Old Madam Guan laughed heartily and said, “Since the Second Branch has someone to look after things, we won’t join in the commotion. I’ll bring my daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter when the time comes.”

Old Madam Guo smiled and discussed the travel arrangements for the Bathing the Buddha Festival with Old Madam Guan.

Zhou Shaojin, however, felt somewhat dejected.

She wondered if she could find an excuse not to go.

But if she really made an excuse, would Old Madam Guo suspect that the Fourth Branch was straddling the fence like the Third Branch?

She had a bit of a headache.

The Cheng family was truly complicated!

If she married in the future, she would absolutely not marry into a family like the Cheng family.

Thinking of this matter, she became a bit dazed again.

She didn’t know what her future would be like.

If she saw Yuan Shi later, should she greet her? Or should she just smile and lower her head to stand behind her grandmother?

Zhou Shaojin stood to the side listening absent-mindedly to the two old madams talking, but right up until the midday meal was set on the table, Yuan Shi never appeared.

Hadn’t Yuan Shi said in front of her that even at over forty years old, she still had to observe the rules before her mother-in-law?

Could it be that she had been deceiving her at the time?

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but smile with disappointment.

Returning to the Joyful Trees Hall, her grandmother gave her a few more instructions about “being obedient” and “being good” before being attended by Si’er to take her noon rest.

Zhou Shaojin returned to the Fragrant Wisteria Residence. When Zhou Chujin came back, she naturally had to ask about the scene at Cold Jade Retreat. Zhou Shaojin answered everything. Zhou Chujin clicked her tongue in amazement: “The maids are all raised like young ladies. Old Madam Guo truly has grand style.” She teased Shi Xiang, “When you go over to serve Shaojin in the future, will you be afraid?”

“What do I have to be afraid of?” Shi Xiang brewed a pot of Maojian tea for the Zhou sisters. “I’m going to serve Second Young Miss, not to compete with the sisters at Cold Jade Retreat. If they have good qualities, I’ll learn from them. If they have bad qualities, I’ll just pretend not to see them.”

“Well!” Zhou Chujin said with a smile. “I didn’t expect you, this girl, to have such insight.”

Shi Xiang giggled with laughter.

Everyone talked for a while before dispersing.

The next day, Zhou Chujin continued learning household management with First Madam Mian, while Zhou Shaojin stayed home helping her sister rush to make summer clothes.

After several days like this, it was the eighth day of the fourth month.

In the end, she hadn’t found an excuse to say she wouldn’t go. Before dawn broke, she rose with her sister, and after washing and dressing, went to the Joyful Trees Hall.

Old Madam Guan had already risen. The entire main quarters were brightly lit, and First Madam Mian was checking the supplies and refreshments for the outing in the hall. Seeing the Zhou sisters enter, she took time to greet them: “Have you had breakfast? The Old Madam is eating breakfast now. Would you sisters like to add something?”

“We’ve already eaten.” The two sisters paid their respects to First Madam Mian, then went to pay their respects to Old Madam Guan. Zhou Chujin went to the hall and skillfully helped First Madam Mian count the supplies for the outing. Seeing that she couldn’t help much, Zhou Shaojin stayed in the room to help Si’er and the others attend to Old Madam Guan’s hair.

Because Old Madam Guan had chosen a jade-blue five blessings surrounding longevity patterned lake silk jacket for worshipping Buddha, she helped Old Madam Guan select a sapphire-blue headband inlaid with white chalcedony and a double-strand gold-inlaid kingfisher feather hairpin in the auspicious ruyi pattern.

Old Madam Guan kept saying “good” as she looked at them, and had a young maid go check the west side gate—according to Old Madam Guo’s intention, everyone had agreed to meet at the west side gate at the hour of mao, then go to Ganquan Temple together.

The young maid ran off to the west side gate.

First Madam Mian hurried to pack things.

By the time the young maid returned, First Madam Mian had also finished packing.

“Everyone hasn’t arrived yet,” the young maid said breathlessly. “But when I was coming back, I saw the Third Branch’s sedan chairs.”

In other words, the Third Branch had arrived first.

Old Madam Guan smiled. “We’re neither the earliest nor the latest, so let’s go!”

At this time, there were still three quarters of an hour until the hour of mao.

Everyone responded “Yes.”

Zhou Chujin helped Old Madam Guan into the sedan chair. Zhou Shaojin had an idea and, learning from her sister’s example, went to help First Madam Mian.

First Madam Mian was quite surprised, then showed some emotion. She quickly said, “No need, no need. I can manage myself.”

Zhou Chujin hadn’t expected this either, but she was happy to see her younger sister gain the favor of the elders. She smiled and supported Zhou Shaojin: “First Aunt, please don’t be polite. She’s a junior, and helping you is as it should be.”

Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded, her expression very sincere.

First Madam Mian smiled and nodded, visibly pleased.

Zhou Chujin and Zhou Shaojin followed Old Madam Guan and First Madam Mian’s sedan chairs to the west side gate.

The Third Branch had indeed already arrived.

The Third Branch’s Old Madam Li wore a sapphire-blue auspicious clouds and good fortune patterned lake silk jacket and wore a gold-inlaid treasure-studded auspicious clouds embracing blessings hairpin. She was sitting in the flower hall next to the west side gate drinking tea.

The morning light shone on her body, resplendent with gold and jade, dazzling to the point that one could hardly keep one’s eyes open.

Zhou Shaojin’s gaze, however, fell on Cheng Jia, who sat beside Old Madam Li looking utterly bored, twisting her handkerchief.

Just like the young woman in her memory, she pouted, her face full of displeasure, as if this brief wait had already exhausted all her patience.

Zhou Shaojin’s heart suddenly felt a sharp pain.

Cheng Jia was the Third Branch’s treasured pearl and had never been able to endure the slightest grievance. Even Cheng Sheng from the First Branch would yield to her. During the years after her marriage, how had she managed to get by?

Could her early death have been related to this?

Zhou Shaojin thought of the letter Cui Huan had given her in her previous life.

Though it was only the brief phrase “Shaojin, please forgive me,” it seemed to convey all her regret and heartache.

Zhou Shaojin’s eyes grew moist.

The young woman in the flower hall suddenly turned around.

She had bright eyes and white teeth, with glowing skin and jade-like bones, wearing a brocade-red gold-woven jacket, like the scorching sun—blazing and brilliant.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but murmur softly, “Cheng Jia!”

Cheng Jia, however, snorted coldly with her nose in the air and turned her head away in a huff.

Just like many days and nights in the past when Zhou Shaojin had offended her.

Inexplicably, Zhou Shaojin’s heart lightened. All those vows she had made to “keep her distance from Cheng Jia” and “have less contact with Cheng Jia in the future” were thrown to the back of her mind, and she couldn’t help but smile.

As if sensing that Zhou Shaojin was laughing at her, Cheng Jia turned around.

Then she glared fiercely at Zhou Shaojin.

In her previous life, Zhou Shaojin would have apologized to her anxiously without asking why, asking what had made her angry. But now, Zhou Shaojin remained calm, looking at Cheng Jia as one would look at a child who didn’t understand the world, with a tolerance she herself hadn’t even noticed.

She simply smiled and followed behind the elders.

Apart from Zhou Chujin, no one noticed the turbulent undercurrents between Cheng Jia and Zhou Shaojin. And Zhou Shaojin’s complete composure made Zhou Chujin maintain her silence.

The elders exchanged pleasantries with smiles and called the younger generation over to pay their respects.

First Madam Sun of the Fifth Branch arrived.

She wore a scarlet gold-woven phoenix tail patterned jacket and wore a pure gold hairpin inlaid with jadeite Guanyin, with kingfisher feather flowers. The colorful embroidery was brilliant, but it made her powdered face appear even more haggard and wan.

The Fifth Branch’s old master and old madam had passed away one after another a few years ago. Now the Fifth Branch was headed by Cheng Wen and Sun Shi.

Helped down from her sedan chair by a maid, she hadn’t even steadied herself before tiredly rubbing her temples gently, saying, “Are we going to Ganquan Temple again this year? It’s so noisy and chaotic there, giving one no peace. Can’t we change to a different place to worship Buddha?” After speaking, she called loudly for her personal maid: “Xiang’er, quickly bring the rose dew. I’m dizzy.” Then she complained, “Why hasn’t the Second Branch arrived yet? Do we wait for them every year? If I had known, I should have slept a bit more too!”

Ever since she found out that Cheng Wen was living a dissolute life outside, there hadn’t been a time when she wasn’t complaining.

The Fourth Branch people pretended not to hear.

Old Madam Li of the Third Branch had listened to her mother-in-law when she was young. After her mother-in-law passed away, before she could manage the household for even a few days, she was sidelined by her daughter-in-law Jiang Shi, who came with a generous dowry and was shrewd and capable. After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law clashed several times, all ending with Old Madam Li’s complete defeat, fortunately Old Madam Li was a clever person. Gritting her teeth, she simply let go and handed over all the affairs of the Third Branch’s inner courtyard to Jiang Shi, no longer concerning herself with these household matters, hiding in her widowed quarters at the Hall of Eternal Thoughts to live her own small days.

Hearing this, she squinted her eyes and smiled, her plump and fair appearance like a Maitreya Buddha.

Cheng Jia, however, raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips.

Zhou Shaojin could guess what she was muttering in her heart.

In her previous life, Cheng Jia had more than once privately scorned First Madam Wen: “Why doesn’t she look at what her own background is? This doesn’t please her eye, that doesn’t meet her approval. If she were a young lady from a prominent family, she’d probably complain that even the Cheng family’s water chokes her throat.”

First Madam Wen’s father had only served one term as county magistrate before dying in office. It was said that when she married, her natal family had tried every means but could only scrape together a twenty-four carrier dowry. It was only because the Fifth Branch’s old madam had privately sent two thousand taels of silver for her trousseau chest that she could marry into the Cheng family with dignity.

In the past, Zhou Shaojin had viewed First Madam Wen the same way. But the experiences of two lifetimes made her look back at First Madam Wen and only feel pity for her—if Cheng Wen could have lived properly with her, how would she have become like this?

While Zhou Shaojin was pondering, the First Branch people arrived.

Old Madam Guo wore a stone-blue base silver-woven crane pattern jacket. Her jet-black hair was neatly coiled in a round bun, and she wore a stone-blue headband with a pigeon-egg-sized red coral inlaid on it.

She walked over unhurriedly, her straight back like a white birch tree on the northern plateau, her chin slightly raised, carrying an arrogance that looked down upon the world.

The people in the flower hall hurried out to greet her. Even First Madam Wen of the Fifth Branch put away her dissatisfied expression.

Old Madam Guo swept her eyes over everyone present and said, “Is everyone here?” Without waiting for an answer, she directly asked Biyu at her side, “What time is it now?”

Biyu’s voice was low, gentle, and steady. “It’s already the hour of mao.”

“Since the time has come, let’s set off!” Old Madam Guo said indifferently, extending her hand that was maintained so exquisitely white and delicate that it rivaled a young woman’s.

Someone at her side supported Old Madam Guo.

Indigo-blue phoenix tail patterned sleeves, slender fingers with distinct knuckles, pink nails gleaming with a pearl-like luster in the sunlight.

Zhou Shaojin lowered her head.

She would never forget these hands.

When they pinched a jade-green handkerchief and pointed directly at her… when they slapped on the rosewood table making the famille rose tea bowl clatter loudly… when they slapped her face making her ears ring… those were the hands of Cheng Xu’s mother, Yuan Shi.

She would never mistake them!