From that day on, Old Madam Guo’s enthusiasm for Cheng Xu’s wedding suddenly cooled. The clothes and jewelry she had selected were simply left there, and she no longer looked at them. Instead, she watched as Cheng Chi formally went to the Censorate, rising early each day to attend court. Zhou Shaojin followed him in waking early, but by the hour of chen when she recited sutras with Old Madam Guo, she would begin yawning uncontrollably. Old Madam Guo smilingly exempted her from morning lessons and changed it to practicing calligraphy for one hour in the afternoon.

Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat ashamed.

After her rebirth, her greatest wish was to be able to publish a calligraphy copybook like Liao Zhangying, the aunt of Liao Shaotang who had married into a prestigious family. Now that she had married Cheng Chi, she only knew how to eat and drink every day. Even when she occasionally felt uneasy about it, she made excuses for herself about having too many matters or being too busy, and hadn’t properly practiced calligraphy for quite some time.

Zhou Shaojin didn’t dare be negligent. She mustered the same determination she had when copying sutras for Old Madam Guo and followed her in learning to write.

Old Madam Guo was very satisfied. Besides writing, she also began teaching her painting.

Zhou Shaojin studied even more diligently.

She had heard others say that many embroidery masters were also skilled painters.

By the time they entered the second month, when the wind no longer carried a chill, the elegance of Tingxiang Courtyard became evident.

Opening the window revealed the lake, gazing into the distance showed layers of green peaks, looking up revealed peach tree branches extending overhead, and looking down showed clusters of flowers and plants just sprouting tender buds.

Not only Zhou Shaojin but even Old Madam Guo felt the courtyard was arranged extremely well. She smiled and asked Cheng Chi whose handiwork it was, adding, “Now that spring has arrived, the flowers and trees in the eastern garden need to be reorganized.”

Cheng Chi smiled and said, “I had people arrange this side. That side can be left to Shaojin.”

“Me?!” Zhou Shaojin was surprised.

Cheng Chi smiled and said, “Haven’t you been growing flowers quite well? This matter surely won’t be difficult for you. Besides, these plants and trees wither and flourish with each passing year. If you feel there are shortcomings today, you can make corrections next year. Try it a few times and you’ll naturally learn.”

Zhou Shaojin was eager to try.

She spent mornings leading several maids and pozis to the back garden planting trees and transplanting grass, and afternoons accompanying Old Madam Guo practicing calligraphy and painting. Her days passed busily yet she felt full of enthusiasm. Like a willow tree putting forth new branches, she was radiant and full of spirit.

On Yuan Shi’s side, she was frantically busy. When the day of Cheng Xu’s wedding approached, she realized that since the day Zhou Shaojin had come to take Old Madam Guo home, she hadn’t seen Zhou Shaojin come over even once. She couldn’t help but frown, though she also felt relieved.

Her wet nurse couldn’t bear to watch and reminded her, “No matter what, that Zhou Shi is the Fourth Young Madam of the Cheng family. If she doesn’t come, people might gossip.”

Yuan Shi was dismissive, saying, “When others ask me, I’ve already sent word saying that Old Madam kept her there to attend to her.” After speaking, she also felt somewhat uncomfortable and added, “Her birth mother died not long after she was born. I always felt it was rather inauspicious. It’s good for her to stay at Chaoyangmen with Old Madam.”

Her wet nurse wanted to speak but stopped herself.

Yuan Shi began discussing the matter of Cheng Xu’s wedding and ancestor worship: “…I’ve already discussed it with Master. After they’re married, we’ll move the portraits of our ancestors to Daxing for veneration.”

Exhuming remains was an extremely complicated matter. The bones of Cheng Xun and others were still left in the ancestral tombs in Jinling, and Cheng Shao had also left instructions that when he died, he would still be buried beside his parents and elder brother Cheng Xun. As for Cheng Jing and the others, to avoid burdening their children with traveling back and forth, most would choose to be buried in the capital. This way, the ancestral tomb in Jinling still had to be maintained. The three Cheng Jing brothers had selected a sacrificial field in Daxing and designated an auspicious site as the Cheng family burial ground. The ancestral portraits and such that were originally placed at Chaoyangmen had also been moved to Xingling Alley when the three brothers divided the family.

Her wet nurse knew that Yuan Shi was thinking about how Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin had to go to Daxing early in the morning to worship ancestors, and had come up with this method because she felt sorry for her son and daughter-in-law.

She had already displeased Yuan Shi just now, so she couldn’t say anything at this moment. She could only tactfully say, “The Master treats you truly well. Whatever matters you have, you must be considerate of the Master. Only then can husband and wife be harmonious.”

Yuan Shi didn’t deny this point.

She smiled and said, “I know. The new bride is about to enter the family. As her mother-in-law, I must set a good example, mustn’t I!”

Back in the day, Old Madam Guo and Cheng Xun were famously devoted to each other.

Her wet nurse saw that these words made sense and praised her several times with a smile before going out to attend to her own matters.

When Yuan Shi saw there was no one around, her face turned cold.

This Zhou Shaojin really couldn’t handle herself properly. When she told her not to come, she actually didn’t come. Where did she put her, the eldest sister-in-law, in her eyes? Qiu Shi, on the other hand, although she had divided the household, still handled matters of propriety as well as before. Her side had just moved and had plenty of matters to attend to, yet she could set aside her own affairs to come help. When Jiashan’s wife entered the family, she must properly honor this second aunt.

This would elevate the second branch and suppress the arrogance of Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin—these days, wherever she went, she heard people talking about Grand Secretary Qu being impeached. Cheng Chi had certainly made a name for himself among the scholarly circles now. As a censor, he had brought down a Grand Secretary—he would surely leave his name in the annals of history, wouldn’t he?

Yuan Shi calculated her little schemes.

Zhou Shaojin, however, went to Yuqian Alley.

The people from the fourth branch had arrived in the capital.

Everyone first gathered lively at Yuqian Alley for a day, then went to Chaoyangmen to drink wine, watch opera, play pitch-pot, and go boating, joyfully spending another day. Then came the day of urging the bride for Cheng Xu’s wedding, and everyone went together to Xingling Alley.

As Gu Shiqi Gu put it: “Even New Year’s isn’t this lively!”

Zhou Shaojin only cared about her belly: “You’re not even three months along yet. Do you want to stay in the capital a bit longer?”

After Gu Shiqi Gu went to Baoding, she discovered she was pregnant. Because she had only just conceived and they were afraid of startling the child, she was kept at Chaoyangmen to keep Zhou Shaojin company.

“No need.” Gu Shiqi Gu smiled and crunched on a piece of apple, saying with a laugh, “The physician from your family’s madam examined my pulse and said I’m doing very well. Once the three-month mark passes, we’ll set off back to Jinling.” She added, “Your apples are really delicious. When I leave, I’m taking a basket with me.”

Zhou Shaojin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, saying, “I’ll have ten baskets sent back with you, all right?”

Gu Shiqi Gu giggled and said, “If you dare give them, I dare take them.”

Zhou Shaojin could only smile and shake her head.

Gu Shiqi Gu then comforted her: “Look, all three of us who went to Hongluo Temple to offer incense have had good news. You’ll have good news too—don’t worry. Didn’t the fortune slip also say first difficulty, then ease?”

“I hope so!” Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat helpless when discussing this matter.

Cheng Chi was good in every way, except his self-control was too strong.

In matters between husband and wife, even when she took the initiative, it was useless.

But how could she tell others about this?

Hopefully, once Fourth Master got through these busy days, things would improve.

Gu Shiqi Gu sighed that once they left, who knew when they would meet again.

Cheng Shaojin smiled with pursed lips and said, “Then teach a son who passes the imperial examination, and you can come to the capital for the autumn and spring examinations, can’t you?”

“Are you afraid I lack this ambition? But even so, it would be my daughter-in-law coming to the capital. How would it be my turn?” Gu Shiqi Gu joked with her, and with laughter and chatter, evening arrived.

Cheng Chi and the others had all gone to Xingling Alley and might not return. After attending to Old Madam Guo as she retired, Zhou Shaojin lay in bed with Gu Shiqi Gu whispering secrets: “Ah Zhu is now pregnant with her second child… she wants to become in-laws with us in the future… her sister-in-law gave the Zhu family their eldest grandson… she originally wanted to take this opportunity to return to Jinling to visit, but it didn’t work out… her son-in-law treats her extremely well, completely indulgent. It’s just that the Fan family has too many rules and is too restrictive…”

“This shows there’s nothing perfect in this world…”

The two talked while sighing.

Gu Shiqi Gu asked Zhou Shaojin to sleep there.

But just as Zhou Shaojin lay down, Cheng Chi returned.

Gu Shiqi Gu covered her mouth laughing and chased Zhou Shaojin back to her room: “My mother-in-law at such an age hasn’t returned, yet he’s good—the uncle came back first.”

Zhou Shaojin’s face turned red as a cloth. She said, “Perhaps he came back because of some matter.”

Gu Shiqi Gu’s laughter rang like silver bells.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t stay even a moment longer and hurriedly returned to the main room.

Stepping into the inner chamber, a figure flashed past in the mirror stand.

Zhou Shaojin stopped and saw in the mirror stand a woman smiling with her eyes curved like crescent moons.

She shyly lowered her head and walked around the screen.

Cheng Chi had already changed clothes and was being attended by Yuan Yuan and Man Man as they tied his sash.

Seeing Zhou Shaojin, his eyes and brows softened considerably. He smiled softly and said, “You’re back!”

Zhou Shaojin nodded randomly and said, “Mother has already retired.”

“I know!” Cheng Chi waved his hand, and the maids attending in the room filed out.

He stepped forward and embraced Zhou Shaojin, saying softly, “What did you do today? Did you miss me? I thought about you all day today…”

His lowered voice carried a few notes of mellow richness, like deep piano music, lingering in her ear together with his warm breath.

Zhou Shaojin’s heart melted. After quite a while, she said with difficulty, “It’s so late—why did you come back? Didn’t they invite you to stay over there as a guest and arrange lodging for you?”

The capital had a night curfew.

Cheng Chi nibbled her ear and said, “I didn’t want to sleep alone in a cold bed… I found an opportunity and came back…”

Zhou Shaojin tightly embraced Cheng Chi, her gaze as tender as autumn waters.

※※※

The next day when she opened her eyes, Cheng Chi had already left.

Zhou Shaojin thought about what happened last night, and blushing, rolled around in bed several times before getting up.

Her heart felt like it was harboring a little bird—she was in good spirits all day. After going to the garden to check on the flowers and plants planted some days ago, she even discovered a clump of wild shepherd’s purse on the southern slope.

Chun Wan exclaimed, “How could such a thing be growing here?”

Zhou Shaojin’s enthusiasm didn’t diminish. She smiled and said, “Dig it up and take it back to make shepherd’s purse dumplings.”

“Good! Good!” Everyone thought it was a fine idea and helped dig wild vegetables.

Zhou Shaojin had them erect a fence here: “Don’t disturb the soil here. Every spring from now on, we can come here to pick shepherd’s purse.”

The maids and pozis all agreed in unison.

At noon, everyone ate shepherd’s purse dumplings.

Old Madam Guo ate over a dozen dumplings in one go. It was only because Zhou Shaojin feared she would get indigestion and didn’t dare let her continue eating that Old Madam Guo finally stopped, saying, “These are the most delicious dumplings I’ve eaten since coming to the capital.”

Even Gu Shiqi Gu, who was accustomed to eating white rice, ate seven or eight dumplings.

Old Madam Guo decided to take a walk in the garden that afternoon to see what else was there.