Zhou Shaojin naturally nodded repeatedly.

But her heart was somewhat panicked.

The matter of Uncle Chi leaving the Cheng family had been confirmed.

But when exactly had he left?

And had he come back to visit afterward?

Zhou Shaojin paced back and forth in the cabin, only regretting why she hadn’t paid closer attention to the Cheng family’s affairs in her previous life.

She thought of how Cheng Chi would willingly humor Madam Guo and coax her into playing chess just to please her; how he would observe her expressions and suggest they sit down to rest the moment he noticed Madam Guo was tired, without waiting for her to speak; how he would support Madam Guo as she stood on the beach, smiling encouragingly as he urged her to do things she normally wouldn’t even dare to imagine… Her heart ached faintly.

Could it be that everything she was doing now was futile?

Would Uncle Chi leave the Cheng family once they returned to Jinling?

Then who would she find to pass information to Cheng Jing?

Zhou Shaojin tossed and turned all night without sleeping well. The next day, when she accompanied Madam Guo sitting in the side hall listening to the abbot expound on the sutras, her spirits were somewhat wilted.

Cheng Chi, sitting beside her, said quietly, “Didn’t sleep well last night? Just bear with it for now. Tomorrow morning we’ll return to Ningbo.”

Because the abbot of Fayu Temple would personally open the altar to expound the sutras for Madam Guo, they had no choice but to stay one more night on Mount Putuo.

Zhou Shaojin nodded listlessly. She very much wanted to ask him if he intended to leave the Cheng family, but when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back down and changed them to, “Uncle Chi, will you return to Jinling with us?”

“Of course.” Cheng Chi smiled. “Since I brought you all out, naturally I must bring you back safely and smoothly!”

“What about after we return?” Zhou Shaojin ultimately couldn’t restrain herself. Opening her large, clear spring-like eyes full of expectation, she gazed at Cheng Chi. “Will you go out again?”

Cheng Chi smiled wryly and said, “Do you want to go to Baoding to see your father?”

Zhou Shaojin knew Cheng Chi had misunderstood. But she would rather have Cheng Chi misunderstand her this way than let him know about her inconceivable experiences, so she quickly said, “If you pass through Baoding, could you take me along?”

“I’m afraid I won’t be going out these days.” Cheng Chi smiled. “I’ll wait until after New Year’s. If the matter isn’t urgent, and both your grandmother and your father agree, I can take you to Baoding along the way.”

Zhou Shaojin nodded with a beaming smile.

However, Cheng Chi felt that Zhou Shaojin’s inner feelings weren’t as happy as her outward appearance suggested.

What exactly was this little girl trying to do? What was she thinking about?

This thought flashed through Cheng Chi’s mind. Already a nearby worshipper was saying disapprovingly, “Stop talking, you two. Listen to the master expound the sutras… How can there be such disrespectful people? Actually talking during the sutra exposition.”

Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin quickly stopped their conversation and listened carefully to the abbot’s exposition.

The abbot was speaking today about the story of Buddha sacrificing himself to feed the eagle. Zhou Shaojin had heard this story countless times in both her past and present lives, but when the abbot of Fayu Temple told it, it was particularly passionate and stirring, easily drawing people into the narrative.

Zhou Shaojin’s eyes were truly opened.

All the sutra-expounding masters she had encountered were patient and gentle-voiced. She had never seen any sutra-expounding master speak with such fervent rhetoric.

Clearly there were all kinds of people in this world; it was just that she hadn’t encountered them before.

Zhou Shaojin pondered this in her heart. Finally, she was no longer as drowsy as before.

After the sutra exposition ended, the abbot personally came over to exchange a few pleasantries with Madam Guo before leaving.

They returned to their resting quarters amid the envious gazes of the other worshippers.

After enjoying a sumptuous vegetarian meal, Cheng Chi was invited by the abbot to have tea, while Zhou Shaojin and Madam Guo took an afternoon nap. When they awoke, the trunks and boxes had been mostly packed.

Drinking the tea Nanny Lu offered, Madam Guo said thoughtfully, “I think we should donate more incense money to Fayu Temple to help them build the Great Buddha Hall.”

Zhou Shaojin broke into a sweat.

Nanny Lu went to invite Cheng Chi over.

Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Helping them build a Great Buddha Hall isn’t particularly difficult. But human hearts know no contentment—a snake trying to swallow an elephant. If we agree too easily, who knows, they might want to build an Arhat Hall next… You needn’t worry about this matter. Leave it to me to handle, and I guarantee they’ll carve your name in the first position on the merit stele.”

“You, child.” Madam Guo said reproachfully, “Am I doing this for the merit stele? I want the Bodhisattva to bless you three brothers with peace and smooth fortune, to ensure Xu Ge’er and Rang Ge’er are peaceful and safe, and marry virtuous and reasonable wives… and also to ask the Bodhisattva to bless our Shaojin with a satisfactory husband!”

Zhou Shaojin’s face flushed bright red with embarrassment. She said “I’ll go check if Chun Wan and the others have finished packing” and fled in disarray.

Madam Guo chuckled heartily and once again instructed Cheng Chi, “If you encounter young men from good families while you’re out, you might keep them in mind.”

Cheng Chi smiled in agreement, “I understand!”

***

The next day at the beginning of the si hour (nine o’clock in the morning), they bid farewell to the abbot, the great monks, and the guest master of Fayu Temple.

The abbot of Fayu Temple escorted them all the way to the dock and arranged with Cheng Chi when they would meet again next time. Watching as Zhou Shaojin and the others boarded the boat and the boat departed from the dock, only then did he return to Fayu Temple with the monks.

Zhou Shaojin leaned against the boat window gazing at the lushly verdant Mount Putuo, her heart filled both with the melancholy of parting and the joy of the journey home.

She hadn’t seen her elder sister for a long time, and because she was traveling, she couldn’t even write her sister a letter.

At lamplight hour, their boat entered Ningbo dock.

Unlike the painted pleasure boats and covered boats moored near North River Bridge in Jinling, most of the vessels docked at Ningbo were sand ships and fortune ships, mostly large ships with four or five masts. When their three-masted sand ship passed by these large vessels, one had to look up to see their masts, creating quite an overwhelming feeling.

Chun Wan and the others crowded around the boat window exclaiming in admiration, drawing Madam Guo to stand by the window and gaze out.

Zhou Shaojin, supporting Madam Guo, suddenly recalled that day when she had looked down from her boat into another vessel’s cabin window and seen a man and woman… Those on the fortune ships might well be able to see into their cabin too.

She quickly ordered Chun Wan and the others to close all the cabin windows.

Chun Wan and the others went off giggling.

Wang Xiao, the manager of the Ningbo branch, boarded the boat with several assistants from the branch to pay his respects to Cheng Chi, saying, “I’ve already reserved a courtyard at the best inn in Ningbo. If you find the courtyard too noisy, there’s also a lodging place behind the branch that we usually use to receive managers from the head office. It’s just a bit small.” He continued, “Though Ningbo cannot compare with Hangzhou, it excels in overseas trade. Those imported tin wares, snuff boxes, clocks, dolls, rouge and powder all have their own distinctive features. Since the old madam and the young lady rarely make this trip, would you like to stay in Ningbo for a couple more days to see how Ningbo’s liveliness differs from other places?”

Cheng Chi suddenly recalled the image of Zhou Shaojin pouting and blinking her large eyes as she grumbled to Ji Ying, “I want to buy things too”… Mother had been very guilt-ridden these years. Though she hadn’t become a lay Buddhist, she had lived like an ascetic monk… He thought of how Mother used to dislike wearing bright reds and greens but loved having the maids around her dress up beautifully in colorful array… Since he had decided to make Mother happy, he might as well accompany her properly this once, even if these things seemed rather absurd and impulsive.

“Your suggestion is excellent,” he smiled. “Staying at an inn would indeed be too noisy. We’ll stay at the branch!”

Wang Xiao was overjoyed and quickly rose to acknowledge the order, instructing the head assistant to go back and tidy things up again. He himself remained to chat with Cheng Chi while waiting for the women in the rear cabin to finish packing.

The rear cabin, having received the news, was already in an uproar.

Chun Wan held a jade-green vest with crimson bud edging against herself and asked Bitao urgently, “How is it? Should I wear this tomorrow?”

“It’s quite nice.” Bitao conscientiously helped her plan. “Just wear those red-gold lilac earrings that Second Young Miss rewarded you last time.”

“That’s what I was thinking too.” Chun Wan decisively packed the garment she’d been trying on into her bundle and went to find the pair of red-gold lilac earrings Zhou Shaojin had rewarded her.

But a junior maid ran in, saying, “Sister Chun Wan, Young Miss wants the moon-white shoes embroidered with butterflies and studded with pearls. I’ve searched for ages and can’t find them.”

This one had barely finished speaking when another junior maid hurried over, saying, “Sister Chun Wan, Young Miss is asking if everything is packed.”

Chun Wan couldn’t worry about much else. She shoved the clothes bundle into Bitao’s arms and said, “Help me pack this up. I’m going to attend to Young Miss.”

Bitao smiled and said “Mm,” and was about to help pack when a junior maid called her name, “Sister Bitao, the kitchen is asking what Second Young Miss’s evening snack should be tonight. They want to bring the ingredients along so the branch doesn’t prepare insufficiently and make something that doesn’t taste good.”

She looked at the bundle in her hands, then at the junior maid waiting at the door, and could only smile wryly as she instructed the maid, “This is what Sister Chun Wan will be taking off the boat later. You watch over it here. I’ll be right back.”

The junior maid acknowledged and stood guard at the door.

Bitao hurried off to the kitchen.

All this chaos had nothing to do with Zhou Shaojin. She accompanied Madam Guo drinking tea, “…Now isn’t like the founding period. The exchange of courtesies and gifts among court officials has become increasingly important. But everyone’s salary is fixed. Without silver and unwilling to lose face, they can only find alternative ways. The imported goods from Ningbo have become treasured items. So their things are all quite cheap—it’s just that they look novel and we haven’t seen them before. Buying them back as curiosities to give as gifts is fine, but there’s no need to keep them for personal enjoyment.”

Madam Guo was afraid they would be dazzled and buy things indiscriminately, becoming suckers, wasn’t she?

Zhou Shaojin smiled with pursed lips. When Chun Wan had finished packing on her side, she supported Madam Guo nominally as they descended from the boat.

Wang Xiao had already prepared sedan chairs. They boarded the sedans and swayed all the way to the Ningbo branch of Yutai Exchange.

Yutai Exchange not only had a spacious storefront, but its location was also excellent.

The exchange faced a bridge directly. Opposite was a three-story wine house, diagonally across was a pawnshop with five wide storefronts, and beyond that was a century-old pharmacy. When their sedans arrived at the exchange, it was already the zheng period of the you hour (six o’clock in the afternoon). People were coming and going across the bridge, still quite lively.

Zhou Shaojin could tell just by looking that the rear courtyard of Yutai Exchange must be quite spacious.

When her sedan chair landed and Zhou Shaojin looked up, she saw a five-bay chamber, with three-bay chambers on both left and right, each with two side rooms. The courtyard was paved with blue stone bricks. Because it was near the Mid-Autumn Festival, the two osmanthus trees planted together in the middle of the courtyard were covered with golden blossoms, their fragrance rich and full.