. Last time when Cheng Jiashan was beaten, Madam Yuan actually had her personal maid hint to the servants administering the punishment to go easy on him. No wonder Old Madam Guo doesn’t think much of Madam Yuan. She wanted to have Second Master’s household bring Second Young Master home for Cheng Zichuan to help guide him for a while, but Cheng Zichuan apparently didn’t agree.”

Zhou Shaojin was quite surprised: “How do you know that?”

Ji Ying widened her eyes: “I’m living in Hanbi Mountain House now, so naturally I heard these things from those maids and servants!”

Zhou Shaojin’s eyes immediately grew even wider than Ji Ying’s: “We copied scriptures in Hanbi Mountain House for half a year and never heard anything, but you’ve only lived there a few days and already know everything!”

Ji Ying glanced at Zhou Shaojin with disdain: “Can you compare yourself to me?”

Zhou Shaojin laughed and said: “Why doesn’t Uncle Chi want to guide Second Young Master?”

In her impression, Cheng Rang was a timid but very honest person. Such people were usually very obedient.

If Cheng Rang could be taught properly, that would be quite good—the Cheng family would at least have one more provincial graduate.

“Probably finds it troublesome!” Ji Ying said dismissively, then smiled and changed the subject: “I heard you’re going home tomorrow and won’t return until the second day of the first month. Is that true?”

Zhou Shaojin nodded and smiled: “The Zhou family has to perform ancestral rites too!”

“Alright, I know now.” After saying this, she was about to leave.

Zhou Shaojin was puzzled: “You came just to ask about this?”

“Yes!” Ji Ying said. “So I’ll know when to come visit you!”

“Oh!” Zhou Shaojin saw Ji Ying out, then thinking she would go to Jiashu Hall for the reunion dinner later, she re-styled her hair into a double topknot, changed into a bright red brocade gown, put on a gold-flowered pearl circlet, and went to Zhou Chujin’s room.

Zhou Chujin had just returned. Seeing Zhou Shaojin’s eyes sparkling with smiles, her anxious heart finally settled, but she still asked carefully: “Not angry anymore?”

“Not angry anymore,” Zhou Shaojin huffed. “If he won’t acknowledge me, I won’t let Jia cousin visit him. We’ll see who’s more uncomfortable then.”

“Little girl,” Zhou Chujin couldn’t help pinching her sister’s cheek and said with feeling: “That’s right! If he won’t acknowledge you, it’s his loss. We’ll be happy. Let him suffer.”

“Yes!” Zhou Shaojin giggled, and the bit of unhappiness in her heart finally dissipated completely. She urged her sister: “Hurry and change clothes, let’s go over early.”

Zhou Chujin had someone pack a tiered food box for Zhou Shaojin to eat from before going to change clothes.

Since the Fourth Household had few people, and Zhou Shaojin and the others were juniors, there was no separate table arrangement for the New Year’s Eve dinner at Jiashu Hall.

When Zhou Shaojin and her sister arrived, the bowls and chopsticks were already set, and Mian Madam was chatting with Old Lady Guan with a smile, though her brows couldn’t hide her slight worry. Seeing the Zhou sisters, she hurried to greet them with a smile and ordered maids to bring out fruit plates: “…Eat some fruit first to tide you over. Your Gao cousin went to invite your uncle. Your uncle is being difficult somehow, testing Gao cousin’s studies. Who knows when they’ll finish?”

She didn’t mention Cheng Yi.

No one else mentioned it either.

Zhou Shaojin secretly laughed to herself.

Uncle Mian was probably worried that when Gao cousin went to the He family, Old Master He would ask about his studies and he wouldn’t be able to answer, right?

She pretended not to know and sat on either side of Old Lady Guan with her sister, eating fruit and keeping the old lady company with household chat.

After about the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, Cheng Mian and Cheng Gao entered one after the other.

Cheng Mian’s expression was gentle, clearly quite satisfied with Cheng Gao’s studies.

Everyone in the room hurried to pay respects to Cheng Mian.

Cheng Mian’s gaze swept around, and he paused slightly, his face darkening as he said: “Where is Second Son?”

Mian Madam said carefully: “He’s still injured, so this concubine took the liberty of letting him rest in his room…”

“Nonsense!” Before she could finish, Cheng Mian roared, veins bulging at his temples: “You go call him here right now. If he dares to quibble even one word, tell him he never needs to come again. The Cheng family’s ancestral rites and New Year celebrations will have nothing to do with him from now on…”

Mian Madam was so frightened her face turned deathly pale, and she looked toward Old Lady Guan.

Old Lady Guan lowered her eyelids, fingering the Buddhist beads in her hand.

Zhou Shaojin was terrified and couldn’t help snuggling closer to her sister.

Zhou Chujin grasped Zhou Shaojin’s hand and smiled at her reassuringly.

From outside came Si’er’s surprised and delighted voice: “Master, Old Madam, Madam, Second Young Master is here!”

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Mian Madam’s eyes even brimmed with tears as she said: “Quick, quickly help Second Young Master in.”

Without waiting for Mian Madam’s order, Si’er had already lifted the door curtain.

Sanbao supported Cheng Yi as he shuffled in.

Cheng Mian’s expression softened slightly.

Cheng Yi obediently paid respects to Cheng Mian.

“No need,” Cheng Mian glanced coldly at Cheng Yi once and ordered Mian Madam: “Serve the dishes!”

The atmosphere in the room warmed.

Zhou Shaojin felt even the air flow more freely.