At this moment, Zhou Shaojin, far away in the capital, was leaning against the pillow on the large kang by the window, reading a letter from Cheng Jia.
A bright red silk robe embroidered with phoenixes facing the sun hung on the clothes rack on the east side of her chamber, gleaming with golden light and dazzling brilliance.
Cheng Jia often wrote letters to Zhou Shaojin.
The first letter she wrote to Zhou Shaojin was when Zhou Shaojin had just arrived at Baoding Prefecture. Cheng Jia had written asking if she was accustomed to life in Baoding Prefecture, and tactfully mentioned that Cheng Xu had become engaged to the Eldest Miss of the Min family.
Zhou Shaojin had written back telling her she was fine, and now that Cheng Xu was engaged, she had even fewer concerns.
Cheng Jia breathed a sigh of relief. When she wrote to Zhou Shaojin again, her letters became much more lighthearted. Especially after she married and went to Luoyang, she would write letters to Zhou Shaojin sharing whatever delicious foods she had eaten and interesting things she had seen. On the contrary, Zhou Shaojin, with Cheng Chi hidden in her heart and only seeing this one person in her eyes, would typically still not have replied to the previous letter by the time Cheng Jia’s next letter had already arrived.
Fortunately, this time Zhou Shaojin finally had a conscience awakening. As soon as matters with Cheng Chi were settled, she wrote a letter to Cheng Jia.
In her reply, Cheng Jia severely reproached Zhou Shaojin, saying that she told Zhou Shaojin about everything, yet Zhou Shaojin hadn’t told her about such an important matter.
Even through the letter, Zhou Shaojin could imagine Cheng Jia stamping her feet as she wrote it.
She couldn’t help but smile with pursed lips.
Cheng Jia told her that Li Jing had business in Tianjin. She had been bored at home, so she followed Li Jing to Tianjin. Zhou Shaojin’s letter had been forwarded from Luoyang. If it had been a few days later, she and Li Jing would have already set off back to Luoyang. Now they had decided to come to the capital to attend Zhou Shaojin’s wedding. She also told Zhou Shaojin to treat her well, otherwise she shouldn’t expect her to call Zhou Shaojin “Auntie.” She wrote, “I have a good thing to give you, for your wedding night…”
Zhou Shaojin’s face immediately flushed bright red. In her heart, she kept reproaching Cheng Jia, thinking “not a moment of peace from her, I don’t know how Li Jing tolerates her.” She put Cheng Jia’s letter away in the letter box and instructed Chunwan to go to the main house and invite Zhou Chujin over, saying, “See if there are any spare rooms left in the house. Cousin Jia and her husband will be coming to attend the wedding.”
Her wedding date was approaching. By rights, she should return to Baoding Prefecture to await marriage. However, both Zhou Zhen and Cheng Chi felt sorry for her having to endure the hardships of travel, so they decided to let her marry directly from Elm Tree Lane in the capital. But Zhou Zhen was still at his post, and Li Shi had been diagnosed as pregnant, so he could only entrust the Liao Shaotang couple to help send Zhou Shaojin off on her wedding day. Zhou Shaojin would return home on the ninth day, which happened to coincide with the court’s seal closing. She could stay in Baoding Prefecture for a few extra days.
In the previous life, it was also the Liao Shaotang couple who had sent Zhou Shaojin off on her wedding day.
Zhou Shaojin didn’t think much of it.
However, Zhou Chujin felt somewhat sorry for her younger sister and had come early to help. Besides directing the maids and servants in cleaning, she personally selected everything for the wedding banquet and items to be used, often comparing several options before making a decision.
Old Madam Guan from Jinling had also sent word that she would bring Cheng Mian and others to attend Zhou Shaojin’s wedding.
Zhou Chujin was naturally overjoyed.
The Zhou family originally had few relatives and friends in the capital. With people from the fourth branch coming, Zhou Shaojin’s wedding would be much more lively, and it also represented the fourth branch’s acknowledgment of this marriage. This would be greatly beneficial to Zhou Shaojin’s future.
She had already prepared the guest rooms early, readying bedding and food, just waiting for people to arrive.
Now with the addition of Cheng Jia and Li Jing, the rooms would probably be insufficient.
Zhou Shaojin thought for a moment and said, “Then we can only impose on Cousin Jia by clearing out one of the back annex rooms where your dowry is stored for her to rest in. As for Li Jing, he can share a room with Cheng Yi.”
Zhou Zhen had prepared a dowry of one hundred and twenty carrying loads for Zhou Shaojin, just like he had for Zhou Chujin, filling the back annex rooms completely.
Zhou Shaojin blushed and said, “Then I’ll trouble you, Sister.”
She was now a girl about to be married and couldn’t move about freely everywhere.
Zhou Chujin laughed and said, “Now you’re being polite with me!”
Zhou Shaojin didn’t know what to say.
In her previous life, she had wanted to thank her sister but never had the opportunity to tell her. This expression of gratitude in this life also contained the appreciation from her previous life.
She smiled foolishly.
Zhou Chujin patted her head and instructed Chunwan to supervise the servants in moving the trunks.
Several maids surrounded Grand Madam Liao, whose expression carried a trace of awkwardness, as she walked in.
Seeing Zhou Chujin, she quickly stepped forward and said, “Is there anything I can help with? Where’s Guan’er? If you’re too busy, just send him to my room and I’ll help watch him.”
Zhou Shaojin was Zhou Chujin’s weak spot. Since Grand Madam Liao had said those words, Zhou Chujin had been somewhat distant with her mother-in-law.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chujin smiled and said, “There’s nothing much. The steward at Elm Tree Lane is very capable. I’m just helping to oversee things and provide reminders—it’s not busy. Guan’er was just carried around the courtyard by his wet nurse for quite a while and has just gone back to the room to sleep. I don’t know why, but these past few days he’s been very well-behaved, neither crying nor fussing. If I can’t manage on my end, it won’t be too late to ask you to look after him then.”
She neither softly nor harshly declined Grand Madam Liao’s offer.
Grand Madam Liao couldn’t help feeling somewhat embarrassed.
That day, Zhou Chujin’s words had been like thunder in her ears, awakening her.
The reason she had originally tried to matchmake for Axuan was to curry favor with the Fang family and secure a good future for her son.
But if her daughter-in-law could give her son a boost in his official career, why would she need to put the cart before the horse by abandoning her daughter-in-law to curry favor with the Fang family?
Once she understood this, Grand Madam Liao’s attitude toward Zhou Chujin completely changed. Not only did she become kind and amiable, but she also looked for opportunities to help with Zhou Shaojin’s wedding, wanting to mend past rifts.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Chujin actually began to feel somewhat compassionate.
No matter what, Grand Madam Liao was her mother-in-law, someone she would have to get along with for the rest of her life. Where one could be lenient, one should be lenient, right?
Her tone softened slightly as she smiled and said, “It’s a bit cold today. Why did you come over? Is there something you need?”
Grand Madam Liao felt quite flattered upon hearing this and quickly said, “Nothing, nothing. I just came to take a look. You young people have experienced less, and wedding matters are so complicated with a thousand threads—I was afraid you might overlook something.”
Zhou Chujin took the opportunity to step down gracefully, smiling, “If you could come over to help guide us, I would benefit immensely.”
Grand Madam Liao quickly said, “What guidance? We’re family—no need for such formality. Your in-law madam is pregnant, isn’t she? Have you been to the temple to burn incense? Do you know if it’s a boy or girl yet?”
Zhou Chujin smiled and said, “My father says whether it’s a boy or girl, it’s all a blessing from the Buddha. Worst case, he can just recruit a son-in-law to care for him in his old age—after all, he has more than one daughter.”
Grand Madam Liao laughed and said, “Your father-in-law certainly has a broad mind…”
The two chatted warmly and entered the hall. Just as they were about to sit down, a young maid ran in, saying, “Eldest Young Madam, Eldest Young Madam, the Cheng family’s Fourth Young Madam and Young Master have arrived. They say they’re about to enter the city.”
How had Cheng Jia arrived so quickly?
Zhou Chujin quickly said, “Quick, quick, ask Steward Xiang to go to the city gate to receive them.”
Inside the inner chamber, Zhou Shaojin heard the commotion and also came out, saying repeatedly, “Have Cousin Jia and her husband arrived?”
Zhou Chujin nodded, invited Grand Madam Liao to sit in the room, and hurriedly rushed out, “I need to go check the back annex—I’m afraid it hasn’t been tidied up yet!”
Grand Madam Liao quickly said, “Why not just have them stay at our place!”
She also asked who the Cheng family’s Fourth Young Madam was.
Zhou Shaojin explained.
Grand Madam Liao was stunned.
She hadn’t expected that even after the first branch of the Cheng family had divided from Jiuru Lane, people from the fourth and third branches would still come to attend Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin’s wedding.
This showed that the division between the first branch and Jiuru Lane might not necessarily have been the first branch causing trouble recklessly.
However, Zhou Shaojin hadn’t seen Cheng Jia for a long time and wanted to have her stay at home, so she tactfully declined Grand Madam Liao’s suggestion.
Grand Madam Liao didn’t insist. She asked Chunwan, “Has the household prepared a banquet? If not, someone should be sent early to a familiar restaurant to order a table of dishes to bring back.” She then instructed Nanny Zhong, “Send someone to inform the Young Master that the Cheng family fourth branch’s son-in-law has arrived, and have him come home early to keep the guest company.”
She began helping the Zhou sisters entertain their guests.
Seeing her good intentions, Zhou Shaojin went along with it.
Before long, Liao Shaotang hurried back, and the Li Jing couple also arrived.
Li Jing was received in the outer study for tea, while Cheng Jia was received in the inner residence.
Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Jia hadn’t seen each other for a long time.
As soon as they met, Cheng Jia threw her arms around Zhou Shaojin and said happily, “I came quickly, didn’t I! We traveled day and night. Several times we missed the post stations and slept in the carriage. You must reward me well—I’m exhausted!”
Zhou Shaojin finally managed to break free from her embrace. Seeing that she had grown a bit taller than before and had also become more rounded, like a peony bud that had finally bloomed—radiant as flowers, bright and beautiful—she knew that Cheng Jia’s marriage to Li Jing was good. She couldn’t help but feel happy for her, and her eyes became somewhat moist as she said, “Look at yourself—your makeup is ruined and your hairpins are crooked. You should go inside to wash up properly.”
Cheng Jia laughed carelessly, not taking it seriously at all, completely casual.
Only a beloved woman could be so carefree, afraid of nothing.
Zhou Shaojin smiled as she introduced Grand Madam Liao to her, then accompanied her to her inner chamber to change clothes and wash up.
While Cheng Jia sat at the dressing table having a maid help arrange her hair, she instructed Cuihuan to fetch a rosewood box and give it to Zhou Shaojin, smiling, “Open it and see. This is my gift to add to your trousseau.”
The things Li Jing had previously given Cheng Jia were all exceptional, so naturally the gift Cheng Jia was giving her for her wedding wouldn’t be simple either.
Zhou Shaojin opened it and saw it was a hair ornament.
A flower the size of a bowl, with blue kingfisher feather petals, yellow agate stamens, and a butterfly made of various precious materials resting on it. The butterfly’s wings were made of some unknown material that trembled slightly, as if about to take flight—extremely exquisite.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, “This flower is so big—when would you have me wear it!”
Cheng Jia huffed in mock anger, “I’m giving you something nice and you’re complaining about when you can wear it? If you don’t want it, then I’ll take it back.”
Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but laugh.
Cheng Jia also laughed and said, “This is from Li Jing—he only cares about giving expensive things. The one underneath is what I’m giving you.”
Only then did Zhou Shaojin discover that beneath the hair ornament was a thumb-sized square gilded bottle inlaid with glass.
Cheng Jia told her, “This is from the Western Regions, used to hold fragrant oils. You can wear it on your person—it’s both delicate and practical, much better than incense balls and such. This is one of my most beloved possessions, and now I’m giving it to you.”
Zhou Shaojin smiled and thanked her repeatedly.
Cheng Jia had finished arranging her hair.
She jumped up and said, “There should still be orchids blooming now, right? Why don’t we make some fragrant oils? They’ll be perfect for your wedding.”
Like someone who had taken a complete tonic pill, she had boundless energy.