The “usual place” referred to the Fifth Branch’s small garden.
Since the last time Zhou Shaojin had threatened Cheng Yi, he hadn’t gathered with Cheng Nuo and the others for some days. Hearing this now, he couldn’t help but become animated, whispering conspiratorially with Cheng Nuo for a while before seeing him out.
Over there, Cheng Wen was already kneeling in the courtyard of Chunze Pavilion.
The early summer sun shone on the bluestone slabs. Though not as harsh as the July sun, it couldn’t be underestimated either. Moreover, Cheng Wen had lived in comfort all these years—suddenly subjected to such torment, if his physical strength couldn’t endure and he fell ill, it would be terrible.
Madam Wen paced anxiously nearby, very much regretting having taken her complaint to Cheng Xu.
But Cheng Wen already glared at Madam Wen with angry brows, sneering coldly: “Where were you earlier? Now you know to play the good person! My affairs—from now on I wouldn’t dare trouble you with them! The midday sun is strong. Madam Wen, you’d better return to your room and rest early! If you fall ill from the sun, I couldn’t bear the responsibility!”
These cold taunts and ridicule made Madam Wen’s liver ache with anger. She stood there wiping away tears.
Jiang Shi, who had received word, came to persuade Madam Wen back to the Fifth Branch.
Cheng Jia sat at the painting desk by the window in Zhou Shaojin’s side room. A thick old locust tree blocked the sunlight from outside, casting the entire room in deep green shadows.
She took a sip of mung bean soup and sighed comfortably, laughing: “The First Branch’s Aunt Jing is still the most formidable—saying she had to attend Old Madam Guo for the noon meal, completely ignoring this matter. The Second Branch’s Aunt Yi has to care for her pregnant daughter-in-law. Only my mother foolishly ran over, and now she’s been caught by Aunt Wen and who knows when she’ll be able to extract herself.”
The summer clothing from before was already finished. Zhou Shaojin was making an autumn headband for Old Madam Guan.
Hearing this, she looked up with a smile, then lowered her head again to continue sewing.
Cheng Jia was very dissatisfied and said: “I finally come visit once, and here you are sitting and doing needlework. You don’t look like a host at all.” As she spoke, she tried to snatch the headband from Zhou Shaojin’s hands.
Zhou Shaojin raised her hand and dodged Cheng Jia, saying: “This isn’t anything good—what do you want me to say about it?”
Cheng Jia was at a loss for words. Then she pouted and said: “Anyway, I think Uncle Wen did very wrong. Rather than Aunt Wen quarreling with him like this, she might as well divorce him and be done with it—out of sight, out of mind…”
Divorce?
That would require a strong natal family to back her up!
Zhou Shaojin became somewhat dazed.
If Cheng Jia hadn’t met with misfortune, with parents who doted on her and a brother to support her, she truly would have the confidence to say such things.
Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat distressed.
She thought again of that letter Cheng Jia had Cui Huan deliver to her.
They were both victims.
She hoped that in this life, both their fates would change.
Zhou Shaojin lowered her head and continued making Old Madam Guan’s headband.
Cheng Jia couldn’t sit still. After exchanging a few hasty words with Zhou Shaojin, she went to look for Jiang Shi.
Zhou Shaojin smiled mockingly.
Looking for Jiang Shi was false—going to the Fifth Branch to watch the excitement was the truth, wasn’t it?
Over the next few days, everyone up and down Jiuru Lane talked about this matter.
Cheng Wen fell ill. Madam Wen cried like a tearful mess, but Cheng Wen simply wouldn’t let Madam Wen enter. Having no other choice, Madam Wen slept at night on the arhat bed in the hall. With no one managing household affairs, everything was left to the discretion of Madam Wen’s wet nurse.
The Fifth Branch continued to be in turmoil.
Zhou Shaojin didn’t want to gossip about others. When she returned from Hanbi Mountain Villa, she did needlework. After embroidering Old Madam Guan’s headband, she began making winter clothing for her father far away in Nanchang Prefecture, and decided by the way to also make a skirt for her stepmother Li Shi.
In her previous life, after her sister married, she began marriage negotiations with Cheng Lu. With her frail appearance, sending her to Baoding Prefecture and then marrying her from Baoding to Jinling—both her maternal grandmother and eldest aunt felt this was tormenting her. Moreover, the Zhou family’s ancestral home was in Jinling, so they kept her at the Cheng residence, planning to arrange her betrothal after she underwent the hairpin ceremony… In this life, she could under no circumstances negotiate marriage with Cheng Lu. After her sister married, she would naturally go to Baoding. At this time, expressing goodwill toward her stepmother was very necessary.
After Pan Zhuo left, Pan Qing came to visit Zhou Shaojin.
Looking at Zhou Shaojin, who was as tranquil as a pool of lake water, a trace of bewilderment flashed through her eyes as she said: “You just sit at home like this every day, not going anywhere?”
“I have things to keep me busy!” Especially during such troubled times, Zhou Shaojin had decided to maintain a certain distance from all of them.
Pan Qing said with sudden understanding: “Oh yes, your maternal grandmother’s birthday is coming up soon. You need to prepare a birthday gift for her.”
Zhou Shaojin didn’t explain, lowering her head to continue sewing clothes.
Pan Qing looked at what appeared to be a raven-blue robe with purple auspicious cloud clusters and asked curiously: “Who are you making this for?”
“My father,” Zhou Shaojin said without raising her head.
Pan Qing picked it up to examine it.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said: “Don’t move it—you’ll make my stitches go crooked.”
Pan Qing laughed awkwardly and put down the cut fabric in her hands, saying: “The moonlight outside is so lovely. Shall we go for a walk outside? I haven’t had a good talk with you since returning to Jinling this time!”
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said: “When several people walk together, mosquitoes always like to bite me. I don’t go out at night. If you want to admire the moon, Cousin Jia is probably idle right now. You might invite her to go with you.”
Pan Qing smiled and said: “You know she doesn’t like me…” Her tone carried a somewhat testing quality.
Zhou Shaojin pretended not to hear and smiled, saying: “That’s just her temperament. Actually, her heart is very good. After Cousin Qing spends more time with her, you’ll understand.”
Pan Qing didn’t believe that after so many years together, with Cheng Jia being so imperious and domineering, Zhou Shaojin had no opinion whatsoever of her. This manner of a proper young lady—”see no impropriety, speak no impropriety”—made Pan Qing feel thoroughly bored.
This Second Miss Zhou was just a wooden beauty. Probably having read the “Biographies of Exemplary Women” and “Admonitions for Women” since childhood, with no mother to privately guide her, she took everything written in those books as truth—so proper and rule-abiding, not the least bit interesting.
As if to confirm her speculation, afterward she would ask a question and Zhou Shaojin would answer with a sentence, not engaging with even half a sentence more.
Pan Qing was very disappointed. After exchanging a few more words, she rose to take her leave.
Oil lamps more or less irritated the eyes. Zhou Shaojin had resolved to make clothing for her father with neat stitching and a comfortable fit, and had long grown impatient with this bean-sized lamplight. She had only put on this appearance to drive Pan Qing away. Therefore, as soon as Pan Qing’s front foot left Wanxiang Residence, Zhou Shaojin had Chun Wan put away the needlework. She stood up, rubbed her eyes, and said: “Let’s also go to the courtyard to admire the moon. These past few days the tuberose flowers have been blooming vigorously. I can smell the fragrance when I wake up in the morning—it’s a pity they wilt by daybreak, otherwise it would be nice to wear a few in my hair.”
Shi Xiang took a cattail leaf fan and went out with Zhou Shaojin, saying: “The jasmine flowers have also been blooming beautifully these past days. Shall I pick some jasmine flowers for Second Miss to wear?”
“Wonderful!” Zhou Shaojin said with a smile. “Pick plenty—we can hang them at the bed corners, and also make bracelets. Send some to Elder Sister’s place, and also to Grandmother, Eldest Aunt, Si’er and the others. And bring a few for Xiao Tan…”
As they talked, they strolled along the small path of Wanxiang Residence.
The cattail leaf fan in Shi Xiang’s hand swished refreshingly and coolly, lifting Zhou Shaojin’s spirits.
A dark shadow ran past on the side path.
Zhou Shaojin and the others were greatly startled. Zhou Shaojin particularly thought of the incident from her previous life when she encountered Cheng Xu in the garden. Frightened pale, she couldn’t control herself and let out a scream.
Shi Xiang quickly embraced Zhou Shaojin and called loudly toward where the shadow had been: “Who’s there? Come out quickly! Otherwise we’ll call for people!”
Upon hearing this, the dark shadow’s form paused slightly, then turned and walked over.
Chun Wan went to fetch a lantern.
About ten years old, thin as a monkey, wearing a blue fine cloth short jacket. His face full of shrewdness.
It was actually Sanbao, the personal servant attending Cheng Yi.
What was he doing in the inner courtyard at this time?
After all, it was someone she knew well. Zhou Shaojin patted her chest and let out a long breath.
Night patrol women had already come over with lanterns: “Second Miss, what happened?”
Sanbao’s eyes showed a pleading expression as he pressed his palms together toward Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin wanted to help him and called out loudly: “Nothing, nothing. I just stepped on something soft and didn’t know what it was—it gave me quite a fright.”
Two women came over with smiles.
Sanbao quickly hid behind a nearby willow tree.
The two women smiled and said: “Good that nothing happened. You gave us quite a fright.”
Zhou Shaojin thanked the two women and had Shi Xiang fetch some loose silver for them to buy wine: “After finishing your shift, go relax a bit.”
The two refused, thanking her repeatedly. After pushing back and forth with Shi Xiang for a while, they finally accepted the silver with thanks and turned to go elsewhere.
Zhou Shaojin stood there with a cold face waiting for Sanbao to explain.
Sanbao tremblingly came out from behind the tree, stammering for a long time without managing a complete sentence.
Zhou Shaojin raised an eyebrow and called out “Shi Xiang,” saying: “Go invite those two night patrol women over.”
“Second Miss, spare me!” Sanbao dropped to his knees with a thud. “Second Miss, it’s the Second Young Master—Second Young Master lost silver at gambling and sent me back to get more… I figured this was closer, so I took the shortcut… I’ll never dare again, never again!”
Zhou Shaojin was stunned hearing this, then became so angry she nearly spat blood. She demanded sternly: “What did you say? The Second Young Master is gambling? With whom? Where? How much silver did he lose? Who else knows about this?”
Seeing that every word and sentence showed her concern, Sanbao’s tension eased and his speech became more fluent: “They’re all young masters from aristocratic families at the clan school, plus Fifth Branch’s Master Nuo and Master Ju. The stakes aren’t large—one hundred coins per round. It’s in the waterside pavilion of the Fifth Branch’s small garden. It’s completely surrounded with felt curtains—you absolutely can’t see any lamplight from outside.
“Today Second Young Master didn’t bring much silver, and his luck was a bit bad. He lost about four or five taels of silver. He originally wanted to quit and try again tomorrow, but Master Ju wouldn’t agree—he’d also lost, seven or eight taels of silver. Second Young Master couldn’t refuse his face, so he sent this servant back to get silver.
“Second Miss, you absolutely must help Second Young Master keep this secret. If the Master and Madam find out, won’t they skin Second Young Master alive?”
Zhou Shaojin nearly choked on her breath.
So Cheng Yi had treated her words as wind past the ears—in the left ear and out the right. Not only was he gambling, but he was gambling together with Cheng Ju and the others. From Sanbao’s tone, this wasn’t the first time!
She twisted her handkerchief and paced in place. After quite a while, her mood finally calmed enough for her to say to Sanbao: “Go tell the Second Young Master right now that I have something to discuss with him. Tell him to stop playing and come see me immediately. I’ll wait for him here.”